Page 84 of Taken By the Lord of the Nocturne Court

I look back at Tristan who’s busy chatting to a very drunk bard instead of mounting his horse. Couldn’t he focus on the Marquise instead so that his rakish ways are actually useful for once?

I wanted our group to stay small, with Tristan being the only additional member, but when the Marquise joined us without asking, I found myself unable to refuse her after so clearly offending her. But when I catch a glimpse of Elodie Goldweed trying to follow us, I glare straight at the baron and say, “Good luck at the hunt, Uncle. I hear the western flank of the forest might bear fruit.”

Or, as Luke would have said it, ‘Fuck off, I don’t want you here’.

Baron Gabriel stalls, surprised by my rudeness, but quickly catches himself and offers me a stiff smile. At least he rides off and takes his liar of a daughter with him.

“Are we ready?” I call out to Tristan, who glances my way with his hand on the flute in the bard’s hand.

He nods, winks at the beautiful musician and jogs back to his mount. Free from his charming presence, the bard combs back his auburn locks and struts to a large boulder marking the spot where one of my ancestors was once gored by a boar. I say nothing when the bard slides off the mossy surface and waves at his assistant, who rushes over as if she’s about to perform surgery.

“No dogs for the hunt?” Luke asks, sitting alongside me on the pliant brown mare.

“What are those?” I ask, eager to find out about any way to earn an advantage.

He stares at me with his lips parted, which must mean he thought the object of his question was obvious.

“Are they a weapon?” I urge him.

“N-no. They’re animals. Kind of like… wolves, but tamed to be pets.”

It’s my turn to stare at him wide-eyed. “Are you telling me humans domesticatedwolves? Beasts with more teeth than they know what to do with and claws like knives?”

Luke rolls his eyes. “Hm. Maybe the wolves in our world are more friendly. Since everything here seems that bit more homicidal.”

“Now I see why you think you can have a pet bat.” When he makes a face, I lean over for a quick kiss. “You’re human, so maybe anything is possible for you. But no, we don’t have pet wolves to help us hunt.”

We both stiffen when the bard manages to stand on top of the boulder with the aid of his assistant, only to lean forward, as if the surface under his feet were rocking. The poor bastard must have drunk enough cherin to believe himself to be on a boat, but when he shows everyone the bejeweled horn, I dig my feet deeper into stirrups. We sit through a convoluted, if brief speech about sportsmanship, but when the bard blows the horn, it’s the stag, not fairness that’s on everyone’s mind.

I look back, to make sure Luke is doing well, but his eyes shine back at me with glee as he rides his mare behind me, and our party heads between the trees, urged by the insistent call of the horn.

The woods are especially beautiful today, with the silvery glow of the moon painting big, meaty leaves. I love the scent of nature, something I’ve been denied for most of my life, yet which I find so soothing. The damp, earthy aroma of herbs, worms,and mist reassures me with each inhale. As we go deeper into the woods, led by the colorful glow of wild fungi, each stride of my mount feels easier, smoother.

“How will we know what to look for?” Luke asks.

Tristan butts in before I can answer. “Easy, you’re the bait, the stag will come for you. The best we can do is to ride deep into the forest, far from the other parties.”

“What?” Luke chokes out, stiffening.

It’s not how I would have answered, because there’s no point in scaring Luke, but Tristan is correct.

“You’re in no danger around us, my darling,” I say and stroke his back through the velvet cape. “The Stag of Sunrise is drawn to you, but we will catch it when it approaches. You will recognize its golden fur from afar. It carries the same glow Vinia fought with. We think it doesn’t actually want to kill humans, but because it can sense sunlight still lingering on you, it wants to be…onewith you. Sadly, that usually means getting gored by its antlers and eaten. Something that willnothappen to you,” I repeat so it’s clear to him that he’s safe.

Luke seems lost in thought as he assesses the dense woods around us. “Should I have… a weapon?”

“Not unless you’re proficient with it,” I tell him as we ride down the path and into a narrow gully shaped as if a giant struck the rock with a massive axe.

“If it has the power of Sunlight, is it also invulnerable to your shadow? Will I need to lend you mine?”

“That’s why we have regular weapons,” I say and reach back to tap the ornamental crossbow on my back. “This is the one my father killed a Stag of Sunrise with.” It’s odd to talk that way about a man who barely acknowledged my existence. As if I took a step too far into impersonating my brother.

“My Prince, may I have a word in private?” the Marquise asks, riding up to me from the other side as soon as we are out of the gully.

Really?Now?

I make myself glance at her, but all I can think of is that the other hunting parties are close, and that I would rather leave them all far behind, so the stag doesn’t end up killed by Sylvan, or some other upstart, as it’s on the way to Luke. “Can’t it wait?”

“Must it?” she asks, “I have been trying to speak to you forweeks.”