Hunters descent, p.27
Hunter's Descent, page 27
As had happened that time, a crowd was forming. Ruri seemed to have underestimated how big a deal the return of the hunters was. There was no sign of them, but her sense of her mate told her that she and the growing throng didn’t have long to wait. Lively music drifted up to her on the breeze. One thing she had to admire about the fae was their love of music. It seemed to accompany almost every aspect of their life, and they offered it freely. A lute and some type of curling horn she didn’t recognize graced the walls of their room. She wondered what they would sound like when played together. She wasn’t musically inclined herself and she didn’t think Mal was either. If she was going to be honest with herself, she’d never asked her mate. It was amazing how little Ruri knew of her beyond the fact that she could decapitate a vampire in less than three seconds. Even so, she was willing to follow Mal anywhere, including through a strange door into a place that shouldn’t have existed.
The excited buzz of the crowd intensified until she could no longer hear even the smallest snatches of conversation. Her sense of her mate informed her that Mal was close by. She strained to see the gatehouse, hoping for the faintest glimpse of her.
The chatter of the crowd ceased abruptly. Ruri looked back around to see if they were still there. It wouldn’t have surprised her to find them gone, given how completely everything went silent. The fae were still there, but everyone looked up at the balcony in rapt silence. The king’s gaunt figure stepped slowly across the wide space, then stopped at the marble railing. He was flanked a few respectful paces back by his Seneschal and the Jaeger. All eyes were trained upon them.
“This is a great honor for the returning hunters,” Mracek said quietly from his place at her elbow. “King Connall rarely graces the Wild Hunt’s return these days, not even when the Jaeger leads them out.”
“I see,” Ruri said, though she didn’t. Dean had never attended to their return from hunts he hadn’t been a part of, not unless someone had been injured. He’d always known if something had gone wrong and one of his wolven needed aid. The hunt was a part of life. Having him greet them would have been like getting a standing ovation for finishing lunch.
Unless someone was hurt. Suddenly stricken, she returned her gaze to the open portcullis. She hadn’t felt anything that might indicate Mal had taken any wounds. Then again, without full access to her wolf, she didn’t know if she would.
She didn’t have to wait long. When the first rider appeared through the massive doorway, the crowd began to murmur again, despite King Connall’s presence. The second rider through was Mal. She rode astride the Jaeger’s wild-looking grey horse. Even from her vantage point, Ruri could tell it was pulling against her. Behind her was Lord Regin on his oversized lizard, but Ruri paid little attention to him. Her eyes drank in everything she could about Mal. Her seat on her mount looked decent, without the stiffness that might indicate she was in pain. Certainly, her skill with a horse, or horse-like animal, had improved greatly since their arrival. Most importantly, she had no wounds that Ruri could make out.
Mal turned her head this way and that, taking in the crowd. She took a long look at the balcony, then turned in her saddle. She craned her neck around, clearly searching someone out. When their eyes met and Ruri watched her mate’s face light up, even all the way across the courtyard, she knew that someone was her. Mal didn’t seem to be harboring any anger over their harsh words to each other.
I should be down there, she thought. What am I doing up here? She stayed put, though part of her demanded she head down to Mal immediately. It would be so much easier to get to her once the crowd dispersed. Ruri waved at Mal, feeling the matching smile spreading across her face. She hoped Connall would be brief.
“How was the Hunt?” All remaining crowd noise died away as soon as the king spoke. His voice traveled to all corners of the courtyard. It sounded to Ruri like he was standing right next to her and speaking for her ears alone.
“Reasonably successful,” Mal said. “We were able to track down some Bottom-Dwellers.”
“She is too modest,” Lord Regin said from next to her. His voice boomed out, making the courtyard seem much smaller than it was. He raised one hand, displaying a small satchel which he then opened. Ruri thought he was being a touch overdramatic. He overturned the bag, pouring out a steady stream of something. She couldn’t make out what they were, but each one was the same general shape and the same brownish-red color.
The crowd knew what they were and a collective gasp rose from their throats. The objects piled up rapidly, and there were far more of them than the size of the satchel would have suggested. The fae on the dais said nothing as Lord Regin continued to pour the brown objects onto the courtyard cobbles. By the time the pile was about two feet high, the flow from the bag had almost stopped. Lord Regin gave it an emphatic shake. A small rain of the things joined the others, then there were no more.
“An impressive display indeed,” the king said. “Do you not agree, old friend?”
The Jaeger stepped forward to join Connall. He looked down on the small group of hunters.
“Quite impressive,” he said. “I haven’t seen its like, not even on the Hunts I’ve led.”
“Nor we.” King Connall turned back to the hunters. “We are pleased with the results and will award all the tokens earned against the bounty. You have truly earned our favor this day.”
The hunters bowed low except for Mal who stayed defiantly upright. The king gave a quiet chuckle.
“Hunter Malice,” he said.
The members of the Wild Hunt moved their mounts back almost as one, leaving her alone in front of their group.
“Yes, King Connall,” she said.
“You have done our court a great service. Our actions in response to your previous hunt were wise, or you would not have been here to accomplish such a feat. You have desired our favor since that time, is that not true?”
Ruri became aware that she’d clenched her fists so hard her knuckles were starting to ache. This was it, the moment Mal had been working toward to get them out of this nightmare-scape of lavender and gold.
Mal nodded eagerly. “That’s right, Your Majesty. I hope you can tell how hard I’ve been working to impress you.”
“We can. Let it not be said that we are an ungenerous or ungrateful liege lord.” The king raised both hands, holding the palms out toward Mal as if in blessing. “You have earned this boon. From this day forth, you also shall be known as Huntmaster of this court.”
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Ruri watched as Mal’s face crumpled on the edge of what she knew was massive disappointment, but she wrestled her expression around to one of pleasure. Ruri’s heart ached for her mate, knowing how much the announcement had crushed her. She reached out toward Mal as if she could touch her. Did the king know how badly he’d hurt Mal? Was this a deliberate act of cruelty, or did he actually believe that he was being the benevolent ruler?
“That is unprecedented,” Mracek said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a human being offered a position so high in the court before, nor of a court with more than one Huntmaster. I wonder how the Jaeger will enjoy sharing his position with anyone, let alone a human. No offense meant, of course.” He added the final bit hastily.
“None taken,” Ruri said absently. Her eyes were on the Jaeger. If he was angry, it was difficult to tell. If she’d been able to smell him, she might have had some idea, but from their vantage, there was little to go on. He smiled and nodded as if in approval, and if he seemed a bit stiff, was that so different from how he normally carried himself?
“Thank you, King Connall,” Mal was saying, her voice strong and betraying none of the shock Ruri knew she felt. “I’ll do my best to…” Her voice trailed off.
“Of course you will,” Connall said when it became apparent Mal was at a loss for words. “We celebrate the Hunt and your reversal of fortune tonight!”
The crowd erupted into cheers as if they hadn’t had a feast only two nights ago. The king smiled and waved at the approval and excitement of his subjects. He raised one hand in benediction, then withdrew from the balcony, the Seneschal and the Jaeger in tow.
Mal looked up at her, their eyes meeting across the space. Even at their distance, Ruri could read her mate’s pain.
“What’s the quickest way down there?” she asked Mracek.
“Of course,” he said. “This way.”
Mracek led her off the promenade and through a series of hallways before opening the door to the courtyard. They didn’t go down any stairs, but Ruri no longer expected the laws of physics to apply in this place. If they did, great. If not, she would manage.
The crowd had thinned out somewhat in the little time it had taken them to get down there. Ruri sought out Mal in the stable and found her stashing weapons in the attached armory.
“Hey,” Ruri said.
“Hey yourself,” Mal replied. Her response was light, but Ruri could smell the upset wafting from her, spiky and painful to the nostrils.
“Your hunt was…”
“Something else,” Mal said. “Let me finish up here and I’ll tell you all about it.”
“I’d like that.” Ruri waited, leaning against the wall and watching the bustle of the hunters as the human teens assisted them in putting up their mounts. The fae still treated the kids almost like furniture, with a kind of off-handed disregard unless they needed them.
“There we go,” Mal said as she exited. “Let’s go for a walk.”
“After that we should stop by to see the Seneschal.”
“What?” Mal asked.
“To take up the Jaeger’s offer of protection, remember?”
Mal massaged the back of her neck. “Oh yeah. Sorry, I guess I forgot in all the excitement.”
“It’s not every day you get elevated to nobility.”
“Thank god.” Mal looked around to see if anyone else was nearby. “Mracek, how do we get on top of the walls?”
“The ramparts? I can take you, but not many people go for walks up there.”
“It’ll be perfect then,” Mal said. “I want to clear my head.”
He started off down the hall, pausing briefly until they followed once more in his wake, Mal on his heels and Ruri following her mate. She stifled a laugh at the image they must have presented of ducklings in a row. She noticed Mracek checking his book on the sly.
This time the trip was full of stairs. They climbed and descended enough to get to the ramparts at least three times over or so her legs tried to tell her. When they finally made it out the final door, Ruri was ready for a rest, never mind that she was in excellent shape.
“We’ll let you know when we’re heading out,” Mal said to Mracek.
He nodded and took the hint, slipping back through the door to the final stairwell to wait.
“What happened?” Ruri asked. “You look spooked.”
“You could say that.” Mal ran her hand through her hair. “I think I might have done something terrible.”
“Terrible? Like how?”
“You know all those ears that were dumped out of that bag?”
“Those were ears?” Stomach acid burned the back of Ruri’s throat.
“Yeah. They were taken off the bodies of some fae creatures called Bottom-Dwellers. The others said they’re bad news. Killed a bunch of livestock and some farmers, I guess. No one was able to farm in the hills where we found them.”
“And you killed them.”
Mal’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “So many of them. But they were bad?”
“Are you asking or saying that?”
“I don’t know.” She took a deep, shuddering breath as the tears spilled over her eyelids. “I was told they were bad, but what if they were just living their lives? What if that was their own territory and we were the invaders?”
“Connall seemed pleased.” Ruri kept her voice as neutral as possible.
“Yeah. Fuck that guy.” Mal shook her head in a ragged, chopping motion.
“Agreed.” Ruri put her hand on Mal’s shoulder and drew in her unresisting body for a hard hug.
“He’s just going to keep stringing me along. I had to kill hundreds of living things to get scraps from him. Scraps I don’t want. I don’t think I can do what it’ll take to earn back passage out of here.”
“I am so glad to hear you say that,” Ruri said into Mal’s ear. Her mate’s tears were soaking the shoulder of her tunic. “It’s time to look for a different solution.”
“Past time. I can’t believe how much time I’ve wasted already.”
“That’s why you need to listen to me more.” Ruri squeezed her to let Mal know she was joking. Mostly. “I’ve been around the block a few times now. I know what I’m doing.”
“I know.” Mal heaved a deep sigh. She wiped the tears off her face. “It’s only that most of what you say goes against everything I was trained to do.”
“Which is why I cut you a little slack. Okay, it’s actually a lot of slack. It’s time you moved past your training. You outgrew Uncle Ralph a long time ago.”
Mal laughed, a sharp hiccup tinged only lightly with mirth. “That’s for sure.”
“We need to be careful about what we do here, though. If we piss Connall off, our lives will get way harder. That means you should go to his feast tonight. You are the guest of honor.”
“What about you?” Mal asked.
“I’m going to talk to someone about where to start with our little problem.” Ruri hesitated, wondering if she should bring up the Jaeger. Mal didn’t respond well when she talked against him. He was a problem. Better to leave it for the time being. She settled for rubbing her hand over Mal’s back in soothing circles instead. “Are you all right now?”
“No,” Mal said, “but I will be.”
“All right.” Ruri squeezed her tight, then let her go. “You smell like a swamp.”
Mal’s laugh was genuine this time. “A little rotting vegetation too stinky for your delicate nose? You should try riding something that smells like that for hours.”
“Fun.”
“Not really. My mount was the Jaeger’s kelpie. It came in handy, but it stinks. Not too surprising for something that’s more at home in water than on land, but it got old.”
“That sounds about right.” The words could also have described the Jaeger. Something about him definitely stank, and she was quite over him.
“Let’s go back to the room,” Mal said. “I want a nap, and maybe a little something extra.” She waggled her eyebrows, a lascivious grin stealing across her face.
Chapter Thirty-Two
A nap had helped settle her almost as much as the extracurricular activities with Ruri. After that, they’d headed down to the Seneschal’s office to officially accept the Jaeger’s protection. The old man had been quite endearing. He’d reminded Mary Alice of her dad’s father. She’d kept waiting for him to offer them hard candies, but sadly those never materialized.
Now she stood in front of the mirror back in their room as she waited for Billy, the brownie fashion king, to work his magic on her court apparel. She didn’t care about being named huntmaster for Connall’s court. All she’d been worried about had been impressing the king enough that he’d forgive her supposedly monstrous insult. The fairy king needed to grow a thicker skin.
Though she didn’t care about looking good for him, she didn’t see the harm in looking good in general. The look on Ruri’s face when she was dressed to the nines was more than worth it. Her girlfriend leaned against the wall, her arms crossed as she watched Mary Alice being attended to. Interest still gleamed in her eyes, even after a vigorous couple of hours of quality time together. Even knowing about Mary Alice what she did.
A feeling swelled inside Mary Alice, pushing her breath out before it. She didn’t deserve this woman who knew the worst of her and yet stayed by her side. Ruri supported her. She was a rock, steady and comforting. If Stiletto and the Bottom-Dwellers didn’t make her run for the hills, then nothing would. Whatever Ruri was going to get up to while Mary Alice was putting in her time at the feast, she trusted it was for the best.
She caught Ruri’s eyes and smiled, trying to infuse all the love she felt for her golden wolven. Ruri’s answering smile was like the sun breaking through thick storm clouds. Mary Alice had no doubt about Ruri’s love for her; it was almost tangible.
“Turn around,” Billy said. He tapped her on the elbow.
“I’m sorry, what?” she asked. She didn’t want to break eye contact with Ruri.
“If you’re done making moon eyes at your lady, perhaps you’d like to turn around so I can make sure I didn’t miss anything.” Billy’s words held an acerbic edge. “Unless you want to go to the feast with your rump hanging out. You’ll certainly get a lot of attention, though I doubt your lady will approve.”
“All right, all right,” she said, wrenching her eyes away from Ruri’s. “Don’t get your knickers in a twist.”
“I’m trying to spare you from that fate,” Billy said. He motioned for her to turn.
She complied, turning in a slow circle.
“It’s perfect as always,” his daughter Andra said.
“You wanted to admire your handiwork, didn’t you?” Ruri said.
“And you would all be so cruel as to deny a master craftsman this pleasure?” he asked.
“Of course not,” Ruri said. When he motioned to her to take Mary Alice’s place, she held up one hand. “I’m sitting this one out.”
“Are you certain?” Andra asked. “Your absence is likely to be noticed.”
“I doubt anyone will care,” Ruri said. “I keep a low profile. Between us, Mal is the one who makes a splash.”
Mary Alice tried to stifle a snicker. When that didn’t work, she turned it into a cough instead. Yes, she was the one who garnered all the attention with her double life and the government’s plausible deniability about her existence.
