Chapter 4

A valynn traced the thin cuts on her hands while her father's rich oak, moss, and clove scent lingered. The urgent pulse of her new reality overshadowed the joy of riding the Enbarr. Her mind fixed on her new mission. She needed to learn everything about her fellow competitors. Especially the Sublander. Her life and the honor of House Stromm depended on it.

Her door opened, and Maid Nia whisked in. A white dress hugged her slender and petite frame. A thin blue headband kept her long, silver hair out of her heart-shaped face. She approached, easily balancing the cup and saucer on the gold tray.

"Your father visited early." Nia set the tray on the marble table between the chairs. With lips pursed, her eyes scanned the area. "Is everything all right?"

Her maid knew and understood her father's viciousness for she too had been the victim of his wrath. It was long ago when Avalynn found Nia huddled in the corner, crying. Though too young to grasp the nuances of it all, Avalynn never forgotten the fear on Nia's face. Or the red mark across her cheek.

Avalynn wanted to tell everything but did not dare cross her father or put Nia at risk. Instead, she settled on sharing the bare minimum. "Engrendorn is dead. The role of hunter for House Stromm falls on me now." The less her trusted maid knew, the better.

Nia covered her small mouth with her blue-painted fingernails. "What happened?"

"Dragons." Avalynn raised the delicate glass cup. "In the North." The warm lemon tea touched her lips and kicked her thirst into high gear. She gulped the rest, then set the cup down with a clink. "My father, he—" She stopped and searched for the right hint.

"I can guess." Nia's eager eyes suggested the solution. "You will not have to say the actual words."

Avalynn shook her head. Even a guess might endanger her friend. "I am in the hunt. And that is all you need to know."

Nia pulled her shoulders back and nodded. "Yes, my princess." Her long lashes fluttered like butterfly wings. "How may I assist?"

Pushing aside her father's words, excitement budded inside of her. She was competing in the hunt at last. A grin spread across her face. "Notify the Master of the Blade. Have him meet me in the training circle in one hour."

"Yes, my princess." She smoothed out her skirt. "I will set out your clothing, then notify Master Kragar." She pointed at Avalynn's hands. "I will bring a salve for those cuts and an energy potion since you lack sleep."

Was it the dark circles under her eyes? The bed she had not slept in? Avalynn rose to her feet and hugged Nia. "You always take such good care of me. I have no idea what I would do without you."

"I am honored and blessed to be with you, my princess." She clapped her hands together with a twinkle in her eye. "Now, let us get you ready."

After a quick wash, Avalynn returned to her bed and found her clothes laid out. Brown training pants, a matching brown tunic, and a thick black belt. Beside her outfit rested the salve and energy potion.

She dressed without delay, her fluid movements matching her rapid-beating heart. She threaded her leather belt through her pant loops. What did Kragar know about the penalty for last place? She sat on the white plush chair and slipped on her black boots. Did he know anything about the Sublander? She needed answers to her pressing questions.

She rubbed the salve on her hand and then gulped down the minty potion. A surge of vitality raced through her fae veins. She whiffed the crystal vial. Hints of the Green Falls water swirled in her nose mixed with herbs she could not quite identify. Whatever it was, it would help in the hunt. She would ask Nia to make more.

A soft rustle whisked through the silent room. Setting the vial down, she turned and saw an envelope. It rested by her door on the marble floor. She hurried to the door and yanked it open. Nobody. She went back inside her room and examined the plain white envelope. She opened it and removed the note.

Trust your instincts, not your past .

She lowered the note. Who sent this? What did it mean? The hunt. It had to involve the hunt. But how? She put the note back into the envelope and shoved it under her mattress. She tucked it as far as she could reach. The note was her secret, and she'd ask Nia about it later. Now she had to focus on Kragar. Duty and destiny called her name. She would answer that call with a resounding victory.

Avalynn stepped from her bedchamber and marched down the sparkling white corridor. She passed rows of gardenia-filled vases. The blooms filled the air with that rich and velvety sweet aroma. She trotted down the winding staircase, crossed the foyer, and exited the glass doors. Her mind raced toward the training meadow at the edge of the palace grounds when a pair of slender arms slipped around her waist from behind and hugged her. She turned and saw her ten-year-old sister, Lily. She smiled from ear to ear, as if she had found buried treasure.

"I heard the news! You are a hunter!"

Lily had spent hours watching Avalynn train. When she didn't win the qualifier, it broke her little sister's heart worse than her own. Inconsolable, Lily cried for days. "Yes, my little princess. Always remember…hard work and honor pay off."

"I knew it would. I prayed to the Stars above."

"And it worked." She tucked Lily's long silver hair behind her sharply pointed ears and kissed the top of her head. "I am headed to meet Master Kragar. Want to come?" She would take her little sister with her anywhere .

"Sure. But will you look at my dress first?" Lily held out her lilac-colored dress skirt and spun. "Is it pretty?"

"It is! You are the prettiest princess in all of Faevenly."

The sisters clasped hands and continued along the crushed gravel path toward the training circle. "What kind of training are you doing?" Lily asked.

They passed a group of gardeners tending to a row of blooming azalea bushes. "I'm not sure. But I think today will be mostly strategy since the hunt is only a few days away," Avalynn replied.

Lily slowed her pace. "Strategy? No training? Sounds boring."

Avalynn stopped and pulled Lily closer. "It may sound boring, but it is the most important thing in hunting and even ruling a kingdom. Sound strategy makes for a successful hunt and, later, a successful queen." These were words of wisdom for her sister. She waited to see if she would listen.

Lily scrunched up her nose. "Um, I have something else to do." She pulled her hand from Avalynn's grasp. "Have fun with your strategy."

As Avalynn suspected… She chuckled as Lily skipped away. "I will." Her little sister had plenty of time to become a warrior princess. Maybe another day.

The gravel path wound through a variety of towering oak trees. Their mossy, gnarled branches crisscrossed overhead. They cast patterns of shade and light with each of Avalynn's steps. Beneath the green canopy rested rows of towering rhododendrons with clusters of pink and lavender bell-shaped flowers. In the distance loomed the blue-hued mountain tops. The challenge lay before her eyes. Summit Range. Her destiny had been defined.

Avalynn's heart raced at the sight of the hunting ground. A triumphant purple glow gathered in her chest. She would be out there soon—winning.

Stepping along, a whistling whoosh buzzed past her ear. She ducked, and another arrow whizzed over her head. It thudded into a tree trunk. She darted for cover and crouched behind a concrete bench. Who in thunderation was shooting arrows at her? On palace ground no less? "I will have your head!"

"I will have yours first!"

She peeked over the back of the bench. She spotted a tuft of red ducking between the bushes. Kragar and another surprise training session. The Master of the Blade loved spontaneous encounters. "Stop, Master!" A third arrow sailed her way, brushing the hair on top of her head. "I am weaponless!"

"Enemies do not care if you are weaponless!"

She spotted a cluster of rocks. She lunged, rolled, and snatched two fist-sized chunks. She righted herself with a hop. Her sharp eyes found the fourth arrow racing straight for her. The thin wood spun. The sun glinted against the silver arrowhead. She threw her makeshift weapon. Aim on point, her rock collided with the arrow's tip and knocked it to the ground. She held the other rock at the ready. She had bested the dwarf Master Kragar and was eager to do it again.

He popped out from behind a magnolia cluster. Half elf, half dwarf, and she also suspected part troll, Kragar stood almost five feet and a half and wore all green, like an overgrown, maniacal garden gnome.

She lowered her rock. "Have you lost your mind?" She could've killed him or vice versa.

He grabbed his sides and bellowed. "Of course, I have lost my mind!" He flicked his long red beard. It landed next to the clump of red hair atop his head. "You should lose yours sometime." He left the misplaced and wayward beard wisp. "It is way beyond liberating."

Avalynn shook her head with a chuckle. "Master Kragar, this is not the time for jesting." She joined him on the path. "Have you heard from my father?" Perhaps Kragar had further information her father wouldn't part with.

He fastened the bow to the sheath at his waist. "I have." He stashed his arrow in the quiver on his back. "You are going into the hunt, like you have always desired." Patting her back, he slung his axe onto his shoulder. "Your time has finally come."

A deep breath and her lungs expanded to their fullest. Kragar believed in her and understood her desire to succeed. "I will show them all."

"I have no doubt. You are House Stromm's best chance." He clicked his tongue and winked. "Does not hurt that I have trained you."

She laughed. "No, it does not."

The green open space was not set up for target practice or agility training. Instead, a large crate rested in the middle of the field. Inside, a small beast circled. Master Kragar spread out his arms, as if presenting her with a special treat. "Feast your eyes."

She approached the crate. "Ooh! Is that what we are hunting?"

Kragar nodded. "It is." He made direct eye contact with Avalynn. "The hunters will see it as a group after arrival." His grin conveyed a secret advantage. "But you are a Stromm. You will see it now." He wiggled his eyebrows. "And you can ask all the questions you so desire." He leaned in. "Make them count."

She crept closer to the crate. Every hunt featured a different animal. Elk. Boar. Goblins. Harpies. What animal would be featured this year? Inside the crate, a beast the size of a small wolf circled. Its long bushy tail curled up to its back. Its dark fur shimmered with an iridescent, ethereal glow reminiscent of the midnight sky. She had never seen this creature.

Kragar tugged the back of her tunic. "Not too close."

"I will keep my distance." She bent down and looked inside the crate. The creature zipped from the back of the cage to the front. She stared into the beady and molten eyes that looked her over like doomed prey. "It is beautiful. And I sense it is smart. What is it called? And where is it from?"

"It is a Shadowblood Fox." His thick eyebrows rose and peaked on his rippled forehead. "They come from the far north. Cunning. Quick. Not to be fooled with…or trusted."

Her fingers twitched, wanting to pet it, but she knew better. The deadliest creatures roamed the far north. Like dragons. Poor Engrendorn . She moved closer. "The name ‘shadow' must come from its dark color. But what does the ‘blood' part mean?"

"Good question," he said with a smile.

The Shadowblood Fox hissed, and its fangs elongated. Its eyes flashed red. It jabbed a long paw through the bars and swiped, missing Avalynn's nose by a fingernail. "Whoa!" She tumbled onto her backside. That vicious creature almost took her snout right off her face.

Kragar slammed his fist on the top of the cage and growled. "You will be dead soon enough!"

The fox scampered to the far end of its crated prison.

Avalynn checked her face and felt no blood or slashes. The fox failed to make contact. "That was way too close for comfort."

He peered back at her and snarled. "You alright? "

She rose, brushed herself off, and spoke with strength and conviction. "I am fine. Just startled." She returned to her question. "The ‘blood' part of its name must be for its fangs then? Is it vampiric?"

"It is vampiric, but it only feeds on small animals—especially rabbits. Can't get enough rabbit, as a matter of fact. When threatened, it can sometimes release a deadly toxin through its claws." He jerked his stubby thumb at the fox. "There is more to its shadow name, though."

Avalynn raised her brows. "Really? Like what?"

"Watch." He draped a heavy black cloth over half of the crate. The sun-blocking fabric created a dark space. The fox slunk into the crate's corner, hissed, and then disappeared.

Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. "Sun, Moon, and Stars. It is gone—vanished."

"Not gone, but vanished into the dark." He pulled the cloth off. With the sun shining down, it popped back into view. "And here it is again."

"Unbelievable." The fox blended into the shadows. She scratched her head, still staring at the creature. "How do I hunt a fox that disappears?" That created a larger challenge than usual, especially in the forest with all the trees.

He backed away and lifted his palms. "I have said all I can." He tilted his head sideways. "But I have said enough to give you the answer." He grinned and winked. "If you are smart enough, that is."

Smart enough? Pfft . Kragar knew better, and so did she. But what was the answer? She replayed their conversation. Fangs. Shadows. Rabbits. She found no answer. She would have to think about it later.

"Come now." He waved for her to follow. "We have more to discuss."

They walked to the far end of the green space. Flags furled showing the wind's direction. Stacks of hay bales served as a barrier while boards were erected for archery practice. Large parchments replaced the usual diamond-shaped targets. Faces were painted on each one.

"These are your competition," Kragar said.

She rubbed her hands together in short strokes while scanning the competitors' faces. "Most excellent, Master Kragar."

He started at the far right with a drawing of Avalynn. The spot-on likeness pleased her. Long jet-black hair. Blue eyes. The artist captured her confidence by showing her chin slightly raised. "This is you."

"Really?" She feigned surprise, then put her hand on her hip. "I think I know myself."

Kragar did not flinch or grin. "Your strength is aiming, and everyone knows that. Your weakness?"

She swallowed. Weakness? She possessed none. First in line to the throne, she did not like hearing such nonsense. Kragar remained by her drawing with his arms crossed. She tossed him the easy answer. "I suppose my weakness is confidence?"

No response. He wore a disapproving expression and continued to the next drawing. She added weakness to her mental checklist of things to figure out, right under Shadowblood Fox and the mysterious note.

"Who is this?" Kragar pointed at the second drawing.

She recognized the long, cherry-red hair and green eyes. "Selene Baffin from Sand Bluff. Her father is the steward there." They went to a courting training session once when they were young maidens and did not get along. "I made her cry when we were little."

He howled. "Good girl. She is a displeasure, that one." He pointed at the picture. "Her strength is climbing. Her weakness is aiming. She cannot shoot a center point if her bloodline depended on it."

"Really? How did she qualify for the hunt then?"

"Her father, that is how." Kragar snorted. He moved to the next drawing. "And this is…?"

"Eiric Lind from Cuesta. His uncle is the steward there." His striking, long silver hair and violet eyes made all the maidens go weak in the knees. Not Avalynn. The dim and full of himself fae annoyed her. She couldn't stand his company and would've rather had a conversation with a dead plant.

"Correct. His strength is aiming, too. Yet, water remains his weakness."

No way. She laughed. "Water? Seriously?" She supposed the loser Eiric could not swim.

He tapped the portrait. "Put Eiric Lind in deep water, and he will sink to the bottom like that rock in your hand."

She tossed the forgotten rock and motioned to the next hunter. "That's Finnian Brunt from High Meadow." Long brown hair, green eyes. Nice enough and from a good family. His father acted as steward of High Meadow since one had not been officially named after the Kanes were wiped out. He would be a formidable opponent.

"Finnian is known for strength and stamina, but he is slower than an ocean turtle."

"Interesting." She thought for sure his lack of speed would favor her in the hunt.

He moved on with a raised brow and motioned to the next parchment. "Last but most certainly not least." He shrugged. "Or maybe least. We will not know until the hunters arrive."

The final drawing contained no portrait. On the large parchment, Kragar had painted a red "X" from corner to corner. She inched forward and lowered her voice. "The Sublander." Per her father's orders, the last place finisher and winner of the death penalty prize.

Kragar folded his arms. "Late edition. I have no information on him. But rumors have swirled like the desert's dust."

She locked eyes with the Master of the Blade. "What do the rumors speak of?"

He moved in and lowered his voice. "About him being more than a mere Sublander."

"More than a lowborn?" That wasn't possible. If he was more she would have known.

"Aye. Someone with innate gifts and powers who will change Faevenly forever. A rumor that is not spoken of in the palace, but one which I feel I should mention to you."

A Sublander with gifts? Powers? Change her Faevenly kingdom? She huffed, knowing that the person who would change the kingdom was Avalynn Stromm, not some lowly Sublander. "Yeah, I do not think so."

His jawline hardened. He pointed at Avalynn and stared through her fae princess soul. "That is why you must succeed." His eyes narrowed and filled with blackness. He dropped his voice from tenor to bass and began chanting a dark tune. Sublander must die… Sublander must die…