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Chapter Twenty-One

RAIN

T urning to face into the wind, I saw the dark clouds rushing in on us. Yeah, this was bad. So very bad. I'd seen the Wild Hunt once, and it had scared the shit out of me. Worse, I'd been inside that time, and now this?

"Hawke?" I asked, backing away from the oncoming storm, "What now?"

"Shit," he breathed, looking around. "Fuck!" Then he grabbed my arm and pulled. "To the gym, Rain. We need weapons."

"Weapons?!" I squeaked - but I sure as shit followed. "That's the Hunt!"

He glanced back. "And Aspen's out here!"

His eyes were nearly golden, and much too intense. Still, his words hit even harder than that look. Aspen was outside! Not just her, but her entire class. Tag, the students heading to their next class, and who-even-knew how many teachers. Worse, the alarms weren't ringing yet, so I ran.

Decaying leaves and shed sticks crunched under our feet. The last few traces of snow had melted enough to not even be slippery. Pushing as hard as I could, my lungs were starting to burn when the pair of us hit the doors to Bracken's gym, wrenched them open, and rushed inside.

"The Hunt's here!' Hawke bellowed.

One of the guys yanked at the green box beside him. Immediately, the alarm began to ring, but it wasn't as bad out here as it had been in the main building last time. Hard to miss, yes, but soft enough we could still yell over it.

"Rain, your sword!" Bracken ordered. "Hawke! Keir! Sentinels! We have people outside!"

Everyone began moving. Some were heading for the inner rooms. Most of those were the younger students, like me. Others rushed for the weapons storage. I went the other way, aiming for Bracken's own weapon closet. Wrenching open the door, my eyes landed on it.

Hung with one of the eltam blades, my new steel sword was set on the opposite wall from all of Bracken's. It was almost a shrine, or maybe a trophy wall. I wasn't sure, but at least they were low enough I could grab both.

With the blades in my hands, I hurried out to find Bracken giving orders to the sentinels. Without stopping, he caught Keir's eye, then nodded towards me. Keir turned, picked up something from the ground, and jogged over.

"Put this on!" he said, but Bracken was leading the rest of his group towards the door.

"Zez!" I screamed.

Bracken paused to look back. "Listen to him, Rain. Stay fucking safe!" Then he turned, but paused again before leaving. "I love you, kid." And then he was gone.

"No!" I roared, moving to follow him, but Keir grabbed my shoulders.

"Put the fucking armor on!" he demanded. "The faster you move, the sooner you can help."

"I don't know how!" I snapped.

So he grabbed what looked like a leather T, and dropped it over my head. "Lace up the other side." Because he was lacing the one he was closest to. "This is enchanted out the ass. Only the eltam , though."

He meant the little studs all over the surface. They weren't touching me, so hopefully I hadn't just nullified all of them. Still, it was something, and I had a feeling Bracken had planned for every eventuality. Clearly, my zez was some kind of fae prepper.

Once we had the thing laced on, Keir grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him.

"We're going to go out there and push back the Hunt, Rain.

We won't be the only ones. If you see someone get grabbed, call it out.

If you can use shadows on them, try it. Most of all.

.." He pointed to my steel sword. "Just beat the shit out of them with that.

They don't like it any more than I do. "

"Ok," I agreed.

But he kept looking at me. "I am not leaving your side. Not now, and not ever. So let's go save some people, ok?"

"Aspen's out there."

"Fuck!" he roared.

But he finally let me move, so we ran. Outside, the world had changed completely. The storm was here, and with it came rain - the frozen kind. I could hear it tinking off the building and crashing into the trees.

"Jack!" I called.

"Morrigan!" he replied from above.

And a dozen other crows took to the wing, cawing with all they had. There was no way they'd be able to fly in this mess for long. That meant it was up to us.

"Where is she?" Keir asked.

I pointed the way I'd seen her going. "Over there, I think."

"Let's find her."

Once again, we ran. Sleet pelted into our faces. This time was worse than when Hawke and I had raced to get inside. Out here, grey shapes moved in the haze of freezing rain. I couldn't tell if they were friends or foes. At least not until I saw the horse!

"That's a hunter," I breathed, pulling Keir behind me.

He grabbed my leather shirt-thing and kept backing up, hauling me with him. "We have to find Aspen, Rain."

"Rain!" The sound of my name came from the direction we were headed, although I didn't recognize it until Hawke shoved in beside Keir. "Oh, good. You got her. Where's Jack?"

"I don't fucking know!"

"Jack!" Hawke bellowed. "Find Aspen!"

"Jack!" the bird replied, directly overhead. The next time it was behind and to my right. "Court!"

"That way," I told the guys.

"He can't see through this," Keir said.

"He can," Hawke countered. "Plus he's got height on his side."

And we were running again. Jack kept calling out his location. Each time was a different word. His name, mine, Morrigan, and court were all used, letting us follow him by the sound. I was in front, but Keir and Hawke followed, not even quarreling with each other this time.

But I was so focused on following Jack that I almost slammed into a very grey, very large shape.

Putting on the brakes, my feet skidded on the decomposing leaves and ice that was building up quickly.

Behind me, the guys weren't much better, and we made so much noise, there was no way the thing could miss us.

"Fae..." it breathed, turning its horse just to charge right at me.

"Shadows, Rain?" Keir begged.

So I pointed with one hand - still clutching my hilt - and hoped like hell something happened - and I felt it. Something inside me was ripped out, and it was dark. Like a black ball, it raced through the air, shifting as it went.

And growing.

The darkness changed, found a form, and grew teeth. In less than a second, my desperate act took the form of some kind of dog - wolf? - and rushed the horse on its own. I heard the hunter's mount whinny, was pretty sure the moving mist was it rearing up, and then the hunter crashed to the ground.

"Use the iron!" Hawke ordered. "Just hit the shit out of it, Rain!"

And together, the three of us rushed the hunter.

Keir's carbon fiber sword, Hawke's bronze, and my steel all flashed reflections of different colors into the mist around us as we hacked. There was nothing pretty about this, and all of my training was gone, but it had been replaced by something else: fear.

"Cut it, Rain!" Keir cried. "Make it hurt and it will leave!"

I did my best, but we were too close, and the man-shaped thing was trying his best to block all of us. Finally, Hawke lunged, shoving the tip of his blade at the thing's throat. The hunter ducked back, leaving his entire body open. In unison, Keir and I both stabbed.

I felt pressure when the point of my sword hit the man. There was a pop as the cloth and leather gave way. The skin beneath parted easily, and my steel sword kept going and going, for what felt like much too long.

The hunter made a sound, his body jerking in pain as my sword pierced him easily. Keir's skipped off, turned by some invisible force. Mine slid sickeningly inside him, causing me to flinch in disgust and yank it back out.

The hunter crumpled.

"Move!" Keir demanded, grabbing my arm and pulling me to the side. "They don't stay down long!"

"She's gotta be over here!" Hawke yelled, turning us a little more.

And from above, Jack called, "Court! Court-court! "

People were yelling. Most were men, but I heard roars from women as well. Then there were the screams of panic, and Jack was leading us directly towards them, but that was when the skies suddenly parted, and not with rain.

Bright, clear sunlight streaked down, but it was cold. The ice solidified, yet the frozen rain was slowing, and beneath it all, some kind of heroine stood with her arms raised, eltam armor reflecting back all the colors of a rainbow, and green rushing from her hands.

"Ms. Rhodes is here!" Keir said, sounding relieved.

"Court!" Jack insisted, and now that we could see where we were going, I understood.

The botany class must've gone the same way Aspen did to pick mistletoe. Maybe there was something out here she used for her flowers? I didn't know, but it was where Harper and the jester girls had seared her with iron keychains.

Frozen grass crackled under my feet. Across the grounds, I could see groups of people battling with the desiccated, grey men who had to be hunters. What bothered me most was that I didn't see the leader of this group. I couldn't find the Huntsman.

Then a scream broke through the air, and it was a voice I'd recognize anywhere. Aspen wasn't supposed to sound like that. She was supposed to be pissed, or giddy, but never terrified. Never hurting!

Without thinking, I chased her cry, not even caring if I went on my own. She wasn't in the same place, but I saw her, and all my worst fears were realized. There, with one hand tangled in her hair was the Huntsman, and he was walking towards the back side of the property, dragging her with him.

"Aspen!" I screamed.

The Huntsman paused, looking back, and his face cracked with something like a smile.

"Ride with me," he called.

"Fuck you, asshole!" I yelled back, never slowing my feet.

"Rain!" Keir begged.

"Fuck this," Hawke said, and the sound of feet behind me got louder. "Call him, Aspen! Call him! "

"TORIAN!" Aspen screamed, putting everything she had into it.

"More," I breathed, pulling at the terror inside me. "I fucking need more. "

And the shadows obeyed. Darkness filled the footsteps I left behind. Shadows under the trees began to grow. With the sky now clear of freezing rain, crows leaped up from the trees, filling it. Caws, screams, and my own war cry rang out.

The Huntsman just waited. "Ride with me," he said again, his voice soft and eerie, but cutting through the cacophony around us. "Come, little girl. Show me the power you've found."

So I directed all my shadows at him. Just him, the man with a handful of Aspen's short hair, pulling her across the ground just enough to keep her from getting her feet under her.

Beneath me, my shadow stretched, grabbing the Huntsman's and pulling, but the Huntsman kicked it away. "Your magic is nothing!"

"It's everything!" Hawke shot back.

The man smiled, a cold, cruel look. "Fae!" He sounded like someone had offered him a meal.

I reached for more darkness, slinging it out with my hands.

Then I tried to push it from my body. On New Year's Eve it had poured from me, so I tried to make it do that again, but there didn't seem to be enough.

Just as I thought I was doing something right, the Huntsman slashed at the darkness with his blade, cleaving it much too easily.

"The Crown must be respected!" he nearly spat at me.

And that was when I slammed into him, steel first, but the eltam was right behind. He batted my swords aside easily, and screamed, "Hunters!"

In the distance, bodies moved. Behind me, the guys were trying to flank. Next to him, Aspen whimpered, doing her best to pry his fingers out of her hair, but it didn't seem to be working. Worse, his hand looked better, fuller almost. Like he was pulling something from her to revive himself.

"Let. Her. Go!" I ordered.

He scoffed. "You are not the Morrigan."

"Morrigan!" Jack crowed, diving right into the man's face.

The overly-large bird slammed into him, knocking the Huntsman back. That was enough to break his hold on Aspen, and she scampered on her hands and knees toward us. Unfortunately, the Huntsman didn't retreat. Instead, he charged.

Thrusting out my hand, I pushed more shadows. A trickle came. It wasn't enough! It was not working.

"Rain!" Aspen yelled, true fear filling her voice.

It startled me enough I took my eyes off my opponent for a split-second, but the Huntsman hadn't slowed. He swung that thick sword of his with all he had, and there was no way I'd be able to block it in time.

Yet just when I was sure I was dead, my own shadow stood, thrusting out a hand. On its face, those hollow eyes were now paired with a curved semi-circle that looked too much like a smile.