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"You think she's in there?" Rhiannon said.
"The wind led me here." I glanced over my shoulder at the dark path that beckoned. At that moment, a figure came racing out, dark and spindly on two legs, with a bloated belly and long, jointed arms.
"What the fuck?"
The creature went straight for my throat and I stumbled back, clawing at it as it wrapped unnaturally strong arms around my neck. I smashed the palm of my hand into its nose, but it tightened its grip and everything began to go fuzzy. The next thing I knew, an owl swept out of the trees, savaging my attacker with its talons. As the bird spiraled up to get a better vantage, Leo jumped in, beating the creature off of me while Rhiannon tugged me away by one arm.
I scrambled to my feet, rubbing my throat as the thing let out a screech and backed off, hissing before it turned to disappear in the foliage.
"Crap and double crap. What the hell was that?" As I stared at the departing silhouette, I thought, Shadow, it reminds me of a thin, nasty shadow. And the owl--where had the owl come from? Owls were nocturnal, but this one had been on full alert. The owls banding my arms stirred. Startled, I stared down at my sleeves, but the sensation stopped.
Ulean, what's going on?
I don't know. But that creature was out for your blood. Be cautious, Cicely--this woodland is not what it once was.
"I don't know," Leo said. "I've never seen anything like it."
"Fae?" Rhiannon asked.
"I have no idea," I murmured. "Whatever it is, it's horribly strong. I don't think it expected you guys to help me. And the owl startled it."
Rhiannon turned to the forest, staring mutely at the trees. After a moment, she let out a long breath. "Do you think my mother came this way?"
Leo swallowed hard. "Maybe Heather went searching for my sister." He turned to me. "Elise, my sister, is one of the members of the Thirteen Moons Society. She vanished a few months ago."
"Somehow, I don't think Heather went in the forest to look for her," I said softly. "What about the Society? Can they help us?"
"Only Rupert, Tyne, and LeAnn are left, now that Heather's vanished," Rhiannon said. "With Marta dead, and Heather missing, I guess we could go to LeAnn."
"LeAnn has a new baby," Leo said. "We can't ask her to risk--"
But he was cut off when Rhiannon's head dropped back.
"She's here . . ." Her voice sounded far away, as if she were speaking through a tunnel, and her eyes glazed over with a white sheen.
"What is it? What do you see?" I let go of her hand and stepped back, motioning for Leo to give her some space. "Rhiannon, can you hear me?"
"That's what my sister looked like whenever she went into trance. She was a seer." Leo circled around behind her. "If she falls, I'll catch her."
"I hope she's okay. Rhiannon, can you hear me? Where are you?" If she didn't answer in another moment, I was going to shake her out of it. A trance as deep as the one she was in could suck a person under so far they'd never resurface. But then, her throat rattled and she opened her mouth. The voice that came out was ancient and keening, to where it might shatter like glass.
"The Indigo Court has risen. The Hunt has begun. All of my enemies, tremble with desire, and let your hearts fear."
Rhiannon crumpled into Leo's arms and he braced her up as she began to regain consciousness.
I stared at the forest. What the hell was the Indigo Court? As the breeze stirred the fern fronds near my feet, scattering snow from their leaves, something sparkling from beneath one of the maidenhair ferns caught my attention. Quietly, I knelt down to pick it up. A crescent moon necklace in white gold, and on the back, one engraved word: Heather.
Another look at the snow-shrouded ground showed droplets of blood near where the necklace had rested. I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that whatever was hiding in these woods had kidnapped my aunt. The question wasn't Where was she, but Was she alive?
I squatted on my heels beside the blood, fingering the leaves around it. The snow was compact, new snow hadn't managed to cover it yet, and I found several footprints. They were the right size and shape for my aunt's boots.
"What is it?" Leo knelt beside me.
I glanced over my shoulder. "Trouble. That's what." I stood up, wiping my hands on my jeans. Rhiannon was standing on her own, looking pale but composed. "You okay?"
She nodded. "What just happened?"
"You fell into a trance," Leo said. "I recognized the signs. What the hell is the Indigo Court? And what's the Hunt?"
