Chapter Sixteen

"S o this is the famed sepulcher," a male voice said behind me.

I smiled as Savian appeared around the edge of a clump of tall fir trees. It was then I noticed his condition.

"What happened to you?" I asked, walking in a circle around him. He was shirtless, his jeans tattered, revealing rather surprising tiger-striped underwear in a few spots, his chest and arms covered in soot. His face was as black as his chest, with fingers of lighter color fanning out along his laugh lines. A little blood leaked out from under a strip of material that had been bound around one of his upper arms, and he appeared to have lost both of his eyebrows.

"Dr. Kostich," he said, twitching slightly.

"Oh dear. Do you need a healer?"

"No. I'll live." He squinted at the sepulcher. "I take it Thala isn't here yet?"

"Not yet."

"Are you sure that's it?" Aisling asked, nodding toward the building. "It's a ruins. Dr. Kostich would never put a vault in a ruins. Would he?"

"It looks like a ruins, but trust me, it's not. It's layered with prohibitive arcane magic."

"That doesn't affect May, does it?" Savian asked, gingerly feeling his forehead.

"No, it doesn't, but May has worked through the protection and made it to the inside. She and Gabriel's ethereal self are having a look around in there to see what's what before Drake takes over."

"I had a feeling it might be this place." Savian considered the redbrick ruins of what must have once been a glorious Russian Orthodox church. "It felt wrong for what it was, if you know what I mean."

I studied the building that the L'au-dela had turned into its sepulcher. Nearest us was a tall round columnated tower, topped with a spire bearing the Orthodox cross. Gothic rounded windows and columns ran down the body of the church, ending in a huge dome on the far end, most of which was still standing. Surrounding the remains of the church was a thick stand of firs, and the air, even at night, was sharp with the scent of pine. Bats flew overhead as they searched for their evening meal, the waxing moon partially hidden by some clouds, but peeping out now and again to shine down an almost unearthly glow upon the building.

"It certainly is atmospheric," Aisling said, rubbing her arms as she glanced around somewhat nervously. "I wonder where Drake's gotten to."

"How did it go with Dr. Kostich?" I asked Savian. "Other than his attempt to blow you up."

His expression hardened. "It went. I caught up with them about three miles outside the forest. I tried to take them by surprise, but Kostich saw me just as I jumped him. That was when he got off the arcane blast, but despite that, I managed to knock him out long enough to restrain him with some duct tape and nylon rope."

"I hope that doesn't make things worse for you and Maura."

He shrugged. "It had to be done." He slid me a look from the corner of his eye, then suddenly grinned. "I can't tell you how good it felt to use that neck pinch on him. He dropped like a sack of mages. Then I tied up his driver and him, and drove them off a side path into the woods where I hope no one will find them until we're done here."

"The watch is still on its way," I reminded him.

"Yes. Hopefully not so many that we can't handle them." He looked around. "Where are the others?"

"May and Gabriel are inside, as I said, although Gabriel's body is propped up next to the building. Drake and his bodyguard, István, are securing the perimeter. May's demon lord got too close to Aisling, and Drake set him on fire, which he just seemed to enjoy, so he went off with Constantine to discuss something about spectral whips. I really don't want to know more than that. And Baltic, Pavel, and Holland are doing something I also don't want to know about with a couple of electric mantraps that Drake brought along with him. I should check on Baltic, speaking of that. He needs to discuss with Constantine what has to be done to deal with Thala, and there's no way he'll do that without me there to nag…er…guide him."

He laughed as I headed around the side of the building, calling after me in a soft voice, "I'll go back to town, unless you think you need me here."

"No, you go to Nepal. I'm sure Maura could use your help more than we will need you. Thank you for everything, Savian."

He saluted me. "A pleasure, as always. Except the arcane blast. I'll call when we have Maura's mum to safety."

"Godspeed," I called after him, then made my way through the encroaching forest around one side of the sepulcher, passing Gabriel's relaxed form on my way. I paused to check that he was all right, then continued on around the far side of the church, where the huge round dome sat over a semicircular bulge of brick and stone columns. In the shadow of one of the columns, I could see the faint images of Baltic and Pavel as they stood together, consulting about something. "Did you set your traps?" I asked when I was close enough for them to hear me.

"As a matter of fact, I did," a voice answered, but it didn't belong to Baltic. It wasn't even male. I gasped as I spun around, a noise that was cut short as Thala, emerging from the nothing that was the beyond, slapped a hand around my mouth, and before I could so much as blink, wrapped a thin, very sharp wire around my neck. "I didn't think it would be you I caught, though. However, this will work, too."

Baltic glanced toward me, did a double take, and roared his fury to the night sky even as he leaped toward us, a brief glimpse of moonlight shimmering along the white scales that covered his dragon form.

Thala spun us around so that I was between the two of them, the wire digging painfully into my neck. "This is a razor garrote. Any closer, and I'll decapitate your mate."

That stopped him. He stood just out of reach, softly panting fire.

"I don't know what you think you're going to do here, but you should be aware that we're not going to let you get away with anything," I said, being very careful to not move as I spoke. "Nor are we going to let harm come to Violet."

She laughed, tightening the wire just enough to make me gasp in pain. I ground back a snarl, keeping my gaze steady on Baltic. "You always were an interfering bitch. Do you really think I care the least about you or Kostich's daughter? I'm here for one thing only, and nothing will stop me from taking it."

Baltic crossed his arms as he returned to human form. "The sword is mine, Thala. It was given to me ."

"To hold until such time as it was needed again, and that time is now," she countered, jerking me around until we faced the wall of the sepulcher. The wire, unfortunately, tightened even more. Wetness trickled down my neck and chest as I tried to look out of the corner of my eye to see what Baltic was doing. I knew full well that he wouldn't allow Thala to slice off my head, but I worried that he might not have the patience to wait to attack her before the others—including Constantine—realized that she had arrived. I prayed that Pavel had slid off around the other way and was warning everyone.

"And how do you expect to take it?" Baltic inquired, gesturing toward the building. "The archimage has placed much protection on it, mostly arcane, and necromancers have a particular aversion to arcane magic."

I felt, rather than saw, Thala's smile as she said simply, "I am not as weak as you believe, Baltic. I will destroy the sepulcher just as I destroyed your house. I will sing an earth song."

In the distance, I heard a shout of alarm as Pavel had evidently reached the others. Thala must have heard it, as well, for without further ado, she opened her mouth and began to sing.

I have little recollection of the dirge she sang that destroyed our previous house around us, but Baltic told me later it was an air song, a spell that literally exploded the house with a force equivalent to several traditional bombs. I dug through my faulty memory as Thala inhaled and began to sing.

Dirges, I knew, were a form of dark magic, spoken in the form of a song, and mastered only by those who were very adept. I watched in amazement when black, twisted roots boiled up from the earth around the sepulcher, twisting and twining around the building like so many horrible tentacles, and it was then I realized the full power of the earth dirge.

The noise issuing from Thala was horrible, a low, grating sound that seemed to be made up of tormented screams from the very depths of the earth, tortured and tainted by darkness, filled with hopelessness, scraping away bits of my soul as it continued to urge the earth itself to destroy that which had been made by man.

The roots wrapped around the building, and with one final swelling of Thala's song, exploded outward in a flying mass of bricks, stone, and wood.

Centuries of dust, decay, and despair filled the air, swirling around us in a dense cloud, choking the lungs and vision. The garrote dug in even deeper as I coughed, my eyes widening when the cloud started to dissipate. Behind me, I could hear the sounds of people approaching, and the cries asking for an explanation of what just happened.

"What the—" Aisling's sentence ended in a violent attack of coughing as she approached.

"Hmm," Baltic said, waving his hand through the air to clear the air of dust as he eyed what remained of the side wall. A good third of it was missing, leaving a jagged, raw entrance into the sepulcher. Inside, part of the ceiling had come down onto the stone floor. A hand emerged from under the debris, shoving it aside.

"Still think I can't circumvent Kostich's protections?" Thala asked him with a note of smugness that made me want to slap her.

"Mayling!" Gabriel shot past us from outside the sepulcher, hurdling the fallen stones to yank bricks and chunks of wood off May.

"I'm OK," May said, coughing as she crawled out of the mass of stone. "There was some sort of statue here, and it gave me shelter. What happened?"

"Who…oh, the shadow walker," Thala said dismissively. "That will teach her to be where she shouldn't be. Stand back or Ysolde will die. And when I kill, they stay dead."

This last was spoken to Drake, who approached us with István.

Baltic jerked, his eyes narrowing on Thala. Briefly, I wondered what had startled him so, but my attention was soon claimed elsewhere as the others formed a semicircle around us.

Thala's voice was amused as she spoke to Baltic. "You don't really believe you can stop me with a few dragons, do you? Really, Baltic, I thought you knew me better than that."

"I thought I did, as well," he said softly, once again causing me to roll my eyes toward him in surprise. He had an indescribable look on his face, something akin to speculation and confusion. "You will release Ysolde."

Thala was silent for a moment. "You really would give up the sword for her, wouldn't you? When I was held prisoner, the green wyvern told me you did, but I didn't believe him. I thought Kostich must have tricked it from you, or that you gave it to him as part of your plan to take over the weyr, but it was true that you willingly gave it up for a mere woman?"

"She is my mate," Baltic said, his face now completely unreadable, but his fire was burning extremely hot, just beneath the surface, barely contained. I had a feeling that the slightest spurt of emotion would unleash it.

"You have become as tiresome as she," Thala said, and to my utter surprise, whipped away the razor wire and shoved me toward him. "If you wish to be a fool, then far be it from me to stop you. You will not see my sword again, however."

She started toward the destroyed wall, but Baltic was instantly there in front of her, in dragon form once again.

She stopped a few feet from him, laughing and shaking her head. "And now you prove to me that in addition to your heart having grown soft, so has your head. Do you believe there is any way you can stop me from doing exactly as I want, dragon?"

"Yes," Baltic answered simply.

"We outnumber you, Thala," I pointed out, tearing off the sleeve of my blouse and wrapping it around my neck.

"I am not so foolish as to come alone," she said, gesturing to the side.

"Bloody hell," Savian muttered as a group of about twenty or so dragons emerged from the woods, each armed with weapons used in centuries past, all of them in their natural forms. Red, blue, black, and even two green dragons came toward us, the clouds shifting just enough to allow the icy fingers of moonlight to caress the metal of their weapons.

But it was the two people who trailed behind them who had my blood boiling.

"Oh goody," I said, flexing my fingers. "Retribution time."

"Retribution?" Aisling asked, quickly drawing protective wards over Drake and everyone around her.

"That's Gareth, my bigamous former husband, and his evil wife, Ruth." I smiled, wondering which of my spells would be best for them.

"Oy. I think we're going to need help more than Brom needs distracting," Aisling murmured, and added in a whisper, "Effrijim, I summon thee."

The demon dog appeared before us, popcorn spilling out of its lips as it blinked in surprise. "Man, Ash, give a guy some warning next time. Brom and I were going to have a Monty Python fest…fires of Abaddon! It's that crazy lady and her badass posse! And Magoth! What's he doing here?"

"About to enjoy some roast demon," Magoth said with a smile that sent a little shiver down my spine.

"You do, and you'll find your ass back in the Akasha," Aisling warned before turning her attention to the dragons who moved en masse toward us. "Effrijim, I command thee to attack Thala!"

"What?" Jim shrieked.

Thala spun around to face her just as I caught a flicker of movement from my peripheral vision. Drake slid into the shadows of the interior, and disappeared. No doubt he was off to break into the vault while Aisling distracted Thala. I was surprised he allowed her to do such a dangerous thing, but that surprise faded away instantly when Baltic, Pavel, and Gabriel all rushed Thala at the same time, pushing Aisling a safe distance away.

"It seems we're always fighting someone," I grumbled as Thala went down underneath a pile of dragons, only to send them flying a few seconds later. "Toads. Maybe I'll turn Gareth and Ruth into toads. Would you like that, Gareth?" I bellowed as the dragons in front of him came into range. "Would you like to be a big, fat, slimy toad? That's what your character is, so you might as well be one in truth!"

Gareth didn't react, leading me to believe that he hadn't heard me. He ran after the dragons, a gun in his hand, and Ruth bringing up the rear.

I eyed the nearest of Thala's cohorts as he approached. Aisling had sent Jim off to tackle the oncoming group of dragons, her hands flying as she started throwing out binding wards. Holland and Pavel rushed past me to the onslaught, Pavel—like the other dragons—in a more robust form. His tail slashed through the air as he caught the first dragon across the chest. Holland, with a battle cry that would do William Wallace proud, leaped across him and onto the dragon as he went down. Jim flung itself onto the next dragon, leaving me standing alone as Gareth, catching sight of me, veered off from the pack and headed toward me with a wicked look on his face.

I smiled, waiting for him. As soon as he got close enough, I would whip into my dragon form and beat the living daylights out of him. I remembered just how much power I wielded in that form, and even though Gareth was armed, I knew I could take him.

Behind me, I heard Baltic call out as he and Gabriel struggled to contain Thala. Just as soon as I took care of Gareth and Ruth, I'd fetch Constantine, and I'd demand he do whatever it was he could do to disable her, but until then…

"I knew I'd find you here," Gareth sneered as he raised the gun to me, Ruth dancing behind him and urging him to shoot. "I'm going to take care of you once and for all. You're coming with us, and you're going to manifest some gold, or I'll kill you where you stand."

"You pathetic little snotball! You'll get no more gold from me," I said, yelling an archaic oath as I shifted into dragon form.

Or rather, I tried.

"Oh holy—ack!"

I ducked when Gareth opened fire on me, swearing when I stumbled over the prone form of a dead ouroboros dragon.

"Then you'll die, you stupid woman. I'm tired of you and your brat always messing up my life. Ruth's right—it's time to take care of you once and for all!" Gareth snarled. The gun spat out more bullets, but either Gareth's aim was atrocious, or I was extremely lucky, because none of them struck me.

Snatching up a morning star that the dead dragon nearest me still clutched, I swung it as I bolted for the woods, once again trying to shift my form into that of an attractive, if slightly puny-armed, white dragon. Nothing happened other than I immediately got a stitch in my side.

"Great, now I'm going to die because I'm out of shape and my shifter is broken," I panted as I lunged past the first tree, desperately trying to think of a spell that would disable Gareth so I could beat the crap out of him.

"You can run, but you can't hide from me, you coward," Gareth shouted as he followed me into the woods.

"Pot, kettle, black," I yelled back. In the distance, I heard Baltic calling for me again. I hesitated for a second, wanting to reassure him, but not wishing to take him away from containing Thala.

"I will blow your brains out, and while you lie writhing on the ground, I'll tell you exactly what I think of you," Gareth spat out as he leaped out at me, raising the gun.

"Oh please, like anyone cares what you think." Before Gareth could pull the trigger, I took him by surprise by running toward rather than away from him. I swung the morning star as I did so. Gareth squawked and ducked, leaping to the side. I dashed around a huge ash tree, saying as I did, "Sky below and earth above, sinners all repent, tree of butter and sea of dove, be thee now absent."

There was a pregnant silence that lasted for the count of four, and then…nothing. "Be thee now absent? Really, brain, that's what you came up with?" I stood up and peered around the tree, braced to find Gareth and his gun, but rather than a flesh and blood man, a life-sized statue of one stood in the classic shooter's pose, one arm outstretched as he was evidently about to fire again.

I put my finger out and touched the gun. It came away slightly damp. I looked at the surprised bird that sat on top of the statue, showing it my finger. "It's butter."

The bird, a dove, blinked at me, and ruffled its tail feathers.

I sighed. "When I said tree of butter and sea of dove, I was actually referring to colors, not actual…oh, never mind." I considered my former husband for a moment, then nodded. "Fitting justice, I think, Gareth. I hope it's a really, really hot day today. If I'm feeling benevolent later, I'll send someone out to scrape up what's left of you."

The dove flew off as I turned and marched out to where the battle was in full force. "One down, one to go. And there she is."

I smiled as I emerged from the trees with my morning star in hand. Ruth, who had been hiding behind a large boulder, spun around when I called her name.

"What are you doing there? Why aren't you dead? You're supposed to be dead!" She stomped her foot. "Where's Gareth? What have you done to him? Dammit, he was supposed to take care of you!"

Behind me, a couple of men ran toward us.

"Gareth is a bit busy melting right now," I told her with a satisfied smile. "And I think, I really think I've just about had enough of you."

"Are you insane as well as stupid?" She tossed her head. "I'm the daughter of Antonia von Endres. I'm a necromancer of great repute. You're not even dirt beneath my feet. You're below dirt. You're subdirt! I loathed you when we first found you, and I've loathed you every minute since. Gareth was always too soft where you were concerned, but I'm not soft, Sullivan." Her face was red and twisted with hate as she swept a hand toward a wild patch of tall grass and broken headstones. "And now you're going to see just how insignificant you really are. I will raise the dead, and they will rend the flesh from your bones, which I will grind into dust, and sprinkle on my doorstep so that I can walk over your remains every single day!"

"Seriously? Rend my flesh? You don't think that's a little over the top?"

She screamed and turned to run for the tiny graveyard. I looked over at the two men who approached. "Are you the watch?"

They paused. "Yes." The nearest one narrowed his eyes at me. "And you are…?"

"That's really not important right now. But you should know that the woman over there, the one waving her arms around in the graveyard, is a necromancer, and she's about to raise some liches so she can kill Dr. Kostich, whom, incidentally, she just admitted she has bound and gagged and hidden away in some woods."

The two men looked at each other, then at Ruth.

"Dr. Kostich told us we must protect the sepulcher. Is that fighting I hear?"

"Yes, a wacked-out necromancer—sister to that woman, by the way—is trying to get into it." I smiled. "I used to be Dr. Kostich's apprentice, you know, and I'm positive he'll be very pissed if you let Ruth get away. If I were you, I'd take care of her first, then go nab her sister. It'll be a hundred times harder to catch either of them if Ruth raises some liches to do her bidding."

The men hesitated, then with a nod, dashed off toward the graveyard. I turned on my heel and ran toward the audible sounds of fighting that came from the other side of the church. "I'm not proud of that, but it's better than turning her into butter. That leaves us with just one crazy woman to go."

As I ran around the north side of the church, it was evident that Team Baltic was getting the better of the ouroboros dragons.

It was clearly time to stop the bloodshed and take charge of the situation. "All right, I'm here, I'm armed, and I have the power of butter behind me! I want everyone to stop fighting and settle down!"

No one, of course, paid the slightest bit of attention to me. Drat them all.

"I'm getting sick and tired of everyone always fighting around here," I yelled as I stomped my way toward the mass of dragon bodies engaged in full battle. I paused at the sight of Magoth, now stark naked, his face painted blue, as he twirled a sword in one hand and leaped on the back of one of Thala's dragons before immediately beating him on the head with the flat side of the sword. "Where on earth did you find blue paint?"

"Ysolde!"

"I'm fine," I answered Baltic, who paused in the act of slashing at a dragon who was foolish enough to think he could take my darling dread wyvern. I raised the wooden handle of my morning star. "I picked up a toy."

He nodded as he handily backhanded the dragon before turning back to where Thala was fighting Gabriel and István. I gave myself a moment to admire the fact that he was actually dual-wielding swords, one in each hand as he flung himself on her. His face and upper chest were covered with blood, but I could see by the light in his eyes, and the spiral of dragon fire that wove around him, that he was having a fine time. "We really have to find you a hobby," I said to myself as I searched the crowd for Constantine.

"You OK?" Pavel asked as he danced past me, parrying a thrust from a green dragon. He, too, was armed with a sword. I gathered that as the ouroboros dragons fell, our people were picking up their weapons.

"Annoyed, but unharmed. Have you seen Constantine?"

"Over by the hole," he grunted, leaping high into the air when the dragon tried to cut off his legs. A roar of anger ripped through the night, followed by a black shape as Pavel shifted and attacked the green dragon.

I hurried over to the blasted wall, leaning inside it to bellow, "Constantine!"

"Holy Mary, you needn't yell, I'm right here," came the disembodied answer. "I think you deafened me."

Constantine's form appeared, somewhat transparent, but solid enough that I could grab his sleeve. "Come on. We have to stop Thala. Baltic's been using arcane magic and he's run out of steam, and she's not wearing out at all. Time for you to do your thing."

"What thing is that?"

"The shade thing that you can do to stop her. Come on! Stop dragging your heels."

"What will you give me if I help you?"

I stopped and turned to stare at him. " What did you say?"

He brushed his wrinkled sleeve and looked down his nose at me. "What will you give me as a payment for my assistance with the archimage's deranged daughter?"

Damned dragons and their intense need to bargain! "You said you'd help me because you loved me!" Outrage poured through me, igniting my own fire.

"I changed my mind," he said with a sniff. "I'm allowed to change my mind. I got you the shard, after all. I think I should have something for all my hard work."

I hefted the morning star, tempted to tell him exactly what I was going to give him, but reason tempered that desire. "What do you want?" I snapped.

He stroked his chin in a contemplative gesture. "I want you."

"Well, you can't have me."

He stroked some more. "Then I want a sept."

"You challenged Kostya and lost, remember? You can challenge him again, but the same thing will happen. You're dead, Constantine. You're a spirit. You can't be a wyvern and be a spirit. How do you expect to protect your sept if you run out of power every couple of minutes?"

He grimaced. "If I can't have you, and I can't have a sept, then I want to be with you in your sept."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You want to join the light dragons?"

"Not particularly, but since that's where you are, it will have to suffice."

I blinked a couple of times, not sure what else to do. I couldn't begin to imagine what Baltic would have to say to me when I informed him that his most hated enemy, the madman responsible for the destruction of so many lives, wanted to be a part of our sept, but now was not the time to dwell on the impossible.

"Fine. You stop Thala, and I'll get Baltic to let you into the sept. Deal?"

"Deal," he said, grabbing me by the shoulders and planting his mouth on mine.

"Try that again, and you're going to be wearing this upside your head," I snarled, shaking the morning star at him.

He just grinned as he slipped into incorporeal state and walked straight through the battle. I eyed it with some misgivings. About half the dragons lay dead or wounded, the remainder fighting with a ferocity that took me—and the others—by surprise. Just as Constantine reached where Baltic and Gabriel were keeping Thala busy, two things happened in short succession. The first was Drake suddenly emerging from behind me, a long ebony box in his hands.

"You got it!" I cried.

"Yes." His gaze flickered out to the battle, obviously looking for Aisling.

"Jim and Aisling are over there, on that big rock. Holland is there with her," I said, pointing.

"Ah." He gave me a curious look, and somewhat reluctantly handed me the box. It had a long leather strap attached to it, which I slung over my chest.

"Oh, thank you! You really are a talented thief."

"My reward?" he asked with one raised eyebrow.

I edged toward the destroyed wall. "Can it wait until after things calm down?"

"No." He held out his hand.

I reached into my pocket and brought out the case containing the phylactery, handing it to him.

He opened it, both eyebrows raised. "The Avignon Phylactery?"

"Yes." I gave him a long, hard look. "I expect you to keep it safe, Drake."

He bowed and tucked it away inside his jacket. "I will treasure it."

"You'd better, or Baltic will want it back."

He was about to answer, but at an angry shout from István, he jumped through the destroyed wall, snatching up a sword in the process before he joined the fray.

"Now we're getting somewhere," I said, applauding lightly when Pavel chased off a wounded dragon, returning to go after a pair of blue dragons who were attacking Baltic.

"But not where you think you're going," a voice said behind me. "Give that to me!"

"No," I said, my jaw dropping a smidgen as Dr. Kostich, trailing bits of duct tape, strode toward me with a furious expression. "Savian said you were tied up and out of our way!"

"I am an archimage," he said through clenched teeth, his eyes all but spitting ire. "I am not put out of anyone's way, let alone someone as nefarious as you and your gang of hoodlums. Return that sword to me this instant, or you will pay the penalty, and I assure you, Tully Sullivan, that it is a debt you do not wish to incur."

"My name is Ysolde de Bouchier," I said, squaring my shoulders. "And it's Baltic's sword, not yours. You can just—"

Luckily, there was an interruption at that moment to keep me from finishing what was going to be a very inappropriate suggestion. Unluckily, the reason for the interruption was imminent death and destruction.

A blast of air and light sent everyone flying backward a few feet.

"What the—that was an arcane blast," I said, shaking my head as I stood up. "Baltic needs to watch where he's aiming that."

"It wasn't your gargantuan mate who cast that spell." Dr. Kostich also got to his feet and was in the act of brushing himself off when he froze, his eyes narrowed as he stared toward Baltic.

"It had to be. Only mages can call up arcane power like that."

"It was the woman," he said, his lips barely moving.

Goose bumps crawled down my arms. "Thala? But she's a necromancer. She doesn't have arcane power."

"She's singing!" Pavel yelled, turning to face the rest of us as everyone, friend and foe alike, slowly rose from the ground. "Take cover!"

"Sainted Mother, she's going to sing another dirge," I gasped, spinning around to find a place to hide. I grabbed Dr. Kostich by the arm and jerked him to the side, toward the missing wall.

"No," he said, pulling me back. "That building is about to collapse."

"Ysolde!"

The world seemed to slow down at that point, time itself lagging until each second took five times as long to pass. I watched with an odd sense of detachment as Baltic vaulted over the still-fighting dragons, shifting as he did so back into human form, his face a mask of fear—fear for me, I knew. Beyond him, Thala stood with her arms outstretched, a horrible wail starting to scrape across the night sky. I knew it was a matter of only a few seconds before she completed the dirge, too long for Baltic to reach me.

A sob choked in my throat as I dropped my morning star and ran toward him, needing his strength not to protect me, but to complete me.

The dirge swelled into a sound that threatened to burst my eardrums…and then it stopped, the air around us vibrating as it waited for the final note, the final word of the dirge to complete it. A golden light gathered itself before me, tiny little motes spinning around and around until they elongated into the shape of a man.

"Your time has run out, daughter," the First Dragon said, his eyes filled with sorrow.

I stared at him for a second. Then, slow as molasses, my gaze shifted over his shoulder, to where Baltic still ran toward me in slow motion. Thala appeared to be frozen in time, what remained of her tribe staring with open mouths at the First Dragon as he strode forward.

"Run out of time? You're going to kill me?" My voice was pathetic and tiny, reflecting perfectly the uncertainty I felt at that moment. Was he so pissed at me that he'd kill me for failing to save Baltic's honor? He wouldn't do that, would he?

His gaze flicked to the side as Baltic stumbled over a dead dragon, skidding to a stop next to me. "Baltic."

"I would have you cease harassing my mate," Baltic said somewhat breathily, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

I elbowed him and whispered, "A little more humility might be in order, my darling."

Baltic ignored me. "If you wish to punish me for the acts of the past, you will do so to me, not Ysolde. She is not to blame for any of my actions."

"You are correct. You alone are answerable for your sins." The First Dragon glanced around at the gathering, his gaze pausing for a moment on Thala before returning to me.

"I'm sorry. I haven't yet managed to do what you wanted me to do," I said, clasping Baltic's hand for support.

"This will end where it began," the First Dragon said, and in the fraction of time between instants, we were no longer standing outside the sepulcher. Instead, we stood, all of us, in a cleared section of woods that surrounded a tall, grey structure.

"Dauva," I said, staring at it before spinning around, trying to look in all directions at once. "It's Dauva."

"Fascinating, absolutely fascinating. I believe this translocation requires a few notes," Dr. Kostich said, pulling out a small notebook and a gold pen.

Jim snuffled the First Dragon's shoes. "Wow. Those are some pretty awesome teleporting skills you got there, Your First Dragonness. Don't suppose you're looking for a devastatingly handsome demon sidekick, are you?"

"Jim!" Aisling smacked it on its butt.

"So the fighting has stopped for good?" Magoth put his hands on his naked hips and looked around in dismay. Suddenly, he brightened up. "I recognize this place. It's where my sweet May enjoyed playing with me. May, my darling—"

"No!" May said in a disgusted voice, but her eyes were large as she moved to press herself next to Gabriel, whose arm immediately went around her.

"Fine, be that way. I'll find someone else to tail-slap me." He eyed Pavel, who looked more than a little startled.

"So this is what the famed Dauva looked like all those centuries ago," Holland said, strolling toward the wall. "I've always wonder—oof!"

He bounced off the wall, taking himself—and the rest of us—by surprise. He rubbed his nose and reached out to pat the wall, turning to face us with disbelief in his eyes. "It's real."

"It can't be real," I said, shaking my head. "Baltic hasn't rebuilt it yet, and besides, I told him no moat. That clearly is a moat." Everyone looked at where I pointed. "This has to be a vision of past Dauva."

"This is no vision," Baltic said slowly, crossing the drawbridge upon which we all stood. He touched the stone gateway.

"If it's not a vision, then…what? It's real?" Aisling asked, looking curiously at the First Dragon. "Can he make something as big as a castle appear out of thin air?"

The First Dragon smiled.

"He created the race of dragons, kincsem ," Drake told her. "A castle would be as child's play to him."

"Well," I said after giving Baltic a chance to thank his father for magicking up his heart's desire, "that's awfully nice of you to save us the trouble of rebuilding. Thank you."

The First Dragon ceased smiling. I felt as if the sun had gone behind a cloud. "The choice of whether this place is a reward or punishment is yours, daughter."

"You will not punish my mate," Baltic said, and would have continued if I hadn't stopped him.

"Fine," I told the First Dragon. "You've made your point. I've failed you again. If you'd just tell me exactly what you want Baltic to do, I'll convince him that it's within his best interests to do it. But please, no more mysterious comments and hints at unknown things and references to events I have no memory of ever happening because, to be honest, I'm really getting sick and tired of it all."

The First Dragon's eyelids dropped over his eyes, making me feel even more as if I were on trial—and my defense was made up of the Marx Brothers. "The end is within your grasp, daughter. The choice of which end it will be is yours."

"Oh, for the love of…See? That's exactly the sort of mysterious crap—" His eyes widened. I cleared my throat. "Mysterious comments that drive me bonkers."

"That's not an awfully long tri—ow!" Jim yelped as Aisling leaned down and whispered furiously in its ear.

"You refuse, then?" The First Dragon began to turn away. "So be it."

"No, I don't refuse!" I started toward him, but Baltic held me back, saying, "Mate, do not distress yourself. It is a game he plays. He enjoys trying to destroy my happiness."

"Well, I'm not going to let him. Now, you just listen here," I threw caution to the wind and marched over to where the First Dragon was strolling out of the circle of people. I caught at his sleeve, my temper getting the better of me even though I knew it was the sheerest folly. "I've done everything you asked, not that you ever really came right out and said what I had to do, but I've tried. I've wheeled and dealed…dealt…whatever, and I've made sacrifices, and I've tried to keep the peace to the very best of my ability, but that's evidently not good enough for you!"

"Man alive, is she yelling at the First Dragon?" Aisling asked Drake, her eyes huge as I shook the First Dragon's sleeve.

"I believe she is," Drake answered. "It is not something I ever wish to see you doing, in case you were thinking along those lines."

"I'd be afraid to," Aisling admitted.

"Ysolde, maybe you should take a few minutes to calm down," May said, taking a few hesitant steps toward me. Her gaze kept skittering to the First Dragon as she added, "I think your emotions are running a bit high right now."

"Of course they're running high!" I let go of the First Dragon's sleeve to run my hand through my hair. "He's trying to drive me insane."

"Baltic?" May asked, nodding toward me, obviously hinting that he should do something to stop me.

Baltic crossed his arms and leaned against the wall of Dauva, but he said nothing.

"Look, I don't mean to be rude—"

"Too late," came a soft voice behind me.

"But if you're frustrated with me, I'm doubly so with you. So if you'd just once and for all tell me—"

"This is beyond tolerable," Thala said suddenly. "I have better things to do with my life than witness your pathetic little dealings. You'll be mud beneath my heel soon enough."

She shot a look of pure loathing at pretty much everyone, and leaped on me, sending me flying backward with a wicked blow to my face. Pain stretched across my back for a second before there was a snapping noise, and then Thala was off, racing away with the black sword box in her hands, the broken leather strap trailing behind her.

Baltic, who had caught me before I could hit the ground, gave a shout and tossed me forward to Drake before he ran after Thala. Pavel sprinted after him with only one backward look.

"Really, Thala," I yelled, my hands on my hips. "You have to pick now to do this? You don't see that I'm busy with the First Dragon?"

"Should we go after them?" May asked Gabriel.

"She has the sword. I suppose we should." Gabriel glanced toward the First Dragon before making a bow.

"You stay here—I'll go. He'll never let you get the sword, but he'd let me have it," I told Gabriel before racing past the First Dragon.

"Running is so tiresome unless one is being chased by a being with a barbed cat," Magoth said in a bored voice.

I heard the others calling after me as I ran, but I ignored them, focusing on trying to remember the lay of the land. Dauva sat on the rim of a solid granite ledge that dropped several hundred feet down to a marshy wooded area, leaving only one side and the front vulnerable to attack. That was one reason why it was so successful at resisting attacks, but that didn't matter to me at the moment; what did matter was where the game trail I raced along was taking me. I had a vague sense that the ledge was fairly close by on the left side, but the terrain had changed in the last few hundred years, and I could no longer rely on landmarks to guide me.

The sound of crashing bodies through the underbrush warned me the others were following. It just drove me faster. I had to get that sword before Baltic, assuming he could get it away from Thala. I hoped Constantine had the presence of mind to come after me, so he could restrain Thala, but I had a feeling he wasn't going to be as trustworthy as I'd hoped, not after the most recent experience with him.

"I really hate it when I'm right about things like this," I panted a few minutes later when I emerged from the heavily wooded area to a narrow stone ledge. I stopped a good dozen feet from the edge, but I had to take a minute to catch my breath before I could address the two people who stood there.

"—betray me now as you have done in the past?" Baltic was in the middle of saying. He stood facing Thala, who held the black sword box in both hands. "What have you done with my talisman?"

"What do you think I did with it?" she answered in a snotty voice, a cruel smile on her face. She pulled a narrow gold chain out from under her shirt, allowing a flat disk of gold hanging from it to dangle before him. "If it means so much to you, you should take better care of it."

"I did. You betrayed my trust there, as well."

"I did tell you it was folly to trust anyone," she answered with a little shrug, then yanked the chain off her neck and threw it at his feet. "Let it not be said that I am not generous. I am through with it, so you can have it back. You may thank me for giving your mate one less thing to fuss over."

Baltic didn't even look at the talisman lying in the dirt. "Do you think I care what you do, so long as it does not involve the light dragons? If it is your desire to avenge yourself against the archimage, then do so, but do not involve me or those I am responsible for."

"You really believe that's what this is about? Revenge? " Thala laughed softly, gesturing toward him with the sword. I eyed it, wondering if I could snatch it and shove her over the edge of the cliff. It was high enough that the fall would likely kill even an immortal…. Mentally, I shook my head as the idea occurred to me. I couldn't do that to her, not even when she had tried to destroy us. "Perhaps it is about revenge…of a sort. But not the type you or your precious Ysolde would understand."

She didn't even look toward me as I edged a hair closer to her. I wanted the talisman, but more important, I wanted that damned sword.

Behind me, voices called as the others tried to find our path. I assumed they were having a bit of difficulty finding us since they didn't have Savian to find our tracks.

"The sword is mine," Baltic said, holding out a hand. "It was given to me, not you."

"That was a mistake," Thala said, smiling. "Not one that will be repeated. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to kill you once and for all, and then I think I'll kill your mate, and after that—"

I never did find out what horrible plan she had in mind, because Baltic sprang at her before she could finish her threat, sending her flying backward a good eighteen feet, right up against a sharp obelisk of stone that seemed to have erupted out of the earth. The force of the blow knocked the sword box from her hand, causing me to scramble forward and snatch it up before she could grab it again.

I tied the broken leather strap around my waist even as Thala screamed an oath at Baltic. "You will not triumph again! Not after all this time!"

"Mate, stay back," Baltic ordered as Thala lunged at him, her hands dancing in the air as he sidestepped her.

I gaped at the gestures she was making, recognizing them. "Baltic, she's—"

He, too, must have recognized them, for with a roar of fury, he sprang on her again…but she had finished casting her spell, and this time, it was Baltic who went flying.

Right over the edge of the cliff.