Oak & Thorns

by Yasmine Galenorn

  I let out a little groan. “I suppose we have to pull an all-nighter.”

  “Welcome to the world of the Wild Hunt. Take a nap, but we have to get back out in that forest to track down Blackthorn. Now that he’s targeting Rhiannon and her people, we can’t let the situation get any worse.”

  I let out a sigh, leaning back as I stared out the window at the dark night as it passed by. Soon, the movement and warmth of the car rocked me into a dreamless sleep.

  BACK AT THE hotel parking lot, I groggily let Viktor pull me out of the car into the chill night air. It braced me, waking me enough to make it back into the hotel. We met up in Herne’s room, where Talia had made a fresh pot of coffee. Yutani was asleep in his room, safely locked in. Herne had called ahead, apparently, and Talia had the laptop open and ready to go. Angel had ordered room service, which luckily ran all night. Three pizzas sat on the dresser.

  I realized I was hungry as well as tired, and accepted a paper plate with a couple slices of pepperoni pizza on it. After I sat down beside the desk and took a sip of the astringent caffeine, which tasted double strength, I bit into the pizza. The warm flavors exploded in my mouth, and I murmured appreciatively as I chewed.

  “I’ve been comparing the photo you texted me with symbols and signs online. I think I found something.” Talia turned the laptop around. “This is the picture Herne texted me as you guys were on the way home. Note the markings on top of the rock?”

  I blinked, leaning in to see what she was talking about. The picture was of a standing stone, and there was an indentation on the top, which held what looked like a crystal wheel. The wheel looked movable, and had several glyphs scattered around the edges, much like the numbers on a clock face. The lines looked squiggly to me, making no sense, but I realized they were deliberate markings.

  “Are those runes?” I leaned in even closer.

  “Of a sort, yes. They aren’t Norse runes, nor are they the Celtic Ogham. But they appear to be glyphs of some sort, or pictographs. I’ve run them through a comparison program that Yutani has on his laptop. While they aren’t from any of the arcane Fae languages, they resemble one of the most ancient—the Tuanadeth tongue. This one here—the one that looks like a loop with a tail—is very close to the glyph for ‘open door.’ And this one over here? It looks like three lines with bars through it? That resembles a glyph meaning ‘hidden.’ I can’t tell with the others yet.”

  Angel cupped her mug, which had a teabag in it. “What exactly is a touchstone?”

  Herne studied the picture, and the comparison chart.

  “A touchstone can be several things. It can be a locking mechanism, in which case if you turn it just right, it will open a door or unlock a chest or something like that. There are more complicated ones that are almost…think magical computer system, if you will. Each glyph would then act as a different program. Or a touchstone can simply be a landmark.”

  “Touchstones can also be portals,” Viktor said. “The reason it’s called a touchstone is because it’s usually aligned to one place or person. If the touchstone is aligned to a person, nobody else can use it without permission. If it’s aligned to a place, then it will only connect to that particular location.”

  “In this case, my guess is that it’s aligned to a place and is probably a portal or a key lock. The fact that it has a glyph similar to the open-door glyph makes it more likely to be the latter.” Herne glanced at the clock. “We need to test it.”

  I paused mid-chew, praying he wouldn’t say we were heading out now. It was two a.m., and the nap in the car had only made me more tired. Viktor glanced at me.

  “We should wait till morning. It’s been a rough night. We can all use a little sleep. A few hours aren’t going to matter, one way or another. Rhiannon’s being protected in the hospital, and Yutani’s asleep in his room.” The half-ogre gave me a gentle grin.

  I smiled back gratefully. I knew he wasn’t as tired as I was, and Herne could probably run all night without a problem, but there was no way I had the stamina or energy to get through the rest of the night.

  Herne frowned, but reluctantly agreed. “All right. We’ll head out at first light. Let’s meet in the dining hall at seven o’clock.”

  I groaned. “Can we make it seven-thirty? Or eight? An extra hour of sleep would do me a world of good.” I hated admitting that I wasn’t up to the task, but every part of my body ached. I hadn’t felt this tired in a long time. And my wrist still hurt like hell. “I need to change the dressing on my wrist tomorrow morning.”

  Talia patted my hand. “I’ll help you.”

  “All right. Eight a.m. sharp, in the dining room. Be there.” Herne shooed us out of his room, and I realized I was too tired for even a good-night kiss. I blew him a quick peck, darting out with Angel.

  As Angel locked our door, I began to strip off my clothes, wincing as my wrist throbbed. “That damned bush really got me.”

  Angel pulled back my covers for me. “Climb into bed, and go to sleep. You need all the rest you can get. Why don’t you use the extra pillow to prop up your hand?”

  Doing as she suggested, I snuggled underneath the blankets. I was out in no time.

  MORNING CAME FAR too early, and five and half hours of sleep didn’t seem like enough, but it was better than nothing. I staggered to the bathroom, brushing my teeth and washing my face before hopping in the shower for a quick rinse.

  “Are you ready for breakfast?” Angel asked, tapping on the door.

  “If I was ready I’d be out there and dressed. Give me five.” I quickly toweled off and wrapped my hair in a high ponytail so that it would dry naturally. I pulled on a pair of jeans and, since we were headed out to the woods, I decided on a long-sleeve microfiber shirt that wouldn’t catch on the foliage. I tucked it into my jeans and then threaded a black leather belt through the belt loops, buckling the silver clasp that had Celtic knotwork on it.

  The shower had revived me some—I was finding that the more I worked with water magic, the more showers and baths perked me up.

  As I returned to the bedroom, Angel was waiting for me, my boots in hand. As I thrust them on, she gathered our purses and unplugged our tablets from the charging bay. She slid mine into my purse and hers into her own purse, then handed me my phone. I tucked it into the pocket of my jean jacket. Finally, we were ready. Heading out the door, we locked it firmly behind us.

  We decided to take the stairs since it was quicker than waiting for the elevator, and by the time we reached the bottom, the lift car opened and Herne and Viktor emerged. Talia was already in the dining room, waiting for us. She had secured a table. As I pulled out my chair, I glanced around. The hotel seemed to have more guests than it had the day before. Tourist season must be starting.

  “I ordered for you,” Talia said. “Herne asked me to. I hope you don’t mind waffles and sausage.”

  “Sounds good to me,” I said, unfurling my napkin and draping it over my lap. “Has anybody heard from Yutani this morning?”

  At that moment, Angel poked me in the arm and pointed through the glass doors, across the lobby to the elevator. Yutani was walking out of the lift even as I asked the question. As he entered the dining room, I restrained a gasp. He looked pretty beat up, even more so than the night before. He had a black eye, and purplish bruises on his face. They were already turning color, which meant he was healing fairly quickly.

  Herne pulled out the chair next to him, and Yutani dropped into it, letting out an oomph.

  “I feel like I was hit by a truck.” He glanced around at us, a sheepish look on his face. “All right, before any of you say it. I promise next time Coyote gives me a warning, I’ll listen.”

  “Don’t say I didn’t tell you so,” Talia said, a rueful smile on her face.

  Yutani stuck out his tongue at her. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that. What’s for breakfast?”

  “Apparently, waffles. Talia ordered for us.”

 
“As soon as breakfast is over, Ember and Viktor and I are headed out to the woods. We want to check out that touchstone.” Herne unfurled his napkin, laying it across his lap.

  “What touchstone?” Yutani asked.

  “You were already on your way to the hospital when we left the woods.” As Herne told him about it and showed him the pictures, I darted over to the counter and ordered a quad-shot mocha, asking the waitress to hurry it if she would.

  “I should go with you,” Yutani was saying as I returned. “You know that I’ve got magic that can help in those situations. As well as a good technical eye.”

  “When are you going to learn?” Herne asked. “You’d think what happened to that arm of yours would teach you something. We’re not dragging you out in the woods, especially after one of the Ante-Fae.”

  They were still arguing when breakfast arrived, along with my mocha. I ignored the debate, focusing instead on the sugar and caffeine as a source of energy. I noticed that neither Talia nor Viktor were getting involved, and Angel was reading her email. It didn’t take long before Herne won, and Yutani turned to his breakfast, sulking a little.

  “If the touchstone is a portal, then what do we do?”

  Herne glanced at me. “Then, we take a little trip.”

  “Without knowing where we’re going?”

  Viktor laughed. “You’d be surprised at some of the places we’ve ended up over the years by jumping through strange portals. And we’re still alive.”

  “Oh, joy—what a comfort,” I said, diving into my breakfast.

  Chapter 14

  AT TEN O’CLOCK, after Talia changed my dressing—which hurt, though the wounds were healing up faster now—we headed toward the park. Not far from the hotel, the sound of a siren whirred twice behind us. I let out a disgruntled grunt as Herne pulled the side of the road. A moment later, a haughty-looking woman in a khaki uniform came ambling over to the driver’s side, looking rather disgruntled. Herne let out an “Oh, shit” and rolled down his window.

  When she peeked in and saw me, the snotty look intensified. I realized exactly who we were facing.

  “So, where are you going?” She was asking Herne, but her gaze was glued on my face.

  “Did we do anything wrong, Sheriff? Did I make an illegal turn, or is my brake light out, or was I going over the speed limit?” Herne’s snide reply surprised me. It also made me nervous, given what he was capable of.

  Astrana seemed to feel the same way I did, because she stepped back, her look turning from patronizing to wary. “May I see your identification?

  Herne pulled out his wallet, and his identification badge. “You know who I am, Astrana. And you know I have the authority to investigate this case. Don’t try to interfere or I’ll notify my father and mother that you’re putting up resistance.” His voice was flat, with no inflection, and it was far more chilling than if he had yelled at her. He didn’t even look at her, just stared directly ahead at the road.

  Astrana glanced at his wallet and badge and then handed them back as if they had bitten her. “I make it my business to know what’s going on around here—”

  “You don’t make it your business to know what’s going on with the various murders that happen around here, do you? Especially ones that might have dicey consequences for you, should you actually do your job.” This time, Herne turned to face her directly. He held her gaze until she looked away.

  Her voice flat, she said, “Just wrap up your business as soon as you can.” And with that, she returned to her car and sped off down the road.

  “I think you just made an enemy, boss,” Viktor said.

  “Do you think I care?” Herne said. “She has to know we’re on to her. She’ll be lucky to still have her job after we’re done with this.”

  He rolled up his window again, and pulled back on the road. A few moments later, we were back in the parking lot of the state park.

  “Getting to the touchstone isn’t easy. I’m pretty sure that Viktor can manage it, but you should probably ride on my back, Ember. I know you’re physically fit, but with that wrist, it’s going to be hard for you to balance yourself against the steep slope.”

  By now, I had learned to recognize when Herne was in a bad mood, and Astrana had plummeted him into one. It was just best to accept his offer, rather than argue that I could make it on my own. Besides, if the slope was as steep as he seemed to think, he was probably right given the state of my throbbing wrist.

  “Not a problem,” I said. “I’d appreciate the ride.” And I didn’t even put any innuendo into it.

  A LITTLE WAYS off the road, Herne turned into his stag self and knelt so that I could crawl on to his back. I had ridden on him a couple times before, and it still took my breath away as to how fast he could go and how nimble he was. Oh, I knew that the cervidae family was quick footed, but Herne could out-run any deer or elk out there. And he was massive, at least shoulder height next to me. He lowered himself to the ground, and I climbed on his back. Slowly, he stood, waiting for me to get a good hold on him. I held tight, leaning forward to rest my arms against the sides of his neck. Then, picking up speed, he led the way, holding himself back so that Viktor could follow.

  We wound our way through the forest, startling the odd bird here and there, and a fox, who scampered off to the right. I yawned, still tired, but grateful that Viktor had bought us some downtime. Herne had been right, the slope of the ravine was extremely steep, and while I would have been able to make it, it would have been a struggle and I would have worn myself out by the time I reached the top. As it was, Herne made quick work of it, and Viktor wasn’t far behind.

  At the top of the ravine was a narrow plateau, about three feet wide before the ravine started down the other side. Herne let out a little huff, one that I recognized as “Hold on tight,” and I pressed myself harder against his neck. He began to descend, picking up speed until we were racing between the trees in a blur. I didn’t look back to see how Viktor was doing—that would have required letting go of Herne’s neck and I wasn’t about to do that.

  As we darted between the trees, I held my breath, wincing every time we came to a log or boulder. Yet Herne always managed to jump without hesitation, sailing over the obstacles as though they didn’t exist. We arrived at the bottom and he slowed, finally coming to a halt beside a streambed that trickled along through the ravine.

  The entire network of Western Washington geology was made up of forests like these, thick fir and cedar, overzealous ferns that covered the forest floor, along with vining plants and huckleberry bushes, all filling the ever-present ravines that had been caused by the retreat of the massive glaciers during the last Ice Age. The glaciers had withdrawn, leaving only the ravines and bluffs and alluvial deposits to mark that they had ruled over the land at one time. The massive rockslides covered white slopes, a stark reminder of the strength of the planet.

  Herne knelt for me to jump off of his back. As I turned around, Viktor was descending the last few feet of the ravine. He was surefooted, but even he was using the closely spaced trees for balance. As he joined us, Herne turned back into himself.

  “Are we near the touchstone?” I asked, looking around. The bottom of the ravine was dry, covered with forest debris.

  Herne pointed ahead of us, toward a small clearing where the sun was pouring in. At least it wasn’t raining. He led us through the knee-deep undergrowth until we reached a large boulder that was flat enough to sit on. Atop the boulder was the inset crystal wheel that we had seen in the photograph. Around us, the cliffs were almost glowing. There was magic in the area, and it crackled in the air around us. I caught my breath, holding out my hands as I tried to pinpoint the source.

  “You can feel it too, can’t you?” Herne asked.

  I nodded. “Whatever it is, it’s very powerful and very old. It has to be Blackthorn. I can’t imagine that he would settle near any other forces as strong as he is, given what little I know of the Ante-Fa
e.”

  “You’re right. The Ante-Fae tend to be solitary beings, with their own courts and their own rules. Weapons ready?”

  Viktor patted the dagger by his side. “I also have an iron blade tucked in my boot.” He glanced at me. “Be sure not to touch it, because it’s specifically designed to harm the Fae. I’m not sure if the Ante-Fae also have the same weakness, but it occurred to me they might.”

  “Oh, they do,” Herne said. He turned to me. “How’s your wrist?”

  “I’m left-handed, which means my writing sucks, but I wield my dagger with my right hand. So I should be okay.” My wrist was still throbbing, but the salve Ferosyn had given me was definitely helping it mend. I would end up with an interesting array of scars, though.

  “I’m not certain how this particular touchstone works, so take hold of me in case it only affects the person touching it.” Herne reached out toward the knob in the center of the wheel.

  I took hold of his right arm, and Viktor took hold of his left. Herne turned the knob to the glyph we thought represented the word “open.”

  I held breath, slowly exhaling as a shimmer formed around us. The circle of dancing lights grew brighter. The next moment, a loud rumble split the air as a crack in the side of the ravine began to open, pushing back, exposing a dark and pungent maw. The tang of fresh earth hung heavy in the air. I shivered as a tremor ran through the ravine. This was heavy magic, dark and ancient, permeating every single drop of moisture in the soil, and every breath of air in the breeze that raced past. As the circle of lights faded, we faced the passage into the earth.

  Herne let go of our arms as he slowly stepped forward. Viktor and I followed close behind. As we approached the opening in the side of the ravine, the sensation of magic grew stronger, and my knees felt weaker.