A Fair Fight (14 page)

The scenario only got creepier when hunters other than the hounds arrived. Megan had seen plenty of monstrous fae before, but those who arrived and joined the pack, in many cases, showed signs of being little more than beasts themselves. They looked the same as they always had, but were working themselves up into howling frenzies, up to, and including frothing at the mouth in some cases. Cassia's chariot, pulled by the cats, joined, and even the normally quieter, more reserved Jude was soon roaring and clawing at the ground. Even with the poisoning recently in mind, she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Brian and his brothers, but she no longer had any doubt—yes, the Wild Hunt would do the job.

The Huntsman's chariot arrived last of all, pulled by four jet black horses that snorted fire. The crowd parted for them, and then closed behind them as the chariot passed. The Huntsman raised his spear as it stopped beside him, then slammed it down, with a sound like thunder. He pulled himself into the chariot, then raised his horn one more time. As he sounded the call to hunt, the chariot raced ahead, charging under the arch, and the packs of hounds, the frenzied fae, Cassia and her chariot, and all the rest who had responded to the call raced after him, disappearing as they passed into wherever that portal led.

When things finally quieted, and Megan had had a few moments to absorb what she'd just seen, she walked over to her father, who was staring wistfully at the portal. "You've been on that hunt before, right?" She was still struggling with the idea of sentencing someone to death like that, even if they'd tried to kill her, but her father didn't seem bothered in the least.

"Indeed I have, dearest. Many times."

"I'm sorry you can't go this time." Megan said, quietly. Despite his usual casual civility, she somehow had little problem picturing her father, astride his giant wolf, surrounded by the other riders he'd gone into battle with, racing along with the hunt. The image in her mind wasn't so terrible, until it inevitably kept trying to picture the end of the hunt, when the hounds caught their quarry.

"Next time, dearest. Next time," He sighed. "For now, I suppose the diplomacy will be fierce enough."

“
Okay, so... we've just ensured three people are going to die. What do we do now?” How did someone who decided these sorts of things handle it?

“
We head for our next appointment, dearest.”

Chapter 20: Saving Seats

The Hoh River Trail was a wash of green, with Springtime moss clinging to the trees. Megan navigated off the trail, moving carefully through the sword ferns and around the thick root networks of some of the larger trees. She ranged around some of the denser clusters of plants and crawled over a couple of wet, lichen-covered logs that were as tall as she was. Lani had an even more difficult time with the climbs, despite usually being faster on the ground than Megan, while Justin kept up, despite helping the boatman along.

Riocard moved ahead of them all, save Ashling and the Count, easily making his way through the thick growth. They found him stopped in a clearing where the field of vibrant green was occasionally interrupted by plants bearing bright purple spring blossoms. Riocard glanced expectantly towards the opposite end of the clearing, then back to the group. He finally shrugged and picked one of the purple flowers, examining the bloom while it froze solid in his fingers.

A squirrel chittered, and something fluttered in Megan's stomach.

The boatman hadn't spoken since he'd awakened. No one had tried to interrogate him or engage him in conversation, since he wasn't a prisoner and definitely wasn't a guest. Justin stood beside the patient, simultaneously ready to offer a steadying hand or a restraining one.

Tiernan approached, flanked on either side by several of his pikemen.

Riocard raised an eyebrow. “Interesting 'small entourage.'”

“
Three centuries, secret and secure,” Tiernan hissed. “And the minute your family gets involved, we are
invaded
by
Fomoire
.”

“
I can have the scalps delivered tomorrow, if you'd like them,” the Unseelie King said smoothly, as if the pikes, which Megan knew tended to be classified as 'war crimes' at An Teach Deiridh, weren't there and raised in anger. “Still, it seems your security isn't perfect, either.”

Tiernan scowled. “I want my man back. Name your price.”

“
That's Her Highness's affair,” Riocard said.

"You can have him back," Megan said, before pausing a moment, pondering Tiernan's reactions before, and how suspicious he'd probably be if she didn't ask for anything at all. "But the kitchen brownies had to use a lot of our supply of medical herbs on him, so you should replace those. We can get a list. And Cassia carried him back. So when you see her next, be sure to say thank you. If that's agreeable, he's all yours."

Tiernan's face soured, and for a moment, Megan regretted adding on the last bit, before a sidelong glance revealed the hint of amused smile on her father's face and the barest hint of a nod. Replacing what was used for their benefit only made sense, she supposed, and a 'thank you' cost Tiernan nothing, while clearly being something he didn't do often. On the other hand, refusing the simple request when they still had possession of the patient probably wouldn't look very good in front of his forces, either. Megan relaxed and smiled pleasantly at Tiernan, waiting.

"Very well," he agreed. "Put your list together, and we'll arrange it. And I'll be certain to thank the Greek, when next we encounter one another."

Megan nodded to Justin, who supported the patient a few steps until his colleagues stepped up to take over.

Tiernan looked intently at the boatman. “They didn't try anything?” he asked.

“
No, m'lord.”

Tiernan looked to Riocard. “What else?”

“
What else did you come for?” the king asked.

“
Because my word was extracted to meet with you. I was never given any indication what Her Highness expected to achieve from this. Whatever it is, Her Majesty will veto it.”

“
I still have a few days,” Riocard muttered, then looked to Megan. “I have to admit, with so much to cover, you explained less of your reasoning, dearest. Beyond 'decisions are made by those who show up.'”

“
A point I have already addressed,” Tiernan interjected. “The decisions made will be wrong. I've danced the dance of presenting right answers to wrong leaders before, and I know how it ends.”

Riocard looked at him slowly. "You're not one of those people who listens to the last two movements of Tchaikovsky's 6th symphony in reverse order, are you?"

"Of course not.”

Riocard looked mollified.

“
I'd never listen to Russians,” Tiernan finished.

“
So about those dokkalfar,” Megan said quickly. “Can you show us around that neighborhood?”

“
No. We live in underground caves. They live in an underworld. The difference is immense. Our only common acquaintance who can simply cross the threshholds of here, my home, and theirs is Queen Mab."

“
And where is she from?” Megan asked.

“
She's one of ours, sort of,” Ashling said.

Megan was confused. "How can you have a Queen Mab when there's already Orlaith?"

"How can you have a Queen Latifah when there's already a President of the United States?" Ashling countered.

"So it's an artistic thing?"

"Sure. Nothing more artistic than dreams,” Ashling said.

“
I'm a lot more interested in how Fomoire got into my home,” Tiernan said.

“
Would you believe it's because you could use more support and resources in dealing with them, just as the rest of us could?” Riocard asked. “Honest question: I'd really like to know if you're capable of believing it, Tiernan.”

"I was addressing how to deal with the Fomoire."

"You were addressing how to hide from them for a while. Even I consider that a very strange definition of 'dealing with.'" Riocard said.

"Gathering resources, training, focusing on our own problems instead of those of outsiders. Better than avoiding all responsibility, or, worse, expecting someone else to resolve the problem," Tiernan answered.

"I know someone who would agree with part of that, just not your approach," Megan said, getting a glare from Tiernan, and a raised eyebrow from her father.

"And who would that be?" Tiernan asked, when Riocard stayed silent.

"Queen Orlaith," Megan responded.

Tiernan's frown deepened. "My aunt is precisely the problem being discussed."

Megan looked the sidhe in the eye as she replied. "Your aunt may have a foreigner—although come on, it's been more than a thousand years—for a right-hand man. But she's all about taking on responsibility and focusing on Faerie problems over anything else. And during the fight with the undead, she got the army where it needed to be. She didn't hide behind anyone. Yes, Balor obviously scared her—but I think that motivated her. She went right at their best sorcerer and made a target of herself. The army might be out of practice, but I don't think she was." Megan paused, looking at her father. "She's been preparing for this for a long time, hasn't she?"

Riocard nodded. "Roughly since Mag Tuired, after seeing the slaughter and the injuries. She and the General were already friends. It wasn't just his saving her that cemented that, but a shared commitment."

Tiernan said "I thought you said that you objected to my aunt.”

Megan almost laughed. “Oh, I do. Her whole 'Everything Will Be Better If I Fix It All Myself' schtick caused me a lot of trouble a while back, and it could have been a heck of a lot worse.” It reminded her of some of her mother's overreactions, during the worst times. But even at her worst, Megan's mother had always been trying to do right. The queen had to get the same credit.

This wasn't the time to get personal, though. Megan kept talking. “But I don't have to like her, or always like her methods, to think maybe she has something to contribute here. Or to see some family resemblance. So maybe this business could use more control freaks, not fewer."

Tiernan's hand went to his sword, but he paused there when Riocard stepped forward—sooner even than Justin could.

"You're going to defend what Orlaith's done?" Tiernan asked.

"I'm going to defend Her Highness's making a point," Riocard said.

"Even if that means making more enemies when you already seem to have plenty?" Tiernan asked.

"We can duel if you'd like more theater. I love theater. But not if you're going to go using cold iron weapons. I've heard those are inappropriate for duels," Riocard said with an easy smile.

Tiernan took his hand off the hilt of his sword. "And what would you propose be done regarding my aunt, and her invitation to the Northerners?"

"She didn't invite the Scandinavians," Megan said. "They showed up on their own."

Apparently Tiernan had some idea what that might mean. His expression grew worried, and he looked to Riocard for confirmation.

Riocard just nodded once. "The General has been her staunch ally for some time, but he's willingly given me his word that he didn't call his kinsmen."

"Then it really is to be war," Tiernan said quietly.

"I'm afraid so," Riocard said. "And because you know a thing or two about war, and since it is still my season for a little bit longer, I'd like to invite you to the war council at Murias."

"What about my aunt? She'll object."

"Hmm, likely. Well, you can't be guests in the realm or representatives of it, and you're certainly not all wounded enough to be patients, but I'll come up with something suitable," Riocard said. "And seeing as how the Fomoire already destroyed that hiding plan of yours, if their scouts got any kind of word back, I suspect you could use some help as well."

"Speaking of help," Megan said, "How do we get a hold of Queen Mab?"

Tiernan spent a few moments considering the question. "You're still thinking about the cauldron? Don't. The dokkalfar will never give it up, especially if the Northmen's war is coming. You want to protect your daughter, Riocard? Tell her it's impossible and suicidal."

Riocard glanced from Tiernan to Megan. "I think she's had enough decisions made for her for most of her life. She is a Princess of the Unseelie, after all. No, no. I think, rather than protect, the better plan is to prepare her."

Tiernan sneered. "What she's wanting to do is impossible."

"It would be a heroic feat to return with the cauldron; it's true," Riocard responded casually.

"It's your own loss. The pixie may be able to get you to the midwife of dreams. Make your mistakes from there.”

“
Will do,” Megan said drily.

"Meanwhile,” Tiernan continued, “I'll come to your conference, Riocard. I suspect it will be a disaster, but if so, at least I'll know what kind of disaster, so I can better prepare my own people."

"As you like. We'll save you a spot at the table," Riocard said. “Leave the pikes at home.”