Feversong

“Tell me again exactly what he said about the price of the song,” Barrons said grimly.

“He said the price of perfect song was the destruction of everything made from imperfect song.” Now I understood why my files insinuated that if the race using it hadn’t done anything wrong, the price wouldn’t be high. I glanced at Barrons, who was exchanging a long look with Ryodan. “What?” I demanded. “You’re thinking something I haven’t considered.”

He studied me a moment then said carefully, “Assuming that’s true, it’s not only the Unseelie that would cease to exist but also anything the Sinsar Dubh created. The Book was made of imperfect song, containing only spells of imperfect song.”

I whispered, “Alina. You’re saying she’d be unmade, too.”

“Possibly everything turning Unseelie as well.”

My gaze flew to Christian.

“Bloody great,” Christian said irritably, “and the fuckage of Christian MacKeltar reaches a new all-time high.”

“But Christian isn’t made from imperfect song,” Jada disagreed. “He’s a human that began to turn Fae. I think it’s equally possible he would be turned back into a normal man.”

“That works for me,” Christian said darkly. “Although given the way my life has been going, I suspect it would be the former, not the latter.”

“It’s possible the song would destroy us as well,” Ryodan said. “Depending on precisely what constitutes imperfection and who the fuck is judging it.”

I stared at him. “Are you Fae in some way?”

“No.”

“They why would it affect you?”

“It could be argued we are…anathema to Nature,” he said cryptically.

“Great. So assuming the impossible happens, and I manage to sing the song, I’ll kill half the people I love.” I rubbed my eyes. “It doesn’t matter anyway. Cruce will never give me his half. He dies either way. He despises the Seelie. As far as he’s concerned they don’t deserve to exist. He’s hated the Light Court for his entire existence. If his choices are to die alone or die taking his enemies with him, it’s a no-brainer.”

“The king could sing it,” Christian said.

“Good luck finding the bastard,” I said darkly. “Even if we did, he wasn’t willing to sing it for his concubine. He’d never sing it to save the First Queen’s race. Face it, the two beings capable of saving us never will.” I frowned. “There is one possibility…” I trailed off, not liking it. But willing nonetheless.

“What?” Jada said.

“I could go back into the White Mansion and—”

“No,” Barrons said flatly.

“—take the Sinsar Dubh back into me—”

“No,” Barrons said again.

“—because it knows the True Names of all the Unseelie,” I pressed on. “I could summon Cruce and try to compel him.”

“First, by the time you got in there and back out,” Barrons growled, “a month or more will have passed. Second, you have no guarantee you could compel Cruce, even if you were able to summon him.”

“Do we have any other options?”

“How would you compel Cruce?” Barrons demanded. “What leverage do you have over a walking dead man?”

I scowled at him. None, and I knew it. The only leverage one can have with a walking dead man is the power to commute his death sentence, and I didn’t possess that.

“Don’t fixate on something that won’t work, Mac. That’s a fool’s game. If you have something you could use to force his hand, that’s one thing. But if you don’t, it’d be a pure waste of time. Got something?”

I shook my head, reluctantly. I wanted to do something, anything. But summoning Cruce without leverage would accomplish nothing. He’d simply refuse me and vanish again.

I sat up straight, eyes widening. Maybe I didn’t need to summon him by name. Maybe I could sift to him. “Hang on a sec,” I said, and focused on Cruce, willing myself to wherever he currently lurked. “Ow! Shit!” I exploded, clutching my head.

Barrons cocked a questioning brow.

“He’s got some kind of repelling ward between us. I can’t even get a lock on him. All I got was an instant headache.”

“Dageus,” Christian said suddenly.

“What?” I said. “Do you think he knows something that could help us?”

Ryodan said tersely, “Not a bloody thing. I’ve already questioned him.” Barrons cut him a long hard look and Ryodan snapped, “So what if I did? You fucks kept wandering off and the Highlander was the right material.”

I smiled faintly. So, Barrons had been right. Ryodan kept Dageus from dying because he’d wanted to expand his family.

“That’s not why I brought him up,” Christian said tightly. “I’m taking him home. Tonight.”

“The fuck you are,” Ryodan said instantly.

“The world is ending. He’ll no’ be spending his last days in a cage beneath your bloody club. He’s got himself under control. Mostly. As much as I do, for fuck’s sake. He has the right to leave this world and colonize a new one with his clan. With his wife. He has a family.”

I winced inwardly. Christian had no idea what fate awaited Dageus if we failed to save our world. But then again, no one seemed to have clued in about my fate either, and I wasn’t about to bring it up. I was the Seelie Queen now. Even if I went off world, the moment the Earth died and all Fae ceased to exist, I would, too. Not that I had any intention of leaving Barrons’s side to begin with. But the way I saw it, I was going to die whether I stayed or went, and I sure as hell wasn’t dying without him, not to mention in front of my parents, for heaven’s sake.