Mab looked at Lamia and sighed, then glanced over at Lord Halewyn, who looked about as uncomfortable as a man could be. Robin, the Puck, drummed his fingers on the table and grinned.

"You are certain this was more than mere brigands?" Lamia asked softly. Lord Halewyn stirred uneasily beside her, while Robin Goodfellow toyed with a pen. These three were the only council members in attendance, and she listened to them on most days. At least, when she had the patience. Mab shifted on her throne and exhaled slowly.

Lami's question hung in the air of the council chamber like a puff of frosty breath, spreading outward among the people gathered. The room was cold barely above freezing, as it typically was during meetings. Several candles were jammed into tall, silver holders, but they offered little more than a dim orange glow that barely reached the corners of the room. She shivered briefly, though whether it was at the temperature or the implications of her question, Mab was uncertain.

            At last, the Lady Labyrinth bowed her head. Her face was obscured by the hood of her dark cloak. Her hair was pale, paler than Mab's own, but it was not as long. The loose strands hung across her face, obscuring her features and making her seem somehow less than human. Mab could not see her eyes, but that did not matter. She relied on the Labyrinth's words alone. Labyrinth inclined her head.

            "The tracks were not fae," she said. She leaned forward, her eyes narrowing as she looked up at Mab. "It was a Questing Beast, my Queen."

            Mab tilted her head to the side and felt the gears in her mind churning. She looked down at the table, absently brushing her fingers across the empty lacquered wood. She glanced up at the councillors. Halewyn and Lamia wore frowns of concern. Robin seemed to be barely paying attention. Mab did not particularly care. She had earned their loyalty and they knew it. But she cared for their opinions, and so she would give them the courtesy of hearing them.

            "Why do you think it was a questing beast that killed the boar?" she asked, her voice low and calm.

            "The tracks across our southern borders were not fae," she repeated, "and an informer in the Summer Court has confirmed that King Auberon saw it with his own eyes."

            Mab chuckled at this, and she could see the councillors straighten up. They could not see her face, but they must have heard the laughter in her voice. She leaned forward, her eyes focused on Lamia, who sat very close to the dais. Mab felt a tug at the corner of her mind, and she turned to look through the open doorway to her right. She saw the Lady Labyrinth's hair ripple across her face as she turned her head immediately to look back. She smiled, and Mab felt a tug at the corners of her lips. She could feel the various strands of the web spreading out from her in different directions, feel the strands reaching out and touching each other, converging, twining together, and growing stronger. She had spent three hundred years building the web, and now, it was complete.  

            "A questing beast," she said, her eyes half-closed and her lips curled in a haughty sneer. "To slay a boar."

She leaned back in her throne, her mind filled with visions of a great quarry, black and majestic, with two massive tusks that ripped through the flesh of the prey. And yet, these visions were not her own, but rather, the memory of a memory of a memory that was not hers. The feeling was alien, and she pushed it aside, ever so gently. She blinked and felt her consciousness shift back to the present. Her arms folded across her chest, she watched the councillors.

"And your recommendation?" she asked.

           The councillors glanced at each other. She could see the gears turning in their minds. For some reason, they hesitated.

 "Recommendation?" Robin growled, a wild grin on his face. He turned to face the Queen, his hands on his hips, his lips curled in a sneer. Lamia and Halewyn were silent. "It killed a boar. Should we slay it in turn? Hunt it down, hounds and all?"

"Boars are dangerous," Halewyn said, "but what could a beast like that want in the lands of Winter?"

"What indeed," Mab said. She drew her fingers across the table, leaving a trail of glittering dust in their wake. She turned her head to the side, regarding the three at the table. They all seemed to be paying attention now. She watched their faces, and saw the thoughts turn in their minds.

"Such a creature must be dangerous," Mab said, her voice low, calm.

"An intruder," Robin said, nodding.

"The threats in the world today... it is best to be cautious," Halewyn said, stroking his beard.

            The three councillors all fell silent. Mab could feel the gears moving in their minds.

            "And yet..." Mab said, her voice trailing off and her eyes drifting upwards to the ceiling. Her mind drifted back to the web, and she felt the weight of the connections pulling on her consciousness. She could feel the strands of the web connecting and showing her a path forward to what she desired, and she smiled at the sensation. "Danger is not always a bad thing."

            She leaned forward, her eyes glinting with a terrible light. her gaze passed over the councillors, and her eyes rested on the empty seat.

            "There is an appointment to be filled," she said, her voice was dark and rough.

            There was a murmur of confusion through the chamber. Robin Goodfellow cackled, but it died out quickly. Mab looked at the empty seat, and she stroked her chin with one hand. She could feel the webs connecting to it, and she could feel the tug of the threads pulling at her mind. She could feel the power of the appointment, the web connecting her to the position and the land.

            "An appointment?" the Lady Labyrinth asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Mab stood up, and anticipation filled the council chamber. The threads of the web swirled around her, and she could feel the power of the appointment.

            "I belive it is time that the Court had a High Huntsman once again, don't you agree?" She turned toward Lamia. "Tell Urisk that his presence is required."

Her voice took on a savage, cruel edge, and the light in her eyes shifted. "I will not be disappointed in his performance."

The air became cold, and the shadows in the room lengthened.

The Queen smiled.