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“Look at what?”
“Your back.” He held up a small hand mirror sitting on the chest of drawers. I glanced over my shoulder at my reflection.
On the right shoulder blade a new tattoo had emblazoned itself in my skin. Opposite the silver spiral on my left shoulder marking me as Moon Witch was the outline of a black owl flying over an elaborate crescent moon with horns pointed up. The crescent sat atop a dark orb.
The emblem all priestesses of the Moon Mother were tattooed with.
I caught my breath and watched as the tattoo shimmered and glistened. The spiral on my left shoulder mirrored its brilliance and it looked like my back was inset with diamonds and onyx rather than the ink of the Moon Mother.
“I’m a priestess,” I whispered.
Iris nodded, her face serious. “So you are, Camille. And someone will be coming to visit you to help you adjust, but now we have to hurry.”
“Should we tell Feddrah-Dahns?” Morio asked.
The moment the words hit my ears I shook my head. “I don’t know. Ignorance may ensure our safety . . . maybe we shouldn’t. I feel it’s important we keep this under wraps and just get the fuck back home. The priestess was right. Help us get dressed and let’s get out of here now.”
“What about portal jumping? How will we manage it?”
“I suppose we should sneak back to Dahnsburg and jump from there. We aren’t that far away from the portal near the Deep. We’ll return the same route we came and pray they don’t catch us.”
I started to pull on my skirt, but stopped. All my clothes were soaked through with mud and grass and blood. “Lovely. I can’t wear this,” I said, looking at the sodden mess. “I’d look like a reject from Satan’s School for Girls. I was naked when I killed him but my clothes still caught the worst of it.”
Iris laughed. “I can take care of that. Both of you were a sight when we brought you in here. I washed you up the best I could,” she added, blushing as she glanced at Morio. “You, too.”
“Thanks, Iris,” he said, winking at her. “You’re a peach.”
She blushed again, then brought out a bag. “While you slept, I did a little shopping at the early market. I couldn’t find much but . . . here.” She drew out a simple robe in a brilliant blue shade and handed it to me, along with a finely made leather belt. And for Morio, she held out a pair of brown trousers and a green tunic. “I was able to clean your shoes, and they’re over there in the corner.”
We dressed quickly and shoved our filthy clothes in the bag, then—eating bread and cheese on the run—hurried downstairs.
Feddrah-Dahns and Mistletoe were waiting. The unicorn surprised me by motioning me aside with a wave of the head. “Priestess Camille, rest assured, my father will not find out what transpired from me. Revealing that information will be up to the new Lord of the Dahns Unicorns.”
Priestess? I stared at him. “You know what happened?”
He bobbed his head. “Of course. I felt his death. All of the Dahns Unicorns did—it rocked through every one of us. But none except for myself know exactly how it happened. Each time he is reborn, the herd feels the passing.”
“I should have known,” I said. “What will your people think? Will they hate me?”
Feddrah-Dahns shook his head. “No. At least not my people. Others may not see the matter so clearly.” He paused as if he were wondering how much to say. “Understand: The Black Beast chose you, Lady Camille. His command is sacred among the Dahns Unicorns.”
“Then is there a problem?”
“To some degree. There are rites and rituals my father would demand you undergo, and you do not have time. I have a premonition there are things afoot Earthside that you must take care of. So I will make sure you get back through the portals without any questions.”>Then, with a cry from above, the Moon Mother came streaking across the sky, followed by a legion of bears and panthers, elk and fox and hawks and Moon Witches and priestesses, and warriors long dead. She was beautiful, clad in her hunting outfit of silver and black, her face a mask of brilliant light, while her hands carried the bow and arrows of the Hunt. They raced through the air, pausing overhead.
“Come, Camille,” she whispered. “Come to me. It’s time for you to join me at the helm of the Hunt. Come race like the wind to catch your quarry. And then, strike the blow and bring him into the Hunt with us.”
A sudden wind shook the trees, howling with gale force and I felt myself slip onto the astral. I grabbed Morio’s hand and he let out a sharp gasp as we stepped into the slipstream of energy, catching our breath as we landed next to the Moon Mother, looking down at the ground far below.
“You know what you have to do?” she asked, giving me a stern look.
“I do.” I swallowed my fear and pulled out the unicorn horn, thrusting it into the sky.
“Tonight you lead the Hunt with me. Your quarry is great and wise and powerful. He must be caught—his sacrifice must be met this night.” She grabbed me by the shoulders, her gaze piercing my soul. “Do not fail me. Do not falter. Show no mercy, for truly—mercy tonight will not be the compassion you wish it to be. Sometimes, to heal means to die. And if you fail to catch the prey, you will take his place.”
My voice catching in my throat, I could only let out a strangled cry of assent. She dropped her hand and stepped back. My skin burned from the cold fire of her touch, and I wanted nothing more than to make my Lady happy.
“You took an oath when you pledged yourself to me, Camille. Tonight I ask you to repeat it. Camille Sepharial te Maria, will you live for me?”
