Chatoyant College Book 9: Sundered

Chapter 62: The Hunt

"I hope she'll be all right," said Edie nervously. She didn't like the idea of Ever getting in trouble because of humans—even if she'd given herself to the faeries because of humans in the first place.

"She likely will be," said Leila, leaning forward slightly as though she could see Ever running through the woods. Maybe she could. "Anyone who would likely be interested in punishing her will be distracted by the discovery of Mardalan. Is she a friend of yours?"

"Yes," said Edie. "She was pretending to be a student at the beginning of the year, and we made friends with her, but she traded herself. Um... do you know about that?" She suddenly realized it was odd that they hadn't brought Annie with them on this trip. Had anyone asked her? She hadn't been in Roe's vision, Edie knew. But she probably wouldn't have wanted to venture into faerie territory, not again.

"I had heard," said Leila. "That was good of her. There is nothing my sister likes better than to hoard people who owe her their allegiance, and despite her interest in humans, she knows that any in her court are compelled to follow her, and she prefers those who she can at least think are doing it of their own free will."

"That's why she doesn't want Tom, right?" said Dawn. "That's what you said earlier."

"Yes," said Leila. "Even if he were to join the court, he would likely only be doing it to mock her. Furthermore, I think she does not wish to touch his mind and attempt to compel it—not that she would be likely to succeed." She turned back to Edie. "If you wish it, I will protect Ever should there be a need."

"Really?" Edie smiled and squeezed her hand. "I would appreciate it. Thanks."

Leila nodded. "I would not want any of your friends to be hurt." She glanced up the tree, then quickly away again. Edie thought she was feeling guilty about the fight she'd had ages ago with Corrie, but then she held up a hand. "Hush," she whispered. "No one speak for a few minutes. I hear the hunt coming through."

Edie pressed her mouth shut and looked around at the others. Naomi had her hands over her mouth. Dawn looked like she was gritting her teeth. Quiet descended on them, but only for a moment.

The silence was broken by a sound that Edie thought at first was just the wind through the trees—until she realized that without leaves, the wind couldn't make that noise. Then she heard running, then galloping, then baying, and finally she saw a mass of faeries begin to run by, nearly under the tree they were all hiding in.

She saw Belara at the head, slithering along on her snakelike body. Thankfully, she was looking straight ahead, and didn't even glance at the tree the humans and Leila were in. She must not have been wearing a glamour; Edie wasn't touching a four-leaf clover or anything, but she could see the snakelike aspects. Belara was holding what looked like a bush at first but Edie realized must be Mardalan's faerie servant.

In fact, as the hunt ran past, she saw that only about half of them were wearing glamours. Some looked like humans, some looked like shadows, and some looked like trees or bushes, oddly moving with the rest of the group. Some of them looked like squat goblins, some of them had human faces and birds' bodies (or vice versa), some of them floated, some of them hopped. In the middle, she saw what was unmistakably Mardalan, unmoving and apparently unconscious.

At the very end of the group was Feloc, glamoured like a human, but running with an inhumanly fluid gait and panting with his mouth open. Edie wondered if his real appearance was a fox or a fox-man or something in between. She didn't have a way to see through the glamour, though, and she didn't want to move for fear of attracting their attention with noise—not to mention the fact that Leila's arm was awfully close to her steel bracelet.

Finally the tail end of the hunt vanished through the trees, and Edie let out a long, shaky breath. She looked at Leila, who held her finger to her lips for a moment longer, listening carefully, then nodded. "We can speak now. And in a moment or two we can climb down from the tree."

"What do you think they're doing with her?" Roe asked. "Was she asleep?"

"Perhaps," said Leila. "I think they will keep her captive. It is obvious that she will not be allowed to rule any longer. This will certainly change the political structure."

"And who is that good for?" Corrie asked. "Besides Belara and Feloc, I mean."

Leila shook her head. "I do not know. I suppose it remains to be seen."