Tree of Ages Box Set

by Sara C. Roethle

  He nodded, pressing his heels against his horse to urge it onward. “Just a scratch.”

  She stared at him like she didn’t quite believe him. He noticed how her hair formed a tangled nest around her head, and how thin she’d grown from their long travels, yet her concern was for everyone else.

  “If only my powers were meant for healing instead of violence and destruction, perhaps I’d be more useful,” she lamented.

  Iseult patted her arm where it rested around his waist. “You just saved our lives. There would be no one to heal if we were all dead.”

  Kai nearly laughed. He’d never expected such comforting words to grace Iseult’s lips. Although, Iseult’s cold expression did not invite further comment.

  Finn nodded at Iseult’s comment, but continued to watch Kai with a worried expression, bobbing gently from the horse’s relaxed gait.

  “Let’s put more distance between ourselves and those assassins before we worry about anything else,” Kai advised, wanting her attention off him. If he was going to die, then that was his fate. There was no need to worry everyone when there was nothing more to be done.

  She nodded, though she continued looking back over her shoulder at him before gazing further down the path, presumably hoping Ealasaid would come riding up at any moment. Each time she glanced at him, he tried to give a reassuring smile, but suspected it came out as more of a cringe. It was all he could do to remain in his saddle.

  Eventually they rode far enough to reach the end of the snow. Kai’s wound had stopped bleeding beneath the makeshift bandage, but he felt dizzy and ill. Hopefully a good night’s rest would help him recover, though the worried glances of Anna and Finn begged to differ. They watched him like he might topple from his horse any moment. They might not be wrong.

  Hoping to reach civilization by nightfall, the party ate their meals while riding. Kai found himself wishing they’d procured some whiskey from the ruins of Migris. The pain in his wound had faded to a dull throb, but his mind was beginning to tire of dealing with it.

  The sky was black by the time the scent of cookfires reached Kai’s nose. A moment later he exhaled with relief as the gentle glow of illuminated windows came into view.

  “Badenmar,” Iseult said simply, then gave Kai a stern look over his shoulder, the harsh moonlight accentuating his expression.

  Ah yes, it was quite clear that Iseult also remembered what happened the last time they were in Badenmar. For some time afterward, Kai suspected Iseult had plans to kill him, but that suspicion had slowly passed. Though they would never be friends, a peculiar form of trust had grown between them. A trust that might soon be for naught if he keeled over and died.

  Iseult pulled the hood of his cloak up to shadow his face before continuing onward, as did Finn. Kai should really have done the same given An Fiach was looking for him too, but the people of Badenmar would likely grow suspicious if their entire group refused to show their faces. Fortunately, Kai had no overly distinguishable features. He was of average height, with average, chestnut colored hair. Iseult, however, stood out with his height and black hair. It was likely fortunate they’d parted ways with Maarav, because the two of them together tended to draw attention.

  They continued on toward the lights and scented air. Sativola rode between Kai and Anna, looking glum but determined. “One of the two of ye better be buying me a dram,” he grumbled, sitting stiff on his horse to avoid extra pressure on his leg wound.

  “You should be thanking me,” Anna replied. “If I hadn’t hired you in Migris, you might have been there during the attack. The few scrapes you’ve suffered are nothing compared to what those people experienced.”

  Sativola sighed. “I suppose yer right on that. Still, I wish I’d had the time to hire on with a crew in Ainfean. No offense meant, but trouble seems to follow ye all around. Who knows what might happen next?”

  “Quiet,” Iseult ordered as they approached the small town. “I don’t want to hear anyone muttering their true names, where we’ve come from, or where we’re going. More soldiers of An Fiach could already be waiting here.”

  “Plus, you’re likely still wanted for murder,” Kai added.

  Iseult sighed. “I imagine the townsfolk barely remember that, after all that’s happened in the countryside.”

  Sativola leaned toward Kai and whispered, “Murder?” but Kai simply shook his head in reply. Everyone fell silent and moved their horses close together to fit on the narrow road leading into the burgh. On their last visit, the burgh had been in the midst of festivities. Now, the small cluster of farms and homes was near silent, though many torches still burned throughout the square, as if to ward away the night.

  They rode toward the inn where they’d previously stayed in a storeroom. Kai had a feeling there would be plenty of proper rooms available that night. There didn’t seem to be an overabundance of inhabitants in the village.

  Reaching the tall wooden walls of the inn, all but Kai dismounted. There was no stableboy out waiting to take the horses to the stalls mounted on the side of the inn, so instead all reins were handed to Bedelia.

  “We should probably take turns guarding the horses throughout the night,” Anna suggested. “We wouldn’t want them stolen away by village folk hoping to escape to one of the larger cities.”

  “Yes,” was Iseult’s only reply.

  Kai looked down at the ground, which seemed exceedingly far away given how he was currently feeling. He would have liked to avoid falling once he attempted to dismount, but it felt like a likely possibility.

  As if sensing his predicament, Sativola moved to stand beside his horse, and offered his meaty arm. Frowning at the hit his pride was about to take, he allowed Sativola to brace him while he climbed down from the saddle, flexing his wound uncomfortably. The movement brought on a wave of pain, and darkness ate at his vision.

  A second pair of hands took hold of his other arm, keeping him upright, then the world went black.

  Chapter Eight

  Anna glared down at Kai’s sweaty face, his features slack with unconsciousness. If only the fool had expressed how badly his wound was affecting him, they could have better tended him sooner. She could just kill him . . . if he wasn’t already dying.

  Finn sat on the other side of the bed on which he rested, in one of the cozy, warm rooms they’d purchased from the innkeep. Her long hair was a snarled mess, and deep bags marred the skin beneath her dark hazel eyes, occasionally flickering with reflected firelight. Anna imagined her own features showed the same strain as Finn’s. Yet, neither of them looked as bad as Kai.

  “Do you think he’ll be alright?” Finn questioned softly, her eyes intent on the man between them.

  Anna stood and removed the damp cloth from Kai’s forehead, replacing it with another from a nearby washbasin. Once they’d dragged him inside the inn, she’d realized his skin was burning with fever. Not a good sign when accompanied by severe injuries. Rough blankets were pulled only halfway up his body. Anna had raised and lowered them several times, unsure if it was best to keep his body warm, or try to cool him down. Occasionally he mumbled with fever dreams.

  She resumed her seat in the same type of wooden chair Finn rested in. “There’s no saying. If he makes it through morning he may be fine, as long as infection doesn’t set in.”

  Finn looked about ready to cry, and Anna sincerely wished she wouldn’t. She’d never been good around tears, and Kai was the one who needed her care right now, not Finn. She widened her eyes to deny their own sudden watering, then had an idea.

  Thinking of care, she looked up to catch Finn’s gaze. “Are you sure you don’t have any healing magic?” she asked, not even sure if healing magic existed, or if all magic was simply meant for destruction. If the woman could summon massive roots from the ground, surely she could do other things? Her heart fluttered with hope.

  Not seeming to sense the way Anna’s heart was attempting to escape her chest, Finn shook her head sadly and lifted her gaze. “I do
not believe so.”

  “Pity,” Anna muttered, barely able to force out the words. She debated whether or not to press the topic. Even if Finn thought she had no healing magic, she could at least try.

  She opened her mouth to say more, then a knock sounded on the door. A moment later it opened to reveal Bedelia with a tray of food. Sativola, his wounds freshly tended, trailed in after her.

  Bedelia set the tray down on a table near the fire. There were three steaming bowls of stew and a loaf of fresh baked bread that Anna imagined would remain untouched. Kai wouldn’t be eating, and Finn seemed as disinterested in the food as she, having not spared Bedelia even a glance.

  Anna’s stomach churned uncomfortably. Having your oldest friend in mortal peril was a bit of an appetite killer.

  “Iseult is watching the horses,” Bedelia explained, her eyes on Finn’s back, “but he’d like to speak with you after you’ve eaten.”

  Finn finally turned toward her, her eyes wide and jaw slack with questioning.

  Anna watched the exchange suspiciously, wondering what Iseult might need to say in private. At times she suspected a romance between the two, but neither seemed the type for late-night clandestine meetings. Perhaps he simply wanted to discuss their separation from Maarav and Ealasaid, as Finn had seemed rather hurt by the occurrence.

  After glancing at the food tray, Finn nodded and stood. “I’ll go to him now.”

  Bedelia inclined her head. Wiping her hands on her breeches, she led Finn out of the room, leaving Sativola behind. He took Finn’s vacated seat and stared down at Kai. The door shut behind the departing women, the gentle hush of its closure sounding like a thunder clap, further jolting Anna’s frayed nerves.

  She nervously fiddled with one of the daggers at her hip, wishing she had something or someone to fight. All that was left to do was wait, something Anna had never been good at.

  Wrapping her tattered green cloak around herself, Finn hurried across the empty common room. She had an extra cloak since Naoki had run off, but she refused to wear it, both because she was determined her little friend would find her once more, and because the old cloak reminded her of Àed. It had once belonged to his daughter, and he had gifted it to her when they first set out on their journey.

  She pushed one side of the heavy double doors open and walked out into the night, quickly spotting Iseult leaning against the front of the building, his tall frame seemingly at ease. Though his breath fogged the air, he did not have his cloak tightly wrapped around himself like she did, leaving the sword pommel at his hip to glint in the moonlight.

  He turned his expressionless gaze to her as she approached. “How is he?”

  “I’m not sure,” she muttered. She leaned against the building beside him, wincing at the knot in her stomach. “Anna seems to think if he makes it through morning he’ll survive, but she seems unsure.”

  He nodded, but did not comment further.

  “Bedelia said you wanted to speak with me?” she pressed, wishing they could have their conversation by a warm fire instead of outside near the stabled horses.

  He nodded again, but seemed hesitant to speak. She turned her gaze up toward the sky, hoping a lack of eye contact might make him feel more comfortable with whatever he needed to say.

  Unfortunately, the silence drew on for several long moments.

  As she watched, sparse clouds drifted in to cover the moon. There was a crispness to the air that hinted at more snow, though she’d been told repeatedly it was the wrong time of year for it. Perhaps the strange weather was following them, just like the assassins and An Fiach. One of the horses whinnied behind them, drawing Finn back to the present.

  “Do you think we made the correct decision?” Iseult asked finally.

  “To come here?” she asked, confused. Iseult wasn’t normally one to ask for opinions.

  “To leave the others,” he clarified.

  She turned her head to search his face. Was he regretting leaving his brother behind? He hadn’t seemed overly concerned with Maarav’s welfare when they left him, but she knew better than most that Iseult had many hidden depths.

  Finding no further clues in his expression, she turned her gaze back to the moon. “I’m not sure, really. I do not believe he was responsible for the ambush, but I cannot necessarily say the same for Rae and Tavish. They did not fight against us, but did not help us like Maarav. Still, I have not trusted Maarav from the start.”

  Iseult nodded. “His motives have remained unclear to me. I do not think it happenstance that he found me in Migris, nor do I think Bedelia just happened to be traveling the Sand Road at the same time as our party.”

  “Bedelia?” she questioned, startled by the abrupt subject change.

  He nodded. “I would like you to tell me more about the time you spent with her. How you met, and how you parted.”

  “I told you already,” she replied, feeling slightly defensive about the subject. “After I was stolen away by the Cavari’s Faie creatures, I escaped and ended up lost in the woods. I saw a campfire in the distance and hurried toward it to find Bedelia. She fed me and accompanied me to Migris.”

  “And you were far from the Sand Road when you met her?” he pressed.

  “Well yes,” Finn began.

  “And she did not tell you what she was doing by herself, so far from the road?”

  “Well no,” she replied, starting to see his point.

  He sighed. “I caught her wandering around outside the castle ruins while everyone slept,” he admitted. “I believe she was looking for me. Once I had safely escorted her back, I sensed guilt in her expression.”

  Finn felt like a fist was slowly clenching around her heart. “What are you saying?”

  His expression softened as he looked at her. “My apologies, I did not mean to upset you, and perhaps I have misjudged her. I would simply like you to be careful what you say to her.”

  “And you would like me to consider leaving her behind, like we did to Maarav and Ealasaid?” she accused. “You would like me to leave yet another friend behind?”

  He opened his mouth to say more, but the inn door opened to their right. Bedelia peeked her head out. “Kai is awake,” she explained.

  Finn’s heart thundered in her ears. She turned back to Iseult.

  He nodded for her to go. “Be careful,” he advised.

  She nodded, then followed Bedelia inside. There was much to discuss with Iseult, but her priority at that moment was Kai. She’d already lost Àed and Naoki. Though she hadn’t been as close to Ealasaid, her loss stung as well. Now she might possibly lose Kai.

  Perhaps she should be suspicious of Bedelia, but she could not bring herself to question her friendship. She’d lost enough friends already. She wasn’t about to chase away the few that remained.

  Anna bit her lip hard enough to make it bleed. She would not cry. Kai had awoken, and it was clear by his unfocused, sad eyes that he believed he was going to die. She believed it too. His face was horribly pale, coated in a sickly sweat, his breathing ragged and weak. She thought it likely his internal organs had been damaged, and were now beginning to fail him. She could think of no other explanation.

  Even more disturbing than the readily visible signs, was the fading of the color surrounding him. Since developing her curse of seeing the in between, she had started seeing soft colors surrounding people. Kai’s was usually a calm, deep forest green. Now it seemed that it was fading to a bleak gray.

  The door creaked open across the room and Finn poked her head in. Anna gestured for her to come inside. Though he was just feverishly mumbling to himself now, Kai had asked for her.

  Shutting the door gently behind her, Finn hurried across the room, then sat on the bed beside Kai. She listened to his mutterings for a moment, then looked to Anna, confused.

  “He was coherent for a short time,” she explained. “He asked to see you.”

  Finn furrowed her brow, then turned her gaze back to Kai.

  “I don’t
think he’s going to make it,” Anna softly explained, the truth behind her words stabbing her like a spear through her heart.

  Finn took Kai’s hand in hers and stared down at him intently. “I refuse to accept that.”

  Anna’s heart gave a nervous skip. “I thought you said you do not possess the power to heal,” she said evenly, determined to keep her turbulent emotions out of her voice. Kai couldn’t die. He was her only friend, the only person on this terrible earth who cared about her.

  “I don’t,” Finn said softly, still staring down at Kai, “but there has to be something,” she took a shaky breath, “something we can do.”

  Anna felt like her heart was going to stop beating at any moment, right along with Kai’s. Damn Finn for being such a destructive creature. She had so much magic in her, but she couldn’t use any of it to help someone she cared about.

  Hot rage washed over her. She was a willing recipient of the scalding emotion, much more comforting than sadness and defeat. She stared at Finn and willed her to do something, anything, to help Kai.

  The lighting in the room suddenly shifted. Part of Anna’s mind registered that the candles illuminating the room had begun to flicker, as if a breeze was circulating, yet the curtains over the window did not flutter.

  “Are you doing that?” she asked, suddenly nervous. The incident with the assassins was the first time she’d seen Finn’s magic, though Kai had explained it to her previously. She didn’t think roots shooting up through the floor of the inn would help Kai any.

  Finn turned wide eyes to her, though she maintained her grip on Kai’s limp hand. “I’m not doing anything,” she breathed.

  The candles flickered again, and the fire began to sputter. Suddenly the room went dark. No, not just the room, Anna realized. She seemed unable to move, and at some point her eyes had closed. Part of her sensed she was still sitting in her chair, but her body felt like it was being pulled under water. She was sinking into an endless sea of darkness.