Iron Crowned Chapter 10

Deanna came easily when I summ integrityd her, making me wonder if shed been hanging around invisibly since our utmost chat. Regardless, she didnt mention the fake ultimatum, thus letting Kiyo continue to believe we were in a time crunch. I callight-emitting diode Volusian as well, figuring it couldnt hurt to have his protection while traveling to the ghost cutoff point. The both spirits didnt interact as we traveled, no surprise bump intoing as they had little in common. Deanna was laced to the living beca employ of unfinished business and love for some others. Volusians soul was damned for eternity, forced to wander for his crimes unless I ever sent him to the Underworld.Deanna hadnt been able to give us a time estimate on how long it would take to reach the crowns lair (as I was beginning to refer to it). The Otherworlds twisted terrain al musical modes made travel big(a) to gauge, plus spirits could move faster than we could. I wouldnt have minded manner of walking, jus t now the unknown variables made me ride horse punt. Kiyo did the same out of courtesy for me, though he could have tirelessly covered miles and miles in fox form. The only thing I really knew for sure was that this wouldnt be a day trip.Kiyo and I were as silent as the ghosts, though once we crossed out of the lands adjacent to mine, he would occasionally tell me where we were. Id never ventured this far into the Otherworld, and it made me uneasy, though knowing we were clear of the Rowan Land was a relief. Even Kiyo, neutral as he claimed, had tensed in Katrices territory.This is the Honeysuckle Land, he say, when the itinerary led us to a hot, riotously colored landscape. Flowers grew everywhere, and even the trees were covered in blossoms. Arizona was notorious for all its hummingbirds, but here, they swarmed like flies.Dorian was right, I mused. It is beautiful. It was sturdy to imagine this define mustering up a military. This seemed overmuch like a world where people f rolicked in s washbasinty clothing, beating drums and engaging in publish love. Well, since they were nobility, free love would have been a given.Dorian would know, said Kiyo stiffly, eyes focused straight a bespeak. Im surprised he let you come with me.Dorian doesnt introduce what I can or cant do, I snapped. If youre going to just keep doing this the whole time, Ill Youll what? asked Kiyo with amusement, when I didnt continue. S extirpate me back? Face death-threatening situations alone?I would gladly escort you back, if that is what you choose, Volusian told Kiyo.I sighed. Please. Just dont get on Dorian the whole time, okay? He indigences this over. It was his idea to get your help. Hes worried, believe me.That, said Kiyo gravely, I can believe. I dont trust him. I dont believe his alliance with you is as straightforward as it seems. nevertheless I do believe he c ares near you. The landscape suddenly shifted around us, becoming a rolling desert of white sand. It stretched out under a blazing sun, reflecting back at us in a way that was hard on the eyes.Ugh, I said, focusing down on the road. Whats this?The Myrrh Land, said Kiyo. Even with my eyes averted, I knew he was smiling. estimate youd like this place. You should go make friends with its king. Theyve got some badass fighters.Big difference between this and the Sonora Desert, I said.Although harsh and scalding, the desert Id grown up with was full of life. This place was desolate and dead. Mercifully, we currently passed out of it into sweeping moors, covered in snow. I took my leather jacket out of my pack. Id brought it knowing we might travel through lands that were in winter. It alleviate wasnt much protection, and I realized I could have easily gotten one of my servants to whip up something more suitable. No doubt it wouldve been gentry-style, probably a cloak. Look human, Jasmine had said. Mostly I looked cold. Kiyo identified this place as the Birch Land.We crossed into the Honeysuckl e Land again, which was typical of the Otherworld. Other places repeated as well. When the road took us through a landscape that reminded me of northern Texas, Kiyo had nothing to say.Whats this? I asked.I dont know, he admitted.The Pecan Land, said Volusian.Sounds delicious, I teased. Wed had few stops and in the main eaten travel rations. I could go for a pecan pie right now.Kiyo didnt respond. He seemed lost in conceit, his expression growing darker as we passed through more and more terrain he didnt know. He seemed to know the names, though, and didnt like them.Youre pickings us to the Unclaimed Lands, he said to Deanna. It was near the end of our day, the sky burning red.I dont know, she said simply. Im only going where I was shown.Volusian? I asked.Of course were going to the Unclaimed Lands, he said, sounding mildly annoyed by my stupidity. Were nearly upon them. Where else would you expect a coveted object to be hidden?I glanced at Kiyo. Im going to go out on a limb here a nd guess these are kingdoms no one controls?Kingdoms isnt even the right word, he said. No one lives here.Why not? I asked.The scenery changed again. The texture of the prime was like lately dried mud, covered in a pattern of cracks that reminded me of one of my jigsaw puzzles. Odd holes were scattered here and there. This eerie landscape stretched far, far ahead, no end in sight. Not far from us ten miles at most the land rose sharply along the sides of the cracked road, forming high, rocky cliffs that curled in at their tops like jaws. Erratic gusts of wind blew through the tunnel they formed. The setting sun made everything blood-red.Guess, said Kiyo. Because were here.I peered around, studying the depressing landscape. Its skin-deep appearance meant little, really. Any gentry seizing control of it could shape the land to his or her will, instantly beautifying it. Then, a strange feeling settled in me. I couldnt quite define it. It didnt make me ill or disoriented. It just di dnt feel right. I squinted at the cliffs, taking in their striation. Through the red haze, I could see m whatever of the loose rocks were a dull gray, streaked with orange. Oxidized metal.Iron, I realized. Were surrounded in weightlift. Were not even in the crowns lair yet. We cant get to the lair without passing through iron.Can you feel it? asked Kiyo.Yes That was the odd feeling in the pit of my stomach.Thats the gentry in you. Even with your human blood, you cant help but be affected. Theres a lot of iron here.I dont feel weak, I said, astonished the iron would affect me at all. Or sick or in pain. Id seen gentry scream just from the smallest touch of iron. I summoned the magic within me, letting it reach out to the air and unseen moisture, though I didnt actively use it. I dont conceive its hurting my magic either.Good, said Kiyo. Youre strong, so Im not surprised. You may just have a simple awareness of it.I thought about this for a moment and came to another realization. Y oure not affected at all, are you?He agitate his head. Nope.I always thought of Kiyo and me as macrocosm alike, children born of both worlds. That part was true, as was our half-human heritage. But my Otherworldly blood came from the gentry. Only gentry were affected by iron, and kitsunes had no fairy connection. As with the teras bear and the fetch, a kitsunes bane would be silver. At least, a full-blooded kitsunes would be. Id seen Kiyo handle silver objects his human blood protected him as mine did me. The lav line was that he was a more useful companion here than Id realized. I wondered if Dorian had made the connection.We will cross through no other lands until you turn back, mistress, said Volusian.So this is the worlds end. The Otherworlds end, at least. I turned to Deanna, hovering alongside us. Will we reach the entrance before darkness?She thought about it, and I braced myself for another vague response. No. If you dont stop, youll reach it in the morning.Kiyo and I e xchanged looks, both of us thinking the same thing. Get to the crown kind of or camp and be rested?I looked over at Volusian. You said there are no other lands. But will the terrain in this one change?No.What do you think? I asked Kiyo. I dont want to be tired when we face whatevers guarding the crown, but this isnt great camping territory.No, he agreed. His eyes scanned around us, able to see more than mine in the waning light. He pointed. There. Theres a small outcrop thatll block most of the wind. tolerable to keep a fire going. I hope.I couldnt see the spot but trusted him. Camping it is.When we reached it, I saw the site was indeed sheltered. I tethered the horses while Kiyo built up a fire. We watched it warily as the wind abruptly came and went. The fire flickered and waved but appeared capable of lasting the night.I could give way off the wind a little, I said.Dont bother, said Kiyo, settling down beside the blaze. Save your magic. Thisll hold.I wondered if he really was concerned about me conserving my strength or just wanted me to avoid my magic altogether. Hed never liked it. I didnt question him, though, and sat down as well, mostly because the cold was finally startle to get to me. I buttoned up the leather jacket, achieving little. Our dinner consisted of more travel food jerky, granola, and some bread that would probably be stale tomorrow.I dont suppose you can use your wilderness s go throughs to go hunt us something fresh? I asked.He smiled, the campfire casting strange shadows on his face, now that night had fully come. I would if there was anything alive out here. Its just us. He eyed me, taking in my shivering. Dont you own a warmer coat?Where am I going to get a down coat in Tucson? I demanded.This time of year? Any sporting goods store. For the skiers. Lara could order you one if you cant be troubled.I think Lara and Tim are in love, I said abruptly, remembering that bizarre development.What? asked Kiyo, as astonished as I had been. A re you sure?Well, theyre in infatuation, at least. Volusian, were they together when you went back?My minion was off in the shadows, only his red eyes visible. Yes, mistress. They were in bed, their bodies naked and Okay, okay, stop, I exclaimed. I dont need to hear anymore.Well, Ill be damned, said Kiyo. While wed dated, hed been witness to their phone battles. But I guess stranger things have happened.Yeah, I agreed. Look at us. Were sitting in an iron landscape, being led by a ghost to a mythical object, which if it even exists may or may not make me scary decent to end a war.Fair point, said Kiyo, his smile returning. We sat in companionable silence. It was a nice change from the animosity and tension that had surrounded us for so long. Id missed him, I realized. Eugenie?Hmm? I glanced up, feeling embarrassed by my thoughts.Why didnt you bring Roland with you? He couldve fought unaffected. And God knows he doesnt want gentry power.I looked away from those dark eyes, down at the fires blue heart. He doesnt want me to have gentry power either.Yeah, but hed put that aside if he knew you were walking into He doesnt know anything, I said bluntly. My voice then grew soft. We arent speaking anymore.How Kiyo paused, no doubt trying to wrap his mind around this. How is this possible?I shrugged. He cut me off. When he found out Id been keeping the truth from him, about the Thorn Land and everything else Well, ever since what happened with Leith, hes refused to speak to or acknowledge me.But your mom Talks to me occasionally. Shes caught in the middle, and I dont want to make it harder on her than it already is. She shouldnt have to go against her husband.Kiyos confusion was becoming anger. Yeah, but youre her daughter She should be able to Just forget it, okay? I drew my knees up to me and wrapped my arms around them to draw in more warmth. I dont want to talk about it.Eug, Im sorry.I kept quiet. There was nothing to say.He cleared his throat. I dont suppose you brought anything else to keep you warm? Blankets? Camping supplies?I didnt think about the possible overnight part, I said, grateful for the subject shift. Ive got a change of clothes like these, food, weapons, and first aid supplies.You brought first aid obturate? He sounded impress. Its not like you to think ahead. Er, I mean, you dont usually worry about I know what you mean, I said with a weary smile. And dont worry, the public is the same. I didnt plan ahead. Its for current injuries.Current?I got hit by a table.There might be a million reasons that Kiyo and I were molest for each other, but one nice thing was that when I made a statement like that, he just didnt question it.I was still freezing when it came time to sleep, forcing Kiyo into a bold suggestion. Come sleep over here, between me and the fire. The cold doesnt bug me as much, and I can block the wind.Kiyo Yeah, yeah. I know. Dorian. But if he wanted me here to protect you, then heres the perfect chance. Bes ides, we all know you can kick my ass if I try anything.I said and did nothing. When this continued for about a minute, he sighed and lay down on his side, back to the wind. I attempted the same, after ordering Volusian to stay on watch, but even with the fires warmth, I was still cold. Im tough, Im tough. I played those words over and over through my head, not wanting to admit weakness. After about fifteen minutes, I gave in and crawled over to Kiyos side of the fire.There was no I told you so. He simply made room but was surprised when I positioned myself to face him.I thought youd want your back to me.Cant, I said. Thats where the injuries are.From the table.Right.He could have attempted propriety by turning over so his back faced me, but that would have put his face to the wind. He didnt deserve that. I wiggled myself closer, curling myself against his body, and resting my head against his chest. He was big enough that he did virtually completely shield me. His whole body stood still as I made myself comfortable, either from his astonishment or for my ease. Once I was settled, he relaxed close to and tried to put his arms around me. He suddenly fumbled and pulled them away, grazing my breast as he did. I dont know if he noticed. I sure did.Wait. Where are you hurt?Back. Left shoulder.Tentatively, he reached out again and wrapped his arms around my waist. This okay?Mmm-hmm.Holding me, he shifted closer so that our bodies pressed together, holding in the warmth. This?Fine.He relaxed again and exhaled. Tucked against him, I couldnt see his face but had the sneaking suspicion that I wouldnt be getting much sleep tonight. Survival-wise, this plan was sound. I was warm(ish) now, protected and heated by him. But I was also pressed up against a body that I knew intimately, one that used to move in mine with a possessive fierceness. Dorian claimed me with mind games and exquisite acts of dominance. Kiyo had always done it through strength and ferocity, an animal taking his mate.I bit my lip and closed my eyes, hoping Id fall asleep if I mentally enumerated the reasons wed broken up. But mostly, I kept remembering how his hand had quietly rubbed my breast. Sleep finally took me, but it was a long time in coming. As I drifted off, I wondered how he was coping. This probably didnt affect him at all. If he really wasnt sleeping with Maiwenn again, then he was probably out picking up women all the time. Kitsunes had kind of a supernatural allure, and God knew hed been pretty smooth-tongued the night wed met.I awoke a couple hours before dawn and not by choice. Volusians warning came only seconds before the surface infra us began to tremble. I was up in a flash, but unsurprisingly, Kiyo had already beaten me. Id gone to sleep with weapons, uncomfortable though it was. I hadnt known what Id need out here, excerpt that I wouldnt need the iron athame since this was a gentry-free zone. I had my ordnance store (safety on) and the silver athame. Both were out as Kiyo and I stood back to back, staring around us.The tremors shook the ground, forcing some fancy footwork, and creating more of the cracks that already covered the ground. A few more seconds passed, and then all went still.An earthquake? I asked uncertainly.No, said Volusian. He was in his solid, two-legged form, staring around with narrowed eyes. It was a little disconcerting that he didnt seem to know precisely what the problem was.Then what are we The ground below us suddenly split open. With only the light of the fire, my vision was bad, but I thought I saw what looked kind of like a serpentine shape emerge from the earth. No, it was exactly like a serpentine shape because a moment later, a giant fucking snake shot up and landed neatly in a perfect coil, its head towered over Kiyo and me as it regarded us with glowing green eyes. The light from them illuminated a flicking, lift tongue, and the loud hissing that followed was kind of a given.Volusian I yelle d. My minion sprang into action. The deadly touch of his hands made the snake jerk in surprise. Beside me, Kiyo was shifting into fox form, and I decided a gun was probably going to get me farther here than the athames small blade. A drop of venom fell from the snakes mouth, and it sizzled when it hit the ground in front of me. Lovely. Still, I felt confident the three of us could take this thing.At least until the ground shook again, and another snake popped up. It was soon followed by a third.Son of a bitch. I deliberated, wondering if mass force on one snake at a time was the way to go. No. Id leave Kiyo and Volusian to the first. I yelled a warning to Kiyo that the snake was poisonous, but it was hard to say if he understood.I turned on the two new snakes. Even with part of their bodies coiled, their heads stood a good ten feet above mine. More venom dropped before me. Deciding not to play favorites, I aimed the gun and quickly fired off a couple of rounds into each. Id had the foresight to load up silver bullets, but it didnt look like the gun was going to kill the snakes anytime soon at least not without fifty more shots. Mostly, the bullets seemed to piss them off more.Still, I kept firing since that seemed to make the snakes keep their distance. It proved to be a short-term solution, seeing as my bullets soon ran out. I reached for another clip. I could reload a gun quickly, but that pause gave one of the snakes an opening. Its head no pun intended snaked toward me, bighearted me a close-up view of large fangs. Id been on guard for such an attack and jumped out of its way, only to be smitten by the others tail. It knocked me several feet away, causing me to lose my grip on the new cartridge. The cartridge disappeared into the night, and I landed hard on the ground. My back and shoulder screamed in agony, but I had no time to baby them. There were two other clips in my belt, but as one of the snakes came for me again, my hand went to the athame afte r all.The snake that had hit me leaned down, its face and d pull jaw inches from me. Rather than run again, I leaped forward and plunged the blade into its eye. It cried out in pain, suffering from the silver, just as any Otherworldy creature would. Well, actually, any creature with a knife in its eye would probably suffer, magical or not.I had the sense to jerk my athame out, having no propensity either to lose the blade or get pulled along as the snake reared back up. The suffering of its pal made the other hold off. In those moments, I shoved the athame back into my belt, yelping in surprise. Apparently, the snakes eye was poisonous too, and whatever liquid had come away with the blade ate through my jeans and burned my skin. Nonetheless, I managed to get another cartridge loaded. Without hesitation, I turned and emptied the entire gun into the snakes head. I wasnt precise enough to hit the eye, but all those bullets took their toll. The snake wavered in the air, blood mixing wi th venom on its skin, and with a last hiss of pain, it fell over and slammed into the ground.Wondering why the other snake hadnt come for me, I spun around and saw Volusian and Kiyo attacking it. I took it on faith that the first one was dead and loaded the gun with my last cartridge. Volusians touch was searing the snakes skin, and Kiyo was simply ripping into it with his teeth. Opting for what seemed tried and true, I fired into the snakes head again. Between the three of us, we soon literally took the snake down.I stood there tense and ready, empty gun in one hand and athame in the other. The world was silent except for the wind and the occasional twitching of the third snake as it died. Moments later, Kiyo morphed out of the fox shape, giving me a better view of any injuries now that he wasnt covered in fur. He grimaced and spit on the ground a few times, but biting the snake apparently hadnt destroyed his mouth or face. A couple red spots on his arms made me think he too had be en splattered with the venom. Otherwise, he looked unharmed.He sighed and raked a hand through his black hair, which was curling slightly from sweat.You know, he said. I dont think Ill ever be able to bring myself to watch Dune again.