Crest (Ondine Quartet Book 3) (27 page)

I staggered back, hand instinctively reaching for my dagger.

A reclusive figure hidden away in the Selkie Kingdom, the Armicant had long remained a mystery among ondines and demillirs.

I'd always imagined an old selkie, maybe even a demillir, endlessly forging
kouperets
in the basement of the palace.

But what lumbered out of the darkness wasn't a selkie. Or a demillir.

I didn't know what it was.

Silver fish scales covered a massive torso ending in a heavy fin-like tail. It balanced on four colossal white paws endowed with black claws.

Gossamer wings fluttered against its side, similar in structure and shape to that of a giant dragonfly. Topaz eyes glittered above a long snout that was a cross between a lizard and dragon. Massive jaws opened, exposing serrated teeth and a tongue of pure fire.

A monstrous mashup of several creatures, the ugly beast had to weigh at least seven hundred pounds.

Magic poured around me, the same force fueling the strange rainforest outside.

"Why do you come?"

Fear thrummed through my veins and I forced myself to look into those creepy eyes.

Better than staring at those claws. Or teeth.

"Two months ago an Aquidae blade was retrieved and given to you for safekeeping. I wish to examine it."

Ask a smaller favor before working up to what I really wanted. Common tactic.

Head tilted left, then right. "Why do you wish to see it?"

"The blade was used to complete an Aquidae turning. I'm hunting the Shadow and there might be something that helps — "

"No."

"Why?"

"Because it is mine. I created it and it has finally returned."

I frowned. "You made the blade Aquidae use to turn others?"

Claw pawed the ground and a growl resounded in my head. The hairs on the back of my neck rose.

"The base of the blade is mine, forged from my vision. But it has been transformed into something not mine."

Aquidae stemmed from the same line of dark blood as nixes and countless other elemental races.

But the Shadow had corrupted it into an unnatural pollutant fueling the demons.

"Did you create more than one?"

"Yes." The sibilant hiss scraped against my mind. "As there is more than one
kouperet
."

Which meant Aquidae still had the means to turn others. The Universe just couldn't give me a break.

"Why did you create it?"

The corner of its jaw lifted revealing a grove of pointy teeth. "Because the Shadow asked me to."

I stared. "You're our weapons maker and you made the Shadow a weapon because he asked?"

Voice rose with each word.

How could the being responsible for making the only thing that killed an Aquidae also make the instrument that created them?

A snarl tore from its throat, the sound clawing across my chest.

"I am the connector between light and dark." Nostrils flared. "The first and last of my kind. He asked for a weapon and I constructed one. What he does has nothing to do with me."
 

Fine. If he made the blade for the Shadow, then it should have no problems with my request.

"So that means you can make other weapons, right?"

It turned and I leaped back, barely avoiding the tail whipping toward me. It shuffled deeper into the cave. I followed.

"You create
kouperets
by infusing silver with Essence," I continued. "Could you create other weapons in the same way?"

No answer.

Its body filled the width of the cavern but faint light filtered though the thin gap between its wings and the wall.

It stepped through a secondary opening on to a ledge above the northern end of the lagoon. The cavern cut straight through the mountain ridge.

White-washed stones of the palace glittered to the south. From this height, the sea stretched vast and wide and the horizon appeared infinite.

"Do you see what I see?" it asked.

"You mean the palace?"

"Mortals only see what is in front of them." Wings ruffled in irritation. "I see elemental races struggling to arrive at a solution that does not exist."

I crossed my arms. "They're worried. Ondines are being murdered. Countless selkies and demillirs have been killed in the war. Help us create new weapons. If you stand by, you're allowing this to continue."

"I do not allow anything. It is you who have continued this war for thousands of years. It is you who are content to let things continue as they are. It is how mortals think."

I shook my head. "Things are changing. Ondines are fighting and we need you to equip them. There's even a presentation five days from now —"

A rumble. "What is it worth?"

The question reminded me of something, like a memory or dream I once had, but I couldn't place it.

"I do not see what is worth protecting."

Frustration coursed through me. How did you convince a beast who hid away in the mountains to help?

It didn't need additional weapons to survive. It wasn't at war with demons. It wasn't even mortal.

"I need your help. I know you don't know who I am but —"

"You are Kendra." Topaz eyes blinked rapidly, the reptilian gesture sending a shiver down my spine. "An Irisavie, daughter of Naida and Ansel. Granddaughter of Rhian and Bernard."

 
Cool trick. "How did you know?"

"Mortals only see what is in front of them," it repeated.

"So what do you see, Armicant?" I asked, impatient.

"I am of air, land, water, and fire. My blood, my nature, is Essence. I see the tiniest mouse skittering across an open field and the entirety of the horizon at the same time. The finest detail and the largest arc."

It suddenly leaned in, snout inches from my cheek. I froze.

Rancid, hot breath rippled against my skin. "And I know you, Kendra Irisavie. I know who you come from."

I stood very still. "If you are able to see, then you know times have changed. We need different weapons."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because it is not my fight."

Anger stirred at those words."So you'd rather do nothing while people continue to die? You're a coward —"

A roar rocketed through my skull. Body folded, hands clutched my head in an attempt to stop the ringing.

"I gave the Shadow the instrument he requested. I gave elementals the
kouperet
to balance it." Its voice thundered through the pain. Magic surged, violent and fiery. "Do not involve me in your matters!"

Wings outstretched and with a burst of power, it tore into the sky.

For a moment it hung near the clouds, a glass prism refracting the spectrum of light.

Then it plunged and soundlessly entered the ocean without a splash.

A PEACEFUL SILENCE FILLED THE west wing's corridor.

The palace library had provided no answers.

Two hours of pouring over texts with Aubrey and Ian resulted in nothing. Other than a few brief mentions of the legends surrounding the Armicant's origins, there was no information that could help me.

Frustration rubbed under my skin. Bargaining and negotiations were my forte. As an Empath, I was used to reading people and figuring out the best strategic approach.

But I couldn't use Empath on the Armicant. It was a beast, a strange immortal creature that didn't think the same way as us.

How could I convince someone to get involved in a fight it believed wasn't its own?

The second floor of the west wing housed the royal family and members of the Advisory Council.

A skinny figure jumped out from a shadowy alcove.

I eyed her. "If you want to punk me, you have to try a little harder."

Helene kept the camera lens on me. "You had no idea I was following you."

"You were lurking behind a pillar when I left the library." I kept walking. "Accidentally running into a frond and stepping on someone's foot also didn't help."

"Where are you going?"

"None of your business."

"Is it about the investigation?"

I ignored her.

"Are you visiting one of the Belicouxs?"

"Look —"

"I bet I know exactly which one," a voice added slyly.

I turned and glared at Renee. "Your sister needs to leave me alone."

 
She clucked. "How in the world are you going to get the Governing Council to follow your wishes if you can't convince a thirteen-year-old?"

After today's visit with the Armicant, that hit a sore spot. "My job is not to babysit you or your family."

"Kendra's just pissed because the Armicant didn't listen to her," Helene added helpfully.

Running a top secret agenda wasn't all that great if a thirteen-year-old could figure it out.

I turned and headed down the corridor.

Renee joined me. "Hey, wait up."

I walked a little faster.

"Thank you."

That stopped me in my tracks. "What?"

"Jeeves told me what you did. About letting me participate in the presentation." She paused. "I wanted to say thanks."

I looked up at the sky through a large arch.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking to see if pigs are flying."

"Funny." She tilted her head. "You seeing Prince Belicoux?"

I had nothing to feel weird about. Tristan and I were working colleagues. Heading up to his office alone didn't mean anything.

I gave a stiff nod. "We're working on the investigation —"

"I'll take Helene."

Renee walked over to her sister and murmured something. Reluctance crossed Helene's face but she left with her.

Renee winked. Sometimes you had to take what you could get.

Tristan's rooms were unusually situated. A separate staircase led up from the second floor in a diagonal direction as if the tower was added to the main building as an afterthought.

Large ebony doors were slightly open. I peeked in.

He leaned against the wall, arms loose, lean body relaxed, face turned to the window.

It didn't matter how many times I saw him. Across from me at the Council table or bloody and wild on a battlefield.

His beauty always managed to catch me by surprise.

Mahogany locks tumbled down to his shoulders, framing sharp cheekbones, refined nose, and strong jaw.

It was a face that promised both fierceness and sensuality.

Every inch of him appeared relaxed, a mask of royal serenity.

But the real truth was in those dark eyes.

I sensed it the way one fighter recognized another.

He'd been aware of my approach long before I'd even sighted him.

"Long day?" He turned to me and smiled.

I stepped inside. "Same old, same old."

His office was functional and nothing really reflected him. A large mahogany desk similar to the ones in every delegate's room. A simple sofa, a few bookshelves and lamps.

The floor-to-ceiling windows lining the west wall presented a stunning view of the horizon and was the room's only striking feature.

I nodded at the large double doors to my left. "What's through there?"

A pause. "My bedroom."

Curiosity slammed into me. I wanted to go inside, see his bed and smell the room and...
 

What the hell is wrong with you?

"I saw the Armicant," I said hastily.

"How did it go?"

I quickly explained what happened, but left out the part about how I got there. My little challenge with Dax didn't seem relevant.

"Any advice?" I spread my arms. "It lives in your kingdom, makes our weapons, but wants absolutely nothing more to do with this war. I have no idea how to change its mind."

Tristan sat behind his desk. Thoughtful eyes drifted back to the window.

"The Armicant predates demillirs and ondines," Tristan said. "I'm not sure what you can do to change its mind. But I do think you're the right person to speak to it."

"Why?"

"Because you don't need anything from it."

"But I do need something. I need it to commit to making other kinds of weapons."

Tristan shook his head. "Demillirs need it to make
kouperets
. Selkies need its elemental brand and the
pedaillon
stone it chooses for us to become gardinels."

The elemental brand was seared onto the back of each gardinel's
pedaillon
and transformed one of their seal limbs into a lethal underwater weapon.

"But you have your own weapon." He gestured toward the dagger at the small of my back. "And you don't need it to become a gardinel. You don't need anything fundamental from it, which means you have a better chance than most to convince it."

"Are selkies tied to the Armicant?"

"Magically speaking, yes." He stood and made his way toward a tray on a side table. "The Armicant is a creature of all four elements."

That's why it looked like a strange combination of multiple beasts. Fish scales for water, large clawed paws for earth, gossamer wings for air, and a tongue of fire.

"And selkies belong to both land and sea," he continued. "We are tied by old magic, just as we are bonded to the dessondines."

He brought the silver tray back to his desk and removed the domed top. Two mugs, a tall, white carafe, and a box full of...

"No way."

Tristan laughed. "Thought we could eat while we talk. I had Bastien make a fresh batch and express mail it up. Quite the package, carefully packed to keep it chilled all the way here. Jesse flew it over today."

My mouth was already watering. Cafe Rivière's eclairs in the Selkie Kingdom. I had to be dreaming.

He sat and I settled on the corner of his desk. I took a bite and almost passed out from pleasure.

"That good?"

Was I drooling?

I forced myself to stop chewing so fast and swallowed as delicately as possible.

"It's okay," I lied.

I pulled the box of eclairs closer. Just in case.

"I wasn't sure if I should order
 
—"

"Yes." I swallowed. "Please."

Amusement danced across his face. "I'll have more sent up."

Every second, the sky shifted a different color as the sun dipped toward the horizon.