Page 12 of The Great Hunt
Aerity felt a moment of proud glee.
The commander looked ragged, as if he hadn’t slept. “Your Majesty, the men were stationed throughout the kingdom—in trees, at the edges of the water, anywhere we could think. The beast attacked from behind along the east inlet—one of the places it’s never been spotted before. My men say the beast felled ten men within minutes. Their weapons were useless. They say it has tough skin, thick tusks, and sharp claws. It roared loud enough to pierce their eardrums, and . . . the few surviving soldiers ran.”
The commander sounded ashamed to admit this as the king grimaced. His soldiers ran. For some reason this shockedAerity more than any other fact. Grown, trained men had run because the beast was that frightening. The room seemed to grow colder.
“Your Majesty,” began Lord Preston Wavecrest. “Perhaps we should round up a few Lashed to try and kill it with their powers—” The king adamantly shook his head, and her uncle hurried on. “With all due respect, now’s not the time to have a bleeding heart. A Lashed One could kill the beast with a single touch!”
Aerity’s father slammed a fist against his oak desk, making it rattle. “I will not force civilians to face the beast against their will, Lashed or not. Would you have women, children, and elderly out there when our own soldiers run from it?”
“There are men on the Lashed records. Not many, but—”
“I said no.”
Lord Preston gritted his teeth. Aerity could see the desperation on her uncle’s face. He’d already lost his future son-in-law, and his daughter had withdrawn to a dark place in her mind, gone from them as well.
“Lord Preston,” the king’s adviser said. “From what I know of the Lashed, they must be able to lay hands on a living being and concentrate. Our men are being flung ten feet from the beast with barely a shrug of its arms. If we could somehow trap it and hold it down, a Lashed One would be valuable, but we have not yet discovered a way to do so.”
Lord Preston gave a nod and looked away in defeat. Lady Ashley took his hand.
“Tonight, the soldiers go again,” the king said. “Any who are willing. I will offer a healthy financial reward to the one who kills the beast or injures it enough to take it captive.”
From that day on, Aerity was allowed into the adult conversations without question. She desperately wanted to drag her grieving cousin along with her, since they’d always done everything together, but the last thing Wyneth needed was to hear talk of the beast.
Aerity rushed straight to her father’s office for news the next morning, but it was empty. The castle was strangely silent. Aerity neared High Hall, where a guard stood at attention outside the doors. He allowed her to pass without hesitation. She saw movement through the crack of the door, and she opened it enough to peek in at the mostly empty room.
Aerity held her breath at the sight of her mother climbing the hanging silks. She hadn’t seen her mother perform, even casually, in years. Aerity recalled how weightless her mother had always seemed in her silk acts, but today there was a heaviness about her ascent. Queen Leighlane’s cabernet-colored curls were pulled up tightly and she wore a close-fitting tunic and leggings. She was halfway to the ceiling when she stopped, resting her cheek against the fabric as she swayed.
The sight filled Aerity with sadness. What was going on in her strong mother’s mind? Was all hope lost? She refused to believe it.
Queen Leighlane seemed to come back to herself. Shereclined into a lean and pulled her knees up, repositioning her feet with a glide of the cloth. Her body wound and slid into position with the silks around her waist. Aerity recognized the position of a drop roll. Her mother began to soar downward, and the princess quickly saw that her mother was not stopping the roll soon enough. Queen Leighlane reached up wildly to grab at the silks, but tumbled to the ground with a thump.
“Mama!” Aerity ran into the hall, the guard at her heels, and fell to her mother’s side.
The queen sat up, pressing a hand against her hip.
“Your Highness!” The guard crouched beside her.
“I’m fine,” she whispered, closing her eyes.
“Shall I fetch Mrs. Rathbrook?” he asked.
“No. It’s only bruising. You may leave us.”
He hesitated before standing. “I’ll be just outside the door if you need anything, Your Highness.”
The queen reached for Aerity’s hand and they clasped, moving closer.
Aerity helped her sit up. “Are you certain you’re okay?”
“I’ve had worse falls.” The queen managed a small smile, which quickly faltered as she met her daughter’s eyes. The woman’s chin trembled.
“What is it, Mama? What happened last night?”
“Your father . . .” She sniffed and composed herself. “He’s at his wit’s end, love. The men refused to hunt last night. Hundreds of them. Even after your father offered a larger reward.We cannot stretch the kingdom’s finances further. They’re asking for higher-powered weapons, more versatile versions of the cannons they use at sea, but it could take months, years, to develop and produce something like that.”
“Seas alive,” Aerity whispered.
Her mother’s eyes cleared as she looked at her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t put this burden on your shoulders—”
