"Promise me that you won't forget this. this. The magic we've taught you. Promise me that you'll keep practicing, even if you're a thousand miles away." He squatted in front of me and took my hands in his, smiling softly. "And when you're older, come back. Come back to me . . . to us. I'd like very much to know how you turned out." There was something in his voice, almost a promise of a future to come, and it made me both incredibly sad and yet-happy. The magic we've taught you. Promise me that you'll keep practicing, even if you're a thousand miles away." He squatted in front of me and took my hands in his, smiling softly. "And when you're older, come back. Come back to me . . . to us. I'd like very much to know how you turned out." There was something in his voice, almost a promise of a future to come, and it made me both incredibly sad and yet-happy.

I gazed into his eyes as the smooth silk of his voice slid over me. The funny-looking man with eyes so clear, so blue, that they looked like twin oceans against the olive skin of his face . . . Grieve was kind to me, and I knew he'd never hurt me.

Solemnly, I nodded. "Promise," I said, "cross my heart and hope to-"

"No," he interrupted me, his eyes glowing. "Don't finish the rhyme, Cicely. Too many nasty creatures listen to the wind. They listen to secrets whispered in dark halls, to promises made in secret, to oaths and alliances forged. Don't ever promise your life-not for anyone."

"Okay," I said, a little afraid. I'd never seen him look quite so imposing. It was as if he'd shed a cloak and he looked even less human than usual. His chin was sharp, his cheekbones ridged, and his lips were full.

"Now come with me, and I will introduce you to your Elemental, and teach you to speak speak." And he set about the ritual that bonded me to Ulean, and taught me to harness the wind and call it to my command.

Anadey remained silent as we spilled out our secrets about Grieve and Chatter, and how Chatter had taught Rhiannon to conjure fire, and how Grieve had taught me the ways of the wind.

"Then, Krystal took me away," I said. "And nothing was ever the same. But I remembered, and I kept my promise. Ulean helped me, and eventually, things began to happen. She warned me when we were in danger. The wind would grab a paper out of my hand and I'd go chasing it and bingo, there'd be a twenty-dollar bill in the street just when we were running out of food. And sometimes, the breeze tripped people who threatened to hurt me, like this one guy . . . He was about to beat the c.r.a.p out of me and a sudden gust caught up a nearby garbage can and hit him from the back with it, giving me time to run."

"You came back before, several times, then left again. Why?"

I'd thought about her question a thousand times. "My mother needed me. I couldn't leave her out there alone-she was so . . . helpless, so fragile. And I wasn't ready, I guess. Wasn't ready to turn my back on wandering. To commit to the life that I knew would be waiting for me here." And the last time, at seventeen, I wasn't ready to commit to Grieve, as much as I loved him. And the last time, at seventeen, I wasn't ready to commit to Grieve, as much as I loved him. But I didn't want to say it aloud. But I didn't want to say it aloud.

"And now, the wind has brought you home. You, and Ulean." Anadey looked like she wanted to say a whole lot more but she kept her silence.

"We went looking for Heather today, just to the edge of the wood. And we were attacked. Twice-well, I I was attacked twice. But Rhiannon and Leo fought off the first creature that threatened to choke me. When I returned, was attacked twice. But Rhiannon and Leo fought off the first creature that threatened to choke me. When I returned, I found Grieve. But he was much changed." I gave her a condensed version of what had happened, including the difference I'd noticed in Grieve.

"The creature you describe is a tillynok, but they're usually peaceful. Something must have set it off. And the snow Elemental-they're not known to play tricks on humans. Unless they're bonded, like your Ulean, they usually just ignore us. A strange magic has taken over the forest."

"What about Grieve? What about the Indigo Court that he mentioned? That Rhiannon envisioned?"

"I don't know," Anadey said.

"Cicely? Look." Rhiannon turned around, holding one of the books she'd picked up off the shelf.

A strange tingling started through my hand as I reached out to take the volume from Rhiannon. The energy surrounding the book was frightening, wild, ancient. I didn't know if I really really wanted to touch it, but I had no choice. I had to look. The tome was large, with a navy cover. I flipped open the cover-which was blank-and read the t.i.tle, which appeared only on the inside. wanted to touch it, but I had no choice. I had to look. The tome was large, with a navy cover. I flipped open the cover-which was blank-and read the t.i.tle, which appeared only on the inside.

The Rise of the Indigo Court.

"It would seem we've found an answer."

"Somehow, I think your answer is just going to lead to more questions," Anadey said, glancing at it. "Why do I feel like we're opening Pandora's box?"

"Because we are." And I opened it to the first page.

Chapter 6.

I slowly made my way to the dining room table, and the others followed me. Setting the book on the table, I opened it to the first yellowed page. The words were handwritten, in a tight, clear text. Old ink. Old pages. The smell of library dust and time gone by.

Steeped in a secrecy far deeper than even that of the Unseelie Court is the Indigo Court. While the Unseelie are nefarious and dangerous, the Indigo Court are considered the Fallen Fae, corrupt for they not only bear their own bloodline, but the blood of the Vampire Nation. The merging of the two races evolved into a breed stronger than either, and yet with their own unique vulnerabilities.

I stopped, looking up. "Vampiric Fae?" The thought made me cringe. Somehow that just seemed . . . so wrong so wrong. "I've never heard of them before. Has Leo ever mentioned them? He works for the vampires."

Rhiannon shook her head.

"I've never heard of them either, but obviously Mother knew about them or she wouldn't have the book." Anadey leaned in to look over my shoulder.

"How did they start? How on earth could the vampires mix with the Fae? Did they turn them like they do humans?" Peyton looked as confused as I felt.

I skimmed through until I came to a pa.s.sage that seemed to answer her question.

Some thousand years ago, a scouting group from the Vampire Nation led by Geoffrey the Great attempted a raid on the Unseelie Court. They took prisoners-a group of the bewitching dark Fae. Intent upon siring the women as vampires in order to infiltrate the Unseelie, they used the techniques that they'd always used successfully on humans.What they did not expect was for the women-nearing death and forced to drink of the vampires' blood-to live and regain their strength at an alarming rate. But the vampire blood had changed their makeup.First, the vampires quickly discovered their new daughters weren't bound to them the way humans would be. Second, the Unseelie women could still use most of their magic, as well as having the vampires' strength. But they'd shifted even further into the shadow realm.The Vampiric Fae quickly took control of their captors, forcing them to bring in males of their race and turn them. Since the Vampiric Fae are alive, rather than undead, they can still mate. Their offspring keep all characteristics from their parents.A war broke out within the Unseelie Court, who considered the tainted Fae to be abominations, and the Fallen Fae were cast out, pariah. These nests of living vampires-the Vampiric Fae-were driven off, but only due to their lack of numbers.Ruthless, far more terrifying than either of their sires, they crossed an ocean and retreated into the dark forests to create their own social structure. The Indigo Court is ruled over by Queen Myst, the Mistress of Mayhem, the original Faerie who was turned by the vampires. She is awesome in her beauty, seducing before she strikes.Over the years, the Indigo Court faded from view while growing in numbers and strength. The Vampire Nation has sworn they will gain revenge for their defeat and humiliation. A prophecy of theirs, first put forth by Crawl, the Blood Oracle, discusses the breakout of an eventual war between the two races.

"Holy f.u.c.king h.e.l.l." I pushed the book back. "We're facing a group of living, breathing Vampiric Fae. And their mortal enemies are the . . . I guess you'd call them the true vampires."

The thought washed over me like a river of glacial water, as chilling as the huge mountains of ice they came down from. Queen Myst . . . Grieve had mentioned she now ruled the forest. We were living next to a nest of vipers, of hunters. Predators, first created by . . .

"I wonder, is that the Geoffrey that we know? Regent for this area?"

Anadey shook her head. "I don't know, but he's old enough to be the one."

"And Myst lives in the forest next to our home," Rhiannon whispered, voicing my thoughts.

I shivered, feeling an alarm ring in the pit of my stomach. "And now they're ready to climb out of obscurity, back into the light. That could well mean the destruction of everyone and everything they touch. And . . . I think they've turned Grieve."

I crossed to the window and stared out. The snow was back, lightly drifting down. If we were right, the world had just turned upside down and we were a step away from chaos. I turned back to the others.

"So what do we do to stop them?"

Anadey let out a long sigh. "I suppose we find out what their weaknesses are. We have to scour that book for information. Rhiannon, Leo works as a day runner. Do you think he can ask his employers about the Indigo Court? Apparently they hate each other so much the true vampires believe there's a war coming. We might find out some useful information from them."

Rhiannon wrinkled her nose. "I can ask, but that seems dangerous to me. But . . . I'll see what I can find out."

"I need to read this book from cover to cover," I said. "For some reason Marta entrusted me with her business. Could it have something to do with what New Forest is facing? I mean, I'm a competent witch, but totally self-taught, and Ulean's really the reason I'm alive."

No, that's not true. You do much without my help. I just offer what I can. Ulean swept around me, her soft currents embracing me. I'll be here to help you as much as I can in this. You know that. I'll be here to help you as much as I can in this. You know that.

"I don't know," Anadey said. "But now, more than ever, I think she foresaw something that called out to have you take over her business and her place in the Society. I'll see if I can find her information on how to get in touch with the leaders of the greater organization. I have no idea who they are. Meanwhile, I'll do what I can to help. Trust me, there's a reason she invested you with her magical practice. We just don't know what it is. Yet."

I didn't voice my thoughts, but couldn't help but wish that my aunt were around to help guide me. Heather could handle this-I had no idea what to do. I'd managed to keep myself alive on the streets over the years, but that was different. People were easier to deal with than Supes, and from what we'd just read, the Indigo Court basically made me think of vampires on steroids.

And now, Grieve was one of them-or at least it appeared so. I should back away, hold on to my heart until I knew more about what had happened to him. The thought made me want to cry, but I'd learned the hard way: Trust people when they warn you not not to trust them. Grieve had given me plenty of warning. to trust them. Grieve had given me plenty of warning.

"Okay, what do we know about the Vampiric Fae? How do they differ from the vampires? We're going to have to figure out if what works on vamps will work on the members of the Indigo Court." I looked around. "Got a notepad?"

"Better than that," Peyton said. She pulled out her net-book and booted it up. "What's your e-mail address? I'll e-mail you a copy of my notes."

"E-mail?" I snorted. "I don't even have a computer."

"We can take care of that at home," Rhiannon said. "Heather has a laptop that she used for a backup in case the desktop went down. And I've got my own laptop. Send it to my addy, Peyton. When we get Cicely set up with her own address, I'll forward it to her."

Peyton grinned. "A woman after my own heart-multiple computers. I like that. Okay, what's your your e-mail?" e-mail?"

"Fire_Maiden at bestwebmail dot com."

I glanced at her. "At least you're owning your power through the magic of the Internet."

Rhiannon stared at me for a moment, then broke out laughing. "Oh man, I needed that smile. I didn't even think about it when I chose that user name."

"Yeah," I said softly. "I think we all need a laugh, however small. Okay, getting to the matter at hand. Let's see-silver hurts vampires, right?"

"Yes, but the Fae tend to like it," Anadey said. When I glanced at her, she added, "I may own a restaurant but my degree is in mythology and folklore."

"So would Vampiric Fae love or hate it?" I mulled over both and decided we didn't have enough to go on for that. "Okay, just put a question mark after it. What else? Garlic? Holy water?"

"Garlic-another maybe," Anadey said, pushing back her chair. "But we know that religious artifacts only have power over mortals. And even then, they only have power over the living who believe in the religion, and over ghosts who followed that particular religious system. A cross won't harm a ghost who was an atheist in life, a Star of David won't touch a Christian spirit. And astral creatures who were never human aren't bothered by any of them." Pausing, she shook her head. "I'm going to make some tea. I'll be back in a moment."

While she was in the kitchen, I turned to Rhiannon. "If Myst now rules the wood, I wonder what happened to Lainule. If there's any way to get in touch with her? The Queen of Rivers and Rushes always seemed to be friendly to humans. I hope she's not dead." A thought crossed my mind. "If she's still alive, will she help us? Another task."

Peyton blinked. "I can do a tarot reading and see what I can find out."

"I thought of another question," Rhiannon said. "Do the Vampiric Fae make meals off humans? Do they drink blood like other vampires?" Her voice was low and I knew she was thinking of Heather. "Maybe they're keeping people as cattle-as blood donors."

I'd been thinking along the same lines myself and began to flip through the book. It was dense, and much of it talked about things that I didn't understand-people long dead, places I'd never heard of. I skimmed, letting Peyton and Rhiannon talk.

After a moment, I came to a couple of pa.s.sages that seemed to address our question. "I think we found our answer, guys. Listen to this."

And so they fed, and drank deep of their enemy's blood, and rent the flesh of their victims until they were unrecognizable. But their thirst was unquenchable until Myst discovered one of their newfound powers born from their vampire bloodline: Members of the Indigo Court could drink from the souls of their victims . . . and a whole new round of terror began as the Shadow Hunters began to feed on humans and Fae alike . . .

"So they drink blood, and tear people apart . . ." I glanced over at Peyton.

"Grandma's throat." Her voice was clear, but I could hear the tremor in it.

"Yeah, I was thinking that myself." I went back to skimming pages until I found another pa.s.sage that seemed important.

Those turned by the Indigo Court must be Fae themselves for the turning to take. Unlike true vampires, the Vampiric Fae cannot turn humans or most Supernaturals. They can only turn other Fae and the magic-born. Their bite will enthrall, and that thrall can last a lifetime, but if they drain a mortal-a true mortal-that mortal will die.The magic-born, however, respond to the turning in much the way the Vampiric Fae do. They will die rather than regenerate, but when they return to walk among the living, they retain their magical powers along with diluted Fae abilities. But they will never-as far as this research committee knows-match their sires in strength and power.

Both Peyton and Rhiannon fell silent. Anadey, who had been standing in the archway leading into the kitchen, shook her head.

"Then, we can safely a.s.sume that Myst and her people are the ones s.n.a.t.c.hing the other magic-born, as well as the townspeople. They feed on both blood and energy, and they can turn the magic-born and use them for their own ends. A terrifying combination."

She turned to Rhiannon. "We have to talk to Geoffrey. The two factions are mortal-or rather, immortal-enemies. While the Indigo Court can't turn humans the same way a vampire can, they certainly can make a meal of them. We may have to ask the Vampire Nation for help."

I closed the book, staring out into the street. Everything looked so normal, but beneath the current of everyday life ran a dark river of energy. It's what I'd felt when I first looked out into the ravine next to Veil House, and it had followed us here. The thought of asking the vampires for help turned my stomach, after what had happened to my mother, but Anadey might be right. We needed help-we couldn't fight the entire Indigo Court by ourselves.

Without looking over my shoulder, I said, "So . . . I guess our next step is to talk to Geoffrey?"

Anadey's voice was soft but firm. "I'm sorry-but yes. I think we have to. The Society's fallen apart. We're on our own here. And regardless of our magic, we're no match for Myst and her people."

As I turned away from the window, I could feel someone from outside trying to peer in. Marta's wards were strong and whatever it was couldn't get past them. Yet. Yet. But I was certain that Myst's spies knew we were here. But I was certain that Myst's spies knew we were here.

After we loaded three boxes of books and four boxes of magical supplies into Favonis's trunk, we dropped Peyton and Anadey off at the diner again.

On the way home, I told Rhiannon, "I like them-especially Peyton. She's quiet and soft-spoken, but there's a strength behind her."

"She was always picked on when we were students in the conservatory," Rhiannon said. "So was I, but because I did so poorly. She was picked on because of her half-breed nature."

I nodded. "That had to be hard, growing up. At least she's half-werepuma and not werewolf-that would be far worse. We were chatting and discovered we both like sparring. We're meeting at the conservatory gym tomorrow morning to work out together. If we get along, I gather the fee's only twenty dollars a month. I can swing that."

"Sounds good. What about tonight?"

"I still need to unpack, and I think we should ward the house. We have to do something to protect ourselves."

Rhiannon nodded, slowly. "What would you say if I asked Leo to come stay for a while? I'd feel better with someone else in the house. Especially now, after what we've found out. And since he works for Geoffrey, and the vampires hate the Indigo Court . . ."

I picked up on her line of thought-if they knew one of their employees was living near danger, maybe they'd be apt to protect us. Trying to push my conflicted feelings over Grieve out of the way, I bit my lip and nodded. "Yeah. Why don't you call him now. See if he's home."

She put in the call and we lucked out. Leo had been given light duty for the evening and was hanging out at his apartment. We headed over there before going home, all too aware that dusk was falling.

Leo lived in an apartment smack in the middle of downtown New Forest, on the fourth floor. It was modern, but modest, and felt like just one of a dozen other buildings dotting the town.

The minute we got inside, without further to-do, Rhiannon asked him if he'd stay out at the house with us for a while. She stumbled over her words, and I wondered if she was worrying about how this would affect their relationship, but Leo took it in stride.

"c.r.a.p," he said as we explained what we'd found out. "Okay, I'm in. I'll feel better knowing the two of you aren't out there alone, so this will ease all our minds."

"But what about your rent here?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Don't sweat it. If it looks like I'm going to be over at the Veil House longer than a month or two, I'll give notice. Now that Elise is gone-we shared the apartment-there's just a lot of baggage here." He put his arm around Rhiannon. "We were talking about moving in together, anyway. This seems like as good a time as any. Can you grab my cat, Bart?"

He threw together a bag while I coaxed Bart off the top of the refrigerator. The Maine c.o.o.n was frisky, but when I opened the cat carrier, he let out a purp purp and looked at Leo, who was stuffing his backpack. He'd already filled two suitcases, one with clothing and one with spell components and herbs. and looked at Leo, who was stuffing his backpack. He'd already filled two suitcases, one with clothing and one with spell components and herbs.

Leo gave a three-toned whistle and Bart delicately leapt down to the counter, then to the floor. He strolled over to the carrier and made himself at home, curling up on the thick cushion inside. I shut the door and fastened the latch.

"I've never seen a cat so responsive. How did you train him?"

Leo laughed. "You don't train don't train cats cats. They They train train you you. Marta gave him to me when he was nine weeks old, and performed a binding ritual for us. Apparently, Bart needed to be with a healer, and so Marta presented him to me and Bart approved. We've been together five years now, and he's been a great help. And a real friend," he added softly.

I peered into the carrier. I loved cats, but there had been no chance to have any sort of pet when Krystal and I were on the road. After she died I'd been too restless to settle down. I'd befriended the strays wherever I went, until it hurt too much to leave them behind.

"Hey there, Bart," I whispered.

h.e.l.lo. It didn't come as a word, but an impression in the current of air streaming from the air cleaner on the floor near the desk. I stared at the cat. The greeting had definitely come from the Maine c.o.o.n, but he just stared at me and blinked, long and slow. I blinked back. It didn't come as a word, but an impression in the current of air streaming from the air cleaner on the floor near the desk. I stared at the cat. The greeting had definitely come from the Maine c.o.o.n, but he just stared at me and blinked, long and slow. I blinked back.

"I'm ready," Leo said, interrupting my thoughts. "It's almost five thirty. We should head out."