Bane of the Wild Hunt (Heart of the Tithriall #2)

36. THE WILD HUNT FLIES TO AES MIRR

Chapter thirty-six

THE WILD HUNT FLIES TO AES MIRR

Sage

W e had gone to bed unconscionably late, so the last thing I wanted to do at dawn was leave my perfectly warm bed. And Summer did not help matters considering she had somehow managed to wrap herself around me, and it felt so unbelievably good waking up with her like that.

“ No , Sage,” she whined at me an hour later when I returned to the chamber to wake her.

“I took your vargr out with Serafin to feed her.”

Her eyes sprung open, and she turned her head on the pillow toward me. I tried to keep my eyes on her face and not on the way her voluptuous body was sprawled across my bed in her thin dress. She had been about to undress and climb into the bed completely naked the night before, but my expression had made her rethink those intentions. Thankfully, she hadn’t wanted to fight about it any more than I did and collapsed next to me to pass out.

“You did?” she gaped.

“I did. And come see what else,” I suggested before ducking back through the curtains to my bedchamber.

I could hear her muttering complaints about how early it was as she got out of bed to follow me. But when she emerged with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and saw my mother sitting on my father’s bedroll with him, her smile was infectious.

“Asha!”

“Good morning,” my mother greeted her, returning the smile brightly. “I have brought you some warmer clothes for the flight to Aes Mirr,” she added as she rose from my father’s side to carry a large satchel to Summer.

“Thank you!” exclaimed the dryad as she accepted the offering and a gentle touch of affection on her cheek from my mother. Something I knew that she would not have tolerated from many other people.

“Something else,” I advised Summer who looked at me in surprise before turning when my head tilted toward Pyrope standing proudly next to Serafin.

Both vargr were fully saddled.

“You got my… Rian gave it to you?” she guessed as she moved toward her mount.

“He wants the Wild Hunt to fly into Aes Mirr on their own vargr,” I explained. But I had not missed it when she stopped herself from claiming the saddle as hers.

Pyrope was positively bursting with pride, but Summer was hesitant as she touched the saddle. I could not recall what it looked like when it belonged to Aodhan, but I knew that it had changed in the same way Pyrope had to reflect Summer. The leather was the honey-red colour of sequoia wood with the engravings of honeysuckle vines, hummingbirds, and thorns etched into the pommel swell, fenders, and skirt. The velvety seat was much more plush than mine with a higher cantle that was formed from bone at the rear like the rest of our saddles. The stirrups, horn, conchos, and rigging were all a combination of bone and thorn, but there were living flowers growing all over hers in a morbidly beautiful fusion of life and death.

“It belonged to Aodhan?” she verified in uncertainty.

“It belongs to Pyrope and changes to accommodate her as she evolves for her rider. But it did reflect him in the same way she did and does now for you,” I confirmed.

Summer nodded as she lifted her hand up to hover over the pommel where her brother would have rested his hands. For the first time since the night she’d asked me if Aodhan was anything like me, I could see curiosity and a hint of uncertainty in her eyes regarding the rider she had killed. She had not only learned that he was her brother, but that they had shared a great deal in common with one another. I myself had learned rather a lot about Aodhan the night before and was still trying to reconcile it with how I’d always viewed the male dryad. So I could not imagine the impact it was having on her to try and adjust her perceptions of her brother. To take his place as she had once perceived him to be taking hers.

I glanced discreetly at my parents who understood the silent request immediately.

“I am famished! I will get us all some food,” my father announced. “Come see the camp, my love,” he invited my mother, who accepted his suggestion with a sad glance back at Summer. I had explained the relationship we had confirmed between my anam and Aodhan when I’d gone back to the village to get her that morning.

“Are you alright?” I asked once my parents had gone.

“I don’t know,” Summer admitted, tilting her head as if to consider the question. “I feel… conflicted.”

Aodhan always said dryads did not feel complicated emotions, but I no longer believed that. I was confident that they were simply forced to bottle everything.

I moved toward Summer but refrained from touching her in case she did not want me to. I trusted, with her new confidence being near me, that she would seek physical comfort if she wanted or needed it from me.

“It was easy to blame him for what happened. I think perhaps it helped me make sense of something that felt so monstrous and unfair,” she confided. “And I still feel that I wronged her when I killed him, and I have no right to her loyalty,” she added with even more difficulty.

I looked at Pyrope who had lowered her head with her ears pressing back. Her eyes were lidded with sadness.

“She was proud for you to see the saddle,” I informed Summer as I stroked Pyrope’s neck in gentle consolation. “Vargr do not often allow others to be near them, but she permitted me to saddle her because she wanted you to see her like this. She wanted you to want to ride her.”

“How could she? And if she does, then it is because she either does not have a choice in this magic or she is an innocent animal who does not know any better.”

“Summer, look at me,” I ordered, my voice deepening, but she still trustingly tipped her head to meet my eyes. “Pyrope, the armour, the saddle, and the rider you have inherited is all just one entity that chose you,” I explained. “And I believe it chose you because it knew somehow that you would be needed to defeat the Fuath. Perhaps it also knows that you must negotiate with the Vale and make our people safe. But regardless of its exact reasons, Pyrope craves your affection. She desires your approval.”

Summer snorted softly as if this were ridiculous, but I could see that my words had made a positive impact when she looked back at the saddle.

“I am not sure I am the nurturing type,” she admitted, finally reaching up to stroke her vargr who made a deep purring sound in response.

“She does not need nurturing. You will learn together how to be a team,” I assured her with a smile as I watched Pyrope reacting to her rider’s deeply sought touch.

“She… betrays how I feel. I cannot hide it.”

“Ah,” I grunted in understanding, glancing at Serafin who was licking Pyrope’s forehead as if taking my cue to offer her comfort. “They are an extension of us. I too have struggled with that aspect of the bond. I have been told it is easier if you can embrace your authentic self.”

“You mean… don’t conceal any of my feelings?”

“Find a way to be comfortable with who you are and how you feel. It is not easy,” I admitted, and the complete hypocrisy of my statement was certainly not lost on me. “You should get dressed before Rian calls us.”

My parents had come back with food, some of which I had packed into our saddlebags, by the time Summer was finished getting dressed. I donned a heavier cloak, but my fire magic shielded me against much of the more severe weather in the Raveina Mountains.

After we had eaten breakfast with my parents, I waited patiently for Summer to get the nerve to pull herself up into her new saddle. It was clearly easier for her to mount Pyrope who was far better suited to her size than Serafin. The dryad sat upright in the saddle, shifting around to get comfortable, and she looked grudgingly impressed.

“It is certainly much more comfortable,” she admitted, and then she gave me a smile. “I’ll miss your warmth.”

“You will be able to create your own using my magic once you are initiated,” I assured her before the words could impact me too visibly. Especially with my parents watching and listening to the conversation. “But for now,” I said, trailing off as I focused on summoning my armour onto her like I had before. “This will keep you warm.”

Summer cooed happily and wrapped her arms around herself as if she were hugging my armour.

“Gods, I love how warm it is! Is it magic?” she asked, and I nodded wordlessly while Rian spoke in my mind.

Tràigh Tùr now , he called us, his voice echoing down the bond to all the riders except for Summer who was still marveling at my gauntlets.

“How does it fit both of us so perfectly?” she asked.

“You felt the weight of it forming on your body before the armour solidified?” I confirmed, and she nodded as I walked toward the open middle of the tent. “That is the armour altering its shape to fit the form I have called it to. I cannot drastically alter its shape, but it accommodates different sizes,” I told her before I began to form a portal. “There is some fruit in your saddlebag if you want it for the flight. We have been summoned,” I informed her.

“He really did mean we were going early,” she sighed, sliding down from her vargr. “Do you ever sleep in?”

“One day soon I will let you sleep all day,” I swore.

My father kissed my mother on her forehead, and then the three of us stepped through my portal with the vargr close behind.

We emerged at the top of Tràigh Tùr, and I turned in anticipation to see Summer’s first reaction to being on the glittering coast of the Iar Mar. I watched as she closed her eyes to appreciate the sun on her face, and her nostrils flared as she breathed in the warm, salty breeze. Then her eyes opened to take in the coastline and myriad of tropical islands, ships, and barges. Her gaze swept southward from the Feurin Fjord on the right to the breathtaking peaks of the Nabaneese Mountains and tropical forests on the left. Then she turned, the wind whipping her hair which I had combed free of mud and leaves the night before and then rebraided. She looked at the army on the plains below the watchtower and beyond to the grasslands and farmland.

I’d always known she would love it here, but the pure rapture on her face made me wish we’d had time to come so much sooner.

“Welcome to the coast of Iar Mar,” said Rian’s voice, and we both glanced behind us where my cousin was already astride his vargr. Darragh was also seated next to him while Ciaran finished tightening his saddle. I was the only one not in armour, but I was not bothered by it when I knew how badly the cold affected Summer.

“It’s incredible,” Summer admitted as she looked back down at our army below the tower. “How many?”

“Why would you want to know?” Ciaran demanded, even more moody than usual after such a short sleep.

“Aw, did you not get your beauty rest?” she retorted immediately, every bit as intolerant as him on little sleep.

Ciaran turned slowly to glare at her, but she merely gave him one of her sharp, taunting grins that seemed to dare him to retaliate. His eyes swept to me instead.

“Where is your armour, little doe? Still cannot manage to summon it to you?”

“ Children , please do not fight,” Rian begged them as Summer flattened her ears at Ciaran, and then my cousin nodded to my mother. “Thank you for accompanying us to Aes Mirr. Though we seem to be miserable company this morning.”

“Anything you need, Rian,” she told him, and I did not miss the significance of her tone. I could tell she wanted nothing more than to hug her nephew, but she knew as well as I did that he would not welcome or allow it.

“Where is the witch?” Summer asked as she planted her foot firmly in her stirrup to mount her vargr again.

“She is resting. You will have the opportunity to meet her once we have returned,” Rian advised all of us.

Serafin consented when I used our bond to ask him to carry my mother, so I climbed into my saddle, and gave her a hand to pull her up behind me.

“I am not sure about this,” she confided to me quietly, squeezing me rather tightly in her nervousness when she wrapped her arms around me.

“You will be alright. I won’t let you fall,” I assured her as I patted her arm in assurance, but her death grip only increased as the other vargr began to take flight.

I resisted the urge to pry her hands off my stomach and looked to Summer who watched the other riders. Then she glanced at me, saw my nod, and bent into Pyrope to give her the command with her knees which she learned while riding with me. She began to climb into the sky, and I was unable to help feeling immense pride as I watched her.

“I am so happy for you, Sage,” said my mother, and I realized I had been staring after Summer for too long.

“Ready?”

“As I shall ever be,” she answered, squeezing me tight again when I bent forward.

We followed the others at a distance so that I could keep an eye on my anam , but all the time she’d spent on Serafin had paid off. She already looked exceptionally comfortable flying on her own.

My mother, on the other hand, felt like she was trying to squeeze me in half. And just as she was starting to relax, Rian formed a portal in the sky ahead into which each of us flew one after the other. My mother gave a gasp just before we entered, and in a heartbeat, we went from the humid warmth of Feura to the cool crispness of the Raveina Mountains.

We were north of our village, but I could see the smoke rising in the distance where it had been destroyed. My mother gave a sigh at the sight of the plumes and shuddered against my back.

“They will answer for what they did,” I promised her over my shoulder and squeezed her hand until I felt her nod in agreement.

We flew closer to the mountains to take advantage of the updrafts that helped carry us northward even faster with minimal effort from our vargr. I wished I could speak into Summer’s mind to know what she was thinking and feeling while flying on her own. I settled for getting closer to gauge her expression, and her smile was pure euphoria. So I remained near, unable to help myself from stealing glances at her when she was not looking.

“Have you talked about it?” my mother asked abruptly, and I felt like an imbecile when I realized that she could see my head turning toward the dryad.

“About what?”

“Oh, do not play the fool with me, Sage DorTìodhlac!” chastised my mother. “Have you discussed the future with your anam of whom you are so fond?” she spelled out.

“No, and nor can we right now. It is complicated.”

“Complicated like it was “complicated” whenever you decided not to tell anyone she was your anam or really and truly complicated?” she retorted. I hissed in feigned pain when her sarcastic words found their mark.

“I am sorry I did not tell you.”

“And have you not learned from that experience?”

“This is different! She has already said that she doesn’t want to entertain a relationship with anyone for a while. Perhaps not ever,” I clarified.

My mother was thoughtful for a moment as she mulled over this revelation. I could see the haze of white smoke from cooking fires rising ahead and knew that we were quickly approaching Aes Mirr.

“Did she perhaps mean that she does not want relations with anyone other than… you ? After meeting your anam , why would either of you desire anyone else? If she cannot be with you, then maybe she would rather be alone.”

“I won’t presume to be the exception. The bond means something different to her in her culture than it does to us. It is not romantic but a tool for abuse.”

“Yes, but she trusts you, Sage. My gods, you are both drawn to one another like lodestones!” my mother insisted with some amusement. “I have observed it for some time, even before I knew what she was to you, but it is like the very essences within you are magnetized by one another. You react when she comes near. Like you innately know where she is at all times. Did you know that?”

It was hard to believe I really was that oblivious to my own behaviour. It was no wonder Orlaith had known that something was brewing between me and Summer.

“What is the harm of being honest? You thought she’d be upset that you were her anam , and you were wrong,” my mother continued when I did not respond.

“The harm is that it could undermine her whole sense of safety. You don’t know her as I do. She is so terrified to lose her security here that knowing how I felt about her would put pressure on her to accommodate me.”

I felt my mother hesitate as she recognized what I was telling her.

“I need to wait for her to be the one to indicate whether or not that is something she desires from me,” I clarified, reassuring her that I did want to explore this possibility. Gods, I wanted it more every day. And I’d been trying so damned hard to be impartial and platonic with Summer. I’d even gone so far as to talk about other relationships as if it were something I could ever stomach just to make sure that she did not feel any pressure.

But I wanted her. I wanted her desperately.

“I think it will be much sooner than you think, Sage,” my mother predicted, drawing my attention to Summer who was watching me in apparent concern. She grinned when I caught her staring, and I realized that I must have looked rather pensive.

My mother was quiet for the remainder of the flight until we passed over Aes Mirr and then banked back. Rian in the lead, we began circling the village, descending closer to the yurts and crowd of people gathering beneath. Eventually, I could hear their shouts as they cleared a space for us to land.

Rian touched down first, followed by Darragh, Ciaran, Summer, and finally me. No one dismounted until all five vargr were on the ground and then we all disembarked at once behind Rian.

Eive the Shadow Banshee was waiting in the front of the crowd, her arms crossed and her scarred face troubled. She was relieved to see my mother once I dismounted and lifted her down from Serafin.

“Asha, thank the gods!” said Eive before they clasped hands in greeting once my mother reached her.

I went to stand next to Summer, and I noticed it when she swayed toward me, brushing her shoulder against me as if to acknowledge my presence at her side. Her fingers even brushed mine as if she had wanted to take my hand but refrained at the last second.

My mother was right. It was like we couldn’t help but touch one another. I just didn’t know if it meant anything more to her or if she merely felt safe with me.

“Are you alright? It seemed you were having a rather sombre conversation with your mother,” she whispered.

I could not help but smile at her assertion of concern, and my fingers brushed hers in acknowledgement almost of their own accord. Since I met her, Summer had been woefully oblivious and sometimes willfully indifferent to the feelings of others, so showing awareness and genuine worry for me was significant for her.

“I’m alright,” I assured, and I felt her drift even closer to me when my thumb caressed her hand.

“You have come with interesting company,” I heard Eive telling my mother. “Rian,” the Sua added to my cousin and inclined her head as he did so both of them showed one another mutual respect. “Smoke was rising in the south all day yesterday, and your teine ceangal went suddenly cold,” Eive added to my mother. Referring to ancient stones that were gifted to our people long ago by one of our ancestors, a fire god called Elius, which could be used with fire to communicate over great distances. There were only four accounted for after Rian’s village was pillaged and the fifth stone had undoubtedly been carried off by some unsuspecting Fuath. “I sent my scouts to check on you and warned Imogen and Sassha.”

“It is very unlikely your scouts will return. I am sorry,” my mother whispered, squeezing Eive’s hands when the other Sua became upset. “The Fuath moved unexpectedly fast in the night. If it were not for the great efforts of the Wild Hunt, our entire village might have been lost.”

She had gestured at us, but there were already plenty of eyes appraising our silent ranks, most notably Summer. They had likely heard by now that Aodhan was replaced, and this was their first look at the new rider who was also the first female rider.

“You are undoubtedly the next target,” my mother told Eive who nodded in resignation. “They have a mage who erected a ward that protects them in sunlight in addition to the magic I already told you about that hid their cave.”

“Then they are still very close to us,” Eive guessed, and many of her people began to shift with discomfort as their eyes turned southward toward the imminent threat.

“You need to move. Now,” my mother advised the other Sua. “How I wish I’d had the chance to do so.”

Eive drew in a deep breath, looking emotional as she turned to look at another female in the crowd with a child strapped to her chest. I was pretty sure the redhead was Eive’s lifemate, and the child was her adopted daughter.

“I do not wish to abandon our homes to monsters,” Eive objected, but I could tell that she knew there was no choice in the matter now.

“You are not abandoning your lands,” Rian spoke up as he walked forward to stand with my mother. “You are merely ensuring your people are safe so that my riders and I can purge the Fuath.”

“Death or the destruction of our home? Are those truly our only options? What of the Light Wraith and the plan to meet them in battle?” she asked.

“I do not intend to destroy your home,” Rian insisted. “While it would make my work faster and easier, I swear to restrain my power and those of my riders so long as the Fuath are not an immediate threat. But I cannot make that promise to you whilst your people are at risk.”

Eive nodded, reluctantly conceding his point before inclining her head to him in acknowledgment. “You have lost much, but you need not fight this war alone, Rian. They have threatened us all.”

“This has less to do with my desire for vengeance and more to do with preserving lives. It is your essences and your magic that hold that darkness at bay,” he reminded her as he cast his arm back in the direction of the blight. “Your lives have meaning in a far greater struggle than the one the Fuath would bring to you. So allow me to do what I am best at and destroy these monsters quickly.”

Our leader has such a way with words, does he not? Ciaran smirked down the bond.

Rian certainly knew how to set minds at ease as well as he knew how to inspire them. It was evidenced by the way Eive’s shoulders rolled down in relief even while her chin lifted with her resolve.

“Very well, Rian. If you say you can destroy this threat without laying waste to our homes or risking the lives of my people then I will not stand in your way.”