Rowena threw the ball again, farther this time to give Moe a longer chase. “Youre not speaking of war or of defense, of protection of innocents or loved ones. The penalty for taking the life of a mortal is so fierce I cant believe that even he would risk it.”
“The end of existence,” Dana supplied. “Ive done my research. Not death, not the passing through to the next life, but an end.”
“Even gods have fears. That is one. More is the stripping of power, the prison between worlds that allows entry to none. This he would risk.”
“He tried to kill Jordan.”
Rowena whirled, gripped Danas arm. “Tell me. Exactly.”
She related everything that had happened in the middle of the night.
“He took him behind the Curtain?” Rowena asked. “And there shed his blood?”
“Ill say.”
She began to pace, her movements so fretful that Moe sat quietly holding the tooth-pocked ball in his mouth.
“Even now were not permitted to see, to know . They were alone, you say? There was no one else about?”
“Jordan said something about a deer.”
“A deer.” Rowena went very still. “What sort of deer? What did it look like?”
“It looked like a deer.” Dana lifted her hands. “Except I guess it was the sort youd expect to find in places where the flowers look like rubies and so on. He said it was gold and had a silver rack.”
“It was a buck, then.”
“Yes. And, oh, yeah, it had a collar, a jeweled collar.”
“Its possible,” she whispered. “But what does it mean?”
“You tell me.”
“If it was him, why did he allow it?” Agitated, she began to stride up and down the verge, between wood and lawn. “Why did he permit it?”
“Who and what?” Dana demanded and dragged Rowenas attention back to her by shaking her arm.
“If it was the king,” she said. “If it was our king taking the shape of the buck. If this is true, why did he allow Kane to bring a mortal behind the Curtain without consent? And to harm, to spill his blood there? What war is being waged in my world?”
“Im sorry, I dont know. But the only one wounded, as far as I can tell, was Jordan.”
“I will talk toPitte ,” she declared. “I will think. He saw no one else—only these two?” “Just the buck and Kane.”
“I dont have the answers you want. Kane has interfered before, but its never gone this far. The spell was of his making, and the boundaries of it, his own. But he breaks them and is not stopped. I can do more, will do more. But Im no longer certain of the scope of his power or protection. I can no longer be certain that the king rules.”
“If he doesnt?”
“Then there is war,” Rowena said flatly. “And still we are not brought home. This tells me, whatever is or has happened in my world, it remains my fate to finish what I was sent here to do. I have to believe its your fate to help me.”
She took a deep breath, calming herself. “Ill give you a balm for your mans wounds.”
“Were sleeping together. I dont know if that makes him my man.”
With, an absentminded gesture, Rowena brushed this aside. “I must speak withPitte . Strategy is more his area than mine. Come, Ill get you the potion.”
“Just a minute. One thing. Jordan. Hes essential to my key?”
“Why do you ask what you already know?”