Dianthe's Awakening (2 page)

Taken aback, I regarded the poor animal. “None of them have names?” Shaking his head, he looked at me quizzically.

“They are hounds and do their work, not pets.”

I gathered my courage and asked Cernunnos. “Can I name him?”

He just looked at me as if I were daft and waved his hand in my direction. “Name it if you will, just remember he is the Hunt’s beast and if ordered will rip you apart. It matters not if you name it. The beast will not be kind to you for giving it one.”

I nodded my head in his direction and turned my gaze to the dog slowly working his way into my lap. “What shall we call you, boy?” I watched him for several minutes, racking my brain for a name. Nothing would come to me. Closing my eyes, I let my mind clear. I brought up an image of the dog and thought toward it. “What is your name, boy?” I exhaled and with it, a name whispered out, “Caomhnóir.”

Cernunnos raised his head and eyed me sharply. “What did you say, woman?”

“His name,” I whispered. “It’s Caomhnóir.”

He stood and walked over to me before squatting down in front of us. The horned god grabbed me by my arm and shook me gently.

“What made you call him that?” he demanded.

A low growl, almost timid in its nature, startled us both. A look of shock passed over Cernunnos’s face before he let me go.

“You have bewitched my hound," he spoke very lowly and calmly. “It seems he is your beast now.”

“What do you mean?” I stammered. His teeth gritted together when he answered me.

“Caomhnóir, it means guardian. The creature gave you its name and declared itself your hound.”

He stood and watched me intently.

“Never in the eternity I have been lord, has anyone changed the loyalty of my hounds. You however,” he waved in my general direction once again, “on your first eve of being with the Hunt have pulled a hound to you. I must think on this.” A new light had entered his eyes and I wasn’t sure I liked it.

Caomhnóir, a look of relief on his doggy face, nuzzled his way up to me, his great tongue licking at my neck as he whined to be stroked. I absently caressed his thick fur and kept my eye on the Lord of the Hunt. With exaggerated motions, I tried out the sound of his name on my tongue. "K(uh)eeoo-nór", I whispered. He whined and thumped his tail before wiggling closer. "Sorry for butchering your name, boy, I'm really not a native Gaelic speaker." Sighing, I glanced to the lord watching me. I really hoped he didn’t get angry at me for stealing his dog.

*****

Cernunnos

Is this why the Hunt was summoned for the female? She had called my hound to her and claimed it with ease. Did she steal powers and use them for ill will? I watched her while she mollycoddled the beast as if it were a pampered pup. I had observed that creature rip apart larger prey than her with apparent glee. Yet, here it was, drowning her in affection and treating her like a member of its pack. Indeed, I was confused. This required much more thought than I had originally planned.

This Hunt was unusual in its entirety. Whereas we would normally track our game and run it to ground before killing it, this was a capture mission. The only other reason for not killing our target was to drag it in and make it part of the Hunt. When I felt the call, it was a true call. Confusion played at me and I did not like it. There was something off. A raven had brought the message and asked for the quarry delivered alive and whole. We did not even know who had sent the call. Only that it had been dispatched.

No one had ever played the Wild Hunt as a fool. I had no intentions of it beginning now. This woman, I shook my head. I did not even know her name. This woman would stay with us until I had made a decision. Here in our wood, I was lord and my word was law.

“Female, what is your name?” I called.

She paused in her adulation of the useless mongrel. What good was a hunting hound that cared only for belly rubs?

“My lord?” she asked hesitantly. She appeared meek but I could see the fire in her eyes. She played a game with me, biding her time until she was confident to strike. A smile almost crossed my lips. Her hidden audacity forced an unwanted admiration from me.

“Your name, unless you prefer me to continue calling you female.” An indrawn breath escaped her before indignation rose in her cheeks.

“You mean to tell me you freaking kidnapped me, nearly killed my mates, and took a sword to my father and you don’t even know my name?”

A twinge of something unknown ran through me at the mention of the other males. “Yes, that is what I am saying. The Hunt is called and we chase our game. We do not ask its name.”

“What are you going to do with me?” her voice had strengthened and her fist balled in Caomhnóir’s fur.

“I do not know yet.” I rubbed my fingers over my chin while I observed her. “Something is off about this Hunt. Until I am satisfied, I have decided to keep you until I come to a decision.”

She stood disturbing the other hounds. They looked around waiting for my word but I waved them back down again. Caomhnóir remained standing at the ready by her side. I had truly lost the Cú. “What do you mean something is off,” she demanded.

I raised a brow at her imperious tone of voice. So much for the meek and mild maiden. “Just what I said, I am not happy with the situation. Something rings false. Once I have determined what that is, then we will have a proper Hunt.” Ahh…she did not look so sure once again.

“What is a proper Hunt?” Her fist tightened in Caomhnóir’s fur. A vicious smile spread across my face.

“A proper Hunt, dear girl, is when I find the true prey. We will lose them in the forest and run them down. The hounds will rip them to pieces where they will lie until dawn. They will rise again so we can begin anew.”

I watched in dispassion, as she grew pale and sat down amongst the very hounds that would likely tear her apart. Caomhnóir nestled protectively against her and for a moment, I thought she had gone mute with fear. Her voice rose quietly into the night.

“Dianthe, my name is Dianthe and I am the daughter of Belenus. I will not go down without a fight.”

My grin turned into a full-blown smile. This female, Dianthe, was a godling, and she thought herself my equal.
I will enjoy bringing her to heel
, I mused.

Chapter Two

Dia

The sun was shining down on my face when I opened my eyes. The sounds of the camp were much louder today than they were last night when I spoke to Cernunnos. Caomhnóir was still sleeping peacefully beside me but the rest of the hounds were gone.

With a stretch, I rolled my neck trying to get the kinks out from sleeping on the ground. I took the time to look around me and get a picture of where we were. In the light of day, the forest looked much more inviting. We were in a clearing approximately sixty feet wide with trails leading into the forest from several directions.

Caomhnóir raised his shaggy head and looked at me. “Okay, boy, it’s time to stretch our legs. Let’s hope the natives are friendly,” I told him as I scratched behind his ears.

I stood, finished my stretch, and completed a three hundred and sixty degree circle around me. I had no idea in which direction to head. There were men and women all around me but they paid me no mind. Many were caring for their horses, which by the way, looked like normal steeds in the bright light of day. They were just enormous members of the equine race. I guess they only did the fire and brimstone thing when hunting some poor soul down.

Caomhnóir trotted happily by my side and I tried my best not to look lost. I leaned down to pat his head and whispered in his ear, “Is there a bathroom around here, boy? Mama needs a pee!”

Some things never changed. The sun always rose in the East, and I always had to pee when I woke up.

His wiry doggy ears perked at the question and he used his nose to nudge me in the hip. I looked at him blankly for a moment before he did it again. “What is it, boy? Did Timmy fall down the well?” He ignored my inspired quip and nudged me again, this time in the bum. "So, I'm guessing not a Lassie fan," I grumbled at him. I blame Annie on my odd in-depth knowledge of American TV programs. He nudged me in the bum again a little harder, his nose getting a little too close to private property. "Okay," I shrugged. The dog wanted me to go in a certain direction. Who was I to complain? Since he was pushing me from the right, I turned to the left.

There were three distinct trails leading into the wood. “Are you sure about this?” Another nudge was my answer. “All right but if we get lost it’s your fault. I’m not taking the blame on this. If his high and mighty lordliness has to hunt us down... Ha-ha... get it, Hunt?” He prodded me again harder this time and I muttered, “Everyone is a critic. I can’t help that I crack jokes when I’m under stress. Look at me, I’m God knows where, kidnapped by fairies and talking to a dog. Give a girl a break!”

A soft growl was all I got and another push toward the right path. “I’m going! There better be a bathroom or we will have a problem. You get me, Scooby?”

Now that I was going in the direction he wanted me to go, he trotted happily by my side. Sounds ahead were the first thing that alerted me to the presence of others. I heard the sound of flowing water and the laughter of other women. My feet began to move faster and I was walk-running by the time I made it in to the clearing. I didn’t even take time to look around but grabbed the first woman I saw. “Bathroom?” I was getting desperate! The running water was not helping me at all!

She looked at me oddly but pointed toward a wooden building near the river and I took off in that direction. I didn’t pretend to pay attention to anything else. I saw an open door at the front of the building and was inside in seconds.

Oh, thank the Lord! There were toilets in here! Rudimentary but hey, it worked! I did what I needed to do and walked back outside to my dog.

Caomhnóir was patiently waiting on me and I rubbed his ear while I observed my surroundings.

We were by a river that ran swiftly downwards. It turned into white water about fifty yards from where we stood. Upstream it was much calmer and pools dotted the banks. “That’s weird," I looked at my companion. "I’ve never seen pools of water like that before.” It almost looked like miniature swimming pools placed in random areas next to the riverbanks. Large stones lined them and almost made them look man made.

Steam rose from several of the pools and as I wandered closer, the heavy scent of minerals filled the air. I neared one of the pools watching curiously, as the bubbles gently rose, and burst. A feminine voice spoke quietly behind me.

“They’re thermal pools.”

Startled, I turned quickly, but as Caomhnóir did not appear worried, I let my nerves settle. Once I was able to see the speaker properly, I stood there stunned by her beauty. Let me tell you, mouth hanging open and eyes popping out is not an attractive look on me. I quickly closed said gaping mouth and tried to get my eyes back in my head.

She was breathtaking. Seeing that I have not come across a Fae yet that wasn’t gorgeous. Even so, this girl was exceptional. I am as straight as they come and she was making me hot under the collar. She was slightly taller than I was with chestnut color hair trailing down her back in hundreds of tiny braids. Her eyes were the color of bark and struck me as extremely somber in such a perfect face.

She was slender and muscular but remarkably feminine.
Nope, not suffering from any inferiority or jealousy issues here
, I thought.

“Hi, I’m Dia. It’s umm…nice to meet you. I don’t really know the kidnapping protocol so if I’m doing something wrong let me know. Other than that, this is Caomhnóir. He’s my new best friend.” I tried to smile brightly. I didn’t want to antagonize the only person that had spoken to me since I got up this morning.

She looked warily at Caomhnóir before replying.

“The rumors were true. You have tamed a hound of the Hunt.” She shook her head. “It has never been heard of,” she exclaimed softy. Bringing her eyes back to me, she smiled slightly. “I am Brónach. It is my pleasure to meet you.” She truly smiled then. Her face lit up with her joy. “In all the centuries I have been with the Hunt, this is the first time I have seen the lord unsettled. I believe you will bring great change to our stagnant waters. The Hunt has been never changing for so long. We…” she paused for a second to include everyone in the clearing, “need the life and vitality I hope you will bring.”

Oh wow, that wasn’t what I expected. “Is there anything I should know about all this,” I queried.

With a shrug, she replied, “The only thing you must refrain from is attempting escape. We are in the wild wood and you would never find its boundaries. The wild magic rules here, and only Cernunnos has any control over it. What small bit he has is only because he is part of it.”

I was totally lost. The years of research I did, none of it prepared me for this. I decided to be completely honest with Brónach. “I have no clue what I’m doing. Or really, what you're taking about. Up until a couple months ago, I thought I was human. Damn, I hope there’s a steep learning curve.”

Caomhnóir rubbed against my waist in sympathy and Brónach looked at me in slight confusion.

“Why would you ever think you were human? There is nothing of the mortal coil about you.”

“What?” I went all googly eyed at her. “What do you mean there’s nothing human about me? Of course there is! My bio-mum is human. Therefore, that makes me half-human. Right?”

Shaking her head once more at my outburst, she carefully put her hand on my arm. I think she believed I might bolt.

“There are many halflings that are more of one parent than the other. You obviously have more of your father in you than your mother. It is not a bad thing, Dia. A human would go mad in the wood within a day. Come and let me show you our world. If you have lived in the earth realm your whole life, then the wild wood will be immensely different to you," she finished.

Brónach held out her hand patiently waiting for me to make up my mind. I wasn’t sure what to believe but as I had nothing but time at the moment, I hesitantly slipped my hand into hers. The smile that slid across her face made my heart clench. It was as if the sun had peeked out from behind bleak clouds.