Tiddly Jinx (16 page)

I knelt on the ground and began looking through the top vampire book. “I’m not out the door yet. As soon as Cheney stepped down in favor of having an election, Sebastian nominated us. So who knows where we’ll end up.”

“Where do you want to be?”

I sighed. “I don’t want to stay here forever. Someday I would like to have a normal, peaceful life with Cheney, but I don’t think that time is now. I think elections could be a good thing. No one family should stay in power too long. We’ll see, though. People aren’t going to change overnight.”

It took me a moment to realize that Katrina was staring at me. I looked up from the book.

“What?”

“I’m just crazy proud of you. Can you even remember your life when you were dating Michael and taught yoga? Now you’re leading an entire race of people—“

“Who hate me,” I interrupted.

“Regardless. You are still Queen of the Fae. How many people can say that? You have been to the underworld and back, you have embraced this life you never knew you had, and now you’re literally making a baby inside of you. Seriously, there’s a life right there.” She pointed at my stomach. “I can’t wait until you lose your figure.”

We both laughed, and my heart felt a bit lighter.

“Really though, I’m so proud that you’re my friend.”

I hugged her. “Are you trying to make me cry? You know I love you, Kat. I couldn’t do any of this without all of your support and Cheney’s endless patience.”

She pulled back. “Okay, do you want me to keep looking for a binding spell or help you with your research?”

“Look for the spell. Sebastian can help me research when he gets back.”

“I’m here,” he said from the doorway. He had Grandma beside him. I got up and greeted her, then resumed my position kneeling on the floor next to the vampire book. I pointed Sebastian in the direction of the necromancer books and Grandma and Katrina settled at the table to discuss spells.

I finally found something that talked about vampire bonds in the fourth book. Mostly they were between the vampire and the one who created him or her, like Corbin and his maker, but I wasn’t a vampire. Corbin hadn’t changed me—he’d just given me a piece of himself. As far as I could tell the bond only went one way, but I continued reading because this was the only mention I had found that was even close to what I wanted.

The book said that so long as the bond wasn’t severed and the person who was on the receiving end of the bond lived, the vampire who created the bond would be immortal. It was further noted that if you needed to kill a vampire, you had to research it and kill off its children before taking on the vampire because it would keep pulling life from those it was bonded to. That explained how Corbin’s maker had lived for so long in the underworld. She was living off of Corbin, but when he bonded with me, he broke the other bond and she died. But if that was true, then it meant that Corbin was feeding off of me even without touching me.

So long as I was alive he couldn’t die, but how long could I live with him as a leech on my back?

“I HEARD ABOUT THE announcement,” Lily said when she came in. “I’m glad you aren’t just leaving, not that I would blame you.”

“We haven’t been elected yet.” I motioned for her to sit, but she shook her head.

“I know you’re busy. I heard something. It’s probably ridiculous and normally I couldn’t care less about rumors.” She twisted a piece of blonde hair around her finger. “You know what, it’s dumb. I don’t know why I came. Sorry to interrupt.”

“Lily, you’re welcome any time. I mean that. Please sit and tell me what you heard.”

“An entire cemetery in New Orleans will rise from the dead on the next new moon.” She looked away. “It sounds even more stupid when I say it out loud.”

“It’s not stupid.” It wasn’t stupid at all. This could be our first legitimate lead to where the Pole will be before it gets there.

“How could that happen?” she asked. “The human population will go berserk. You know how they are about zombies.”

“Zombies?”

“You know, like,” she held out her arms in front of her and her mouth went slack as she groaned, “zoommmmbiiiies.”

I nodded, though I had no idea what she was talking about—but legions of undead, that was something that was currently all too possible. “We have been tracking a weapon of sorts that would make something like that possible. Is your source reliable?”

She laughed. “I don’t have a source. I listen to what the people who come through my club say. Only one guy was talking about it last night and no one believed him. I know that humans aren’t under your protection, but something like that would expose us all.”

“Did he say which cemetery?”

She dropped down into a chair. “Nope. You seriously believe this could happen?”

“I do. Do you have the man’s name?”

“No, but I can probably find that out for you.”

“Please. I’ll let the others know.”

She nodded. “Cheney, if you ever need my help, just ask. I’ll do what I can.”

Keeping my half-sister as far away from this as possible was the best thing I could do. If it was true and an entire cemetery of undead rose, there would be lots of questions and we would all take the fall. Lily didn’t need any part of that. “What you’re doing is perfect. Just keep your ears open.”

“For what? The strange and impossible?”

“For right now, yes, actually. The strange and impossible sounds about right. The weapon we’re looking for can open passageways between worlds. Anything is possible.”

She stopped twirling her hair. “You lead a much more exciting life than I would have given you credit for.”

I laughed. “When you have his name…”

“I’ll bring it.” She waved as she left.

Perhaps the mountain was a test run. Maybe the person wielding the Pole didn’t expect anyone to find out about it so soon. That could be why they choose what they thought was a secluded area. The new moon was in three days. We had to be ready.

I had been putting off meeting with the council for too long. I owed it to them to talk to each person who had given their time and input individually.

The dwarf, Beleg, was my first stop. In our last meeting he had brought up the idea of elections, and out of everyone I assumed he would be the most pleased with the news. Dwarves notoriously lived and worked within the ground. The door to his mountain home was like a riddle carved in stone. The symbols were hidden to those who didn’t know how to find them and even then to read them one had to know the particular dialect of dwarfish to follow the instructions. Obviously, they weren’t fond of unexpected guests. However, I had been forced to learn the languages of the kingdom growing up, though my skills were now rusty. It took three tries before the door opened with a scraping moan of rock against rock.

The city in the cavern was unexpected. While I had learned other languages, my father had thought it beneath us to visit the homes of the other races. If they needed us, they would come to us, he always said. I stepped inside and was met by two guards wielding battleaxes.

“You are unwelcome, elf,” one of them snarled. “We do not invade your homes and cities yet you presume to come to ours without invitation.”

I nodded. “I apologize for my rudeness. Could you let the regent, Beleg, know the Erlking is here to see him? I would be happy to wait outside.” Despite the grand scale of the cavern it still felt enclosed to me. I felt an intense desire for the outdoors, open skies, or at the very least, windows.

The guard scoffed. “You must think us fools. No Erlking has ever
lowered
himself to grace the mighty halls of the dwarves.”

“My father was wrong to ignore the great dwarves.” I struggled to keep my tone even. The dwarves and their constant need for puffery absolutely drove me crazy. “Please, let Beleg know Cheney is here,” I repeated, and turned and stepped outside as the door shut behind me.

With so much animosity between races within our own kingdom, how would we ever survive? Perhaps splitting would be best for everyone. Thousands of years of offenses and resentments were not going to somehow just disappear. I breathed in the fresh air and quiet. Being a prince had given me the freedom to travel and to explore as I pleased. Being Erlking kept me trapped in the castle or nearby. There was always a problem or complaint that needed to be dealt with. While my father hadn’t always been a good or lenient man, he had accepted his duties and responsibilities without complaint and worked tirelessly for the kingdom—something I wasn’t sure I was ready to do. I was young for an Erlking. Perhaps too young.

The door opened and Beleg rushed out. When he threw his arms around me and said, “My friend!” I nearly passed out. Had he taken leave of his senses? I patted his back firmly nevertheless.

He released me and stepped back, smoothing his long beard. “I apologize for the reception you received. Please do come inside. You are always welcome here, my boy.”

My eyebrow popped up at the endearment. I was older than Beleg by at least a hundred years, perhaps more, but I did not comment. I followed him back inside, and we made our way through the long cavern hallways, deeper and deeper into the mountain. Dirty faces popped up and stared at us as we walked. It was difficult to distinguish the male dwarves from the females. Beleg pointed and gave me historical tidbits as we went past areas of interest, though much of what he described looked the same to me. The air felt thin and dusty. How did they breathe in here?

Finally we came to his personal, humble chambers. He invited me to sit and I took a chair, deciding to jump right in to the point of my visit. “I apologize for being so late in visiting you. By now I am sure you have heard rumor of my announcement…” I waited for his acknowledgement.

“I have. I have. When I suggested it I never thought you would value my opinion enough to follow my advice. The man who doesn’t want to lead is the right man to do it. You have the support of the dwarves, Erlking.” Beleg bowed as low as his large stomach would allow.

I wasn’t sure what to say. It was Selene who convinced me to have the election, but Beleg was happier than I had ever seen a dwarf. Correcting him now seemed cruel. “I was serious about stepping down. Sebastian nominated us without my consent.”

Beleg stroked his beard. “He was right to do so. Leaving now would be more harmful to the kingdom than helpful.”

“I leave for concern for the safety of my wife, not for the benefit of the kingdom.”

“Will your wife not be in more danger if your father is reelected?”

A heaviness filled my chest. We’d never made a formal announcement about my father’s death. No one knew. “My father has passed. He cannot be elected.”

Beleg’s hand paused. “I was not aware. Was he unwell?”

“No.” I stared at the coarse wooden table, trying to decide how much I should reveal about recent events. “At least not in a physical sense. It seems his mind had been sick for many years. He put a curse on our bloodline and it backfired, taking his life.”

He clapped a hand down on my shoulder. “I will not mourn his loss, other than for the pain it caused you.”

I nodded once.

“You may find, Erlking, that you run uncontested. You have proven yourself a capable leader. The dwarves will not put up their own nomination.”

I thanked him instead of voicing my frustrations. Why did no one respect my wishes? “You’ll come to the wedding?”

“Of course,” he shook my hand.

The meeting with the goblin king Turig went much the same way as the meeting with Beleg, only the goblin was naturally more genial. Adan, the high-elf, knew more than anyone about the night Selene went to purgatory, but he was of the same mind as the rest that we should not give up the crown without a fight, telling me I underestimated Selene’s strength. He believed whole-heartedly she could win over the people given time and patience with everyone involved.

The final council member, the fairy queen Alanna, was imprisoned the night my father passed. Word was sent to her people, but I had not gone to see them in person. It was not a visit I looked forward to.

The fairy kingdom was located in a valley between two hills covered with bright purple flowers that produced the loveliest scent you would ever smell, but one sniff of the odor and you found yourself tangled in a web of illusion that was nearly impossible to escape. Between the two hills was a river as blue as the core of an iceberg with a perfect waterfall feeding the waterway. To enter the kingdom one had to row against the current—a nearly impossible feat without the help of magic—through the center of the waterfall. On the other side was a safe haven for all fairies. Twinkling lights, impossibly large flowers, and glittering homes were waiting on the other side.