“Perhaps he thinks it’s the best way to get one up on us. Who knows?” Shade wiped his blade on the grass. The half-dragon had adjusted to the lack of his Stradolan powers remarkably well, but then none of us had been given much of a choice in how we reacted to changes in our lives. It had become adapt or die, and we were all feeling the strain of too much change, too much chaos, lately. The fact that his shadow-walker self had vanished due to a freak show energy-sucker was harsh, but right now it wasn’t our biggest problem. Luckily, Shade seemed to understand that.
Camille sucked in a deep breath. “I wanted to save this card for when Shadow Wing made his big move, but I think we have to use it now. It’s time for me to call on the dragons for help. They’ve pledged to me they would work on our side during the war. We can set them after Telazhar, over in Otherworld. That might be enough to give us a respite.” Her expression grew dark, sweeping across her face like a thundercloud. She had paid dearly for the promise of help from the Dragonkin. Their offer had been given as reparations for a wound that she would never fully be able to leave behind her.
“I think you’re right, my wife. It’s time.” Smoky smiled faintly. “We need help in Otherworld, and so does every free country over there. We’ll talk to my people in the morning.”
As Morio and Vanzir poked among the dead, searching for any information that might help us, my sisters and I headed over to a nearby bench to wait. We were all covered with blood—except for Smoky, who was his usual pristine self. It occurred to me that Shade didn’t share the same trait. Maybe it was because he was only half dragon. But the good news was, we had managed to avoid any damage to ourselves except for a few bruises here and there.
“You really think it’s time to summon the dragons?” Delilah’s eyes were wide. She had lost her na?veté over the past years, but she still could look the part of the little Kitten.
“You’re marrying a half-dragon and I’m married to a prince of the realm. Don’t sound so surprised.” Camille laughed, breaking the tension. “It’s not like we don’t know any.”
I chimed in. “Cut her some slack.” But I was smiling. “After all, we are talking about dragons, and anybody in their right mind knows better than to be blasé about Dragonkin.”
Delilah wrinkled her nose. “I just meant . . . are we at that point? Has it really come to this?”
“Yeah, I think we’re really all in.” Camille smiled grimly. “It came sooner than I expected, but right now, I’d say we’re beyond the point of no return. There will be no more demon generals . . . no more Mr. Nice Guy. Shadow Wing is on the move, and Telazhar is his angel of death, leading the brigade. I feel it in my bones.” She shivered, crossing her arms. Then, softly, she added, “Let’s face it—life is changing all around us. We can’t avoid the future.”
“Destiny’s a bitch.” I let out a short grunt.
Camille entwined her fingers, staring at her hands. “Destiny will out. We can’t stop the future from coming. Once I move out to Talamh Lonrach Oll after my coronation on Samhain, nothing will ever be the same. Unless you two come with me, this will be the first time in our lives we’ve lived apart.” Her eyes were misty, her voice quivering just enough to reveal a hint of fear. “I’m going to be a queen . . . and I’m not sure I know how.”
And none of us could give her advice. We sat silent for a moment, and then Delilah let out a long sigh.
She straightened her shoulders. “We were waiting to tell you, but I think we need some good news now. Shade and I have decided that we want to get married this year. We don’t want to wait any longer. I don’t want to wait any longer.”
Camille forced a smile and kissed her on the cheek. “Yay, another wedding to plan! I love weddings.”
I wrapped an arm around Delilah’s shoulder. “Whenever you want, love. Tell us and we’ll make it happen. You want a white gown and a Cinderella wedding, you’ve got it. You want a quiet garden wedding—you’ve got that, too. Just promise me you’ll marry at night so I can be there.”
“Oh, there’s no doubt about that. A nighttime wedding for sure.”
As I stared at the darkening sky, I thought about everything that was happening. Finally, after a few minutes of silence, I said, “Will you and Smoky go to the Dragon Reaches tomorrow?”
Camille stared up at the stars, then slowly nodded. “Yeah. We will.”
I pursed my lips. “War has sneaked in to land on our doorstep and there’s no way to turn back the clock. It would be a good idea if we could establish whether Telazhar is filtering his recruits through other portals around the world. Delilah, can you ask the Supe Community Council to put out feelers, to see if there’s been an increase in activity? And I’ll ask Roman to check through the Vampire Nation.”
Camille let out a long sigh. “And I’ll ask Aeval and Titania to check with the Earthside Fae. Maybe we can figure out just how wide a swath Telazhar is managing to cut.”
And with that, we saw Chase’s cleanup crew coming up the walkway. They headed over to the carnage. They would clear up all signs of what had happened here. And behind them, Iris and Tanne Baum came striding up the sidewalk. Shelving further discussion, we wearily met the pair and led them to the portal.