"Successful hunt?" King Cernunnos asked from his throne of interwoven, black branches.

A huge white stag with flaming eyes snorted, before a rolling silver wave revealed a tall slender elf with long dark hair. Llew bowed. "Extremely, my king. More than enough to get us through until Samhain's hunt."

"How did my babies do?" Cailleach asked, as she lavished attention on the large black and white hellhounds that pushed and shoved to get close to her at the edges of the inner court glade.

Llew smirked. "They were very effective. Even took a decent bite out of a Valkyrie."

"That's not amusing, Llew," snapped Queen Mene, ascending the dais to join her husband. After sitting on her throne, her long blood-red nails tapped on the black wood with her lips pressed into a tight line.

"It wasn't meant to be," Llew snarled, his green eyes narrowed as he met her glare. "We encountered a couple of Valkyries and an immortal that Crom decided to take. They were literally metres just outside the circle, travelling in one of those metal death traps the mortals are so fond of these days. We couldn't have avoided them and I have no idea how they happened to be there at the exact right time."

"What idiocy has Crom Crauch done this time? I'm fed up with his poor choices." Cernunnos rolled his eyes and banged a fist on the arm of his throne. "Drawing Asgard's attention to us is stupid. What was so special about that one immortal that he'd risk the entire Winter Realm to take her? He could have kept the Hunt cloaked in mist until you'd retreated through, even with the Asgardians that close."

"I don't know, but Arianhod recognized her when she was brought in and told me the female is elven and was with the princes when she and Gwydion encountered them on Litaui last month during Beltane," Mene hissed.

Cernunnos' eyes widened as he met Mene's furious expression. Opening his mouth, he started to speak, then stopped, a frown creasing his forehead as a disturbance further back near the glade's entrance drew his attention.

Wind and fog whipped around Crom in a swirling tempest as he elbowed his way past courtiers to face the King and Queen on their dark thrones.

"Who took my prize? She was mine!" Crom's ancient skeletal face twisted to match the snarl in his voice.

"Good of you to join us, Crom," drawled King Cernunnos, narrowing his eyes. "We were just discussing you. Why have you drawn Odin's eye over a single immortal?"

Crom drew up short, frowning. "Oh, come on. It's not that bad." He waved a dismissive hand. "The Asgardians won't care if a couple of Valkyrie get hurt and they lose one of their women. She can't be that important. They'll threaten and bluster, but Odin will back down. He doesn't want another war that will cost the lives of his people. Especially not over some temporary sheet-warmer."

A tall golden-haired elf entered from the back of the glade, stepped up to the side of the king's throne, and raised an eyebrow. "As if you know what Odin would or wouldn't do. Without knowing who this woman is and why she was with the princes, you have no idea." Freya placed her hand on Cernunnos' shoulder. "If you draw my brother into another bloody conflict with my ex-husband, I might just help Odin and kill you myself."

"Thank you for your support, Sister," Cernunnos said, patting her hand. "Let's sit and devise a strategy to deal with Asgard, if they come looking for the woman."

A tall, lean blond-haired elf pushed through the courtiers to reach the throne. "I'm afraid it's already too late. Asgard just gave our ambassador an ultimatum."

"Danu's tits." Cernunnos glared at Crom, then waved an elegant, long-fingered hand at the newcomer. "What news do you bring, Gwydion?"

Gwydion turned, his green eyes narrowed as he sneered at Crom. "You took Loki's consort, you senile old fool! If you weren't so ruled by your cursed cock, you wouldn't have put us in this position. Odin has given us twenty-four hours to return her, or they are declaring war. Ogma saw the entire attack through the memory of a valkyrie. The Summer Court has already washed their hands of this. They will not aid us. We would face the might of Asgard alone."

Crom staggered, eyes widening and face paling.

Queen Mene rose from her throne, her steps graceful as she strolled to stand in front of Crom. "As much as it pains me, since I know it will hurt my sister, we have no choice but to appease Asgard. As you've noticed, the woman is now missing."

In a blur of motion, her hand cracked across Crom's face, the force knocking him to the hard slate-covered ground of the inner court. When he raised his head, four bleeding gashes marked him from ear to mouth.

"Lock him up," she snarled to the guards. "If we can't find the woman, we'll have to give them Llew and Crom."

"No! Sister! Don't do this!"

Mene looked away from Crom to see her twin, Badb, pushing her way through the gawking courtiers.

"Please, Sister. Give them Crom, but not my husband," pleaded Badb as she reached out a hand to kneel in front of Mene. "Please! Don't give them Llew!"

Mene looked down at the dark-haired beauty in front of her and shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Badb, but we can't go to war with Asgard. Without the support of our Summer Court cousins, we don't stand a chance. Odin has proof that Llew and Crom led the Wild Hunt."

Another elf, her black hair pooling on the flagstone floor as she knelt to put an arm around Badb, tried to comfort her. "We'll ask Cailleach to use her hounds to search for the woman."

Cailleach met Mene's gaze, then nodded and ushered her hellhounds into the surrounding forest.

Tears streamed down Badb's face as she sobbed, one fist pounding the unyielding slate. "It's not enough, Nemain. It's not enough. I can't lose Llew. Not after losing our sons to those butchering Asgardians. I can't lose Llew too. I can't."

"Don't worry. I have an idea. Help me take her to my chambers," Mene told Nemain. They each put an arm around Badb, drawing her to her feet. Together, they led her away through an archway in the trees.