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I circled back to her opening line. “Why is the Wild Hunt coming to Fairhaven?”
“Vortigern believes there’s worthy game to be had.”
“Because of the crossroads? But how would he even know about Wild Acres?”
Her head bowed. “This is where I am to blame. Vortigern is insecure and paranoid.”
“Terrific qualities in a leader.”
She grunted. “Insecurity breeds jealousy and bad decisions. Vortigern forbade the hobgoblins from answering to anyone except him, hence my need for Claude. He also enlisted scouts to keep tabs on anyone he deems a threat, including yours truly.”
“That’s probably the real reason he ousted you. He was intimidated by you.” Not that I blamed him, Matilda could give me nightmares, and I was the goddess of them.
“No doubt. I discovered two of his scouts had been tracking my movements and sharing the information with him.”
“And they followed you to Fairhaven.”
She nodded. “Vortigern was apparently giddy with excitement when he learned about the crossroads and the Falls. Together, they generate the kind of magical energy that guarantees good hunting grounds.”
“Tell him he won’t find many restless spirits to hunt in our forest. I bring peace to any I encounter.”
“Oh, Vortigern has no interest in tradition. He prefers prey that can feed his ego. As I said, no respect.”
My stomach turned. “Oh, gods. I saw a white stag yesterday.”
Matilda winced.
“How did you learn all this if the hunting party is loyal to Vortigern?”
She allowed herself a tiny smile. “A revenant has his uses.”
“Is that where his other body parts are—spying on Vortigern and his scouts? I thought the parts had to remain a reasonable distance from the whole.”
“Hmm. Who taught you about revenants?”
“Not you, apparently. How long do we have?”
“A week at most, but I suspect less.”
“Any chance they’ll be delayed?”
Her laughter rang like a bell. “This isn’t a package delivery, cariad. Preparations are already underway.”
I’d never witnessed a raging host. “What can we expect?”
Her expression grew rapturous. “Howling hounds. Pounding hooves. A horde of hunters. Dark skies. Electricity in the air. There’s nothing quite like the thrill of the hunt.” She fanned herself. “Apologies, cariad. I shouldn’t make it sound so appealing.”
It didn’t sound appealing to me; it sounded downright terrifying. “There has to be a way to seal off the crossroads and prevent them from coming.”
“If it were possible, wouldn’t someone have done so by now? He’d hardly be the first monster that crossed that threshold.”
“It’s worth a try.” My next thought was of the guards posted day and night at the crossroads. “I need to warn West, tell him to pull his wolves off duty until the threat passes.”
“Pull them? He should post his entire pack.”
“I’d rather let him make that decision.” Although we weren’t exactly best buddies, the alpha of the Arrowhead Pack knew I had no interest in endangering his pack. “Then I’ll speak to Phaedra. Maybe we can put up a temporary barrier. Long enough to frustrate Vortigern into abandoning his plans.”
Addison appeared in the doorway. “Why is there a large black mare parked outside?”
