I smiled at the stag when he peered at me, his eyes finally soft.
“Go on,” I said.
The stag stared at me for a moment that seemed to stretch on. I could hear my heart beat, the muted buzz of Fell’s angry protests, and the howls of the hounds.
The stag reached out and pressed his lips to my forehead, and there was a moment of silence, before magic ripped free around me.
I felt the warmth of sunshine after what felt like the eternity of cold, my head filled with the song of birds welcoming the first flowers, and I could feel the soft caress of new grass.
Magic poured through me, so concentrated I couldtasteit—sweet and fresh. And for a few moments I lived and breathed spring—the birth of a fawn, the melting of snow, the world waking up from its slumber.
The magic didn’t leave me, rather it seemed to settle deep into my bones. Once it had made a place for itself it released me, and I jerked with surprise.
I stared wide eyed at the stag. It breathed in my face, then walked shoulder to shoulder with Blue Moon through the gate.
I relaxed, until just before the gate shut, and I thought I saw a flicker of massive trees and a carpet of flowers through the mist.
What? I told Blue Moon to take him home—I meant the Night Court! That wasnotthe Night Realm, or any of our properties!
“No! You—” Fell wordlessly howled his frustration. “You!” He snarled at me. “You cheated—there’s no way you won the hunt in your first year.”
“You’re being a sore loser, Fell,” Solis said.
“I am not! She’snothing! It’s impossible that she won—she used night mares!”
I exhaled; all the tension that had been holding me upright was leaving me in a strength-sapping wave. “I checked—there was nothing in the rules that said my ‘hounds’ had to be dogs. Using the night mares and glooms was totally legal.” I leaned against Comet before I slid my foot into the stirrup. I smacked into her back, unable to fully heft myself over her, and had to scramble to right myself. “Sorry, Comet.”
Comet tucked her chin and turned her head, gently lipping my boot.
“You turned this into a mockery of what the hunt is supposed to be—it was a laughingstock,” Fell sneered.
I made myself sit up tall in the saddle. “Really? Who is laughing?”
“I’m not,” Rigel said fromrightbehind Fell.
Fell actually twisted in the saddle and audibly gulped when he found my consort at his back, casually cradling a loaded crossbow.
“I’m not laughing either,” Solis said. “You’ve lost, Fell. Accept it.” The Day King was in his element in the bright afternoon sun—particularly with Birch’s horse nuzzling his thigh and Verdant’s sun stallion crowding his other side.
The Spring Queen was clinging to her horse, her face buried in his neck. I was a little curious why she hadn’t sat up or anything—her horse was obediently standing there as it was gazing at Solis with adoration.
Is she scared of her own horse?I mentally shrugged—it wasn’t my problem.
I whistled to my animals and started back in what Ithoughtwas the direction of our base camp. “Someone should check on Birch,” I suggested. “He probably has a concussion.”
“I donothave a concussion,” Birch complained.
“You have no way of knowing that. You just thumped your head into the dirt and couldn’t talk for like five minutes. You should have worn a helmet.” I tapped mine for emphasis. “Just saying.”
Birch staggered to his feet and veered in his horse’s direction.
“Though the hunt is over, I refuse to recognize the Night Court as the winner,” Fell announced.
“Nobody cares, King ofFall,” I said.
“I’m the King ofAutumn!”
“Nobody cares about that either.” I leaned back in my saddle and glanced around.
