“Go on,” Liam said. “I’ll stay here and start bringing our people into position.”

Knowing what it must have cost him to stay, Ashk nodded. “We’ll be back as soon as we can.” She touched his arm lightly. “She’s strong, Liam. The grief will ease, and she’ll heal.”

“That she wants to talk to anyone is a relief.” He tried to smile.

Ashk and Selena hurried down the rise to where their horses waited and galloped away, leaving the Fae Lord who had brought the message trailing behind them.

When they reached Liam’s house, it was clear by the way Sloane hovered at the front door, watching for them, that something had happened.

As they reached the door, someone called out, “Hunter!”

A young Fae Lord trotted over from the stables and handed her a wax-sealed piece of paper. “I was told to hand this to the Bard, or to you, Hunter, if the Bard wasn’t here.”

Ashk nodded, tucked the paper under her belt, and went inside.

They found Breanna in the morning room, wrapped in blankets, both hands around a large glass of whiskey.

Ashk went down on one knee in front of her. Selena sat beside her, putting an arm around Breanna’s shoulders.

“Breanna?” Ashk touched her knee and realized Breanna was trembling. The woman was strong, but how many blows could she take before she broke?

“I have to tell you…warn you…”

“Tell me what?”

“The Gatherer has come.” Breanna began shaking so hard, Selena had to help her raise the glass of whiskey so that she could drink.

Relief flooded through Ashk. “Morag has come? She’s here?”

Breanna shook her head. “We gave It food…and grain for the horse. It went away.”

It? “Breanna—”

“She’s changed!” Breanna’s voice rose, spiked with fear. “She’s been changed!”

Relief turned into shards of ice that sliced Ashk’s heart. “What do you mean, she’s been changed?”

Tears rolled down Breanna’s face. “The Gatherer has been changed into a nighthunter.”

Ashk walked out of the house, bolted for trees on one side of the drive. She collapsed against one, fighting the sick churning in her belly.

Morag changed into a nighthunter? The Gatherer of Souls changed into a creature that feasted on—

“Morag,” she whispered. “Mother’s mercy, Morag.”

“What should we do, Hunter?” Selena asked softly.

She wasn’t surprised that Selena had followed her out of the house—both because the Huntress cared about people and because she would want answers.

Ashk straightened up, feeling painfully old, desperately weary. “We do what must be done, Huntress. We form the Wild Hunt. We bring up the companies of humans. We fight the battle that must be fought today.”

“What do we do about the Gatherer?”

“Leave it alone, Selena.”