“Again, I am not the right person to tell you the tale,” Devil said gently. “But the Huntress is the one who gives us life, decides our form, and our gifts, and provides us with what we need to live. There are other fay courts too, all over this land, watched over by her siblings.”
“There are other courts? Here, in Athenium?”
“There is another in the Pallasian Mountains, yes,” said Devil, “and many others to the south of that, caught up within the borders of your human nations. The Arden lost contact with all but the Pallasian Court long ago though.”
“That’s terrible…” I muttered.
“When you meet some of the mountain folk, you will not feel so sad,” he laughed in reply as we continued walking.
I followed him and looked down at the creek running beside us. “So…if the Huntressisthe forest, is the water her blood? Is that why it all flows the same direction? I noticed it before, with the little river running away from the lake, and now with this creek. All the water flows toward the same place in the forest, like blood in a body, flowing toward the heart.”
“Well done, Mayhem,” said Devil, appraising me with some surprise.
“So, what is the heart of the Arden exactly? Where is all the water going?”
Without warning, Devil reached down and scooped me off the ground, then leapt into the air. I had not even noticed his wings appear and I let out an involuntary screech as we burst through the tree canopy.
“Could you at least bother to warn me before you do that?” I cried. I had never been afraid of heights before, but after my brush with the waterfall the day before, and now flying high above the treetops, my stomach dropped. I clung tightly to Devil, burying my face in his neck without thinking. His skin was warm, like the hot springs, and a vaguely familiar, metallic air hung about him—not quite a scent, but not quite anything else either.
“Do you want to see or not?” he murmured in my ear. I turned my head just enough to look out over the forest, bobbing up and down as his wings beat the air. “The cluster of trees at the far edge, just beneath that peak.”
I squinted against the chill air and saw what he was trying to show me: An area of forest at the very base of a lone peak, where the Arden’s trees grew much taller than those around them. From this distance, it almost looked like a cathedral rising above a city of squat, commonplace buildings.
“If you would like to see it up close, we must get you to Arachne,” Devil said with a grin, and we began to descend back toward the trees.
I closed my eyes and dropped my face back into the crook of his neck. “That’s where we’re going tonight?”
“We won’t be going anywhere if you do not let go of me,” was his only answer. I realized we were already back on the ground, then scrambled out of his arms and smoothed out my hair while my face burned.
“You still have not told me when I’m to pay my debt,” I said quietly as we continued down the hill. He took his time in answering, but before he could, there was a buzzing sound nearby and something darted across my field of vision. I stopped and spun, trying to follow it, but it zoomed around both of us before hovering in front of Devil’s face and released a series of high-pitched sounds.
“Slow down, Prim!” he laughed, holding out his hand for the tiny woman to land on. She slumped into his palm with a squeaky huff.
“What’s she saying?” I asked, venturing closer. Devil’s brow furrowed as she continued to speak, and I watched him closely, trying to determine whether her news was good or bad.
“It seems we have an unwelcome guest wandering about our woods,” said Devil, giving me a sly glance. “We must get to him before someone else does.”
“I don’t understand. Who—” But no sooner than the words left my mouth had Devil grabbed my hand and pulled me in so our bodies were pressed against each other. His arms snaked around my waist and I tried to push away. But as quickly as he’d grabbed me, he let go again, allowing me to stumble backwards and smack straight into the trunk of a tree, which had not been there before. Slightly dazed, I looked around and saw that he had transported us to a different area of the Arden in the blink of an eye again. Prim was there too, hovering beside his ear and speaking into it. There was no one else nearby, and I wondered what he was playing at, until I heard the voice.
“May! May!”
“Will…” The name left my mouth almost involuntarily, but I was absolutely sure. I would know his voice anywhere. As I spun around and sucked in a breath to call back, Devil slapped his hand over my mouth, pressing his other to the back of my head.
“Hush,” he muttered. “We must make sure he’s in no danger first.”
I ripped his hand away from my face. “You mean to tell me he isn’t in any danger from you?”
“Not at the moment, no,” Devil replied, cocking his head to listen as Will’s calls continued echoing around us. Prim suddenly let out a small squeal and Devil grabbed my arm to pull me down behind a hedge of blueberry bushes. Through the branches, Will came into view, and my heart started up a rhythm like I’d never felt before. The idea that he had come here looking for me sent it soaring—joyous and relieved. But the idea that he also had the nerve to come for me after what he’d done sent a bolt of anger and spite through my chest, dissolving my joy so all that remained was relief. At least his father had not allowed him to bleed out on the archery range. I adjusted my position and peered through the branches, heavy with berries, to see that he was carrying his bow with an arrow already nocked. Across his cheek was a furious red gash from where Devil had struck him at the tournament.
“Stay,” Devil whispered, putting a hand on my arm. “Prim, go back to the Hollow and tell Arachne we will be slightly late for our appointment, please.” The little winged woman saluted and whirred away just as Will called my name again. All my instincts told me to run to him, but I remained behind the blueberry bush and only a moment later, understood why.
An almighty roar sounded from somewhere nearby, and Will turned toward the sound, raising his bow. From between the trees came a horrific sight: an enormous bear, brown and shaggy, its mouth a gaping, salivating maw edged with deadly teeth. It charged straight for Will and he aimed, but I could tell he was frozen with fear and indecision.
“Will!” I screamed without thinking, revealing myself. His eyes locked onto mine and in his shock, he fired the arrow. It missed the bear’s shoulder by a mere inch and the creature kept charging as he fumbled for another arrow from the quiver on his belt. Suddenly, however, Devil stood too and flared out his great, red wings.
With a single, mighty beat, they carried him over the blueberry bramble, and upon landing, he sent a ball of golden light flying at the bear. With a laughing shout, he cried, “Jon, not that one!”
Chapter thirteen
