“Where have you been, my friend?” I whispered to it, and my voice was caught on the slipstream and went echoing out through the woodland, and as I spoke the ice on the stream shattered into a thousand pieces and the water began to flow again. The ice skittered together to form a figure, tall and glistening, and it knelt by my feet.
“What have you seen, my friend?” Again, I whispered to the owl, and the trees began to shake, the snow showering off their boughs to dust the forest with yet another layer of crystal rain.
The owl let out a soft hoot, as we locked gazes. And in its gaze, I saw the dance of Summer, bidding me to come and play, with golden roses growing wild on a warm dusky night, and the scent of fragrant jasmine and honeysuckle washed over me. The invitation was strong and I longed to join the warmth, but it was not yet time and in my heart, I knew that I could not enter that realm. Not yet.
“Send back this message,” I said. “I will come and play when the Oak King and Holly King battle under the longest day of the year. Then we will play, and spend time, and dance and revel. And when the holly meets the oak, I will invite Summer to my home, and we will once again make merry as the battle renews. The longest night will be ours to enjoy. Go now, and take this message, send it along the slipstream, and take my love along with it.”
And the owl took flight, rising from my arm, winging through eternal night. The trees were silver against the dark moon, and the snow reflected the chill in my soul. Nearby, a wolf howled, and with a smile, I turned to join my love.
I woke with a start, and my owl self was pushing me to go to the window and fly. Rhiannon was taking a shower—I could hear the water running. A glance at the clock told me I’d been out for several hours.
As I slipped out from under the covers, I was drawn to the window. Outside, the snow fell, relentless in its invasion. With a quick sweep, I opened the window and dropped my nightgown to the floor. Crouching on the sill, I stared out, wondering what it was that was pushing me so hard. But something was calling me, and I had to find out what it was.
My pendant around my neck, even though I suspected I no longer needed it, I dove off the sill, spreading my wings as I transformed into my owl shape. As the updraft caught me, I felt Ulean join me and let out a low hoot as she danced around me, giving me a good tailwind. I soared over the grounds of the Regent’s estate, reveling in the feel of the wind under my wings, in the feel of the night shining down on me. I was too tired to think of hunting, but I knew there was something I needed to know—something I needed to see.
And then there it was—a group of figures moving in the snow below, just outside the fences and barriers. I swept down, wondering if it was a group of Myst’s people, but as I neared the silent forms, I could feel the energy roiling off of them. Wilding Fae, not Shadow Hunters. And they were searching for someone.
They seek to talk to you.
Me? Why me?
Because, they have something to say.
It was a simple answer, and I felt like laughing, but since I couldn’t, I let out a long shriek.
As I landed in a low tree near the figures, I saw there were five of them, all odd and misshapen and yet, they struck me as very powerful by their stance. The snow hag was among them. I realized that I wouldn’t be clothed when I changed back, but if we were quick, I might not catch my death of cold.
As quickly as I had shifted into owl form, I let myself shift back. As I fell forward, almost lurching out of the tree, I managed to catch myself on one of the branches. I held on, while the snow hag looked up at me, her eyes aglow and her mouth crooked and smiling.
“She came, she came. Riddle me this, who was it that called the owl from her sleep?” Her cadence was familiar, and I found myself slipping into the riddle-talk almost naturally.
“One who has something to say—a guess that it was she who called the owl from her slumber.” I narrowed my focus, trying to remember everything Chatter had taught me about the Wilding Fae. It was difficult—I was already starting to shiver, but I forced myself to concentrate. “But tell the world this, should there be something to say, it should be said fast, or the owl-daughter may have to return to her form—the cold, it bites the skin.”
“The owl-daughter will be winging home soon, never to fear. But riddle me this, what does a body need in order to fight another body? Weapons are plentiful, but what might be a rare exchange?”
I thought for a moment. We had weapons, but what we didn’t have was manpower. “It occurs that a rare exchange might involve an allegiance. Allies against a common enemy.”
“One might be correct if one were to guess such an answer. And common enemies make for common targets. One might think that it would be better to join forces than to walk into battle alone.” She smiled then, her snaggletooth grin fierce.
“A correct assumption, but at what price? One has to know the cost before one purchases the trinket.” My teeth were chattering now, and I tried to shield myself from the wind. I gazed down at the other creatures standing beside the snow hag, but they were difficult to focus on. They seemed to be blurring in and out of reality, as if I were drunk.
The snow hag laughed. “One might be called a good businesswoman if she haggles the price. Perhaps this price will be to a good businesswoman’s liking: a small section of woodland, once the Queen of Shadows is routed.”
I stared at her. How was I supposed to promise them that? Those were Lainule’s woodlands. I struggled to find the right words. “There are prices that even a good businesswoman might not be authorized to pay.”
“Oh, surprise surprise, there are always surprises in store. A baker may become a tailor, and an owl-child may become a queen. Stranger things have happened. In theory, then. If a good businesswoman were authorized to make such a deal, would she?”
What should I do, Ulean? I don’t know how to answer that.
Answer the truth: If you had the authority to promise them a corner of the woods, would you?
Well, yes. Anything for the extra help, especially from powerful beings like the Wilding Fae. But—But nothing. Answer. And do not fret.
“I think a good businesswoman, if she did have such authority, would happily promise up a corner of the woodland to her allies.”
“Then the deal is struck. And allies will be sending a message to such a businesswoman tomorrow, so she should listen to the slipstream, and she should also remind her friend that he owes a certain ally fresh meat.”
Kaylin had forgotten! “That deal will be closed, with interest.” And then, before I could say another word, the figures vanished into the forest, and I was alone with my thoughts.
I was truly freezing by now, and before I gave any more thought to what had just transpired, I decided to hightail it back to the mansion. Who knew what else lived out in these woods?
I sucked in a deep breath and dove out of the tree, sweeping into my owl form without even thinking. On the way back to my room, I wondered what the others were like—the Wilding Fae were all different, all unique, and they were all powerful, ancient beings. They would fear no vampire, no Shadow Hunter unless someone managed to snare them—as Myst had snared the snow hag. But they had no need to fear the likes of me, or even my father.
I flew to the eaves of the roof, then once I was alight by my sill, I turned back and crawled through the window. As I looked up, I saw that Rhiannon, Chatter, Grieve, and Peyton were gathered in my room. Luna and Zoey opened the door as I looked for a blanket to cover myself. Kaylin walked in just as I huddled in the throw that Rhiannon handed to me.
“Okay, where were you?” Grieve’s voice was less accusing than concerned and for once, I felt that they weren’t angry, just frightened.
“I felt something calling me outside, and I knew that I needed to go.” I quickly told them what had happened. I was halfway through when Wrath entered the room, so I had to start again. But when I finished they were staring at me, and I saw hope in Wrath’s eyes.
“The Wilding Fae, when they take an interest in matters, can be devastatingly powerful. To have them on our side rather than Myst’s is a great blessing.” He pressed his lips together and stared at his feet. There was something he wasn’t telling us—or me. I wasn’t sure what it was but wanted to find out.
“What was all the talk about asking me to promise them a piece of Lainule’s woodland? I can’t do that and they should know it.”
But if I expected my father to open up, I was mistaken. He shook his head. “Leave such matters for when they are to be discussed. Do not dwell on them. For now, we have to focus on destroying Myst. While you slept, Ysandra returned. She’s lost two more of her Consortium members and fears leaving this night, so she’ll stay till morning. And one more of the Summer Knights fell. We were unprepared. We knew they would attack but did not anticipate the level at which they chose to make their move. We have to think bigger now. We have to anticipate how far Myst is willing to go in order to destroy us.”
“Are there any reports of what’s going on out beyond the gates?” I didn’t want to know, but felt that we better accept the reality of what we were facing.
“The police scanner is fraught with incidents. The police aren’t venturing out and there are calls coming in all over the place. People trapped in their houses, people missing—men going out to walk the dog and not returning, people heading to their cars to leave and getting attacked. It’s mayhem out there. The Shadow Hunters are feeding well.” Kaylin looked grim. He caught my gaze and held it. “That we have the Wilding Fae on our side is good news, but I fear what we need is a miracle.”
“We need to know where Myst is hiding so we can go after her during the daylight. That’s the only time we can strike without fear of her people. And I wouldn’t put it past them to be searching for a cure, so we’d better move quickly.” I paused. “Come morning, we do the ritual on Grieve. Then, we plan a preemptive strike. Meanwhile, we’re all exhausted and need sleep. It’s late, but we can sleep in a little and get in at least six or seven hours.”
“Cicely is right. Back to sleep.” Grieve stood and escorted everyone to the door. Chatter and Rhiannon turned off into her room, and I smiled softly. At least they were getting their chance at love. Who knew how long any of us would survive, so we might as well be as happy as we could be for now.
I turned to Grieve when he shut the door behind the last person, and moved to kiss him. He held me tight, grazing my lips, the feral look in his eye gleaming. But he restrained himself. He did not nip at my neck, he did not graze my wrist when he kissed it. He merely held me, for a long while, shushing me every time I would have said something, until we silently moved to the bed, climbed under the covers, and let sleep claim us.
Morning came and we allowed ourselves the luxury of sleeping till past nine o’clock. Zoey and Luna had ordered a simple breakfast for us all—high in protein and complex carbs for energy. I flipped on the television, dreading what I’d hear. And sure enough, most of the cable was out except for one local station. The announcer looked grave, shaking his head, as one of Lannan’s most trusted day-runners stood there.
“Once again, we regret to inform you that the town of New Forest is under siege. During the night, forty-three people lost their lives to the Shadow Hunters. I am here to reiterate what Lord Lannan Altos said last night in his aborted speech—if you can possibly do it, gather your family and get out. The Vampiric Fae will rise again at sundown. Leave before then.”
The announcer cleared his throat. “What is being done to counter this attack, and why weren’t we warned before now?”
The day-runner looked a little uncomfortable. “The previous Regent was addressing the matter privately, but it became apparent he could not perform his job correctly. This morning, before dawn, Regent Altos and the Emissary from the Crimson Court received word that another contingent of magic-born from the Consortium will be arriving this afternoon. And the Crimson Court will be sending in trained combatants this evening, the moment the sun goes down.”
“What can we do—what can the yummanii and the Weres do?” The newscaster looked positively horrified.
“Your best bet is to leave town or only go abroad during the daylight hours and lock down your homes after dark. Weres and yummanii are not all that effective against the Indigo Court. The Shadow Hunters are strong and cunning. In essence, they are sentient killing machines, a plague that seeks to spread throughout the country.”
He paused and then continued. “The Vampire Nation and the Consortium have instructed the yummanii government to allow us to take care of this incident. We are now tracking down other pockets of the Vampiric Fae that might have made their homes around the nation. If you are not police, or medical personnel, we encourage you to stay off the streets once dusk hits.”
I turned off the TV. “At least we know help is on the way, and the Wilding Fae will be contacting us today. By the way, Kaylin, you owe the snow hag meat—remember? You’d better pay the debt before she decides to come collecting.”
He slapped his head. “I cannot believe I forgot. This afternoon, after the ritual, I will take out the chicken and steak I promised her for her help.”
“We’d better get started then.”
We asked Lannan’s lackeys for space and privacy and they jumped to obey. I suppose we didn’t seem ready to go staking the vamps, so they weren’t interested in what we were about to do.
We cleared a side parlor that we’d been told we could use by Lannan’s servants and began to set up for the ritual. It involved a great deal of space, apparently, and Grieve would be strapped down to a table while we took the Elemental points around him.