He chuckled. “Well, there’s another factor at play that elevates my palace in terms of winning the contest. We have worked out a magical connector that ties the signal from over here on earth to the castle coordinates in Annwn. And also to my father’s coordinates. It’s complicated, though, and the tech mages are the ones who could actually answer your questions best. I just tell them what I need and when I need it by, and they make it happen.”

  I was about to ask how long it had taken them to make a connection between the two worlds when Sergeant Oaklorn returned.

  “If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to Vixen. We have everything set up so this shouldn’t take too long.”

  “What happens if you find Vixen is telling the truth?” Wendy asked. “Will they get to go home?”

  “The law takes truth-teller’s testimony so seriously that yes, if it is found that a mistake has been made we’ll return them to their cell until we’ve had a chance to discharge them. And that will only take an hour or so.”

  “Then shall we wait? We could take Vixen home, providing everything goes as hoped?” Herne leaned forward, his eyes eagerly alight.

  “You can do that. Providing of course, the truth-teller discovers that Vixen is telling us the truth.” Sgt. Oaklorn opened the door to another room.

  This door was metal, and it seemed to be both bulletproof and rupture proof. There was a table in the center of the room with one chair on one side and four chairs on the other. We were directed to take our seats on our side of the table. Then, a back door to the room opened and Vixen was brought in, heavily chained. They looked tired, but when they saw Phoebe, their eyes lit up and a smile spread across their face.

  “You found the truth-teller —” Vixen started to say, but Oaklorn shut them down.

  “Sit down and be quiet until you’re spoken to,” Oaklorn said. The guards surrounding Vixen seemed ridiculously large and bulky, but then again Vixen was one of the ante-Fae, and could be treacherous when cornered.

  The truth-teller sat in the center seat, staring directly at Vixen. “I need to the prisoner to put one hand, palm facing forward, against the glass.” Phoebe glanced over at the sergeant. “You will instruct the prisoner to do this.”

  If her abrasiveness bothered Sergeant Oaklorn, he didn’t show it. Instead, he just motioned for Vixen to follow instructions, and the snake shifter did. Phoebe placed her hand against the other side of the glass and held it firm.

  “Ask your questions and I will tell you whether the prisoner is lying. You must ask yes or no questions in order for me to be able to give you a full report. I have signed the affidavit attesting to my powers, and given my credentials. The original can be found on Themiscyra, in the Great Hall. I have also filed a copy with the Seattle Police Department, and you’ll find it in the database. I am legally acknowledged as a truth-teller and can attest in cases like this.”

  I stared at Phoebe, starting to realize just what kind of power she wielded. She was better than a living polygraph machine, and she was probably sought out by a number of people in court cases. That didn’t mean that she would accept all of them, of course, but it was an impressive resume.

  Sergeant Oaklorn inclined his head. “Your credentials have been verified and I’m authorized to accept your testimony. Do you mind if we film this?”

  “Go right ahead. I’ve been on camera more times than I care to count,” Phoebe answered.

  The air felt thick as she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing her eyes. “I will keep my eyes closed during the entire interrogation. I work better if I do not see the plaintiff’s face.”

  Vixen looked nervous, but I could sense relief.

  Sergeant Oaklorn looked up at the camera that was filming us from the corner of the room. He gave the date and year, stated his name, and asked Vixen to state their name. After Vixen acquiesced, Oaklorn asked Phoebe to give her name and she looked at the camera and stated her name and her certification number. Then, she closed her eyes and, hand still pressed to Vixen’s against the bulletproof glass, let out a long sigh.

  “Ready,” she said.

  Oaklorn turned to Vixen. “Vixen Scaletongue, did you attack Apollo, the Golden Boy, on the night of July fourteenth?”

  “I did not. No.”

  Phoebe didn’t hesitate. “Vixen is telling the truth.”

  Oaklorn paused for a moment, then said, “Vixen Scaletongue, did you attempt to murder Apollo, the Golden Boy, on the night of July fourteenth?”

  Vixen’s voice grew stronger as they said, “No. I did not attempt to murder Apollo.”

  Once again Phoebe was quick to say, “Vixen is telling the truth. “

  Oaklorn nodded. “Vixen Scaletongue, were you responsible in any way for the attempted murder of Apollo, the Golden Boy, on the night of July fourteenth?”

  Again, Vixen’s voice grew steadier. “No, I am in no way responsible for the attempted murder of Apollo.”

  “Vixen is telling the truth,” Phoebe said.

  I wondered if that was enough, but apparently not. Oaklorn glanced down at his notes.

  “Vixen Scaletongue, did you conspire to commit murder in the case of Apollo, the Golden Boy, on the night of July fourteenth?”

  Again, Vixen denied culpability and Phoebe confirmed that they were telling the truth.

  “One question left. Vixen Scaletongue, do you have any knowledge of who attacked Apollo, the Golden Boy, on the night of July fourteenth?” Oaklorn waited.

  Vixen hesitated for a second. “I don’t know. I felt someone near me, and they felt familiar, but I couldn’t pinpoint who it was. Then we heard Apollo scream and when the lights came up, he was on the table. I have the feeling that I may know the person responsible, but I don’t consciously know who did it.”

  “Again, Vixen is telling the truth. The way I will interpret this is that the suspect has a suspicion they may know the person, but they don’t know which person that is.” Phoebe leaned back, resting her hand on the table she opened her eyes. “It is my judgment that Vixen Scaletongue had nothing to do with the attempted murder of Apollo, the Golden Boy. I will sign and swear to this.”

  “I guess we can release you,” Oaklorn said. I detected a sense of relief in his voice. “Let me process everything through and you should be able to leave within the hour.” He turned to the truth-teller. “I wish we had an army of you for our law enforcement purposes.”

  “It is a taxing process, and we only offer our abilities when it feels correct to do so. It will take me days to recuperate from this, so do not wish hardship on my kind. But, I am glad I could help.” Phoebe stood, staring at Vixen. “This is not your killer. There is no possibility that Vixen ScaleTongue is to blame.”

  “Well, I’m glad we know,” Oaklorn said. “But that leaves you with a problem,” he said to Herne. “You have to start over again with your investigation. I know you’re helping the police, but I have a feeling this is going to rest on your shoulders more than theirs. The Ante-Fae aren’t well received in many circles.” He turned to me. “Your friend will be ready for release in about an hour. I’ll have one of the officers escort you to the waiting room. I’m going to get this footage into the database, and process ScaleTongue’s release.”

  As another officer herded us out into the waiting room, I wondered how many innocent people sat behind bars while the actual killers ran free. If we did have an army of truth-tellers, it would make such a difference in the justice system. But if such a short period of time took such an intense toll on them, as this had taken a toll on Phoebe, that would be abuse of their powers. I glanced at her, worried. Phoebe looked pale and exhausted.

  “Would you like something to eat? I can run down the road and get you something.”

  She cast a grateful glance my way. “Actually, I could use a sandwich. I saw a food court on the other side of that hallway, and they should have something.”

  The waiting room was a large rectangle, and to one side was a hallway that turned both left and right. I crossed to the open doorway, and followed my nose. Sure enough, a few feet to the left I found a food stall catering to the jail’s visitors. They sold burgers and sandwiches, fries and chips, pastries and candy bars, coffee and milk and soft drinks. It was a limited menu, but I asked for a roast beef sandwich and a large lemonade. I paid for them and carried them back to Phoebe, who gratefully dove in, eating like she was starved. As I sat next to Herne, it occurred to me that I should tell him about what had happened with Yutani the night before.

  “I need to talk to you about something,” I said. “Something happened with Yutani last night.”

  He looked anything but excited. “All right, but let’s wait until we get back to the office. One problem at a time, because I have a feeling that whatever you’re about to tell me isn’t going to be something I want to hear.”

  I nodded, leaving it at that. As we waited for Vixen to be processed through the system, it occurred to me that life had suddenly gotten very dark. And I felt very much in the shadows.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  We dropped Vixen off at their house, and Herne promised that we’d be in touch soon.

  “Try not to worry too much,” Herne said.

  “How can I help it?” Vixen asked. “Apollo’s still in critical condition. Sergeant Oaklorn was gracious enough to find out for me once Phoebe verified that I was telling the truth. I’m going to take a shower and change clothes, and then head over to the hospital as soon as I can.”

  The moment we had left the jail facility, Vixen had shifted into the form of an effeminate man, looking tired as hell. Now, I detected a slight transition. They were shifting again, and I had the feeling that being forced into their natural form had caused some sort of instability in their system. Shifting with their moods was as natural as breathing to Vixen.

  “Do you need someone to stay with you?” I asked.

  “Thank you, but Raven’s coming over. She’ll go with me to the hospital.” Vixen set down on a red velvet divan, and I wanted to grab a blanket and tuck them in and bring them soup. “I’m so grateful for you procuring the truth-teller. I owe you big, all of you.”

  Herne sat down on the sofa. “Tell me something. You said you think you may know the murderer, but you don’t know who they are?”

  Vixen nodded their head. “Yeah, I think I do. There was a scent that I recognized, but in all the confusion, I can’t fathom who it was. Maybe somebody I used to know. I wish I could remember better. I wish that I could just close my eyes and have it come cascading back. This is maddening. It’s like having a word on the tip of your tongue, and not quite being able to come out with it.”

  “We’ll give you a call in a bit,” Herne said. “Do you need anything else?”

  “Just a long shower and some time to decompress.” A stray tear rolled down Vixen’s cheek. “What will I do if he dies? I’ve never loved anybody like I love Apollo. Even his slip with Trinity—that doesn’t matter now. I know he’s loyal to me.”

  “Hey, it will be all right.” I wasn’t sure what moved me so much, but I sat down beside Vixen and pulled them in close for a tight hug. Vixen always seemed so in control, and from what Raven had told me, they were always the one people went to, rather than the other way around. But now Vixen needed someone else to be the rock.

  “Damn it,” Vixen whispered, returning the hug. “I can’t lose Apollo. I just can’t. And that anybody would think that I would try to kill him, it rips apart my heart. We’ve been together for years—for decades.”

  “We’ll find out who did it,” Herne said, clapping Vixen on the back. “I can’t guarantee it, but we’ll do our best.”

  As we left, I glanced back just in time to see Vixen’s butler, Archie, bring them a cocktail. Vixen caught my eye and saluted me with it, and then, I shut the door behind us.

  Herne dropped Wendy off at her place, and then headed to the office. I followed behind. I needed to talk to him about Yutani, and I also wanted to discuss the upcoming meeting with Dormant Reins. As I pulled into the parking garage, I could only hope that Herne wouldn’t be in a mood to yell at me. What Yutani and I had done the night before was reckless, though if it was helping him touch his magical heritage, maybe it hadn’t been such a mistake. I slung my purse over my shoulder and headed toward the elevator where Herne was waiting.

  As the doors closed, I glanced at him. “Any word on Ember and the babies?”

  “Not yet. But it’s coming down to any day now. I think we still have about a week or two, but it won’t be long now.” He grinned, his smile sparkling from ear to ear. His joy was obvious, and yet that made me so much more keenly aware of my own state.

  “You had something you wanted to talk to me about?” He unlocked the door to the office and I followed him in. The office seemed to echo without everybody there.

  “Yeah, and I can guarantee you aren’t going to be happy about this. Something happened last night that you have to know about, and you need to know, because you know Yutani better than anybody here.” I followed Herne into his office and dropped into one of the chairs opposite his desk.

  “Well, you might as well just tell me.” His gaze flickered over me, and it was obvious that he wasn’t looking forward to whatever I had to say. He had so much going on, and he was about to become the father of three daughters.

  “Last night, Yutani was really upset about his father. Apparently he asked him for help and Coyote basically told him to man up and don’t bother him. So, we were… I was hungry for chi and we were about to get down and dirty when he begged me to show him my…my powers.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Herne asked, setting down his tablet and focusing on me.

  “I ended up sealing his pledge to me. I’m his muse. I’m not sure if you know what that entails—”

  “How could you be so stupid?” Herne stood, shaking his head. “Of course I know what it means. My wife is half Leannan Sidhe, though she’s never used that aspect of her power. You realize what this means? You’ve bound Yutani to you. And he’s not even an artist! What were you thinking?” He was yelling now. Having a god yell at you wasn’t pleasant.

  I struggled for what to say. Part of me felt like I had screwed up, and yet—had I? Or had I given him a lifeline when he needed one? I held up my hands, shrugging. “Look, he knew what he was asking. And in the moment, it seemed to be a good idea—”

  “Don’t give me some lame excuse.” He crossed round the desk and leaned down to stare at me. “Lyrical, you’re playing with fire and you just threw the match on the gasoline. Yutani…” He paused, shaking his head.

  I had leaned back in my chair, all too aware of the intensity of his power. My stomach flipped as I realized that I wasn’t just pissing off my boss, I was pissing off a god. He was gorgeous, his eyes flashing, but even though my pulse was racing, I’d never even consider making a play for him. Some men, during the heat of battle, could translate anger to sex, but deep in my heart, I had boundaries even I wouldn’t cross. I never went after a married man, not even when I wasn’t on the attack.

  Herne met my gaze. “Why did you do it?” he suddenly asked, sitting down beside me. “What made you decide that this could possibly be a good idea?”

  I took a deep breath. His bravado had vanished, and while he was still angry, I could tell he really wanted to know. I sought for the right words.

  “I wasn’t going to. When I got home, he apologized for his behavior earlier. He got a letter from his father—apparently he’s had some issues coming up with increased power from his heritage and he can’t figure out how to handle it. Has he told you that?”

  Herne sobered. “No, he hasn’t. He usually comes to me with things like this.”

  “Well, he contacted the Great Coyote, and his father blew him off. Yutani is feeling some drives that are scaring him. He wants an heir, even though he knows he’s too unstable. He’s having dreams that something big is coming, and he’s afraid he’ll somehow hurt me or Talia or his aunt. Speaking of…Celia contacted him last week to tell him his mother’s dead. She was killed by some john. She was mutilated—murdered.”

  Groaning, Herne slid back. “Oh my stars. I had no idea. No wonder he’s been careening on the edge. Fucking hell. Excuse my language,” he added. Herne seldom swore around women, even though most of us around him cursed like truckers.

  “Yeah, it was bad, I gather. Anyway, after he told me, I could tell he needed me. He needed an outlet. He begged me to show him what I’m like in my full power. It just felt right, so I took him into the realm where I took all my devotees. I wasn’t going to bind him to me, but he responded to the grotto—don’t ask—”

  “I know what you’re talking about,” Herne said.

  “Okay, well, the chaos in him connected with the creativity of my pool. And he was desperately searching for a lifeline. I…”

  “You decided to save him.” Herne let out a long breath. “All right, I understand. I still think it was a mistake, but all this puts it into context. I’m going to call his aunt and talk to her and then see where to go from here. I might pay a visit to Coyote as well. Chaos incarnate or not, he owes Yutani more than this. Like it or not, you’re bound together and there’s nothing any of us can do about it now.”

  “Yeah, I pulled him out from drowning. Maybe what I did was stupid, but I couldn’t think of anything else to do at the time, and I had to do something. I was afraid he might go off and do something stupid.” I hung my head. “I didn’t come out unscathed.”

  “What happened?” Herne glanced at the clock. We had a couple hours before we were to meet Dormant Reins.

  “Maybe this is TMI but…we forgot to use a condom. I know my cycle and I know that I’m not ovulating, but it made me realize I need to get on some sort of birth control. So I went to my doctor this morning and she did an exam.”