The Hound at the Gate Read Online Free PDF

Descendent of the Black Hand. Knight of the Tuatha De Danaan.”
    â€œDo you submit to the will and laws of the
Rath
?”
    â€œI do submit.”
    â€œAnd how do you pledge your word?”
    â€œBlood oath.” Gideon dropped to one knee in front of the Hound and tilted his head back.
    The Hound approached closer. He pressed the tip of the prong against Gideon’s throat, right under the jawbone. A pause. Then, with a flick of a wrist, he nicked the exposed skin. Blood welled up from the small cut.
    It took every bit of willpower for Finn to keep his feet from walking out from under him—presumably to head back to the truck. Or High Springs. Either one was fine. Heart thundering, he watched as the Hound stepped around the still-kneeling Knight and came toward him. A drop of blood glistened on the point of the antler.
    â€œDeclare yourself,” ordered the guardian.
    Praying to the Goddess Danu his voice wouldn’t crack, Finn spoke. “I am Finnegan MacCullen of Clan MacCullen. Apprentice to the Knight, Gideon Lir.”
    â€œAnd do you, apprentice, submit to the will and laws of the
Rath
?”
    â€œI do submit.”
    â€œAnd how do you pledge your word?”
    â€œBy my blood and the blood of my master.” Finn knelt. The wet grass soaked his knees Tipping his head back, he kept his eyeslocked on the top section of a nearby spruce. The prong touched his throat. Then, with the lightest of strokes, the Hound drew a circle.
He’s making a bull’s eye
, Finn thought wildly.
So he doesn’t miss when he stabs me
. The moisture from Gideon’s blood on his skin cooled in the morning breeze. Steeling himself against the pain to come, he gritted his teeth, ordering himself not to flinch.
    â€œAnd what is
that
on your jacket?” the Hound suddenly growled. He removed the antler and pointed at Finn’s chest with his free hand. Without thinking, Finn looked down.
    â€œHa!” The guardian flicked the tip of Finn’s nose with his finger. “Made you look.”
    Finn froze. Then his jaw dropped when the Hound barked a laugh.
    â€œYou should see the expression on your face, kid.” The guardian held up the antler. “You really thought I was going to stick you with this thing, didn’t you?”
    â€œN-no,” Finn said feebly.
Well, yes
. He glowered at his master, who had joined them, the Knight trying not to laugh. He noticed Gideon wasn’t trying very hard.
    The Hound chuckled, the blue eyes of their people dancing. “Man, this is so much fun.” He jerked his head toward the gate. “You guys get out of here before the next apprentice comes along. I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise.”
    â€œYou seem to have embraced your role as the Hound this year with an
abundance
of enthusiasm, Dennis O’Donnell,” Gideon said dryly.
    O’Donnell nodded happily. “By the way, Gideon, the first hunt is tomorrow morning—we’ll meet in the field by the barn. Kel said she’s never seen so many Amandán around here before. Should be a lot of apprentices wearing the torc by the end of the Festival.” He waved them away.
    Still flummoxed, Finn followed Gideon through the archway. Questions swirled around inside his skull like autumn leaves in awindstorm. Trying to keep up with the Knight’s ground-munching stride, he glared up. “What the heck?”
    Gideon shrugged. “Hazing apprentices is a favorite sport at the Festival, especially by some of the older apprentices and even a few of the younger Knights. You best keep your wits about you and take the teasing in stride. Apprentices who complain or act fearful are ridiculed something fierce and branded as cowards.”
    â€œYes, sir.” Finn thought for a moment. “So, was that whole ceremony really just a joke? Because he did cut you, after all.” Reminded of the smear of blood on his own throat, he started to wipe it off