Chapter Forty-One
Being on horseback again was exhilarating. I drank in the feel of the powerful animal running beneath me, totally synchronized with my wishes. The blast of wind spread my cloak out behind me and tossed my hair away from my face. Thanks to some fae magic I was dressed like the rest, in comfortable and practical attire for a nighttime hunt.
What we hunted wasn’t easy to catch, but according to Lord Caelen, the Wild Hunt was never unsuccessful in its quest. Because both of his sons were incapacitated, hopefully only temporarily, Caelen had asked me to join him at the front of the pack, a position of great honor. I was representing Jackie and her victimization by a male who couldn’t be allowed to go free, who deserved a long and painful death. I would be there when he was taken down and at this moment, nothing would seem more satisfying.
With thoughts of Kennet my mind flew back to my love. I’d only been able to spend a few minutes alone with Jackie since she’d mysteriously appeared in my arms, but I already sensed something had changed inside her. She was hiding it well, but rage flowed around her like an aura. She’d experienced a devastating trauma and it would take time for her to acknowledge her feelings and go forward. I shivered and clenched the reins more tightly. Perhaps when we captured and executed Kennet she’d be able to let it go, like she with other episodes in her past.
The dogs were racing out in front of us, Samson keeping up with them without a problem. His eyes had turned a deep red when he’d joined the pack, all of them sniffing around each other at first like typical mutts. But there was nothing normal about these animals. Some were huge white beasts with red ears and long fangs, and others, the fae dogs like Samson, were bulky and black, their red eyes gleaming with malice. In a group, the hounds were known as the Cwn Annwn, huge dogs whose howls foretold of impending death. The dark stranger who led us held many names through the ages, none of them spoken lightly. He was the one summoned to lead The Hunt, to bring in the traitor and eventually to execute the sentence of death. His head was hooded, hiding his face completely, because according to legend, meeting his gaze directly caused you torment for all eternity. I kept my eyes averted, as did all who followed us.
The noise of the howling dogs and the pounding hooves of the magnificent white and black horses was loud enough to wake the entire region, yet no one appeared to watch us pass except for the occasional fae. They would bow before the dark stranger and nod to Lord Caelen and the other Cascade Elders. The surrounding forests and quaint towns passed by in a blur of windswept motion and I had no idea where I was, or if I was in the Faerie dimension or the real world.
We rode out onto a large grassy field ringed with foxglove and dotted with clumps of huckleberry and miner’s lettuce. The Lord of Death drew up and sniffed the air, then took off eastward like a bullet from hell. We raced after him and his hounds, clutching our reins and trusting our steeds not to lose sight of him. I glanced down suddenly and gasped. We were flying along at least ten feet above the ground, yet still the hooves of the horses pounded loudly as the dogs brayed and howled ahead of us. Caelen grinned at me with golden excitement flashing in his eyes, his long blonde hair flying out behind him. The Hunt was a thrill even to the fae who’d lived for millennia. I grinned back and allowed my fangs to pop out, making him laugh and shout above the racket. “Kennet will be ours soon, Garrett. Then you’ll have a tale to tell your future generations.”
I nodded, unwilling to scream above the racket. This was indeed an experience to be remembered and described to loved ones and friends. Even in the chaos of the Hunt, my mind returned to Jackie. I hoped she would be able to help Aedus and I would somehow be able to help her put Kennet in the past and look again toward our future together.