willing to give up anything it takes to accomplish our goal.”
Myanin looked at the city laid out before them. Arizona was a beautiful territory...state, she mentally corrected. She was going to have to get used to the human way of saying things, or maybe after the supernaturals were in control they could shake things up, change the really stupid names to something more sensible. “Alright. If I am to join a potentially sinking ship, then I want to meet the others before I make my final decision.” She narrowed her eyes on him as he gave her a smirk. “And don’t think that it’s not my decision. There is only one person you’ve named in your Order that could rival my power, and it isn’t you.”
Ludcarab didn’t respond as the two fae who had dropped her off reappeared. She placed her hand on the arm of one while the elf king did the same on the other, and then they flashed from the mountaintop. When they reappeared, they were inside a huge structure with ceilings so high that sounds echoed. On one end of the building, a handful of supernaturals were sparring in hand-to-hand combat. As her gaze roamed over the room, she saw that there were more clusters of supernaturals sparring, but with magic instead of martial arts. Finally, another group sparred with wolves in their bestial form. She realized they were training on how to fight different supernatural races, preparing for the myriad of abilities they might encounter from their enemies. But she didn’t miss the fact that there were some races absent.
“Follow me,” Ludcarab said, grabbing her attention from the busy room.
Myanin trailed after the elf king and tried not to be impressed with the formidable army they’d been building. Her only question was why the hell were they sparring in a building instead of out doing what they’re designed to do: fighting.
They reached a set of double doors and Ludcarab retrieved a cellphone from his pocket. Myanin was beginning to realize if one was in the human realm for any length of time, this cellphone device was apparently a necessity.
He held it to his ear as he spoke. “Meet us in the armory.” With that, he ended the call and slipped it back into the pocket of his black military-style pants. The elf king looked very much the warrior in his boots, pants, and dark, fitted vest. Myanin wanted to spar with him and see if it was a costume, or if he was actually capable of being a worthy opponent in battle.
After passing through the double doors, they walked down a long, dimly lit corridor until they reached a large steel door. Myanin could feel the wards protecting it when they were a good five feet away. Once they were within arm’s length, Ludcarab held up his hand and spoke in the elven language. She heard the scrape of bolts moving and the clank of tumblers turning. After a minute, the elf king pulled on the handle, and the door swung open as if it weighed nothing, though it was at least six inches thick.
She walked in and took in the round room. They’d stepped from a clinical-looking corridor into a well-organized armory filled with weapons that hummed with magic—powerful magic. Her skin buzzed with the energy that flowed from the swords, arrows, and daggers that adorned the walls. Also present were double-sided axes, iron-tipped whips, and ancient throwing stars that the elves were known for using in battle.
“Fae blood isn’t the only thing that adorns these weapons,” Myanin said as she walked closer to a wall where hundreds of arrows hung.
“Fae blood isn’t the only blood that can do damage,” a new voice said.
Myanin turned quickly. The pale skin was enough to give him away, but the ancient black eyes and strong, pungent smell of blood clearly belied his undead nature. “Vampire.” She couldn’t help the sharp tone in her voice. Djinn didn’t care for vamps. They were parasites, which she hated. She preferred worthy adversaries who fought face-to-face with honor instead of cowardly striking from the shadows. But she was going to have to learn to play nice … for now.
“King vampire, actually,” he corrected and bowed his head in an old-world gesture. “I am Sincaro, and I would like to welcome you to the Order.”
A vampire with manners? Surprising.
“This is Cain.” A man stepped out from behind Sincaro. He had the same pale skin and dead eyes. “He is one of my