Tedric shrugged. “Well, I thought that any witch or wizard born without the dormancy spell and not sent to the Witch Isles was drowned.”
It was the dark side to Keadora’s beauty, and Tedric shivered at the thought of whatever cursed souls were forced to commit such acts.
Finriel’s face twisted at his words and she turned toward Lorian with murder in her eyes. “I was nearly drowned even though I don’t possess battle magic, but I survived.”
Lorian grimaced and his faced washed over with a sick green hue. He pivoted and moved away from the camp, his movements rigid and uneven as he made his way back up the hill.
“I have to take a piss.”
3
Lorian
A loud snore tore through Lorian’s dreams, bringing him to the waking world with a jolt. He shut his eyes and blinked quickly, groaning as another snore rattled out of Nora, Finriel’s mogwa.
His muscles groaned in protest as he brought himself into a seated position and surveyed the still dim light of the morning. The sun was just beginning to peak over a large hill, making its slow ascent and bathing the grass in warm light. Lorian took in a deep breath of crisp fall air and turned his head toward the dark thicket of looming pines and shimmering border of Proveria, a shiver running down his spine.
Lorian had never ventured very far into the fairy kingdom, as he knew that the creatures that dwelled inside the many forests and strange lakes were not to be trusted. One could only be so good at keeping their head on their shoulders even with the peace law in place, and Lorian was confident that he would have surely lost his if he’d taken a job within the Proverian borders. Yet, now he had taken on a mission that was leading him straight into the heart of Millris Forest, as well as only the goddesses knew which other kingdoms. Excitement coursed through Lorian’s veins despite the fact that his mission was riddled with danger, and the part of him that reveled in mischief swelled with satisfaction.
Another rattling snore brought Lorian out of his thoughts, and he scrambled to his aching feet. Thank the goddesses neither Finriel nor Tedric snored, only the extra large cat did. He let his gaze wander over Finriel and Nora’s sleeping forms with a strangled sigh. The witch was curled against Nora, her head resting upon the mogwa’s side. The knot that had formed in Lorian’s chest the day before tightened uncomfortably, and a curse flew from his mouth as he looked to the ground.
“I would be careful with that one if I were you,” a low voice made Lorian jump and swivel toward the voice.
Tedric was still seated against a large stone that he had stationed himself against the night before. His watchful brown eyes met Lorian’s own icy blue ones as he braced his hands on his knees and rose smoothly to his feet.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Lorian managed to reply, a defensive edge laced within his words.
Tedric raised his hands. “I know that you two have history. I don’t know what happened, but you could be the spawn of Nex as far as she is concerned. You’ve got to set whatever bad blood is between you two right before she kills you, peace law be damned.”
Pain lanced through Lorian’s chest, and he found himself glaring at the fair-haired warrior. “I’m not charming and kind all of the time, especially not with this matter.”
Tedric shrugged in turn and bent down to tap Finriel on the shoulder. She woke with a start, eyes darting to Lorian before she looked up at Tedric and rose to a seated position. Nora stretched and yawned, two rows of razor sharp teeth glinting as her mouth opened wide. Tedric handed Finriel a large chunk of bread from his satchel, which he strung around his shoulder with a swift motion. He turned on his heel and brushed past Lorian, clapping him on the back as he passed.
“Is it time to leave now?” Finriel’s sleep-tinged voice called, her eyes set like pinpoints on Tedric’s back.
Mood thoroughly dampened by Tedric, Lorian closed his eyes and willed himself not to answer as he grabbed the crumpled cloak he’d used as a blanket during the night.
“Nearly,” Tedric began, “but it would be best to finish our meal before venturing into Millris Forest.”
Lorian swept the cloak over his shoulders before he sat as far away from either of his companions as he could manage. He suddenly wished that he could have taken this mission for himself instead of having to share it with a witch who wanted him dead and a self-righteous bastard of a commander. Lorian knew he would be more efficient, more hidden, if he could gather the creatures himself.
An apple flew toward Lorian’s head, and he caught it deftly with one hand. He shot Tedric a glare and the warrior shrugged.
“Just wanted to make sure you were still with us.”
“I was thinking,” Lorian snapped. “Perhaps it’s something you would be interested in trying sometime.”
To Lorian’s surprise, Tedric simply smiled and popped a slice of cheese into his mouth. “I don’t have much interest in thinking. It fogs the brain, and besides, it appears to be making you miserable.”
Lorian gave Tedric a rude hand gesture, but found a small smile growing on his lips. The commander had more wit than Lorian gave him credit for, that was clear enough to see. He snuck a glance at Finriel, who watched him silently, her expression sharp as a dagger. The knot in his chest reared its ugly head once more, making the apple taste bitter in his mouth. Nora got to her feet with one last yawn, then turned and slunk out of sight.
“Where has she gone off to?” Tedric asked curiously, his words muffled by a mouthful of cheese.
Finriel shrugged and bit into the bread in her hand. “Hunting,” was her response.
Tedric nodded silently and glanced at Lorian with a raised brow. Lorian did not engage, however. The overwhelming guilt was making him sick, and he wanted nothing more than to leave. He wanted to get as far away from Finriel as he could and never look back. It was escape or try to fix whatever pieces between them were left, if there were any pieces left at all.
Tedric shrugged and turned to Finriel once again, asking, “How close are we to the nearest beast?”
Finriel rustled around in her cloak for the map and withdrew it. The ink swirled and spread over the map to give a closer view of their position within the realm. The dense forest beside them was drawn in incredible detail, and a small name bloomed underneath the illustrations of looming pines. Millris Forest. Tedric let out a humph at the name, but Lorian leaned in, blood pounding in his ears as he looked for an indication of the nearest beast. Disappointment sank in his stomach after a few moments of searching and finding nothing.
“That’s strange,” he muttered. “Shouldn’t the nearest beast appear when we open the map?”
Tedric ran a hand through his golden locks and shook his head. “Maybe we simply aren’t close enough.”
Finriel didn’t reply to either of their comments as she rolled up the map and continued to eat her bread, only a shadow of disappointment crossing her face. They finished their meal in silence and packed up the rest of their small camp. Lorian considered the fact that they couldn’t find a marker for their first beast on the map. Perhaps Tedric was right and they did simply have to cross into Proveria in order for it to be visible. Or perhaps something had gone wrong. Lorian shook his head and shivered against the chilly morning and mission that awaited.
“We should go, we’ve wasted good time already,” Tedric announced, glancing at the sun that was now fully risen in the sky.
“Yes, sir,” Lorian replied mockingly, bowing low before the commander, who simply shook his head in return.
Finriel ignored their exchange and started toward the shimmering border and forest before them, then paused.
“What is it?” Tedric asked with a sigh.
“Don’t we want to come up with a plan before we enter?” Finriel replied, and Lorian raised his brows at the first sign of nerves he’d ever seen from her. “I mean, you are the Commander of the Ten, or whatever it is you call yourself. Don’t you think it would be slightly stupid to just stroll into Proveria without welcome?” she fini
shed.
Tedric smiled. “I’m flattered, but there is nothing else we can really do. Fairies are wicked and resourceful creatures. They’ll know we’ve entered their lands even if we try to hide from them.”
Finriel shrugged and the uncertainty instantaneously disappeared from her fierce features. Lorian shook his head in disbelief as she turned toward the forest. Lorian and Tedric exchanged a quizzical glance and Lorian shrugged, starting after the witch. Finriel stopped once more and turned in the direction Nora had disappeared, opening her mouth. An earsplitting whistle made Lorian cover his ears with his hands, and moments later Nora came bounding across the field, her large face splattered with something crimson and brown that Lorian assumed was the unfortunate animal she had just made her meal. A gag tore through his throat as the stench of death filtered through the breeze, and a muffled choke from Tedric alerted Lorian that the commander had smelled it too.
The mogwa padded up happily to Finriel, who scratched her lovingly behind her ear then tilted her head to examine her face and chest. She indicated for Nora to stay still and brought a hand down, sweeping across the blood-soaked areas of Nora’s body. The blood and bits of flesh disappeared as her hand passed over them, and in seconds it appeared as if Nora had just bathed in a river, not killed an animal and eaten it whole.
“Unbelievable,” Tedric marveled, shaking his head as he watched Finriel finish cleaning Nora.
“Let’s see if these fairies are as terrible as you two say,” Finriel said with the flash of a grin, and started toward the forest once more, Nora now slinking by her hip.
“I wish your oh so thoughtful king had provided me with a weapon,” Lorian grumbled under his breath, eyes darting to his dagger, still strapped to Tedric’s belt. Tedric met his gaze and Lorian forced himself to hold it, not daring to back down. Surprise expanded through his chest as Tedric sighed and withdrew the sheathed weapon from his belt, offering it to Lorian.
“Here, now you have one. I was just keeping it safe for you anyway,” Tedric said with a grin.
Lorian smiled back with a wink and took the dagger from Tedric. The weight felt familiar and comforting to him, and he couldn’t stop a chuckle from bubbling out of his throat at the sight of his worn, trusty blade held in his own hands.
“Welcome back, old friend.” Lorian grinned and looked at the warrior. “Consider your insults from this morning forgotten.”
Tedric shrugged. “What makes that thing so special?”
“It was the first item I ever stole for myself. I was twelve years old and it’s been with me since. It’s almost something of a good luck charm if you will,” Lorian replied.
Tedric smiled and shook his head, and Lorian clapped the warrior on the shoulder in thanks. They both turned to find that Finriel had nearly reached the border and was about to leave them behind.
“Time to follow the angry witch into fairyland,” Lorian sighed, and with a surge of excitement and renewed confidence from the return of his dagger, they started walking.
Lorian settled into step behind Finriel, his heart beginning to beat faster as her cloaked figure rippled through the shimmering kingdom barrier. Lorian took in a deep breath and stepped forward, a familiar shudder running through his body as the magical wall passed through him. He stopped and turned to watch Tedric, whose face was screwed up in something like distaste as he too stepped through the shimmering border and gave a shudder.
Weak sunlight filtered through the forest branches, casting odd shadows upon the thick grass and moss-covered ground below. Cold air swept over them, unnervingly different from the slight warmth in Keadora. Lorian wrapped his cloak tighter around himself as he inspected their new surroundings. The forest was beautiful, though it had a certain otherworldliness that made Lorian uneasy. The air was clean, though oddly perfumed with flowers and herbs that, with some distaste, reminded Lorian of the Crimson Castle.
Butterflies of different shapes, sizes, and colors fluttered and swooped amongst the trees, and birds called and chirped softly to each other in the looming branches above. The grass below their feet was a luscious vibrant green, quite different from the dry fields they had walked through in Keadora only a few minutes ago. The soft trickle of a nearby stream echoed somewhere in the distance, calming Lorian’s nerves slightly as they walked. Exotic and unfamiliar creatures revealed themselves to the companions the deeper they got into the forest, some Lorian had never even seen within the book of beasts he had loved as a child. Lorian let out a grunt of surprise as wildflowers sprang from the earth and bloomed into a kaleidoscope of reds, blues, pinks, and yellows.
More animals and strange creatures peered out from behind the thick tree trunks and began to go about their business once more, uttering odd squeaks and barks as they moved. Small furry rodents with long snouts and tails scurried and hopped amongst the trees, a few jumping from branch to branch, keeping pace with the companions as they went farther into the forest.
Nora sniffed and narrowed her eyes at the small creatures with a mingled expression of hunger and temptation as they passed over her head and chattered loudly. Lorian had known the mogwa for as long as he’d known Finriel, and was surprised at how much self-restraint Nora was demonstrating at the current moment. The Nora he had known would have ripped the creatures to shreds at first sight.
“It’s beautiful,” Finriel breathed, in awe at their surroundings, making Lorian look away from Nora.
“Don’t be fooled,” Tedric answered darkly. “Proveria may seem beautiful at first, but fairies themselves are not to be trusted.”
“Why is that?” Finriel asked.
Lorian watched Tedric, who, though also looking around, maintained an expression of stony mistrust in place of Finriel’s awe.
“Because they are tricksters and terrible at telling the truth, so bad that it can get you killed,” he answered with a sneer.
“And how do you know this?” Finriel retorted. She became momentarily distracted as a small white tailed deer strode past her, pausing for a second as it sniffed at Finriel curiously and blinked its four black eyes. Nora licked her lips attentively and the deer set off again with haste.
“Because I have met plenty of fairy nobles who have come to Keadora to meet with the king,” Tedric replied, and scowled at her. “They speak of peace but I can see the hunger for disunity and war in their eyes.”
“That is a large assumption to make about people whose kingdom looks like the setting of a children’s bedtime story.”
“It’s not an assumption,” Tedric spat. “The previous commander of the Ten died fighting a band of fairies near Nocturn Lake, though they told the Red King that they had nothing to do with it. They are secretive and conniving, and I will be surprised the day that I meet a fairy worth liking.”
Lorian gave Tedric an apologetic smile, his spirits dropping. Tedric seemed to have more secrets than Lorian was aware of, but he still knew what it was like to lose someone close. Or so he thought.
“Usually the ones hiding the most terrible secrets have the prettiest masks to cover them up,” Finriel answered coolly, breaking up the silence.
A jab of pain sliced through Lorian’s chest at her words. At least she thinks I’m pretty. Lorian focused on the blooming flowers and springy grass to try to take his mind off the sudden pain crawling through his heart. He needed to speak to her privately.
Tedric cleared his throat and they all stopped, the momentary silence hanging thick in the air. The warrior scuffed his boot on the moss that had replaced the grass below them and bit his lip. “So, in which direction do we go now?”
“Preferably in a direction that doesn’t smell like the Red King spilled his perfume everywhere,” Lorian grumbled, receiving a glare from Tedric.
Finriel unrolled the map and pointed directly ahead of them after a moment of gazing upon the magical parchment. They began to walk once more, and Lorian made sure to follow a few paces behind his companions. He had clearly crossed too many lines within a painfully sh
ort amount of time, and was sure they could both bite his head off within seconds if he opened his mouth wrongly again.
Moments later, something odd caught Lorian’s eye. Dense dark blue mist rolled slowly and silently toward them in a large wave, and Lorian called for Tedric and Finriel to stop.
“Do you have any suggestions as to what that may be?” he asked.
Tedric and Finriel both considered the approaching mist, the looks of confusion on both of their faces making it evident that in fact, they did not know what it was. Nora sniffed and backed up a few steps, growling as the mist swept around them. It smelled of ripe berries and smoke as it swirled around them, and Lorian blinked as his head began to swim delightfully.
“Well, that’s a peculiar feeling,” Lorian slurred with a smile, and Finriel shot him a look that he could have sworn was concern.
“It’s the fairies,” Tedric declared importantly, stepping one foot out in front of himself for stability as he staggered.
It took everything in Lorian’s will not to laugh at the commander, whose brown eyes were now glassed over as he inspected the mist as if it were a criminal.
“Let’s keep moving,” Finriel cautioned, and they started walking, Lorian’s steps feeling lighter than they had in ages.
4
Finriel
Midnight blue smoke swirled around the companions as they drew deeper into Millris Forest, the smell of berries and smoke growing stronger each step they took. Nora swayed slightly and shook her large grey head, as if attempting to clear a bug from her ears. Finriel reached down to stroke the mogwa’s neck with slight concern, though the feeling was nearly swallowed by the inferno of anger that swelled in her abdomen.
She didn’t want to be on this mission, and certainly not with the company she had been given. Finriel only wished to see her mother after twenty years of confusion surrounding the story of her disappearance. She knew that her mother was one of the best healers to have ever lived in Keadora, but there had been a mysterious accident when Finriel was born and her mother was forced to perform acts that most people were hesitant to recount. Some said that her mother had perished that night in the fight and others said she simply disappeared in a flash of light. Now Finriel knew that she was alive and she would be able to finally meet her once this mission was over.
Of Liars and Thieves Page 5