Page 202 of Bane of the Wild Hunt

I was about to ask how close it was to try and gauge what I should do, or if there was even anything Icoulddo, but then I felt it as well. I heard the rending like fabric tearing deep in my essence that belonged to the Tithriall. Leaving me breathless and torn.

My skin prickled, and my magic stirred when the air seemed to heat and become charged with immense energy that was moving quickly somewhere in the Four Courts. Unfathomable magic moving and changing and…

Collapsing.

I looked up to meet Carrick’s eyes, and he felt it too, which meant that this was happeningnow. This was not a vision from Nuala nor one of my own premonitions.

“It is starting,” she confirmed, and then she blinked, clearing away the white from her eyes as the marking on her forehead disappeared again.

What is happening?Sage wanted to know, his voice a frantic plea down the bond, but I was as uncertain.

Éadrom bristled, half rising over Nuala on the bed as if he meant to protect her, and the sound of hooven feet in the main room of my tent sent me to my feet. I pushed Carrick back, drew my sword and allowed my shadows to leap readily into my palms as I strode out.

Only to see one of my Spring Court fey spies sinking to his furry knees before the satyr gave a hollow cry.

“Finley! What happened?” I demanded, banishing my magic and sheathing my blade before running to him. There did not appear to be any blood on him, but he was wailing like he’d just lost everything.

“Balor… took his court… Thousands of kelpies went with him into the Vale… The Spring Court is collapsing… There is no stopping it now,” he sobbed.

The sheer horror of what he was telling me made me slow to react, but then a thundering rage filled my veins. My hands rose away from Finley as my power writhed with a dangerous fury inside me and leaked into the air.

Everyone to me, now! We ride to the Vale,I sent the command down the bond to all the riders I could reach, and then rose to summon my armour.

I felt a hand on my arm and turned to find Nuala who was shaking her head at me frantically.

“Rian, do not go,” she urged.

“I have to! Fey are dying,” I reminded her as the others began to arrive, all of them wearing their armour except for Sage who had given his to Ornella. But Nuala pulled on me with a strength that was surprising from a mortal before I could command Ornella to summon her own.

“Rian. Do. Not. Go!” she insisted firmly.

I wavered, weighing the look of fear in her eyes for a moment before I took her hand and gently prised her fingers free from my armour.

“I must,” I insisted, and then I turned to my riders because time was of the essence, and we needed to move.

“There is no saving the Spring Court, but we can portal as many of our people out as possible,” I told them.

“Where? They cannot stay here,” Sage reminded me. “They will be diminished.”

“We will have to take them to the Spring Quadrant in the Vale,” I admitted, spitting the words in resentment before turning to Ornella. “You needyourarmour.”

“Rian!” shouted Nuala, grabbing at my arm again. “Do not do this. I cannot See, there is too much light, but there is something sinister waiting for—”

“I will be back,” I assured her, “my brothers will be there with me, and we will protect one another.”

“Rian—” Carrick tried to speak from where he stood at the entrance to my bedchamber.

I did not have the time to reassure them, more people were dying while we stood arguing, so I turned away.

“I am sorry, but I cannot stand by while millions of fey are lost like this. I just cannot do that!” I shouted.Hold her back, I added to Darragh when I saw that Nuala was lunging for me again.

I tuned out her screams to focus on casting my mind into the Tithriall that was in writhing chaos. It took much more concentration and strength of will for me to push through and latch onto where we needed to be. The place where I could sense the biggest concentration of fey.

And then I formed a portal to the Vale with my riders right behind me, and Nuala’s screams echoing behind.

The Wild Hunt stepped through the portal as one, and I closed it quickly behind us to prevent Nuala or Carrick or any of the vargr from coming through after us. Enraged as I was at what had happened, I had no intention to fight. Ouronlypriority was getting as many Spring Court fey to safety as possible, and vargrwere too unpredictable. Although I’d happily allow them to tear all the griffins apart when it came time to deal with this tragedy.

We were in the Spring Quadrant and surrounded by griffins and Spring fey who all bristled at our arrival.

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