The convocation chamber was in an uproar, raised voices and hurled threats ripped the air. Ireen sat and plotted happily, with Surore’s and Toixnae’s deaths two of his greatest detractors had been removed from consideration. He should really thank this Witch, she’d done more to drive his schemes forward than he’d managed in hundreds of turnings.

Burke’s voice rose above all the others shouting, “Merganet! Stop hiding behind the honeyed words of respecting your Oruc Fae and going on about how terrible we are for killing them. We’ve found your training camps and weapon dumps, you were building an army up there on the plateau and just where were you going to aim that army? I’ve got a fair suspicion since my lands form your western border, the Barrier Ranges form your southern border and the ocean your eastern border. Want to answer to that?”

Merganet said, “Those fighters are needed to protect the herds from dangerous beasts, as well you know. You lead the hunts that are decimating my Oruc because you want to install your beastmen tribes instead as the herdspeople.”

Voice scornful Burke said, “Crap of the Unmentioned! Combat trained Shaman are not needed for beasts ‘as well you know’. Yet my hunt has been finding dozens of them, more than that the sheer numbers of the Oruc hiding in the vastness of the plateau was far more than you’ve ever reported in any census. Though that is a problem rapidly being rectified by my troops and our brethren who joined my hunt, within a tenday all who will remain are those who managed to flee into the Dwaris tunnels because those beloved unbreakable wards are passing them freely.”

Ireen said, “Yes, could you explain that please Merganet?”

Merganet’s head snapped around and the glare she levelled on Ireen was icy, she said, “No, I will not explain myself to the likes of you. You are not our leader for all your self-appointed airs and I have no need to explain myself to any of you.”

A muted crackle and she was gone.

Burke glanced at Ireen and slipped him a sly wink, Ireen in an infinitesimal twitch of his lips smiled, their brethren would no doubt notice but the subtle acknowledgement they were now allied was more than fine it was useful.

Glancing around his remaining brethren Ireen was happy, there were some very notable absences, Valard, Toixnae, Surore, those three had successfully pushed back against his natural right to rule over the Fae Chanar for so long and now they were gone. More obstacles removed thanks to the Witch, he’d definitely thank her, right before he killed her. Which would be as soon as they discovered where she actually was, because she hadn’t been seen since Surore died. She hadn’t been seen then either but who else could have killed him by literally tearing his heart from his chest?

*******

Streaking across the plains, Raelea and Krarrnic ran with an easy ground eating lope as the sheer cliffs of the plateau wall vanished into the distance behind them. They’d left the plateau behind four days earlier, glad to do so the carnage they’d seen on their way from the Dwaris tunnels to the cliff’s edge was sickening. Burned out wintering houses, piled corpses, and slaughtered tribes. There had been nothing they could do, every time they saw the Fae Chanar or their Fae black rimmed gateways appeared taking them elsewhere. The Fae Chanar had learned.

Their shadows lengthened as the sun sank toward the horizon and the early spring smell of green and growing things became heavier as dusk’s chill thickened in the air. They wouldn’t stop until they reached the foot of the mountains around Valard’s lands, they still had no idea what they were going to find because the whole place was a dead zone in the spiritworld, any spirits they sent either returned afraid to enter or didn’t return and Corvus still hadn’t responded to any attempts to communicate.

As the sun sank they kept running through the darkness startling the occasional bird into whirring flight and once running through the middle of a group of sleeping herdbeasts who sleepily lowed at them as they thudded past. They weren’t in a hurry now that they were clear of the plateau but both had stamina to spare and Pif was light enough that neither noticed carrying him.

It was just about dawn as the foot of the mountains came into sight, a huge blackened scar stretched as far as the eye could see and up to the treeline over the whole side of the mountains. Bare dead trees stood skeletal and grasping at the sky with patchy new green growth around their feet.

They stopped and camped, they could have kept going but there was no urgency so they may as well do the climb well rested.

The sun was high in the sky when Raelea awoke, Krarrnic was already up and out of the tent but Pif was still a snoring green lump in her sleeping robe.

Getting up and leaving the tent she grunted a greeting to Krarrnic and went to take care of her morning ablutions.

When she returned she was bright-eyed and fully ready for the climb.

“Pass me the sausages, I’ll get them cooking while you make the coffee?”

Krarrnic nodded and said, “Sausages and coffee, we have been corrupted by the Dwaris. What of the rush cakes, dried fish, and pounded meat that is proper trail rations?”

“If you want I can dig that out and not cook you some of these links.”

“Eheee, no that will be fine. Thank you.”

Raelea chuckled and soon the crackle and snap of frying sausages filled the area, soon drawing a small green shape out of the tent. A small green shape who sat down beside her quietly and watched the sausages cook with hungry covetous eyes, he knew what would happen if he got too pushy and he wanted those sausages.

Once they’d broken their fast and the camp they headed up the side of the mountain toward the pass they could see far above, the path they’d followed down more than two turnings ago was long gone.

They were just about to reach the treeline when the low bushy shrubs and saplings rustled and a pathetic and disgusting creature crawled out.

The goblin they’d met stood there glaring at them, she was partially burned, flesh gone and blackened bones showed in one arm and the leg that had been mummified. The goats head of the young satyr hung against her breast, eyes and flesh gone and only tight stretched skin covered his bones. One of her own eyes was missing and things wriggled in the greyish green putrescent hole.

Voice cracked and cackling she said, “Knew you’d be back, knew it, knew it, knew it! Sneaky filthy sneaks sneaking back into the Master’s place but… Master’s gone, brambles are gone, Goatboy’s gone. Broke him you did, burning all his greens but he left a present for you. I have to give it to you, here, take it!”

Her rigid fingers with her claws extended smashed into her own skull piercing the bones, she fell to the ground, foul black blood and brains leaking from the punctures.

The sky went black and a thick clinging mist rose from the ground, a muted far off horn sounded and they heard the baying of hounds as a chill raised goose-flesh on their arms.

Eyes a little wild and voice trembling Krarrnic said, “That’s bad! Very bad! Two lives sacrificed willingly and one was a druid, that will be the full wild hunt and it will be led by the triplet, the God of the Green, the Lord of Decay and the Hunt’s Master. They’re Spirit Kings, even with your power we don’t stand a chance against them, at most we can fend them off while we run.”

Raelea said, “Ok you’re the expert but where can we run?”

He threw his hands in the air and said, “Where we were already going? The land over the mountain is a dead zone for spirits, maybe it will be enough to stop them? I have no idea. Just run!”

Matching words to actions he scooped up Pif and took off running hard for the pass.

Raelea glanced behind them, clouds rolled toward her and she saw glimpses of horses, hounds, huntsmen and in the lead three misty figures that howled with spiritual power. She could feel her spirit-self quailing at their gaze.

Shivering she lurched into motion but after a few steps the turmoil in her spirit-self settled and the rhythm of her stride steadied until she was running freely after Krarrnic, catching up easily.

She could feel the Spirit King’s gazes on her back like physical touches.

They kept running as thunder rumbled behind them, sounding like hoofbeats, the wind howled, sounding like far off hounds, and over it all the very faint sound of hunting horns.

They ran faster.

Risking a glance she saw the clouds hit the mountainside around the pass, and the misty roiling shapes of the hunt boiled into it. Flashes of hooves, legs, teeth, and the glowing eyes of the hunt spirits filled the mist which blanketed the pass behind them.

Raelea could now feel the spirits individually and but for the Kings she wouldn’t be worried, with them there though, she ran faster.

But the spirits were faster still.

She shouted, “Krarrnic we can’t outrun them!”

“Tavarr’s spirit webbing, start the chant after me!”

Krarrnic’s strong loud melodious chant rumbled through her bones and she counterpointed in her flat horrible offkey voice, it was a good thing the words, her magical strength, and an unshakeable intent was what mattered not the skill in singing.

Chanting while running was not easy but she could feel the distance to the spirits decreasing much more slowly, it was still decreasing though.

She could see the end of the pass and some strange grey-green mist which filled the bowl of the land ahead but it was too far, they wouldn’t make it before the spirits got to them.

Stopping the chant she shouted, “Mother’s titties! We’re not going to make it.”

Reflexively her hands snapped out and she caught Pif as he was tossed to her, Krarrnic stopping and turning to face the oncoming wall of spirit-filled mist shouted, “Run!”

Holding Pif she stopped and said, “No, I won’t leave you behind!”

Eyes gentle he said, “I choose this. You know, my life has had meaning since we met. Let my death have meaning as well. Go, save what is left of my people.”

The Mantle of the Shaman laid itself over his shoulders as his voice swelled in a chant she knew and he’d told her was only ever to be used when no other option was possible. The energy this banishment used would twist the spiritworld around here into a chaotic burning mess that would drain spirits for hundreds of turnings and the attention of the Spirit Kings who watch over Shaman would be drawn to judge the Shaman doing it. Unless they had a good spirit approved reason for using it, they would die.

Saving their own lives from the Wild Hunt was likely not good enough.

Tears streaming down her face she ran as a huge golden ball built behind her expanded with every repetition of the chant. She could feel it’s hunger for spirit energy, a constant draw that pulled at her spirit-self strongly.

Plunging into the grey-green mist she felt the sudden chill of Death Realm energy tearing at her soul and sent to Pif, “Devouring grey wants to eat us, shield us please Pffbt!”

The ‘shiver down the spine’ feeling of an active Death ward instantly blocked the drain.

Pif sent, “Devouring grey feels like good-good. Why that? And what happen to spirit-friend?”

Her mental tone sad she sent, “Spirit-friend stopped the baddies sent after us by rude-goblinazy-goat. He will probably go away for it when bad-scary-spirits find out. I don’t know why the devouring grey feels like good-good, we’re here to find that out.”

She could feel a tremble in Pif’s thoughts as he sent, “Spirit-friend go away? No! I no want friend to go away, we go back now! Fight bad-scary-spirits make them go away, keep our friend. Now! We go NOW!”

Fighting back tears she stopped and sitting down hugged Pif tightly sending comforting thoughts as he started crying and struggling to get free.

She sent, “We can’t make bad-scary-spirits go away. They are too powerful. Spirit-friend chose to save us, we have to not go away or him going away is wasted.”

“Don’t care we save, friend is friend. We not lose friend! ...Too many go away already.”

Raelea just held him as he sobbed brokenly, rocking him.

It took a while but slowly Pif calmed down until he stopped crying.

“We’ll go see if good-good is here, somewhere.”

“Back to warm-dark at comfy-nice nesty?”

Shrugging Raelea sent, “Might as well. Only other place I can think of would be the Tower, we’ll check there on the way.”

Pif immediately started trembling again as images of Valard’s cruelties played in his mind.

Raelea sent hurriedly, “He will not get you, if he even still lives I will destroy him.”

He stopped trembling and with his thoughts full of trust sent, “Ok nice-nice.”

Standing up and carrying Pif still Raelea set off running toward the centre of the land.

The run to the Tower was eerie, nothing lived here in this faint misty fog. Once you were within it it mostly faded from view but even without seeing it something very wrong, not a plant, not an insect, nothing lived here at all not even the air itself. It was totally lifeless, even the spiritworld was empty, colourless and cold with all life gone.

As her energy flagged a couple of days later she stopped and realised a problem all the gear and all the food was in Krarrnic’s storage ring. She hadn’t even given it a thought.

She had her sleeping robe and mat because of force of habit but she no food at all.

As she fought of a surge at fresh thoughts of Krarrnic’s loss which bothered her much more than the food, she sent to Pif, “Do you have any food?”

“Why nice-nice?”

“All our food was with spirit-friend.”

Pif sent back with more than a touch of the same pain she was feeling, “I do have foods nice-nice, I share.”

She inscribed her temporary wards and included a Death ward in them, it’d hold for several hours and give Pif a chance to rest his magic.

They settled down into the robe Pif pulled a bag of fatmeat out of his bag and of all things two small but perfectly ripened apricots, passing her one of them. “Eat, eat. Sweet-tasty and meaty-brick.”

“Thank you Pffbt.”

He just smiled and they ate in companionable silence before going to sleep.

The next day around mid afternoon they reached the Tower, grass showed in a perfect circle around the foot of it and a very few insects could be seen crawling around in that grass. Raelea could see the wards, they were strong and clearly ‘alive’. Someone was maintaining them.

But who?

She smiled, there was one way to find out.

Walking over the runic script across her body flared as she wound up and laid a punch into the wards, which rang like a bell but didn’t flicker.

A muted crackle and Corvus appeared but his hair was pure white, his features were sharp enough to cut, he was also much larger and wasn’t in his armour.

Looking at her with a frown he said, “Raelea? You’re back? Where's Krarrnic?”

Frowning at him she said, “Tell me you’re Corvus.”

Clearly puzzled he said, “I’m Corvus? Why?”

He wasn’t lying, she said, “You look like a Fae Chanar.”

“Well as it turns out, seems I am. Long story I’ll tell you later.”

“That will be an interesting story I’m sure but for you to tell it you need to let us through the wards, Pif is the only thing keeping this Death of yours from our souls.”

“Oh right, yes.” A few gestures and the wards parted, she and Pif walked through.

Then Corvus was hit by a flying green missile, which knocked him to the ground with a deeply pained grunt.

Voice tight he said, “I’m glad to see you too but could you get off, I’m not at my best.”

As Pif jumped up looking concerned Raelea noticed the lumpiness of what the heavy robe he wore concealed and walked over to offer him a hand, saying, “What happened to you? I’ve seen growths like that only once before, on a Witch who pushed her corruption to hard.”

He grunted again as she almost bodily lifted him from the ground and said, “Not corruption, well not exactly. I overused Life and Death they still fight to see which will claim me first, the growths or the withering. Not the most comfortable thing. But you didn’t answer, where is Krarrnic?”

Raelea sighed deeply and said, “We met one of Valard’s creatures on the path over the mountain, we got away when we left but we met it again coming back and it summoned the full wild hunt with all three of the Druidic Gods. Krarrnic banished them but to do it he had to draw the attention of the Shaman Spirit Kings and the banishment he used will likely mean he will be killed. I-I wanted him to let me stay and help but he told me to continue our rebellion and save the Oruc, they-they are being purged. I have no idea how many are left, if any. We did liberate the Dwaris so hopefully some have sought refuge in the tunnels, where the Fae Chanar cannot go.”

Corvus’ eyebrows had climbed further with every sentence until she finished and he said, “It seems we have a lot to talk about. We should do that over some stiff drinks. I think we’ll need it and even if you don’t I certainly will because as you have no doubt worked out, things here didn’t exactly go as planned.”

Glancing out at the dead world around them Raelea said, “I had noticed, yeah. We need to know why, what, and how of this and the Oruc and the Dwaris. Because our Rebellion is now out in the open fully and the Fae Chanar will be fighting to not just kill us but to survive. We will need the Fae, up until now the Fae Chanar were arrogant, unready for successful defiance. They now know to be more careful and they are far from stupid once they get over their arrogance. The next parts of our Rebellion may be even tougher I fear.”

Corvus nodded and shuffling as he walked led them into the Tower.