Black Frost (17 page)

“What would she push?”

“You…to see how you react to provocation. She
will keep the peace…until you don’t. Both of them will be inclined
to test you…see if they can anger you enough that you attack. If
that happens, they will be clear to take whatever action they like,
as they would not have broken the peace..you will have,” he said in
warning.

“So they’ll push my buttons – get me to
attack, than what? What if I killed them, that wouldn’t help their
plans much?”

“Neither of them truly believes you are that
much of a threat. If you attack, they can take you themselves.”

I spun to look at him, but he held up his
hand. “We have been on your world for this gathering for only a few
days. While our scouts have gathered information on the changes in
your culture, planet and weapons, my sister and cousin are much too
arrogant to fully grasp what this might mean. I don’t think they
understand your particular background enough to know you are a
threat. You must realize that three-quarters of this nation’s
population are ill prepared to deal with my people?”

I thought about the average citizen of the
U.S. and realized that was likely true. People today freaked out
when I used a three-inch folding knife to open a package. Use of
weapons is pretty limited to video games and flyswatters for most
people.

“
I
on the other hand, see that you
were raised by a warrior, and are, yourself, a weapons smith. Neeve
and Eirwen were last here when firearms were just appearing, and
swords were more common. They think you, as a people, are less
equipped to deal with Hunters and Guardians than your ancestors
were.”

“Wait till your Hunters try to break into a
crack house, or some redneck’s trailer,” I commented.

“Tis truth to your words, Ian,” he nodded.
“The Courts need to control Ashley with the ideal being that
neither gets her. Both Courts want her to tip the balance in their
favor. Summer will fear that if Winter gets her it will allow my
mother to take control year round. Mother fears much the
same.”
“So the best thing is that she stay here and no one bothers her!” I
said.

“Ah, but then she will always be there like a
sword lying around for the first warrior to pick up. Ian, the
alternative that the Queens will face is to remove her completely,”
he said quietly. I froze, chilled completely. “You mean kill
her?”

He nodded.

The Toyota was now parked, facing the soccer
field, the moon full and silvery bright in the sky over the tree
line. Frost glittered on the grass, the chalk dust lines easy to
see in the moonlight. Suddenly it occurred to me that I had been at
this field watching Ashley play her last soccer game less than
forty-eight hours ago.

I turned off the engine and lights, glancing
at the time. We were five minutes before the anointed time. I
looked at Greer. He didn’t show much expression, ever, but over the
last day or so I had started to learn to read it. Something
bothered him, made him uncertain.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

Emotion flashed through his eyes and was
gone. He smiled thinly and shook his head. “Just trying to think of
options.”

Somehow I didn’t think that was the whole of
it.

Chapter 16

We climbed out and headed to the field. I
left the shotgun in the car, but slung the Winchester over my
shoulder. Greer had said I could keep weapons with me for this
meeting and the steel receiver of the little carbine would be under
my hand, supposedly helping me to see through illusions.

About two-thirds of the way to the center of
the field, I saw movement at the edge of the trees that lined the
school’s property. A slim figure in black, with white hair that
gleamed in the moonlight, stepped out onto the frosty grass. A
squat, powerful white form jumped to her side, then ambled just
behind her.

At the opposite corner of the field, almost
directly across from Neeve’s position, another figure appeared,
this one with yellow hair, a long, slinky cat form following beside
her.

Greer and I made it to the big center circle
of the soccer field and together watched as his sister and cousin
closed in on us. Another form appeared at the back of the property,
about midway between the princesses’ entry points. The white
bearlike shape shambled toward us, pausing to sniff the ground
every so often. Coel had arrived.

Nervous, I keep my right hand wrapped around
the lever action of the rifle, holding the strap tight against my
shoulder by pushing down slightly on the gun. Watching both women,
I began to notice the differences between the cousins. Neeve moved
with a controlled grace and power, the mark of a skilled martial
artist. Eirwen’s curvier figure was also graceful, but more like a
dancer. The blonde elf ran one hand through her hair and a pointed
ear was briefly exposed. On a hunch, I let go of the rifle and the
ear immediately rounded itself. Eirwen was dressed in the green
dragonskin uniform of the Hunters, although she wore it much better
than the three who had died. She evoked an image of a female action
doll, with her fuller figure – elf princess Barbie, maybe. The
creature that prowled at her side was the size and general build of
a Bengal tiger. Its ears were more tufted though, like a lynx and
its fur was both striped and spotted, black on green. The fangs in
its big head seemed larger than the tigers I had seen at various
zoos, but who knew, maybe theirs would have looked just as big if
they were out of their cage and six feet away.

Neeve wore black, but it was a dress of
sorts, rather than her standard jumpsuit of dragon hide. Cut high
on the leg and low in the front, it exposed an awful lot of dark,
moonlit skin to the freezing night air. She was absolutely
comfortable though, not a hint of shiver. Eirwen was beautiful in a
familiar way, in the manner of a handful of the most attractive
Hollywood starlets, but better. Neeve was, on the other hand, truly
exotic. Her platinum hair, silver eyes and dark skin (much of it
naked to the eye) set her apart from almost any woman I had ever
seen. The only image that came close was a memory from the
Xmen
movies of Halle Berry as Storm, but even that was only
a slight resemblance. Black frost blades wound around both arms,
oddly appropriate accessories for her little black dress.

The two women and three animals met us at the
center of the field, all of us stopping on the white line of the
circle as if waiting for a ref’s whistle.

Both women watched me, Greer receiving just a
glance from his sister and a brief nod from Eirwen. He stepped over
to his blonde cousin and set three bundles of green leather at her
feet, then stepped to the side of the circle, leaving me facing the
Heirs at equidistant points on the line. Eirwen looked at the
bundles for a long moment, her face difficult to read.

From what Greer had said, the three suits of
dragonskin marked the demise of three of her own cousins, yet her
face reflected more careful calculation than anything else. Her
gaze, when it returned to me, was a touch more wary, as if she
might be reevaluating the equation that Ashley and I
represented.

Neeve, for her part, just stared at me,
raising one eyebrow slightly when I met her silvered irises.

She raised both hands, palm up, in question.
“We are here….what do you want to say?”

Good question. What to say, other than ‘No,
you can’t have her!’.

Years of working with the public and their
finances came to my rescue. My mouth opened and I just started to
speak, part of me just as interested to hear what would come out as
the others were.

“Greer tells me that your people have an
interest in my daughter – some great supposed Gift or Talent that
will change the very balance of power on your world. Yet he can’t
tell me what that power is or when it will manifest itself or even
if it ever will.” I started, making more it a statement, followed
by a pause.

Eirwen snorted, breaking the momentary
silence. I arched both eyebrows at her and waited.

“What you doubt, we see. Ashley’s Gift is so
bright that she fairly glows with it!” she stated, flatly.

“So my daughter glows, but you don’t know
what that is? For all you know that’s the extent of it, a human
nightlight for elves!”

She shook her head, annoyed. “Hers is one of
the Major Gifts…’tis plain obvious to
elves
. Which of the
Majors it is, I cannot say, but it will be big…the biggest in many
Gatherings, and it will be soon!”

Neeve and Greer continued to look on,
interested but not involved.

“So…you’re willing to kill me and take
her…kill Winter’s Guardians, all to give your Court an unknown
power?”

“You know nothing of our world, our
politics!” she began, heatedly, but suddenly took control of
herself. Then she grinned at me and it wasn’t a pleasant grin. More
of a sly, skin-the-cat kinda grin. “You are desperate! Why? Seeking
to benefit from Ashley’s ability yourself? What’s the human phrase?
Cashing in?”

My anger surged like a red wave, my hand on
the rifle wanting to spin the barrel forward and fire at her.
Greer’s head moved in a slight side to side motion and I caught my
anger by its collar and choked it down. His warning that the Heirs
would seek to push me off balance came back to me.

I took a breath and considered.

“Hmm, you’ve been doing this a long time,
right?” I asked her, then continued on without a response. “Your
ability to find Talent is unmatched, so I’m told. But you don’t
understand us…do you?”

Both her eyebrows went up, but she still
didn’t say anything.

“We feel differently about our children than
you do…..we will die to protect them. And Ashley? If she does have
this massive power or whatever, will likely use it against you, not
for you.”

Eirwen smiled grimly, then glanced at her
fingernails (which I noticed were more claw-like than nail like)
while speaking.

“You think your daughter is the first human
child we’ve ever dealt with? Granted she’s older than most, but
that’s how it sometimes goes. But she’ll see our way, they always
do! We’ve had centuries to learn to manipulate human children.”

“And what does the White Court do during all
this? Allow the Green to take a Major Gift?” I asked Neeve, who had
been watching avidly.

She studied me for a moment, her eerie silver
eyes cold and calculating.

“Actually, the White Court thinks it would be
better if she was held by neither Court, but rather by a third
party. And frankly, Ian Moore, we would prefer it if you were with
her,” she said in a surprisingly soft voice.

Eirwen’s head snapped around to stare at her
cousin. “You didn’t? The
salgairee
?”

Neeve just smiled back at her, but it was a
cruel smile.

I glanced at Greer who looked uncomfortable.
“What’s the Schal-ga?”

Eirwen answered before he could. “There is a
third power block on our world. It is not as powerful as either of
the courts but strong enough to remain independent. Your ancestors
knew it as the Wild Hunt, or just the Hunt. Its members are not
beholden to either court, they’re mostly outcasts. On our world it
occupies a territory in the mountain range that cuts across our
primary land mass.”

Greer gave her a cold look then picked up
where she had left off.

“Ian, the Hunt takes in the unfortunates who
cannot make it in either Court. Sometimes they’re outsiders because
they were born differently….damaged. But more often, they are the
dregs of our societies…what you would call criminals. All have a
chance with the Hunt, but it’s not an easy life. The whole group is
led by a male, an elf. Gwyd.”

“What’s this Gwyd have to do with Ashley?” I
asked, an awful feeling beginning to form in my stomach.

Neither Neeve or Greer said a word, but after
a moment Eirwen spoke.

“You seem to know some about us, listened to
your peoples’ stories, Ian Moore. But tonight you learn an
important lesson.”

The cold spot in my gut felt like a lead
basket ball and a cold sweat was starting to form on my brow.

“We live by our word, but our word is very
literal. When your
dettis onach
said you would be safe and
that
we-
” she pointed to herself and Neeve, “-would grant
you safe passage for you and temporary respite for your daughter,
he was truthful….as far as
we’re
concerned.”

Her manner was very matter of fact, but the
pain I felt inside wouldn’t have been any worse if she’d been
cruel. The truth exploded behind my eyes and I panicked. Just for a
moment, but the panic was full blown, raw and awful. Then the anger
replaced it, white hot. I whipped the carbine off my shoulder,
spinning the stock up and around, the strap sliding down my arm as
the butt of the weapon met my shoulder. My right hand thumbed back
the hammer just as the sights settled on my target. It was fast,
very fast, the end result of years and years of Bob Moore’s
relentless training. Greer had said that the princesses were hoping
to punch my buttons, but neither of them got in more than a jump
back before the muzzle of my rifle was pointed where I wanted
it….right at Greer’s chest.

“You…you set this up! The Hunt or whatever it
is at my Father’s house at this moment, isn’t it?”

Unlike Eirwen and Neeve, Greer barely
flinched, instead he just stood there, hands open, palms
forward.

He didn’t say anything, but the truth was
reflected on his face along with another emotion that I didn’t
believe – regret.

“
Dettis onach
requires that I do
everything I can to save your life, until such time as my debt is
paid. Had you stayed at your Father’s house, you would have died.
It seemed obvious to me that Ashley would be alive and so would
you. But, Ian, I realized as we got here just how different our
people are from one another. I realize now that you would rather
have died along with your family.”