“Yes, the wisdom of my choices versus yours are clear as the purest ice, are they not? You saw a young man with too much power and failed to realize the enormous force of allies he has accumulated. Two fallen angels, the oldest vampire or vampires on Earth, and a machine that rivals the very best of the Ancient Enemy’s. And that machine is its own entity, completely and utterly. My guess, from the looks of things,” Morrigan said, looking around, “is that it objects to you sending agents of Hell to abduct its parental unit. Even if Declan O’Carroll requests it to cease hostile action, my understanding is that he has no real control over it. This is a major risk you ask me to take, sister mine.”

“What are your terms, you hateful bitch?” Zinnia asked, earning her a hard stare from the deadly Princess of the Winter Court. Morrigan, on the other hand, just smiled.

“You will gift your connection to that rather impressive elemental that is cooking this section of what’s left of your realm.”

“Morrigan, it is one of my last remaining elementals of significant power. And it lives in the heart of my realm,” Zinnia protested.

“Which would give me incentive to help you protect what is left. Otherwise we will just step back to the delightful cool of the north,” Morrigan said, fanning herself with a big leaf she plucked from a nearby plant.

Zinnia stared at her, green eyes hard. An explosion erupted only a short distance away, making most of the elves nearby flinch.

“I will have expended my last stored crystal and be down to just a very few elementals. I will be weak.”

“You are already weak. You will just be weaker. Enough. Despite your diversion, the Earth machine will not be thwarted for long. My observers note it has the powers of the Enemy. I will not meet my end because of your inability to make decisions, no matter what accord we came to all those millennia ago,” Morrigan said, turning and nodding to her giant troll.

“Agreed,” Zinnia said with reluctance. The instant smile of triumph on her Winter sister’s face cemented the regret Zinnia was already feeling. But she hastily formed the linkage to the Fire elemental, releasing the ancient being’s name to her sister, her control immediately diluted.