Soul Mates: Magic (Soul Mates Series) (21 page)

Chapter Twenty-
six

“No, not this time, Max,”
Cernunnos said with a smile before he turned to Daire. “You shall be my host,” he said placing his hand on Daire’s shoulder. Daire blinked and Cernunnos merged with him. On his head was he wore a set of antlers and behind his eyes you could see the spirit of the horned god, Cernunnos. His clothes had changed to Manticore-hide leather pants, a matching leather vest and boots. “Diana?”

Diana moved to stand before me, smiled and placed her hand upon my shoulder. “Princess,” she said softly and I closed my eyes. When I opened them I could feel the presence of Diana within me.
My head was wreathed in holly and my clothes had changed to match Daire’s.

“Let the Hunt begin!” I called, or rather Diana called. “If you have
offended a god, or broken your oath to a Fae, you had better run. We of the Wild Hunt shall chase you down and hold you to account for your misdeeds. Prepare yourselves to pay the price asked by the one you’ve wronged! All those that wish to join the Hunt, mount your steeds, for tonight we ride!”

Daire and I each mounted an
eight-legged black horse as other Warriors stepped forward and mounted the rest of the steeds that appeared in the ballroom. Max ascended the steed to my right and Daire was on my left. He looked at me and grinned, but it was a strange mix of himself and Cernunnos in that smile.

“Release the hounds!”
Cernunnos and Daire shouted.

A howling rose up in the ballroom and the Hellhounds appeared and then took off in a pack through a magical opening in the wall that went straight into the Never Never. I held my breath as the eight-legged beast between my legs took off through the opening
following the pack. I held tightly to the black flowing mane as my steed flew through the sky and landed just behind the pack. I was in the lead and as soon as the Hounds came upon the first of our prey.

“You, Torrick D’Nall, are accused of offending the god of the sea Poseidon, how do you plead?”
Diana and I asked the heavy set human who cowed before us, attempting to hide behind a thistleberry bush as the Hounds surrounded him.

“I…I…I didn’t know!” he cried.

“You did not know the god of the sea would be offended by your careless disregard for his creatures? By your cruel abuse of the whales you gutted for sport and left to die horrible deaths?”

“I didn’t know he existed!” Torrick screamed terrified.

“For your crimes, I sentence you to ten years as a huntsman. You will help bring others to justice, and when you return to your world, you will be an advocate for the creatures you mistreated.”

“But-”

“Enough!”
Cernunnos and Daire shouted and held out their hand toward Torrick. “You have been sentenced by the goddess of the Hunt.” They closed their hand into a fist and a black mist engulfed Torrick. He rose into the air, spun a few times and was settled onto the back of a steed, he would not be released for ten years.

The pack took off again after the next offender. We went through the
same process with the next eight offenders. Some were sentenced to just the night, others to several years, depending upon the offense. We finally reached the Winter Castle as it was nearing dawn, where we found Póg. She was hiding in the lower dungeon, cowering in fright behind her mother. Being hunted by the Wild Hunt was apparently a terrifying experience.

“
Póg Tocsaineach! The Wild Hunt has come for you! Stand and be heard!”

“It was not my fault!
She ducked!” she called from behind her mother.

“
No matter, you gave your word not to harm anyone. You broke your word, whether intentional or not. The Wild Hunt sentences you to-”

“Stop!” the Queen of Air and Darkness demanded.

“Step aside. You may not interfere with the Wild Hunt!” Cernunnos and Daire shouted.

“I know my foolish child has erred, and broken her oath, but I offer compensation for the one wronged!”

“Speak,” Diana and I said. “What is it you offer?”

“My offer is to leave the Princess
’s precious humans alone until she takes over the throne of Light and Illusion from the King,” the Queen said grudgingly.

“
You and your minions will not bother anyone the Princess, considers hers, human and Fae alike, until she takes over the throne of Light and Illusion. For this we shall spare the one named Póg
Tocsaineach of serving as huntsman. And should you break this oath to the Wild Hunt you both shall suffer.
If you go near their homes, or harm them in any way, here or in the Mortal world, you will suffer.
Agreed?” Cernunnos and Daire asked.

“My offer was for
the humans only!” the Queen replied in frustration as the air seemed to be draining from the room.

“You will stop drawing the air from the room and you will accept our offer or we take Póg Tocsaineach now to serve for the next three hundred years,”
Cernunnos and Daire commanded and they took hold of Póg with their magic.

“Wait! Release her,” the Queen said returning the air to the room. “
She is my child.”

“Your word.”

“I cannot allow you to take her,” she muttered.

“Give us your word of honor, Queen,”
Cernunnos and Daire demanded.

“
You have my word,” the Queen said through gritted teeth.

“I want Póg’s word as well,” Diana and I said.

“Fine. You have my word,” Póg said stepping out from behind her mother, as the fright of the Wild Hunt released her.

“Go then, and do not cross me again,” Diana and I said.

“This is not the end, Princess. The day you take over the throne will be a Dark day,” the Queen said as she and Póg vanished on the air.

“That was the last of our prey, the Wild Hunt has come to a close,” Diana and I said. “Shall we return to the Mound and celebrate?”

“Lead on goddess of the Hunt!”
Cernunnos and Daire replied.

We returned to the
Mound jubilant less than an hour later. As we dismounted, the steeds disappeared with the punished huntsmen. They would spend their time taking care of the steeds and the Hounds until the next Wild Hunt.

I was still filled with a wild energy and Diana’s presence. I felt the need to create something wild and beautiful to commemorate my first Wild Hunt, so I laid my hands on the wall of the Mound where the hole had appeared to the Never Never. I closed my eyes and felt the energy surge out of me and into the wall. When I opened my eyes a gorgeous moving mural of our adventures appeared in living breathing color. You could even smell the scent of thistle berries as we captured the first of our offenders.
I watched the mural as it moved through each successful capture. Daire, still filled with Cernunnos’ presence, moved to my side and took my hand. We watched the final confrontation together and then turned to Auberon and the Nobles to gauge their reaction.

“She stepped in?” the Durrins murmured.

“Is that even allowed?” commented the Cavels.

“How can the Princess take the throne now?” several others whispered.

I started to panic,
how could I take the throne now?
I thought.

Do not panic, Abbey. You shall become a great and talented leader. The Queen would be a fool to take you on once you become Queen in your own right. Which will not be for many, many years. You have plenty of time to learn all you need to learn to defeat her once and for all.
Diana said in my mind.

I felt Daire squeeze my fingers and I turned to him with a smile. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me in front of everyone.
I felt Diana leave me just as his sweet lips touched mine and I melted into him.

When we finally broke the kiss, Daire turned to the waiting crowd of Nobles. “The Princess will remain heir to the throne of Light and Illusion until such time Auberon sees fit to step down. When she does take the throne, I guarantee we both shall do everything in our power to keep all of Faerie safe from the Queen’s wrath. You could not ask for a more dedicated and loving heir.”

I smiled at his words and when I looked into his eyes, he was all Daire. “I will not let you down.”

“Of course you won’t, Abbey love,” Auberon replied giving me a hug. “Now, I do believe we have some celebrating to do!” He clapped his hands and the band reappeared. Food and beverages were served and everyone danced. It was a grand party.

Chapter Twenty-seven

“Do we honestly have to go to school today?” I asked grouchily sitting down at the table in the kitchen.

Daire laughed. “
Yes, we do. School is important. And you know that better than anyone. Besides, it’s nearly over.”

I sighed
, “But it’s so nice outside,” I complained as I ate my breakfast. The past several months had consisted of schoolwork, wedding plans and baseball, Daire’s current sports passion. He was pretty good at it too, and I must admit he looked pretty good in the school uniform. I continued with my Warrior training and I spent part of every afternoon with Tatiana learning everything she could teach me about plants and medicines. I’d helped Tatiana wake up the flowers and trees on the first day of spring and kept them looking fresh and lovely whenever I walked by them. Mom was happy, her garden had never looked better or been more fragrant.

The best part was there hadn’t been an attack by the Queen or any of her creatures since the night of the Wild Hunt. It was almost boring. Almost. There were still plane crashes and bombings, and other terrible things in the mortal world, but so far she had kept her word and no one I knew or cared about had been harmed or even seen an Unseelie creature. And from what I’d heard, things in New York had even quieted down. Max was happy, his friend Tony and his family were finally coming home for a visit. They would be here in time for the wedding.

“It is, and you can enjoy
the weather at my game this afternoon,” Daire replied, pulling me from my thoughts with a wicked grin. “Come on, we’re going to be late if you want to take the car again.” He picked up my backpack and tossed it onto his shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m coming,”
I said grinning. Daire, really loved driving my car, but he loved to make it seem as though it were my idea to take it. I climbed in the passenger seat and Daire tossed our bags in the back.

It was the end of the year, which meant we were testing practically every day. I suppose the teachers had to make sure they’d done their job and we’d learned everything required by the state, but it was so annoying.
Especially on days like today, when the sun was out and there was a lovely lake wind blowing through. I was so happy to be out of the classroom by the end of the day.

“Think we’ll win?” Avery asked, taking a seat next to me on the bleachers.

“I hope so, Daire has been practicing his swing forever,” I replied.

“Have we missed anything?” Auberon asked sitting down next to Cole and Felicia.

I smiled, “No, it’s just starting.”

Our section of the bleachers was glamoured, of course, so when Auberon pulled popcorn and hotdogs from the air, no one noticed. Daire, Ronny and Hunter all ran onto the field with the rest of their team. Max, Anna and Rose appeared a few minutes later, not from flashing in, just walking from the concession stand to join us.

“Oh, cute shirt,” Rose said sitting next to me and stealing a handful of popcorn.

I looked down at the
‘Keep Calm and Do Magic’
tee shirt I’d chosen this morning. “Thanks,” I said grinning.

“How are the wedding plans coming along? Are you getting excited?”

“Nervous, is more like. And you know Mom and Dad are not exactly thrilled that I’m getting married so soon. It has not been exactly pleasant.”

“Well, you are their baby girl. And eighteen is young, are you sure you want to do this?”

A slow smile spread over my lips as I caught sight of Daire running onto the field. The word ‘MINE’ came to mind, and he turned and waved to me and blew me a kiss. “Yes, I’m sure.”

“Then I’m sure that Grandma and Grandpa will be fine. Besides, they adore Daire.”

I nodded feeling just a bit uneasy, something was…off. I glanced across the ball field to the trees just beyond. Something was lurking in the shadowed darkness of the copse of trees. “I’ll be back,” I murmured.

A hand caught my arm and I followed it up to its owner, Cole. “Princess, if you are going where I think you are going, I’m going with you.”

I gave a slight nod and Cole followed me. We slowly made our way to the edge of the forested area. I noticed a shimmer of a black wave, a portal to Never Never, just beyond the first grouping of trees. “What is it? What is here?”

Cole pulled me behind him. “I’m not sure. Stay close.”

We searched the surrounding area for any sign of a dark minion, but we couldn’t find it. There was just a lingering sense of unease, of darkness, and the portal. “This shouldn’t be here.” I frowned and stepped closer.

“I promised not to touch your precious Fae or human’s Princess, I promised nothing about harming you directly,” the Queen’s voice whispered through the portal as she grabbed me and pulled me through.

“Cole!” I screamed and just as I was nearly completely through the portal, Cole grabbed my hand and I pulled him through behind me. The portal closed behind us and I realized we were stuck in the Never Never in the middle of the Dark Forest.

Cole pulled his sword and looked fiercely around us. “Be ready, Princess,” he murmured.

I nodded and pulled my own sword, Virtus. Cole and I stood back to back, waiting for the Queen to make her move. I heard her cackling laughter before I saw her.

“Oh Princess, you should really not have come investigating,” Póg said stepping out from behind a tree. “Tragic really.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What is she talking about, Cole?”

Cole shook his head. “No one knows we are here. We are hours from the Mound and she’s blocked off any escape to the Goblin territory,” he commented with a nod in the direction of Gareth’s lands.

“You will have to make it out of my Dark Forest, Princess.” The Queen looked up at the sky. “And I suggest you begin now, for every moment you delay, a day is passing in the mortal realm. Don’t you have a wedding to get to? It’s too bad you disappeared with the groom’s best friend…” She cackled again.

A sudden flash of fear raced through me, would Daire really believe that I had run off with Cole? I swallowed hard and then shook it off. Daire would never believe it. I raised my chin. Fury gathered in every fiber of my being, I wanted to aim it all at the Queen
, but I held myself in check. I knew something she didn’t. I had a friend that liked to lurk in her dark forest. “Cole,” I said as calmly as I could.

“Yes Princess?” Cole arched an eyebrow, reading my face. “If you think it will work.” He gave a sharp nod.

I blinked once and held my hands up to the ever-changing Never Never sky and blasted it with lightning in the shade of red. Then we waited. It didn’t take but a moment. I could see him flying, his wingspan was amazing to see swooping through the sky. His wings folded as he came to rest just behind me. I turned toward the Queen, and I sent her a feral grin before I climbed onto Thomas’ back. Cole pulled himself up behind me. “Burn it,” I murmured in the Dragon’s ear.

Thomas gave a growl and breathed out a blast of fire, right in the direction of Póg and her mother. He leapt into the air, breathing fire as we flew above the Dark forest. I watched the trees turn to ash and smiled. I knew the Queen had not stuck around once Thomas began to burn it. She’d run, like she had before. I was never going to let her win.

I woke a few hours later, to Cole shaking me. I blinked several times and slid off of Thomas’ back. “How long was I asleep? How long have we been gone?”

“We just got here, a few hours, Princess. I don’t know how long, yet.”

Thomas changed back to his human form and opened the door to the Mound. I followed him through with Cole bringing up the rear. We didn’t see anyone at first and I wondered if the Queen had lied, if the game was still going on and we had only been gone moments, not hours, not days or weeks.

“Princess! Oh thank goddess!” Aurora shouted and ran at me, taking me in her arms. “Are you all right? We have been so worried!”

My face fell. “Did I miss it? Did I miss my wedding?” I asked, tears forming in my eyes. I glanced up and caught sight of Daire. He looked terrible and amazing all at once. He walked toward me, silently, and pulled me into his arms and buried his face in my hair.

“
Mo ghrá ach
,” he whispered. “I knew you would return.”

I hugged him tightly, not wanting to let him go. “How long?” I asked. “How long have I been gone, Daire?” my voice breaking as I cried.

“A month,” he said holding my face between his hands. “A bloody, fecking, long month.”

“He never gave up, Princess. He knew you would be back in time,” Aurora said with a smile and tears in her eyes. “He made everyone keep working on the wedding. He knew you would be back in time.”

I looked up into his face and kissed him hard, throwing my arms around his neck and pulling him as close as I could without crawling inside of him. He held me just as tight.

“What day is it?” I asked. “How close did I come?”

“June twentieth, Princess. Your wedding is tomorrow at noon, when the sun is at its highest,” Aurora answered. “I shall just inform the King and Queen of your arrival.”

“Thank you,” Daire said over my shoulder to Cole and Thomas. “I am forever in your debt.”

“Do not thank me. It was the Princess who rescued us. I am not even sure how she was able to reach Thomas to pull us out of there.”

I turned to Thomas and grinned. “I remembered.”

Thomas chuckled. “You did.”

Daire and Cole looked at us curiously and then at each other. “We’re missing something.”

I smiled and hugged Daire again. “Thomas and I used to play a game when I was little and you were busy. He taught me how to change the color of my lightning as he changed his fire. Yellow lightning going into the sky was happy, blue was anger, green was excited, and red…”

“Danger,” Thomas answered. “I saw the lightning and knew only one person could create that particular shade of red. I knew Abbey and everyone was supposed to be in the mortal realm, so I followed it. I found Abbey and Cole, swords drawn, facing down the Queen.

“Did you destroy her?” Daire asked.

I grinned. “No, but we did
burn down her Dark Forest and a great many more of her creatures perished. She will not be bothering us again for a while.”

“Did she break her promise to the Wild Hunt?”

“No, she never promised not to touch me, only my people.”

“Abbey!” Auberon and Tatiana rushed into the hallway to hug me.

“I’m fine,” I said.

“I knew you would be,” Auberon said pulling me into his arms. “Tatiana was worried.”

“Oh I was not, I knew you would figure away back to us in time,” she said with a smile, hugging me from behind. “Everything is ready for tomorrow. Oh! You must get to bed right now! So much to do! Daire say good night,” Tatiana ordered.

Daire pulled me back into his arms and kissed me hard. “Do not ever do that again,
mo ghrá ach
. Where ever you go, I go, understand?” he whispered softly.

I smiled and nodded. “Good night, my love,” I murmured and moved down the hallway following Tatiana. “Oh, would you let Mom and Dad know? And Max?”

“It’s already been taken care of, you will see them tomorrow,” Tatiana said as she pushed me through my door. “Now, get some sleep. Aurora will wake you in time to get ready.”