Shadow Hunter (Court of Life and Death Book 2)

by Melody Rose

  I took a deep breath as I walked along the river. It felt so nice to feel the wind and know it was coming from my home. The trees here didn’t smell any different from trees anywhere else, but that didn’t stop me from feeling an immense sense of fulfillment as I took a deep breath next to the treeline. Maybe the trees here smelled the same as everywhere else, but they felt different. At least to me, they did.

  I found myself watching the water as I walked. It was so clear I could count the stones at the bottom when the fish weren’t in the way. Just looking at it almost made me thirsty. Last time I’d been to the fae realm, I went to a bar with drunk fairies and listened to people talk. But this… this was how the fae realm was meant to exist. This was how fairies were meant to live. Being outside, feeling the air, the smells, the sights from the world around me… I felt at home.

  It wasn’t long before I saw the break in the trees. I laughed to myself as my eyes followed the wide, clearly marked path. Someday, I would show Serriah around here and see her reaction. For now, I followed the trail through the trees.

  It was very early in the afternoon when I entered the forest. The sun was high in the sky, and its warmth felt like it physically touched my skin. That disappeared quickly, however. The witches didn’t have any traps per se, but they did have ruses that they used to try to steer people away. The foliage on the trees near their home was thicker, blocking sunlight. It looked like it was always twilight amongst this part of the trees. I’d grown used to that long ago, however.

  This was the realm of the fae. Nothing on the outside looked suspicious; our entire species’ existence was built on appearing sweet and harmless despite danger and deception just beyond the surface. This place was no different. It didn’t look like the lair of a bunch of witches. From the outside, it looked too small to hold more than a bed or two and maybe a couch. The cottage was warmly lit through the curtains, and the whole structure looked inviting like you were welcome for tea anytime. I smiled to myself, entertained by the knowledge of how deceptive this particular facade was.

  I knocked on the door and felt a shift in the air. I heard a rustling inside the house, and the door opened slowly. Dark brown stringy hair peeped through the crack, followed by large brown eyes. I smiled at her as if that would actually have an impact on her perception of me. I watched the wide eyes grow larger as she recognized me and turned away. I heard whispering as she informed the other witches who she found knocking on their door, and silence followed as they probably took a second to muse about why. Finally, however, the door opened fully to reveal a youthful witch with a mass of blonde curls, light eyes, and sharp, almost threatening features.

  “Kalian.”

  I bowed. “Lore.”

  “Why are you here?”

  “I was hoping to speak to you all and request some information if you’ll humor me long enough.”

  Her expression was suspicious, but she stepped aside, gesturing for me to enter. I stepped inside, and it was like walking into a different world. The warm, simple cottage truly suited the phrase ‘lair’ from the inside. It was three times as wide as it appeared. While much of both fae and witch architecture and design was heavily based on using nature around them, they presented in very different ways. This home looked distinctly fae from the outside, but once inside, it was obvious this place housed witches. The plants lining the walls were ones the fae considered dangerous, the air was stiff, the bark they used for their furniture not only came from trees that didn’t grow here, but it was knotted and uneven in a way that a fae carpenter would spit at.

  Everything seemed naturally sharp. There was a large table in the center of the room with just enough chairs around it to seat the witches with no room for guests. The table looked as though instead of being built intentionally, someone had just ripped a cracked slab of bark from a dead tree and stuck legs on it, so the edges of the table were all jagged. The chairs looked more intentional, but even then, it looked as though you could cut yourself on the edges of the wood. Three large bookcases stood against the walls, each practically overflowing with books. At the end of the room, there was a large stone fireplace. Every other inch of the walls was covered in shelves with jars, pots, bowls, and cups, each one filled with a different type of item. My eyes lingered, as they always did when I used to visit, on a white cup with a lid that had a label on it reading ‘Seelie Hair.’ The sheer thought of someone cutting off a lock of hair from someone like me wasn’t what caught my eye, but rather what it could be used for. When I was younger, I feared this place and the aspects of it that seemed evil to me. Now, however, I knew it was nothing to be afraid of.

  These women almost looked afraid of me, but mostly, they seemed confused. Anytime I’d paid them a visit before, they always seemed aware before I arrived of what I needed from them, whether it was at the request of Minerva or a personal matter. Perhaps living in a different realm was giving me more of an advantage than I’d considered because, for the first time, my visit seemed to catch them off-guard.

  There were seven witches in total. The one whose face first poked through the crack in the door was Lariza, and she looked just as fearful as always. Lore was the strongest and the leader of the coven. Among them were others I knew quite well, but none I knew as well as Raya and Vurial. I hadn’t mentioned this to Myrcedes, but they were the only reason I thought I could pull this off. Of course, that was if they still had a soft spot for me as they once did.

  I smiled politely at the witches and stood near the door, refusing to get more comfortable than I was invited to.

  “What brings you here, General?”

  “No,” another witch smirked. “He’s not a general anymore.”

  “That’s right,” a third rang in. “He lost that title after betraying the one he swore to serve.” I tried not to cringe. I hated when they spoke in this threatening chorus, taking turns responding to one another. It felt like a cat toying with a mouse it was about to eat, and it always sent a chill down my spine.

  Unfortunately, if I wanted their help, I needed to play into their games, so I nodded. “Yes, I did. And my punishment was more than warranted for my crimes.”

  They all seemed to pause at the admission of guilt. “So…” Raya thought carefully about what to say before saying it. “You regret betraying your Queen?”

  I sighed, looking away. This was going to be the difficult part. I had still sworn my oath, and, General or not, I could not lie. “I regret that those actions needed to be taken. I served her for centuries, as you well know. I owe her my life and everything that I am, and I was unsure of my decision at the time.”

  “So, you’ve come to your senses now?” Vurial crossed her arms, a smirk on her raspberry lips.

  “Yes. I believe I have.”

  “Well, this is a shocking visit.” Lore strutted back across the room to take her place at the head of the table where the other witches sat. The few that had gotten up when I came in quickly joined her until they were all seated around the table as if some sort of ceremony was about to begin. As jarring as they appeared, I didn’t fear them like this. I knew them well enough to know they wouldn’t go out of their way to cause me harm, but I had to admit the sight was enough to give anyone discomfort.

  “Surely, he hasn’t just come to apologize to us?” Now it was Gen who spoke, and she did so with all the contempt her voice could conjure. Gen had never liked me. Not to worry, as the feeling had always been mutual.

  “No,” I shook my head. “I heard that you’re trying to raise her.”

  “And where did you hear that?” Gen continued. “From your new Queen? Have you sworn allegiance to her yet? She should watch her back once you do.”

  “Silence,” Lore hissed. Gen fell silent, and her expression calmed to one of submission as she nodded in apology. I wasn’t a huge fan of Lore, but I always got a bit of a giddy feeling when she made Gen shut up. “We’re not private about our efforts to revive Minerva. Her work was noble and unfinished, and no one but her
is strong enough to accomplish what needs to be done.”

  I clenched my jaw. I couldn’t simply agree with her in an effort to flatter her; I had to find a more complex approach to the truth while still pleasing the coven of witches. Before I could find something to say, however, Raya broke the silence.

  “We can’t trust him.”

  I was confused as I glanced at her. On her face, there was a world of pain that I couldn’t help but feel responsible for. The other witches actually might find a reason to trust me, but perhaps I’d been naïve to think Raya would.

  There had been a time when the hazel-eyed witch loved me. I’d enjoyed her company for a while, but I would never say that I had completely reciprocated the affection. Minerva wanted me to keep track of the coven, and to do so, she wanted me to get close to Raya. She loved Minerva deeply, so it would have been easy enough to ask her about the coven’s activity and intentions. But those weren’t my orders. Minerva suspected them of trying to imitate magic only she was capable of performing, and also of using fae secrets stolen from the castle.

  When Raya realized why I’d been getting close to her, she’d locked herself within the witches’ lair disguised as a small cottage. I knew she needed time, so I waited. I had been planning to wait a few days before I attempted to apologize in person. Then, Minerva sent me on some work in goblin territory, and… I never exactly got around to apologizing.

  “Everything he says is deceitful,” Raya’s voice broke as she spoke. I wanted to get defensive, but guilt washed over me, and I knew she had every reason to feel the way she did. She must have been in so much pain even after two-and-a-half decades. “This is a trap.”

  “No,” I responded quickly, but made sure to keep my tone cool and as comfortable as possible. “No, I promise. This is no trap. You are all safe.”

  “You know he can’t lie.” Vurial placed a hand on Raya’s shoulder. Raya stared at me for a moment before turning her gaze to the center of the table. Finally, she nodded in acceptance.

  “If everyone is quite done with outbursts,” Lore looked sideways at Raya and Vurial, “get to your purpose, Kalian. We have other business to attend to.”

  I nodded. “Yes, of course. I do apologize for the interruption. I know that you’ve been trying to find a way to bring back Minerva. So, I was hoping you would share with me what you’ve been working on and if it’s been successful or not.”

  “What?” Lariza cocked her head.

  “Why?” Lore asked calmly, shooting a look to Lariza that practically screamed at her to stay quiet. No wonder Lore looked up to Minerva so much. She had almost the same unnatural ability to command obedience and fear from those around her.

  “Because…” I began, “I wish things could have happened differently. I wish my actions hadn’t led to her death. I never got to explain myself to her, and I… I feel like I owe her that.” It was easy not to lie when all of this was true. I knew Minerva had been wrong, but I never went to the Underworld intending for her to die. “The plan wasn’t to kill her. I was supposed to distract her. Things changed, and… I failed. I feel responsible…”

  They were all silent. The witches all looked to Lore, though I was sure they all wanted to say a few words themselves. Finally, after a long pause, Lore began to laugh.

  “That is quite admirable of you. Seek the help of witches to apologize to your Queen after killing her, a true ‘knight in shining armor’ move.”

  I furrowed my brow but remained silent. I could take her admonishment. I just needed this information. Sure, what I was saying was true, but it didn’t change the fact that I was here for Myrcedes. I didn’t plan to leave without getting exactly what I came for.

  “Truly,” Lore continued, “what do you want to know all that for? You want to stop us, don’t you? Did your Kings of Darkness put you up to this?”

  “No, they have nothing-”

  “How about your little Queen, hm? Did she ask you to get this information?”

  Fuck. I wasn’t going to be able to say no.

  I stayed silent for a moment as I contemplated how to answer. Finally, I took a breath to speak, but the second I did, Lore spoke over me.

  “So, she did.” The others looked to her for an explanation, and she grinned, fully satisfied with herself. “You can’t lie to me. You can’t trick me either, apparently. What kind of fae are you? Your Queen, your real Queen, would be ashamed.” As she spoke, she rose slowly from her chair. “Why does she want to know what we’re doing?”

  I clenched my jaw to steady myself and looked Lore in the eyes. “I meant what I said. I regret the way things happened. It would mean-”

  “Don’t sit there and bullshit me like I’m some neophyte with a childish crush on you.” Raya looked away from everyone as she said that; I saw her turn red out of the corner of my eyes, and I felt guilty I had dragged her into this. “Tell me what she wants.”

  “She’s curious if it’s even possible,” I admitted. “She only wants to know if you’ve succeeded. Clearly, I’ll tell her you haven’t. If you had, Minerva would have begun wreaking havoc again.” I glared slightly. This was plan B - well, this was more like plan D or E. If she was angry enough, she might brag about what she knew. “So, I’ll tell her that she has nothing to worry about and that you’re all just wasting your time.”

  “You little imp,” she hissed. “You’re pathetic. You don’t know anything. You don’t know that we’ve succeeded, and you don’t know that she has something huge planned for all of you, especially your little replacement for her. You, more than anyone, should know her pension for punishment. Vengeance is coming, Kalian.”

  There was a silence as she stopped speaking. In my mind, I ran through a dozen questions and a dozen different ways to phrase all of them, but I didn’t have a chance to press her further.

  “Get out.”

  “Lore,” I began, “listen to-”

  “Get the fuck out of our home,” she shrieked. I flinched at the sound. Lore was part banshee, and she wasn’t shy about it either. “Now!”

  I didn’t hesitate after the final howl and bolted the four steps to the door, wasting no time in shutting it behind me. I stepped away from the cottage and rubbed my face. What was I going to do? I didn’t want to let Myrcedes down. I knew how much this meant to her. If anyone understood what it was like to feel aimless and lost, I did, and even though I couldn’t fix that for myself, I wanted to do all I could to help her.

  I could hear voices inside the cottage as the witches reacted to all the chaos I had apparently brought onto their afternoon, not that I could make out anything that was being said. In the midst of their noise, I prepared myself to jump back to the Moonstone Castle and deliver the bad news to Myrcedes when I paused. A strange feeling crept into my mind that I should stay. I wasn’t able to place a finger on why or where it came from, but I decided to trust it. I’d wait there for hours if it meant I could return with good news.

  I walked to a tree trunk that rested about fifteen feet from the cabin and sat down. After a few more moments, the bustling within the witches’ lair quieted down. I heard at least one door slam. In the silence, I began to wonder about what Lore had said. Had they succeeded already? Surely if they had, she would have wasted no time in reestablishing her place in power, showing everyone she couldn’t truly be killed, setting revenge into place. However, if she was weak, there was a chance she would want to heal before announcing her return, right?

  Fear crept into my heart. I hadn’t wanted Minerva to die, that was true, yet now that she had, the last thing I wanted was her return. I got chills just picturing the sheer rage she would have in response to her death, and I could only imagine how much of it would be directed at me, her right hand, her trusted General, without whom her defeat, her assassination, would not have been possible.

  I was so deep in thought that when the door to the cottage creaked open, I jumped like a child who’d just heard a ghost story. When I composed myself and looked up, Raya was walki
ng toward me. The sun had begun to set, and it seemed to reflect like gold off her dark, rich skin. When I had known her better, she used to have long curls, and there wasn’t a woman who’d met her who wasn’t jealous of how beautiful her hair was. Since I’d last seen her, however, she’d cut off all her hair, and apparently decided to keep it short. It was maybe a third of an inch long now. I couldn’t help but dwell on the drastic change and wondered what inspired it.

  “Raya,” I stood and bowed slightly.

  “You stayed.”

  “Yes.” I realized that feeling that had compelled me to wait came from her. “You sent the intention to me, didn’t you?”

  Raya nodded. “I did. I’m glad you listened.”

  I waited for her to continue, but she stayed silent. “Why did you want me to stay?”

  She shook her head almost imperceptibly. “It doesn’t matter why. I’m going to tell you the truth. You don’t deserve it, and you’ve done nothing that warrants me to incur the wrath of Lore, to defy her, and to tell you what we’ve been working on tirelessly for weeks. But I’m going to.” Her expression had the same immovable lack of expression that Death’s twin brother had on a regular basis. It was a bit jarring, however, because I knew that wasn’t her usual demeanor.

  I cocked my head. “But why-”

  “I said it doesn’t matter,” she cut me off.

  “Okay.”

  Raya took a deep breath. “Lore was lying because she was angry. Minerva isn’t back. Minerva… can never come back.”

  I felt my shoulders relax considerably. I hadn’t even realized that I was holding so much tension. “How do you know?”

  “We’ve been working on it for a while. There’s old magic, and with enough power from enough witches, it establishes a bridge to the Bay of Souls in the Underworld. We thought we could use it to let her cross over, or at least consult her. There are a lot of problems with it, not the least of which was finding a physical form. Hers is ash and swept into some corner of the damn castle now.”