Elfhome

“She called their Spell Stones,” True Flame said.

“You told me to protect my Hand!” Tinker cried. “Protect the ones that serve! They would have all died if I’d let them come here alone. I did what I had to do to protect them.”

Judging by the annoyance on True Flame’s face and his silence, she’d found the argument that he couldn’t reply to. It was the fundamental basis of the entire elf culture, that obedience demanded protection. Tinker would have felt triumphant over the win if she hadn’t just snapped out the first thing that came to her. How could she feel so tired after sleeping all day? Almost in answer, pain flared through her right arm. Oh yes, the damn healing spells.

Someone started to scream nearby. The fact that the screamer was male made the sound more horrific.

“That’s Forest Moss,” True Flame said.

They found the one-eyed domana crouched in the blood of one of Jewel Tear’s sekasha. He was holding out his bloody hands and screaming. The female sekasha had been shot in the face at close range. In Tinker’s dream, she had been Stormsong. Tiger Eye was in his bed just beyond the female’s body, his spine cut. Judging by the blood splatter, he’d been paralyzed by the blow, helpless as his lifeblood pumped out.

Tinker completely understood the need to scream. She turned to hug Pony close. “In my dream, it was you and Stormsong.”

“You are hurt and tired,” Pony murmured only loud enough for her to hear. “Let me take you back home.”

It didn’t seem right to leave the mess for Windwolf to clean up, but she could feel the healing spell taking its toll. In the matter of minutes, she’ll be asleep, regardless of her standing upright or laying down. Besides, what was the point of her staying? She’d already leveled the place and failed to stop the oni.

24: Scapegoat

The Wyvern washed into the warren like a flood of blood.

Tommy shouted, “Don’t fight! Don’t fight!” A moment later, he was on the floor, in too much pain to focus his mind and heart hammering with fear for his family. Had the elves decided to fuck it all and kill them anyhow?

His family was all so used to having the snot beat of them that even the smallest just laid silent where they were pinned to the floor. The only reason he knew they weren’t dead was their fearful breathing and that there was no smell of blood in the air — yet.

The scrape of boots announced that the true powers had entered the warren.

Prince True Flame was a schoolgirl’s wet dream of an elf, from golden hair to skin that looked carved from white marble. He was dressed in spotless white.

Prince True Flame came to tower over Tommy. “Where is she?”

“Where is who?” Had Tinker disappear again? God forbid, since the world turned upside down every time she did.

“The Stone Clan domi Jewel Tear on Stone. Where is she?”

“I don’t know!” Tommy shouted.

“True Flame,” Windwolf blocked the prince’s kick to Tommy’s head. “We have no proof that they had anything to do with it.”

“He has his father’s powers.” True Flame glared down at Tommy.

“I told you, his powers are limited.” Windwolf stayed between Tommy and the prince. “Look around you. This is a household, not a camp of warriors fresh from battle.”

“They are oni spawn with no one trustworthy standing responsible for their actions. They refuse your protection so they are not part of us.”

“They do not trust us, and if this is how we treat them with no proof to support an attack, then they have full right to mistrust us.”

They searched for proof. They were through but strangely neat about it. The oni would have broken everything as they searched, but when the elves were done, nothing seemed disturbed.

“What’s going on?” Tommy growled into the battered floor.

“Ginger Wine’s enclave was attacked. Jewel Tear was taken.”

“And you suspect us?”

“The oni clouded the minds of the sekasha and took them unawares.”

And Tommy was one of the few people in Pittsburgh that had the ability, but he wasn’t the only one. “The oni had a kitsune. She’s better at the mind tricks than I am.”

“Yes, so my domi tells me.”

Windwolf trusted Tommy but obviously he wasn’t top dog in Pittsburgh any more. Prince True Flame was now the one that said who lived and died. The half-oni had fallen into an “all or nothing” category. If the elves decided Tommy was guilty of helping the oni, then all his cousins would be ruled guilty too. It would be a quick slaughter.

He needed to get the elves away from his warren so his family could disappear. “Let me help find her.”

Windwolf’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “You want to help?”

“No one knows Pittsburgh better than me. I need to go to Ginger Wine’s, though, where it all started.”

“It’s a Wind Clan enclave. I can grant you access to it.” Windwolf motioned to the soldiers pinning Tommy down.

Tommy carefully freed his eight-year-old cousin, Spot, and tucked the small boy under his arm. “Spot has a better nose than me. He might be able to smell something out.”

From across the room, Bingo gave him puzzled look, and murmured, “What are you doing?”