Lanterns and torches bobbed into view as they shoved the gates open wide and for the first time since getting up, Phelan felt a frisson of fear worm down his spine and into his gut. They were facing the bloody Wild Hunt. He hadn’t faced them since times he couldn’t remember.
Who the bloody hell is in charge of them now, I wonder?
He frowned briefly but was careful not to let the others see. Regardless, he was about to find out who was in charge of the legendary band, whether he liked it or not.
Hunting hounds and half-tamed wolves yelped and danced around the ankles of horses barely held in check by their cloaked and cowled riders. There were two dozen of those riders, their leader sitting astride a great black warhorse whose shoulder stood as tall as Phelan. The warhorse danced beneath his rider, prancing sideways to the left until the figure hauled on the reins, bringing the shenanigans to an end.
Phelan sucked in a deep breath, moved his staff from his right hand to his left, then strode toward the lead rider of the Wild Hunt. He pretended that his heart wasn’t going at twice its normal speed, forced his expression to remain impassive and stern.
Don’t show any fear, he prayed at his companions. Don’t let them see any worry, any fear. That’s their power.
“Hail and well met,” he said, relieved at the firm steadiness of his voice. The lead rider stared down at him for a long moment.
“Well met,” a gravelly voice murmured from the depths of the cowl. After a long, silent moment, the figure swung down from his mount. The hounds that had been milling around came to heel at the figure’s feet and he stepped away from them, toward Phelan.
“Wanderer,” the figure added after a moment.
Phelan inclined his head. “Yes. Have we met?”
“Oh yes,” the figure said softly. “Long ago and far away.”
The hood came down and Phelan’s heart froze in his chest.
Seamus.
whoa……. GOOD addition, this one. Wow!
This can be really good or so bad as to make what they have already faced seem like a warm up for a T-Ball game.
Oh god, that analogy is so epic…love it.
O.O well, safe to say I wasn’t expecting that!
Brilliant as ever, keep up the awesome work! 🙂
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting it either. I was sitting out on the balcony of our hotel room on vacation and thinking to myself “this is a huge reveal and the leader of the Wild Hunt needs to be important. Who is it?” I hadn’t planned on it being Seamus until my fingers put the name on the page.
I’d actually intended to have Seamus be this kind of mythical holy grail type figure that everyone’s looking for but can never seem to find.