Eleri Stone - Witch Bound

“I’d rather finish this talk.”

A touch of amusement in his eyes, but the smile there didn’t reach the rest of his face. Reaching past her, he opened the door. “Make it back and we’ll do that.”

Christian touched her knee. “Comfortable?”

“Sure.” She adjusted her foot in the stirrup and after trying and failing to figure out what else to do with her arms, she wrapped them around his waist.

He stiffened and then let out a short laugh as he relaxed. “You know, when I used to imagine this kind of thing, I always thought you’d be more enthusiastic.”

“Yeah?”

“And naked.”

“On a horse?”

“You lost your right to criticize my fantasy life.” She slapped his stomach, but her position didn’t allow her to do any real damage. He rubbed her arm. “As much as I enjoy this, I’d rather not die before we leave the yard.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Fen’s already shifted and I’ve seen him give demons kinder looks than the one he’s giving me now. What exactly happened upstairs?”

She loosed her hold on Christian’s waist and tried to see over his shoulder. His stiff leather armor made him even bulkier than normal and she couldn’t see a thing.

“He wants to talk when we get back.” For a minute she’d thought Fen might kiss her, but he hadn’t. “He tried to talk me out of coming again.”

“Huh.” Christian drew in a breath as if he might say more, but she was pretty sure he changed direction at the last minute. “I’ll get you back safely. Here.” He took her hand and moved it. “Aiden had this saddle designed when Grace rode with us to find Hallie. There are handholds so you don’t get in the way of me using the sword.”

“I don’t like feeling helpless.”

“You’re a witch,” he countered. “A good one. You’ll never be helpless. I’ll take care of the demons. You worry about getting the Vanir free. Deal?”

“Yeah.”

Aiden lifted Hallie into a bear hug and then kissed Grace one last time before mounting his big, black horse. Christian’s was a dappled gray that seemed silver in the quickly fading light.

Aiden held up his hand, half goodbye, half signal, and they moved toward the woods.

The days were short this time of year and the sun set quickly, sinking like a pebble in a pond. Raquel could almost see the shadows moving, spreading from the trees to slip over the fields. Reaching toward them like long black fingers. Frost crunched beneath the horses hooves but otherwise the hunt was silent. It was weird being with them. Ever since she was a little girl, she’d watched her father ride out at least twice a month to make sure no demons slipped through into their town. She’d always understood that he risked his life to keep her and all of the Æsir in his care safe. But she’d only ridden with them once, on her own horse, when Kathy convinced her father that a clan witch needed to know exactly what the hunt did. He’d planted her as far away from the fault as he could manage, stationing half the hounds and two huntsmen around her.

And it had still been terrifying.

The speed with which the demons moved. The ferocity of the riders. The blaze of Skimstrok and the black darts that were the hounds. And the magic, more powerful than anything she’d been exposed to, raw and bleeding from Asgard into this world. The riders were people she’d known all her life, but that night had been a revelation.

She’d understood why Kathy insisted she go. Raquel had asked to accompany the hunt a second time to try to make sense of the magic, all those small interactions. It was like an incredibly complex symphony and experiencing it once hadn’t been enough. Despite her fear, she’d wanted to witness that horrible perfect beauty again in an attempt to grasp the how of it.

Seeing the hunt in action had also made her aware of all they had lost. An ancestor of hers had cast the spell that made it possible. She could barely comprehend the complexity of the spellcraft, let alone hope to recreate something similar. Instead of giving her some insight to enable her to reach her magic, it had only made her more wary than ever—and she was not by nature a particularly humble or cautious person.

The harsh caw from a crow caused her to jump and Christian touched her knee. “Steady. It’s Rane letting us know she’s reached the portal and that the way is clear. A couple months ago, it split early and we ran right into a pair of demons heading toward Alan’s house. Elin saw them a few seconds before I jumped the ditch they were hiding in. She saved my life. Aiden’s had the crows scouting the area early and thoroughly before we ride, especially with the fault so unstable.”

That thought distracted her temporarily and she grabbed onto it. “Christian? What’s between you and Elin? Without the contract in your way, maybe you can be together.”

She felt his sigh more than heard it. He dropped back a bit and the deepening darkness gave them the illusion of privacy. The frost on the ground glinted, making it seem as if they passed through a field of stars. It crackled beneath the horse’s hooves as they rode. Christian’s voice lowered even further though they’d barely been speaking above a whisper. “Did Fen tell you that? That’s not why—”

“No,” she said. “That’s not the reason I can’t marry you. You know this isn’t right either or you would have been more upset about me breaking it off. I didn’t even get a sniffle.”

“Maybe I’m crying on the inside. Is this you trying to ease your conscience?”

“Do I need to?”

He gave a long-suffering sigh. “If I say yes, do you go back to being too scared to talk to me?”

“I was never scared.”

“Good.”

“Elin?” She prodded gently when he fell silent.

“Elin’s in love with a man who’s been dead nearly a century. She’s no more in love with me than I am with her, though I do love her dearly.”

And now Raquel felt like crap for bringing it up, not only because she again felt guilty about ditching Christian but also because her heart ached for Elin. “I’m sorry. I thought you were together.”

“We were,” he said quietly. “For a time, until I realized she was only interested in me because I reminded her of someone else.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t say anything to her.”

“I wouldn’t.”

“And you don’t need to worry—” His head lifted as if he scented the wind. All the hair lifted on her body. She felt it too. “It’s starting.”

Christian kicked his horse forward. She wanted to rub her arms to scratch away the pressure against her skin. Old magic. It called a response from inside her. Odin hadn’t created the bridge, no Æsir had. They simply were, like the stars and the planets. Her people had learned to travel them, manipulate them to some extent. But if they’d ever understood completely how the bridges worked, that knowledge was lost to them now.

Odin, to protect his fleeing people, spelled Asbrú to prevent the non-Æsir from crossing. The fire demons could cross though. The geis they were under to destroy the Æsir allowed them to pass. Their magic tied to both Asgard and the Æsir. If what she suspected was true, the demons might not survive the fulfillment of their bargain with the Vanir. And maybe that’s what the Vanir had intended all along. Who could say? Motivation wasn’t her concern. She just needed to untangle the mess left behind. It was the geis that had given her the idea to tether Kamis’s magic to hers. It should allow him to cross.

She wrapped her hands around the leather grips until her knuckles ached, forced her fingers to relax so she didn’t lose the use of them. The hunt gained speed as they approached the fault almost as if pulled to it. When the portal was open like this, there was no mistaking the location. Even the horses, bred from Asgard stock, could feel it. The horses not with them would be locked in their stalls so they couldn’t follow the call. Children would be watched over more closely than usual. Doors would be locked. The hunt thundered through the woods toward the source of the magic, frost crackling beneath their feet, steam billowing with every breath. The faint glow emanating from their Skimstrok blades grew stronger the closer they got to the portal. And they were very close now. Despite her fear, her heartbeat slowed to match the low throb of the magic. The trees passed in a blur. There was only the hunt, ancient, fierce, terrible and necessary.