This isnt your concern. Her words dismissed him, annoying the hell out of him.
As she reached for her shirt, Kougar grabbed her arm, startling a gasp out of her as her gaze snapped to his.
He didnt say anything. He didnt have to.
Her eyes flashed. Right. Your friends, your concern. Her tone was clipped, but her expression eased with a wry twist of her lips. Its a hard habit to break.
Kougars grip loosened, and he ran his hand up and down her arm, knowing hed gripped her too hard. Break it.
They finished dressing in silence, and he ushered her out of his room and down the stairs. As they reached the foyer, he hesitated, half-tempted to tell her to go call her maidens while he went in search of Lyon. But that required a trust he just didnt have. Instead, he took her hand as he went in search of Lyon. He found his chief in his study, working at his desk.
We may have a lead, Kougar said, when Lyon looked up. Ariana needs to speak with Brielle. And Melisande.
Lyon scowled.
Shell call them to the backyard. I thought you might want to be there.
I do. Lyon came around the desk. Is Melisande really necessary?
Yes. As the three strode down the wide hallway, Kougar filled Lyon in. We think Ariana has lost some chunks of memoryracial memory passed down from one queen to anothereither as a direct result of the Mage attack or a secondary result of the poison. Either way, if she can retrieve that memory, she may be able to find an answer that could help them. And us.
They strode through the large dining room where the long dining table sat before a wide bank of windows overlooking the thickly treed backyard. Lyon yanked open the door and, together, they stepped out onto the sunny brick patio. Birds called to one another as the midday sun beat down warmly despite the mild temperature of the air.
Kougar glanced at the woman at his side. The sun glowed in her dark hair, setting it afire with red and gold highlights, drilling him with her beauty. Call them, Ariana.
Lyon pulled one of his knives, holding it at his side with a warriors stillness. Kougar didnt believe Melisande would attack again, but there was never any telling with that one. Moments later, Arianas two lieutenants misted into place on a pine-scented breeze.
Melisande drew her sword, her gaze locked on Lyon.
Ease down, Mel, Ariana snapped.
Brielles gaze fastened on her queen. Whats the matter?
Ariana waited for Melisande to sheathe her sword, then told them what theyd seenthe temple, the prayer. Where is that place?
The Temple of the Queens, the lowest chamber, below the altar of life. Only you could go down there. Brielle frowned. You dont remember.
No. Ive lost memories. I dont know when, or how many.
Melisande scowled.
Brielle gripped Arianas arm. From the time of your awakening until the attack, you returned to the temple and lit the fires in the Chamber of Life every equinox. I thought you stopped going after the attack because it was too hard on you when you could no longer turn to mist.
Ariana shook her head. I stopped going because I didnt remember I needed to. So the memories have been gone from the beginning.
Melisande looked at her sharply. What else have you forgotten?
Thats the question, isnt it? Ariana murmured.
Melisandes hand stroked the hilt of her sword, her gaze flicking to Lyon and back to her queen.
Kougar met Lyons gaze, a fine tension running between them.
I have to request the wisdom of the queens again, Ariana stated.
Brielle gasped. Its forbidden for any but a new queen to request an awakening.
Has anyone ever tried? More importantly, has a queen ever tried?
Melisande snorted softly. Only you would know that. Or would have, at one time.
I have to try. Its our only hope.
Brielles hands twisted together. Ariana, Morwuns magic is powerful, even now. It might force you . . .
To turn to mist. Ariana looked up, eyes closed, as if seeking guidance from the heavens. He knows, Brielle. Hookeye knows I live. I have no doubt hell strike again, and when he does, well lose. Lowering her face, she speared her lieutenant with a steely gaze. We have this one chance. We have to take it.
I agree, Melisande said.
Arianas gaze snapped to Kougars. Wish me luck.
Her words registered a split second too late. Kougar lunged forward. Im going with you. But the words werent even out of his mouth before shed touched her moonstones and was gone.
As the other two Ilinas turned to mist, Kougar growled, Melisande, take me with you.
No. And they, too, disappeared.
Kougar growled low in his throat. Damn Ariana. Nothing ever changed.
Lyons growl matched his own. Now what?
Now we wait and hope she succeeds.
And hope she comes back.
Frustration seethed, but it was the knowledge that she was out of his reach, that he couldnt protect her, that was roiling his insides.
That, too.
His fist went to his chest, rubbing at the burn inside he couldnt reach. He was starting to care again. And deep inside, the poison flowed.
CHAPTER 10
Ariana stood in the rock garden beside the small waterfall behind her palace in the Crystal Realm. The sky above was blue, sunshine glowing on the rocks and setting the air crystals to sparkling. Even if Kougar followed her, it would take him time to find her out here. And by then, shed be gone.
She felt guilty for leaving him as she had, but he couldnt help her. Hed only insist on accompanying her, and she wouldnt let him. It was far too dangerous. Besides, it was time to put distance between them before the mating bond opened any more.
Melisande and Brielle huddled before her, gripping her hands. Ariana met their gazes one after the other.
Its going to work.
Though she said the words to reassure her friends, it was herself who needed the convincing. Because although shed clearly lost memories, she remembered all too well the warning that only a new queen could request an awakening. Anyone else who tried would invite the wrath of the first queen, Morwun, the spirit of the temple.
What form that wrath might take, Ariana didnt know. She wasnt afraid of pain. What had her trembling was the fear that she might, as Brielle feared, somehow be forced to turn to mist. That in trying to save her friends, she might kill them all.
She hugged her two best friends to her. Its time.
Were going with you, Brielle said quietly.
No. I dont know what will happen when I make this request. I want you both to stay here.
Mel shook her head, the look in her eyes telling Ariana she would get no cooperation. Brielle stays here, but Im going with you. Im your second for a reason.
If anything goes wrong . . .
Ill be there to help you. Dont waste time arguing, Ariana. We need to get going before that Feral of yours shows up growling and making demands.
Youve forgotten how to take orders, Mel. Her tone was wry, for her friends loyalty was rock solid.
A hint of a smile lit Melisandes eyes. My job is to protect the queen. Thats what Im doing.
Ariana nodded. Lets go, then. Lets find out what Ive lost.
Do you remember the Chamber of Life in the lower level of the temple?
Ariana nodded.
Ill meet you there. Melisande turned to mist, her form insubstantial for a moment before she disappeared.
Ariana took the corporeals path, gripping her moonstone cuff and whispering the chant of transport as she visualized the chamber where all Ilinas were born. Moments later, she materialized within the inlaid ivory walls of the Temple of the Queens.
Around her, sconces flared. Goose bumps rose on her arms at the sight of this place she hadnt seen in centuriesthe mosaic floor and the pure crystal altar standing at the very center of the circular room. It was upon the Altar of Life that new Ilinas came into the world. Upon which she herself had been born, not as flesh-and-blood creatures were bornspringing forth from the wombs of their mothers as infants who must grow to full sizebut through a ritual of magic that created women prepared to take their place in Ilina society within only a few education-filled months.
Unlike a flesh-and-blood woman, she remembered well the day she was bornthe wonder and confusion as the maidens welcomed her as their new queen. Unlike humans and most immortals, Ilinas were born with the basic knowledge they needed to survive, including the language of their kind.
Yes, she had memories of this place, of the births of other Ilinas whod come after her.
But of the lower chamber, the stone chamber that was supposedly hers alone, she had no memories at all.
Mels low cry behind her had her whirling, ready to fight, but she saw no one and nothing wrong. They were alone. It took her a second to realize the problem, and when she did, her eyes went wide.
Melisande was sinking into the floor, her feet slowly disappearing into the decorative mosaic tile.
Melisande reached for her. Ariana grabbed her hands, trying without success to pull her free.
Turn to mist, Melisande!
I cant! Its some kind of trap. Her oldest friends eyes took on a rare and gut-wrenching terror.
Theyd walked into a trap that could have been set by only one race.
The Mage.
Regret raked at Hawkes mind. He should have shoved Tighe away from him. He should have saved his friend.
Excruciating pain speared through his skull as his hawk screeched in agony. The pain had become a constant, now, an ever-present torment. At least he knew what was happening, though it was of no comfort whatsoever. Hed fallen into a spirit trap whose purpose was to separate man from beast. And when it succeeded? Hed be dead. The trap would spit out his body as it had the bodies of the seventeen all those years ago, leaving the hawk spirit trapped inside in perpetual agony, if the sounds of the other animals were anything to go by.
Theyd been in there for centuries.
His hawk screeched again.
Easy, buddy. Calm your feathers.
But instead of soothing the spirit as hed intended, he only seemed to inflame the creatures fury. Hawke felt the birds anger pummel the insides of his mind, melding with the pain.
Dammit, I didnt get us trapped in here on purpose!
He had to find a way out of here. For the hundredth time, he prayed to the goddess that hed been mistaken about Tighes falling in with him, that Stripes was safely with the others. With his mate. For the first time in the long years hed known the tiger shifter, Tighe radiated with a happiness Hawke envied. If anyone deserved that happiness, it was Stripes. Yet Hawke was all too afraid he was trapped down there with him, about to leave Delaney a widow.
The other Ferals couldnt afford to lose two more animals. Perhaps more? He had no idea how many had fallen into this with him.
Goddess, get us out of here. Take my life, if you must, but not like this. Let the hawk fly free to mark another.
Dont let us both end like this!
Slowly, he shoved back the anger, both the hawks and his own, forcing his mind to search for a solution. There had to be a way out of there. Perhaps the animal spirits themselves knew the answer if he could only find a way to communicate with them. There were at least a dozen distinct animal sounds hed managed to identify, at least a dozen animalsseveral different kinds of cats, two or three bears, the screech of a bird that wasnt his hawk. And others he couldnt identify. Hed heard a deep snorting that might have come from any one of several large animals. He heard them, not with his ears, for his senses were in limbo, but with his mind.
Were they really even there? The question had plagued him from the start. Hed tried to call to them, to communicate with them, but hed failed to get any response.
All he heard in the depths of his mind was the hawks punishing anger. And the sound of pain.
Get some lunch. Lyon turned to head back into the house after the Ilinas disappearance. Pink keeps making too much food. I think shes convinced that Tighe and Hawke might return at any moment, and she wants to be ready in case theyre famished.
Kougar continued to stare at the spot Ariana had stood just moments before, frustration eating at him that shed left. He felt her in the Crystal Realm and was tempted to follow, but he knew she didnt intend to stay there. By the time he found her, shed be gone again, down to the earthbound Temple of the Queens.
He hated that she refused to let him protect her, but he trusted her to return, as he hadnt before. Something had changed between them as theyd traveled his dream and her memories, together.
He joined Lyon as his chief opened the patio door. Any word on Hookeye? Kougar asked.
Not yet. Skyes family has put the word out. Someone has to know of a sorcerer whose eyes had oddly-shaped pupils.
One would think. And when they got a lock on him, Kougar was damn well going to be first in line to hunt the bastard down. Meanwhile, he waited. And the waiting was killing him.
How much harder this must be on Tighes mate, forced to wait while others tried to save the one she loved.
Hows Delaney? he asked Lyon.
Lyon gave him a surprised look as if he hadnt expected him to remember Tighe had a mate, let alone her name. Shes on her way back to Harpers Ferry to join Vhyper.
Kougar knew that Vhyper watched over the place where Hawke and Tighe had fallen into the vortex in case they reappeared. Of course, if they did, it would almost certainly be as corpses.
Delaney puts up a good front. Lyon started into the dining room, empty but for Wulfe. But Ive found her pacing the house at all hours, day and night.
Well get them back, Roar. There was an answer, and he wasnt giving up until theyd found it.
Lyon met his gaze with eyes rife with worry. I hope to hell youre right.
As Lyon continued through the dining room and into the hall, Kougar turned to where Wulfe was making what appeared to be a sandwich. A small one. Since when did the wolf shifter bother with bread?
At the lift of Kougars brow, Wulfe shrugged. The humans are hungry.
Kougar stilled. Humans?
Wulfe bristled, a snarl in his throat. Three of the humans attacked by the Daemons in Harpers Ferry survived, but we havent been able to wipe their minds. As soon as we can, well release them.
As long as the humans posed no threat to the Ferals, Kougar didnt much care. All he cared about was Arianas returning to him, hopefully with the answers they needed. He grabbed a plate and was piling it high with ham when he felt it, a pulse of raw emotion blasting down the mating bond, stronger than hed felt since the bond was reattached. A blend of anger. And fear.
He dropped his plate with a clatter, closing his eyes as he tried to sense her in the Crystal Realm, but the door was closed to him. She wasnt there. She must have already headed to that damned temple. And he had no way to reach her. No way to communicate with any of them other than to send his emotions, his demand, roaring through the mating bond, and hope someone other than Ariana felt them and responded.
His muscles spasmed with his need to do something. Shoving through the back door, he caught a whiff of pine, felt a tingle of Ilina energy and began to breathe again.
Brielle shimmered to form before him, the look on her face telling him she already knew something was wrong.
What happened? he demanded.
Theyre in trouble. Ariana and Melisande went together to the Temple of the Queens, but Melisandes been caught in a trap. Mel thinks it was set by the Mage. She cant be certain, but she thinks there are Mage in the temple.
Hell. Take me to them.
So that we can be captured, too?
The need to reach Ariana was a live wire streaking through his blood, but he forced himself to think.
They went directly into the temple?
To the Chamber of Life below the temple.
Then youre going to deliver me outside. Far enough away that no one will know were there and that you wont be caught by the magic.
Brielles tight expression eased. All right.
Can you transport two of us?
Not two Ferals.
Then get help. Kougar ran for the back door of Feral House. Roar! Jag! He was yelling even before he stepped into the dining room.
Lyon met him in the hallway. Whats up?
Ariana and Melisande ran into trouble in the temple. Theyve been captured.
By whom?
Only the Mage would be able to capture an Ilina.
Lyon growled. Where is this place?
The Himalayas.
Youve got to be kidding.
The Ilinas can get us there. Im taking Jag as backup.
Lyon lifted a brow. Not Wulfe? Hawke and Wulfe had been Kougars partners of choice for years, now.
Well have to slip into the temple. Jag can downsize. And Wulfe couldnt. When he was shifted, he had only one formhuge gray wolf. Jag, like Kougar and a number of the others, had perfected the ability to take on smaller forms. He and Jag could pass for house cats, or close enough.
Jag joined them in the hallway, and Lyon filled him in.
How in the hell are we getting there? Jag demanded.
Ilina.
The jaguar shifter made a sound of excited disbelief. No shit. Hey, Chief, tell Olivia where Ive gone, will you? Shes with Kara.
Ill tell her. I dont have to tell you two to be careful.
Kougar turned back toward the dining room.
So how does this work, traveling by Ilina? Jag asked, catching up with him.
Youll feel like youre falling. Then youll puke your guts out.
Reality check, Kougar-man. Dont apply for a job as an ad man for the travel industry.
Lucky for Kougar, his link to Ariana had long ago tamped down the worst of the effects for him. But he remembered all too well his one trip to the Crystal Realm before they were mated. Hed sworn he was never traveling like that again. Jag wasnt going to enjoy himself, but there was little help for it. Ariana needed him, and he needed Jag.
Brielle and an Ilina whose name Kougar didnt know were waiting for them when they reached the patio.
The mist warriors flew at them before they were fully out the door.
Hey! Jag complained, then said nothing more as they were both encased in a warm, mistlike energy glow.
As long as they didnt fight the Ilinas, the energy didnt hurt unless the Ilinas wanted it to. But Kougar had never been particularly fond of the scratchy feel. It always reminded him of lying naked in hay. He closed his eyes against the blinding light, concentrating on the mating bond inside him to anchor himself against the spinning.
Moments later, he came back to himself in a bitterly cold wind that whipped at his face. On the hard, rocky ledge beside him, Jag began to retch. Ahead rose a steep, rocky path. Behind them, the cliff face dropped away, offering a view of rugged snowcapped peaks as far as the eye could see.
I feel magic, murmured the dark blond Ilina Kougar didnt know.
Brielle clasped her hands agitatedly before her. Mage magic. Ariana and Melisande would have transported into the thick of it.
The need to reach Ariana pulsed in his head like the pounding of drums. He started up the rocky path until the glittering crystal dome of the Temple of the Queens came into sight above him, blinding in its sunlit brightness.
The impressive structure was surprisingly largeperhaps the size of a three-story office buildingand square, with a pair of thick pillars framing the entry. It sat atop a wide plateau, an iridescent ivorylike beauty capped by a crystal dome. The temple was an artists dream, the pillars decorated with gold leaf, inlaid with sparkling gems of hundreds of varieties forming what appeared to be intricate scrollwork.
His warriors eye took in the two sentries posted before the entrance, two men dressed in the blue tunics of Mage sentinels.
What in the hell are Mage doing here? How did they get up here? Helicopters, probably.
Brielle eased up beside him as they waited for Jag to get control of his stomach.
This place must be warded. Humans would be able to see it from a hundred miles away, even before binoculars and satellite imaging.
Against humans, yes, Brielle confirmed, but not immortals. Before the Sacrifice, the queen and her court lived here, the other Ilinas scattered in temples elsewhere in the world. But when the Therians turned on us after the Sacrifice, we were forced to flee to the clouds.
To the Crystal Realm.
Son of a bitch. Jags muttered epithet carried from below. Moments later, he joined them. You werent kidding about that ride. If theres another way off this perch, Im taking it.
Kougar turned to Brielle. Tell me how to find Ariana.
Her worried gaze met his. The lower chambers are hidden. I have to go with you.
He could see the panic rising in her eyes and reached for her, gripping her shoulder. Stay here. Well find them. Just tell me what you know.
The Ilina paused, took a deep, deliberate breath, then nodded. The temple is divided into four chambers, in the center of which lies the rotunda. The great statue of Morwun, the first queen, stands beneath the crystal dome. To reach the stairs to the chamber below, you must enter the passage directly behind the statue. At the end is a curved stair that appears to go only up. Ill tell you the words that will open the passage down, and you must say them exactly. But, Kougar, I dont know if theyll work coming from one whos not Ilina.
Tell me the words. Kougar glanced at Jag. Listen and memorize. Ive never had an ear for Ilina.
Jag gave him a quick, half-serious salute. Yes, sir.
Brielle whispered a string of sounds he knew to be ancient Ilina, a language that had always sounded more like music to his ear than words. And not music with any kind of logic to it.
Jag scowled. What the hell was that?
Kougar closed his eyes. Clearly, Jag wasnt going to be any better at Ilina than he was. Again, Brielle.
The woman repeated the sounds. In his head he tried to mimic them and failed. Dammit, I have to do this. Its the only way Im going to reach Ariana.
He tried to repeat the sounds out loud.
Brielle shook her head. Thats not it. Again, she sang the chant and again Kougar tried to mimic her with no more success than before. He felt like he wasnt hearing her properly. Like there were pieces missing. He looked to Jag, hoping he was starting to catch on.
Jag shook his head. She might as well be speaking hummingbird.
Dammit. Hed have to figure out something else when he got in there. Without further discussion, he shifted directly into his house-cat form, bypassing his larger cougar. Beside him, Jag downsized into his mini jaguar.
Are they really going to believe two cats found their way all the way up here? Jag asked telepathically.
No. Thats why were going in together. When you get inside, head left and keep them away from the back passage. Ill go right.
Aye-aye.
As one, they darted across the open rock and up the dozen steps to the pillars. Not until they were racing between the guards did one of the sentinels do a double take.
Whats with the cats?
Shit. Those arent cats. Theyre shifters!
Kougar darted into the mammoth temple, heading straight for the middle and the giant golden statue of a naked woman with wild hair, lifting a sword high over her head. A woman whod lived and ruled when humans still lived in caves. Though he sensed the presence of others in the temple, none were in the rotunda except the two chasing them, shouting for backup.
Kougars senses went out to Ariana, but he felt her only at a distance. The lower chambers, dammit. Hed been hoping Brielle was mistaken about that.
Any sign of your queen wife? Jag asked.
Any chance you remember the words Brielle spoke?
Youre kidding, right?
Thats what I was afraid of.
Was that a quip, Kougar-man? Dont tell me you have a sense of humor after all this time.
Kougar ignored him. Meet me in the back passage when you shake off your Mage.
Already done and on my way.
Kougar darted across the ivory floor and down a passage whose walls were decorated with climbing vines of inlaid crystal and gems, to the stairwell Brielle had described. A stair that went only up. He stared in dismay at the solid wall at the base where Brielle assured him another went down. Shifting into a man, he felt for any kind of latch, for any door at all, and found nothing. If there was a door there, it was a magic one, plain and simple.
With a sharp exhale, he attempted the musical-sounding words and got two out of his mouth when he lost any memory of what came next.
What now? Jag asked behind him.
By way of answer, Kougar turned and gave the wall a massive kick.
Way to keep a low profile, Jag muttered.
Kougar kicked again. And again. On the third kick, one small section of the wall began to crumble. On the fourth, his foot went through. He could feel a draft of air wafting from the opening. An opening just big enough for a house cat.
Lets go. Kougar shifted and leaped through the small break in the wall, into darkness, hoping to hell he wasnt leading them into nothingness.
CHAPTER 11
Mel . . . Ariana held her friends hands, willing Melisande free of the magical trap, holding her from sinking farther by the sheer force of her will.
Melisande met her gaze with terrified eyes. Go, Ariana. Go to the lower chamber. Do what you came for. Beg the queens of old for a second awakening.
I cant leave you! Youre still sinking.
No, I think its stopped. And it doesnt matter anyway. I dont matter. Only you. Youre the only one who can find a way to save us.
Ariana squeezed her best friends hands. You matter to me. You always have, and you know it.
Melisandes mouth softened. I know. But you may learn something down there that will solve both our problems. Now let go of me, Ariana.
Ariana looked away, her gaze raking the ivory walls, seeing a single set of stairs spiraling upward in one far corner. And none spiraling down.
I dont know how to get down there. I dont remember.
Melisande whispered the words of the ancients, then motioned behind Ariana with a nod of her head. There.
Ariana turned to find that a hole had appeared in the wall to the right of the Altar of Life. She eyed it with wariness, then turned back to Melisande.
I thought you said only I could go into that place.
Melisande shrugged, her blond braid sliding over her shoulder. I may not be able to go down there, but Ive been here with you and your predecessors enough times to memorize the words. Mel squeezed her hands. Now release me and go, Ariana. Ive stopped sinking.
Ariana prayed to the queens whod come before that Mel was right, then slowly released her grip, watching her friend for any sign of movement.
Nothing else happened. Melisande remained trapped, but sunk no farther.
Go, Mel urged. Quickly, Ariana, before anything else goes wrong. Melisandes voice trembled on an alien note of terror. Before they find us.
With a quick breath, Ariana nodded, then turned and ran to the opening in the wall. Peering inside, she found a twisting stair carved of stone, just like the chamber in the dream. A stair leading into darkness. A chill skated down her spine, but she hesitated for only a second before slipping inside and starting down, using the curving inner wall as her guide.
Little by little, the stair began to lighten until finally she stepped into the chamber of Kougars dream. The chamber was far smaller than the one above, primitive-looking in comparison, lit only by a single torch hanging in a bracket on the far wall as if waiting for her. While the floor beneath her bare feet was simple unpolished stone, up close the walls were beautifulwhite sandstone thickly carved with flowering vines in high relief, floor to ceiling.
Ariana started forward, toward the small pool in the middle of the chamber circled by half a dozen pillars, classic fluted Doric. Plain stone pots the size of large flowerpots had been placed between each of the pillars, pots she remembered lighting in the dream. A scent teased her nose and her memory, an ancient scent of burning incense. With it came the certainty that the temple awaited her light.