Moving through somewhere you weren’t supposed to be was an art form, at least in Nic’s mind. He had spent years training himself to make as little noise as possible when he walked, to keep still when searching eyes were aimed his way, and how to identify all the best spots to hide when necessary. The real trick, the one that divided the true masters from the talented amateurs, was the ability to somehow slip invisibly under a person’s radar. The unseen radar that told even a layman something was wrong, or that they were somehow being watched.

Having mastered those tricks, he would have said that he was set for life. What he didn’t know was that one day he would be required to take two hunters through a densely patrolled forest without being seen, too. Since part of their job required a great deal of stealth, they weren’t exactly barreling through the forest, being blatantly obvious. To Nic’s trained ears, however, they were making enough noise to alert anyone who was even half as watchful as he was.

“Oh we’re so busted,” he whispered, the words barely audible over the wind blowing through the tops of the trees.

There was a nudge at his elbow, Lucas was behind him with a questioning look on his face. Nic shook his head, chiding himself for speaking the words out loud. It wasn’t their fault that they weren’t trained for this sort of thing. Their lives were centered around hunting and trapping, not sneaking into enemy strongholds without getting caught. He hoped the skills in combat he’d seen from them would be enough to prevail.

They sidled up close to him as the trees before them seemed to stretch out in an unnaturally even line. Nic raised his brow, knowing that sort of clean line didn’t happen in nature without some assistance. His skin prickled as they approached it, and he wondered what sort of trap this could be. The Fae, particularly the Winter Court, were infamous for their traps and trickery. Infamous enough that Nic could confidently say he had a healthy respect and fear for their lethal subtlety.

As had been the custom since they entered the forest, he was the first one to gently push through the tree branches and see what was on the other side. His eyes widened as it opened into what appeared to be a small settlement. There were dozens of Fae mingling about, some talking amongst themselves, others simply gazing off into the distance. There were structures of some sort, homes he guessed, that were built of what looked like snow, ice, and some untreated wood. The buildings seemed to be built partially dug into the ground, the few windows and a door that they each had were all down in the snow, capable of being hidden away from prying eyes, if necessary.

“It’s a whole village,” Lucas said in awe beside him.

“With village security,” Nic whispered back, motioning to the people standing in designated places around the small hamlet. Each wore what looked like carefully shaped metal armor with sheathed swords on each hip. The Fae didn’t distinguish between the sexes when it came to combat, and there were both men and women in the formal looking battle gear, all watching both the village and the forest around them.

“Ain’t seen nothin’ like this before,” Shaun grunted, sounding impressed.

Nic was inclined to agree. The Fae had built this place and built it well. Every building might have been underground, where they could be easily fortified or hidden from view. Yet above ground, there were plenty of artistic touches thrown in. It took him a moment to realize what it was he was seeing, before he remembered a picture of the arctic tundra he had seen once. Someone, or several people, had taken the time to craft the snow to look like waves and peaks. Some were swirled about in a fanciful twist, others simply dipped and rose at what appeared to be random, though carefully chosen, intervals. They had gone behind the artist responsible, and found a way to slide layers of ice at carefully chosen points, giving the whole place a wondrous shine and shimmer.

“Winter wonderland, eat your heart out,” Lucas murmured as his eyes roamed over the village.

“You can hear ‘em now,” Shaun said softly. “Ya couldn’t hear ‘em when ya were on the other side of the trees.”

Nic nodded. “They probably have a longstanding ward or whatever on the place. They put a lot of work into this, so I bet they’ve been here a while. Don’t plan on leaving it anytime soon, either, from the looks of it.”

Lucas’ eyes watched a group of small Fae children frolicking about the softer mounds of snow. “Surely we’re not here to try to drive them all out, or kill them.”

Shaun shook his head, either ignoring Lucas’ gaze or simply not noticing. “We ain’t got time for all that. If Nic’s right, we ain’t gotta worry about any of ‘em, ‘cept for the king, and whoever he sends to stop us.”

Nic could see the unspoken concern on Lucas’ face as he watched the village. Based on the story about the werewolf woman and her cubs, Nic could guess where the hunter’s mind was at. Lucas was a dedicated and skillful hunter, and he was lethal when he was put to the task of bringing something down. Yet, there was a moral streak in him that extended even to the supernatural. Lucas saw no point in killing creatures that meant no harm to humans, and that definitely extended to the young.

“We’re only here for the king, and whatever guards he throws at us,” Nic confirmed, making sure to catch Lucas attention as he said it.

Lucas smiled gratefully at him. “And where do you think the big kahuna is?”

Shaun glanced at his partner. “Couldn’t you tell us?”

“If they have wards up in this place, I don’t want to risk setting off the alarm while we’re still unnoticed. I don’t know how those wards work, but I’d bet they probably have something up to block out divination,” Lucas shrugged.

“Ya did it a ways back, though. Didn’t do nothin’,” Shaun pointed out.

Lucas glanced at Nic, silently asking what his opinion on the matter was. He couldn’t see anywhere around them that screamed out where the Fae would house their royal ruler. Then again, all the buildings were underground, and there was enough ornate decoration around that any of the entrances were viable options. He couldn’t even see anywhere that was more heavily guarded. The whole place was beautiful but gave nothing away, which he privately thought fit the Fae quite well.

“We’re gonna get found, one way or another. I can bet you on that one. I think if your powers didn’t alert them before, they’re not going to, now. Your powers aren’t exactly divination, but they’re…different. Probably something that the wards around here can’t account for, unless the Fae somehow figured it out. Even if they have, and it somehow sets the wards off, we’ll at least know where the king is. The longer we wander around here, the longer the war goes on, and we might get caught without having a good idea where he is. At least this way, we can get caught and know where to run to,” Nic offered, grimacing at the only two bad options they had left.

Lucas nodded grimly, closing his eyes as he dug deep for the power he had been born with. A glance at Shaun told Nic that the human had no idea when Lucas tapped into that power, save for the reaction Lucas sometimes showed. Nic hadn’t been sure if Shaun could sense it like he could, until Lucas had attempted it in the clearing a mile or so back. When Shaun never reacted as Lucas searched the area for their target, Nic realized that only he could feel it.

He wasn’t sure if it would apply to all supernatural creatures, but it certainly applied to him. It was what had woken him up all those months ago, alerting him to the possible danger Lucas possessed. The kitsune hadn’t known then what the sensation had been, only that it wasn’t a normal one, and that brought him to attention. Fully conscious and watchful, he could feel something glide over his skin, searching, probing, and determined. It felt almost like what Nic associated with as attributes of Lucas’ mind. As it slid over him and passed by, he could sense something intelligent, careful, and highly meticulous search him, determined to find what it sought. It wasn’t quite a human sensation, feeling like something just beyond the realms of humanity, but it didn’t have the unnatural quality that some spells had, either.

There was a price for such a gift, however, and he knew they couldn’t do this too often without putting Lucas at risk. They had never said it was dangerous for him to use, but only that it exacted a heavy toll after too much intense use. From all the old stories of seekers, Nic had never heard of such a price, as that little detail had been conveniently left out of the tales. It didn’t surprise him though; any sort of advantage that humanity gained over the supernatural always seemed to come with a price. Witches were humans with occult knowledge, and everything they did came with a price; sometimes inconsequential, sometimes painful.

“Got him,” Lucas sighed, opening his eyes as he swallowed a gulp of air.

Nic watched him, trying to ascertain if his friend was okay. “Precisely? Or just general area?”

Lucas smirked at him. “Do I look like an amateur? I know exactly where that bastard is.”

Shaun rubbed Lucas back, looking smug on behalf of his friend. “And what else?”

“He’s got four people with him. Can’t tell what sort of people, but they feel slightly more Fae than everyone else. So I’m guessing they’re some sort of elite guards. If he’s like everyone says he is, he and his guards are probably all armed,” Lucas finished, absently rubbing his temple.

“You probably aren’t far off. The king probably isn’t allowed to shit without someone there to watch over him,” Nic said, feeling like he had just stumbled into an old routine without knowing what his lines were.

“More bad news. He’s on the other side of this place, so we’re going to either have to cut across, or try to sneak around. Both sound like really bad ideas,” Lucas said unhappily.

He could see from the look on Shaun’s face that they were all in agreement about that. The longer they tried to sneak around, the higher their chances of getting caught. The best outcome would be that the alarm would go up, and in the confusion, they might be able to slip out of sight. From there, they could move toward their destination without too much trouble. The worst outcome would be that the alarm would go up, and they would be captured or killed, immediately. The Fae knew these woods far better than they did, and it would be all too easy for them to sneak up on the group.

Shaun glanced at the happy looking village. “Ya wouldn’t even know there was a battle to the death goin’ on somewhere else. They just look so…”

“Normal?” Lucas asked quietly, seeming almost sad as he looked at Shaun.

“Yeah,” Shaun grunted, turning his attention away from the Fae going about their business.

“If ya haven’t noticed, we supernatural sorts do tend to do a lot of normal stuff. Isn’t just terrorizing humans and eating babies,” Nic said dryly.

“Yeah, just makes it harder when ya have to see it right in front of ya,” Shaun admitted quietly, surprising both Nic and Lucas.

It was the first time Nic had ever seen any sign that Shaun might be aware of more than one dimension when it came to the supernatural. From the startled look on Lucas’ face, Nic guessed it was the first time the bigger hunter had ever said something like that. He desperately wanted to know what brought about the sudden change in perspective, but this wasn’t the time for it.

“We’re running out of time,” he told them.

“We can’t just charge through. If it weren’t for all them guards, I’d say we do that, but even we can’t take all of ‘em on,” Shaun said, gesturing with his fingers at the various guards posted about.

“Would have been nice if we had more than one of those bullets,” Lucas said.

Nic rolled his eyes. “Do you know how expensive even that one bullet was? Plus, you make too many bullets with a golden fragment core, and someone’s gonna start paying attention. What did you want, a machine gun’s worth of bullets?”

“Spray and pray?” Lucas offered, now gaining the impish look that Nic thought he’d stolen from him.

“You’d still have to aim for the head or heart,” Nic huffed, knowing he was being teased now.

“Hey, shoot enough of those bullets into ‘em, and it ain’t gonna matter if ya shot ‘em in the right place,” Shaun added, being helpful as always.

He was beginning to understand that they were nervous about what was about to happen, and this was their way of handling it. That, or the infectious nature of his playful attitude was rubbing off on them so well, it showed itself even in a serious moment. He wanted to chide them both for not being serious when they needed to be. He held back, but gave them another roll of his eyes. He let them have their fun, while they all internally tried to think of a way around the problem.

Nic’s eyes roved over the clearing, trying to see past the complex architecture and decorations. The line of trees on the outskirts of the village formed what looked like a nearly perfect circle. They would only know if they were seen if they were within the limits of the village, otherwise the wards would keep all sound contained. The only way to know if someone within the village had spotted them was if they were within the village, and thus, easier to spot. They could either be deaf to alerts, or risk being more easily seen.

“Then there’s the roaming guards,” Lucas said quietly, as if he were catching Nic’s thoughts.

Yes, there was the roaming guards. Guards that knew the ins and outs of the forest better than they did. Guards who would probably find their tracks through the snow soon, and send up the alarm anyway. If they didn’t move fast, they were going to get caught. If they moved too fast, they were going to get caught. They were damned no matter what they did, and he hated lose-lose situations.

A thought bubbled up in his head, and he turned to the other two. “I have a really great idea. Lucas, ya think you can lead the both of you to where the king is?”

Lucas eyed him warily. “Probably. Shouldn’t be too hard since he’s almost directly across from us. But why? What’s this great plan of yours? And why does ‘great’ sound like ‘terrible’ when it comes out of your mouth?”

Nic scoffed. “That’s not fair. I say that sex with you two is great, too. Does that mean the sex is actually terrible?”

Shaun glanced at Lucas. “He’s deflectin’.”

“That he is, which means he’s hiding something,” Lucas agreed, now eyeing Nic suspiciously.

“I don’t have time to explain the full idea to you, okay? We’re low on time and we have to get to the king and kill that bastard before this gets worse. Just trust me, okay?” Nic asked, not liking the pleading tone he could hear in his voice.

“That’s cheatin’, askin’ us to trust you,” Shaun grumbled, losing the suspicious cast to his eyes.

Lucas sighed. “We trust you. We just don’t like not knowing what’s about to happen.”

Shaun held up a finger, pointing it at Lucas. “He don’t like not knowin’ what’s about to happen. That’s kinda what happens to me every time he makes a plan, it’s always a surprise to me. So, I’m used to it. Do what ya gotta do.”

Lucas swatted Shaun’s finger away as quietly as he could. “You are absolutely no help, you know that? Nic, I trust you to do what you have to do, but just don’t do anything stupid that’ll get you killed or worse, okay?”

“Your concern is touching. I’ll cherish it, but you worry too much,” Nic said with a grin.

“You sound like a smartass, but I bet you’re all fuzzy inside over it,” Lucas deadpanned in return.

Nic rubbed his hands together. “Alright, well let’s get to it, then. You two make your way along the edge of the trees, and try to get as close to the king as possible. Try to keep an ear on the inside so that you know if the alarm goes up or not, because I’m betting you won’t hear it out in the forest.”

The two hunters glanced at one another, then nodded. He could see they still weren’t happy about being left in the dark about the plan, but weren’t going to give him anymore trouble over it. It really did warm him that they cared so much. But if he told them the truth, they would probably try to stop him. There was only one way to make this work for them, and he felt he was the only one who could handle it. It was, after all, in line with the rest of his skills. It wasn’t that he thought he couldn’t convince them of the logic behind his idea, but it would waste too much time if they sat here and argued over it.

“Get to the king, and I’ll meet up with you guys,” he repeated as he mentally traced the path he was going to take.

“Remember when he said that before, and disappeared?” Lucas asked Shaun.

“Yeah, but showed up at the last second to save our asses,” Shaun reminded him.

“So, we get to look forward to more dramatic timing, then?” This time, the question was aimed at Nic.

“If I don’t use a properly timed dramatic entrance, then you know I have died inside and need to be put down,” he told them both with a flourish of his hands.

Lucas reached out, holding onto Nic’s wrist. “Be careful, okay?”

Nic nodded, and before there were any more sappy moments that might make him doubt what he was about to do, he slipped back into the forest without a word.