Chapter 20 #2
Thornwood’s eyes widened. He turned back toward the main path, racing to it with Mouse close on his heels. He touched the ground where the two courses met, and his eyes closed tight.
“What are you doing?” Mouse asked.
“Looking for the seam of the spell. If there is any fraying, I will have a clearer picture of the various parts. It’s difficult while separated from my power, but I might be able to pick it apart.”
He dug his fingers into the thin gap between the stone and plain dirt.
Then, he moved his hands up and down the line, pressing each finger into the hole in a sequence known only to him.
The movement reminded Mouse of a harpist strumming an instrument.
Finally, his fingers snagged on something, and he pulled upward.
Thornwood’s features shifted as he strained against the invisible force.
A slash appeared in the air, as small as a coin.
Thornwood released the magic, sinking to his knees.
“You were right. This path was for guests,” he wheezed.
“So, something is wrong with the spell?”
“Yes and no,” he said. “The spell is working as intended. The hunters hunt, and the creature is hunted. But the rules aren’t working anymore, giving the hunters the advantage.”
“How do the rules of a Tapestry Hunt usually work?” Mouse asked.
“More often than not, the caster grows tired of the spell before it finishes properly, but traditionally the enchantment ends when the creature or mortal dies. Since the caster left without ending this spell, it has been playing on a loop all this time. It is likely that the enchantment on Thistlemarsh itself latched onto this errant magic, as it is very strong.”
“So, if the Tapestry Hunt was working correctly, the guests could leave as soon as the hunt ended. If we can fix it, we can walk out just as easily as one of the Faerie King’s guests. How do we stop the spell from repeating now?”
“We cannot fix it unless you have a hidden penchant for tapestry magic.”
“We are trapped, then.” Mouse slumped down at the edge of the path. She ran her palms over her eyelids, and she thought of the creature’s pale blue irises. “The hunters always catch the creature, right?”
“Yes. The creature is meant to frighten the hunters, but the hunters always win.”
“What if we changed that?”
“Why?”
“In this Tapestry Hunt, the hunters winning is not how to end the spell. Perhaps the spell may break safely if the creature destroys the hunters.”
“How do you propose we fashion a win for the creature? Somehow, I doubt that we will get far speaking to it rationally.”
“No, but we can start by giving it a fair advantage, while distracting the hunters at the same time.”
“With what? Are you willing to risk the chance that they attack you instead?”
“If they consider themselves gentlemen, which they will if they are the spirits of Dewhursts, then a lady asking for their help on the side of the road might distract them enough to give the creature an advantage.”
“You have a disturbing faith in your family. What if they are not gentlemen and discern, correctly, that you are an untrustworthy distraction?”
“Then I will give you enough time to lure the creature out to the hunters without their noticing. Unless you have a better idea,” Mouse said, swallowing the fear in her throat, “then I think my plan is our best option.”
A few silent moments passed between them, with Thornwood searching on either side of the path as though an idea might appear there as the hunters and the creature had. Finally, he sighed.
“Fine, I admit I cannot think of anything better.”
“Brilliant,” Mouse said. “Where should we go to meet them?”
“We should find the creature first. The hunters will have their horn with them, and we should be able to track them using that. Our plan will be useless if we meet the hunters before the creature reincarnates.”
They sped down the path and reached the tree where they had first encountered the tiger. It was empty. They listened to the stillness of the forest. Mouse closed her eyes, trying to pinpoint any change in the trees.
As if on cue, a growl split the silence, and a force collided with Mouse.
She fell to the ground. Her sleeve caught on the rocks, ripping at the shoulder.
She opened her eyes to find the tiger crouched low over her, its jaws open and its eyes burning.
She screamed and threw out her legs to kick the animal.
At the same time, a half-formed bolt of electricity hit the tiger in the side and skimmed over Mouse’s pinned hands.
The tiger vaulted back. It hissed and circled as Thornwood lifted Mouse to her feet.
“We are trying to help you, wretch,” Thornwood snapped.
He flicked his hand, and a crackling whip of green lightning extended from his palm, curling on the ground at his feet.
Thornwood’s magic winked in and out as it vibrated against the ground.
Mouse saw beads of sweat spring up on his forehead as the magic flickered.
The tiger’s eyes trained on the lash, and it bared its teeth.
Thornwood twisted his wrist, and the whip cracked outward to the side of the cat. It watched the whip but did not budge.
The horn sounded. Mouse waited anxiously for the creature to dash away as it had before, but it did not. Instead, its eyes focused on the lash. Its ears flicked back to the path every few seconds, but it did not move.
“I do not want to hurt you,” Thornwood said, “but if you make me, I will force you down to meet the hunt. Perhaps the spell will end if you destroy each other.”
The whip slithered over the ground, and the tiger moved its head in line with it.
“Wait, Thornwood,” Mouse said. He paused midlift. The electricity crackled at his side. “Do that again.”
“I was just about to.”
“Not the full lash, just the shake.”
His brow furrowed, but he shook the lash as she directed. The creature’s head followed it in a tight squiggle. Mouse bit down around a delighted, if hysterical, laugh.
“It is just a big cat. If we are careful, we can lure it out,” she said. The creature’s tail twitched, but its eyes were trained to the whip’s tip.