Page 25 of Fallen Star

Alex rolls her eyes. "I'm not on Facebook. You know that." Then Alex pulls the Watcher into a hug. "Congratulations. What's he like?"

Iris grins. "Sexy. Stubborn. Kind. You'll meet him eventually. First, tell me, what the blazes is going on?"

Sly clears his throat. "Ladies? Can we get to the part where you explain why you are all here looking like something the cat dragged in?"

I step forward. "Sly, this is Dr. Alex Stone, the key to finding the final pieces of the Fallen Star of Nirandel. My brother, Levi, didn't die in the war as we thought, and now has three of the four pieces. We have to find the last one before he does, or he could very well usher in the apocalypse for all nine worlds."

"I see. Well, that is something then, isn't it?" Sly says.

Alex steps forward. "I think I know where the final piece is, which means so does Levi."

Alex Stone

"Ihad a vision," I explain, my mind still reeling from all the things. Iris and Dean know each other? She's marrying his nephew? Two presumed dead relatives now alive, and my mom is the villain? I can't even with any of this. So I focus on what I can in hopes that it will be enough.

"The last piece is in a secret tomb hidden underneath ancient ruins," I explain.

"Any idea where this tomb is?" Dean asks.

My face falls. "I don't know. I'd recognize it if I saw it again. It's very distinctive, and is next to a large fountain that still flows with water. I don't think it's on this world, though."

"How do you know that?" the man they call Sly asks.

"The ruins and the fountain were made of dragon bones, and dragons flew in the sky above," I say, still marveled by the vision of the mythical beasts taking flight.

"Nirandel," the three of them say together.

"We'll have to go there," Iris says.

Sly frowns. "That's not a stable place to be right now. The political conflicts between the Ashwraiths and Queen Sky's kingdom are still tense. There are rumors of an illegal slave trade between earth and Nirandel, and Queen Ilian of the Ashwraiths doesn't appear very interested in doing anything about it. You would be at grave risk traveling there."

Dean paces the room, frowning. "We have to risk it," he says. "If Levi saw what was in Alex's vision, he'll know what it means. He's probably already on his way there right now."

"Then there's no time to lose," I say. "But… any chance I can borrow of change of clothes, Iris?" I look down at Dean's too baggy pants and shirt and feel confident they'd be a liability if we have to fight or move quickly.

Iris nods. "Gotcha covered. Anything else?"

"Anyone have a spare ice ax or two?"

Iris laughs and grabs my arm. "I'll see what I can do." She looks to Sly and Dean. "We'll be back. Uncle, could you get word to Elias that I might be indisposed for a few days?"

Sly nods, frowning thoughtfully. "You sure you don't want me to send for him? He'd be a powerful ally in this fight."

Iris sighs. "I know, but he's got his hands full with a realm to run. I don't want to distract him. We got this. With Theo all powered up as the Storm Spirit, I think we can handle what Levi throws at us."

As we leave, I press into Iris. "Spill the beans. You've been holding out on me."

She chuckles. "Too many of my secrets aren't mine alone to share. It's not that I didn't trust you."

"I can certainly relate to that," I say.

"Here's the Reader's Digest version. There a Council of Hunters tasked to oversee the paranormal world on earth. I'm a Watcher, which is a big deal. Elias, my fiancé, used to be my mark. Number One on the Most Wanted list. He was very proud of that," she says with an affectionate chuckle. "At any rate, we defeated a big baddie that turned out to be his sister, and my kitten—who's always been a manticore—is now the Storm Spirit of Avakiri, the Fae world on Inferna. So he's super powerful. I'm still a badass. My fiancé is still a hottie. We rescued his mother, who's Queen of Inferna and Midnight Star of Avakiri, but his dad, the king, is still missing. We're working on that. And my Uncle Sly, who raised me, runs The Black Lotus, which is where we are right now and is a paranormal safe space and hotel for all manner of creatures from the nine worlds."

She says this last part as we walk through the main hall and I marvel at everything around me. Creatures I don't recognize walk by us, nodding to Iris before going about their business. A large tank takes up one wall but is empty save for water. "What's in there? A sea monster?"

Iris grins. "No, usually Marasphyr, the mermaid. But she's preoccupied these days pretending to be queen of the mere-people in Avakiri. It's a long story."

"You've had… quite a life," I say, stunned. I thought I knew so much, but even my own world is bigger and full of more mysteries than I could have ever imagined. Not to mention eight other worlds!