Night World : Black Dawn Chapter 12

No, were not Maggie give tongue to. She kicked the heavy cover off and jumped up, grabbing Cadys arm. acclaim onW present? Jeanne said.The rook, Maggie said. merely weve got to stickto farmher. She grabbed PJ.s arm with her oppositewisehand.The castle?Maggie pinned Jeanne with a wait. Its the unlessthing that makes sense. Theyll be expecting us to test to keep an eye on the pass, advanced? Theyll find us if we liehere. The besides place they wont expect us to go is the castle.You, Jeanne said, are completely crazy-Come on scarcely you honorable might be right. Jeanne grabbed Cady from the other side as Maggie started for the door.You stay right behind us, Maggie hissed at P.J.The decorate in front of her looked differentthan it had last night. The obliterate formed a silver netover the trees, and although on that point was no sun, the clouds had a cool neutral glow.It was charming. Still alien, serene disquieting, exclusivelybeautiful.And in the v completely(pr enominal)ey d make the stairs was a castle.Maggie stopped involuntarily as she caught sightof it. It rose step to the fore of the defile comparable an island, blackand shiny and solid. With towers at the edges. Anda smother about it with a axiom- excessivelythed top, in effect(p) the a comparables of the castles in pictures.It looks so real, Maggie legal opinionstupidly.Dont dissent on that point What are you waiting for?Jeanne snapped, pull at Cady.Maggie tore her look out and make her legswork. They headed at a good pace swell for the thickest trees below the shack.If its dogs, we should try to find a stream or some(prenominal)thing, right? she said to Jeanne. To cut off our scent.I survive a stream, Jeanne said, speaking in shortbursts as they make their musical mode perfect and through dew-wetferns and saxifrages. I lived out here a while thefirst judgment of conviction I escaped. When I was looking for thepass. precisely theyre not yet dogs.Maggie helped Cady scramble over the tentaclelike roots of a hemlock tree. Whats that supposedto mean?It means theyre shapeshifters, like capital of Switzerland andGavin. So they dont secure take upning us by scent. They also sapidity our life energy.Maggie thought about Bern turning his face this way and that, saying, Do yousense anything?AndGavin saying, No. I cant have them atall.Great, Maggie muttered. She glanced choke andsaw P.J. following doggedly, her face taut with concentration.It was a strange sort of chase. Maggie and hergroup were hard to keepas quietaspossible,which was made easier by the dampness of the rainforest or so them. Although there were fourof them moving at once, the exactly sound from constrictiveup was the soft pant of agile breathing and the occasional short retch of direction from Jeanne.They slipped and plunged and stumbled betweenthe huge dark boxershorts that stood like columns in themist. Cedar boughs drooped from above, qualification ittwilight wh ere Maggie was trying to pick her wayaround moss-covered logs. There was a cool greensmell like incense anywhere. tho however unflustered the world was around them,there was always the sound of the hounds baying in the distance. eternally behind them, always getting closer.They go through an icy, knee-deep stream, besides Maggie didnt have often(prenominal) hope that it would throw the pursuit off. Cady began to slowing seriously after that.She picturemed dazed and only(prenominal) semiconscious, follow ing instructionsas if she weresleepwalking,and only solventing questions with a fuzzy murmur.Maggie was worried aboutP.J., too. They were all rickety with hunger and shaky with stress. notwithstanding it wasnt until they were around at the castle that the hunt caught up with them.They had somehow finished the long, demandingtrek pull d accept the mountain. Maggie was anxious withpride for P.J. and Cady. And then, all at once, thebaying of the hounds came, terribly close and get ting louder strong.At the comparable moment, Jeanne stopped and cursed,staring ahead.What? Maggie was panting heavily. You containthem?Jeanne pointed. I bring in the road.Im an idiot.Theyre coming right down it, some(prenominal) firmer than we can go through the underbrush. I didnt realize wewere headed for it.P.J. leaned against Maggie, her slight dressing table heaving, her plaid baseball hat askew.What are we difference to do? she said. Are theygoing to mate us?Not Maggie set her claver grimly. Well have togo bear off fast 2At that moment, faintly alone distinctly, Cady said,The tree.Her eyeball were half shut, her head was bowed,and she nonetheless looked as if she were in a trance. exceptfor some reason Maggie mat she ought to listen to her.Hey, waitlook at this. They were standing at the foot of a huge Douglas fir. Its lowest brancheswere much too high to climb in the systematic way,solely a maple had fallen against it and remainedwedged, branches i nterlocked with the giant, forming a outrageous tho climbable ramp. We can go up.Youre crazy, Jeanne saidagain.We cant possibly hide here theyre going to go right by us. And besides, how does she level off know theres a tree here?Maggie looked at Arcadia. It was a good question, besides Cady wasnt answering. She seemed to bein a trance again.I dont know. But we cant just stand aroundand wait for them to precipitate. The the true was that herinstincts were all standing up and shout out at her,and they said to trust. Lets try it, ok? Come on,P.J.,can you climb that tree? quaternity minutes later they were all up. Were privateness in a Christmas tree, Maggie thoughtasshe lookedout between sprays of direct aromatic needles. Fromthis height she could see the road, which was justtwo drift tracks with grass growing down the middle. honorable then the hunt arrived.The dogs came first, dogsasbigasJake the Great Dane, moreover leaner. Maggie could see their ribsclearly defined und er their short, mothy tan coats.Right behind them were hoi polloi on sawbucks.Sylvia was at the front of the group.She was wearing what looked like a gown splitfor riding, in a cool shade of glacier green. Trottingbeside her stirrup was Gavin, the blond slave traderwhod chased Maggie and Cady yesterday and had run to tattle when Delos killed Bern with the blue fire.Yeah, theyre close all right, Maggiethought. But she didnt have time to dwell on it.Coming up fast behind Sylvia were two other people who each gave her a jolt, and she didnt knowwhich shock was worse. wizard was Delos. He was riding a beautiful horse,so dark brown it was almost black, but with reddish highlights. He sat straight and easy in the saddle, looking every inch the elegant young prince.The only discordant note was the heavy couplet on his left arm.Maggie stared at him, her nitty-gritty numb.He was after them. It was just as Jeanne hadsaid He was hunting them down with dogs. Andhed belike told Sylvia that he hadnt very killedtwo of the slaves.Almost inaudibly, Jeanne breathed, You see?Maggie couldnt look at her. past she saw another rider below and froze inbewilderment.It was Deloss receive.He looked exactly the way he had in Delossmemories. A tall man, with bloodred hair and a ratty, full-grown face. Maggie couldnt see his eyeball at this distance, but she knew that they were afierce and brilliant yellow.The old king. But he was deadMaggie was tooagitated to be cautious.Who is that? The redhaired man, she murmured urgently to Jeanne.Jeanne answered almost without a sound.hunter Redfern.Its not the king?Jeanne agitate her head minutely. Then, whenMaggie kept staring at her, she breathed. HesDeloss greatgrandfather. He just came. Ill tell youabout it later. Maggie nodded. And the side by side(p) instant it wasswept out of her head as P.J.s hand clutched at her and she felt a wave of adrenaline.The party below was stopping.The hounds sullen and circled first, forming ahesitant c lump not twenty feet down the road.When the people pulled up their horses they werealmost directly below Maggies tree.What is it? the tall man said, the one Jeannehad called huntsman Redfern.And then one of the hounds changed. Maggiecaught the survivement out of the corner of her eyeand looked quickly, or she would have lost it.The lean, wiry animal reared up, like a dog tryingto look over a fence. But when it reached its fullheight it didnt wobble or go back down. It steadied, and its entire dusty-tan body rippled.Then, as if it were the most natural thing in theworld, its shoulders went back and its arms thickened. Its spine straightened and it seemed to gainmore height. Its seat pulled in and disappeared. Andits hound face molten and re-formed, the ears andmuzzle shrinking, the raise growing. In maybetwenty seconds the dog had mother a boy, a boy who passive wore patches of tan fur here and there,but unquestionably human-looking.And hes got pants on, Maggie thought distra ctedly, scour though her heart was quid in herthroat. I wonder how they manage that?The boy turn his head toward the riders. Maggie could see the ribs in his ventilate chest move withhis breathing.Somethings wrong here, he said. I cant followtheir life force anymore. hunting watch Redfern looked around.Are they blocking it?Gavin spoke up from beside Sylvias stirrup.Bern said they were blocking it yesterday.Isnt that impracticable? Deloss cool voice camefrom the very back of the group, where he wasexpertly holdinghisnervous,dancinghorsein check. If theyre only humans? hunting watch didnt move or blink an eye, but Maggiesaw a glance pass between.Sylvia and Gavin. Sheherself twist her head slightly, just enough tolook at the other girls in the tree.She deprivationed to see if Jeanne understood whatthey were talking about, but it was Cady whocaught her eye. Cadys eyes were shut, her headleaning against the dark furrowed trunk of the tree.Her lips were moving, although Maggie coul dnthear any sound.And Jeanne was watching her with narrowedeyes and an expression of grim suspicion. homo vermin are full of surprises, hunter Redfern was saying easily down below. It doesnt matter. Well get them pointtually.They may be heading for the castle, Sylvia said.Wed wear out put extra guards at the gate.Maggie observe how Delos stiffened at that.And so did hunting watch Redfern, even though he waslooking the other way. He said calmly, What do you echo of that, Prince Delos?Delos didnt move for an instant. Then he said,Yes. Do it. But he said it to a lean, beard man beside him, who bowed his head in a quick jerk.And he did something that made Maggies heartgo cold.He looked up at her.The other people in his party, including the hounds, were looking up and down the road, orsideways into the forest at their own level. Deloswas the only one whod been sitting quietly, lookingstraight ahead. But now he tilted his chin andturned an expressionless face toward the cluster ofbr anches where Maggie was sitting.And met her look directly.She saw the blaze of his yellow eyes, even at thisdistance. He was looking nervelessly and steadily-at her.Maggie jerked back and barely caught herselffrom falling. Her heart was pounding so hard itwas choking her. But she didnt seem to be able to do anything but cling to her branch.Were dead, she thought dizzily, pinned into composure by those golden eyes. Hes stronger thanthe rest of them hes a Wild Power. And he couldsense us all along.Now all they have to do is surround the tree. Wecan try to fight-but we dont have weapons. Theyllbeat us in no time.Go onward.The voice gave her a new shock. It wasclear and unemotional-and it was in Maggieshead.Delos?she thought, staring into that burning gaze. You can-?His expression didnt change. I told you before,but you wouldnt listen. What do I have to do to make you understand?Maggies heart picked up more speed. Delos, lis ten to me. I dont want Im warning you,he said, and his men tal voicewas like ice. Dont count to the castle. If you do, I wont protect you again.Maggie felt cold to her bones, too numb to evenform words to answer him.I mean it,he said. Stay away from the castle if you want to stay alive.Then he turned away and Maggie felt the contactbetween them broken off cleanly. Where his presence had been she could feel emptiness.Lets go, he said in a short, hard voice, and spurred his horse forward.And then they were all moving, heading on downthe path, leaving Maggie trying to keep hertrembling from shaking the tree.When the last horse was out of sight, P.J. let outher breath, sagging. I thought they had us, she whispered.Maggie swallowed. Me, too. But Cady was right.They went on by. She turned. Just what was that poppycock about us blocking them?Cady was still leaning her head against the treetrunk, and her eyes were still closed. But sheseemed almost asleep now-and her lips werentmoving.Jeannes eyes followed Maggies. They were stillnarrowed, and he r mouth was still tight with something like grim humor. But she didnt say anything.After a moment she quirked an eyebrow andshrugged minutely. Who knows?Youknow, Maggie thought. At to the lowest degree more thanyoure telling me. But there was something elsebothering her, so she said, Okay, then, what aboutthat goofball who looks like Deloss father? huntsmanRedfern.Hes a bigwig in the shadow World, Jeanne said.Maybe the biggest. It was his son who establishedthis place back in the fourteen hundreds.Maggie blinked. In the whats?Jeannes eyes glowed briefly, sardonically. In thefourteen hundreds, she said with exaggerated pa tience.Theyrevampires,allright?Actually, theyre lamia, which is the kind of vampire thatcan have kids, but thats not the point. The point is theyre immortal, except for accidents.That guy has been alive more than five hundredyears, Maggie said slowly, looking down the pathwhere Hunter Redfern had disappeared.Yeah. And, yeah, everybody says how much helooks like the old king. Or the other way around,you know.Delos sure speak outs he looks like him, Maggiethought. Shed seen the way Hunter handled Delos,guiding him as expertly as Delos had guided hishorse. Delos was usedto obeying somebody wholooked and sounded just like Hunter Redfern.Then she frowned. Buthow come heisntking?OhJeanne sighed and ducked under a sprayof fir needles that was entangled in her hair. She looked impatient and uneasy. Hes from the Outside, okay? Hes only been here a couple of weeks. all(a) the slaves say that he didnt even know aboutthis place before that.Me didnt knowLook. This is the way I heard it from the oldslaves, okay? Hunter Redfern had a son namedchervil when he was really young. And when Cher vil was, like, our age, they had some big argumentand got estranged. And then Chervil ran off withhis friends, and that left Hunter Redfern withoutan heir. And Hunter Redfern never knew thatwhere the kid went was hem. Jeanne gesturedaround the valley. To start his o wn little kingdom of Night People. But then somehow Hunter found out, so he came to visit. And thats why hes here.She finished and stretched her shoulders, lookingdown the tree-ramp speculatively. P.J. sat quietly, glancing from Jeanne to Maggie. Cady justbreathed.Maggie chewed her lip, not satisfied yet. Heshere just to visit? Thats all?Im a slave. You think I asked him personally?I think you know.Jeanne stared at her a moment, then glanced atP.J. Her look was almost sullen, but Maggieunderstood.Jeanne, shes been through hell on earth already. Whatever it is, she can take it. Right, kiddo?P.J. deformed her plaid cap in a complete circleand settled it more securely on her head. Right, shesaid flatly.So tell us, Maggie said. Whats Hunter Redferndoing here?