After a few minutes, she was convinced that she’d picked the wrong direction. But nothing here looked at all familiar, or even like any other forest she’d heard of, for that matter. Most forests had trees that looked like they were alive, at least! This forest looked like it had been dead for a long, long time. Dead and left to rot, she decided.
And there was something else about it, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on—a feeling that more was wrong here than just rotting wood, a feeling of malevolence, as though the trees were dead but the forest was alive. As though there was something else here, hidden beneath the surface, watching her and laughing to itself.
And it doesn’t like me very much.
She continued walking, just because there wasn’t anything else she could do. She sure didn’t want to sit down in the muck and wet leaves and stay here in this awful place.
The moon slid away again behind the dark clouds, and then she had to stop, just because there was no way to see where she was going in the pitch darkness.
As she waited for the moon to reappear, she heard a whisper of sound, something so faint she wasn’t certain what it could be.
I wish I could’ve spent some time in Girl Scouts instead of in detention at school, she thought. They could’ve taught me to make fire out of nothing but sticks and my shoelaces, probably. As it is, I don’t know what I can do. There’s nothing here.
This has to be a dream. I’ll wake up and find myself somewhere else, anywhere else. Even Roberta’s apartment would be better than this!
I just don’t understand. Why did Shari and Nataniel do this to me? What kind of game are they playing?
She heard the sound again, closer and more distinct, and with a chill touch of fear, knew what it was: the howling of wolves. She didn’t know whether they could hear or smell her, all she knew was that she didn’t want to be there when they arrived.
She picked a direction and started to run.
“The Hounds have scented prey,” the Master of the Hunt said to Lady Catt, as he cantered easily on his horse. His eyes narrowed as he looked around the moonlit forest.
“Have they now?” she replied in an uninterested tone. She turned away from him, ignoring the way his eyes flashed angrily within his horned helmet. His face was hidden by the helmet’s dark mask, the way his leather and armor-garbed body was hidden by his cloak, but she could sense his anger. And she didn’t care.
There was nothing for them here. They had long since exhausted any interesting prey for the Wild Hunt, and even the Master of the Hunt admitted it. And there would not be any more prey, ever again. Unseelie sorcery had stripped this forest of its native magic, killing the trees and every other living thing that needed some touch of magic to survive, and Unseelie hunters had destroyed the last of the animals. They had drained this land so much that their own sorceries were limited by it; only the Queen, of the entire Unseelie Court, could still work her wreakings with the Greater Magic. As for Catt, she could not even work enough magic to conjure up the lovely clothes that she had once worn to these Hunts or change magically between those silken gowns into the heavy silver armor that she now wore.
But one of the ravens had said it had sighted something, perhaps a Seelie elf. A Seelie lord would be good sport. More than one would be a true battle, something none of them had seen in a long time. The mere thought of it had been enough to rouse the lethargic Unseelie from their Court, make them put on armor and swords dusty from disuse, and send them out on Hunt.
Lady Catt thought the bird was insane, personally.
There was nothing in this wilderness, not a Seelie or anything else.
So much for the grand entertainments of the Unseelie Court, she thought wryly. Is this what we’ve come to, we who once hunted Seelie High Court elves like deer in this forest? Chasing the illusions of Seelie prey? Is this what we are now? Brave hunters of squirrels?
“They’ve picked up a scent!” the Master said, pointing to where the Hounds eagerly sniffed the dark ground. One of the Hounds bayed, then another, a fierce sound, and the others took up the call. The Hounds surged forward, away from the Unseelie lords and ladies astride their horses.
“It’s a human!” the Master shouted, bending low over the neck of his horse and spurring it into a gallop.
A human? But there are none left alive here, only the slaves and servants … it’s not possible!
Catt raced after him, her own magic reaching out to find the source of the Hounds’ eagerness. The other Unseelie lords followed them, no longer the disinterested, bored band of courtiers that had left the Queen’s castle a few hours before.
“A human mage,” Catt called, sensing the lure of power like a beacon in front of her. She could feel the incandescent glow of magic, bright against the deadness of the surrounding land and trees. It moved quickly through the trees before them. She sensed the sudden taste of fear rippling through the human’s magic.
“We’ll take it alive,” she shouted, loud enough to be heard over the pummeling hooves of the horses on the damp ground. “A gift to our Queen!”
She was close enough to him that she could hear the snarl that transformed the Master’s face beneath his horned helmet. “Do as I say,” she hissed, “or risk Her wrath!”
He nodded once, then spurred his horse to even greater speed. The elven horses strained beneath their riders to follow him, moving quickly through the shadowed forest.
Kayla slid down a slimy embankment, landing on her knees in the icy water of the stream. She lurched to her feet again, scrambling for a handhold on the opposite bank.
Come on, run, they’re closer, they’re getting closer, they’re—
She grabbed for the low, glistening roots that extended out from the muddy bank above her head and screamed in sudden surprise as those roots came to life, wrapping themselves tightly around her hands and wrists. Kayla struggled to pull free, unable to stop screaming.
She could feel the roots doing more than holding her fast; they were pulling at something inside her, feeding off the magic inside her. She tried even harder to pull free, then felt a surge of magic coursing through her hands from within, culminating in a bright flash of light. The roots fell away, shriveling and dying instantly, and Kayla fell backwards into the water with a splash.
For a moment, she couldn’t do anything but hold her hands to her face and cry.
This place is so horrible, it’s awful, please, somebody get me out of here!
Stop it! Got to keep running, keep running …
The wolves were getting closer every second. Regaining her feet, Kayla staggered down the streambed, sloshing through the cold water and trying not to slip on the wet stones. She clambered up a sandy bank, carefully not touching any of the tree roots that dangled near her, and stopped for a moment at the top to catch her breath. She could hear the wolves howling frantically and eagerly.
Then, with an inhuman scream that echoed through the trees, a wolf burst from the cover of the trees on the opposite bank of the stream. In the split-second that it paused there, she saw it wasn’t a wolf at all, but a black hound with yellow eyes, nearly as tall as she was. It howled once, triumphantly, and then leaped across the wide stream directly at her.
Kayla didn’t even have enough time to scream as the gigantic hound knocked her to the ground. She tried to roll out from under it, but its jaws clamped down on her arm, painful but not breaking the skin, holding her fast. Her struggles sent them rolling off the bank and into the icy water, but the dog’s teeth wouldn’t let go.
Desperate, Kayla grabbed for the dog’s nose, twisting it sharply. The huge dog yelped in surprise and let go of her. She staggered to her feet and then ran as fast as she could, splashing down the stream.
As she ran, she could hear the whimpers and whining of the hound behind her, joined by the barks and howling of the rest of the pack.
The stream widened suddenly into a still lake, quiet and dark beneath the moonlight, surrounded by a meadow of tall grass
es. Kayla fell onto the sandy shore, too exhausted to go any further. She crawled into the thick grass and lay there for a moment, trying to catch her breath.
Please, just let me wake up now, make them go away, please please …
The howls of the hounds were all around her now, and a new sound: the stomping of horses’ hooves and the jangle of metal. She tried to get up, and something kicked her back down again, something heavy and hard as stone.
She rolled away and managed to get up onto her knees, and saw the milling crowd of riders on horseback and dogs surrounding her. Another pair of hooves kicked close to her, and she ducked back, falling against the legs of another horse.
Someone laughed, a cruel sound, as Kayla made a wild dash to get past one of the horses. Something tripped her and she fell again, landing hard.
“Enough.” The woman’s voice was quiet, but loud enough to be heard above the sounds of the horses and the snarling dogs.
Kayla got up slowly as a single rider moved to face her. She couldn’t see much of the woman, just a glint of bright eyes, some kind of metal visible beneath her swirling long cloak. Her horse stamped angrily as it moved toward Kayla at its rider’s urging, one slow step at a time.
The woman spoke again. “Well, well, what do we have here?” Now that she was closer, Kayla could see that she wore metal armor under the cloak, the bright steel reflecting the moonlight. The woman’s face was as emotionless and as finely chiseled as glass. She stared at Kayla, who could now see the tips of pointed ears beneath the hood of the woman’s cloak.
They’re elves, they’re all elves… .
This can’t be real, it can’t be happening to me!
The other riders moved in, surrounding Kayla with stomping horses, the huge hounds circling her. The riders all wore silver and leather armor, which jangled with their laughter as they closed in around her. And in their faces, she saw hatred and cruel pleasure, malevolent smiles on their fine features, moonlight reflected in a dozen pairs of eyes, ice blue and green, pale violet and silver. None of those eyes looked even remotely friendly.
“Is it human?” a man’s voice asked.
“It has magic!” another voice crowed exultantly.
“Can we kill it now?” a third voice asked, dry and dusty as death.
“I want to wake up now,” Kayla said to no one in particular. “This is an awful nightmare, and I really want to wake up now.”
She waited to see if anything would happen. The riders watched her in silence, the horses shifting and making odd snuffling sounds.
“It’s only a human child,” the woman said at last. “A little human girlchild with some magic. Nothing more than that.”
Maybe they’ll be nice to me because I’m a kid? Kayla thought hopefully.
“Tie it up and bring it along,” the woman said.
Kayla was more exhausted than she’d thought was possible. It felt as though she’d been running behind the horses for hours, with the sweat dripping down her forehead and into her eyes. With her hands tied and the rope fastened to the saddle of the woman in the silver metal armor, there was no way she could even wipe her face.
I’m sure I’m going to wake up any second now, she thought, feeling the burning pain in her legs getting worse by the minute. Any second now, I’ll wake up and be somewhere else … any second now …
The moon was higher now, illuminating the entire forest with silvery light, and it was by that moonlight that Kayla first saw the castle, rising from the hill like something out of legend. Tall spires of gray stone arched upward, covered with ivy and hung with tattered cloth banners. Maybe once it had been beautiful, but now it looked as dead as the surrounding forest, dead and decaying.
There was no sign of life as they rode slowly over a creaking wooden bridge through the castle gates. She had to walk carefully to keep from falling over the pieces of wood and stone lying on the ground. The group of riders stopped in the open courtyard.
“I must change into court clothes before I go before Queen Lilith,” the woman in armor said, dismounting from her horse and taking the rope that held Kayla’s hands. “Come with me, girl,” she said, tugging at the rope.
“Hey, I’m not a dog on a leash, lady!” Kayla snapped.
She saw the smile that drifted across the woman’s face beneath her cloak hood. “No, you are not,” she agreed, and with a deft movement, drew the knife at her belt. Kayla flinched back, but the woman only cut the rope. Kayla rubbed at her sore wrists, which were red and raw from the chafing of the rope. Without even thinking about it, she let the magic simmering within her rise to the surface, sparks of pale blue flickering over her skin. The abrasions and pain disappeared a moment later.
“A healer!” someone murmured close to her, and the words were repeated by the others, gathering close around her. One of them reached for Kayla’s hand with grasping long fingers, a broad-shouldered man wearing dark leathers and, oddly enough, a bright red cap on his head. She stepped back, not liking the look in his eyes.
“Don’t touch her,” the woman said. “She’s mine, not any of yours. Unless you wish to fight me for her?”
The elf wearing the red cap backed away a step.
“I thought not.” The woman pulled the hood of her cloak away from her face, staring at Kayla with an odd look in her green eyes. Without the hood, she looked much younger than Kayla had thought, short sandy-colored hair tousled around the fine features of her face and those long, pointed ears.
“Come with me, girl,” she said, abruptly turning and walking away. Kayla wondered whether she should follow, then saw the guy in the red cap watching her with eyes that burned. She headed quickly down the hallway to catch up with the woman.
Silently, they walked up a crumbling stone staircase, down shadowed hallways. What a dump, Kayla thought. This isn’t how I imagined a faerie castle would look. I wonder why they’ve let it turn into this mess?
“Once this was a lovely hall,” the woman said, as if answering Kayla’s unspoken question. “Once this was one of the finest castles of the Unseelie, gold and silver and glittering with magic. Once I was Lady Catt of the Unseelie Court, the Queen’s right-hand confidante, wearing fine silks and jewels in our moonlight dances, leading our Host to war against the Seelie. Now that is no more.”
I’m surprised she’s talking to me like I’m a real person! Kayla thought. “What happened?” she asked.
Catt didn’t answer. She shoved at a closed wooden door, which creaked open slowly. Inside was a small room, not much different from a prison cell. There was only a cot with blankets laid over it, what looked like a large rack for armor, and a standing closet. Ignoring Kayla, Catt undressed quickly, dropping her cloak and pieces of armor on the floor.
Kayla bent to look at it curiously, then blinked. It’s not steel … it’s solid silver! She turned, to see Catt lifting a lovely blue and silver gown from the closet, slipping it over her thin shoulders. Her very thin shoulders. I’d think the lady was sick, she’s so thin, but all these people look like that… . “Hey, this is silver, isn’t it? That’s worth a lot.”
“Is it worth much in the human realms?” the elf-woman asked, lacing the front of the gown. “Silver is not very rare here in the Unseelie lands.” She fastened on the gown’s long sleeves with ribbon ties, and Kayla saw that the gown wasn’t as beautiful as she’d thought—it was faded, marked with old stains, obviously old and worn. “I’ve thought of visiting the human worlds,” Catt continued as she smoothed the heavy skirts of the dress. “To see the realm of folk who live without true sorcery, building their tall towers and mechanical magics.”
“Why don’t you go there?” Kayla asked.
“Only those who are banished can go to the human lands. That is by the Queen’s command. But I am curious about them.” She shook her head. “Come. It is time to bring you before the Queen. I wish I could delay that longer, because I have many questions to ask about the human lands, but the Queen will already be impatient.”
&nb
sp; “Hey, you can ask me those questions after I talk with her, right?”
Catt didn’t answer.
This doesn’t sound very good, Kayla thought, following Catt down the stairs and through the rabbit warren of twisty hallways. I guess I could try to run away from her, get out of here, but where would I go? I don’t know this place, don’t know anything about how to get home from here… .
As they walked down a last curved flight of narrow stairs, hands suddenly grabbed Kayla and pulled her away from Catt. Laughing, the Unseelie courtiers, garbed in faded velvets and silks, dragged Kayla out into the huge hall. They spun and pushed her around, until all she could see was a blur of colors, red and blue and gold and green, and their laughing, cruel faces. As they shoved her forward, she had one glimpse of a huge room with vaulted stone ceilings and giant fire pits along the sides of the room, filled with glowing coals. Stained and torn tapestries hung from the walls, which were black with soot and filth. Half-seen shadows flitted through the darkness of the hall behind the waiting crowd of brilliantly clothed elves.
The mass of people parted to admit her and her captors, revealing a silver-haired old woman with eyes the color of ice, seated upon a carved stone chair. A long velvet gown the color of blood draped her thin figure, and two silent guards stood on either side of her, so motionless that they could’ve been carved from stone.
“So what have you brought me, my dear Catt?” the old Queen asked in a thin voice, her eyes not wavering from Kayla.
Catt stepped forward and knelt gracefully. “A human child of magic, a gift to your Majesty,”
“Indeed,” the Unseelie Queen said thoughtfully. “And do you have nothing to say for yourself, human child?” she asked, gazing at Kayla with her colorless eyes. “Or are you so awed by the glory of the Unseelie Court that you have been struck dumb?”
The courtiers tittered at the remark, and Kayla agreed with them. This place was shabby, not anything like what she’d imagined a queen’s court would be.
“I’m not dumb,” Kayla said, “And besides, this is only a dream. I don’t believe in you!”
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