The Silver Mist: A Wild Hunt Novel, Book 6 Read online

  “There might be, but I’m not keen to chance it without more knowledge. They’re dangerous in ways you can’t even fathom. I wish my father were here. He knows more about them than I do. When I was very young, we met one in the Woodlands. I don’t remember why it was there, but my father and the Saumen Kar had a long talk.” She squinted as she stared at the stove.

  “What is your father like? Are you still in touch with your parents?” I knew very little about the Ante-Fae or the way their families worked. In fact, my only exposure had been Blackthorn and his son, and they definitely hadn’t been good role models when it came to family relations.

  “My father? He’s considered an unlucky omen by humans. To see him once brings good favor into your life. But to see him a second time, well, that portends danger. When you think about it, both my parents are considered unlucky by humans, especially.”

  “Yeah, given your mother is a Bean Sidhe, I suppose that’s true. Does she live in the United States?”

  Raven shook her head. “No. She returned to Scotland shortly after I turned twelve. She was called back to her duties by the Morrígan. I stayed with my father, and he brought me up. Usually, I don’t talk about him because he is so very misunderstood. I go to see him every few years. We email. But he stays in hiding while I’m out in the world.”

  “You said he’s the Black Dog of Hanging Hills?”

  She nodded. “His name is Curikan. He’s not always in his dog form. At times he’ll walk through the countryside in human form. That’s how he and my mother got together. But when he takes the shape of the dog—which is his natural form—the first time he meets people, he brings them joy. Something wonderful happens in their lives. He tries to avoid them after that, but some of them put two and two together and seek him out.”

  “And it doesn’t work out the way they hope it will, right?” I was beginning to get the picture.

  “Right. The second time he meets them, tragedy often follows. It’s not something he causes deliberately, it just seems to be wedded to his nature. Which means, I will never allow you to meet him more than once. His powers affect Fae and human alike—as well as many other Cryptos. He stays out of sight because he dreads bringing sorrow into people’s lives. He’s a recluse. Curikan brought me up to take pride in my work and to be strong. He taught me to follow my heart and my instinct.”

  “Why did you stay with him? Didn’t your mother want you with her?”

  Raven shook her head. “As I said, my mother is a Bean Sidhe. She’s bound to the Morrígan. She lives within the world of spirits, and seldom walks abroad on the earth. She stayed with my father as long as the Morrígan allowed, but when I was old enough, the Morrígan required her to return to her job. Phasmoria had the option to take me with her, but she decided that it wouldn’t be a good upbringing, given I’m not a Bean Sidhe. The mix of my mother and father’s blood resulted in me being a bone witch.”

  “Do you miss her?” I stared at the bag of chips. I knew how much I missed my own parents. It was bad enough that they had been murdered. I couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to know that your mother voluntarily left you behind.

  Raven thought for a moment, then shrugged. “She contacts me every now and then. I’ve seen her four times since she left, about once every twenty-five years. She brings me a gift, and she always says that we should get together more, but it never happens. I don’t think she expected to get pregnant when she slept with my father. Gods know, I doubt if either one of them envisioned a future together. She’s nice enough, but she’s very focused on her job, and frankly she makes me nervous when I’m around her. I couldn’t tell you why, though.”

  “I miss my parents. They were really good to me, though sometimes I wonder if they truly thought things over. Both Morgana and Cernunnos hinted that they knew they were going to die. Sometimes I wonder if they just waited around to be murdered, instead of trying to change the future. When I think about that, I get angry at them.”

  “I would too,” Raven said.

  At that moment, the door opened and Viktor and Kipa returned, their arms full. They had carried in everything we might possibly be able to use from Herne’s car, as well armfuls of wood. As they were stacking the wood by the stove, Raven and I began to sort through the things on the floor. I was just about to place the first-aid kit on the table when the door opened and Herne stamped the snow off his boots and entered the cabin. Behind him, I could see two figures.

  Yutani followed him in, naked and shivering, and behind him came a tall dark man. The man had long shimmering black hair, and he was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a flannel shirt, along with a cowboy hat. He was also wearing a necklace of turquoise and silver beads, and centered on his chest, part of the necklace, was a small skull about the size of a large man’s fist.

  Raven handed Yutani his clothes, then silently backed away, her eyes glued to the man behind him. Kipa bristled, looking wary.

  Yutani silently slid into his jeans, then his shirt. As he sat down to put on his shoes, he said, “Ember, Raven, I’d like you to meet my father. Coyote.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  I froze. That was the last thing I expected to hear. I glanced at Herne, who gave me a single nod. I could tell by the guarded look in his eyes that it would be best to say as little as possible. All I knew about Coyote was that he was a trickster, and extremely unpredictable.

  “How do you do,” I said, trying to maintain my composure.

  Raven murmured something along the same lines, then moved toward the stove, standing near Kipa. Viktor dropped into a chair, shaking his head.

  “Trust me, I’m just as startled as you guys are,” Yutani said. He sounded guarded, but there seemed to be an excitement bubbling below the surface. At least he had managed to contact Coyote. I just prayed it was the contact he was hoping for.

  Coyote glanced around the room, a sly smile on his face. After a moment, he cleared his throat. “I realize that I’m an unexpected guest. I usually am. But when I found my son wandering around in the woods, I had to help him find his way back home.” His voice was deep, a rich baritone with a hint of laughter behind it. I had the feeling that Coyote was the life of the party wherever he went.

  Herne cleared his throat. “I was looking for Yutani when I came across one of the Saumen Kar. I had a bit of a talk with him, and sure enough, it’s as we thought. The Tuathan Brotherhood have them bound to a servitude spell. There’s not much we can do about it.” He frowned, shaking his head with a disgusted look on his face. “I also found the headquarters. At least, the backside. My guess is that will be the easiest place to infiltrate. I promised the Saumen Kar that we would do what we could to free them, but I made certain they understand it’s not a promise. For that, they have given their word that they won’t deter us unless a member of the brotherhood is watching.”

  “Did they by chance tell you how many members of the brotherhood are in there?” Viktor asked.

  “Yes, or rather,” Herne said, “I got an estimate. Perhaps twenty members or so. I don’t know if that includes the current crop of recruits, including Rafé.” He looked over at Coyote. “You wouldn’t by chance be interested in helping us out, would you?”

  Coyote sat down at the table. He opened one of the sandwiches and took a bite out of the roast beef. Wiping his mouth, he said, “Sorry. It’s none of my concern.” He sounded so nonchalant that it made me angry.

  I was going to say something, but Herne shot me a quick look and I shut my mouth.

  Yutani walked over to the stove and warmed his hands against the heat. He ducked his head, looking like he wanted to say something, but the tension was so thick that I had the feeling he didn’t know where to begin. Hell, I didn’t blame him, considering the circumstances.

  “What now?” Viktor asked.

  Herne glanced from Coyote to Kipa, then let out a sigh.

  “All right, all cards on the table. We need to take care of the situation. Coyote, we welcome your presence.
My father speaks highly of you, but right now you’re a monkey wrench in our plans. I know you need to talk to your son, and the gods know, he needs to talk to you. So I think we’ll head out and leave the two of you here. Viktor, stay here in case there’s trouble.”

  Viktor nodded. “Will do.”

  Herne stood, holding out his hand for a sandwich. “All right, then get ready to head out.”

  Raven and I began to suit up. I stared at her skirt. That wouldn’t be practical at all for maneuvering through the snow.

  “Do you have anything else to wear?” I asked.

  She arched her eyebrows, smiling. “I’m wearing leggings under the skirt. Since we have snowshoes, I think you’ll be surprised by how easy I can cavort on top of the snow. I’m not a pants sort of woman.” She slid on her jacket, which looked equally unsuited to the weather. At my look, she held out her arm. “Feel.”

  I ran my hand over the arm. There was a warmth to it that belied the thin fabric. It was radiating some sort of heat. Raven lifted her leg, placing her foot on a chair and pulling up her dress to show off the leggings. I felt them, as well. Again, the warmth radiated through my hand.

  “What the hell is that and where can I get it? That would be so handy.”

  “I can charm garments and they act like one of those reflective blankets that you see in the survival kits. My leggings and my jacket use my body warmth to increase the heat factor. I’ll stay nice and toasty out there.” She paused, then laughed. “I suppose you’re going to want me to do this for you? I wish I could do it now, but we’ll have to wait till we get home.”

  “You’ve got a deal. I’ll pay you whatever you want. I’d love to have a couple outfits like this and I know Angel wouldn’t mind one either.”

  Herne and Kipa placed the snowshoes on the floor. As Raven and I stood on them, they fitted our boots in them.

  “Have either of you ever used snowshoes before?” Herne asked.

  “I have,” Raven said.

  I shook my head. “Not me. How do I do this?” I stared down at them, wondering how they worked.

  “These are a lot easier to use than the old-fashioned kind. Take a wider stance than usual, and pick up your feet. It doesn’t take long before you’ll get the hang of it, and it’s mostly flat ground to the encampment. When going downhill, make sure you step heel first. If you’re going up the side of a ravine, lodge the inner side of the snowshoe — the side closest to the hill — onto the snow first. We have snowshoe poles in case you want them, and I suggest that you use them if you’ve never snowshoed before.” Kipa seemed right at home. He motioned for me to follow him outside, where he demonstrated the techniques he was talking about.

  After the first few minutes, I found that it wasn’t too difficult. Herne and Raven joined us, handing us our backpacks. I slung mine over my back, fastening the belt around my waist. Raven handed me a scarf. As I wrapped it around my neck, I found that it was heated, too, like her jacket and leggings.

  “I figure you need this more than I do,” she said, winking at me. Herne peeked back inside the cabin as Viktor came out of the door. Viktor shut the door behind him, glancing over his shoulder. He was carrying my pistol grip crossbow with him.

  “Oh crap, I almost forgot.” I reached out and he handed it to me. “Thanks. What’s going on in there?” I nodded at the cabin.

  “They’re having a long talk. I’m just pretending to mind my own business.” Viktor turned to Herne. “Are you sure that you don’t want me to come with you?” He looked like he’d rather be anywhere than here at this point.

  “No, you stay here. Who knows if Coyote’s going to decide to just run off again? I don’t want anybody on their own out here. I have my phone with me. I don’t know what the reception will be like, but it’s worth a shot.”

  “Do you have your crossbow?” Viktor asked.

  Herne nodded, holding up his bow. Viktor let out a sigh, then stood back.

  “Be careful then, and don’t take any stupid chances.”

  Herne clapped him on the shoulder. “We’ll be okay. Just stay here and wait for us.” With that, we headed off, Herne in front, Raven and me coming second, and Kipa flanking our backs.

  As we started snowshoeing through the trees, I tried to ignore the whispering I heard on the wind. It was the Cailleach, all right.

  I could hear her, feel her around me, sense her everywhere, within every snowflake. I had no clue why I was so aware of her, but then it crossed my mind that snow was simply frozen water. And my connection with water meant that I had a connection with snow as well.

  I closed my eyes, tuning in to the landscape surrounding me. She had surrounded us with her power. I began to understand, then. The Cailleach was no god or goddess like Herne or Cernunnos or Morgana. She was truly a force of the land, and therefore she was as far from human as were the rest of the elements. There would be no reasoning with her. There would be no bargaining. She was what she was, and she would reach out and take as much as she was able.

  I opened my eyes and realized the others were staring at me. Herne had turned around, and Raven had a worried look on her face.

  “What’s going on?” Herne asked.

  “I was just sensing the Cailleach. She’ll bring the storm to bear as long as she can. She feels greedy, almost hungry.”

  “When the Cailleach is free, the winters are long and fierce.” Herne glanced up at the sky, blinking as snow fell on his face. His hair was already covered, and his shoulders. In fact, we all were, except for Raven. The snow melted as it touched her jacket.

  “We have to put her back in the stone,” I said. “She might be able to overcome global warming, but we can’t leave her unattended out here.”

  “Oh, I concur,” Herne said. “But there’s nothing we can do about it right now. We’ll just have to work around the storm.” He glanced back over his shoulder in the direction in which we had been going. “Let’s get a move on.”

  As we went back to trekking through the snow, I wanted to smack Kipa. Snowshoeing might not be complicated, but it certainly wasn’t easy on the thighs. I felt like I’d been riding a horse for an hour and I was ever so grateful for my workouts. Wondering how Raven was doing, I glanced at her, but she seemed unperturbed. I was beginning to get the feeling that the Ante-Fae all had some sort of super strength, or something like that.

  Another half mile, and Herne slowed, holding up his hand. It was growing dark in the woods, although the snowstorm brought with it a silvery glow that allowed us to see through the gloom.

  “We don’t have far to go. We’re moving cross-country as the crow flies, rather than on the road itself, so we’ve cut distance off.” He pointed toward the right. “I think we need to head that way. It will be easier and safer in the long run if we add a little distance to our trek.”

  “I disagree,” Kipa said. “I think we need to swing around on the road. If we keep going in the direction we’re headed, we’ll get there after dark. I don’t want to be hiking through these woods after the light’s faded. It’s not safe.”

  “No. What’s not safe is approaching from the front. They’re more likely to see us.” Herne turned to him, tilting his head in a way that I had come to recognize as the I’m so stubborn and you’re not going to budge me stance. “You can’t argue with that logic.”

  “I most certainly can argue with your logic, especially since it doesn’t make any sense. You already said they know we’re here. If we keep wandering through the woods, after dark we’re going to lose our way. You may think you know the way, but I don’t trust us not to get turned around after dark.” Kipa leaned on his snowshoe poles, glaring at Herne.

  “I’m the leader of this expedition, and I say we go around the back of the compound. I thought you agreed to this back at the cabin.” Herne was getting a little hot under the collar.

  As they began to argue in earnest, Raven and I stepped back. I wasn’t sure where this was leading, but I sure as hell didn’t want to be in the way
if it led to a boxing match. I glanced at her and she shook her head. My legs were getting really tired and I started looking around, trying to find a fallen tree or a boulder on which to rest.

  “What are you looking for?” she asked, keeping her voice low. I wasn’t sure what good it did, given that Herne and Kipa were now engaged in a loud debate.

  “A place to sit down. My thighs hurt.”

  She glanced back at the arguing gods, then nodded for me to follow her. “I think I saw something over here. It looked like a log under the snow.”

  I thought about letting them know where we were going, but one look at their angry faces and I decided I wasn’t going to chance it. There was more going on than just an argument over which direction to go. I had a feeling that Herne and Kipa’s long-brewing animosity was coming to a head.

  Raven led me toward a large thicket of trees. As the light began to wane, I thought I saw the fallen log she had been talking about. As we approached the log, there was a sudden shift in the ground beneath us, and I began to lose my footing.

  “What the hell?” I scrambled, trying to get out of the way, but I couldn’t move fast enough on the snowshoes. Raven was doing the same, and seconds later we both went tumbling into a pit.

  “WHAT THE FUCK?” Raven shouted, flailing as we went tumbling. Instinctively, I turned in mid-air, trying to land on my stomach rather than my feet so I wouldn’t twist an ankle because of the snowshoes. I managed to land on my side and, although I hit hard, I didn’t feel any immediate sensation of pain. The fall knocked my breath away, but I was alive.

  I looked around, trying to see in the dark. Above us, the faint glimmer of dusk shone overhead, but I couldn’t tell how far up the top of the pit was. Then I remembered that Raven had fallen with me.

  “Raven? Raven? Are you all right?” I reached in my pocket for the flashlight that I kept hooked on my keychain. I found my keys and pulled them out, flipping the light switch. It was bright, an LED flashlight. The beam would last for a long time on the two lithium batteries that it required. I shined it around, looking for Raven.