Lord of the Forest Read Online Free PDF Page A

through his veins, grounding him—binding him to the green, to the forest, where he was lord.
    The hammock was suspended between two ancestral oaks, whose branches fanned him with the cool dawn breeze. All around, the rest of the nearby trees leaned their boughs close, protecting him in their lush foliage. All at once, they moved apart admitting Linnea, laden with a skin of mead and a silver tray heaped with delectable-looking fare. The tantalizing aroma of nut-sweet cheese, grapes, apples, succulent pomegranates, Midsummer cakes, and honey reached him before she did. He swung his feet to the ground as she knelt in the moss and set the tray before him. How beautiful she was in the glow of dawn, her golden skin kissed by the sun. She had woven a circlet of wildflowers still wet with the morning dew and wore it like a crown.
    “You should have woken me,” he said, taking a morsel of the offered cheese.
    “There was no need,” she replied, selecting a fruit to offer.
    “I have reason to believe there is danger abroad this Solstice,” Marius said. “I saw something earlier.” He hated to talk of it, but his reason had returned. And his sense of rightness. “It was only a brief glimpse, but I believe it was Ravelle disguised as I am, wearing the Lord of the Feast headdress.”
    Linnea paused, a ripe pomegranate in her hand. She had just raised it to her nose to inhale its fragrance, and he could see the moist shine her warm breath had left on the skin of the blood-red fruit. “Why would the Lord of Outer Darkness invade our revels?” she asked. “They are nothing compared to his in the netherworld.”
    “Believe me, he has his reasons,” Marius said. “It goes much deeper than that. The Great Stag drove him from this isle not a fortnight ago. I’ve been expecting some sort of retaliation.” The mention of her sire struck home.
    He saw a brief tremor in Linnea’s golden eyes.
    “Let us not spoil the feast with dark thoughts,” she said finally, easing him back in the hammock. “Rest and eat. You must keep up your strength, Lord of the Forest. There are still two days to come.”
    “Nonetheless, be careful. I needn’t tell you what a clever shapeshifter Ravelle is. That he has taken on my form troubles me. His vengeance against the Great White Stag. That puts you at great risk. Don’t be alone. And be sure when we’re together that it’s really me. My every instinct tells me to be wary, and I never question those.”
    “I can take care of myself, my lord,” she said pertly.
    Did she not understand how dangerous the demon was? Marius was about to repeat his warning when a rush of black feathers streaked through the trees and landed upon the rim of the tray, where it stole a juicy grape before hopping upon Marius’s shoulder to devour it with its sharp beak.
    Linnea giggled musically. How he loved her laugh—not just the bell-like sound but the way it brought out the little dimples in her cheeks and twinkled in her eyes. He loved the way they sparkled, the way she seemed to glow with an inner light like the rays of the sun. That glorious smile broke over his soul.
    “And who is this?” she said, hand-feeding the bird another grape.
    “This is Esau, my magpie,” Marius said. “He has no manners. Some call him my familiar. I call him friend.”
    “He’s a clever little thief.”
    “He’s an excellent judge of character. He seems quite taken with you. He’s never let anyone but me hand-feed him before.”
    Linnea stroked the bird and took him in hand. “Well, Esau,” she cooed. “I am quite taken with you also, but you must allow me to tend to your master.” Breaking off a small cluster of grapes, she set it and Esau down upon a nearby clump of bracken and returned to Marius. Taking up the ripe pomegranate she had chosen earlier, she bit into the skin until it split and then the juicy pips. The sweet juice colored her lips. Breaking the fruit open, she picked out more and popped them into his