The House of Gaian ta-3

by Anne Bishop

  "Are you saying that message didn't frighten you?" Donovan asked.

  "Which part? Mother's tits, man. Do you understand what the Wild Hunt means? Do you understand what happened in that woods? My people did that. And it's only because I met Ashk and saw the Fae in the west that I've come to realize my people are meant to do that. But it still frightens me. And it comforts me, that that can be awakened inside the Fae. Your people have suffered, too, and I'll not deny that. But your kind wasn't slaughtered first, and none of your counties—and all the people who lived in them—disappeared when the witches died. You still have the land, and your people have a chance to rebuild their lives. We may never regain the pieces of Tir Alainn that were lost, and no one can bring back the dead. So if it comes to a choice, I would rather face the House of Gaian than the Black Coats."

  He started to walk away when Liam placed a hand on his arm.

  "You're forgetting something, Bard," Liam said. "I'm not just a baron. I'm also a Son of the House of Gaian. I'm still a stranger to myself, still learning to accept this part of me that awakened a few weeks ago. Yes, we're frightened. Things that have been hidden, or barely glimpsed, are suddenly being revealed, and we can no longer pretend those things don't exist. In some ways, we've all been children. We can't be children anymore."

  Donovan scrubbed his hands over his face. "Well, if the two of you are done with these delightful bedtime stories, I'd like to take my wife back to our room and get some sleep."

  "Would you mind seeing Lyrra back to the house as well?" Aiden asked.

  Liam gave him a curious look. "You're not going back?"

  Aiden shook his head. "My night vision is good, so I've agreed to take a watch tonight." He smiled ruefully. "My other form is an owl."

  "You can't go fluttering around in the dark," Liam said. "You'll get stepped on." He shrugged. "You can perch on my shoulder."

  Donovan looked at his friend. "You're staying, too?"

  "I have the gift of fire."

  Donovan shook his head. "You two get to stand out in the dark while I escort two beautiful ladies home. I guess there are compensations to being just human."

  Gwenn and Lyrra joined them, both women sensing something and searching faces to try to discover the answer.

  "I'll see you later," Aiden said after kissing Lyrra. He handed her the pipe and message. "Take these for me."

  When Donovan, Gwenn, and Lyrra were gone, Liam said, "Come on, then."

  Aiden hesitated a moment before changing to his other form and fluttering up to the arm Liam held out.

  Liam studied him for a moment. "The feathers look good on you, Bard."

  Aiden climbed up Liam's arm to his shoulder, then nipped his ear.

  "Do that again and you'll have to find another perch," Liam growled.

  "Whoooo?"

  Since Liam didn't say anything, Aiden fluffed his feathers, pleased to have gotten in the last word.

  "I wonder if I can persuade Morphia to send the barons quiet dreams," Ashk said as she walked around Breanna's house, her arm still tucked through Selena's.

  "Why would they need them?" Selena asked.

  "Because, Huntress, between the two of us, we've given them the stuff of nightmares. How many of them will dream of being pursued by the Wild Hunt while the ground drops out from under their feet and stones suddenly grow mouths filled with fangs?"

  "Stones don't have mouths. Or fangs."

  Ashk smiled. "But dreams don't always show you the true form of what you fear, do they?" Her smile faded as she thought of Morag and wondered if the Gatherer was still plagued by dreams.

  "I hope not," Selena said, her voice quivering with some strong feeling.

  Ashk let it go, suddenly too tired to explore strong emotions. They'd already been through enough for one day. "Let's check on Breanna and the men standing watch and call it a day. We could both use some sleep."

  Selena nodded. "I need to saddle Mistrunner."

  "Why?"

  "Because it's a bit too far to walk back to Liam's." Selena's eyes widened. "Oh. Oh. No, we couldn't. Not after telling them about shadow hound packs."

  "But the barons who heard that are already back at whatever houses they're guesting at," Ashk said, then added, "Besides, wouldn't you like to know if Liam's any good at petting?"

  Selena choked on a gasped laugh. "Ashk! That would be . . . Well, it would be—"

  "Pleasant?" Ashk suggested.

  "You really expect him to pet a shadow hound? What if he realized who he was petting and got—"

  "Excited?"

  "Intimidated," Selena said with a different kind of quiver in her voice. "I was going to say intimidated."

  "Of course you were. Because there he would be, running his hands through all that lovely fur, and when he realized who it was, he'd think, 'Oh, my. I'm touching Selena. I'm intimidated.' Phah. On the other hand, if you change back while he's got his hands all over you, it might be more of a thrill than he's ready for, depending on where his hands are at that moment."

  Selena just gaped at her.

  There, Ashk thought, satisfied, that's got your mind off thoughts of troubling dreams. "Trust a woman married to a baron. They like fur."

  Selena shoved her hands through her hair. "It wouldn't be fair, just trotting up to him and wagging my tail. Besides, he gets so gentry prim whenever he thinks about Breanna and Falco being lovers—"

  "He's not his sister. And you're not his sister. And if you'd ever noticed the way he looks at you, you'd know he'd jump through a couple of hoops for the chance to pet you."

  Selena sputtered. Muttered. "It's out of the question. I'm sharing a room with my sister."

  "He's not sharing a room with anyone."

  "This is none of your business."

  "I know. It wouldn't be half as entertaining if it was any of my business."

  Selena lowered her hands. "Bitch."

  Ashk just smiled.

  "All right. Let's check on Breanna and Keely first. Then I'll decide what to do about Baron Liam."

  As soon as they walked through the kitchen door and saw Fiona, their humor fled.

  "Breanna?" Ashk asked.

  Fiona shook her head. "She's asleep, thanks to Morphia. So is Keely. It's Jean."

  Selena's sigh sounded more like a growl. "Now what?"

  "I can't find her anywhere."

  Two shadow hounds ran through the moonlight. They didn't pause when the men standing guard over Nuala's grave turned to watch them race past.

  Selena wanted to howl with frustration. Fiona was certain the girl wasn't sulking in the house somewhere, but they still spent time searching the more unlikely places—pantry, cold cellar, wine cellar. They would have searched the attic, but that was pointless. The boys were sleeping up there on beds made of straw and blankets. She wasn't in the stables or any of the other outbuildings. It was possible that she'd run off into the woods and couldn't find her way back to the house after dark, but there were Fae keeping watch around the shining road and at least half of them were in their other form so that their sharpened senses would warn them of any kind of enemy approaching. If she was out there, they'd have seen her and brought her back to the house.

  If the girl had gone in any other direction in the Old Place, she would have ended up at one of the camps—and they would have brought her back to the house. So that left the bridge that crossed over to the lane on Liam's estate.

  Once they were over the bridge, Selena went right, toward Liam's house, while Ashk moved off to the left.

  Too many people. Too many scents. For a moment, Selena thought she'd found Jean's scent at the edge of the bridge, but there were too many fresher scents over it for her to be certain.

  Then Ashk growled, and Selena turned back to follow the other shadow hound.

  They had followed the scent over one field when another scent drifted on the air. With no warning, Ashk spun around and trotted back the way they'd come. Recognizing that scent, Selena ran to catch up with
the Hunter.

  When they got close to the bridge, Ashk paused long enough to change form.

  "Why are we walking the rest of the way on two legs?" Selena asked.

  "Because I want to warn the men on watch. I'm almost certain the nighthunters are nesting in that stand of trees on Liam's land. It makes sense. The Fae patrolling haven't seen them. Probably too many people around. Too much fire at night. We'll hunt in the morning, and bring Morphia with us."

  "Morphia? She's not a hunter."

  "No, but her gift is the best defense against nighthunters," Ashk replied as they crossed the bridge. "She can put everything in that stand of trees to sleep. We can search for the nest and destroy those creatures without being attacked."

  "You still won't be certain you'll have found all of them."

  "No, but we'll burn the ones we find and the carcasses of their prey. Then if we catch the scent again, we'll know it's fresh."

  "What about Jean?"

  Ashk stopped at the end of the bridge. "There are a dozen farms and estates in that general direction, not to mention camps. Or she could have easily circled around and reached the village." She sighed. "She's not my kin. I can't make the choice." She looked toward the men standing near the grave still glowing with moonlight, then shook her head. "I'll talk to them on the way back." After changing back into her shadow hound form, she trotted off toward the house.

  Selena watched Liam, who had been walking toward them, check his stride when he saw Ashk change. Would any man really be comfortable around a woman who could change into a shadow hound?

  Memories of her father sitting in his rocking chair by the fire, cuddling her as a puppy. Memories of him walking through the woods with her trotting ahead of him, growling happily when she caught a scent.

  Not the same. Not the same at all.

  With a pang of regret, she shook her head, changed, and raced after Ashk.

  Ashk found Fiona sitting at the small work table in the kitchen. A cup of cold tea was pushed to one side. Her hands cupped a glass of whiskey.

  "I made myself a cup of tea," Fiona said, "but I was afraid to drink it."

  Ashk sat across from her. "That's understandable." She reached for Fiona's hand. "I'm sorry to force something else on you, but it's a decision I can't make. We found a scent in one of the fields on Liam's estate. I also picked up the scent of nighthunters. I won't send men into those fields in the dark, Fiona. That I won't do. But I'll send pairs of riders out on the roads to the neighboring farms and estates and to the village to find out if anyone has seen her."

  "You'd send men out on dark roads for Jean?"

  "No. I'd do it for you. For Breanna."

  The kitchen door opened. Selena walked in, closed the door, and came to stand near the table.

  Fiona took a long swallow of whiskey. Then she pulled a bundled handkerchief out of her pocket. "After you left, I searched the drawers Jean was given for her clothes. I found this, tucked in the back of one drawer under the camisoles. I can't identify everything she collected during her forays in the woods and through the gardens, but I do recognize foxglove. So, no, Ashk, I don't want you to send your men out on dark roads to search for Jean. Because Breanna was right. If this is what was in the tea, then Jean did kill Nuala."

  Chapter 41

  full moon

  Ashk doesn't avoid being around the gentry because they're human, Morag thought sourly as Padrick escorted her off the ship. She avoids them so she doesn't have to dress like a . . . lady. "I feel—"

  "Lovely?" Padrick asked innocently.

  "Foolish."

  "But you look lovely. And that split skirt with matching jacket and linen shirt is both practical and stylish."

  Morag slanted a look at him. "You've had this argument with Ashk, haven't you?"

  "Me? Never. But her lady's maid has had this . . . discussion . . . with Ashk on several occasions and then vented her frustration over my wife's stubbornness to my valet, who, of course, tells me everything. So I'm kept informed without ever becoming involved. An ideal solution for a husband when it comes to such matters."

  No doubt that explained the woman's delight—and the trunk of clothes borrowed from Ashk's wardrobe—when Padrick asked Ashk's lady's maid to accompany them on the voyage. The fiend now had a captive female to play with—a female who didn't know enough about gentry ways to argue when told "this is what's done in a gentry household." Remembering the twinkle in Padrick's eyes every time she stepped out of the ship's cabin after submitting to another change of clothes and restyling of her hair, she suspected gentry ladies didn't usually change outfits four or five times a day—especially when they weren't going anywhere.

  As if he could hear her thoughts, Padrick patted the arm linked through his. "You do look lovely, Morag. You could pass for a gentle gentry lady."

  Morag snorted. "How many gentle gentry ladies do you know who ride a dark horse?"

  "That's beside the point. With your hair coiled up like that and wearing those clothes, and with the glamour, no one would look at you and realize you were Fae, let alone the Gatherer of Souls."

  "What I am is not something that should be hidden," Morag said quietly.

  Padrick's teasing smile faded. "No," he replied solemnly. "Ashk can put aside the Hunter because she is also the Green Lady. But you are always the Gatherer."

  "Yes." And during the voyage to this harbor town, having the borrowed attention of an attractive, intelligent man, she'd found herself regretting that being Death's Mistress was all she would be. All she could be. Padrick had been right, though. Sailing to this place had cost her nothing in time and given her the rest she'd badly needed. The greatest blessing had been the dreams. No nightmares of blood and death. No glimpses of an enemy who could destroy those she loved and disappear before she could fight back and protect them. She and the dark horse had simply cantered through green—green woods, green meadows and fields. Not going anywhere, just enjoying the green, the heady sense of life. Those dreams had been as restorative as the sleep at night and the delight during the day of watching the ship dance with the sea.

  But the quiet time was over. Her dark horse and the horses of the two Fae escorts Padrick had insisted go with her were already being led to a nearby inn where they would be saddled and waiting. She'd have a light meal with Padrick because he'd also insisted on seeing her fed before she began her journey, and then she'd be heading up the nearest shining road to race through the Clan territories to reach the Mother's Hills and travel through them to Willowsbrook, where the Hunter waited.

  Padrick gestured to his right. "The inn is this—"

  "Baron Padrick! Baron!"

  Padrick stopped, turned toward the Fae Lord striding toward him.

  Morag glanced at Padrick. It was clear by the expression on his face that he didn't know the man and wasn't pleased to be interrupted before he'd completed what he considered his duty toward her. But she'd seen this Fae Lord before, so she gave Padrick's arm a quick squeeze of warning.

  The Fae Lord gave her a quick, dismissive look before turning his attention fully on Padrick. "My apologies if I'm intruding at an inconvenient time, Baron, but the magistrate pointed you out to me. I don't know how the message got to you so fast, even going through Tir Alainn, but I'm glad you made it here in such good time."

  "Message?" Padrick raised one hand to forestall further explanation. "If you'll tell me where to find you, I'll join you as soon as—"

  The Fae Lord wasn't listening to him. He was staring at her in an almost comic doubletake. "Lady Morag?"

  She smiled. "Blessings of the day to you, Lord Murtagh. Padrick, this is Murtagh, Lord of the Selkies. Murtagh, this is Padrick, the Baron of Breton."

  "I didn't recognize you," Murtagh blurted out. "You look like— I thought— Mother's tits." He raked a hand through his hair. "The last time I saw you, you looked Fae and you were with the Hunter."

  "I had to return to the west. Now I'm on my way back east to join the Hunter."
/>
  "A long way to travel," Murtagh said.

  There was something calculating in the way he looked at her now, but she couldn't figure out what he wanted. "The Lightbringer is dead."

  "You came all the way back to take his spirit to the Shadowed Veil?"

  "I came back to gather him."

  It only took Murtagh a moment to understand the difference. The smile he gave her was sharp and feral. "Then you might want to postpone your journey for a short while and take a look at the prisoners I want Baron Padrick to see."

  "Prisoners?" Padrick said.

  Murtagh nodded. "Survivors of the warships the Inquisitors had sent to deal with the west. They were attacking a convoy of ships that had fled out of Seahaven. The baron here does well by his people, but he's young and didn't feel easy about passing judgment when the attack hadn't occurred in waters that are under his rule and the people harmed weren't his people. So a message was sent to you, asking that you come here and offer your advice."

  "There are other experienced barons that could have offered advice," Padrick said.

  "But they aren't Fae as well as gentry. And they aren't married to the Hunter. You're respected for your own strengths, Baron Padrick, but there's not a baron in this part of Sylvalan— or a Fae Lord or Lady, for that matter—who doesn't realize you have more influence than any other man in the west."

  Morag wasn't listening to the men. A cold fist settled in her belly. Seahaven. Ships fleeing from Seahaven. "Mihail," she whispered.

  Murtagh studied her a moment before nodding. "If you're meaning the captain of Sweet Selkie, he doesn't need your gift. He was wounded, but he's healing well. His ship needs to be fitted with new sails, which I promised to bring back to Selkie Island once my business here is done."