by J. B. Miller
Caomhnóir trotted happily by my side and I tried my best not to look lost. I leaned down to pat his head and whispered in his ear, “Is there a bathroom around here, boy? Mama needs a pee!”
Some things never changed. The sun always rose in the East, and I always had to pee when I woke up.
His wiry doggy ears perked at the question and he used his nose to nudge me in the hip. I looked at him blankly for a moment before he did it again. “What is it, boy? Did Timmy fall down the well?” He ignored my inspired quip and nudged me again, this time in the bum. "So, I'm guessing not a Lassie fan," I grumbled at him. I blame Annie on my odd in-depth knowledge of American TV programs. He nudged me in the bum again a little harder, his nose getting a little too close to private property. "Okay," I shrugged. The dog wanted me to go in a certain direction. Who was I to complain? Since he was pushing me from the right, I turned to the left.
There were three distinct trails leading into the wood. “Are you sure about this?” Another nudge was my answer. “All right but if we get lost it’s your fault. I’m not taking the blame on this. If his high and mighty lordliness has to hunt us down... Ha-ha... get it, Hunt?” He prodded me again harder this time and I muttered, “Everyone is a critic. I can’t help that I crack jokes when I’m under stress. Look at me, I’m God knows where, kidnapped by fairies and talking to a dog. Give a girl a break!”
A soft growl was all I got and another push toward the right path. “I’m going! There better be a bathroom or we will have a problem. You get me, Scooby?”
Now that I was going in the direction he wanted me to go, he trotted happily by my side. Sounds ahead were the first thing that alerted me to the presence of others. I heard the sound of flowing water and the laughter of other women. My feet began to move faster and I was walk-running by the time I made it in to the clearing. I didn’t even take time to look around but grabbed the first woman I saw. “Bathroom?” I was getting desperate! The running water was not helping me at all!
She looked at me oddly but pointed toward a wooden building near the river and I took off in that direction. I didn’t pretend to pay attention to anything else. I saw an open door at the front of the building and was inside in seconds.
Oh, thank the Lord! There were toilets in here! Rudimentary but hey, it worked! I did what I needed to do and walked back outside to my dog.
Caomhnóir was patiently waiting on me and I rubbed his ear while I observed my surroundings.
We were by a river that ran swiftly downwards. It turned into white water about fifty yards from where we stood. Upstream it was much calmer and pools dotted the banks. “That’s weird," I looked at my companion. "I’ve never seen pools of water like that before.” It almost looked like miniature swimming pools placed in random areas next to the riverbanks. Large stones lined them and almost made them look man made.
Steam rose from several of the pools and as I wandered closer, the heavy scent of minerals filled the air. I neared one of the pools watching curiously, as the bubbles gently rose, and burst. A feminine voice spoke quietly behind me.
“They’re thermal pools.”
Startled, I turned quickly, but as Caomhnóir did not appear worried, I let my nerves settle. Once I was able to see the speaker properly, I stood there stunned by her beauty. Let me tell you, mouth hanging open and eyes popping out is not an attractive look on me. I quickly closed said gaping mouth and tried to get my eyes back in my head.
She was breathtaking. Seeing that I have not come across a Fae yet that wasn’t gorgeous. Even so, this girl was exceptional. I am as straight as they come and she was making me hot under the collar. She was slightly taller than I was with chestnut color hair trailing down her back in hundreds of tiny braids. Her eyes were the color of bark and struck me as extremely somber in such a perfect face.
She was slender and muscular but remarkably feminine. Nope, not suffering from any inferiority or jealousy issues here, I thought.
“Hi, I’m Dia. It’s umm…nice to meet you. I don’t really know the kidnapping protocol so if I’m doing something wrong let me know. Other than that, this is Caomhnóir. He’s my new best friend.” I tried to smile brightly. I didn’t want to antagonize the only person that had spoken to me since I got up this morning.
She looked warily at Caomhnóir before replying.
“The rumors were true. You have tamed a hound of the Hunt.” She shook her head. “It has never been heard of,” she exclaimed softy. Bringing her eyes back to me, she smiled slightly. “I am Brónach. It is my pleasure to meet you.” She truly smiled then. Her face lit up with her joy. “In all the centuries I have been with the Hunt, this is the first time I have seen the lord unsettled. I believe you will bring great change to our stagnant waters. The Hunt has been never changing for so long. We…” she paused for a second to include everyone in the clearing, “need the life and vitality I hope you will bring.”
Oh wow, that wasn’t what I expected. “Is there anything I should know about all this,” I queried.
With a shrug, she replied, “The only thing you must refrain from is attempting escape. We are in the wild wood and you would never find its boundaries. The wild magic rules here, and only Cernunnos has any control over it. What small bit he has is only because he is part of it.”
I was totally lost. The years of research I did, none of it prepared me for this. I decided to be completely honest with Brónach. “I have no clue what I’m doing. Or really, what you're taking about. Up until a couple months ago, I thought I was human. Damn, I hope there’s a steep learning curve.”
Caomhnóir rubbed against my waist in sympathy and Brónach looked at me in slight confusion.
“Why would you ever think you were human? There is nothing of the mortal coil about you.”
“What?” I went all googly eyed at her. “What do you mean there’s nothing human about me? Of course there is! My bio-mum is human. Therefore, that makes me half-human. Right?”
Shaking her head once more at my outburst, she carefully put her hand on my arm. I think she believed I might bolt.
“There are many halflings that are more of one parent than the other. You obviously have more of your father in you than your mother. It is not a bad thing, Dia. A human would go mad in the wood within a day. Come and let me show you our world. If you have lived in the earth realm your whole life, then the wild wood will be immensely different to you," she finished.
Brónach held out her hand patiently waiting for me to make up my mind. I wasn’t sure what to believe but as I had nothing but time at the moment, I hesitantly slipped my hand into hers. The smile that slid across her face made my heart clench. It was as if the sun had peeked out from behind bleak clouds.
The hand holding mine squeezed gently and she pulled me away from the thermals toward the people in the distance. "Your trust honors me, lady," Brónach looked at me shyly. "I am very pleased you choose to let me show you our home."
"No, problem," I said wryly. “I don’t really have a lot on my to-do list at the moment." She looked at me quizzically but didn’t say anything as we neared the others. Several surprised faces met us once we had joined the group. One in particular caught my attention. He wasn’t overly tall like most of the males in my life. He stood at about the six foot mark but he screamed "in charge" with his body language.
"Brónach," he murmured with a deep accent I had never heard before. It was familiar but alien at the same time. He looked at our entwined fingers and back to Brónach's shyly smiling face. An eyebrow rose nearly to his hairline before he met my gaze. Highly intelligent green eyes stared back at me before his lips tilted at the corner.
"So, you must be the latest addition to our numbers that is causing all the angst in our lord." He glanced back to Brónach before continuing, "We all thought the Hunt was for a mortal female, but no mortal could claim a hound and bring a smile to our Sorrow's face. What are you, little changeling, that you look human but have the Lord of the Hunt looking so bewildered?"
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"Sorrow?" I asked. Leave it to me to ignore the important bits and go to what interested me. The stranger pointed his chin at Brónach. "She is our Sorrow, the very embodiment of our grief and loss. Yet, here she stands with a smile of quiet joy on her face and hands entwined like small children wandering down the garden path. So tell me, girl, who are you to bring such change to our world?"
"Wow," I gasped. "That’s not intense or anything." Caomhnóir moved closer to me. The heavy weight of his body rested against my hip making me feel more secure than I had been. I let the aggravation of the last twenty-four hours show in my eyes when I responded, "I'm Dianthe Mclearey, daughter of Belenus, AKA, the shining one. Who the hell are you?"
The clearing fell silent around us. Everyone had stopped to listen to the confrontation but my words had caused a silence thick enough to cut with a knife. People, both male and female, stood waiting to see what the stranger in front of me would do next.
The endless moments seemed to drag on and I took in my surroundings. It was almost like a re-enactment. Tents and semi-permanent housing stood in a village pattern around us. There was nothing of the modern world here. I really felt as if I had stepped back into a long gone time. Choking sounds interrupted my seconds of contemplation and I turned my attention back to the man before us.
His lips twisted before he threw back his head and laughed. He laughed so hard that he wrapped a hand around his belly and bent at the waist gasping for breath. "Gods," he wheezed. "Who the hell am I?" Tears streamed down his face with his mirth. The men and women around us let out a sigh of relief and Brónach noticeably relaxed.
Indignation began to rise in me. It wasn’t that funny. I thought it was pretty badass myself. I gently pulled my hand from Brónach and crossed my hands over my chest before tapping my foot. He finally calmed enough to straighten and look at me straight faced.
"I'm still waiting you know. Did your mother never teach you manners? Seriously, just because you live in the wood," I waved my arm around us, "does not mean you have the right to behave like an animal."
His mouth opened and shut several times before he was able to reply. Laughter still lit up his eyes but his voice had taken on a serious quality, "Indeed, My lady. Please forgive my crass manners. Ahem," clearing his throat, he bowed before me and took my hand in his before kissing it." I am Caratâcos of the Catuvellaunian people. Lately of the Hunt, the last millennia or so," he smirked.
"You are not," I gasped. My eyes widened to where they felt like they would pop from my head. "I assure you, lady, I am who I say. My brother can attest to my identity if you want?" He raised his arm and beckoned for another male similar in stature to join us. He was slightly taller and thicker built than his brother but shared the same wavy dark hair and laughing eyes. His was more hazel than green though and my mouthed gaped as I looked at them.
"Togodumnus," I whispered. A sexy grin slid across his face, bringing to life a scar that slashed from the upper corner of his left lip down his chin and ended at his Adam’s apple. That one must have hurt.
"My exploits precede me, lady? Have the stories of my virility and endurance carried so long in the mortal realm," he asked cheekily. I was having a major fan girl moment. Two of my favorite historical heroes were standing in front of me.
"Oh my gosh," I gushed. "You're Caratâcos and Togodumnus!"
They looked at each other, passing a look between them as if I were a simpleton that needed to be humored. Okay, at the moment, I was acting like one but still…
Fanning myself, I tried to get it under control. "I'm sorry, I'm not really crazy. You people are a couple of my heroes though! You led the first revolt against the Romans when they invaded and, Caratâcos, you were captured and talked your way out of a death sentence! You invented the silver tongue!"
"Lady," Togodumnus said, “if you admire my brother for his way with words, you have not sampled the right brother." He waggled his eyebrows at me suggestively and I shook my head and raised my arm so he could see the runic markings from Robin. "Sorry, sweetie, but I'm a married woman."
Brónach took that moment to interrupt us; I had nearly forgotten she was by my side. "Dianthe, may I see," she asked.
"Sure, I guess," I began before she grabbed my arm and pulled me closer. "Can you read these?" Brónach stared at me intently. "Do you understand what they mean, to whom these markings belong?"
"Uh, yeah," I jerked my arm back, pulling the sleeve of my jumper down. Suddenly, I was glad it was still cool even in summer in Scotland. At least I could cover my arms. It had been freaking hard the last few weeks. "They belong to me," I said grumpily while rubbing my arm. "My mate, Robin, has a matching set."
Shocked gasps met that remark. Concern crossed Brónach's face and her teeth worried her lower lip. "Dianthe, when you say Robin," she paused, "Do you mean the Lord Oberon's Puck?"
"Ummm, I guess so," I murmured. "He's Robin Goodfellow, also known as the Puck. Is it a problem?" Caratâcos stepped forward and motioned to my arm.
"Does Lord Cernunnos know about your markings, my lady?" I was beginning to get worried again. It is never good when they start to ask you lots of questions without answering any in return. I had begun to run my finger over the runes at my wrist when a deep sensual voice rang out over the whispering of the crowd.
"Do I know about what, my Taoiseach?" Several small gasps rang out and I turned to meet the eyes of Cernunnos. Taoiseach, huh? So he was Cernunnos's second in command then. I raised an eyebrow and tapped my foot. No one had ever accused me of having an overabundance of common sense.
All around us heads bowed as the bane of my current existence made his way to us. His great stag antlers swaying as he walked. Beside me, Brónach lowered her head, as did the two brothers.
"Hiya, Keir," I waggled my fingers at him. Outraged breaths could be heard being drawn at the derivative of his name. Really, I rolled my eyes, it was a mouthful. The god in question raised an eyebrow before looking to Caratâcos. “My second, what do I need to know about?"
"My lord," Caratâcos rose up. “The lady has mating marks upon her arm." He nodded in my direction.
"Is this so, Dianthe," Cernunnos asked. "Show me your arm then and let me see." Pure petulance had me pulling my left arm behind me.
"What if I don’t want to? It's none of your bloody business anyway," I grumbled at him. Turning to Brónach I gentled my tone, "Thank you for showing me around. Perhaps later we can hang out?"
She said nothing but a hint of a smile played at her lips.
I glanced down at Caomhnóir and asked him, "Are you ready to go, boy? Let's go find you something to eat." His shaggy tail thumped the ground but he sat patiently waiting for me to make the first move.
With a snobbish glance toward a smirking Cernunnos, I began to walk past them. There was only a glimpse of movement before I found myself twisted around, back to chest, against the big bastard. Damn it, I thought. I had hoped the spoiled brat routine would work. Obviously, ancient gods did not play those kinds of games.
"Now, female, let's see what we have here, shall we?" A shiver passed through me as static raced from his body to mine. He leaned against me, his head on my shoulder while he pulled the sleeve of my jumper up. He studied them for a moment then let the sleeve go to wrap an arm around my waist. Our bodies were flushed tight together, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
"You are mated to the Puck," Cernunnos stated.
"Um, yeah…it's not a secret or anything. Kale and Daniel are my mates as well," I told him. His breath puffed out against my neck. "The mortals do not concern me. However, I have no wish to go to war with the sword of Oberon. This calling of the Hunt is not what it appears. This must be looked into before we take any other actions. My Taoiseach call forth Fechin and see what he has to say about the situation that we find ourselves in. It was he that brought us word of the call."
"My lord, it shall be done," Caratâcos said solemnly before marching away, his brother in tow. I had about a m
illion questions I wanted to ask, but I was smart enough to know now wasn’t the time. Cernunnos nuzzled closer into my neck. It unsettled me and made me uncomfortable but I tried not to wiggle.
My eyes looked to my trusted hound, yeah right… "Hey you, Caomhnóir, what happened to the loyal guardian gig?" A dangling tongue and wagging tail was the only answer I received from him. Unfortunately, it was not the only answer I got.
"He is content because I pose you no danger at the moment. Long may it stay that way. This situation however is tenuous. You will come with me to my private dwelling where we will discuss this," he slid his hand over my arm, "and other things in more detail."
I took the moment to glance at him out of the corner of my eye. I really had to work on installing a filter because said eyes widened and I blurted out the first thing to pass through my brain. "Your horns are gone!"
Cernunnos peered at me nonplussed for a moment before throwing his head back and laughing. "I am a god, Dianthe, while the antlers are a part of me, I can manifest them or not." He winked, actually winked, before carrying on. "It is not prudent to have them erect when coming so close, they could put an eye out if not careful." Mouth agape, I just stood there. He had just made a double entendre and a sexual innuendo to me. How did I respond to that?
"So, ummm...what did you want to talk about again?" He shook his head, his eyes still lit with humor and took me by the arm.
"Come, woman, let us retire and converse of more important things than my huge rack." Damn it, now I knew he could read my thoughts.
"That’s rude you know," I told him.
"Then figure out how to stop me, godling." A whistle and Caomhnóir was happily trotting beside us while Cernunnos led me deeper into the wood.
Chapter Three
Cernunnos
I had no idea what had come over me. I do not remember a time that I had felt so lighthearted and carefree. As the Lord of the Hunt, it was my weight to carry the burden of my people. Frivolities and innuendoes had no place in that.
