CHAPTER ONE
“I can’t believe we’re here again,” I said, looking around.
Two years ago, we had returned to Seattle for a brief time, but my training with Väinämöinen was far from finished, so once again we left for Kalevala. Now, I had gone as far in my studies as I could. So, here we stood, back in my house on the Eastside of Seattle.
Väinämöinen had trained me hard—so hard that I was exhausted by the end of each day. I’d learned so much that I hadn’t had a chance to settle into my new magic, and it would take me years to fully absorb everything he had taught me. The land of fire and ice had also trained me—it was harsh and wild, and had taught me discipline, tempering my rash nature. Now, it was time to let the magic settle into my system.
“Are the ferrets set?” Kipa asked.
“Yes, they’re back in their cages, safe and sound.”
Before unpacking, one of the first things we did was to settle the ferrets into their room again. They hadn’t cared much for Kalevala, but I couldn’t leave them with anybody else, especially since Templeton was teetering on the edge. Elise still remembered her human state, but Gordon had slipped into 100% ferret nature. He was beyond being able to remember that at one time, he had been a man. And now Templeton was teetering on that same edge.
I’d asked Väinämöinen if he knew of a way to break the curse, but even he couldn’t figure out how to bring them back. I still held hope, but it was fading, and so I made them as comfortable as they could be. I expected that they’d be with me as long as they lived.
“Raven?” Kipa entered the living room, carrying a box marked ‘Fragile’ that contained a number of knickknacks I’d brought back—including a crystal sphere that contained the essence of the aurora borealis. It was magical and mesmerizing, and I’d barely touched on using it.
“Yeah?” I asked, turning toward my Lord of the Wolves. It seemed strange to see him in jeans and a t-shirt again.
Over in Kalevala, Kipa had worn a tunic and trousers, and fur boots that let him run on the snow without sinking. He had fully been the Lord of the Wolves there, wild and feral and unbridled in his joy. I hoped he could adjust to life in the city again. Hell, I hoped I could adjust. I’d grown used to a life carved out of the land.
“Where do you want these baubles?” He grinned, that same sly, passionate grin that I’d grown to love.
“For now, can you put them in my ritual room?” I asked. “I’ll sort it all out later.”
“Raven is hungry?” Raj asked, lumbering into the room. My gargoyle was definitely grateful to be back home. Raj had never fully adjusted to life in the wild. He missed his TV ‘friends’ and he missed the more moderate temperatures. He was scared of the wolves howling, even though Kipa explained that the wolves were our friends, and the constant snow made him grumpy.
“Raven isn’t hungry, but maybe Raj is?” I asked, smiling. Raj was very thoughtful in turning his needs into my own. But it was all part of his lovable nature.
“Well, if Raven thinks Raj is hungry, maybe he is. Raj would love some cat food. Raj missed cat food when he was in Kalevala.” Raj’s eyes widened, and he gave me a hopeful look.
He followed me into the kitchen. “Raj is happy to be home. Raj does not like snow anymore. Raj missed his TV friends.”
“Raven knows that Raj missed his friends. Here,” I said, opening a can of cat food and putting it down on the floor for him. “After eating, Raj can watch TV while Kipa and Raven finish unpacking.”
As Raj started eating—I had managed to stop him from gulping his food by promising him treats later on if he ate slowly—I returned to unpacking. A lot had happened in the eighteen months we had been gone. I wondered how we’d manage settling back in here, after all we’d experienced. But it felt good to be back in my home, and in some ways, it felt like the months had almost never existed. Yet, they had. Very much so.
I just finished shelving the books Väinämöinen had given me to bring home when my phone rang. Frowning—few people knew that I was back in Seattle at this point—I glanced at the caller ID. It was Herne.
“Hey,” I said, answering. “What’s up?”
“I know you’re still unpacking, but I’ll come right to the point,” he said. “We need your help. We have an emerging problem and I’m short-handed.”
I frowned. “I thought you had a full crew last we talked.”
“Wendy was called back home. There was a death in her family, and she needed to be there. And Lyrical is taking a long-needed vacation. She went on a road trip. I’ve called Viktor back from Annwn, but he’s not here yet. Ember can’t help out, not with the triplets and her duties with Morgana, and I need more hands. Yutani, Wager, and Talia can’t handle all this alone.”
“I thought Viktor and Sheila made a life in Annwn,” I said.
“Yeah, and Sheila’s pissed at me. She loves her job over in Annwn, but we need Viktor, and where he goes, she goes. Long distance isn’t easy, so she agreed to return with him.” Herne sounded strained. The Lord of the Hunt was usually calm, but he seemed frazzled, which told me that—whatever was going down—it wasn’t good.
“When do you need us to come in? Will tomorrow work?” I motioned to Kipa, who had just carried in a stack of boxes. We hadn’t taken a lot over to Kalevala for our stay, but we’d come back with at least twice as much.
“What’s up?” he mouthed.
“Tomorrow morning would be great if you can manage it. See you at eight.”
“Well, we’re being pressed into service,” I said, turning to Kipa. “Herne needs us. He didn’t tell me what it was about, but he wants us at the office tomorrow morning at eight.”
