would have ye ride with me.”
“Gladly, my lord,” replied Liaze.
The rider turned and gestured hindward, and a wraithlike figure ahorse led a riderless mount to the fore, and it was gaunt and shadowy, as if it belonged to another realm altogether.
“My lord,” said Liaze, “have you one healthier?”
“This is your mount,” came the bitter whisper.
“As thou wilt, my lord,” replied Liaze. And she set her foot in the spectral stirrup and swung astride the ghastly steed.
Adjusting the bow on her back, she settled in for the ride, and then the dark lord raised his terrible horn to his lips and belled its dreadful call, and Liaze’s heart quailed in fear at the sound of it, but she did not flinch, and all the horses sprang forward in pursuit of the forerunning hounds.
Liaze leaned into the saddle, urging her mount to haste as the wraithsteeds rose into the sky, writhing shadowstuff streaming behind and boiling off and away. And Liaze gasped in wonder and fright as the ground below receded, for she was up in the sky, in the sky, and if she fell, if she fell…
Durin the ridin stay tight in the saddle, echoed Gwyd’s words, f’r if ye fall off, ye’ll die. And should ye die or be struck dead, ye’ll be in his shadowy band f’r e’er.
Liaze reached down and, first on one side and then on the other, she adjusted the stirrup straps to a length to her liking, setting herself more secure on the shadowy steed.
With ghastly riders all about and all of their cloaks flying out behind, the ghostly horses plunged through shredded clouds across a moonlit sky, while far ahead dark hounds bayed.
“My lord,” called out Liaze, “what is it we do?”
“We chase the moon,” came the icy answer, as they hammered onward, black sparks flying from strangely shod hooves. “That and we hunt cowards; not one such as you.”
“And what of the cowards, my lord? What do you when we come across one or more?”
“Those I set my hounds upon, and they tear their craven souls apart. It is all they deserve.”
Liaze gasped and looked at the other riders in Lord Dread’s band-at the wraiths, the ghosts, the apparitions. “And these riders about us, Lord Fear: who are they?”
“The brave, my lady,” whispered the answer. “They are those who did not run, but stood fast instead.”
Liaze shuddered. Will I become one such as they? Oh, Mithras, but I do not wish to be a ghostly figure riding forever through the night, hunting down any innocents who flee from this ghastly band, ripping their spirits to shreds.
Oh, but I do pray Gwyd’s plan works, for I cannot think of anything more dire than becoming a permanent member of this dreadful hunt.
And on they rode, chasing the moon, Lord Terror, Lord Fear, Lord Dread, Lord Grim riding at the fore, a ghastly band behind streaming bits of shadow swirling in their wake.
Oh, Luc, perhaps I am totally lost, totally and utterly lost.
And across the sky they plunged, trailing tendrils of black, dark sparks flying from under hoof. And twilight border after twilight border they crossed, as over the realms they rode, while Liaze scanned about for sign of Luc… or the black mountain, finding neither.
And of a sudden, the black horn sounded, and Liaze’s heart jumped in fear, and, following the hounds, the horses spiraled down like ebon leaves on the wind. With her shadowy steed turning under her, Liaze remained secure. And down and down swirled the spectral horses, the dark hounds ahead and baying. And out before the hounds and across a plowed field ran a shrieking man, and then the pack caught him, and as each of the helldogs flashed by, one by one they slashed at the fleeing Human and then raced on beyond, black fangs not drawing blood but another essence instead.
One by one they slashed at him…
… and the man fell down, and still the dogs slashed and ran on..
… as one by one they tore at his soul…
… five hundred one-by-ones.
And now the horses thundered by, if a shade can be said to thunder, and Liaze wept to see the slain man, his pale face white and staring, his dead eyes filled with fright.
And on through the night sky the Wild Hunt ran, ghastly hounds baying, ghostly horses racing, spectral riders astride… all but two: a Princess of the Autumnwood, and the Lord of the Hunt in the lead.
Though the horses ran swiftly after the crescent moon, it was swifter yet, and finally it set; but still horse and hound ran on, flying through a cloud-shredded sky.
But at last the dreadful horn sounded once again- Liaze’s heart leaping in response-and down and down through the midnight sky swirled the deadly band, spiraling down as would black raven feathers fall. And they came to ground before a splendid inn, four storeys high in all, with peaked roof and weathercocks above, though it seemed quite dark.
And the lord of the Wild Hunt, a full goatskin in hand, came striding back to where Liaze yet sat ahorse.
“My lord,” she said, bowing her head.
Hefting the skin, he coldly whispered, “Come inside and sip the dark ale.”
Now having his permission, Liaze dismounted, her weaponry and the knapsack yet in her possession.
Across the sward and up the broad shallow steps paced Lord Fear, where the door swung open of its own volition, and they entered a great common room, and lanterns within sprang to light.
And Liaze and all of the riders followed.
The chamber itself held dark mahogany tables and chairs and a great long ashwood bar, and splendid tapestries decorated the walls-hunters ahorse with dogs-and scarlet velvet drapes hung with gold piping matched the scarlet and gold of the chairs.
From the black goatskin, Lord Fear poured himself a mug of frothy ale, a strange and darkling brew, and he offered Liaze some. She shook her head and partook not, but instead unslung the rucksack and sipped from her own waterskin.
Lord Dread then tossed the skin of brew to his shadowy riders, and they poured mugs of their own. They sipped the ebon ale, and somehow they seemed to grow a bit more substantial, though they remained wraithlike still.
Liaze withdrew the harp from the rucksack, and she set to a silvery tune and began to sing.
And she sang of life and living, and all the riders crowded ’round closely, as if by hearing the very words sung they could recapture the dear essence of that which they had lost.
All crowded ’round but Lord Terror, that is; he sat in a corner alone.
Now Liaze sang of children, and the shades of the riders groaned, sounding as would a cold winter wind swirling among bleak stones.
And Liaze sang of love, and spectral riders hid their faces in their hands.
And still Lord Fear sat unmoved and unmoving in his corner alone.
And Liaze sang of women and joy and of ships sailing on the sea, and of rivers and trees and of farming the land, and of buying horses and going to market, and of things and things more.
Her songs were happy and sad and short and long, ballads and ditties and lyric poems, and the riders wept dark shades of tears.
And then Lord Grim pushed away his mug and stood and whispered, “ ’Tis time.”
Liaze put the harp in the rucksack and shouldered the strap, and out they strode in the predawn night, where they mounted up and rode away.
Across the dark vault they hammered, black sparks flying, the hellpack baying out in the lead, while behind them the sky began to lighten. But ere the dawn came, toward a looming mountain they sped, and lo! a massive wall of gray stone split wide, and into the gap and darkness raced the Hunt-black hounds, spectral horses, wraith riders, Lord Fear, and the Princess Liaze-the mountain to boom shut behind.
Light bloomed in the stone cavern, and the horses trotted to a stable of sorts, and the hounds took to the kennels.
Lord Fear came and offered Liaze his arm, and he led her and the riders to a large banquet hall, where the table was laden with viands and roasts and goblets of black wine.
“My lady,” whispered Lord Death, pulling out a chair on the right hand of his throne.
