The Last Lullaby (The Spellsinger Book 1) Read online

  “What?” Cerberus went serious. “Really?”

  “I'll go to Tír na nÓg.”

  “What the fuck, El? Hawaii isn't far enough away from Kansas? You need to go to fucking Tír na nÓg to escape Banning?” Cerberus's voice dropped to a dangerous level again. “Did he threaten you? Is he harassing you?”

  “No, it's not like that.” I sighed. “Just make the call, Cer.”

  “Are you sure, kid?”

  “I thought you wanted me to take this job?”

  “I do, but”

  “Just make the call,” I growled. “I won't commit to the job before talking to the guy, okay?”

  “All right, Elaria, I'll call him.”

  Chapter Seven

  The Shining Ones loved gemstones. Anything that could make them even shinier. No, I'm kidding; that wasn't why they liked jewels. Crystals, including precious and semiprecious stones, were a natural source of magic. They had a base power of their own, but could also store, release, magnify, and even create energy. Different types of stones had different properties. Rose quartz, for example, was a great stone for romance. If a fairy already had a love-oriented magic, rose quartz might call to him or her, offering its assistance. It might even align with them or, in rare cases, bond with them entirely.

  A lot of human myths talked about fairies and their courts. About how there were kings of summer or queens of winter. Actually, there are no seasonal courts in Tír na nÓg. The Shining Ones can't control the weather; they're at the mercy of the whims of the worlds right along with the rest of us. So there were no seasonal references, but there were gemstone courts. The Jewel Kingdoms. Fairies could live in any kingdom they chose, but those with the most power gravitated to a region that magnified their magic. The land within these kingdoms was usually full of the gems aligned with its ruler, and therefore provided the Shining Ones with more stones to call upon.

  Now when I say” ruler,” I'm talking fairy monarchs. Those rare fairies I mentioned before, who bond with gems? They become kings or queens. They rule. Outside of Tír na nÓg, their power would be impressive. Inside the Fairy Realm, with lots of pretty rocks to call on, their magic would be terrifying. They'd be able to use any gem in the vicinity to amplify their abilities, and depending on what that magic was, they could do some serious damage with it. Even love magic can kill. In fact, love was one of the most murderous magics there were. You'd die believing it was exactly what you wanted, and you'd probably do the deed yourself. But that's not all. A Shining One monarch could access all of the properties of the stone they're bound to. So not only did they have a jacked-up primary magic; they had all of the stone's magic too.

  The courts of these powerful rulers were full of fairies who were nearly as magical as their monarchs. Men and women who could align with the stones. They couldn't access all of the stone's properties like the monarch could, but they could use the gems to magnify their own magic immensely. Generally, the closer a stone was to a fairy, the easier it became for them to connect with it. Because of this, the Shining Ones tended to wear a lot of jewelry, and you could usually tell a fairy's kingdom affiliation from said jewelry.

  This guy was from Sapphire.

  He wasn't dripping in jewels. All he wore was a masculine ring- a gold band with a cabochon sapphire set in it. That in itself was very telling. The fewer jewels a fairy wore, the more powerful he was. Shining One monarchs could walk around without any jewelry on at all, and still be able to connect with their bonded gem. Most adorned themselves anyway because . . . royalty. But some of the monarchy flaunted their power by wearing only their crown. This guy was basically doing the same thing. If he'd been a king, he'd be sitting here in a crown- nothing more. He was in the human world, where his magic was diminished, and yet he still only wore a ring.

  Fuck me. Why did I agree to this? And why did such a powerful fairy need my help?

  “Mistress Tanager.” The fairy bowed over my hand. Oh yeah, they're usually very old school in their manners, even though most are surprisingly modern in their speech. Except for maybe this guy. “I'm honored to meet you.”

  “I'd say the same, if I knew who you were,” I lifted a brow.

  “Forgive me.” He blinked his pale, husky-blue eyes in surprise. “I thought Cerberus had already provided you with my lineage.”

  “I told you, man.” Cerberus shook his head and crossed his arms. “She don't care about your pedigree.”

  Cer was barely sitting in a chair in the corner of my hotel room. I say “barely” because his bulk was oozing over the creaking arms. We'd decided to do the meeting in my hotel room because if I didn't take this job, I'd be heading home anyway. And if I did, I'd be heading to Tír na nÓg. Keeping my hotel room a secret wasn't really an issue anymore.

  “I am Duke Finbar of the Sapphire Kingdom,” he introduced himself. “Son of the Diamond Queen, Isandra, nephew of”

  “Okay, that's good,” I interrupted him.

  “Told you,” Cer chuckled.

  “Hold on,” I frowned at Finbar. “You're a sapphire duke born of the diamond queen?”

  “Yes.” Finbar looked confused.

  “Had to leave home, huh?” I considered him. “That sucks.”

  “It's more comfortable for me in Sapphire,” he shrugged.

  “All right, fine.” I waved him to the bed. There weren't any other chairs in the room, so I sat a little ways down from him. “Who do you want me to kill, Finbar?”

  “It is not I who”

  “Just tell me who,” I interrupted again.

  “But you need to know that I speak on behalf of my king, who is also my brother, King Galen of Sapphire” Finbar insisted. “He bid me to come here and enlist your aid.”

  “My services, you mean,” I corrected. “I won't be helping you out of the goodness of my heart.”

  “No, of course not.” He seemed a little offended. “I've already given our offer to your consort.”

  “My consort?” I lifted a brow as Cerberus burst into laughter. “Try the word 'boyfriend' next time you visit Earth. Consort is a bit dated.”

  “Unless you're royalty,” Cerberus snickered.

  “Even then.” I shook my head at Cer before looking back to Finbar. “He's not my consort. That's something we tell clients so I don't have to deal with unwanted attention. We're just friends.”

  “Regrettably,” Cer sighed.

  “Ah.” Finbar's eyes suddenly glittered. “Of course. I'm sure you would be overwhelmed by suitors if he didn't offer you his protection.”

  “Nice.” I grimaced. “You can drop the fey flattery bit. That won't work with me.”

  “Told you she's a tough cookie.” Cerberus was just chortling it up over there.

  “But delicious by the looks of her,” Finbar surprised me by saying. “The extra chewing would be worth it.”

  “Knock it off,” I growled at Finbar.

  “My apologies.” Finbar was instantly contrite. “I meant no offense. I thought it was the way men and women interacted here.”

  “Um, no,” I said dryly as Cerberus chortled louder.

  “Again, I apologize.” Finbar angled his head respectfully.

  “Who does your brother, the Sapphire King, want me to kill?” I got us back on track. “And why can't he do it himself?”

  “The Onyx King,” Finbar said. “King Torin. Do you know the properties of onyx, Mistress Tanager?”

  “Call me Elaria,” I said absently as I tried to remember. “Balance, protection”-I frowned- “grounding, I think.”

  “Grounding of spiritual energy into the physical plane,” Finbar expounded. “It's a coveted power among our kind. The protection properties of onyx magnify King Torin's innate magic, but the grounding abilities of the stone allow him to dissipate any psychic attack against himself. He simply sends it into the earth.”

  “But you think my type of magic would not be dissipated?” I narrowed my eyes on him.

  “Oh it probably would.” He nodded. “But K
ing Torin must call upon his magic, and then access onyx, before he can reach the grounding energy, as that is not his innate ability. It's also doubtful he would think to protect himself against a song. We already have a plan to sneak you into his court as a singer traveling with a band of minstrels.”

  “Did he just say 'minstrels'?” I asked Cerberus, who started laughing all over again.

  “Musicians,” Finbar corrected with irritation. “It doesn't matter what you call yourselves. You can walk right up to King Torin and sing for him without raising his suspicions. He'd be under your spell before he knew what was happening.”

  “And then?” I asked.

  “And then?” Finbar asked back.

  “And then what do I do?” I asked him. “I assume this would be in front of the entire Onyx Court. You think I can murder their king and then just walk out? They might have a problem with that.”

  “Yes, but I witnessed your power against the blooder army,” Finbar shrugged. “You could simply keep singing.

  “And slaughter the entire court?” I lifted a brow. “You're contracting me for one man. Yet now you're saying you want me to kill an entire court of Shining Ones.”

  “Well,” he frowned. “I believe the compensation is generous.”

  “For one fairy king it is,” I agreed. “For an entire jewel court, full of who knows how many top-level magic users? It's a pittance. Tell your brother to shove it where the fairy sun don't shine.”

  Cerberus sighed, all of his humor gone. I was throwing away the job, and therefore his commission.

  “One hundred million,” Finbar said immediately.

  Cerberus's eyes went circular.

  “No,” I said firmly.

  “El, come on,” Cerberus cajoled.

  “One hundred fifty million,” Finbar upped it.

  “Fuck me hard,” Cerberus snarled. “Elaria, for the sake of Hades.”

  “No,” I ground out. “This doesn't feel right.”

  “Two hundred million American dollars,” Finbar nearly shouted. “Wired into your account tonight.”

  “I think I just came,” Cerberus groaned.

  “Why?” I asked Finbar as I leaned into his face. “Tell me why your brother wants this man dead so badly.”

  “He killed our sister,” Finbar whispered.

  “He killed your sister?” I lifted a brow. “Why?”

  “They were romantically involved.” Finbar closed his eyes briefly before continuing. “She tried to leave him.”

  “And the fucker killed her for it?” Cerberus asked.

  “Yes,” Finbar's lips quivered as he said the single word. “He killed my sister.”

  “Gods damn it,” I swore.

  Chapter Eight

  I would step into Tír na nÓg $200 million richer. If I lived through this, I could take a very long vacation.

  I packed up, and checked out of the hotel, then went to see Cerberus at Crouching Lion. Banning had provided Cerberus with a room at the country club, and Cer said it shouldn't be a problem for him to hang around until I got back. I was a little anxious visiting Crouching Lion, but it was the middle of the day, so there wasn't any chance of running into Banning.

  I left my bag and wallet with Cer, not wanting to risk taking them with me into the land of the Shining Ones. If I needed a change of clothes, I was sure they could supply me with one, but I didn't intend on being there that long. So I stepped through the Veil with nothing but the clothes on my back and a song in my heart. Sorry, just some spellsinger humor. Actually, the songs were on my iPod, and that was tucked into a little evening bag, along with some earbuds, and a tube of Fresh's Sugar lipstick. What can I say? I hate having dry lips.

  Tír na nÓg. Damn. I'd heard it was beautiful, but “beautiful” seemed like the cheap, ghetto cousin of the word needed to describe this place. We came out of the Veil into a little clearing at the edge of a packed dirt road. Just a sweet meadow surrounded by forest. No big deal.

  Except the meadow was covered with velvety flowers in deep crimson, canary yellow, and peacock purple. The scent wafting up from them was intoxicating, practically painting the air. Then there were the trees- as slender as Finbar and nearly as pale. Their trunks shimmered silver in the buttery sunlight, and their delicate branches wove together, creating a spiderweb over the sky. They swayed gently, making soft creaking sounds that were closer to music than noise.

  Vibrantly colored birds flew through the air, trailing insanely long tail feathers behind them like ribbon dancers. Beasts roared in the distance, and smaller creatures poked their heads out of the thick underbrush, giving me glimpses of things with large, liquid eyes and long fur. Even the damn air seemed to sparkle, it was so pure.

  “Dear gods,” I whispered.

  “Lovely, isn't it?” Finbar seemed pleased by my reaction. “Come along, Spellsinger; our carriage is waiting.”

  Sure enough, there was a carriage pulled up beside the meadow. I hadn't even noticed it among so much natural beauty, but it was impressive as well. It was as if it had rolled out of Louis XIV's courtyard. Covered in gilded carvings with a base of black enamel, the door boasted a crest with a golden scale, like the one Lady Justice holds. Chunks of sapphires were set into the design, looking as if they were being weighed on the scale's plates. At the front of the carriage, a team of white horses was tethered, and several fairies were standing at attention nearby. They bowed as we approached, and one of them opened the door for us.

  I had changed into a dress for my foray into the fairy world- a sleek, black, silk number with long sleeves, and a slit at one side. It was form fitting, but the slit allowed for movement. So climbing into the coach wasn't difficult. Especially since the fairy attendant helped me up the little steps that hung beneath the door. The only jewelry I had on was Finbar's sapphire ring. It turned out to be the diplomatic charm Cerberus had promised me. Finbar swore it would protect me from all manner of fey attacks, including abduction. I rubbed a finger absently over the cool stone as I settled into the velvet seats. Hopefully I'd be returning it to Finbar by the end of the day.

  The carriage set into rumbling motion. Outside my window, the scenery began to change. The spindly silver trees gave way to thicker oaks, with deep blue flowers growing wild beneath them. Then those oaks became groves of blossoming orange trees. I leaned my head toward the window, and inhaled the scent of orange blossoms. I loved that smell. But we eventually passed through the grove too. Open grasslands spread out to either side of us, spotted with lakes, and then came a line of massive objects that glinted blue in the sunlight.

  “What are those?” I narrowed my gaze, and realized they were statues.

  Some soared into the air hundreds of feet- some were only around my height. There were all sorts of animals, plants, people, and strange shapes represented. Some were carved intricately, while others were polished smooth. But all of them were made of the same, deep blue stone.

  “The Sapphire Gardens,” Finbar said as if it were obvious.

  “Those are all made of sapphires?” I asked in shock.

  “Every kingdom has a guardian garden surrounding their stronghold.” Finbar shrugged elegantly. “The stones protect us.”

  “Wait.” I looked over the army of art. “Are you saying that they're like some sort of sentry?”

  “They are charged with the intent of the king.” Finbar seemed to finally realize that I'd never heard of these jewel gardens. “If we are under attack, these stones will become our first line of defense. King Galen can use them to conduct his magic. When empowered, they become a border nearly impossible to cross.”

  “Whoa.” I blinked at the sapphire statues, which stretched out from both sides of the road. “You guys don't get a lot of wars here, do you?”

  “No,” he chuckled, “not many. But when we do fight, the battles are epic.”

  Then I caught my first glimpse of the Sapphire Castle. It had been directly before us, which meant I wasn't able to see it as we approached. As we
drew closer, it stretched into my line of sight. Finally, the carriage angled along a curve, which wound around a miniature version of the Sapphire Gardens, and brought us to the front steps.

  The castle was made from sapphires. Not really that big of a surprise after I'd seen the gardens. But to think that the castle would probably be made of sapphires, and then to actually see the reality of it, were two very different things. Frankly, I didn't know you could mine sapphires that large.

  In their rough state, sapphires look similar to any other stone, except for their blue color. It was when you polished and cut them that they turned into something spectacular. The Sapphire Castle was constructed of rough, polished, and faceted sapphires. All three types, and several versions of each. Rough sapphires formed the foundation, cut into blocks, and placed together like stones in any human castle. From this foundation, several more rough pieces rose in a matte framework. Within the frame, walls consisted mostly of polished sapphire plates, shining like glass. But set in dizzying designs among the polished stones were faceted sapphires which sparkled randomly. Not too much, just enough to make me sigh in appreciation.

  Maybe I'd buy myself a gemstone castle with my recent windfall. Or an island. Or a gemstone castle on an island.

  Our carriage came to a gentle stop. Even the steps leading up to the main doors of the castle were made of sapphire. These were of the rough variety, and I was grateful for that when I made my way up them. I would have hated to try to navigate polished stone stairs in my human heels. Walking through the meadow had been bad enough.

  Fairies stood at attention to either side of the white, wood doors. They pulled them open in an orchestrated movement as Finbar and I approached. Finbar barely batted an eye at them; he just led me into the depths of the castle. Inside, the walls were a simpler stone, creamy white, and covered with fairy masterpieces- paintings of elegant lords and ladies, fey creatures, and magical landscapes. Blue carpet stretched out before us, and curving beams of white wood arched above us. But there was little reason to the way the halls were laid out. Finbar led me in a winding manner, making so many turns, I felt hopelessly lost.