There was something—feral, wilder—about everyone tonight. Him included. It made me want to tear into him and taste that wildness for myself. Maybe the magic in the air had affected me more than I realized, as that thrilling bloodlust seemed to be fogging my own head. I wished I had the ability to shift into an animal myself, to experience that firsthand.
The Fae all began shifting into their beast forms, giving me a glimpse of how distinctly other Fae truly were from humans.I spotted the giant red and black wolf I knew was Lilith, and beside her was a gray panther with curling white horns on its head, exactly where Harpina had just stood. Eryx flew overhead in his hawk form, his brown body highlighted by orange feathers down the middle. While a yellow and white fox slinked ahead, next to a light pink swan and a deer with brown and turquoise spotted fur—Baach, Ilta, and Delia.
Liviana and Ndrita were still in their regular Fae forms, near Calix. I’d heard about some of the lord’s and ladies’ beasts to be able to identify them. The black lion with razor sharp spikes down its back and the graceful gray and lilac gazelle were Lord Ciaran and Lady Jasira. The white leopard with gold spots and large bear with white fur on its body and silver legs and arms nuzzling one another were Lady Zillah and Lord Polaris. Lord Kyler was a furred creature that seemed both feline and canine at the same time, with a silver and navy-blue mane and a tail of pearlescent bushy fur, while Lady Aisling shifted into a red and green scaled creature—one with incredibly sharp teeth. Lord Rhidian was the large yellow gorilla and Lady Alora the much smaller lemur with pink stripes over her teal fur. Lord Sterling was a bird of prey, one with wings like a bat, but he seemed abnormally large for a bird. I imagined Ndrita enjoyed him being able to fly with her though.
It was then I saw Titan, and his form was certainly interesting. He was some kind of bull, but one that walked on two legs and not four, with huge horns curling up toward the sky and claws like daggers. He kept close to Calix, and I had no doubt he’d try to stay by his side for the duration.
All the assembled Fae yowled and howled so loudly, I had to cover my ears to avoid going deaf—but when Calix raised his hand, they went unnervingly silent. We sat in that silence for a moment, until Calix opened his mouth, letting out a roar thatbelonged to his dragon, not the gorgeous male form he was currently in.
I was shocked, not having known he could access parts of his dragon without shifting, but I didn’t have long to process that fact, as Calix’s roar was a signal to let the beasts loose. They took off, and the sound of pounding paws, gnashing teeth, and fluttering wings filled the air in a rush of madness.
That’s what this night was about, I realized—the madness of the gods and nature itself. It wasn’t the kind of chaos the world could slip to if the balance wasn’t maintained. No, this was something else—something purely wild and free. And I rejoiced in it.
The sounds of battle floated to us on the breeze. Beasts ripping their teeth and claws into one another, spilling blood in honor of Faunus—and Florus. The twin gods of beasts and nature were the wildest of the gods, and this night encompassed their spirit in its purest form.
We walked through the forest, Priscilla, Callisto, Eris, Emmie, and I trying to move quickly to keep up with the action. We rounded the first great bonfire, representing the Pranvera Equinox, and made our way through the trees, the bonfires marking our path, until we rounded a bend and the fire for the Zima Solstice sparked in the distance. It was there I saw him.
Calix looked like a god of war, a god of death. In Fae form, he battled with vicious looking beasts that tried to tear into him, but he used his claws to fight. Another way he could summon aspects of his dragon form without shifting fully—I supposed it made sense, since the royals could all manifest wings in their Fae guises.
I watched, completely transfixed, as Calix moved, his muscles flexing as he grabbed an animal that leapt for him in midair. Catching it by the throat, he growled at it, exposing razor sharp teeth that made me gasp in shock, and then threw the beast intoa tree. Another animal pounced and as he grabbed them, they rolled in a tangle of limbs, Calix landing on top and slicing into its shoulder. He stood in a swirl of movement I could barely keep up with, rushing another beast and taking it down with ease.
Then he was off, rounding the next bonfire as we passed drinks back and forth, watching the bloody hunt unfold. Calix caught my eye when he turned a corner, winking at me. My eyes widened in surprise; the spirit of Faunus was surely riding him, considering he’d been dedicated to ignoring my existence lately.
We made our way to the last bonfire—the largest of them, as the Festival of Faunus marked the night of the Harvest Equinox itself— where animals were engaged in fierce battle ahead of it. None had made it to the fire itself, and to my complete shock, there stood a gigantic, glowing stag—penned into an area to the right, where the beasts had herded it. Though similar to the ones I wore tonight, its antlers were shining in the darkness, while its fur almost looked like starlight with the way it was glowing.
Every single Fae here was trying to get to it, fighting one another and stopping them from moving forward. I watched as a hawk swooped down and used its talons to rake across the face of another animal. A polar bear rushed someone, claws out. A gazelle sprinted forward, only to be taken down by a leopard. A strange black and white creature was being strangled by a lemur’s tail, and I laughed watching sweet Alora make this Fae flail beneath her.
Calix was in the midst of the frenzy, but even he could not stop the monster of a wolf who leapt forward, sailing over the heads of many and crashing down on the stag, teeth buried in its throat. Everyone went silent, and then Lilith’s howl filled the air as she released the animal from her teeth.
The others howled and roared, acknowledging her win before they began shifting back. I ran forward and threw my arms around Lilith before anyone else could reach her.
“Congratulations!” I kissed her cheek and she smiled widely, her face flushed as she accepted everyone’s praise and acknowledgment.
Calix smiled widely as he came over, looking quite pleased with himself despite his loss. “Thank you, Lilith, you just won me a lot of money.”
“You bet on me winning?” Lilith narrowed her eyes at him, but there was something strangely vulnerable in her eyes, like she couldn’t believe her king would bet on her. Calix threw his arm around her, pulling her in for a one-armed hug.
“Of course I did. I know my Beastmaster, and she’s Faunus’s favorite.” He chuckled warmly, and Lilith blushed, ducking her head to hide her pleased smile.
“Now, let’s go celebrate the Beast Queen!” Calix roared, and the cheer that went up in response was deafening.
When we returnedto the altar site, the clearing was set up for music, dancing, drinking—my nerves flared, and my heart sank as I remembered what came after the hunt. First, they’d pray—and then…the orgy.
Nox. Tartarus. By the damned Otherworld! Fuck!I couldn’t help the litany of swears that went through my head as I tried to grapple with what was coming.
Thankfully, Ilta was suddenly there, and she grabbed my hand, squeezing hard. “Breathe. It’s going to be okay.”
I took deep breaths as she led me to the altar. Ilta had been gods sent to me since my arrival, but now more than ever, I appreciated her bubbly yet calming presence. Her smile was wide and was obviously excited.
“This is the best part, and I know my king.” Ilta assured me, an almost smug, knowing look on her face. “You have nothing to worry about, trust me! Just enjoy yourself.”
She was right, I knew she was. Things I was unfamiliar with made my emotions swing all over the place, the anxiety of the unknown taking root. But I knew better than to let that fear control me, so I took the drink Harpina shoved into my hand, downing it and then immediately taking another from Delia, who laughed delightedly. I turned to watch as Calix, Liviana, and Ndrita stepped up the statues of the Blessed Trinity.
“Tonight, we dedicate to the gods.” Calix began, and the entire crowd quieted to a hush. “While we honor the gods of beasts and nature tonight, we do not forget those whose dominion we serve—the Blessed Trinity.” Looking to the sky, he directed his next words to the gods directly.
“We dedicate ourselves to you: Erebus, Nox, and Asteria. Darkness, Night, and Stars. This blood, we dedicate to you.” Calix broke open the skin of his palm with one of his claws, before letting them disappear, becoming fingers once more. He dripped the blood into the bowl of Night Water Erebus’s idol held.
That was it—a quick dedication, because the rest of the night had been blood spilt in honor of Faunus. Now, the party could truly begin. Music began pounding in the background, and Ilta grabbed my hand, dragging me to the maypole. We both grabbed ribbons and I laughed as we danced around it.
