Sun Broken (The Wild Hunt #11) - Yasmine Galenorn Page 0,84
at this. With Herne and me leading the way, we headed through the portal, followed by the others.
Chapter Nineteen
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but we came through onto a rough-and-tumble looking lot. As we stood there, sorting ourselves, a couple hurried to meet us. They weren’t regular Fae. They reminded me of the Elves in Annwn. Niles and Leila Greentree were as ethereal as Gatsby had been solid and sturdy. But someone was waiting with them, and I immediately recognized Trinity.
“Welcome,” Leila said, staring at me with wide eyes. But there was no judgment in her expression, simply surprise. “Gatsby said you’d need an SUV and some supplies. We have one ready for you. I hope that will work.”
“As long as it can make it up Mount Bracken, we’re good,” Herne said. “Hey, Trinity.”
I glanced at Herne, a question on my lips.
He glanced at Viktor, Kipa, and me. “Trinity knows the countryside all around here. I asked him to come with us. He’s an excellent scout.”
“And spy,” I said, a faint smile on my lips. “At least this time we know why he’s here.”
Herne sighed. “I am not letting you run off to places like Fire & Fang without sending someone along I can trust.”
“I was with Yutani,” I said, narrowing my eyes.
“And I love Yutani, but he does carry chaos on his shoulders. He can’t help his lineage, but the more it comes out, the more cautious we’re going to have to be until he settles into his birthright. The Great Coyote doesn’t deliberately trip up most people—well, some he does, but not most. But his presence alone brings havoc down on the shoulders of those he’s around.”
“Pardon me for interrupting, but Ms. Kearney, Trinity definitely knows the lay of the land around here. You’re lucky he’s with you,” Niles said.
Trinity caught my gaze and flashed me a subtle grin. His long dark hair was caught back in a braid and I realized his heavily lined eyes were just normal—it wasn’t eyeliner after all. He was wearing a pair of black and olive zebra–striped stretch pants, a black leather jacket that was fully zipped, and a pair of heavy steel-toed boots.
“You, I know.” Trinity gave Viktor a nod. “How do you do?”
Viktor held out a meaty hand. “How do.”
Trinity shook it, then said, “I’m Trinity. He/him, if you’re wondering.” He paused, glancing at Niles. “I’m ready.”
“Do we really need a guide?” I asked Herne. It wasn’t that I didn’t want Trinity along, it was that Herne was… I paused in my thoughts. Herne’s doing what he feels is best as leader of the group. It was too late to pull back my question, but I resolved to be a little less ready to jump on my boyfriend’s back.
“Yes, you do need a guide,” Trinity interrupted. “Trust me. Mount Bracken is haunted, for one thing, and for another, there are dangers there that you won’t be likely to spot until it’s too late. I can see the signs because I’ve traversed these mountains for hundreds of years. There are reasons why fifty-five hikers never returned from their day trips over the past fifteen years.”
I fell silent, staring at Trinity. With a slow nod, I said, “Thank you, then, for agreeing to go with us.”
Niles motioned for us to follow him. As we crossed the wide lawn, I looked around. The forest encroached on three sides. To the front, before a line of trees, the highway ran past. We were near the junction where Mt. Index Road turned off from the highway, right before a bridge crossed the South Fork Skykomish River.
“Just pull out onto the highway and turn right. Cross the bridge and a few moments later you’ll come to the Chinook River Expeditions property. If you see their driveway, you’ve gone too far. Directly before you get to their land, there’s a small access road that will lead you through the forest to a one-lane bridge over the North Fork Skykomish River. You’ll come out on the Old Gold Bar–Index Road.”
Herne was following on his GPS map. “Right, I see it.”
“Turn left at the next turn. You’ll approach the Lower Town Wall cliff, at which point you’ll find another small access road to one side of the climbing wall. It will lead you to the top. From there, the access road bends northeast, toward Mount Bracken. Continue on. The drive should take about half an hour to reach a second access road—this one’s marked Access Road 348. The