Free The Raven Queen by Che Golden

and the Lord of the Forest, Cernunnos cocked his massive head at them, a head that should not have been able to support the weight of that huge spread of antlers. ‘War has finally come to Tír na nÓg,’ he said. ‘The Winter Queen has struck the first blow.’
    â€˜Liadan,’ said Danny. He wrinkled his face in disgust and spat on the ground. ‘I knew it!’
    â€˜Weren’t you able to stop this?’ asked Roisin. ‘I thought that was the whole point of tying the Winter Queen to you in marriage – so she would not be able to harm the forest. Can’t you do anything when your wife goes on the rampage?’
    â€˜War changes the pieces on the board,’ said Cernunnos. ‘Changes their positions, changes their values. Yes, I should have stopped her. But I didn’t get here quick enough. Now the deed is done andevents have moved on without me. I have another role to fulfil.’
    â€˜We can still stop this,’ said Maddy. ‘You’ve left the mortal world, and now you can help us. Now the courts are moving against each other, there is no point in your staying neutral. You’re the oldest of the Tuatha; the only other that compares to you is the Morrighan, the High Queen, and she never wakes up! Stop Liadan in her tracks and this will all go away.’
    â€˜Things have gone too far for that, little Hound,’ said Cernunnos. ‘I’m another pawn on the board whose role has changed, and you and I are no longer on the same side. For now I will let you go in peace, but be warned – if we meet again it will not go the same way for you. You’ve caused a lot of trouble, for just one small girl.’ With that, he gathered his cloak around himself and strode off into the devastated forest, heading for the Winter Queen’s white tower, hidden from view by the pall of grey smoke.
    â€˜No longer on the same side?’ Maddy yelled at his back. ‘What does that even mean?’
    A wet nose nuzzled at her hand and Maddy looked down to find herself gazing into Nero’s yellow eyes. ‘What is going on around here?’ she asked. ‘Are the pack safe?’
    â€˜They went to ground when Liadan got Fenris,’ said Nero. ‘I came looking for you. The mound was open – Ithink Liadan must have made sure of it. She wanted to lure you in.’
    â€˜What do you mean, she got Fenris?’ asked Danny.
    â€˜She summoned him to the tower,’ said Nero. ‘Didn’t say why. But Fenris knew it couldn’t be good – it never is when faeries notice wolves. So he told the pack to hide deep in the forest and to keep the pups safe. But he didn’t come out again. Raiding parties of elves came out instead and started to slash and burn at the forest. They killed any dryads that tried to stop them, and none of the Tuatha courts arrived to stand in their way either.’
    â€˜Is Fenris still alive?’ asked Roisin. Maddy could hear the tears in her voice. When they had first entered Tír na nÓg, they had stumbled about helpless and lost. It had been the wolf pack and a little dryad called Fionn who had helped them. Now it seemed the wolves were paying for their kindness.
    â€˜I hope so,’ said Nero. ‘I hid close to a raiding party and I heard them laughing about him. Liadan has him chained in the great hall of the tower and they say she has pinned his jaws together with a sword so he cannot bite.’
    â€˜That’s disgusting!’ said Roisin. ‘That’s … that’s animal cruelty!’
    â€˜They said you would come running when you heard Fenris was in danger,’ said Nero.
    â€˜Is that why you risked coming into Blarney?’ Maddy asked. ‘To make sure I came?’
    Nero shook his shaggy head. ‘No, I wanted you to stay in the mortal world, where you would be safe. Liadan intends to fight to the death this time. Fenris would not have wanted you to