Àed's face was grim. “There's no telling, lass. The Travelers are a community. Many of them will know of Liaden's fate. The problem is, many of them willnae be willing to say, not without a price.”
Finn nodded. “I'm surprised you're even willing to derail our journey,” she commented, unable to rein in her earlier suspicions.
Àed spat on the ground again. “Ye think I couldn't hear yer late night conversation with that Iseult? I knew ye wouldn't be leavin him when he had so many answers for ye, and I'm not about to let you two run off without me. Ye'd likely be dead within a week, and I told him as much this morning.”
Finn scowled. So that was why Àed and Iseult had searched for Liaden together. She did not appreciate the two of them talking behind her back, but was grateful for the sentiment none the less. If she chose to find the Archtree, she would have two friends on her journey . . . though she was not sure if she'd call Iseult friend. She would have two companions, at the very least.
Kai could think of nothing beyond his cold bones and empty stomach as night finally fell. They had not stopped for lunch that day, and instead rode on until the gray sky turned black, and the horses could no longer see well enough for proper footing.
A fire was made, and all sat around it eating bread with dried venison. The meal was far from hearty enough to fill Kai's belly. He would have loved a mug of tea to take away the chill, but the kettle had been stolen along with Liaden and her horse.
Kai looked at each of his somber companions in turn. He could have cut the silence around the campfire that night with the knife he had used to slice the bread. Having had enough of it, he cleared his throat loudly. “Could someone please tell me what this Bleeding Forest is, and how we will find Liaden once we get there.”
“Blood Forest,” Branwen replied morosely.
If he'd been asked the day before, Kai would have never guessed that Branwen could even have such an attitude. She was perpetually sunny. He also never would have guessed that she was capable of remaining silent for as long as she had. He knew that her sober demeanor was not out of concern for their lost companion. It was out of concern for herself and her brother. People didn't help each other if they had nothing to gain from it. Growing up in the Gray City had taught him that.
The Gray City was a merciless place where the weak rarely survived for long. He knew that being blamed for the disappearance of a noble never ended pretty for the accused, so he understood the twins' concern. Yet, he wasn't concerned with what the Gray City might do to him, unlike Branwen and Anders. That cursed city had already done all it ever would to Kai. It was the reason he owed his so-called gray lady a great deal, and finding her would pay off part of that debt. If he could not find her, well, he had no intention of returning to Sormyr regardless.
Kai prodded at the fire with a stick, nudging the flames to give off more warmth. “And why is it called the Blood Forest? Has much blood been spilled there?”
Branwen shrugged. “It is an old name. À Choille Fala is a forest of the Tuatha De. We've much more to fear than the spilling of blood.”
Kai shook his head. “The Faie disappeared ages ago, except for the Travelers, and they are more akin to man than to Faie.”
Branwen shrugged again. “There are many stories. I suppose that a few may have been embellished, but I've found that most stories have at least some basis in truth.”
Finn and Iseult were whispering amongst themselves across the fire. Kai would have liked to know what they were saying, especially since he'd not seen the sellsword say more than two words to anyone else.
Kai turned his attention away from the pair and stared into the fire. “So we tread through this treacherous forest, find some of the Travelers, and then what? How do we get her back?”
“The Travelers will want a bargain,” Iseult interrupted, startling everyone. “They always do.”
Branwen perked up. “Do you think they will take money? We don't have much else to offer.”
Àed snorted. “Some might, though most will be more interested in things not freely given.”
“Secrets,” Finn mumbled distantly, as if she wasn't paying full attention to the conversation.
Kai looked to Finn. He imagined the woman had more secrets than most. “It seemed the Traveler we met already knew much about us, without us willingly divulging any secrets,” he countered.
Àed laughed bitterly, drawing Kai's attention away from Finn once again. “They know who we are, and where we come from, yet they do not know our reasons. They can tell if you are searching for something, but not always what you are searching for. There is always a loophole to Faie magic. Always.”
“So we tell them the things they don't know,” Kai decided.
Àed laughed again. “We'll see lad, we'll see.”
Silence engulfed the group once again as Kai went back to poking the fire. That night, not all would sleep at once. Two would remain awake at all times to keep watch. As no one wanted to stay awake and chat, it was not long until Kai and Anders were left on their own to watch over the sleeping forms of their companions.
Kai glanced at his company. He wondered what secrets Anders had, and if he'd be willing to share them with the Travelers. If they would be enough.
Anders sighed loudly and turned toward Kai. “I hope you have a worthwhile secret. I doubt any of mine would be worth much.”
Kai allowed himself a small smile. “Our secrets are always much more interesting to others than they are to us. I'm sure you have a few that are worthwhile in their own right.”
Anders laughed quietly. “Mine and Branwen's parents are both archive scholars. We grew up among some of the most extensive collections of history available. I know a great deal of little known history, but my life has been less than . . . history making. I could tell the Travelers about how I broke my arm when I was eleven, and it never quite healed correctly, or I could tell them about the time I put live ants in Branwen's pottage, but my list of interesting stories ends there.”
Kai snickered. “Live ants in your sister's pottage? I'll have to remember that one.”
Anders nodded. “Just make sure the pottage has cooled enough first. Dead ants don't have quite the same effect as live ones.”
As their quiet laughter died off, silence ensued until Anders asked, “What secret will you share?”
Kai paused in contemplation, then shook his head ruefully. “Now if I told you, then it wouldn't be a secret.”
In truth, Kai was not sure what secret he could share that would be of any value to the Travelers. He had been a slave of a sort, more of an indentured servant, and now he was not. He had found his way out, and that's all there was to it. He had a few secrets that might be of interest to his party, but he would not be sharing those any time soon, not if he wanted their help in retrieving his companion. No, he did not know what secret he would share. Regardless, he did not look forward to any of his secrets being known, even the ones that he imagined the Travelers would know to begin with.
While Anders' eyes scanned the darkness, Kai looked over their sleeping companions once more. Iseult slept on the far left, followed by the smaller forms of Àed, then Finn, and then Branwen. His eyes looked across the group, then came back to rest on Finn. While the twins remained intrigued with the old man, it was his brazen young companion who piqued Kai's interest. She was clever, which he appreciated in a woman, but she was dishonest. It was obvious to him that she had lied about her past. He couldn't really hold it against her, it wasn't like he was shouting the details of his past, or even his present, from the mountaintops, but still . . . he would very much have liked to know the truth about her.
The rest of their watch was spent in silence, both men too deep in their own thoughts to speak to one another. When their time was up, they went together to wake Branwen and Finn, who had volunteered for the second watch. Kai knelt above Finn's head while Anders knelt beside his sister, each gently waking their respective women.
Kai could see cle
arly by the firelight as Finn's eyes slowly opened. Her dark eyes looked black in the dim lighting as she regarded him sleepily.
“Is there something I can help you with?” she whispered up at him.
With a start he realized he had hovered over her much longer than was necessary. Branwen was already rising out of her bedroll and he was just kneeling there, looming over Finn like an idiot. He quickly stood and brushed the dirt from his knees while Finn pulled her legs out of her bedding.
Once the women were both up and to work on stoking the fire, Kai and Anders took their turns at sleep. Kai watched the shapes of the two women huddled near the fire for a long while, until sleep finally took him.
“I'm sorry,” Finn eventually said to Branwen, breaking the drawn out silence. Their shift was nearly over, and she needed to get her apology out while they were alone.
Branwen jumped in her seat at the sound. “Whatever for?” she asked breathlessly.
Finn looked down at the fire. “It's my fault, I think. The Travelers took Liaden because I couldn't pay for the secrets he told me.”
Branwen's forehead wrinkled in confusion. Finn thought she looked quite tired. “You spoke to the Traveler after we had all retired?” Branwen asked.
Finn nodded. “I assumed Anders had told you. I did not realize what would happen. The Traveler was very upset. If Iseult had not intervened . . . ”
“Well, there was quite a bit of drama while we slept then,” Branwen observed. “Never-the-less, the Traveler would not have been at our camp at all if not for me. I invited him in. I should have been more cautious. If anyone is to blame, it is I.”
Finn moved a little closer to the patch of grass Branwen had chosen to sit on. “Let's both be to blame then, and let's just focus on getting her back.”
Branwen nodded happily in agreement. “And as soon as we have our sharp-tongued lady back, we'll help you and Àed get to wherever you need to go. If you're willing to enter the Blood Forest with us, it's the least we can do.”
Finn looked down at her lap, feeling guilty that she had planned on leaving Branwen at the next burgh. In fact, she still planned on it.
Taking Finn's silence as gratitude, Branwen offered Finn a small smile. “Come on,” she said, giving Finn's shoulder a nudge. “Let's wake our replacements a bit early.”
Branwen hurried over to Àed, leaving Finn to wake Iseult, who rose without complaint. Finn suspected that he had already been awake for some time when she gently nudged his shoulder. He gave Finn an almost cheerful nod, then strolled over to where she and Branwen had sat.
Àed was not quite so gracious. As Finn snuggled back into her bedroll, she could hear the old man mumbling something about, “scunner-tongued, moss-brained, black-livered women.”
Finn ignored the insults. With the knowledge that Branwen did not blame her, a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders, even if she still had to break the news that their party would be disbanding after Liaden was retrieved. She fell back to sleep quickly.
Chapter Ten
They did not take the time to make tea the next morning, and instead just ate small chunks of bread on the road. The party had planned on a short journey to the next burgh, and so had only provisioned enough for a few days. Rations would likely run low before they even reached the Blood Forest, but there were few places to provision in between, and they could not lose the time it would take to return to Garenoch.
There were likely to be small settlements along the road to the Blood Forest, but they might not be of much help. Clans kept close together in the wild areas, and weren't overly fond of strangers. Though sightings had all but ceased in recent years, there was still always worry of Trow wandering in from the reaches of the forest to spirit away children and steal livestock.
The first settlement the party reached early that afternoon was composed of but a few houses, all with shutters and doors tightly sealed. Small flocks of sheep were kept close to the buildings, surrounded by high fences built more to keep things out, than to keep sheep in. Finn wondered why anyone would settle in the area at all if they were forced to live so cautiously.
Branwen cleared her throat softly as the party rode close together through the quiet village. “Where are all of the people?” she whispered.
Finn smiled to herself. Even in dire times, Branwen simply could not resist the urge to speak.
“Likely sealed up in their homes,” Kai answered from Finn's other side. “I'd venture they saw us coming from a mile off. These seem like unfriendly parts.”
“It must be because of the Blood Forest” Branwen stated morosely.
Kai shrugged with an easy air, giving Finn the sense that he was not worried in the slightest, though she suspected it was simply an act. “I don't know anything about the forest, but borderlands are never hospitable. Reivers will be about this far East, robbing travelers then crossing back into the wilds to avoid retribution.”
Branwen's eyes widened in panic. “So now we have to not only worry about the Faie, and about finding food, but we have to worry about Reivers?”
Kai shrugged again. “Worrying about it won't do much good.”
“That won't stop me from doing it,” Branwen mumbled to herself.
The scent of a cookfire wafted over Finn, making her salivate. She lifted her head and took a deep whiff of the flavorful air. The small amount of food she'd been given that morning seemed a distant memory.
“There'll be nothing to be had from this lot,” Àed commented, reading her hungry expression.
Finn's stomach growled in reply.
“We'll eat when we make camp,” Anders assured as he rode up behind Finn and Àed. “If we stick to only eating in the morning and at night, we won't starve for at least four more days.”
“That is not terribly reassuring,” Finn groaned. “It cannot hurt to at least talk to the townspeople. Perhaps they would be willing to sell us a few things.”
Anders looked at the silent buildings thoughtfully. “Perhaps it couldn't hurt . . . ” he trailed off.
“Or perhaps we could end up robbed of the little we have,” Àed barked.
Anders' face lost a bit of its color at Àed's statement. Finn was glad she was not the only one out of her depth in the current situation. She was also grateful that Kai, Iseult, and Àed seemed to know what they were doing, even if she and Anders did not.
Branwen cleared her throat again. “How will we eat if we cannot trade with anyone along the way? We'll be starved by the time we reach the forest.”
Kai laughed, startling Finn so that she nearly jumped out of her saddle.
“What's so funny?” Branwen asked hotly.
Kai shook his head and smiled. “Nothing, just remember that not all of us were raised in the safety of an archive. We may get a little hungry, but we will not starve as long as game is available.”
Branwen blushed. “I did not think of it that way.”
Finn had not thought of it that way either, but didn't volunteer that information. She was glad that they likely wouldn't starve, but hoped they would stop and catch something to eat soon, before the empty pit in her stomach became unbearable. It was shocking how often humans had to eat in order to survive, and to compete with this need while riding a horse for long hours was simply torture. She had managed the first two days of riding without much discomfort, but the lack of breaks now made her entire body ache.
Unfortunately, several more uncomfortable hours passed before Finn was finally allowed to stretch her legs, far from the silent town. She had done an awkward dance as she dismounted, her too-long skirts and sore limbs making the simple task difficult. The land where they stopped was densely forested, so that Finn could no longer see what might await them in the distance.
Iseult came to stand beside her as she tried to see further down the primitive path they followed. His silent presence soothed her worries, as she felt infinitely safer with him around. She shook her head to rid herself of the feeling. She barely even knew the tall
man standing beside her like a stalwart oak, unmoved by his surroundings no matter what dangers they might hide.
“I hear water,” Branwen observed from behind them, breaking the silence. Finn had heard it too, but hadn't paid the sound much mind. She turned to join the rest of the group with Iseult following close behind her.
The party went silent once more as they listened, all but Finn thinking the same thing; fish could be found in water.
“I don't hear anything,” Anders said after a moment.
“Nor do I,” agreed Kai.
“I hear it,” Branwen argued, “as clear as day. It's not far from us.”
Àed shook his head. “Tuatha tricks.”
“But we're not in the forest yet!” Branwen exclaimed. “We were still supposed to have another two days!” She looked around frantically, as if the Faie might descend upon them at any moment.
Àed sternly surveyed their surroundings. “The border of the Blood Forest is two days away, but we be in Faie lands already, don't ye be mistakin'.”
“How is that possible?” Iseult asked, obviously not sharing in Branwen's alarm.
Branwen's horse began to prance about, unsettled by the nervous energy of the woman holding its reins. Branwen paid no mind to her horse as she turned her attention to Àed. “The Traveler said the lines are faltering. Is this what he meant? Changing borders?”
Àed grunted in annoyance. “Did ye remember that fool's words verbatim?”
Branwen did not catch the old man's sarcasm. “Of course. The seasons are changing. The lines are faltering, undoing the old and bringing life to the new. Trees will fall, and changed earth will be left in their place. A storm is coming.” She looked at Àed matter of factly.
Àed let out an irritated breath. “I'm not thinkin' that's what the man meant, but there's no use dwelling on it regardless. We are in Faie lands now, it doesn't matter the reason. What matters is that we tread lightly, and don't be believin' everything ye see. Really, we should be countin' ourselves among the lucky. Perhaps our journey will be shorter than planned, and our rations will not be an issue.”
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