AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Another pause. Then, slowly, the wind picked up, carrying the sounds of arguing headed my way. Before I could blink, two men stood beside me.
My heart thudded in my chest and I wanted to cry. It had been so long, so many years, and yet--here he was. Grieve . . . it was Grieve. And Chatter stood beside him. Both gorgeous and mesmerizing.
Olive-skinned, Grieve and Chatter had slanted eyes and their chins were sharp and narrow, as if the flesh had been stretched taut across their faces. Grieve had a thick head of platinum hair that curled down his back, while Chatter--slightly stockier--wore his hair in a raven-black ponytail. They were dressed in camo jeans. Tight, form-fitting jeans and long dusters that looked oh so hot.>"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?"
"I don't know." I looked at my cousin. "Do you remember anything you said? Any images that might have been running through your mind when you were channeling whoever that was?"
Rhiannon rubbed the back of her hand across her forehead, squinting in concentration. "I think . . . I remember seeing something. But I'm not sure what to make of it. I was standing in a forest that was bathed in dark blue. The silhouettes of the trees were silver and barren . . . surreal. Real, but yet, not quite. And there were nets . . . webs? . . . stretching through the branches."
Just where had she been?
"Anything else?"
"Yes," she said softly. "A woman was standing there. A tall, thin woman. Her arms reminded me of a spider's legs, all jointy and spindly. She was dressed in a diaphanous gown. The woman stretched out her arms and a cloud of sparkling mist rose from her body."
Rhiannon hugged herself. "She looked at me, and when she smiled, her teeth were sharp, like tiny needles. She had black eyes--like a vampire's--except there was a swirl of stars in them. Her hair was long and black, and she wore a silver circlet on her head. When she saw me, she crooked her finger and said, 'Join us.' And the horrible thing is . . . I wanted to. I wanted to go to her."
I stared at her. "I don't like the direction this is taking."
"What's that?" Rhiannon pointed to my hand.
I glanced down. For a moment, I'd forgotten that I was holding Aunt Heather's necklace. I silently handed it over to her.
"This is my mother's necklace," she said softly. "Where did you find it?"
"By the fern." I shook my head, warning her back. "There's blood there. Not much but . . . I think . . ."
"They've got her." Leo winced. "Just like Elise. Whoever's doing this, they're systematically getting rid of the Society. Which means all the magic-born around here may be in danger. But why?"
"They aren't just taking the magic-born. People from all walks of life are disappearing." Rhiannon frowned. "Heather was keeping tabs on the disappearances. The strange thing is, the cops haven't been doing anything--they keep hemming and hawing, stalling. I'd think they were in on it but . . . that sounds outrageous. Maybe they're being influenced, though."
"Which means at best, they may ignore us. At worst, they may hinder us. What do you guys think? Should we head into the forest? Look for Heather?" I stared at the trees, knowing in my gut that we wouldn't find any sign of my aunt. Whatever--whoever--had her, wouldn't leave us a trail of breadcrumbs. And we might encounter more of the creatures like the one that had attacked me.
Rhiannon stared up at the treetops, a single tear running down her cheek. "There's nothing we can do for her right now. If we go looking for trouble, we're bound to find it, and we aren't prepared. We'd better talk this through before charging off on a rescue mission. Find out what my vision meant, if we can. See if LeAnn will help us. You need to meet with the lawyer. Maybe Marta had something among her supplies that will help us."
Leo nodded and put his arm around her shoulder, kissing her gently on the cheek as they turned back to the house. I paused.
"I'll catch up. I'm going to send out the word for Grieve first." When they gave me a worried look, I reassured them. "I'll be careful. I promise."
Leo shrugged, leading Rhiannon toward the house. I turned back to the wood and took one step onto the path, feeling the hush descend the moment I crossed the border.
I closed my eyes, praying that the creep-show Fae who had attacked me was long gone. After a moment, I caught the scent of a passing breeze and focused on tapping into the slipstream. For a moment, everything seemed normal and then, the next thing I knew, something yanked me onto the breeze and I went hurtling through the woods at a breakneck speed, like an otter caught in the roaring current of a powerful river.
