Tree of Ages Box Set

by Sara C. Roethle

  Kai shook his head as he reached the room where Finn was being kept. Sativola had refused to give him any more details, insisting that he just needed to go and see for himself. He raised his hand and rapped gently on the door.

  No reply, except an odd scuffling sound, then a few animalistic chirps. Feeling suddenly worried again, he reached for the bolt that held the door in place from the outside, a special addition for Finn’s stay, to find it already unlocked. He gritted his teeth, thinking of Sativola. Finn really had charmed him.

  As if sensing that the door was about to open, Finn called out, “Do not come in! I'm not dressed!”

  Kai shook his head. She had no idea who might be outside the door. Admitting such a thing to a man who might do her harm was unwise. Luckily, he hoped to never do her harm. At least, any more than he already had.

  He let his hand fall, but a few more chirping sounds caused him to raise it again. “I'm coming in!” he called.

  He opened the door to find Finn sitting on her bed with her loose hair mussed and a red flush to her face. She'd changed her clothes, and Kai was surprised to see her in dark colored pants like Anna wore, along with a loose, tan tunic topped by a deep blue corset. She seemed much smaller in the tight fitting clothes, but they suited her.

  He would have liked to observe her for longer, but his attention was drawn behind Finn, where a bundle of blankets seemed to be moving of its own volition.

  “What-” he began, taking a step forward, but Finn stood quickly, putting herself between Kai and the bed.

  “Finn,” he began in a lecturing tone as he peered around her shoulder. “Why is your bedding moving?”

  She leaned to the side, paralleling his movements to block his view, smiling warmly at him. The smile was a dead giveaway that he really wouldn't like what was in that bed. Finn hadn't smiled like that at him since, well, ever.

  He stepped forward and gripped her shoulders firmly, yet gently, then shifted her out of his way.

  She grabbed his arm and tried to pull him backward. “You’ve no right!” she shouted, unable to move him as he continued looking down at the bed.

  He’d only managed one more step, ignoring Finn’s effort to pull him back, when the blankets exploded into motion. The fabric flew upward, revealing a feathered creature, who playfully pounced on the falling blankets like they were mice.

  Kai stopped trying to move forward, and Finn let her hands fall from his arm in defeat. He stared at the creature in awe while it continued to play, not at all disturbed by his presence. As he tried to think of what to say, he finally took in the rest of the room, scattered with plates of fish bones, and a piece of bread that looked like it had been maimed, but was mostly uneaten.

  He shook his head and turned back to Finn, who eyed him with a look of grim determination. She crossed her arms, as if daring him to take away her new pet.

  He slumped in defeat. “Does it have a name?” he asked tiredly.

  Finn's mouth formed a small 'oh' of surprise as the anger leaked out of her. “She,” she corrected, “and her name is Naoki.”

  “Naoki?” he repeated, wondering at the strange name.

  She looked back at the little creature still playing on her bed. “It means tree of truth,” she explained, then frowned. “I'm not sure how I know that, but it seemed fitting none-the-less.”

  “It's nice,” Kai commented.

  Finn turned back to him, her frown deepening. “Being kind now won't get you much. I won't forgive you.”

  Forgive him? He'd traversed all across the blasted region to make sure she was okay. He'd endured Iseult's company, and put a serious rift in his relationship with Anna, just for Finn. Come to think of it, he wasn't really sure why he'd done all of that, when she had made it clear she simply wanted to be rid of him.

  “What have I done that needs forgiving?” he questioned in exasperation. “I might have lied to you initially, but I more than made up for it by sheltering you in Port Ainfean while you waited for your man to rescue you. When those roots sucked you into the earth, I hacked them to pieces to find you, but you were already gone. Then I traveled all the way to Migris to find you, snuck onto Anna's ship, and convinced her that I was useful enough to stick around, just so I could make sure you were safe!”

  Finn seemed to be growing increasingly angry. Naoki paused her activities to observe them. If Kai didn't know any better, he'd say the dragon-like creature was casting him a particularly venomous look on Finn's behalf.

  After a few silent moments of staring at each other, Finn's anger finally boiled over. “You sheltered me after lying to me and kidnapping me! Then you did your absolute best to convince me that you only do things that benefit you. Now I'm to believe that you followed me after I found Iseult and Àed because you were worried? Or did you follow me because you had something to gain? And what do you mean while I waited for my man to rescue me? No man belongs to me!”

  Kai grunted in annoyance. Of course, the one time he actually decided to do something moderately noble it would backfire on him. Iseult was clearly hers, but he wasn't going to point it out if she didn't already realize it. He threw his hands up in the air. “If you don't want my help, then fine!”

  Finn took a step forward, her face flushed and her mouth twisted like she tasted something sour. “Not only do I not want your help, I don't need it! As far as I'm concerned, you can jump into the ocean right this minute!”

  She looked so indignant at that moment that Kai could kiss her, though he'd likely get a slap if he did. Still, it was hard to hold onto his own anger when such a normally kind-natured woman was trying to appear imposing.

  Her expression softened when Kai didn't reply.

  He glanced around at all of the empty plates, to the dragon still watching them from the bed, then back to Finn. “I hope at least a portion of this food went to you,” he commented.

  Finn appeared suspicious at the subject change. “Don't pretend that you care if I eat,” she replied petulantly.

  Kai was too tired to be frustrated. This woman had somehow uprooted his entire existence, and now here she was, treating him like it all meant less than nothing. “Finn,” he began patiently, “I traveled with Iseult and Àed to Migris. I've seen Iseult's map to the Archtree, and I know all about the much desired shroud of the Faie Queen. If that's all I was after, I could have boarded a ship immediately and set sail on my own. If I were still out to claim the bounty on your head, I could have told those looking for you that you were waiting in Migris. If I were out to harm you, I could have done it while we stood in this room, alone.”

  “Iseult and Àed were in Migris?” she questioned softly.

  “And they'll be meeting us at the Archtree,” he grumbled, slightly hating that fact.

  Finn looked like she might cry.

  Kai rolled his eyes. “What is it now?”

  She bit her lip and shook her head as the first tears began to stream down her face. “I'm sorry I made such horrible accusations,” she muttered.

  Kai stood in shock for a moment. Was he actually getting an apology? He pulled her toward him and wrapped her in his arms as she continued to cry. His heart beat a little faster at Finn's nearness, then he felt something wiggling up between them. He pulled away from Finn to see Naoki peering up at him with her large, green, circular eyes, unhappy that Kai was touching her new-found mother.

  Finn laughed through her tears, then pulled away from Kai to gather the dragon up in her arms, effectively ending the moment.

  Before Kai could say anything else, a knock sounded at the door. Kai moved to answer it, suspicious that anyone else on the ship might have a need to call on Finn.

  He opened the door to see Sativola's worried expression. “There's a reiver ship in the distance,” the large man explained quickly, “we've veered off course, but if they want to reach us, they will.”

  Kai's thoughts raced. “What are reivers doing this far inland? They only raid the seas near the borders.”

  Sati
vola frowned. “The whole world has turned upside down if ye ask me.”

  Kai patted Sativola on the shoulder and turned to follow him out of the room. He thought better of it as he came to a sudden halt in the doorway. He turned to face Finn and pointed a reprimanding finger at her. “Stay here,” he ordered, waiting for Finn to meet his eyes and nod.

  He turned and raced out of the room with Sativola hot on his heels, slamming the door shut behind them.

  Part of him wanted to stay and hide in the room with Finn. Reivers weren’t like normal bandits. They were more . . . feral. Normally they stuck around the borders where their small tribes dwelled, robbing any caravan that came too close. Now they were traveling the sea, well within the realm of Migris. If they boarded the ship, everyone was doomed.

  Finn remained in her room like she’d been asked. For quite some time things were silent. She would hear the occasional shout on deck as the men steered the ship away from the reivers, but little else. Iseult had mentioned reivers before. Finn wasn’t sure who or what they were, but she knew they were to be avoided at all costs.

  Naoki, sensing Finn’s unease, prowled around the room, perking up each time one of the men shouted. After a time, Finn began to relax. Surely they’d escaped the reivers by now? She might have had her misgivings about Kai, and even more about Anna, but if she could trust in anything, it was their ability to stay alive.

  Suddenly, there was a massive thud above deck, then the sound of too many voices. There weren’t enough men on the ship to create such a cacophony. Finn glanced down at Naoki, who was eyeing her steadily, as if waiting for an explanation.

  “We’re supposed to stay here,” Finn explained, not really expecting the little dragon to understand her.

  Naoki cocked her head and made a chittering sound with her beak.

  Finn jumped at a clambering sound on deck, like the sound of someone or something falling. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling increasingly anxious. “We really must stay here,” she muttered, speaking more to herself than to Naoki.

  There was no more commotion up above. In fact, things were eerily silent.

  Finn stood, then went to crouch over Naoki. “Maybe we can just take a peek,” she whispered conspiratorially.

  She walked past Naoki and opened the door, then went out into the narrow hallway. The sound of Naoki’s talons on the wooden flooring behind her let Finn know that the dragon was just as curious as she.

  Finn ascended the small stairway that led above deck, opening the wooden hatch that separated her from the open air just a crack. She angled her head so that she could peek out of the trap door without opening it any further. She could see the feet and legs of the men on deck, but nothing else. She recognized Kai’s legs, and hated that she could recognize the blasted man just by his legs. Next to him stood thick legs that looked like Sativola’s, followed by the rest of the crew. She didn’t see Anna.

  Opposite Kai and the crew were several other sets of legs wearing fur-lined black boots. The boots seemed clunky, and encased large feet attached to thick, well-muscled legs, also clad in black. As she watched, the black clad legs began to disperse around deck. She realized too late that one set of legs was headed her way. The man attached to the legs crouched down in front of the hatch and grabbed the handle, pulling it upward. Finn instinctively pulled back.

  The man grunted, then gave a sudden tug, lifting both the hatch and Finn. They had a moment of looking at each other, stunned, then Finn loosed her grasp on the trap door and fell to the stairs. She scuttled down, then back in the direction of her room, seeing no other choice.

  The man had been frightening in appearance, with wild, matted hair, and black smudged generously around his eyes. Finn reached her room before the man had even started coming down the stairs, but she stopped in horror when she realized Naoki wasn’t beside her.

  “What in Tirn Aill’s name is that?” someone unfamiliar shouted above deck.

  “The other world has nothin’ to do with it!” another shouted. “That thing is of the Tuatha!”

  Oh no. Naoki must have run on deck when Finn ran away. With a grunt of frustration, Finn left her room and ran back toward the stairs. The trap door was open, but no unkempt man hovered over it. She ran up the stairs without thinking, desperate to save her new little friend.

  The sea wind whipped Finn’s long hair into her face as she took in the scene that lay before her. Kai and the other men of the crew all stood near the middle of the deck with thick ropes around their wrists and torsos. There were around ten other men, though Finn couldn’t keep count since most of them were moving, dressed like the one who’d opened the trap door. Those running about swung heavy axes and swords at Naoki as she deftly darted out of the way.

  There was a ship moored up beside theirs with more of the intimidating men on board, watching as their comrades battled with the mighty little dragon. None of them even seemed to notice Finn as she came into view, except Naoki. The dragon ran toward her with a screech, terrified of the men chasing her, but she wasn’t going to make it in time.

  Just as Naoki was almost near enough for Finn to scoop her up, one of the reivers began an overhand swing of his sword. Spurred on by instinct, Finn lunged forward into the path of the blade.

  Kai shouted her name, while Sativola shouted, “No!” but it wouldn’t do her any good. She clenched her eyes shut as the sword raced down toward her shoulder.

  A sickening feeling washed over her as she reached out her hands to ward off the blow that would strike any second. Dizziness struck her instead, then something hard knocked into her shoulder, but didn’t slice her in half.

  It still hurt. The blow was hard enough to knock Finn to the ground, sending a jolt of pain all the way down to her toes. The man had flailed forward at the last second, hitting her with the pommel of his blade. She curled up on the ground while she tried to remember how to breathe. She knew any moment the man might swing again, and she was sure this time he would not miss . . . but something was wrong. The man was whimpering in pain. Soon his whimpers turned into screams. Had someone attacked him from behind?

  Finn still felt too stunned to move, and still couldn’t figure out what was causing the man to scream in agony. Naoki nuzzled her beak frantically against Finn’s face, making soft mewling noises.

  “She’s a sea witch!” one of the reiver’s shouted, over his comrade’s screams.

  Finn’s eyes remained on the downed reiver a few feet from her. Something was beginning to happen.

  “She’ll curse us all!” shouted another.

  Finn took a deep breath and braced her good arm against the rough wood of the deck. The ocean somehow seemed louder than the men’s shouts. With a grunt of pain, she was able to raise herself to a sitting position.

  Numbly, she looked to everyone else on deck, her vision fading in and out of darkness. First, she saw the reivers all grouped together, backing away from her with looks of terror on their faces. Next, she turned to see Kai and the others, looking astonished or outright afraid. Finally, she forced herself to turn back toward the man who’d tried to kill her. At some point his screams had died down, but she hadn’t noticed right away. She felt like she was in a dream. She knew everything was happening within a span of seconds, but it felt like she’d been sitting there for ages.

  Finn’s eyes widened as she stared at the felled man. First she focused on his tear-stained face, the salty water trailing through the black around his eyes, then her eyes moved down to his arm that had held the sword. The skin of his arm had turned a sickly yellow in places, a pallid green on his hand, and black at his fingertips. As she watched, the skin on the man’s fingertips fell from his bones, rotting before her very eyes.

  The man turned agony filled eyes to Finn. “Make it stop,” he pleaded, his voice cracking with pain. “Please make it stop!” he shouted as the flesh began to fall from the rest of his hand.

  Naoki curled around Finn and hissed at the man.

  Finn began
to cry, and shouted at the reivers, “Take him with you if you don’t want to anger me further!” she shouted.

  The reivers stood in silence, as if they feared touching their injured crewmate as he cried and rotted away before their very eyes.

  She would make it stop, if she knew how, for she could bear the sight of him no longer.

  She glared at them with tear filled eyes. “Help him or I’ll curse you all!” She knew she should be feeling fear and revulsion, but all she could feel was rage. The reivers had made her do something horrible. It was all their fault. She couldn’t have known what would happen.

  The reivers jumped into motion and gathered the rotting man, then retreated to their ship, leaving Kai and the other men bound. As the reiver ship cast off, the remaining men looked to her as one.

  She shakily got to her feet. Her shoulder was screaming, but it was a distant pain. Kai and the other men watched her wordlessly. She could practically taste their fear. She backed away while Naoki wove around her ankles like a cat.

  “Finn-“ Kai began, but that was all he got out as she turned on her heel and ran back below deck.

  The Traveler at Maarav’s inn had told Finn that she was a weapon, and now she was sure that he was right. She was made to destroy. To rot the flesh from her victim’s bones. To call the earth up to swallow them whole. She deserved whatever the Cavari decided to do to her.

  Kai pounded on the door to Finn’s cabin. She’d run away so abruptly that he and the other men had been forced to wait for Anna to come out of her cabin to untie them. She’d hid when the reivers neared, as it was wise for any woman to do. With just the men on deck, there was a chance that the reivers would simply rob them and be on their way. Having women out in the open complicated things, as the reivers might try to steal them too, giving them as much regard as food or coin. Maybe less.