Page 31 of A Storm Rises
Mateo reached for a dagger and sheathed it at his waist. He would fashion a spear while in the forest—two weapons for one. A privileged highborn wouldn’t think of such a thing. In Mateo’s mind, it would be their ultimate downfall.
A hush fell over the assembled hunters, and Master Kragar started chanting… Uh-uh…ohhh! He lowered his axe. He tapped it in his hand while pacing throughout the group. Uh-uh…ohhh!. He planted his feet, raised the axe’s flat side, and slammed it atop his head. Ayyy! His eyes widened. Ayyy! He slammed his head two more times, a drop of blood coming from his scalp. “Now! The moment you have all been waiting for—the hunt!” A wicked glint sparkled in his mad eye. “I will escort you to the far end of the garden. There you will line up and their Majesties, the High King and High Queen will see you off.”
He took his place before them and grunted. He perched the blood-stained axe on his shoulder. “We march to the send-off.” More drops of blood oozed from his hairline, but he didn’t seem to notice. He stroked his lengthy red beard. “Let us go, then. To the hunt!”
Avalynn focused on a patch of grass in front of her. The tall blades swayed with the gentle breeze. The early morning sun cast a warm glow on the crowd. Despite the warmth, her insides were frozen like ice cubes. She only wanted to be a hunter and win the prize. Now she was trapped inside palace politics, a mysterious prophecy, and a deadly task with Mateo Vela.
Was he really the bringer of peace?
Addressing the crowd, her High King father and High Queen mother stood on a dais above her and the other hunters. Would they notice she did not look them in the eye? Her mother, no. Her father, a definite yes. Like a vulture hoarding its kill, she knew he kept a keen eye on everything in his usual way—her, Mateo, the other hunters, the dignitaries. Nothing got past him.
A butterfly fluttered and skirted a cluster of white daisies. She watched as it danced from petal to petal but stopped herself. Stay on mission. Sabotage the Sublander. Forget everything else except getting your life back. There was nothing she could do about prophecies anyway. She and she alone held her future in her hands.
Everyone cheered when her father finished speaking. She scanned the crowd and found her little sister in a bright yellow dress. Lily waved a House Stromm banner and grinned from ear to ear. Avalynn smiled and waved back. She would protect Lily from danger or harm, even from their father. No matter what.
In her peripheral vision, an axe caught her attention, followed by a tuft of red hair. Wide-eyed, Kragar grinned and mouthed the word, “Sublander,” and then ran his finger across his throat.
Okay… Message received. She moved to the starting point behind the large crate of Shadowblood foxes. Would they run in a pack? Toward the forest? She adjusted the bow and quiver strapped to her back. Or would the foxes splinter and spread in all directions? For that matter, how would she and the other hunters head out for the hunt? In a single line? Or in groups? As far as she knew, she still had an alliance with the other highborns. But her fake alliance with Mateo concerned her.
Something about his more than usual chilly demeanor screamed something was off, missing, awry, gone bad. She wasn’t sure why he had changed, but she needed to fix that. Her experience with Mateo thus far indicated that a direct approach worked best.
She stepped next to Mateo. Heart thrumming, she glanced at him, and he met her stare. He wore his dark hair in his usual fashion, two strands braided in the front while the rest flowed down his back. With the stitched lip and the bandage near his eye, he still made her weak in the knees.
“You still with me?” She wore her hair in a long tight braid, and tucked a strand behind her ear.
He swallowed hard and then parted his perfect lips. “Yes, my princess.”
Did he mean it? Something about the way he used the word ‘princess’ told her he might not. She would find out soon enough.
The hunters took their places behind a line of purple ribbon. Mateo to her right and Finnian to her left. She leaned into a running stance. The weight of the weapons on her back felt like a thousand anvils. She prayed to the Sun, Moon, and Stars to bless her effort as she blew out a shaky breath. She could do this. She had to do this. Her life’s preparation for this moment was not lost on Avalynn.
The palace animal keeper positioned himself at the crate’s latched opening. Fingers at the ready. The royal trumpeter took his place beside the hunters. He raised the horn to his mouth and stood perfectly still for the longest seconds. His cheeks filled with air and then, Blaaare!
The foxes bolted. The crowd roared. Avalynn took flight in a tight pack with the other hunters. Arms pumping, she kept her eye on the shiny black coats as they bounded across the open meadow through lush grass and scattered wildflowers.
The foxes quickly synchronized in a rhythmic pace as they veered toward the edge of the meadow. In a blink, they disappeared into the Summit Range trees. Catching up to the lethal skulk would challenge the best hunters, but not her. She knew this terrain like the back of her hand. And, she knew the secrets Kragar shared with her and her alone before the hunt.
Grunting and hollering made her look left. Mateo and Eiric were running side by side, jabbing each other with their elbows. They stopped as they locked arms, pushing and pulling like rival stags during mating season.
“Mateo, stop!” She needed him with her. That fool Eiric would only mess up everything. “Let him go.”
Mateo threw her a look, lips pursed and nostrils flared. He shoved Eiric away.
“Lowborn scum!” Eiric hollered. Selene joined him, and they took off, their legs in harmonious stride.
Avalynn shook her head and sneered. Eiric and Selene, what a perfect couple. She should have known they’d stick together. To her surprise, Finnian stayed with her and Mateo, and together the trio dashed after Eiric and Selene into the forest’s towering embrace.
The transition from open daylight to the dapple-shaded trees added an extra layer of challenge. But she had anticipated that and slowed down, waving for Mateo and Finnian to do the same. “We must be careful.” She pulled her bow from her back and kept it in her hand. “There are dangers in this forest.” Charging forward like hot-headed Eiric and reckless Selene would only lead them into greater peril.
“You are right.” Mateo drew his dagger. “Foxes are crafty and deadly, the Shadowblood probably more so. Not to mention the other creatures lurking here.”
Finnian tapped his spear into the ground and glanced about. “What’s the plan?”
His question landed like an Enbarr’s hoof and reminded her of what she had to do. “Well, we hunt.” And she would distract Mateo from capturing or killing a Shadowblood.
“And I shall win,” Mateo declared.
“Or I will,” Finnian asserted.
