The House Of Gaian

You can tell her the news in the morning.”
    Aiden nodded. He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Dianna lost the challenge. We have a new Lady of the Moon. A new Huntress.”
    Ashk watched Aiden carefully. Had she imagined his slight emphasis on the word Huntress ? No. She hadn’t imagined anything. Which meant he considered that part of her title to be the more critical change in power.
    “Who is she?” Lyrra said. “What Clan is she from?”
    Aiden didn’t look at his wife. He kept his blue eyes fixed on Ashk. “Her name is Selena. She isn’t from a Clan.”
    Since Lyrra looked ready to debate the reliability of the information, Ashk said firmly, “Let him speak, Muse.”
    Lyrra glared at her but kept silent.
    “Her name is Selena,” Aiden said again. “She is Fae, but she is first, and always, a Daughter of the House of Gaian.” He hesitated. “She comes from the Mother’s Hills.”
    Ashk felt the muscles in her legs go suddenly limp, and she wondered if she was going to sink to the terrace floor. She was no stranger to the Mother’s Daughters, but even for her, thinking of the Mother’s Hills produced a shiver up her spine.
    A reflex, a reaction that had no basis in fact. There was no reason to think the witches who lived in the Mother’s Hills were different from the witches who lived in the Old Places throughout Sylvalan. They all had the same roots. Their gifts all came from the four branches of the Great Mother. They all lived by the same creed.
    Didn’t they?
    That was the crux of it, wasn’t it? No one really knew much about the witches who ruled the Mother’s Hills. But Padrick had met a few of them when he’d traveled through the hills after seeing Baron Liam of Willowsbrook safely home. And Aiden and Lyrra had gone through the hills to head west in search of the Hunter. None of the travelers had come to harm, and yet...
    She had to be strong. She had to stand and be strong. Now more than ever.
    “The new Huntress is a witch ?” Lyrra asked, her voice full of disbelief. “ How ?”

    “She’s a Fae Lady of the Moon as well as a witch,” Aiden said sharply. “The gift accepted her.” He laid a hand on Lyrra’s arm. “I know you’re annoyed with me for not telling you before the others. Most likely, I would have felt the same way. But, please, Lyrra. Please listen.”
    Lyrra looked down at his hand. “You’re shaking. Why are you shaking?” She studied his face closely, the Muse’s annoyance with the Bard forgotten.
    “The new Huntress wants to see the Bard—and I’m afraid.”
    Ashk felt her heart leap against her chest. “What haven’t you told us yet, Aiden?” She knelt in front of him, took his other hand. “You went through the Mother’s Hills. You met some of the witches there.”
    Aiden closed his eyes. His fingers curled tightly around Ashk’s hand. “Not like her.”
    They all waited, no longer impatient for news.
    Finally, Ashk asked softly, “What happened to Dianna?”
    Aiden made a sound that might have been a bitter laugh. “Oh. Well. Dianna. She refused to accept a half-breed witch as her successor, despite it being clear that Selena was so much more powerful than Dianna could ever dream of being. Everything was fine until Dianna challenged Selena after Selena ascended and became the Lady of the Moon. It... provoked... the new Huntress into showing the Fae who now rules them.” He opened his eyes and looked at Ashk. “She summoned a storm. She summoned fire. And when her horse tried to get through the wall of fire to reach her, she created a bridge out of moonlight for him.”
    “Mother’s mercy,” Ashk said, sinking back on her heels.
    “Were the other Ladies of the Moon harmed?” Gwynith . Why hadn’t she heard from Gwynith?
    “I don’t think so. The bards who were witnesses at the clearing sent out the news as fast as they could, and I don’t think they conveyed everything they knew.”
    “If she wants to see you, where are you supposed to meet her?” Lyrra asked worriedly.
    “I don’t know. I know where the Ladies had gathered, but I don’t know if the Huntress remained with the Clan connected to that Old Place.”
    “Can it wait a few more days?” Ashk asked. “I still have to ride to the southern part of the Mother’s Hills to give Padrick’s letters to the barons who live near there. I was going to go on to Willowsbrook from there, but if it makes you easier, I’ll go with you to meet the new