Kings and Sirens (The Blood Falls Book 2)

The last time I came North I used the metaphysical version of an alarm, sent out onto the Plane. I was given a designated meeting point. There I met with a woman named Natalia. She brought Atsila, Klah, and Kuruk. After explaining the situation, she sent the men with me.

I never got inside the Heida land.

Stepping through the door was like stepping into a hidden world. There were still towering trees and lots of greenery, but now there were also hundreds of tents, campfires, merchant stands. It was like visiting a human renaissance festival except instead of humans playing dress up in skirts, blouses, and chainmail, there were half naked Heida going about their lives. All of them were as tall and large as Atsila and Lyla. Most of the men had longer hair. Some of it braided, some not at all. The women had a wide variety of hairstyles from pixie cuts to long braids down to their knees. Most of the men were dressed in some version of leather and fur as the two guards, most of the women had on a skirt of some variety and anything from a full flowing blouse to nothing at all. The thing that stood out most of all was the jewelry. It seemed to signify something.

Lyla led me to a tent halfway down the main road. “You’ll stay here.”

“I hope I’m not putting anyone out.” It was a large, partially open tent with chairs and a couch in what was the equivalent of a living room. Behind that were panels that closed off the bedroom. Lyla pulled back the curtain and ushered me inside.

“Not at all. We don’t live here. We only come together like this for rituals and festivals. You’ve come at an ideal time to see us as a group. Otherwise, it would be pretty lonely.”

This room was fairly dark. On the floor was an enormous mattress covered in pillows, blankets, and furs. A gauze canopy surrounded it. On the edge of the room was a rack for holding clothes and beside it a table covered in the same jewelry I saw everyone wearing, plus a few folded articles of clothing.

“The war ended swiftly?”

“The enemy defeated itself, mostly.” The bed had to be the size of two queen beds put together. It was larger than any bed I’d ever seen.

“Then why are you here? Is it the darkness?” Lyla lowered herself onto a wood chair beside the table.

The darkness had been growing on the Plane until it now covered almost everything. “Yes. Very strange things happened at the House of Axl. I’ll explain all of it, but the most important thing is that we believe the Dark Times are returning.”

Lyla’s lips thinned into a line. “The Dark Times were defeated. They cannot return.”

“And yet they are.” Then I hesitated because I was putting the cart before the horse. “We think.”

“How long?”

“How long until…?”

The queen of the Heida was not pleased with me. “How long until the Dark Times return. If they’re returning.”

The Dark Times were the ancient war our ancestors fought against metaphysical creatures. Our bedtime stories tell us that’s why dragons and mermaids no longer exist. It’s why angels and demons disappeared. The war was fought and we won. End of story.

Or not.

I plopped down onto the corner of the mattress and tucked my knees under my chin. “The House of Axl was turning humans and breeding a new branch of their House. It seems to have ripped a hole in the wall between our world and the next. When we fought the Dreg Army it made everything worse.” I left off the part where a dragon came through and my dragon shifter brother fought it. “With the fighting stopped and the Dregs separated, we’ve slowed things down, but not stopped them.”

Lyla had gone white as a ghost as I spoke. “Like spreading out the fire into a dozen little fires instead of one giant inferno?”

I shrugged. “Something like that.”

“So not much time. If you’re right.”

I shrugged again. “The Darkness pulled back, but it’s still there.”

She nodded once and stood. “Settle in. We’ll meet to debrief in the morning.”

I stood as well. “Are there any rules I need to follow while I’m here? I don’t want to be disrespectful.”

Some color returned to her cheeks. “You are free to move around but stick to the roads. I’ll send someone to retrieve you for dinner.” Then she waved at the table. “If you are interested in participating in Midnight Dreams, this is what you’ll need. The clothes are optional,” she said as she touched the folded pile. “The jewels all signify your preferences. Belly chains mean you are open to joining other couples. Arm cuffs mean you are seeking female companionship. Ankle bracelets mean you are seeking male companionship.” She cocked her head to the side. “We haven’t had fresh blood in a long while. You will be most welcome…if you’re comfortable.”

“And the men? What do they wear?” I already pictured Atsila with a leather belt around his waist telling me he wanted me.

Lyla smiled. “Oh…the men don’t do the wearing. During Midnight Dreams they’re the ones in charge.”