Page 154 of Bane of the Wild Hunt

“It is not… She is not…” Ciaran sputtered, but then he fell silent, his face a brittle mask of stoicism that was cracking all over. I almost felt bad for him. I had already become a victim of Nuala’s invasive clairvoyance, but at least my secrets had all been spilled in relative privacy.

“It is better to be open and honest about these things, lest they begin to poison us,” said Darragh, who must have quietly entered the tent while Nuala was speaking. The demidragon clasped Ciaran’s other shoulder tightly on his way to stand in front of me and Nuala. He nodded to me before his silver eyes began to appraise the witch.

“You look much better, my lady,” he admitted with his usual apathetic smile that betrayed no emotion.

“Thank you. And you need not fear from me either, Guardian. Although I may become an unwilling source of contention for a short time, rest assured, I will ultimately bring you what you truly need,” she advised him.

Darragh’s brows furrowed and his mouth tightened as he glanced at Rian in uncertainty.

“He did not tell me of your fears. I overheard them,” she assured the dragon who had the good grace to look chagrined before he inclined his head as if in apology.

“You already bloodied the dress I acquired for you?”

“That was my fault. I had to break her nose in order to fix it properly,” I told the dragon whose brows condensed in further sympathy for Nuala. He had obviously seen her before I healedher, and maybe when Rian first brought her back as well. There was suddenly a great deal more emotion than I’d ever seen in his eyes although it was hard to decide what it meant.

But the witch merely smiled as she reached up to run all her fingers down either side of the straightened bridge of her nose. “It hurt all the time before,” she revealed. “Now it finally feels right.”

“You had to break her nose?” verified Ciaran. He did not sound judgemental so I opted to answer him nicely.

“I did not have another choice. I had to break many of her bones to heal them. Including just about everything in both of her hands,” I admitted over my shoulder.

He did not respond, but I was now intent on observing Darragh who seemed captivated by the witch.

“Thank you for the dress. It is the prettiest thing I have ever worn,” Nuala told him as if she knew he needed a bit of reassurance. As if she knew whatever internal struggle was making him look at her like she was a ghost.

And the strangest thing happened. Darragh had been kind enough, although he seemed apathetic in general, but I could almost see the ice thawing in his eyes when Nuala smiled at him. He inclined his head, and then he walked around us to take up a position right behind her as if he had just decided to become her personal guardian.

“Now you have all met Nuala,” said Rian as he also walked over to take up position next to Darragh behind me and Nuala. He leaned over the couch with his palms braced wide apart on the wooden rail. “I have heard all of your concerns regarding the two newest additions to our inner ranks, and I have given it all much careful thought. My verdict is that Ornella was chosen to join us and has proven herself both valuable and amenable. I will hear no more objections to her taking her place in the WildHunt, and furthermore, she must be initiatedsoon. Our ranks cannot remain divided and uncoordinated much longer.”

He raised his brows sternly at me when I looked up at him in surprise. Once I nodded, Rian looked to Ciaran who also nodded in reluctant understanding.

“Good. As for Nuala, she has also proven herself to be both valuable and amenable. I anticipate some discontent when we introduce her to our war council. But the close relationships that you have all built with our captains will be instrumental in mediating. You will all set the tone for how sheandOrnella are both received. Remember it.”

There was quiet as the riders gave a nod of agreement, and I noticed Carrick smiling at Rian. Pleased with him.

“We are the Wild Hunt,” the Autumn Prince continued. “Our ranks change, but our mission never does. And our enemies have been making dangerous moves whilst we have been preoccupied with infighting and the Fuath.”

“You have news?” guessed Sage in concern.

“Our spies in the Spring Court indicate King Riordan may be looking for King Balor,” Rian informed us.

“He is looking for allies,” I deduced, and Rian inclined his head in confirmation that this is what he suspected. “We need to talk to him quickly and explain about the Rot before he makes any moves against us,” I urged him.

“I want you to write a note warning him that we are coming for negotiations so he does not attempt to kill us on sight. We will go just as soon as our people are made safe from the Fuath,” Rian reassured me. “We have been looking for the Spring King for years. It is unlikely that King Riordan will find him first,” he added to the others.

“You want to force him to abdicate to a younger and stronger monarch,” I recalled. “Is that even possible for a fey king or queen to pass on their power?”

“The monarchs would want you to believe otherwise, but it is,” insisted Rian. “They claim it was the death of the Summer Queen which caused their decline. But I have read accounts from before that time which claimed they were already diminishing. It is my belief that their power should have been passed on long ago, the way that griffin royals pass on their power to keep it strong and pure,” Rian explained. “But the fey held onto their power for far too long, and now it is stagnant.”

“Changing the ruler might not help,” I pointed out.

“No, but the chance that it may make all the difference should be worth sacrificing their titles,” Rian insisted.

I could not disagree with him. “You told them?”

“I did, and they refused. And since I am the only one who can make them atone for their egotism, they further disgrace themselves by hiding from me,” he admitted.

“What will you do to them?” I could not help asking, but it was Nuala who answered.

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