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The Black Beast was waiting for us—ancient and ominous—and I wasn’t sure what the hell would happen when we met him. But our date with destiny wouldn’t take no for an answer.
I bit into my sandwich and chewed slowly as a flutter of wings rose from the nearest cedar and three ravens went winging past. It felt like a sign, but just what they were trying to tell me, I had no idea. And for once, I really, really wished I could see into the future.
Thistlewyd Deep was more than a magical forest. It was magic incarnate. As we stepped onto the path, a deep resonance hummed through the ground, singing a song as old as the world. I closed my eyes and answered, embracing the welcome that bid us enter the woodland. Wild—yes, and feral—definitely, but Thistlewyd Deep embodied the nature of the Hunt.
The path was narrow, flanked on both sides by thick undergrowth shrouding the trunks of the trees. As we journeyed under the canopy of branches and limbs, I understood what Feddrah-Dahns had meant. Darkynwyrd would meet its match in Thistlewyd Deep. This forest rocked with energy, the ground shifting beneath my feet with every step. Oh, it wasn’t a tangible shift like a quake, but every time I put my foot down, the ground seemed to roll in waves.
I bit my lip, wondering how the hell we were supposed to keep moving, with every movement shaking reality. Glancing around, I asked, “Does anybody else feel that?”
“Feel what?” Iris asked.
“The ground. Moving. Everything swirls every time I take a step. ”
I glanced at the trees. The bark covering their trunks squirmed, shifting patterns. The bushes and ferns nestled at their bases shook as if a powerful wind was gusting through, but I couldn’t feel any currents against my skin that were strong enough to move the leaves and branches.
“Camille, are you okay?” Iris looked worried. She motioned to Morio. “Feel her forehead. ”
As he moved to obey, I brushed his hand aside. “I’m not sick, and I haven’t lost my mind. At least, I don’t think I have. But don’t you see? All the plants are swaying to the pulse that’s racing under my feet. Like a hard-core drumbeat. Hell, I feel like I’m in the middle of one of Big Mama’s natural raves. ”
They looked around, confused, then Morio closed his eyes and fell silent. Iris did the same. Feddrah-Dahns whinnied nervously. After a moment, both the sprite and the youkai nodded.
“I’m beginning to sense what you’re talking about,” Iris said. “It’s fainter for me—these are not the far northern climes that call to my blood. But I can feel the vibration of this forest. ”
Morio let out a long, slow breath. “Got it. Caught hold of it and rode it for just a moment. The soul of this woodland is fluid, existing within every plant and tree, every inch of dirt, every breath of air that sweeps through. You’re not going crazy, Camille. You’re feeling the heartbeat of the Deep. You’ve connected with the wood on a soul level. ”
Oh joy. Why me? Better yet, I should ask: Could I use it to my advantage? I looked around at the vibrant colors that whirled like paint splatters. I felt about three sheets to the wind on Captain Morgan, all right.
“It’s hard for me to see anything clearly through the brilliance—all the colors are running together in one giant orgasm of patterns. I’ll need help getting to . . . well, wherever the hell we’re going. ”
Feddrah-Dahns stepped forward. His horn glowed with golden light and he looked like an airbrushed fantasy off of some fashion magazine ad. “Lift her onto my back and she can ride the rest of the way. ”
I stared at the unicorn. Ride on his back?
“Don’t you know who you are?” I asked. The thought of climbing aboard the back of a Crown Prince seemed too ridiculous to even contemplate. Even if he was shaped like a horse.
“Most certainly. And I know who you are, and I know where we’re going. If you’ll excuse the abruptness, Lady Camille, quit gawking and get your derriere on my back. ” He blinked and I started to laugh.
“Even when you’re abrupt, you’re still proper. Well, fine, if you don’t mind being ridden, I’ll be grateful for the help, but I need a boost. I’m not quite as athletic as Delilah. ”
Trillian and Morio helped me sling myself over the unicorn’s back. He shuddered as the hem of my cape dragged across his hindquarters and I realized it must strike some resonance within him. The cape was made from unicorn hide, and the hide of the Black Beast at that. I firmly grasped his mane in my hands and hoped I wasn’t holding on too tight.
As we pushed ahead, the gentle loping of his cadence lulled me into a Technicolor wonderland ride. Everything was so vivid and the feel of his luxurious coat against my bare legs warmed me through. I drifted off, nursing a growing headache from the overstimulation, wondering what it would be like meeting the Black Unicorn. At least Morio had been able to tap into the energy and knew it wasn’t just me reacting to a bad piece of meat or spiked wine. I just hoped this carousel ride would stop before we got there or I’d be off on a Hunt that led straight down the rabbit hole.
Dusk had come and we were well into the Deep when Feddrah-Dahns abruptly stopped. The respite from the colors of the woodland during daylight had mitigated my headache and the grays and blacks of night proved a welcome relief. I was starting to be able to think again, no longer buffeted by the kaleidoscope of the forest, except now it was the Moon pulling on me, calling for me to get ready. The Hunt would be riding out soon.
“Up ahead, we turn left, and then another half mile and we’re there,” Feddrah-Dahns said. “Can you feel him?”
I sucked in a long breath and slowly exhaled. The night had an energy all its own, and it wasn’t altogether pleasant. I wasn’t so much frightened of nasty creatures like in Darkynwyrd, but in the Deep dwelt great power and a buttload of chaos. It swirled everywhere, like dew on a raven’s wing, the bubbles of mayhem threatening to burst against the darkening sky.
The Moon Mother was rising full, but she was only visible for short periods between the clouds that swept over the forest. They were headed east, off the Wyvern Ocean. Dahnsburg must be having a tidy little storm, I thought. The ocean waves were bound to be cresting high tonight.
And then, with a flutter of wind out of the west, I felt him. Or rather: heard him. The cloak around my shoulders began to resonate with a low hum, and the horn within the inner pocket vibrated like silver wind chimes or shattering glass. They were answering the call of their master who, in another lifetime, had worn both hide and horn as part of his body.
Since the night I’d pledged myself to the Moon Mother, no summoning had beckoned me so strongly, and like her magic this call was tinged with the hot fire of molten silver, the diamond chill of frost on an autumn night. I leaned my head back and gazed at the clouds as they parted and let the Mother’s light shine down, glowing with her fire, singing out her name. The Moon Mother watched over me; she was at her zenith and tonight I would run with the Hunt.
As we plunged forward and turned to the left onto a shadowed path, I knew, absolutely and without doubt, that the Black Beast was well acquainted with the Moon Mother. They were of a kind, connected and linked in a way I didn’t understand, but a voice in the back of my mind whispered to me that they were kin.
I let out a strangled sob as the full power of my Lady’s beauty broke through the clouds and splashed across the woodland, lighting our path as we moved forward. She was my everything, my all, above and beyond my own life. My heart swelled with longing as the summons to join the Hunt began to grow.
Morio reached up and took my left hand and I squeezed hard. He squeezed back. Trillian walked to the right, with Iris beside him, and he glanced up at me as I rode astride Feddrah-Dahns’s back. His expression was lost in the night. But I could see the sparkle of his eyes and I breathed a silent prayer of thanks that he was back by my side.
Another short distance. Then, up ahead, I saw a glowing light coming from within a ring of trees. The glade was difficult to s
ee from here, but the lights emanated from a ring of waist-high mushrooms, fly agaric by their looks. The path leading into the glen crackled with energy.
A Fae circle? No, this was more powerful than any I’d ever come across. To cross it without welcome would be to put our lives on the line.
A low voice echoed from the center of the glen, rumbling through every blade of grass, every rock and pebble and shrub and tree.
“Enter my grove, if you so dare. ”
And right there, on that spot, I knew that the Black Beast waited for us. I slid off Feddrah-Dahns’s back, and without a second thought, marched forward between the mushrooms, to enter the lair of the Black Unicorn.
CHAPTER 15
As I stepped into the ring of mushrooms, the world shifted beneath my feet yet again. What the hell? Losing my balance, I went stumbling to the side, landing hard on my knees. The ground rolled in waves beneath me.
The others entered the circle, but my attention was fastened on a dark patch against the line of cedars, across the lea. It was as if there was a swath of jet painted across the tree trunks. A tangible abyss. A portal, perhaps?
Whatever it was, something waited within. Something terrible. Something beautiful. Something ancient beyond counting. As I watched, a pair of golden eyes gleamed out from the darker-than-ink void.
Then, through the shadowy arch, stepped the Lord of the Dahns Unicorns. As his hooves touched the grass, a ripple of sparks tattooed their way through the ground, the current sending a shock wave through me. I crouched, fear warring with awe.
He was tall. Far taller than any unicorn or horse I’d ever seen. A giant could barely have ridden him, or an ogre. His haunches were sleek and muscled, his fur as dark as Trillian’s skin, but patches of gray shone through the ebony hide. His eyes shone like twin golden suns. My gaze rose to the spiral crystalline horn jutting out from his head—and the horn in my pocket set up a keening as if recognizing its true master.
“He’s real—”
“The Black Unicorn—”
“Girl, are you all right—”
The voices of the others whispered behind me, but I scarcely heard them. I remained where I was, bewitched by the sight of the great beast. A noise to my side startled me. Feddrah-Dahns was beside me now, kneeling on his two front legs, his head bowed.
“Master of Masters, Lord of the Dahns, I bring you the girl and her mate. ” His voice was hushed and as awestricken as I felt.
I decided to keep my mouth shut. For one thing, I wasn’t sure of protocol and there was no way in hell I was going to fuck this up. For another thing, my voice seemed to have deserted me as I gazed upon this living legend. Between the call of the Hunt and the power of this beast, I couldn’t muster even a squeak.
The Black Beast moved forward and stopped about three yards in front of us. I cautiously raised my head, afraid to look into those gleaming eyes. If I looked, would I lose myself?
“On your feet, woman,” a voice echoed in my head. “All of you, stand. ”
I blinked. He hadn’t spoken aloud, but I heard him loud and clear. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one because Morio, Trillian, and Iris rose from where they’d dropped to the ground. With a small whinny, Feddrah-Dahns pushed me forward with his nose.
I steadied myself, noticing that the ground had quit shifting. One thing to be thankful for. As I sucked in a deep breath and stared up at the creature, I saw that yes—indeed—steam was rising from his nostrils.
Slowly, not knowing why, but feeling it was the only thing to do, I reached in my pocket and pulled out the horn of the Black Unicorn and shaking, lifted my arm and thrust it upward under the quaking moon.
The Black Beast let out a low laugh that echoed through the glade. “I have not seen that part of myself in many years. Nor the hide you wear around your shoulders. ” He lowered his muzzle to sniff my cloak. “Yes, this was a far earlier life, an earlier day and age when the spirit seal was first created and then divided. I told them it was a grave mistake, but they would not listen, so I retreated to Darkynwyrd, and from there, to the Deep. Tell me: You wear the mark of the Moon Mother. Have you seen her face?”
I suddenly found my tongue and blurted out, “Yes, I run with the Hunt. I am one of her witches. ”
“But not her priestess?” His eyes were like golden fire and I couldn’t look away.
“No,” I said softly. “Nor do I know if I’ll ever be worthy. But it’s enough for me to be her servant, to be her daughter and work her magic. ”
Then, the Black Beast stepped forward so his muzzle was staring right into my face, and he bathed me in the steam flowing from his nostrils. “Priestess, though, you would joyfully carry the title if given. Do you know who rides me? There is one, and one alone whom I allow to embrace my back with her thighs. ”
Shivering, wondering just where this conversation was going, I shook my head. “No, can’t say I’ve ever thought about it. ” I just prayed it wasn’t going to be me.
There was a movement from the shadows behind him, and a raven flew forth from the darkness. A vortex of swirling blood obscured the bird and I shaded my eyes against the waves of incandescent heat that flared out like a sunburst. The air twisted back on itself, rippling reality like the ocean tides. Then, ever so slowly, the magic dissipated.
As the flare faded away, a tall, pale woman stood there, her velvet gaze trailing over us. Her eyes were cunning, sparkled with flecks of gold amidst the obsidian and with a dread so deep I didn’t even realize it had been there, I knew who this was.
Raven Mother.
Raven Mother, one of the Elemental Queens who ruled in the dark woods. Raven Mother, of whom I’d only heard rumors over the years. Raven Mother, who was known for cunning and deception and her violent lust after the Moon Mother’s possessions.