Ice Shards - By Yasmine Galenorn Page 0,24
to you my wife, Camille. She is part Fae, part human. And our companions, Rozurial, an incubus, and the Lady Iris, one of the Ar’jant d’tel and a Talon-haltija.” He slid his arm around Camille and stepped back a pace.
Kitää arched her eyebrows as she gave Camille a long look. “You must be exceptional to win the love and heart of a dragon prince and to make him rise up against his father. I wish you luck, my girl. If you have not yet met your father-in-law, I quake for you when you do.”
At Smoky’s sharp glance, she merely said, “I have heard the rumors, Iampaatar—and do not think you can escape your Northlands name so easily. You cannot slip through without being recognized. I am not sure what you are doing here, but watch your back. There are those your father has driven into a frenzy with his treachery and lies. He was always a violent soul, and his ability to persuade others serves him well.”
“We are not here because of my needs, Queen Kitää,” Smoky said. “We are here as companions to the Lady Iris, who seeks to right a wrong some six hundred years old. Leave my concerns for another time.”
She gracefully inclined her head. “As you will.” Turning to me, she knelt and extended her hand. “One of the Ar’jant d’tel?”
“I was so named centuries ago,” I said quietly. “The title was revoked and I was cast out of my temple for a crime about which I have no memory. I come to find the truth, either to free myself from a curse or to bear the punishment should it be proved I did this deed.”
The Wolf Mother held my gaze for a moment, but then the hesitation slid away and she smiled at me, rich and full. “I see truth in your heart. I smell no lie, no hesitation. Lady Iris, you might be stripped of your title, but you wear it like a cloak in your aura. Mortals may give and take names, but they cannot remove the energy behind the title. Rest, and tell us what you need.”
As she spoke, several of the other wolves shifted form, into stocky, lovely women with dark hair and eyes. Kitää clapped her hands and they hurried over to pull pelts and furs out from behind one of the columns and began to form a thick bed on the cavern floor.
One of the wolf men knelt and began to light a fire in the fire pit, rubbing two sticks together, but Smoky motioned for the warrior to hand him one of the sticks. He held it to his lips, blew on it softly, and the wood sparked to life. Handing the torch back to the man, Smoky leaned down and planted a kiss on the top of Camille’s head.
Kitää led me over to the pile of furs and I gratefully sank into the bedding. It was warm and cushioned, and I realized how bone-weary I was. Camille, Smoky, and Roz joined us.
“Food,” Kitää said motioning to a couple of the women. “Make certain it’s hot and hearty.”
Howl sauntered over. “What think you of my home?”
“It’s incredible,” I said truthfully. The chamber led back into tunnels, and the eye catchers provided soft light all the way through. Even though the fire was limited in scope, the air in the chamber seemed warm compared to the outdoors and we shed our cloaks.
“You have a lovely home,” Camille said, smiling at him. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
“So what is your plan, Lady Iris? We stand on the edge of the Skirts of Hel. What do you need to do next? Go to the temple?” Howl motioned to Kitää and she curled in his arms as they sat back, resting against a stone column.
I shook my head. “They would not allow me entrance. No, I have to find Vikkommin’s shadow and confront him. I need to break through his madness and discover what happened that night. Once I find out, then I can go to the temple and they can look into my mind and see the truth of the matter.”
Memories of their inquisition ran through my thoughts and for a moment I felt fear. But then, what worse could they do to me than they’d already done? I was stronger now, tougher, and had already been through their torture.
Kitää reached out, ran her fingers up my arm. “You are a brave soul. Tell me what happened.”
I glanced at Camille and