Page 100 of Bane of the Wild Hunt

“Their home on the Steppes is at great risk from the blight. They tried to migrate north to safety and were attacked by Nabeene, so they were all too eager to join in our ranks. We’ve been enforcing the notion of bodily autonomy and consent with them for a few years. It has been a difficult concept for them to grasp,” Sage admitted with a sigh. “This is Rian,” he added with a nod at the tent ahead.

I looked ahead, expecting a dwelling befitting the rank of the Autumn Prince, but his tent looked just like Sage’s which had looked just like all the others. There was very little to distinguish the homes aside from a few personal touches such as painted canvas walls or decor made from plants, beads, antlers, furs, feathers, and silk. But I had seen evidence of many cultures, some I had recognized and others that were unfamiliar.

Rian had beads hanging in his doorway like the ones that the aes sídhe strung up. It hurt my heart to see it since I knew he had lost his family and village.

Sage dropped my hand to step ahead of me and parted the beads for me to pass into the anteroom of Rian’s tent. The sounds of the camp outside were muted by another ward, but I could now hear voices rising from inside.

“—cannot be serious,” Ciaran was saying very loudly, and the sound of his agitated voice made me instantly roll my eyes. Was healwayscomplaining at someone?

“I do not need your permission, Ciaran. I will fight this war the best way I can with every tool at my disposal,” Rian retorted, sounding as if he had finally lost his temper after a drawn out argument. Despite having only spoken to him a few times, there was no mistaking the dulcet tones of the Autumn Prince. His voice was like black silk. Smooth and cool.

Sage went ahead of me to enter the main tent, and I stayed just a step behind him, admiring all Rians cloaks and footwear. Hehad much more than Sage, but I was not sure if that was because he liked to shop or if some of it had belonged to my… to Aodhan.

“Of course you don’t need permission, that is not what upsets me! You wentalone!” Ciaran insisted.

“Sage and Ornella have arrived,” interrupted Darragh over the beginning of Rian’s response just as we reached the second doorway.

The interior of Rian’s tent was similar to the layout in Sage’s with the curtained area for sleeping on the right, the shelving and weapons on the left, and a cold hearth in the middle. Rian’s tent had more furniture than Sage’s with pieces of pottery, statues, and paintings in various frames stacked against the wall of the tent. His table was much larger with a massive map on it covered in pawns.

Rather than pillows on the ground, like the rest of the aes sídhe, Rian had a large couch piled in cushions on which he was sprawled. I thought he looked much more like an opulent merchant surrounded by art and musical instruments, rather than a warlord. Especially with a good number of wine bottles and a large and ornate water pipe on the table in front of him.

We stepped fully into the room, and my senses were assaulted first by the scent of smoke clinging to the walls. The smell prompted me to look harder, and I realized that many of the art frames, beautiful furniture, and pottery were cracked. There were broken pieces of glass, wood, and charred clothing swept under tables and into corners. It seemed to me like he had destroyed his tent in a fit of rage and then barely managed to put it all back together into a semblance of order.

I had no doubt it was me who caused him to do that weeks ago before he left for the Winter Court.

“Ciaran assured me you were both well, but it is good to see it for myself,” said a familiar voice.

“Carrick!” I gasped, stepping eagerly out from behind Sage as his father strode across the room to clap his son affectionately on the shoulders. Then the aes sídhe male looked at me with one of his warm smiles, and before I’d quite realized what I was about to do, I had thrown my arms around him. He was as surprised as I was, but he did not hesitate to squeeze me back, and it felt really good.

“It is about time,” Ciaran muttered, crossing his arms with a glare that zeroed in on me when I stepped back from Carrick. The blond rider stood to the right of Rian who was laying on the couch and pinching the bridge of his nose in obvious vexation.

Sage ignored Ciaran when Rian lowered his hand and tilted his head up so the cousins could lock eyes. It was hard to decide what his expression meant, but it was very evident that he was struggling with the emotion.

Rian sat forward abruptly and reached for a bottle of wine on the squat, rounded table in front of him without breaking Sage’s gaze.

“Drink?” Rian suggested.

Sage accepted this invitation, giving his father a quick squeeze on his elbow, and then I followed him deeper into Rian’s tent. I tried not to step on his heels, but it felt very much like walking into a den of rabid beasts. The last time I had faced the Wild Hunt all together like this was the day that I’d accidentally joined them.

The scent of thecneasúherb Rian was smoking was sweet and familiar, covering up the smell of burnt clothes as we got closer. I had not seen Darragh to the left of Rian until the demidragon moved out of the shadow of a large armoire. He gave me a nod of acknowledgement but was otherwise impassive and stern.

Rian passed Sage the bottle when he got close enough, and then ran a rough hand back through his hair to push some of the loose strands out of his face. He was agitated and moody,and I was pretty sure he was high. Or drunk. Perhaps even both which made me rather jealous since it had been a while since I’d even seen a water pipe like his. The lidded, egg-shaped bowl at the top, the elaborately detailed stem, and the wand-like mouthpiece looked to be made entirely from silver. The triangular base was glass and the long hose that attached to the mouthpiece would be made from tightly braided reeds.

Sage had accepted the bottle from his cousin but was staring at it without uncorking it or raising it to his lips.

“Rian—” he began.

“Do we need to talk about it? We have enough issues to discuss,” Rian interrupted his cousin before he finally raised his eyes to me. “Do you smoke? Please tell me you will smoke this with me. None of these other pricks will,” he said and jerked his chin to encompass the others.

My brows rose, but I could not help a tempted glance at the pipe while I nibbled my lip in consideration.

“Youdosmoke. I can always count on the dryads for some fun. Come sit down,” Rian ordered.

I stepped forward, ignoring Sage’s glance, the snort of amusement from Darragh, and the glare from Ciaran as I rounded the low table. I would have sat at the far side of the couch, away from the Autumn Prince, but he patted the cushion next to him when I attempted to sink down.

If he wanted to kill me, there was not much I could do about it now with my power completely obliterated.

And hiscneasúsmelled divine.

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