"No," Ricky said. He turned to Ioan. "If Liv was supposed to do or say or think anything, you would have told her that. You would never let her unintentionally sabotage a Hunt and then blame her for it. Because that would be a shitty, shitty thing to do."
"I'm not blaming her for anything," Ioan said, his voice calm.
Behind him, the Huntsmen had dispersed, giving us privacy. Johnson was long gone. So were several of the hounds, including Brenin.
"We can't just let him walk away," I said.
Ioan chuckled. "Oh, I believe he's running, actually. As fast as he can."
"Hey," Ricky said. "This isn't funny. What the hell just happened?"
"I didn't have faith," I said. "Ioan told me what Johnson did, and I had questions, and Brenin sensed that. I wasn't sure, and so I completely fucked up the Hunt. Now we've got a guy who saw the Hunt and escaped. And it's my fault."
I slid from Rhyddhad and stalked into the forest. I heard Ioan say, "Liv," and start after me, but Ricky stopped him.
"Is that what happened?" Ricky said to Ioan, his voice ringing behind me. "You tested her--failing to mention that it was a test? That is a fucking shitty thing to do, and she did not deserve it. She is here for you. To help you."
"I know," Ioan said. "Perhaps I went about this the wrong way."
"Perhaps?"
"But I don't think I did."
Footsteps tramped after me. I turned to see Ioan approaching, Ricky bearing down on him. When Ioan stopped, Ricky swung past, walking up beside me.
"If you want to go, we're gone," Ricky said.
"No, I want to hear how the hell the leader of the Cwn Annwn thought letting me screw up was a good idea."
"It was not a test," Ioan said calmly. "I knew you had questions. That was why I put you in the lead. To show that we will not do this while you have questions. If I'd insisted you investigate beforehand, you'd have refused. So I had to show you."
"At the cost of ruining a Hunt? Letting him get away to tell the world what he saw?"
"Hunts are ruined all the time, Liv. The circumstances aren't right or we're interrupted or we simply fail. Brenin will run Johnson until he collapses. Then one of my men will return him to his car. Johnson will wake behind the wheel, with a bump on his head to explain what he will mistake for a wild dream."
I headed back for the horses. "No. Let's get this over with. You said I didn't need to be there for the kill. So have Brenin bring Johnson around, and I'll hang back, and we won't have to worry about my lack of faith."
"As I said, no one expects you to have blind faith, Liv," Ioan said. "You aren't the only one with doubts here."
He looked at Ricky, who shrugged at me.
"Yeah, I do," Ricky said. "I didn't mention it because I thought that would make it worse for you. I don't doubt that this guy is guilty. My gut says he is. But does the punishment equal the crime? That's a whole other story. Unless you're a mass murderer, I don't think you deserve to be torn apart by giant hounds. But this guy doesn't deserve to walk around scot-free either. I'll accept this."
"I accept it, too," I said. "So we're good to go. Resume the Hunt--"
"No," Ioan said. "You are deeply uncomfortable with this, Liv. We've all seen that. You must get your answers. You must prove to yourself that Johnson is guilty."
"That isn't possible."
He frowned. "But that's what you do, isn't it? As an investigator?"
"Uh, no, I help set killers free."
The frown deepened. "What?"
"Gabriel is a defense lawyer," Ricky said slowly. "He keeps people out of jail. People like me. Like my dad. You do know what your son does for a living, right?"
Ioan waved that off. "You break laws. You don't commit murder. Or, I suppose, that might be naive. You haven't, Ricky. I would know otherwise. Whatever your father has done, it was in defense of others and to those who've chosen a similar way of life. That sort of crime doesn't concern us."