Tristan’s expression clouded over, leaving no doubt in Cole’s mind that she’d witnessed a Breaking firsthand when she said, “No. Something about that change is deeper than anything I’ve ever seen. A human is no longer human after they become a Half Breed, and drinking the Water only brings them back to the earliest point in their life as a Half Breed. The only thing worse than seeing them broken once is watching a human live through it a second time. I will never subject another living thing to that kind of torture.”
“What about a Full Blood?” Cole asked. “They can go back and forth. Randolph and Liam talk as if they’ve been around forever and were never anything but Full Bloods.”
“Right,” Paige said. “Which means bringing them back to square one won’t make a lot of difference.”
Cole shrugged. “Could it bring them back to how they were before the Breaking Moon?”
For the first time since the conversation began, Tristan didn’t hold herself as if every part of her ached. There was a glimmer in her eyes again. Though it wasn’t quite the same as the nights when she’d been twirling on stage, that it was there at all brightened the atmosphere in the room. “I . . . don’t know. We’ve never had a reason to try anything like that.”
“The Full Bloods aren’t after you, are they?” Paige asked.
“Not as such, but they don’t hold us in high regard. Things were just never the same between our kind after I sent the Full Blood elder Gorren from a forest in Romania to our temple in Antarctica.” Seeing the expression on the Skinners’ faces, she waved it off and said, “Long story. If you want to try Memory Water on a Full Blood, you’ll have to capture one yourselves.”
“That may not be as tough as you think,” Cole said. “But what if there was a way to get that stuff to all of them at once?”
“You mean through the Torva’ox?” Tristan asked.
“Could Chuna help us with that?”
“I don’t know that either. These aren’t exactly the sort of things anyone has ever considered doing before.”
“But can they be done?” Cole asked as he scooted to the edge of his seat so he could use his hands while speaking. “We’ve got a Jekhibar, which can hold the Torva’ox. From what Taylor said back in Louisville, this Chuna guy or woman or whatever can help us do even more with it. What was she talking about?”
“Everything within the earth passes through Chuna,” Tristan said.
Paige winced. “That sounds kind of gross.”
“Chuna is a Mist Born,” she continued. “Their existence is real, but most of them don’t choose to interact with other beings. Some say they are the only true sentient forces of nature.” Since Cole looked like he was ready to start jumping in anticipation, she held him back with a single outstretched hand. “That doesn’t mean Chuna is the answer. The Amriany are thought to have more knowledge of Chuna, just like your Dr. Lancroft had knowledge of Kawosa. According to legend, the Torva’ox flows from Chuna’s veins. Like all legends, this may be exaggerated. But every legend connects Chuna to the Torva’ox. If any of the Mist Born would know about that power, be able to manipulate it or anything else along those lines, it is Chuna.”
“So,” Cole sighed, “we just need to find him . . . or her.”
“Finding Chuna may be next to impossible,” Tristan told him. “And you cannot just speak to a Mist Born. They are powerful creatures, dangerous beyond your comprehension. I believe they grew tired of dealing with humans simply because your minds were too flimsy to bear the weight of the meeting.”
“I met Clint Eastwood once at a press event back when I was with Digital Dreamers,” Cole said fondly. “It was kind of like that.”
Knowing when it was better to just ignore him, Paige said, “We’re meeting up with some Amriany friends of ours. They’ve worked with the Jekhibar and they’re on good terms with the rest of their clan, so we’ll see what they can tell us about Chuna. In the meantime, though, the Full Bloods are able to turn humans into Half Breeds with nothing more than a howl at some special frequency or . . . I don’t even know how they’re doing it.”
“They are reaching through the Torva’ox,” Tristan said. “Although humans only draw a small bit of that life force, it’s enough of a connection for the Full Bloods to reach through and break them.”
“This wasn’t the first Breaking Moon to rise,” Cole said. “Why didn’t this all happen before?”
“Because the Full Bloods didn’t have the help of a Mist Born. Kawosa created the first Half Breeds and now he strives to perfect the recipe. Perhaps it’s his way of making sure he has more soldiers on the field than anyone else. Heaven help us all if one of the Full Bloods is truly able to steer the wretches.”
“Memory Water is the only thing I know of that has a chance of taking that power away from the Full Bloods,” Paige said. “Maybe then Kawosa will be willing to go back to the way things were.”
“Or he could just back off and watch the fighting,” Cole said. “He seems to enjoy dealing with humans and shapeshifters, so at least we can take our chances with him. Either way, it’s dealing with one threat instead of . . . however many Full Bloods there are.”
Tristan sighed. “Even one Mist Born may be more than enough to make these days even darker, but at least it’s a course of action with some promise. Since you’re talking about a plan that requires Memory Water, I’ll be busy enough just collecting more than what it would take to fill a thimble. When I have more than that, I’ll let you know.”
“All right, then,” Paige said. “What about getting us to Hungary? Think you’ve got enough juice stored up in this place to pull that off?”
Tristan nodded and struggled to get off the couch. She seemed frailer than ever as she motioned toward the guards. “If you intend on manipulating the Torva’ox as well as tracking down a Mist Born, then I don’t doubt your intentions are still good.”
“About what happened to you,” Cole said, “all I can say is, I’m sorry. That seems so useless, but it’s all I’ve got.”
The Dryad touched his cheek and smiled. “It’s more than enough. I just needed to make sure you mean to take aggressive action to put an end to this madness instead of doing anything that might contribute to it.”
Paige smirked and helped the Dryad to her feet. “Aggressive action is what we’re all about. Any chance we can get something to eat before we leave?”
“I’ll make the arrangements,” Tristan said. “It may take some time to make contact with the other temple, so why don’t you all get some sleep in one of our executive suites?” She whispered a few short sentences to the guard. By the time she was through, the big, armed man looked more like a guide and less like an executioner. “You can walk through there to an elevator that will take you to the next floor.”
“Next floor?” Cole marveled. “Just how tall is this purple A-frame anyway?”
“You’ll see for yourself soon enough. Now if you’ll excuse me,” Tristan said in a voice that sounded every bit as tired as she looked, “there are many preparations to make.” The Dryad walked back to the door that opened into the main room. Along the way, she straightened up and pulled her shoulders back to give her more of a regal posture. That simple transition made her look like a goddess. The gray pallor was still in her skin, and there was a definite lack of energy in her stride, but it didn’t take away from the reaction she got when reintroducing herself to the room full of overeager mortals waving money at the rest of the nymphs.
“She’s still got it,” Cole said as he moved close to the door that was held open, so he could watch Tristan’s exit. Then, when Waggoner was escorted to the same spot, the trio of Skinners entered a room that was a smaller version of the VIP lounge, complete with a small wet bar in one corner, a pair of love seats upholstered in luxurious velvet, and a single pole extending from the ceiling like a perfectly symmetrical stalactite.