I smile at him, the cant of my lips not entirely easy going. “You should do the same. We don’t know how long we’ll be out there, so it’s best to travel heavy because we won’t have the time to send someone back for provisions if we need them and we’re in a time crunch.”
“Fair enough, you mind if I raid your chest of weapons?” He motions toward the giant trunk next to my wardrobe.
“Be my guest.” He dives in, the clanging of metal weapons like music to my ears as he hunts for the perfect ones to borrow.
I zone out as I finish lacing up my boots, adding an ankle holster to each side, and try to ready myself for the day ahead. One by one, I touch each of the weapons, memorizing the exact movements it takes to grab each one so I can do it by muscle memory.
I’ll be taking Ambush and Grave with us, which means the rest of the hunters will be leaving their hounds behind so they don’t try to kill each other. Riding on horseback will mean that we cover more ground quicker, but at the same time, I’m nervous that being that high up, I’ll miss something.
Whoever has done this has been incredibly careful to cover their trail and lay false ones all through out, distracting the hounds and hunters alike. The last thing any of us want to be doing is chasing our tails and false leads for hours or days on end.
First up on the agenda, I know that we’re heading straight for the border of the Redcap Kingdom, seeing as how those men had been called back after a hard day’s ride there and another day back.
I stare off into space, hands on my hips as I try to quell my paranoia before it gets out of control. Deep breaths in, deep breaths out.
I’ll find him, and he’ll be just fine, if not surly about the fact that someone got the drop on him. Kapriel taps my elbow. “You ready?”
I look up at him, finding the same determination in his eyes that I’ve seen every time we head out to find or capture someone. “Yeah, let’s go.” I pat my leg and click my tongue, the command bringing both Ambush and Grave to their feet and out the door. I lock it behind us, dropping the key into a pocket in my pants, moving swiftly toward the hall where we’re meeting the rest of our party.
At this hour, Castle Tor is oddly quiet. As though even the creatures that share space with us know that now is the time for sleeping, not rallying a search party and gunning for blood.
Draven and Maxen are already down there when we arrive, and we move to stand next to them, giving a quiet greeting to the few men whose names I’ve forgotten who are standing with them. Bartol and Edern walk in at the same time we do, both with grim lines painted across their mouths.
Draven tips his head to me, giving me the floor, and I clear my throat, stepping forward so I’m no longer at his side.
“You all know why we’re here before even the gods are awake, so this is my speech. Stay alert, speak up if you see anything that could be considered unnatural or out of place, and most importantly, no one approach Ambush and Grave if they’ve got something, or they’ll rip you to shreds.” I smile cheerfully and look around for any questions or hesitations.
Maxen slaps his palm to his forehead. “I didn’t think that your pep talks could get any worse from five years ago… I was wrong.”
I flip him off and then turn for the exit. “Oh, fuck you, Maxen.”
Maxen blows me a kiss. “Love you too, Jinx.”
Everyone chuckles as we move out of the giant wooden doors of the castle and down the steps into the bailey where the stable master and his assistants have lined up each of our mounts.
Draven tugs at my arm, stopping me at the bottom step, as everyone else closes the distance between them and their horses, Kapriel whistling low as Maxen leads him to his.
“Did you sleep okay?” Draven asks me, and I shake my head, trying to clear it.
“Is that really what you stopped me for right now?” I ask him, confused as to why he’s wasting time with something so trivial, but also thrilled that he cares about my wellbeing. I rub at my head, making a mental note to speak with someone about my issues, and offer him a small smile. “Sorry. No, I didn’t sleep that well.” I rock back on my heels. “How about you?”
Draven ducks his head, his cheek brushing mine on the side where the men can’t see the action. “I’d have slept better with you naked beside me, mala lovka.”
I send a prayer of thanks up to the gods that it’s nippy this morning, so the reddening of my cheeks can be blamed on the weather and not the flare of desire that just jolted every feminine part of me awake.
“Oh, well, um, we’ll have to see if we can do anything about that sometime soon then.” I stare up at his peridot eyes, torn between wanting to say fuck it and kiss him here and now in front of everyone, and thankful that I can’t because the entire kingdom would know about it before sun up, and I’d be pregnant with his love child by breakfast.
Draven’s coal black eyebrows rise on his forehead. “I’ll hold you to that, Jinx.”
“Bring it on.” I toss the words over my shoulder and take the final step down into the courtyard, schooling my features into an appropriate scowl as I face the rest of our party. I quickly jump up into the saddle on Shadow’s back and run my hand down her neck a few times in greeting.
“Everything okay?” Kapriel asks, glancing between me and a now stone faced Draven.
“Yeah, it’s fine. Typical he-man, I should lead this hunting party bullshit.” I say the words loud enough that everyone can hear them, drawing a chuckle from Maxen.
“I’ll bet Jinx tries to kick my brother off his horse at least once before midday,” Maxen drawls, his tone only slightly teasing.
Kapriel points a finger at Maxen. “I’ll take that bet.”
“I’ll take that bet, too. If I win, you both sleep with the hounds for a night, and I’ll find a ten-legged one for you, Kapriel.” I click my tongue, making Shadow move forward, walking away from both of my best friends, leaving Kapriel stuttering and Maxen howling with laughter at Kapriel’s reaction.
As soon as we clear the gates, we all nudge our mounts into a canter heading straight into the woods, behind Ambush and Grave who are paces ahead of us, yipping and barking as they dart off. Draven and I ride side by side, stealing glances at each other, leading everyone. Behind us, Edern and Bartol are followed by Maxen and Kapriel, and the other four men Draven trusts enough to join us bring up the rear.
Moonlight filters through the leaves of the trees above us, lighting our path enough that we won’t break our necks as we eat up the distance between us and our destination. Biting wind nips at my cheeks, and already, tendrils of my jet black hair are coming loose from my braid, whipping me in the face.
For the first two hours or so, we’re all silent as a graveyard at two in the morning. The only sounds are those of pounding hooves in damp dirt, the howling of my hounds, and the rustling of leaves in the wind.
The further we move into the forest, the richer the smell of earth and tree bark and the subtle scent of wildflowers becomes, until with each breath you take, it’s like you’re drinking a cup of the wild, letting it fill you up and remind you where we all came from.
I close my eyes, trusting Shadow will be able to navigate just fine now that rays of sunlight are starting to make their way across the sky. I let my mind reach out, searching for any wraiths in the area that could be useful, or at least friendly, and find none. It’s almost as if they’ve all vacated the area on purpose or are avoiding our particular group.
I growl in displeasure. “Of course, when I actually want to talk to one of you wispy bastards, there are none of you to be found.”
Draven slows his horse down, and Shadow follows Midnight’s cues, keeping pace with him. “Did you see something, Jinx?”
I shake my head. “No, I didn’t.” I curse under my breath. “That’s the problem, this forest is dead quiet. Not even a few woodland creatures are about, and that’s not even because of Ambush and Grave. Something has sent them scattering.”
Draven holds a fist up i
n the air, signaling that we’ll be resting for a few minutes. “Tend to the horses, take a piss if you need to, you’ve got ten minutes.” He dismounts Midnight and stares at me expectantly.
I huff a breath and jump down, grabbing an apple from my bag and giving it to Shadow, rubbing her nose as she makes happy sounds and munches on it. Kapriel groans from behind us, the sound making me grin.
“I’ll be right back.” Draven speaks lowly so only I can hear him, and I nod.
“My ass will never be the same! I think my bones have ground down to dust.” Kap walks toward me, one hand rubbing at his sore ass, a grimace on his bearded face.
“Oh, you’ll be just fine, you big baby.”
“Kiss my ass, Jinx,” he grumbles, and I throw back my head and laugh.
“You wish. Trust me, that won’t make it feel better.” I punch him in the arm. “Walk it off, you’ll be fine in a few minutes. Do some stretching, and make sure you eat something. Trust me, trying to eat while you’re galloping through the forest is a bitch.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll do some yoga.” Kapriel waves me off and looks around. “Where are Ambush and Grave?”
I shrug. “Up ahead, I suppose. Don’t worry, they can take care of themselves, and if they find anything, we’ll know it.”
Maxen walks up next to us, smirking at Kapriel as he continues to rub his bruised ass. “Horses are all set, brother.” Maxen opens and then closes his mouth, looking between the two of us like he’s got a question, but he shakes his head and kicks at the dirt beneath our boots.
I raise an eyebrow. “What is it, Maxen?”
“Uh, I was wondering about something you said?”
“Yeah…” I drag out the word, trying desperately not to punch him in the gut in the hopes that it would help him spit out his question.
“What is yoga?”
I choke out a laugh as Kapriel leans against me, laughing so hard he’s bent over. Maxen frowns at us, looking as though he’s regretting his question, but I flap my hand at him, trying to collect myself so I can explain.
“Sorry, I just… Of all the things you could have asked…I didn’t expect yoga.” I wipe at the tears on my cheeks and take a few calming breaths. “So yoga is essentially this form of stretching and posing that the humans do. They have poses like cat, downward dog, and something called fish pose.”
“So they basically twist and bend themselves into pretzels and try to look like random animals,” Kapriel adds.
Maxen stares at the two of us. “I’m lost as to why this would help Kapriel’s ass…”
“It’s just another form of stretching, but usually it’s done in these tight brightly colored pants and some strappy and very confused looking tops.”
Kapriel nods. “Brother, if you could see what these pants do to a woman’s ass, you’d take up yoga in a heartbeat.”
I roll my eyes. “Oh gods, I’m out of here. You two enjoy talking about lady parts.”
“Where is Draven?” Bartol asks as he comes up behind me, making me jump.
“Uh, I think he went to take a piss.” I point toward the copse of trees to our left.
“I’m impatient to keep moving.” The man who’d mentored me smiles down at me as he has a thousand times, but this time, instead of taking it at face value, I’m searching for any hints of dishonesty.
“I am too.” I stroke Shadow’s neck, letting the movements calm my frazzled nerves.
Bartol pats me on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Jinx, we’ll find your father.” His eyes narrow and his lips form a thin line. “And then we’ll find the bastard that did this and hang him from the gates of Castle Tor.”
I hum a response, thankful when Draven appears out from behind the trees and takes stock of everyone. “Any last minute issues to attend to?” A chorus of nos sound, and he jumps up into Midnight’s saddle. “Let’s ride.”
* * *
Five hours later, another break, and a whole lot of tawdry singing—if you could even call it that—later, Ambush and Grave both let out a howl shrill enough to break glass, and without a second thought, I nudge Shadow into a faster speed.
“Jinx! For fuck’s sake, we need a plan.”
I ignore Draven’s grumbling as he tries to keep pace with me, but after a fitful night’s sleep and my ass bouncing on this saddle for most of the day, my patience is thinner than a spider’s web, and if my hounds are howling, it’s because they found something.
“Find Grave and Ambush, Shadow.” I lean over her neck, giving her full rein and holding on tight as she bobs and weaves between trees and jumps over fallen logs.
Within minutes, the snowy white fur of Ambush’s coat catches my eye, and I slow Shadow to a quick trot before I pull her to a stop. I slide Draíocht out of her sheath on my back and crouch low, advancing toward the sounds of growls and grumbles coming from behind the bushes ahead of me.
Hooves thunder behind me, but before they can get too close, I meet Draven’s gaze and gesture for him to circle around. Soundlessly he splits the rest of the group up, sending them right as he moves left.
I squat low, peering through the brush, waiting for something to come flying at my head, but nothing happens. The only thing I see is Ambush and Grave both furiously digging at what looks like a pile of rocks that slid down the mountainside during mud season.
I stand up and whistle. Both hounds barely glance at me before returning to what they were doing, and I move forward, sure that they wouldn’t have led me here without ensuring I’d be safe first.
“What is it, babies? What’s under there?” Everyone joins me as I stand there, hands on my hips, trying to figure out just what exactly has them so agitated.
“Uh, Jin, are they broken?” Kapriel asks, scratching at his beard.
“No, I think there’s something under these rocks that they want us to see.” I slide my sword back into the sheath against my spine and move forward, grabbing the closest chunk of rock and throwing it to the side.
“Don’t just stand there, grab a fucking boulder and start moving them out of the way!” Draven shouts, coming up next to me and grabbing one three times the size of the one I’d been able to lift.
“Show off.”
He winks at me. “Weren’t you the one that always said I was only good for picking up heavy things and tossing them about?”
“Yeah, well, clearly I was right about it.”
“And everything else?” Draven pauses and waits for my response, and I look around, checking to make sure that no one is paying us too much attention.
“I’ll get back to you on the rest. But so far, you’re more than just a moody brute who lives to make my life hell.”
He laughs. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
I bite my lip and keep my comment to myself. Of course he would. He’s clearly a glutton for punishment.
19
“Is someone out there?” The voice is so faint I almost didn’t hear it over the grunting and clattering of rocks, but I’d swear it was my father. Ambush and Grave both start barking, jumping with their front paws in the air and scratching at the rocks closest to the side of the mountain.
I hold up my hand and yell, “Shut up! Everyone be quiet!”
The easy chatter of the men dies off, followed quickly by Ambush and Grave lying down and whimpering, their noses pointing toward the boulders.
“What is it?” Draven asks.
“You didn’t hear his voice?” I glance around for a wraith but see none. So clearly, it’s not just me that would only be able to hear it.
“What voice, Jinx? One of those dead spirit things?” Kapriel asks, coming to stand beside me.
“No, it was a man’s voice. Barely a whisper, but it was there.”
“Did anyone hear anything?” Draven calls out, but everyone shakes their head.
I look at our surroundings, now noticing where we are. We’re just over the edge of our border and barely a few feet into the Redcap Kingdom. Which could mean quite a few things
, not many of them good if my suspicions are right.
There’s no reasonable explanation as to why someone would be behind what looks like a mudslide out in the middle of nowhere, unless they were trying to hide. “I think my father is in there!”
“Back to work! Clear these rocks faster! If you have to, tie some of the bigger ones and use the horses to move them.” Draven’s voice rings out in the clearing, and everyone jumps into motion.
I renew my efforts, sure that someone is behind these rocks. That my father is behind these rocks. I keep an eye on Bartol, watching him for any lag in his pace, but he’s clearing rocks faster than Draven.
“Hello? Is somebody here?”
The voice is louder this time, and I freeze, locking gazes with Draven. “Please tell me you heard that this time, and I’m not just suffering from delusions brought on by exhaustion.”
“He’s over here! Everyone focus on clearing a path this way; our king is in here!” His issued command is acknowledgement enough, and with all of us focused on one area instead of a wider one, we clear a path in no time.
An opening just big enough for a woman, but not a man, appears as a horse drags a boulder that weighs three times more than I do, and I dive for it.
Draven grabs my hand, yanking me back hard, making me wince as my shoulder protests. “Jinx, wait. You can’t just go in there alone.”
I push him away from me, planting both hands on his chest. “I can. And I will. And you guys will open this wider.” I crouch low, drawing a dagger into each hand so I’ll be ready to strike if someone unfriendly is inside, and it’s not my father.
Draven nods, although his mouth is pinched as though he’s unhappy with the situation.
“I’ll be fine, Draven. I’m not some untrained lady attempting to swat a spider with my shoe.” Without waiting for a retort, I belly crawl through the small opening, letting every sense other than sight guide me.
“Dad! Are you in here?” I whisper the words, but within the confines of the cave, they echo as though I’d shouted them. Someone coughs up ahead, and I dig my toes into the ground, inching forward as fast as I can. “Dad? Is that you? If it is, say something so I don’t stab you when I clear this hole.”
A Reluctant Huntress: Tales of the Wild Hunt | Book One Page 14
