Tree of Ages Box Set

by Sara C. Roethle

  Finn sat up with a start, forcing the little woman to dart out of the way. She looked back at the unicorn, horrified that she’d somehow offended the rare creature.

  The unicorn stared back at her with glittering blue eyes, not seeming to mind.

  “Her name is Loinnir,” the little woman buzzed next to Finn’s ear. “You have been granted a great gift by her presence. She once belonged to the Snow Queen.”

  Finn gasped. Did she mean Oighear? So not only had Finn escaped imprisonment, she’d stolen Oighear’s personal unicorn?

  She turned wide eyes to the tiny woman. “And who are you, that knows so much about ah-vooh-nash?”

  “Aonbheannach,” the woman corrected. “I am Corcra, den mother to my pixie clan.”

  “Corcra,” Finn began hesitantly as Loinnir rose up behind her, “could you please tell me where I am?”

  Corcra sighed, though it sounded more like a high-pitched whine. “How in the tattered wings should I know? We’re in the middle of nothing. I’m leading my clan on our migration, somewhere far from the Snow Queen’s ice. We die in that sort of cold.”

  Finn stood, kicking away the bedroll still tangled around her boots. “Could you perhaps point me in the direction of the nearest road?” she asked distantly, her attention once again caught by the dazzling, colorful display of pixies.

  “Aye,” Corcra replied, dipping down to once again hover in front of Finn’s face. “We’ll have to cross it on our way to the coast. In return, perhaps you could provide a distraction for us. It is in our best interest to stay out of sight from the world of men, and the world of the Snow Queen alike.”

  Another of the pixies, a tiny man with pale green wings and hair, flitted near Finn’s injured arm. “I smell blood,” he buzzed, his voice only a few octaves lower than Corcra’s.

  “You have already eaten today,” Corcra hissed.

  Finn’s pulse raised a few notches as she took a deliberate step away from Corcra and her kin.

  Not seeming to notice, Corcra flew in Loinnir’s direction, then turned to face Finn. “Let us depart. She says you may ride her again.”

  Finn scowled at the heavy saddle, still on the ground where she’d left it with the bridle. She would have trouble lifting the saddle onto the tall unicorn any day, let alone with an injured arm. Dismissing the idea, she instead rolled up her bedroll, tied the two satchels from the saddle around it, and carried the bundle toward Loinnir.

  Once again, she looked at the tall unicorn doubtfully.

  As if understanding the issue, Loinnir knelt on her front legs, allowing Finn to drape her bundle across her shoulders, before climbing up behind it. Having respectfully forgone the bridle in favor of allowing the unicorn to lead the way, she intertwined her fingers with Loinnir’s silky mane, then Loinnir raised herself.

  A fluttering sound announced Corcra, seconds before she landed on Finn’s shoulder.

  She shivered. “Don’t think for a moment that I’ve forgotten that blood comment.”

  Corcra chuckled. “Do not fear, we are mostly carrion eaters. We’re not likely to taste your blood until you’re dead.”

  Her shoulder’s stiffened. “That’s not terribly comforting.”

  “It wasn’t meant to be,” Corcra replied. “Still, our small hands are more than capable of stitching your wound, and Loinnir will carry you as far as she can, though I doubt she will remain in the land of men with you. I’m not sure why you would want to travel one of their roads.”

  “How do you know I’m not one of them?” Finn inquired, beginning to relax. She still needed to find her friends, but for the moment, it was nice to have conversation, and an offer to tend her wound.

  Corcra chuckled. “Loinnir once carried the Queen of the Aos Sí. She would only willingly leave her mistress for a more fitting queen, and not a simple human one.”

  Finn chewed on her lip, wondering how much she should divulge to Corcra. “I am no queen,” she said simply. “I am no one at all.”

  “Many women have said such a thing,” Corcra replied, “only to later move entire nations.”

  Finn smiled softly, though she knew Corcra was wrong about her. She was tangled in a web with spiders approaching on all sides, not the queen, but the prey. Queens might be capable of moving mountains, but her only business was staying out of their way.

  “What do the Dair plan?” the female Aos Sí demanded.

  Iseult barely even noted her graceful features, her black hair, or the black tunic and breeches she wore. They did not matter. If he could not escape, at the very least, he would not speak. He would die with honor. It didn’t matter that he had no idea what the Dair were planning. He would give the Aos Sí nothing.

  The Aos Sí woman growled, and Iseult braced himself for the pain of a hot poker, or perhaps a blade, but the pain never came. The woman stalked past him until her footsteps faded out of hearing range, only to be replaced by new footsteps heading toward him.

  He tried to keep the surprise off his face as Oighear moved around his chair to peer down at him. She blinked intelligent, lilac eyes, as if she were reading his thoughts.

  “You are very loyal,” she said finally.

  She began to pace, the long train of her glittering white gown hissing across the stone floor.

  “Normally, loyalty is a trait which I highly reward,” she continued. She laced her pure white hands together and turned toward him. “Unfortunately, yours seems to be misguided. The Dair stole my magic once, and I will not allow it to happen again. Lead me to my shroud, and we shall defeat them together.”

  Iseult was almost tempted by her offer. If they could defeat the other Dair, perhaps Finn would be safe, but he had a feeling Oighear would lump her in with the others.

  She waited for his reply, but received none.

  She quirked an eyebrow at him, the fine white hairs barely visible against her matching skin. “I know of your people,” she stated casually. “So few left now,” she mused. “I wonder, what happens when you die without a soul?”

  Iseult once again schooled his expression to show nothing, though it was difficult. Few knew of his people’s curse. In fact, with the disappearance of the Cavari, and his lack of kin, for many years he believed himself the only one with the information.

  She began to pace again. “I can break your curse with the help of my shroud. It removes the barrier to the in between, where the souls of your people are trapped. Join me, and you will have everything you could ever hope for.”

  “If your deal were truly so sweet,” he replied, “you would have offered it from the start, instead of imprisoning us.”

  Ire flashed through her lilac eyes. “The girl is Cavari. She would see me returned to my eternal slumber. I learned my lesson centuries ago. One does not make treaties with enemies.”

  “Yet you seek out the Dair?” he questioned, hoping to keep her talking, though he wasn’t sure why. Any information he learned would do him little good once he was dead.

  She smirked. “Not all Dair are Cavari. The Cavari are twisted and evil, far from where their people originated. I had hoped to find the other Dair to band against the Cavari, along with the other Faie. Together, we would be unstoppable.”

  “And let me guess,” he taunted, “you would be the queen of all?”

  She tilted her head, cascading her silken hair over her bony shoulder. “Naturally.”

  “And if I join you,” he pressed, “declare you my new queen. What then?”

  “We find the shroud, kill the Cavari, and rule the earth.”

  Iseult shook his head and laughed. “That is the problem with queens. It’s never about saving your people, or bringing justice to wrong-doers. Your sole concern is power. You surely are no queen of mine.”

  “You have just as much reason to hate the Cavari as I,” she snapped.

  He shrugged. “Perhaps.”

  She frowned, then looked past him toward someone entering the room.

  “A large contingent of men has been s
potted in the Western Woods,” the visitor explained.

  Oighear’s frown deepened. “Humans?”

  “Yes, my lady.”

  “And why are they still alive?” she inquired.

  The informant stepped further into the room, revealing himself to be one of the many armored Aos Sí. “They skirt the boundaries, my lady. A large force would need to be deployed, leaving those who remain vulnerable.”

  Oighear let out a throaty laugh. Iseult did not miss the way the Aos Sí warrior jumped. Perhaps Eywen and his associates were not the only ones who feared their queen.

  “Let us see if these men can withstand the wrath of Oighear the White,” she growled.

  Without another look at Iseult, Oighear swept out of the room with the Aos Sí. The door slammed shut behind them, then a lock slid into place, even though Iseult was already restrained in his chair.

  Ignoring the throbbing of his near-fatal wound, and the aching of his cold bones, he began to formulate his plan. Oighear might have been an ancient, magical being, but she was shortsighted, blinded by her own power and authority. Perhaps there was a way out of this situation yet, a way back to Finn. He wouldn’t get his hopes up, but if an opportunity presented itself, he’d be ready.

  Óengus drew his horse to a halt. Something felt odd. Even the winged creature at the end of his tether had lifted its head to scent the air, its spherical eyes intent on something in the distance. His men all came to a halt behind him, muttering to each other, but not daring to ask their Captain what was wrong.

  He inhaled deeply, tasting crisp moisture on the back of his tongue, yet the sky was clear. Then the first snowflake came drifting in, like a lazy fly fluttering up and down through the air. It landed on Óengus’ cheek. Before it could melt, more snow began to fall. The sky suddenly grew dark.

  Óengus stared upward. He’d seen sorcery many times, and knew this was no natural snowfall. A mighty gust came in, pelleting him and his men with snow. The creature tugged at its tether, making a nervous chittering sound in its throat.

  “Ride!” Óengus shouted, right before the sky closed in on them. He kicked his horse forward, suddenly blinded by the stinging white snow. Judging by the initial flakes it was coming from the southeast. To ride north would be backtracking, so that meant they must ride west. He veered his horse to the right and hunched over close to his saddle.

  One of his men screamed not far behind him. He turned, and could barely see enough through the snow to notice an oddly armored rider as he wielded a long sword against another of his men.

  Óengus turned forward again and kicked his horse. If these riders were somehow causing the snowfall, now was not the time to fight. He nearly toppled from his horse as something struck his shoulder. The creature’s tether tugged free from his half frozen hand, and she disappeared into the blizzard. Unable to chase after her, he lifted his blade to fend off the armored rider’s next attack. It did not seem that there were many of them, but the snow was causing great confusion amongst his men, removing the advantage of their greater numbers.

  He slashed again, and the rider fell away. Óengus kicked his horse forward through the trees, seeking cover from the blinding snow. Warm blood flowed down his back from the new wound in his shoulder, saturating his uniform. More of his men screamed behind him.

  While perhaps in that moment he should have been fearing for his life, all he could think was, Keiren will not be pleased.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Kai flicked his eyes from side to side, one hand on his reins and the other on a dagger the Aos Sí had provided along with a horse. He wasn’t sure if it was the unfamiliar weapon, the dark surrounding trees, the crispness to the air, or something else that made unease clench his gut like a fist. He and his remaining party, who’d also been supplied the same, had eventually reached the Sand Road, but had opted for riding on a parallel side path. That way, they would hopefully spot any travelers on the road before they themselves were spotted. While the Aos Sí had equipped their new mounts with everything they might need for their journey, they were still now only three, just he, Anna, and Sativola, none of them possessing magic like Finn or Ealasaid.

  The fist around his gut dug its nails in at the thought of Finn. His only comfort was that he knew Iseult would take care of her, but . . . he wanted it to be him. He wanted to be the one to race back and protect her from Oighear, but what could he do? He was a weak human, utterly useless in a world that now seemed to be overrun by magic. He lifted his hand from his dagger to stare at the scar on his palm. Though the skin should have been slightly deadened to touch, it felt more . . . alive than the rest of the skin on his body. Right now it was burning.

  Anna abruptly halted her horse. “Do either of you feel like we’re riding into a trap?”

  He turned and peered at her face, barely showing in the shadow of her hood. She rode with her back hunched, as if a great weight was on her shoulders.

  “I’ve felt nervous since we reached Migris,” Sativola grumbled from her other side. “And I’ll continue to feel nervous until we reach a city where men still dwell. If we’re walking into a trap, well, it wouldn’t feel different than any other day.”

  “You’ll learn to tell the difference between nerves and traps,” Anna snapped, “if you have a wise bone in your body.”

  Ignoring their bickering, Kai peered around at the surrounding trees. Though the air was chilly, there was no sign of snow. Still, he did feel an air of portent, and he could not decide if it meant something bad was coming, or if he simply expected something bad after everything else that had happened. He flexed his scarred hand uncomfortably.

  They had ridden almost constantly since leaving Oighear’s domain, intent on reaching Garenoch. They didn’t want Finn, Iseult, and Bedelia to reach the burgh before them, and leave once they saw they weren’t there.

  “Do you see that?” Anna hissed, pointing past Kai’s face. “Is there a stream nearby?”

  He looked in the direction she was pointing, noting the subtle mist gathering above the ground. While it wasn’t an abnormal sight in their moist atmosphere, he was quite sure he’d never view acts of weather and nature as normal again.

  “I say we take our chances on the road,” Sativola said warily.

  Kai wanted to agree, but part of him hoped the mist was unnatural. Not all magic beings they’d encountered had been malevolent. Perhaps if this was such a creature, it might have crossed paths with Finn. The Trow, for one, seemed to flock to her.

  “Go to the road if you wish,” he muttered. “I’d like to see what this is all about.”

  As he watched, the mist increased.

  Without another word, Sativola turned his horse and trotted in the direction of the road. Kai supposed he couldn’t blame him, especially after he’d been caught dancing half naked in the moonlight.

  He startled as Anna stepped her horse up to his side.

  He turned his gaze to her, though he still could hardly see her face. “You can wait on the road too,” he advised. “I know you’d rather not see anything . . . magical, if you can help it.”

  Her shoulders slumped as she sighed. “Yes, the problem is, I can see such things, far better than you. I fear you won’t know what to do without me.”

  He shrugged. “True.”

  He would have said more, but the mist had reached their horses’ hooves, and had begun to climb upward. It hit his nostrils, and suddenly he felt overwhelmingly sleepy. He fought his eyes as they attempted to close. Perhaps this had not been such a wise choice after all. He slumped forward in his saddle, unable to remain erect, only vaguely aware of Anna slumping beside him, muttering, “You owe me for this.”

  As hard as he fought, his world went dark, then it was as if the strange trance had never happened. He sat upright, blinking at the misty woods around him in confusion. He felt alert and in control of his body. He turned to observe Anna in much the same state.

  “What happened?” he whispered.

  “The gr
ay,” she groaned. “We’re part way between the gray place and reality.”

  He cringed at that revelation, but didn’t have time to reply as a cloaked form stepped out of the mist.

  “You,” Anna gasped.

  Kai peered at the cloaked figure. Its body was clearly feminine, draped in a silky black robe. Other than the determination of gender, he had no idea how Anna knew who it was. The face inside its hood was hidden from view.

  “Yes, I,” the woman replied. “Forgive me for not properly introducing myself before. I am Móirne.”

  Her voice sounded oddly familiar to Kai, yet he couldn’t quite place it.

  “I see you have lost track of my daughter,” the woman continued. “Or perhaps you left her on purpose.”

  Daughter? Kai thought. Could it be . . .

  Móirne pulled back her hood, revealing a face almost the twin of Finn’s, save a more angular jaw, blue eyes instead of dark hazel, and brown hair instead of dirty blonde.

  “Do you know where she is?” Anna bravely demanded.

  Kai was glad that she did, as he was still too stunned to speak.

  “She is safe,” Móirne replied, “for now. She travels with some of the lesser denizens of our kind. They will aid in her journey for a time.”

  “Then why are you here?” Anna asked. “Or are you really here.”

  Móirne quirked the corner of her lips in a very un-Finn-like smile. Finn’s smile was always broad and warm. This woman’s was secretive. “I am not truly here, you are correct. I’ve come to ask a favor,” she turned her gaze to Kai, “of you. You may not remember, but you owe me almost as much as you owe my daughter.”

  “You helped her save me,” he recalled. “She told me what happened the next morning.”

  She nodded. “Yes, and now I need your help. I expect you will not refuse.”

  “If it will aid Finn, I will give you whatever you wish,” he replied.

  She smiled a little wider. “Perhaps she was right to save you, and it’s actually quite convenient for me. I need you to draw the attention of my people. I’ve done my best to hide Finn from them, but her magic shines brighter every day. It draws our people to her like moths to a flame. Soon I will not be able to protect her, but I can still buy her time to finish what she started.”