And when the other spirits saw his joy, they, too, wanted to know this form. And slowly they learned. And slowly they changed, becoming spirit always cloaked in flesh, but flesh that retained the gift of changing into a form that belonged to the woods. Some of the smaller spirits became the Small Folk. Other spirits became the Fae. And as other Sons and Daughters of the House of Gaian came down from the hills to cherish other parts of the Great Mother, the Fae lived with them, learned from them, mated with them. Some of those children were witches, vessels of the Mother. Some were Fae, with their gift of changing form and their ties to the woods. And some were called wiccanfae because they had gifts from the Mother as well as the woods.

The Hunter still rules the woods. That old, powerful spirit lives on in flesh of his flesh, blood of his blood, bone of his bone. It is still the guardian and predator, the Green Lord and Hunter, the one who commands the other spirits of the woods.

That is the way it was, a long time ago. And that is the way it still is.

Ashk felt a tear trickle down her cheek. She wiped it away, unsure if Rhyann had just given her a gift or a burden.

“It’s just an old story,” Rhyann said quietly.

Ashk sniffed. “Do you believe that?”

“No,” Rhyann admitted. “I think it’s truth handed down as story so that it would be remembered.”

“And as much as I’d like to believe it’s just a story, I can’t dismiss the truth of it, not when I feel the power inside me, not when I know—I do command all the gifts of the woods. I can destroy the Fae, stripping them of any gift that comes from the woods.”

“And you can command the woods to fight back and defend itself against those who want to destroy it.”

Ashk turned her head and studied Rhyann. “What do you command, Rhyann? What branch of the Mother is your primary gift?”

“All of them.”

Stunned silence.

Rhyann shrugged. “It is not common among us, but it’s not that rare, either.”

“Among us,” Aiden said. “Where are you from?” He shook his head. “There’s only one place you can be from. The Mother’s Hills.”

Rhyann nodded. “I am a Daughter of the House of Gaian. I come from the Mother’s Hills.”

Ashk licked her dry lips. “Do you know a witch named Selena?”

Rhyann laughed. “I know her well. She’s my sister.”

Another silence.

Ashk felt as if the ground had suddenly dropped out from under her.