Sera woke to the sound of an owl hooting in the pre-dawn light, its luminous eyes staring down at where she was still tangled up with Rayce. It might have been her imagination, but she felt like the bird was judging her. She closed her eyes once more to avoid the accusatory stare and snuggled her face back into Rayce's shoulder, her fingers trailing up his chest absentmindedly as her thoughts flashed back to the previous night. I can't believe I did that, she thought.
She sighed happily, pressing closer to Rayce to steal some of his warmth. It wasn't exactly warm outside, and they hadn't made a fire or dried out before falling asleep in each others arms last night under the outcropping. She also wasn't entirely sure where their shirts were; probably out in the grass somewhere.
Her dreams had been absent again last night, and she felt a flicker of unease in the pit of her stomach. She hadn't seen anything the last time she had slept next to Rayce, either. It was more likely that she was simply too exhausted from the events of the last few days to devote any energy to hunting through her dreams, but the alternative was unsettling as well. She didn't like not having any idea of what they were going to be walking into in the Rift today.
She felt Rayce's shoulder shift slightly under her as he moved in his sleep, his right hand skimming up her side to curl around her protectively, and she caught sight of the strange ring on his fourth finger that she had seen for a moment yesterday. It was a silver signet ring, the face of it stamped with a bold 'M', and a pattern of falling stars was etched into the sides.
Sera reached her left hand up slowly to lay it over his, covering the ring, but she immediately snatched her hand back as if she had been burned as images flashed across her eyes. Fog. Rayce in scarlet gear. A second Rayce laying on a rocky shore sweating and bright-eyed. A blackened, scarred sword worn by both figures.
Rayce started awake, but immediately relaxed when he saw Sera in his arms. "Sera?"
She pushed herself up on one elbow, her hair falling like a golden cascade behind her as she searched his eyes for any clue as to what she had just seen.
"That ring. You didn't have it before."
He looked at it in surprise, almost as if he had forgotten it, then his eyebrows furrowed together as he shook his head. "I think I got it yesterday... from my father." As Sera's mouth fell open in shock, he sat up and rushed to explain what had happened at the lake, stumbling over the visions he had seen, the memory of them dim as he groped to remember details.
"And then after the third vision, I saw him, Sera. He walked out of the mist and spoke to me. I felt his hands on my shoulders."
Sera shook her head. "Rayce... your father is... dead," she said as gently as she could. "Whatever you saw, it was brought on by the waters of the Lake, the poison affecting your Shadowhunter half or the visions affecting your Faerie side."
Rayce held up his hand to her. "This isn't a hallucination, Sera. Something gave me this ring."
She regarded him silently, not knowing what to say. He wanted so badly to believe; how could she shatter his hope? He had never known Sebastian Morgenstern as history had. Right now, he was just a lost son searching for a connection to his father.
"I believe you, Rayce," she said quietly. A gust of cool wind blew her hair back and reminded her that she was somewhat less dressed than she should be, and she broke the tension with a rueful smile. "I don't suppose you know where the rest of our clothes ended up, do you?"
He smiled crookedly and reached forward with his right hand, the one that bore the Morgenstern ring, and he cupped the side of her face gently as he leaned in to kiss her slowly. Her heart was pounding away madly in her chest by the time he pulled back and whispered, "I don't think more clothes are the answer right now."
Her body screamed in agreement but her mind made her laugh and push him away lightly. "You're a fiend. I didn't even get dinner or a movie first."
He pushed himself up to his feet in one smooth motion and raked his fingers back through his hair and out of his eyes. "I get the feeling that dinners and movies are going to quickly become my second- and third-favourite things," he paused, thoughtful. "What's a movie?"
Sera just laughed helplessly and shooed him away to go find the rest of their clothes. When he had returned with the regrettably damp garments, she pulled on her tank top and shivered, willing the sun to rise faster. Her eyes caught the gleam of his arm band as he pulled on the somewhat bedraggled button-down shirt and she remembered Jace's warning about her diary.
"Wait a sec," she said, reaching out to take the bangle from its place just above the curve of his bicep. "The Consul has my notebook now, and we might be safer if they can't track me with it."
The band was hopelessly loose on her arm until Rayce put his palms around it and flexed, forcing it to close until it was comfortably snug. "I thought this thing was tuned to me specifically...?" He asked.
Sera arched an eyebrow. "Is that what Seraphine said to get your clothes off?"
Rayce's cheeks flushed with a bit of colour but he didn't respond.
They followed Jace's directions from the previous night, keeping to the low point between the two hills as they crossed deeper into the range. Sera felt goosebumps rise along her arms that had nothing to do with the damp clothes she was wearing, and she stopped walking, eyes searching the area for the source of her discomfort.
"Sera?" Rayce had stopped too, and was looking back at her.
"Just wait. I don't think we should be going this way. Something's not right." She was turning slowly on the spot, scanning the trees and grasses for danger.
"No, it's fine. If you're feeling like that, it means we're close. I can feel the tug of the ley line energy, but my people laid a forbidding on the network to keep Shadowhunters away. That's all it is, I promise." He held his hand out for her to take, nodding encouragingly as she laid her hand in his.
She immediately felt most of the dread drop away as she fell under the protection of his Fey heritage, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "That seems pretty effective," she observed as they continued forward.
"Effective against anybody except someone like Jace, I'd assume. He probably started running toward the rift when he felt the forbidding take a hold of him." Rayce shook his head in disbelief. Sera was inclined to agree with him.
The trees started growing closer together until they tangled into a mat of branches overhead and formed a tunnel that began to dip downward into the earth. Sera felt the dread return, and squeezed Rayce's hand a bit tighter, clenching her teeth and telling herself fiercely that it was all in her head.
Pulsing blue-white light was visible ahead, and the tunnel ended at a stoop of ancient rock that dropped off into the brightness. It was eerily silent, and the ley line magic splashed strange halos around Rayce's white hair as he turned to face Sera and took hold of her other hand when they stopped on the edge.
"I'll admit that I haven't done this very much; my sister was usually the one to shield Zeke from the worst of the geas on the ley line system. We've managed together before on the way to fight in exhibitions and revels, but I have no idea how much Zeke's status as a Stripped Shadowhunter was contributing to his protection." He looked worried, but Sera leaned in to steal a kiss.
"I trust you."
He shook his head doubtfully. "For this, I almost wish you didn't. It might be worth a pyr rune or two, good ones, just in case." He slid his hands up her arms to give her the freedom to apply them without losing his protection from the dread.
Sera nodded and pressed her palms to opposite forearms, watching as the twin pyr runes swirled out to protect against burning, and then she shifted her hand further up her shoulder to add a strong but simple glamour to conceal her Mundane clothes and her Marks. The simpler it was, the slower the rune would burn away, but the risk was there. For Rayce, she altered the appearance of his staff, Mundane clothes, and as an afterthought, coloured his hair a dark blue.
He lifted an eyebrow as he caught sight of one blue lock where it was falling into his eyes. "Blue?"
"It's a Downworld thing, I've heard."
Rayce blew out a puff of air at the offending hair and grinned. "Ready?"
"No, but let's do it anyway."
He tightened his arms around her, tucking hers under his, and she buried her face in his chest as they stepped sideways off the rock into the blaze of magic.
Sera felt as if she'd stepped into a furnace. White heat washed over her and she gasped in a breath of air that felt like steam searing down her throat. All of her exposed flesh seemed to crackle and she opened her mouth to scream into Rayce's chest, but as suddenly as it had started, it ceased.
She sagged against Rayce, shaking and smoking. Rayce quickly looked around, but they were alone on the platform in the early hours of the morning. Apparently, Jace had given them good advice about waiting; if the platform had been busy, someone would have been bound to notice a smoking arrival. He loosened his arms a bit to look down at Sera and see if she was alright.
"Rayce..." she whispered, looking down at her arms where her skin was reddened like a bad sunburn. The glamour rune had been scorched off, and the powerful pyr runes were nowhere to be seen. Sera winced and a gasp escaped her lips as she laid her palm gently against her shoulder to reapply her disguise. Rayce's remained intact, protected by his Fey blood, and he watched as iratze runes went to work healing some of the damage caused by the magic. Her shaking subsided quickly, but she was breathing hard when she looked back up at Rayce.
"That was bad," she said in a low voice, standing up straighter. "I don't know if I have the strength to keep up the glamours in the event of an emergency."
Rayce wrapped his arms around her once more and kissed her forehead, murmuring, "Then we just won't have any emergencies, okay?"
Sera laughed weakly. "We should have tried that plan a lot sooner. I like that one better."
They clasped hands and headed toward the exit. Rayce had never been to the Rift, having been tethered to the Courts by his mother's magic save for when she had permitted him to leave to fight, but Zeke had come often with friends.
Sera and Rayce left the ley line station behind, passing through one last tunnel of black rock dotted with glowing white crystals, and then the cavern in which the Rift had been crafted opened up in front of them.
The cavern was lit with Faerie lights of all different colours, wrapping around stalactites and stalagmites alike where they were carved into fabulous structures. It was a long, relatively narrow expanse centred around a broad central avenue that had smaller arteries branching off from it. Stone buildings rose from the ground as if they had always been there, seamless structures that were veined with mineral deposits glittering in the lights. The crowds were sparse, as Jace had predicted, and they were able to make their way to the main street without difficulty.
Rayce was anxiously trying to remember any scrap of information about the Rift that would help them navigate it now, and his eyes studied the greater castle-like structures carefully, trying to match one to the description he had heard of the governor's palace.
Lord Solarius had been in the highest favour of the Seelie Queen when the Rift had been completed, and she had granted him stewardship to oversee its activities and increase its profitability as much as possible. He had done exceedingly well in both regards, building up commerce and trade with every sort of Downworlder despite the Cold Peace restrictions. When he had been able to offer a place that was truly free of Shadowhunter influence, far more so than the Shadow Markets in the world above, some brave entrepreneurial Downworlders had come forward cautiously to peddle their unique pleasures. The Rift remained free of Nephilim raids and patrols, and then a veritable flood of vampires, warlocks, and werewolves had poured down into the cavern to engage in activities they had forgotten to even dream of in the Mundane world.
But attracting the most lawless and unsavoury Downworlders held its own inherent risks, and Solarius had ruled the Rift with a iron fist from the first day. It hadn't taken long for the code to be accepted; the Rift would allow you to do anything you wanted so long as you obeyed the Rift Lord's rules.
If Arynessa was here, and safe, it stood to reason that she would find her way to Lord Solarius. The trick was finding their own way there without running into anyone unfriendly. Rayce steered them to the right as they reached the main avenue and they hurried past the shops that lined the street.
One of the larger windows caught Rayce's eye as they were passing, the interior filled with material spell components used in warlock magic, but not the sort that would be readily available in the world above. He felt a flash of sickness as they crossed in front of the far end of the window and saw the cage inside with a hand-lettered sign advertising, 'Virgins - Buy one, get one 20% off'. It was hard to look away from the humans crouched within.
Low music drifted out of what was likely a vampire bar boasting a glowing red sign that read 'Choose Your Own - We trap it, you tap it'. He worried about what that might mean. More shops passed, and as they passed a rack of discount robes rolled out to attract customers, he slowed and pushed Sera ahead a bit. "Keep going," he whispered.
She continued nervously past a werewolf barber (Summer special - save on short styles to beat the heat!), and jumped a little when Rayce materialized back at her side, two cloaks tucked under one arm. He looked back to see if the shopkeeper had noticed and was relieved to see no sign of pursuit.
He shook a light-weight white cloak out and pulled it around Sera's shoulders, raising the hood to help hide her features and ease the strain on the glamour rune. He swung a heavier, black cloak around himself, brushing at the matted fur mantle across his shoulders. "Ugh, I didn't see the fur when I grabbed it. It's a lot heavier than it looked." He turned back to face the way they were heading and kept searching for something that would point them in the right direction.
A flash of memory sparked across Sera's mind as she recalled a dream fragment that she had written in her diary, one where she had watched Rayce cloak himself in darkness and turn away from her. Was this what it meant? Does that mean we're on the right track?
Rayce peered through the glass of a second-hand bookshop, window piled high with spell books, volumes of Fey poetry, and something that looked suspiciously like demonic pornography. He gasped out loud, though not at what the pictures were suggesting.
"Cassius," he whispered, pulling the door open.
The one-winged Faerie looked up as the pair entered and surprise flitted across his face before he smiled laconically, tossing his white-blond braid back over his shoulder.
"Blue does not suit you well, my friend." He opened his arms wide to embrace the prince, then held out a hand to Sera, palm up. With a quick glance at Rayce, she laid her hand in his and he bowed over it. "Lady Shadowhunter. I confess that I find myself surprised to find one of the Nephilim here looking quite so..."
"Alive?" Sera supplied helpfully.
A flicker of a smile touched his lips and he released her hand.
"Cassius, we need to find Arynessa," Rayce said in a low voice. "I know she fled here after... after."
"Yes. Your sister is well, and she is staying as an honoured guest of Lord Solarius, as so many others of the Court are during these...uncertain... times."
Rayce sighed with relief. "Is there any way you can get a message to her?"
Cassius looked at him curiously, his head cocked to one side. "I could simply bring you to her, my prince. Those who support Malchezed are not tolerated in the Rift Lord's home - you may find many supporters there, as your sister has."
Sera looked at Rayce in surprise. This was unexpected. Perhaps they had grown too accustomed to a fugitive life of running.
The Faerie dimmed the lights in the bookshop and locked the door behind him as they left, further surprising both of them. They turned right and continued up the way Rayce and Sera had been heading. A table was set out in front of a narrow shopfront, and Sera stifled a gasp as she saw steles and witchlights heaped upon it. Her eyes searched the interior as they passed and she saw full sets of gear hanging on display, albeit with some suspicious rents in vital places. An unrecognizable creature leered at her from the door and called out in a guttural voice, "Shadowhunter spoils, pretty girl? Free to look, cheap to buy." She shook her head mutely and quickened her steps to close the small gap that had widened between her and the men.
Cassius walked easily, comfortable on the main avenue of the Rift, and he led them to the very end of the street where a glorious palace hung from the ceiling, gorgeously carved from a stalactite and illuminated with colour-shifting Faerie lights.
Sera craned her neck to look up at the jewel of the Rift and was awed by what had been crafted here. How the hell do we get up there?
"It's only a matter of knowing where you are before you can get to where you want to be, beautiful girl," Cassius said quietly in response to her unspoken thought. He continued walking until they were in a bit of a niche at the end of the street and hidden from the shops, and then he crowded up against one wall, beckoning the two of them to huddle close. Sera looked down and could see that there were symbols carved into the rock under their feet, though not ones that she could recognize.
The Faerie folded his wing around them and they were transported in a flash of green light, appearing in a beautiful entry hall that was richly decorated. White stone swirled through black without any seams, the walls bearing silver sconces that glowed with soft white light from within. A pathway of scattered red rose petals laid a splash of colour across the stone, but Sera was reminded uncomfortably of a trail of blood. A little sprite girl ran ahead, presumably to find the master of the house.
The trio followed the petals into a grand audience chamber where great falls of red silk curtains obscured the rock walls and natural windows that opened to look out into the Rift. A pixie entered shortly after them with a silver tray of refreshments - berry juice and some sort of pastries that Sera couldn't identify. She helped herself immediately and Rayce followed, though with better manners, perhaps.
"Ohhhmigawd," Sera sighed happily around a mouthful of food. Rayce couldn't contain a smile and he felt a flush of contentment flood through him. For the first time in days, they were safe. The glamour runes were expiring quietly and their disguises melted away under the stolen cloaks.
He heard soft footsteps approaching and turned just in time to see his sister sweep through the doorway, gowned in a silver confection of exquisite beauty. She raised her hand to cover her mouth when she saw him and ran forward.
"Rayce!" She threw herself at her brother, arms tightening around him fiercely, and when she drew back there were tears in her eyes. "What happened to you?" She took her eyes off him long enough to finally notice Sera downing a goblet of juice, and Cassius standing further back in the room, partially obscured by the red silks.
The dark-skinned Faerie bowed slightly to Arynessa and excused himself quietly after she touched his shoulder gently in thanks. As he left the room, another Faerie entered, and Rayce had no doubt that he was looking at the Rift Lord.
Solarius was tall and athletic looking, the gentle breeding of his highborn blood clear in his striking features. His long, pale-blond hair was bound back under a slim circlet of gold, and clear green eyes swept over Rayce and Sera. High cheekbones gave his face a more angular cast, though they were balanced by a strong jaw. His voice was like poured honey when he spoke.
"Please allow me to offer you welcome to my home, and my personal assurances of your safety here. Many have fled the Seelie Court seeking sanctuary from Malchezed's hunters, and I will not close my doors to any who reject him."
Arynessa left her brother's side to stand with Solarius, slipping an arm around his waist and tilting her head to rest on his shoulder. Rayce was floored, but his mind quickly pieced together all of his sister's increasingly long absences over the last year and her immediate flight to the Rift when their mother had been killed. He felt a surprisingly strong surge of pride in his sister, and happiness that she had found someone as strong as she was.
"Sister... I'm so pleased to find you well," he said.
"And I you, brother, though I believe that you will owe us some stories." Her eyes quickly passed over Sera and the nearly empty tray. The four of them settled into a pair of couches set to one side of the room around a fireplace and Solarius flicked two fingers at the grate, bringing a roaring fire to life in an instant. Sera sat closer to the fire and let the remaining chill in her body melt away far more pleasantly than it had in the ley line.
She let Rayce tell their story, allowing her mind to wander and observe the two beautiful Fey across from her, watching their reactions or lack thereof. Sera started to feel comfortably warm, and her mind relaxed.
Arynessa, in turn, shared her story, confirming the presence of dozens of courtiers who were claiming the protection of the Rift Lord here.
"Without the Seelie crown, Malchezed doesn't have the strength to launch an all-out assault here. The ley lines provide an impressive amount of power for the cavern's defenders, and if it were ever to be used offensively..." she trailed off ominously.
"And aside from that," Solarius added, "he can't risk damaging the resources here. We can continue to defy him for quite some time, I would imagine."
"Why don't you fight back?" Sera asked suddenly, her words slurring a bit. "Smash the bat-goat bastard right back to the Unseelie Court?"
Arynessa and Rayce stared at her incredulously, but it was Solarius who rose gracefully and slipped a ring from one of his fingers to present to Sera.
She looked at him, dumb-founded, and shook her head. "I'm flattered, but he's mine," she said, jerking a thumb at Rayce.
Solarius laughed softly and gestured for her to take the ring. "A token of mine to shelter you from the effects of my people's food and drink. I think perhaps you may have fallen under the influence."
The white-gold ring was set with a glittering sapphire surrounded by diamonds and it fit nicely on her middle finger. She felt the intoxicating fog begin to lift and she gasped in horror. "I'm so sorry... uh... my Lord."
The Rift Lord smiled generously and dismissed her apologies with his hand. "It is I who should apologize; I should have realized sooner. And to answer your question, we lack any real fighters among the refugees. Many of the Faerie knights loyal to the Queen were slain in the takeover, and worse, many more have shifted their allegiance to Malchezed. With his Unseelie warriors to augment those numbers, it would be a difficult battle to win."
"The Hunt," Rayce whispered.
Arynessa looked startled. "What?"
"Lord Gwyn and the Wild Hunt. They are the fiercest warriors in the Faerie realm. They could turn the tide of the Unseelie back."
She looked doubtful. "The Hunt does not choose sides, Rayce. They are neutral, and take no part in the politics of the Courts."
"Gwyn is a good man," Rayce insisted, remembering the giant Faerie's sad, kind eyes when he had pulled the maddened Hunter off Rayce after his first tournament match all those years ago. "He'll do the right thing."
Solarius tilted his head in consideration. "If he could be found to ask, perhaps. I have no dealings with the Hunt, but there may be someone here in the Rift who might know how to contact them."
"Then you must let us try," Rayce said.
The Rift Lord nodded. "Please, avail yourself of the amenities of my home before you continue on your journey. You have had a difficult road, and it may yet become more difficult before the end." He bade them farewell and took his leave, instructing servants to guide Rayce and Sera to somewhere where they could wash away the last few days.
Despite being free of the inebriating effects of the Faerie food, Sera still found herself hoping desperately that there would be some sort of sinful hot spring cavern, like the one Daerion had teased Risellea about, and so was slightly disappointed when they were led to separate guestrooms. Apparently Solarius was accommodating, but not that accommodating.
When she emerged from her room half an hour later, scrubbed clean and dressed in wide, white silk slacks and a corset-style top, she felt exceedingly refreshed. While she was standing still, it looked like she was wearing a dress, but she still had all the freedom of movement she could want. She had even replaced her favourite black boots with sturdy white leather ones, and she had crammed her old boots into the pack that she was still carrying mostly out of habit at this point. She highly approved of her new attire, and made a mental note to thank Arynessa for the loan, as there was little doubt in her mind as to where the clothes had come from.
Rayce was waiting for her in the hallway, dressed in the same style of loose black clothing that he had been wearing the night they first met. She couldn't help but smile when she saw him.
"You know you look like a ninja on casual Friday, right?"
The joke fell on deaf ears as he stared at her, drinking in the shape of her body, and he was on her in an instant, his fingers raking into her hair at the base of her neck as he kissed her. She sighed contentedly and was running her hands up his chest when she heard someone clear their throat down the hall.
Arynessa was grinning at the pair when she gestured for them to follow her and they obeyed, masking their frustration.
"Sol has a pretty good lead on someone who may know some Hunt secrets, and I'm going to take you to him. Just do me one favour, brother," Arynessa shot Rayce a meaningful sideways glance, "and play along with whatever happens."
She refused to elaborate further in case she was misreading the situation, leaving Rayce and Sera to wonder what they were getting into. Sera threw her stolen cloak back on and pulled up the hood once more. She reapplied strong glamour runes to hide their Marks, but that was all. They would hold for a while. Rayce took the pack from her and they set out.
The trio passed back out along the main avenue, finally branching off onto one of the side streets. Arynessa brought them up short at the end of the street where an establishment had been carved into a curling stalagmite. It was entirely black on the outside, but red light shone from within. The bass line of some sort of trance music could be heard pounding behind the black door.
"It's a vampire bar, so no staring. Got it?" Arynessa fixed each of them with a hard stare of her own and waited for them to nod before turning around and pushing the door open. Her long purple tresses trailed out behind her and red light sparkled off the slinky silver dress as she led them into the bar.
The first thing Sera saw was a raised stage where a nearly naked, beautiful vampire girl was dancing sinuously with a pole, her unnatural strength allowing her to far surpass any human peers in the Mundane world. Easy armchairs were pulled up to the edges of the stage, and most of them were filled with patrons enjoying the show.
Other scantily clad vampires, both male and female, and some of the Fey glided through the room, pausing to lean in and whisper offers to singles and pairs seated around tiny tables. Flutes of what could only be blood crowded the tabletops, and it looked like a number of other types of drinks were being served. Sera tried hard to obey the no-staring rule, but could feel her eyes taking in the hedonistic flesh market on display with a mix of disgust and curiosity.
She followed Arynessa while Rayce brought up the rear, so she couldn't tell how much of this he was also not-staring at. They cut deeper into the club, the Faerie prince and princess drawing appreciative nods and Sera's hooded figure pulling curious eyes. Her eyes slid over the gleaming chrome and glass bar as they passed and she used every ounce of self-control that she possessed not to leap over the counter and pull one of the knives from her boots.
Humans, live humans, hung suspended by their ankles behind the bar, in front of a mirror. They appeared to be in a trance, or asleep, but Sera could see them breathing. She watched in horror as a bartender pressed a glass to a man's throat, just under a barely-healed slice, and he reopened it, letting a trickle of blood run into the tumbler before licking a finger and sealing the cut once more. Sera swallowed thickly and prayed that she wouldn't be sick.
At the back of the bar they passed through a shimmering curtain of black beads and climbed a narrow spiral staircase. They were met at the top by two burly vampires who backed down quickly when Arynessa pressed a small card into one's hand. Lord Solarius' sigil was an all-access pass in the Rift.
They were admitted into a small, private room with a circular couch running halfway around the interior, enclosing a raised platform with a pole with the help of an armchair on the right. The wall across from the armchair was mirrored, and Sera caught a glimpse of herself in the dim red light as she passed it to take a spot on the couch. With her Marks hidden by the glamour and her features otherwise unaltered, it was no wonder she had been drawing eyes downstairs. She could nearly pass as Fey gentry herself, if not for her rounded ears, hidden by the casual tousle of her loose curls.
It wasn't long before the door opened once more and Sera broke the no-staring rule. A very tall, thin vampire with broad shoulders stepped into the room. His heritage looked mixed, and his skin was the colour of toffee. He wore an impeccably-tailored deep red suit with black lapels and a narrow top hat banded in red silk adorned with a single purple plume to match the shade of the shirt he was wearing. The front of the shirt was unbuttoned down to his sternum, and Sera could see a black cord threaded with what looked like half a dozen vampire fangs hanging from his neck. A thin black moustache pencilled across his upper lip, and his face broke out into a smile when he regarded his guests, a small gap showing between his two front teeth.
"Welcome, ma chère," he greeted Arynessa in a faint Cajun accent as she rose from the armchair and he pressed an amicable kiss to her cheek. "I see you've brought me an exceptional offering tonight. Give Sol my regards, yes?"
"You know why we're here, Remy. We need to know where to find the Wild Hunt and how to contact them."
"So impatient, princess. You should really take the time to enjoy the pleasures life can bring you." He sprawled his length out in the armchair she had vacated, one leg thrown over the side carelessly, and he rested his chin in one hand as he regarded them. "If you're so keen to rush this, two thousand is my price."
Arynessa laughed out loud and shook her head. "Out of the question. It'll be five hundred, as before, and you'll be glad of it."
Sera followed the exchange with a touch of confusion. If it was a question of money, she could afford any price he named. She was about to say as much when Arynessa pointed a finger at her brother. "He's half and half, and that makes him worth twice as much."
One side of their host's mouth curved up and he moved with blinding speed to stand in front of Rayce, eyes glittering in the dim light. He leaned over and slowly inhaled as his face traced the line of the prince's neck, only a fraction of an inch from his skin. His eyes rolled back with pleasure and he looked over his shoulder at Arynessa.
"A thousand. You want to know where and how. That's two questions."
"You're awfully greedy, Ledéchiré."
"Why don't we ask him?" Remy turned his eyes to Rayce, his face still uncomfortably close. "Will you bleed for your cause, my prince?"
Rayce remembered his sister's warning to play along with whatever happened, but it was starting to sound like he was going to be paying for the information in blood. He buried his doubts under his brother's training and returned the Cajun's stare boldly. "I accept."
"Ten minutes, maximum," Arynessa huffed before leaving the room. Sera was torn with indecision. Did she follow Arynessa or stay?
The vampire turned his gaze to her and she wiggled back further on the couch, crossing her arms over her breasts. "I'm not going anywhere."
He laughed darkly and muttered that he should be charging her to watch, but he rose up to his full height and offered Rayce his long-fingered hand. Rayce took it without hesitating and let the vampire settle him into the armchair. The top hat was discarded, a silver, full-finger claw ring appeared on Remy's index finger, and he trailed the sharp tip of it lightly across Rayce's collarbone as he circled behind the armchair, sending a thrill of fear up the prince's spine.
"A pity," the vampire whispered into his ear, "That your sister hasn't given us time to properly enjoy this." His lips brushed across Rayce's throat and he felt the pulse quicken there. He smiled to himself and then grinned wickedly over Rayce's shoulder at where Sera was watching queasily. "Heating up a snack is half the fun."
A cool, dark hand slid up the side of Rayce's neck and tilted his head to one side, fingers holding his jaw lightly as the vampire leaned in. A quick flick of his tongue started to numb the area, and then his fangs snapped down in anticipation while Rayce's pulse throbbed faster.
When he finally sank his fangs into the prince's neck, Rayce sighed with pleasure and his back arched in response. Remy's appreciative groan was low, nearly a growl as he took his first mouthful of rare half-Faerie, half-Shadowhunter blood. Rayce inhaled sharply as the vampire sucked gently, and his hands came up unconsciously as if to pull the creature closer, though he was still standing behind the armchair.
Sera closed her eyes, unable to watch as Rayce fell under the vampire's spell. She decided that on one hand she was in Arynessa's debt for the time limit imposed, and on the other she wanted to throw the princess through a window for whoring out her brother like this. She blocked out the sighs and sounds of pleasure coming from the two men across from her and willed it to end soon.
Not soon enough, Remy staggered away from Rayce and fell back onto the couch, where his head would have fallen into Sera's lap if she hadn't already leaped to Rayce's side. His eyes fluttered open at her touch as she erased the puncture marks with iratzes and left a few blood-replenishment runes for good measure.
"Sorry... Sera..." he panted.
She kissed him swiftly. "Don't think about it."
Remy was still recovering on the couch when Arynessa returned as the allotted ten minutes expired. She ignored her brother and Sera, fixing the vampire with a hard look. "Your turn now, vampire."
Ledéchiré pulled himself upright and nodded, still staring almost drunkenly at Rayce. "Such a rarity... it's been too long since I've had the taste of one of Sammael's brood. And that hint of something else... something dark. Absolutely exquisite - I've never had anything like it."
"The Hunt?" she prompted again.
"Yes, yes. Both Courts can summon the Lord of the Hunt," he saw Arynessa's murderous stare and hastened to continue, "But they can be found in the Mortal realm as well, in the country the Mundanes call Wales. The Cŵn Annwn, the Hounds of the Underworld, can be found under a hollow mountain there. It will be my pleasure to provide a detailed map. Under the hollow peak rises a crystal spire from a natural spring. Strike the spire with the ancient hammer there and you will call the Hunt to you."
They left quickly after that, Remy calling after Rayce that he was welcome to return when they could have more time together, and Arynessa brought them back out into the street, where she quickly embraced her brother.
"I'm sorry, Rayce, but it was the only way."
"I forgive you, sister." He hugged her back.
"I don't," Sera muttered.
The side street was still deserted, and Rayce took his sister's hand.
"We'll bring the Hunt to help rid the Court of Malchezed and the Unseelie, but we'll need you to bring those whom you and Lord Solarius have gathered..."
"Of course."
"...because I want you to wield the power of the Seelie crown to aid them."
Arynessa's eyes widened at her brother's plan. "Mother meant for Bael to take the throne after her, not me."
"I know, but we can't guarantee that we'll be able to get to him fast enough to help. Is it possible to transfer the bond to him once Malchezed is defeated?"
She nodded. "Yes, we're both Seelie heirs. It would be a simple thing."
"Then Sera and I will convince Lord Gwyn to fight with us, and we'll bring the Hunt to meet your courtiers tomorrow night. Listen for the horns, sister."
"I will."