Black Frost (22 page)

Her face was streaked with tears, dirty with
a mud streak on one cheek, but she looked whole and unharmed. The
cold lump in my gut melted at the sight of her, but refroze harder
when I concentrated on the leader’s back.

“His name is Gwyd, he is the current Hunt
Leader and he is what you would call a ‘prick’, I believe,” Greer
said.

“What’s happening?” I asked.

“The Hunt was sent after your daughter,
commissioned by both Queens. It allowed the Princesses to meet with
you without breaking their word.
They
were not the ones to
go after Ashley, so technically they didn’t cause you or yours any
harm.”

I didn’t answer, too angry to speak. After a
moment, he continued. “The other children Gathered around the world
are being held in that large tent further out,” he said, pointing
at a large earth colored pavilion set up a tenth of a mile away. I
hadn’t paid it much attention before, but now I could see that it
was ringed with elves, positioned in pairs, one Hunter and one
Guardian in each set.

“It looks as if the Hunt is attempting to
renegotiate the deal they had with the Queens….bold, not
necessarily smart, but very bold.”

I studied the layout of the terrain between
me and Ashley, the position of the red and black Hunt and the two
opposing Courts. The trail down to their position started to my
right, crossing under our ledge and then making a series of
switchbacks till it straightened out and led to the flat area where
the monsters of the Hunt milled about. Arrayed over about a
football field-sized area, there were something like a hundred to a
hundred-twenty elves, goblins and hounds, mixed in with ten or so
lizard-horses. Because our hill was so far out at the end of the
arc, the Hunt had, by necessity, traveled closer to the Summer
Court then they appeared to like, the thick bunching of guards on
both sides indicating a lack of trust by each party.

“They are just about at the beginning of
negotiations. Each Queen will attempt to out bargain the other.

When that fails, as it most likely will,
there will be a fight. Our best opportunity to get Ashley back will
be around that point in time. Do you have any more of those objects
that you threw at the Guardians and Hunt on your side?”

“I have two more of the flash bangs and a
couple of other, even better surprises, as well. How big a fight
will it be?” I asked, looking out at the large encampments of both
Courts.

“Well, since each Queen is backed by her
army, both of which are camped out of sight, it has the potential
to be huge. But what will likely happen is that there will be a
Queens Challenge, a fight between champions. Mother has several but
I suspect that she will call on Neeve to fight for her,” he
answered. “This will be our only real chance to get Ashley back.
The Hunt will hold her, waiting for the outcome of the challenge,
then whichever Queen is victor (most likely Winter) will lay claim
to your daughter. Once surrounded by her army, it will be virtually
impossible to get near her, even for me.”

“Then let’s get it done now!” I answered,
staring down at the Hunt Leader and the small girl riding behind
him.

Chapter 21

We planned out our assault, as much as we
could, then began to sneak closer to the meeting point. Greer told
me that our chances weren’t great, probably less than forty
percent, but that this was our only shot. Whichever Queen ‘won’
Ashley, would quickly transport her to their most secure location
and begin a time tested brainwashing technique to inculcate
complete loyalty to that Queen. He seemed pretty certain his sister
would win whatever contest she fought, telling me that Queen
Morrigan rarely used her daughter for challenges, but that Neeve
had never lost.

Our plan, such as it was, was extremely
simple, a fact that may have lent some small measure of potential
success to its odds. We would circle around behind the Hunt, lining
up on the straightest path to Ashley, then Greer would move a bit
closer to the Winter Court’s position, letting himself be noticed
in the process. When the fight started, he would create a side
diversion, then I was to throw my flashbangs and stir things up
even more. At that point, I would drive directly to Ashley, killing
everything in my path, while Greer did the same from his angle.
Once we had Ashley, we would beat feet back to the gate and jump
through. Like I said, not much of a plan, yet Greer felt that each
Court would think the other was starting something and the Hunt
would suspect both Courts of foul play. He handed me several elven
throwing darts he had picked up and explained how they might help
our plan.

At the base of the hill the terrain was
choppy; natural erosion had cut channels deep enough to provide
concealment. This environment was mostly dry, but from the look of
things it got pounded occasionally by torrential rains, like the
Sonora Desert back home. The runoff channels fed together
eventually forming an arroyo type of river bed that headed toward
the rising red sun. The flat section where the elven courts were
gathered was higher than the drainage basin we were in, which gave
me hope that we could actually sneak around behind the
preternaturally alert elves and their minions. Coel led the way,
with Greer next, then Charm and myself. We followed the basin for
quite some distance before climbing out of it and creeping through
the scrubby vegetation that covered the ground. Pausing to observe
the elves, I noticed movement at the Winter tent. Pulling Dad’s
monocular I watched carefully, Greer moving up next to me to see as
well. Two armored elves stood to either side, long glittery
halberds held before them, while a female elf in white pulled back
the curtained door simultaneously falling into a deep bow. The
opening was almost immediately filled by an enormous, black form.
The creature was easily eight feet tall, shaggy and immensely
muscled, and very familiar looking.

“That’s a sasquatch!” I hissed to Greer, who
was watching as well.

“Is that what you call them? Your ancestors
knew them as trolls. They have a unique ability to travel the Paths
between worlds, not needing the same energy to get to your world
that we do. So they move back and forth, even when the Veil is
strong. They mostly live alone, but sometimes in family units. It’s
rare for one to be associated with my people, but Mother raised
Torg and he is to her what Coel is to me.”

The giant raised its heavy browed head and
looked carefully around, its actions uncannily like a human
bodyguard’s would be. Apparently satisfied, it strode forward,
revealing Neeve and her goblin just behind. The elven princess was
wearing a white wrap around robe thingy that showed how lean she
was. Her long platinum hair was unbound and flowed around her neck
and shoulders, cascading down her in waves. The robe left her
muscled arms bare and unadorned…till you saw the twin Frost blades
wrapped around her forearms in miniature dragon shapes. She moved
gracefully forward, her feet sheathed in silver sandals that
matched the color of her exotic eyes. The elven princess slid over
the ground like she was floating, her ugly white ape-goblin
shambling beside her. An off color patch of some type of poultice
on his shoulder was the only sign that I had wounded the ugly
goblin. A moment later another woman appeared in the tent door. At
first I thought her a cousin to Neeve, a slightly older cousin, as
there was an unmistakable resemblance, but a glance at Greer showed
a mixed expression of respect, fear and resignation. He glanced my
way and nodded. “Queen Morrigan…mother.”

She was almost the same height as Neeve,
maybe an inch shorter. Her hair was the same bleach platinum blonde
as her children, piled in thick twists on her head in an intricate
style, but her eyes were black, inky pools in her dark skinned
face. She didn’t look much older than her son or daughter, but if
Greer was to be believed, she was over fifteen centuries old, maybe
more. Queen Morrigan, Ruler of the Winter Court, wore a diaphanous
gown of crystal that sparkled and shone in the reddish light. It
should have been see through, but try as I might (and I did try) it
wasn’t. Still it hinted at the shape underneath, tantalized till it
was impossible to glance away. Her face reflected no expression,
just a regal aloofness and when her head moved slightly in our
direction I caught sight of a single massive gem surrounded by
smaller grape-sized gems, all woven into her hair, forming an
integral tiara. The twin guards stepped up behind her forming the
precession’s rearguard as they all moved toward the open ground
where the Hunt Lead waited with my daughter.

The mottled green tent of the Summer Court
twitched, then its flap was pulled aside by a flying troop of the
insect-like venomous fairies. Eirwen and her big cat came through
first, the Summer Princess wearing a short, tight fitted gown of
sky blue that showed how much curvier she was than her northern
cousin. Gold sandals that wrapped around her calves and a thin
tiara of glimmering gems were her only accessories and her hair was
carefully styled to leave her long neck and pointed ears bare. The
overall effect reinforced my mental image of elf-maid Barbie, right
down to the impossibly small waist. She wore a smile that was
almost shocking in its wattage, but never touched her green, green
eyes.

The woman who followed was obviously her
mother, Queen Zinnia, Ruler of the Summer Court and sister to
Morrigan. Her gown was the exact shade of newly grown leaves and
her hair was worn short, in a shockingly contemporary Earth-type
style, cut to hang around her face, the strands longer in the front
and shorter in back. I had seen human women wearing the same cut
and style, but none that I had seen matched the Green Queen’s
shocking beauty. An honor guard of elves formed up around the Queen
and Heir, the warriors each sheathed in a crystal-like, form
fitting suit of almost organic looking armor. It looked like it had
been
grown
on them and I could see it flexing with their
movements, hardly impeding their motion in any way.

Both royal parties moved, almost at the exact
same time, toward the Hunt. Representatives of both Courts had been
talking with Gwyd and his lieutenants. The elven ambassadors or
whatever they were, bowed lowed as their queens approached, then
backed away to allow them to come directly before the antlered
bastard who was holding my daughter. Actually, an armored elven
woman was holding Ashley by her upper bicep in a grip that looked
painful. Ash looked overwhelmed and exhausted; the sight of her
leaving me equal parts enraged and painfully sad. I wished there
was some way to let her know I was coming.

A small dark form flashed over Ashley and her
captor, moving so fast it was just a blur. The woman guard swore
and slapped her free hand to her neck. When she pulled her hand
away, she was holding a thorn and a thin trail of blue blood ran
down from a tiny puncture wound. Ashley’s mouth quirked in a small,
quick grin as the elf bitch yelled at the guards around her. Pancho
(at least I assumed it was him) was long gone by the time the Hunt
troops looked around, most shrugging and flashing nasty glances at
the elf woman, who snarled and swore at them.

So, at least we had a few small allies among
the horde surrounding my daughter.

“As I said, most of my race tend to
underestimate the pucks, which is a mistake. Their loyalty, once
given, is almost a match for your beast’s,” Greer commented with a
nod at Charm, who was pressed up against my legs.

“How many do you think there are?”

He shrugged. “No way to know, but I would
guess that at least a handful survived.”

That made me think about the little flyers
families and young. Unaccountably I was saddened by the idea that
some of the little ones had met their deaths trying to help my
Ashley.

Greer glanced back my way. “They are a fierce
race, the pucks. Most young do not make it to adulthood. Too many
natural enemies.”

Gwyd glanced back at the ruckus, narrowing
his eyes at the female guard, who straightened up, grabbed Ashley
by the arm and returned his gaze cooly.

The leader of the Hunt turned back to watch
the Queens sweep up to the ring of onlookers, which had grown as
members of both Courts followed their respective queens.

Eirwen and Zinna greeted Gwyd with blinding
smiles, the kind that dull men’s wits. Neeve and Morrigan simply
tilted their heads and gave regal nods of acknowledgement. Gwyd,
for his part, swept into a courtly bow, like something from an old
Errol Flynn movie. But the smile on his face was calculating and
smug. They spoke, in what I presumed was Elfish, then the Hunt
leader turned and indicated Ashley, who became the immediate object
of intense scrutiny. After that the haggling started. I couldn’t
understand it, but I knew without a doubt that’s what it was.

“They’re done with the pleasantries, now
they’re bartering for your daughter,” Greer said. “This will go on
for a while, but it won’t work out. Not for as big as prize as
Ashley. Once his price is reached, they will
both
agree to
it, then it will come down to a fight. No one wants a war, sooo, a
Challenge will be issued. Then a fight…which Neeve will win. At
that point things will be tickley?”

“Ticklish,” I supplied.

“Yes, that’s the word…ticklish. Anyway, that
will be the best time to attack. With any luck at all they will
suspect each other of trickery and a real fight will start. So
here’s what we do..” he said, then went on to explain his plan in
detail. We went over it twice, then he slipped out of the riverbed
and moved in a circular path around the back of the Hunt and into
the fringes of his own Court. Even watching him, it was hard to
follow his progress. He would evaporate into the vegetation, then
reappear much further on, pause for a moment, then do it again. All
the while the Queens and Gwyd were deep in negotiations.