“Perhaps you should take a faster horse,” Iseult offered as Àed gave a sharp tug to his mule's reins, halting the beast in its efforts to procure a little more hay for its breakfast.
Àed sat up straighter in his saddle, as if offended by the suggestion. “Mine will do just fine. I am no longer in the business of stealing things.”
“Well then I will not tell you just how we obtained our supplies,” Iseult said as he began saddling the best horse he could find.
Once finished, he climbed into his saddle and glanced around the stable yard. None of the townsfolk had seen him leave the inn, and so likely thought that he was still trapped inside, patiently awaiting a fair trial.
With a nod to Àed, Iseult urged his horse into action, trusting that Àed would not be far behind. The pair were spotted almost immediately as the tiny Alderman came running around the side of the inn in search of them. He waved his fist and tripped over his ornate cloak as he shouted at them, ending up face-first in the dirt as Àed and Iseult galloped past. Several men helped the Alderman to his feet as he wailed, and soon a mob had formed around him. A few saddled horses, and many ran down the main road with torches in hand, but they were too late.
Iseult and Àed's horses' hooves pounded down the North road, leaving the townsfolk to choke on the dust in their wake. Óengus was waiting for them a short distance outside of the village, just as Iseult knew he would be. He turned his horse to join in their escape, and the three left the angry yells of the townsfolk behind. They ran until their horses could run no longer, then took to the woods in case any tried to follow them.
“How did you avoid pursuit?” Iseult asked of Óengus as their horses picked their way through the dense underbrush.
“Never stable your horse at the inn,” Óengus replied simply.
Iseult grunted in reply. Óengus was not his first choice in companions, but he knew he was the best choice if he wanted to find Finn alive. Óengus specialized in tracking people, and he was not choosy as to which people he tracked. Whether they were felons or scholars was of no consequence to the pragmatic man.
Iseult had traveled with Óengus once before, when he was still young and not such a good judge of character. Óengus would often hire extra swords if his quarry was likely to put up a fight. Iseult had been one of those hired swords. When the man they were hunting tried to escape, Óengus cut off his feet and cauterized the wounds with a blade he had heated in their cookfire. Óengus had justified his actions by explaining that the man was wanted for murder, and he could be hung with or without feet. Iseult had never worked on a bounty since.
“I see no tracks,” Iseult observed.
“And you won't,” Óengus replied. “The pair we follow will not have left any. We simply follow the route that would make the most sense for them, given their destination.”
“Then it would stand to reason that they would take a different route, knowing that we would follow,” Iseult countered.
“They would not care with the start they have on us. I imagine they have acquired horses by now. Following the same route, it would be impossible to catch up,” Óengus answered.
“Then why in creation are we following the same route!” Àed shouted, scaring some nearby birds into flight.
Óengus smiled like he hadn't a care in the world. “Because, they will go straight to a pre-agreed upon location to wait for an intermediary to take the girl on a ship. We simply need to go to this location, and intercept the intermediary. Find the intermediary, and he will lead us to the girl.”
“That still does not tell us why we follow the same route,” Iseult forced out between gritted teeth.
“We follow, dear friends, because the quickest way to their destination, is also the quickest way to ours,” Óengus answered lightheartedly. “It does not matter if we arrive first, only that we arrive before the intermediary.”
Àed spat on the ground in frustration. Iseult found himself hard pressed to not mimic the gesture.
At first Anders chose their route according to his knowledge of nearby towns. They had eventually reached a small burgh called Badenmar, where the townsfolk eyed he and his sister with great suspicion. They had little news to share, only that a murderer or two were on the loose. Not wanting to add murderers to his share of troubles, he had purchased what food he could before moving on. They had enough food for a week, though Branwen would barely eat, no matter how often he tried to persuade her.
After Badenmar, Anders had done his best to reach the Sand Road, but his sister threw tantrums each time he headed West, until finally Anders decided to follow her confusing guidance instead. Whenever Branwen was pleased with a path, she would mumble excitedly. If not, she screamed until he abided her wishes.
Anders snapped out of his thoughts as Branwen's ongoing chatters turned into a high pitched keening. He supposed it probably meant they were headed toward something important . . . at least something important to his sister's Faie-addled brain.
Chapter Seventeen
Anna shook Finn awake and pulled down the blankets to untie her arms. Finn's shoulders and wrists ached, but she admitted, if only to herself, that it would have been much worse had her arms been tied behind her back. Anna waited long enough for Finn to stretch out her limbs, then handed her a hot cup of tea. She did not apologize for her actions the previous night, but her inability to meet Finn's eyes said that she was at least slightly ashamed of her behavior.
Finn sipped her tea slowly, still partially in her bedroll while she observed Kai and Anna's morning interactions. It seemed to her that Anna did not share much in common with the fake persona of Liaden. She had even pulled her dark hair back from her face into a tight braid, making her look younger and less severe. Where Liaden had been cool and distant, this new person was fiery and mirthful, laughing as Kai made jokes about their situation. At times she even seemed good-natured, at least as good natured as a kidnapper could be. Still, Finn did not doubt that Anna would slit her throat without a second thought if the situation called for it.
It became evident that it was time to go as Kai buried the fire pit with sand, and Anna saddled the only horse.
Finn observed the dappled mare as Anna tightened the belly strap under its saddle. She was a horse bred for speed in her prime, with a slender body and powerful legs, but now she was in her later years. Not much speed would be had with three riders and one elderly horse, and Finn was glad for that fact. The longer it took them to reach their destination, the more time Iseult and Àed would have to find her.
Finn cleared her throat to gain Anna's attention. When Anna turned to her, she asked, “Why did you only purchase one horse? You would think that you would want to be rid of me as soon as possible.”
Anna tugged on the horse's reins and led it to where Finn was sitting. “We were in a hurry, and as I lost all of my coin, and we did not purchase her. We had no idea how long your friends would be asleep, so we took the first horse that could be easily obtained. We'll find extra horses as soon as we get the chance.”
Finn inched out of her bedroll as Kai approached so he could untie her legs. At least, she hoped that was his intent. Unfortunately, he first tied her hands behind her back before removing the rope from her legs.
Finn cleared her throat as he helped her to her feet.
“Yes?” he questioned.
Finn eyed him askance. “Drinking tea,” she explained, “tends to lead to other bodily functions.”
Kai almost appeared embarrassed, giving Finn a great deal of satisfaction. “Anna, I believe I'll let you handle this one.”
Anna handed the horse's reins to Kai, then took hold of Finn to lead her to a nearby patch of shrubs. Finn could sense none of the hostility from the previous night as they walked. In fact, Anna handled her rather gently. After untying Finn's hands, Anna even walked away to gave her a bit of privacy. Though, Finn would have enjoyed the privacy more if it had been given without the threat of cutting one of the tendons in her ankle if she tried to r
un. In light of this threat, Finn dutifully returned to her captors and allowed them to hoist her up on the horse before tying her in place.
Finn surveyed the camp as they left, only to find that it did not look like a camp at all. Despite their claims that no one would be able to follow them, Kai and Anna were obviously still worried.
Finn held onto that small shred of hope as they walked along. She still had no idea why someone would be looking for her, or how anyone even knew that she existed at all. She almost looked forward to meeting this person. Perhaps they might have some of the answers she was seeking. Of course, they could have just talked to her, rather than hiring thugs to take her prisoner. That fact alone meant that the meeting might not be much to Finn's liking.
The day dragged on. A few times Finn managed to convince Anna to take the saddle for an hour or two so that Finn might stretch her legs. It was nice to walk, but her hands remained tied behind her back at all times. She wasn't sure why she had to be tied at all, given there were two captors and only one prisoner, and they had confiscated her only weapon, but her arguments fell on deaf ears.
By dusk, Finn was too exhausted to even think about escaping. Kai had scouted out a secluded campsite within a copse of trees where they would rest for the night. As they unpacked, Anna watched the trees warily.
“Do you see something?” Finn asked curiously, remembering what the Traveler had said of Anna.
“Shhh,” Anna warned as she crept closer to the trees.
Kai came to stand beside Finn. He had no weapons in his hands, but his stance was one of protection. Anna disappeared into the darkness. Silent moments went by, but Anna did not return.
“Should we go after her?” Finn asked. She wasn't particularly concerned for the woman. On the contrary, now that she only had one captor, it was her best chance to escape. Even if she was bone tired.
“Give her time,” Kai whispered back.
Finn considered her situation. Her feet were loose so she could run, but she doubted she could outrun Kai, especially in skirts with her hands bound. She could attack Kai, but imagined that would end badly for her as well. Her slim hopes were dashed as Anna reappeared.
“There is another camp,” she stated as she approached. “I'm going to acquire some more supplies, and hopefully two more horses.”
“Do you think that is a wise risk?” Kai asked incredulously.
“What is life without a few risks?” Anna said with a smile, then turned to leave again.
As Anna faded from view, Kai turned to Finn. “We won't be having a fire tonight, just in case.”
“Fine,” Finn answered crankily. “Will you untie my hands now?”
“No,” Kai answered as he began unpacking their bedrolls.
As soon as the bedding was on the ground, Finn plopped down to sulk. Kai sat beside her as he unpacked some more of the bread and cured meat and offered her a bite after he’d sandwiched them together. She lifted her nose and snubbed the food, preferring not to be hand-fed like a helpless animal. She stared Kai down as he ate his portion.
He paused mid-bite. “Oh fine,” he huffed, setting his food down on his bedroll, which was directly beside Finn's, and motioning for her to turn her back to him so he could remove her ropes.
Finn obeyed, then clenched and unclenched her freed hands a few times before finally taking the offered food. The bread was stale, but given that they had not eaten all day, she gnawed it the best she could.
“How does Anna plan on acquiring new supplies from the camp? I imagine they only have whatever supplies they need for themselves,” Finn questioned as she greedily scarfed down her meal.
“Well we need them a bit more,” Kai replied. “Anna will decide what method to employ as soon as she is sure of what type of travelers she is dealing with.”
“So she will steal?” Finn asked.
Kai shrugged. “If she has to. If they are kindly folk, she will likely be able to talk them out of some of their belongings.”
Finn shook her head, wondering how on earth one woman might manage to talk a man out of his belongings. Then she blushed with realization and tried not to think about it anymore.
“Do you hear that?” Kai asked with his head cocked to the side, as if trying to catch a distant sound.
She listened for a moment. “All I hear is the creaking of branches.”
“Exactly,” Kai replied. “There is no wind.”
Finn looked around in the dimming light nervously, but could not find the source of the noise. The horse whickered and stamped its feet, confused.
“It is good to see you again, Tree Sister,” came a rumbling voice from along the line of trees. Finn watched in astonishment as the trees all began to uproot themselves and shamble toward them.
“Trow,” Kai groaned. “Of course we would choose to camp right next to a copse of Trow.”
Finn recognized the Trow that had spoken as the one that had carried her out of the Blood Forest. “Have you lost your other friends?” it asked as it approached.
“No,” Finn began, but suddenly she had an idea. “I was actually taken from them,” she finished, “by this man beside me.”
Kai's eyes widened. “Not true,” he argued quickly, seeing what Finn was doing. “She's just a little sore about . . . a bad joke,” he lied as he looked around for a means of escape.
“Would you call Tree Sister a liar?” the Trow asked, obviously offended.
Kai got to his feet and pulled Finn up beside him. “We must be going now,” he stated as he began backing away, Finn in tow.
“What would you have us do, Tree Sister?” the lead Trow asked worriedly as Kai pulled Finn away.
Finn thought for a moment as she struggled against Kai. What she wanted was to escape, but she also wanted Kai to pay for betraying her. “I would like to take this man prisoner. If you could just hold him still while I tie him up?”
The Trow approached from all directions, blocking any chance Kai might have had to run. He didn't attempt to fight as the Trow took hold of him, wrapping their spindly hands around his arms and shoulders. There were about a dozen of them, and they could have easily crushed a man without much effort. Kai glared at Finn as he was held immobile by the Trow.
Laughing on the inside, Finn approached and tied Kai's hands behind his back with the same rope that had been used on her, looping the ends of the rope around his chest to secure his arms at his sides. She quickly searched him for weapons, hoping that Anna would not return too soon and complicate things. She found her dagger on his belt and paused to tie it around her waist. She then searched the rest of his person, throwing several other weapons to the ground as she found them.
As his weapons hit the ground, Kai began to struggle against his restraints. “Those were expensive!”
Finn threw the final dagger in her hand to the grass. It landed with a heavy clink as it hit the other discarded weaponry. “I'm sure you did not pay for them.”
Finn looped the horse's reins around her arm, and drew her dagger to press against Kai's back as the Trow released him into her custody. Before departing, she turned to face the Trow that seemed to do all of the talking for its group. “Thank you. I am in your debt, but I must ask one more favor.”
“Of course, Sister,” the Trow replied.
Finn smiled even wider. “If a woman returns to this place, could you perhaps detain her? I do not wish her harm, mind you, but I'd rather she not catch up to us.”
“As you wish, Tree Sister,” the Trow said with a crooked smile.
Finn looked down at the bedrolls and the satchel that held much of their food. “Would you kindly throw those things across the horse's saddle as well?”
One of the other Trow approached and did as she asked, strapping the satchel on top of the bedrolls to secure them. He bowed without a word and retreated.
Finn bowed her head to the Trow in return, then prodded Kai out of the copse of Trow and trees with the dagger, leading the horse behind them. They walked unhinder
ed by any Faie until they were a good distance away from the copse, as full darkness fell upon them.
“Why even take me?” Kai asked angrily as he stumbled ahead of Finn, having trouble seeing his footing in the darkness. “You know I'll escape you the moment you remove that dagger from my back.”
Finn smirked, though Kai could not see it. “Then I will not remove it. Do you think you can just betray your friends and not be held accountable?”
Kai grunted as he stubbed his toe on a rock. “I thought we made it quite clear that we were never your friends.”
“Well I thought you were,” Finn replied petulantly, “and I don't have many friends. I don't take such lies lightly.”
Kai sighed and breathed out the words, “I'm sorry.”
“What was that?” Finn asked. “I couldn't quite hear you.”
“I'm sorry,” he said more loudly. “Now will you please let me go?”
“No,” Finn answered. “I don't think you mean that apology, so I will not be accepting it.”
Kai sighed again as they walked on. Finn was not sure what she intended to do with him. Though she did want him to pay for his betrayal, she had taken him more out of a desire to not be alone in the woods without any idea where to go. If he had to accompany her as a prisoner, then so be it.
After stumbling through the dark for hours in no particular direction, Kai finally asked, “Do you have any idea where we're going?”
Finn didn't answer. She didn't know where she was going, but she refused to stop, even as the first hints of sunrise peeked down through the trees. Her first instincts were to find Iseult and Àed, though she wasn't sure where to start. She hoped that the two had stuck together. At least that way if she found one, she would find both. She knew they would be looking for her, either together or apart.
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