Page 42 of Kings and Monsters

Rosa wasn't listening. She was seven again, fascinated and horrified, with a dark part of her vibrating with dangerous admiration. The stories of Gwyn had always been some of her favorites. She wasn't a child anymore, even if he insisted on calling her girl. She knew one thing for certain. If she was going to save Balthasar, she was going to need Gwyn's help, and she would lie, manipulate, and cheat her way to get it if she had to.

"Return the hospitality I once gave you. Take us with you, unharmed. I'll tell you a story and make you a bargain that will give you your heart's desire," Rosa said as confidently asshe could. It was lucky that living with the Vanes had taught her never to be intimidated by a man's scowl because the very thunder was silenced by the look he gave her.

"What would you know of my heart, Rosamund Wylt?" Gwyn hissed.

"I know it's filled with vengeance, as is mine. Let me ride with you," Rosa said. She held up her hand to Gwyn. After a long hesitation, he grasped it, and she felt the thrum of his magic burning under his hot skin. He lifted her up onto the horse behind him before gesturing to Merlin and Arthur.

"Bring them. Make sure Merlin is guarded. He's not to be trusted," Gwyn commanded.

"Good to know your reputation reaches so far, you mad wizard," Arthur whispered.

"Call me a wizard again, and I'll make you sleep for another thousand years," Merlin managed before two guards came forward, and they were hauled onto horses.

Rosa was unsure if she should hold onto Gwyn, but when they started to move, she didn't have a choice. She grabbed him tightly around his waist as his faerie mount bolted through the darkness. Trees whipped past them until she realized they were riding along sea cliffs, the dark churning water turning white with every flash of lightning. She stopped feeling so terrified and began to relish the sensation of speed, power, and the wild violence of the ride.

Gwyn's magic spilled out around them, and the horse banked right before leaping straight off the cliff and into the air. Rosa looked behind her, and the rest of the Hunt charged fearlessly after them. She couldn't see Merlin or Arthur, but in a weird way, she trusted that Gwyn would ensure they were safe enough.

What had Merlin done to him?

Merlin had purposely not mentioned the bounty to Bleddyn, knowing he would be thrown into a dungeon for his own safety.It didn't surprise her that Merlin had managed to piss off the Lord of the Hunt—he would've put Christ's patience to the test—but why risk Gwyn's wrath by summoning him?

It dawned too late on Rosa that maybe Merlin wasn't as calm and clearheaded about Nimue being taken as what he made out. Would he really do something as stupid as to hand himself over to Gwyn on the slim chance he was given an audience?Yes, he most definitely would.

Rosa turned her head to face the wind, the roaring drowning out all thoughts, but one. How was she going to stop Gwyn from killing them all?

Rosa let the energy of the Hunt overwhelm her, submitting to the madness that called out beneath her grief. She wallowed in it, and for the first time since Balthasar was taken, the pain in her chest eased. Her magic mingled with Gwyn's, and the booming of drums and hooves, the keening of hunting horns and prey, rolled through her, filling her with the pulsating roar of battle.

The sword at her side sang out to be used, to clash steel against steel, to cleave her enemies and drown in their blood. Time seemed to blur, and all that mattered was the thrill of the chase and the wildness of the forest.

It was barely dawn when the Hunt started to slow, and they landed in a forest, falling down from the sky in a seamless wave. Rosa struggled to untangle her magic from Gwyn's, a part of her unwilling to let go. They came to the mouth of a massive cave, and Gwyn slid from the saddle before lifting her down.

"Come, Rosamund Wylt, there is much we need to discuss."

"Where are Merlin and Arthur?" she asked, searching the fierce warrior faces for any sign of them.

"They are safe enough, and I don't wish to talk to them. Only you." Gwyn turned towards the cave. "I give you a day to state your case to me."

Rosa followed him into the dark entrance of the cave, trying not to feel like she was walking into Hell's mouth. With every step Gwyn took, torches flared along the cave walls until they came to a cavern with a clear, steaming pool. A bed of furs was piled in one corner, and logs to sit on were placed around a large burning fire pit. Rosa shrugged off her pack and sat down next to the flames, unsure of how to proceed next.

Gwyn seemed unperturbed by the silence. He pulled the horned helm from his head, and for the first time, Rosa saw the face of the Lord of the Hunt. Long black hair hung in a tangled braid over one massive shoulder, his black beard was trimmed short over skin as brown as chestnuts. Silvery predator eyes were bright as they looked at her, and she had the uneasy feeling of being stalked. Without a flicker of embarrassment, he stripped off his clothes, and Rosa hastily looked away, only looking back when he had settled in the hot spring.

"Do you always negotiate in the bath?" she couldn't resist asking.

"You could always join me," he replied with a rumble of laughter.

"Uh, flattered, but no, thank you." Rosa was starting to wonder what he thought negotiations entailed.

"Rest easy. I can see your heart belongs to another," he said. "I suppose he is the reason you have come to me? Only love can push someone to such desperate means, especially when their cousin is the treacherous Merlin Wylt."

"Can I ask why you put a bounty out on him? I know he can be an annoying prick, but he's not a bad guy deep down."

"He destroyed a place most sacred to me," Gwyn growled.

The penny dropped, and Rosa groaned. "Glastonbury. Of course. Gwyn, he didn't mean for that to happen."

"He was a foolish child with too much power, and the magic in that place that he drained with his battle against Morganbelonged to me. Then he put his own back there, sealing me off from it forever. That land has been mine for more than six millennia, and he killed it." Gwyn rose out of the water with a splash, and Rosa made a point of maintaining eye contact.

"He didn't know what else to do. I can assure you, it wasn't purposely to keep you out," Rosa tried to explain, her mind racing. "You have every right to be angry at his stupidity. Honestly, it surprises me how stupid he can be after such a long life, but please don't kill him. We can fix all of it. I swear to you."

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