Immediately, Selene unsheathed her blade and held it ready to plunge into flesh should the Fae move. She didn't dare look over to see what Aiden was doing, she didn't want to take her focus from the monster in front of her. She knew there was no way she'd be able to survive in a fight against someone with supernatural speed and strength, but with her Moonfire, she may be able to hold her off long enough for Aiden to get away.

She reached deep into herself, searching for those strings and that well of power to summon. But no matter how hard she looked, there was nothing. The Fae woman, Cyan, glanced at her only briefly before tucking her hair behind her ear and straightening herself.

She spoke to Aiden as she said, "Aiden, your friend here seems to have a bite to her."

To Selene's utter shock, he chuckled and relaxed in his saddle. "Yes, she tends to strike first, talk later. I'd be wary if I were you."

He slid off his horse and casually walked to Cyan before embracing her in a crushing hug. "It's good to see you, friend," he said. Cyan laughed, a beautiful sound, and said, "You as well."

Selene couldn't gather words as she watched the man she had traveled with treat the monster of her nightmares as if they were war mates. Cyan pulled away and took a step back before focusing on Selene again.

Selene couldn't help but growl. The sound so animal and foreign, she wasn't sure it was coming from her. Cyan gave her a wicked grin and purred, "Oh, I like you."

Aiden laughed, if not a bit awkwardly as he returned to his horse and asked, "How far to camp?"

Cyan began to pick at the dirt beneath her nails and responded, "About two hours."

Selene almost crumbled from Kadan's back, her thighs and abdomen quivering at the thought of another two hours of riding.

Aiden nodded and said, "I have no doubt you'll beat us there."

She winked and said, "Catch me if you can," before disappearing into the trees. Aiden clicked his tongue and climbed back onto his horse. Selene was still in shock at what she had witnessed, the bond between this human and that Fae.

"Yes, we know each other," Aiden said.

Selene snorted, "I gathered that."

He chuckled, the songbirds mimicking him. Giving his horse a light kick to the sides, he led them through the forest. Selene blew on her hands trying to warm them. The cold was growing more intense by the minute, it seemed. She wondered when the snow would fall, if they would be allowed to take shelter from the ice in this camp. At this time of the year, she would be gathering firewood and taking care of the horses in preparation for winter.

Who would have guessed that so much would have happened in the span of a few weeks?

Aiden's voice cut through her thoughts, "When we get there, don't stare at anyone. Act as if everything is completely normal. We have to pay our respects to the chief, but after that, we'll be fine to wander. I recommend not leaving camp, especially at this time of year. However, knowing you, you're going to leave at some point so at least bring someone with you."

Selene first thought of the Fae woman, of a whole tribe of them. She shivered.

"Are there more Faries?" she asked.

He looked back at her and grinned, "Oh, no. These people aren't Fae. But they're not human either."

"What are they?"

"Shapeshifters. They travel in packs and can take any form as long as they have touched the thing they wish to change into. They treasure their different forms."

"Like what?"

"Usually small animals such as birds or dogs. Occasionally you'll meet someone with a stronger animal form."

"Why can't they all have strong forms?"

"Well, would you go touch a grizzly bear and sap out some of its soul? Didn't think so," he said as he saw her face.

"What's the best form in the tribe?" she asked, her curiosity taking advantage of his loose mouth.

He thought about it for a moment, the songbirds filling the silence. "The Priestess has a form they've never shown anyone. No one knows if it's true but apparently, they have the form of the God of the Forest. Of course, the name is just a name, however, it is said that this creature holds such power that it can make any forest grow just by placing its hooves to the ground."

"What form does it take?"

"Something like a giant moose."

She pictured the image of a moose wandering through the trees, flowers blooming wherever it walked and grasses growing around its feet. "I hope to see it someday," she said. Aiden nodded in agreement.

The two hours passed quicker than she expected; she was too antsy and... excited. Now that she knew the fae woman posed no threat, Selene was overcome with curiosity. She had heard so many stories growing up about the people of the frozen waste. How they could kill as easily as glancing your way or how they were more beautiful than the sea of sunflower meadows near her old home.

One of those two had been proven. She hoped to not find out the other.

As they rode, the trees began to look older. Not as large as the oaks and pines deeper in the forest, nor as sinister, but they looked ancient. Aiden halted his horse in between two twisting oaks, their leaves already fallen, and waited in silence.

Four figures fell from the trees, ones Selene had not spotted despite the bareness of the branches. They had olive-brown skin that had been painted over with grays and whites. Yet the biggest feature was their hair. It was stark white against their faces, yet thick. The female wore a circlet of stones and the two other males wore necklaces. Their clothing was simple, cloth that had been tied around the waist, neither the woman nor the two men wore tops.

Heat rushed to Selene's cheeks. She was not used to people being so free with their bodies; it was a foreign concept to her.

The thing she was startled by the most though was the small cat that perched itself on the woman's shoulder. Its brown eyes looking at her with an intelligence that proved to Selene that they were no ordinary wild cat. It was a shifter. In fact, they were all shifters, yet she hadn't quite believed how extraordinary they were until she had seen it with her own eyes.

Aiden did not look dazed at all. He spoke to them in a strange language and bowed his head as if he had done this many times before. The four guards didn't respond, only disappeared back into the tree line.

Aiden looked back at her and said, "We have been granted permission to enter the village. Remember what I said to you."

Don't stare.

She was dying to know what it was she was not to look at. What was so interesting about these people that she hadn't really seen in those guards? She was soon to find out, for a wall of thick, tall brambles came into sight.

They looked like a wall, most likely to protect those in the village from the animals outside. Yet she had never seen such tall brambles. They towered over Selene on top of Kadan and entwined themselves in the tree branches.

They halted at the edge of their sharp thorns and waited. She glanced over at Aiden, waiting to see what he would do and if she should copy him. But he remained still, waiting for something.

Suddenly, the bushes parted, moving as if they were snakes fleeing from a flame, and another woman stepped forward through them. She looked similar in skin and hair tone as the people from before, but she wasn't painted the color of the trees. Instead, she had white tattoos covering her arms and legs, intricate designs that stopped at her shoulders and hips. They reminded Selene of the brambles themselves. Her eyes were the color of chocolate as she studied both her and Aiden.

Selene shifted in her on Kadan's back, the woman's hard gaze making her uncomfortable. A minute or two passed before the woman spoke.

"The thorns welcome you home, Aiden Guillelmus."

Selene almost fell off her horse at the sight of the woman's teeth. They were completely black and sharp, as if they had been sanded down with obsidian. She turned to look Selene dead in the eyes as she spoke, and what she said made Selene's blood turn cold.

"And you Selene Ferox, Daughter of Night, the thorns have been waiting."

Her lips stretched into a small smile and she stepped back to be swallowed by the awaiting bushes. There was still a large opening in them to allow Selene and Aiden to pass through with their horses. Aiden glanced over at her, questioning in his eyes. She averted her gaze.

This was the second time someone had called her the Daughter of Night. She had no clue what it meant, yet her desire to know was steadily growing.

They passed under the bushes and watched as they closed behind them, sealing them in. Yet no dread filled Selene, instead, she lifted her chin and tightened her grip on Kadan's mane.

As they gazed upon the village, she saw the children first. They laughed wildly and sprinted past the horses, they're black teeth flashing. They reminded her of forest nymphs, free as the river and the wind in a coming storm, like Lily. Even hummingbirds whizzed by, no doubt the children's caretakers.

They passed by houses of clay and wood alike, some even built between the roots of large trees. Peeking from their homes were the dark eyes of the Sev Atamnër. The thing that surprised her the most were the women. Not because of their dress, but because they all carried weapons. Half the men she saw carried daggers and blades, whereas every single women did. Not only did they dress themselves freely, but they seemed to be the primary warriors of the tribe.

Selene thought she would get along well with them all.

Most of her life, she had been told that a woman's job was to cook and clean while her husband provided, but here she felt a confidence pour out of her. Here she felt that fighting spirit grow a little bit more.

Lily would have loved it here. So many new sights and sounds.

That flame curled back up in hiding. Until Selene found the demon that took her life, she would carry the girl with her in her heart and experience everything for her. So Selene kept her eyes up and took in her new surroundings.

They made their way through the crowds of people that slowly began to gather and past the shops that bore strange fruit and flowers and the houses that children scurried out of, baring their sharp teeth at the horses that looked their way. Kadan snorted and shook his head at the brave children.

As they drew closer to a cliff in the distance, Aiden leaned over to her and whispered, "That is where the leader resides. She is waiting for us and most likely sensed us coming way before we saw the gates. When we get there I beg of you, no back talk."

Selene swallowed her reply to avoid proving his concern reasonable.

As the path ended, she saw that a cave opened up at the base of the cliff. They pulled the horses to a stop and dismounted, patting at their sides in thanks before heading to the cave mouth. As they entered they saw it opened up to a much larger cavern. Selene's eyes opened in awe as she looked around.

Vines climbed up the sides of the cave, flowers blooming white and purple. Under the vines trickled small waterfalls that fell into pools of water that held glowing fish that swim idle circles. Stalagmites and stalactites hung from the ceiling and rose from the floor. Designs had been carved into them that were similar to the symbols in the tattoos of the gatekeeper and some villagers they had passed. Everywhere she looked there was life, in plants that bloomed or small animals that scurried around or curled up in slumber, even fireflies buzzed around. But what she found to be the most breathtaking feature in the whole cavern was the pink willow that grew from between two large stones that protruded from the floor. The leaves hung over them like a roof and seemed to move in a silent wind. Under the tree and between the stones sat a woman. She had no seat, just rested on the steady rise to the tree.

Her eyes were closed and her hands rested on her knees, her ankles crossed. She looked as if she belonged there between the stones. Her hair was also white, but thrice as long as any hair she had ever seen, pooling around the base of the willow's trunk. Her skin was a darker shade than most she had seen outside, yet that could be because she was almost completely covered in tattoos and scars, the most prominent being across her throat. Yet it was jagged, as if it was cut not by a blade but a claw. A mark of a warrior shifter.

Aiden and Selene approached the rise and stopped. Aiden bowed at the waist and turned his head towards the ground, remaining still. Selene followed. For a moment, she stayed like that, then she looked up.

I will never be completely obedient ever again, she thought to herself.

Then the woman spoke.

"Something inside you wants to keep fighting. I can feel it."

Her voice reminded Selene of distant thunder, calming yet dangerous and strong.

"You are young, yet you have seen many horrors. This is just the beginning of your journey, Daughter of Night. Before your life ends and your fire finally dies, you will experience loss much greater than what you've known and horrors beyond what you have yet to imagine. I see it as clear as the sun rising in the east and as sure as the leaves falling from their branches in Autumn."

Daughter of Night.

As if she heard her thoughts she said, "You wish to know why you have been given that name."

Selene straightened her back, stepping towards the woman, "Stay out of my head."

Aiden cleared his throat and tried to reach for Selene but she stepped out of his reach.

The woman only laughed, "It is not I but the tree that can see your thoughts. I am merely a messenger."

"Then tell it the same thing," she growled.

"It has already heard. Do you want to know what it said?" asked the woman.

Selene didn't answer.

"It said no."

Are you kidding me?

The woman finally opened her eyes and showed they were completely black, yet there seemed to be a glow in them as if the fish in the pond beside Selene had given her their scales for irises.

"I see all through the willow. I even see your death clear as day. I know what you are. I know what your caretaker saw the last time he beat you. And I know of the green fire that chases you at night. Yet I see the blue flames that burn within your soul and they will light the way for many who have been looking for you as you had looked to the stars for guidance and refuge. So Daughter of Night, welcome to my home. The willow has been waiting."

Then Selene looked into her eyes and dropped her knees.