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“Shan,” I said softly, “if I see to keep us safe”
I didn’t want her to kno schizo I’d become I couldn’t stand it if she hated me Or worse, feared me
“Dude, I get it I can’t i to keep them all in check” She shivered “It’s so crazy that your bullshit is all that’s standing between us and a hideous death”
I hugged her…until I didn’t knohy I was I had work to do
Pushing the girl back, I smiled coolly “It was a pleasure”
“Yeah” Her expression seeh I didn’t understand why “It was”
The Spell of the Ball
I should have seen it co
For all my ed in led to build, but whispers came to me of discontent I listened and nodded, and I stored theuard the palace compound
On the fourth day after my téte-à-téte with Shannon, I summoned Greydusk to the courtyard “What do you see?”
The I wards”
“Precisely And both represent a threat to our security”
“I’ll have a crew repair the walls and the parapets”
“Thank you With your help, I intend to reinforce the protections”
Athame in hand, I opened to the astral and assessed the eddies of ancient o that I had no recollection of them Ninlil first created theive the illusion of eternity Purebred de lives, but they were not immortal Not even demon queens
“Of course What can I do?” Greydusk asked
“These wards are old …and powerful, even in decay I need to use you as a source Are you willing?”
That required absolute trust, as it left both of us vulnerable I could kill hih him, and he could do the same to me It was a tay connection
“Certainly, my queen”
Though it was possible to forh personal contact And it forether One did not seal a pal the risk that he would use his inborn drain The gravity of Greydusk’s expression said he grasped the breadth of e did The energy cae I could have done this for days—without a partner—at the Saremon complex Here, I needed a boost because the stone was inert, not a hidden wellspring of power
Unexpectedly, the bond also formed an emotional connection His awe and adoration flowed into ickal potential, but it wasn’t romantic in nature It felt like a worshipper in the presence of a goddess I exulted in it, but the silent hurowing stronger, harder for ht be ascendant as often as I, and that would be disastrous forin Sheol
Hand in hand, alked to the gates First, I restored potency to the sigils on the gate, the ones that prevented anyone fro unless they bore my mark All of ical crest that gave theates without my mark died a painful death Early on, a few had tried, and the ards hadn’t been enough to end them—just make them wish for a quick and merciful death once the Hazo took them into custody
More layers of protection against offensive spells Har char theth Greydusk was exhausted, as was I, but I’d been careful Neither of us would suffer lasting ill effects from this day’s work
I offered a grateful nod “Thank you I couldn’t have done that without you”
A queen never said that sort of thing to a lesser creature Unquestionably, my human half weakened me, but it was the sort of softness that roused a reaction of shocked pleasure in my subordinates It served to keep them off balance, at least
“It was an honor” Greydusk swept a credible bow “There’s e before the ball, my queen I believe Heartsblood is on your calendar for the morrow”
Ah, yes “I’ll be ready for him”
Once I parted froies to add a layer of protection to the bracelet Tia had given me I knew some demons found it odd that I chose such humble personal adornment; I was never without it Viewed in the astral, the ite, beautiful, with the flickering energies intertwined forone crucial factor, and I re care I wouldn’t be surprised by an offensive spell again
For the remainder of the day, I read in thick dossiers about how the various castes were responding to my rule Outwardly, the city had accepted oods, and feuds ran their usual courses Beneath the external quiet, though, dire and threatening whispers fomented