Huntress (28 page)
T
he Huntsman and several of his riders escorted them through the Wood as far south as the river Kell.
One morning, Kaede emerged from her tent to find a wreath woven from new leaves and perfect pink and white flowers. She stared at it, confused, until the Huntsman told her it was a gift from the wood nymphs, who had visited during the night.
“A gift? Why?”
“Because you saved them, and you saved their queen.”
She blinked at the wreath; it was so lovely, a crown fit for a woodland princess. She gave it to Taisin, who blushed to receive it, and thanked her with words so formal that Kaede’s heart ached. They did not know how to tread this new path they had chosen, and sometimes it hurt so much that Kaede had to turn her back on Taisin. When she stared out at the Wood, at the trees and the sunlight and the pattern of oak leaves against the sky, it helped, if only a little.
One night, Con asked her why things had changed between her and Taisin, and when she told him, he was saddened. “Are you sure?” he asked softly. Taisin had already gone to sleep, burying herself in her blankets so that she might not have to stay awake beside the person she had decided to be parted from.
“No,” Kaede said, “and yes. How can I ask her to give up what she wants most?”
“She wants you.”
“Not only me, and that’s as it should be.” Though it pained her to say it, she was beginning to discover that she believed it. “Her path is different from mine.”
“And what do you think your path is?” he asked.
She looked at the Huntsman, who was standing with his riders some distance away. “I think… I think my path lies with them.”
Con glanced over his shoulder at the Xi. “With the Fairy Hunt?” He was surprised.
“With the Xi. And with you.” She looked at Con. “When you bring that treaty to your father, I want to be there.”
He nodded. “The Queen asked me to bring you next year, when I come back with my father.”
“Did she?” Kaede said, and she found she was pleased to hear it.
“Yes. So: Will you come back with me?”
“I will,” she said immediately.
“We’ll have to give you some sort of title,” he mused. “We can’t keep calling you the Chancellor’s daughter.”
She smiled. “A title. I’ll think about it.”
When they came to the river Kell, Kaede could hardly believe her eyes, for there was a bridge. It was obviously old, and barely wide enough for one rider, but it seemed sturdy enough.
The Huntsman walked to her side and said, amused, “Did you think there was no crossing?”
She glared at him. “You saw us that day—of course we had no idea! Where are we? Are we south of where you found us?”
He glanced up at the blue sky. “South, yes, I think a little bit. If only you had gone a bit farther.”
“How would we know?” she cried, exasperated. “All the maps are inaccurate.”
“Then it’s certainly time to correct them,” he said, and gave her a warm smile.
She was overcome with bittersweet emotion. “Thank you,” she said, “for everything.”
He bowed his head to her. “We are grateful to you. And you—and Con and Taisin, too—will always be welcome in our lands. Perhaps your kingdom has a need for a huntress, to tend the Wood south of this river. You might ride with us one day, and we could teach you.”
“You are very generous,” she said, and tears came to her eyes.
He seemed to struggle with some emotion of his own, and Kaede wondered if he had ever had a daughter, for she thought he would make a good father.
South of the Kell, the Wood was awakening from its long slumber. Sunlight streamed through the branches overhead, each one heavy with green buds. Flowers bloomed along the edges of the trail, pink and purple and white, and birdsong filled the air every morning. It was like an entirely different forest than the one they had traveled through on their way north. There seemed to be no sign of the malignant Wood that had taken their friends Tali and Pol, and nearly taken Shae, as well.
Con intended to stop first at Mona’s cottage, in case she was still waiting for them, and the closer they came to it, the more quickly he wanted to ride. Kaede and Taisin understood his eagerness, and the three of them pushed their horses hard on the first day without the Xi. On the third day, they were startled when Con left them behind in a cloud of dust, galloping down the trail toward a horse they could not quite make out in the distance. As they drew nearer, Kaede recognized it, and she said to Taisin, “It’s Shae.” She and Taisin halted their horses some distance back, not wanting to intrude on their reunion.
Con pulled his horse to a stop and slid out of the saddle, but when his feet touched the ground he felt unexpectedly shy. Shae dismounted from her horse, but she left one hand on the saddle to steady her, for her leg was still not entirely healed. Her hair had grown so that it fell softly around her face, and though she was thinner than she had been before the journey, Con was glad to see that she had color in her cheeks, and some of that color, he hoped, was due to seeing him.
“Con,” she said, and gave him a tentative smile. “Well met.”
“Shae,” he said, and before he could lose his nerve, he went to her and kissed her, cupping her face in his hands. She let out a little sob, reaching up to put her arms around his neck.
Kaede turned slightly away, not wanting to stare. She had worried that the sight of them might make her mourn what she couldn’t have with Taisin, but instead, it awakened something warm and alive inside herself. She was only happy for them, and when she glanced at Taisin, she was glad to see that Taisin felt the same way.
“Do you think it will make a good story?” Taisin asked. “The prince and the guard, who fell in love on a journey to the Fairy Queen’s city.” The sun seemed to shine especially brightly on this part of the trail. It gave Taisin’s hair a halo of deep, dark red; it made her face glow.
Kaede smiled, and though her heart still ached, the love she felt was stronger than the pain. “It will make an excellent story,” she agreed. And after they had given the prince and the guard another few moments to themselves, Kaede and Taisin rode down the trail to meet them.
Even though a writer sits at her desk alone, there are many people who stand behind her. Thanks to my wonderful agent, Laura Langlie. Thanks to my awesome editor, Kate Sullivan, who shares my storytelling vision. Thanks to my early readers, Sarah Pecora, Lesly Blanton, and Cindy Pon, for your feedback. Thanks to the whole team at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers who help to bring
Huntress
into the world: Barbara Bakowski, Kristin Dulaney, Alison Impey, Zoe Luderitz, Stephanie O’Cain, Ames O’Neill, Jen Ruggiero, Victoria Stapleton, and Amy Verardo. And last but not least, thanks to my partner, Amy Lovell, who witnesses good writing days and bad, and loves me anyway. This book is for you.
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Copyright © 2011 by Malinda Lo
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First eBook Edition: April 2011
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
ISBN: 978-0-31617-520-3
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