“There is one thing a person needs to know when making deals with the devil. Okay, two things. First, don’t make deals with the devil. Second, if you ignore the first thing you need to know, then be prepared to lose everything.” ~Ludcarab
Myanin had never met the elf king, but she’d seen him in Lyra’s mind when she’d taken the elders' knowledge. He was handsome, with long platinum hair and green eyes. A tall, slim build that showed his sinewy frame. But Myanin saw past his good looks to the man who lurked beneath the surface. He was evil. And even though she was quite possibly going to help him achieve his goals, she still saw the ugliness his evil brought out in him. Maybe the fact that she could see that ugliness meant there was still a chance for her to get off her own dark path and find something different. She shook her head at the thought. She’d killed one of her own. There was no coming back from that. Not to mention that her heart had been broken beyond repair. She wanted vengeance, and sometimes the only way to get that was to fight dirty. She could worry about the fallout later.
“I’ve heard you’ve had quite the adventure since you came into the human realm,” the elf king said, his voice full of amusement.
“Humans are foolish and bizarre, but they have created some things worth experiencing.” She noticed him eyeing her cotton candy. Myanin uncrossed her arms and rested her hand on the unseen dagger at her hip. If he even moved slightly in the direction of her treasure, she would cut off his hand. Yes, she was that serious about her fluffy goodness. A woman scorned needed her vices while she plotted revenge schemes.
“I can agree with that,” Ludcarab said, nodding. “But they are still inferior to us in so many ways that it is ridiculous we walk in the shadows as if we should fear them.”
“The human realm is not ours,” Myanin pointed out. “We don’t have to live in the shadows in our own realms.”
“And the wolves, vampires, trolls?” he challenged. “Should they live in the shadows in this realm?”
“They are where they were created to be, and if that is in the shadows, then perhaps there is a reason for that.”Why am I arguing with him?It’s not like I care for humans. The ones I’ve encountered have been annoying and ignorant. They have no self-preservation instincts, and they place dumb names on all of their things. That alone is reason enough to put them beneath the supernaturals.
“And what about the weakening magic?” Ludcarab countered.
He’s got me there.Most of the supernaturals believed the magic drain had something to do with them being in the human realm, but it was actually the opposite. The magic in the other realms was leakingintothe human realm. While this weakened the supernatural realms, it strengthened the power in the human realm. No one seemed to know why this was happening. Even the djinn had noticed the magic in their own realm weakening, but the elders, no matter how much they searched in their history, could not come up with an answer as to why. And like most of the other supernaturals, regardless of the fact that their magic was weakening, they didn’t want to leave their homeland.
“Evolution?” Myanin suggested. “Perhaps it’s time for the supernaturals to slowly die out. Maybe we have served our purpose, and now nature is simply trying to do away with us.”
The look of horror on Ludcarab’s face was so comical she had to cough back a laugh. Apparently, the elf king did not like the idea of his own mortality.
“We can stand here and disagree for decades,” he said, apparently deciding to ignore her comment. “What I want to know is if you will join The Order of the Burning Claw?”
“Why should I? It would be foolish to blindly follow a man who obviously cares little for anyone other than himself.”
“You would be foolish not to look out for your own best interests,” he corrected. “Never make a decision that won’t somehow benefit you and, if possible, benefit you above the others with whom you might be entering into an agreement.”
“Do you want to be my mentor or something?” Amusement filled her voice because she found that idea to be ridiculous.
Ludcarab’s eyes narrowed. “I want to know if you will join us. If you do, you will not have to live in hiding. You won’t have to worry about returning to your realm and living in a place where you will eventually become as weak as a human. You will be able to live in the human realm and be what you were created to be. It will no longer be necessary to hide your powers here. And you won’t have to be subject to your elders.”
She shifted slightly, her hand still resting on the blade at her hip. “But I would be subject to you?”
He shrugged. “There has to be some leadership or chaos would reign. Chaos amongst supernatural beings could get messy quite quickly.”
“Who else is in this Order of the Burning Claw?”
“We have representation from almost every supernatural race. There are three other leaders who have helped run it over the decades. Alston, the high fae, Sincaro, the vampire king, and one of his powerful coven leaders, Cain. Though it is I who has been the official leader for centuries.”
Myanin watched his chest puff out at this declaration.Super humble.“And everyone is on the same page?” she asked. Regardless of his answer, she would know the truth once she saw them all together. The dynamic would reveal itself, and she could determine who was truly in charge and who was simply waiting to be picked off.
“We all want the same thing,” Ludcarab confirmed. “And we all are 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 notmydecision. 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.
