He nodded, observing their surroundings rather than the corpses.
“But doesn’t that mean Naoki was leading them to Oighear’s compound?” Bedelia whispered. “If she was following Finn’s scent, that’s where she’d go. So we’ll just be backtracking.”
“These men are far west of our previous trail,” he muttered. He gestured to the frozen hoof prints in the mud, several paces behind where the battle started. “If they continued on in the direction they were heading, they would have missed the compound entirely.”
“I don’t understand then,” she whispered. “Were they not tracking Finn after all?”
She watched his expression as he stared coldly down at a corpse. Dried blood formed a messy pattern down his hairline, and she knew there was more on his back. She wasn’t the only one who’d sustained beatings and lashes.
Iseult glanced back at their minders, then answered, “I believe the dragon tracks Finn by her magic, not her scent. They were likely heading toward the compound, but changed course when Finn escaped.”
“Precisely,” Oighear agreed, suddenly appearing behind them.
Bedelia nearly jumped out of her skin. Iseult did not. Instead, he turned his cool gaze to the Faie Queen.
Bedelia tried to quiet her breathing. Hadn’t Oighear just been several paces away, over by the next group of corpses? She internally scolded herself. One would think after all her time with Keiren, she’d be used to magic. She turned to glare at Oighear, but the woman’s eyes were all for Iseult.
“You don’t seem to regret speaking your suspicions near me,” Oighear commented. “That means you knew I’d already figured it out?” She raised her colorless brow.
Iseult nodded once, making Bedelia feel like a fool for not figuring things out as quickly.
“You would not return to this place for Naoki to find Finn’s scent trail,” he explained. “She would then only lead us back from whence we came. You knew Naoki had been tracking Finn’s magic, not her scent. She’d last sensed her from this location, leading these men here, so it’s a sensible area to begin anew.”
Oighear reached down and stroked Naoki’s bony head. “Dragons can sense magic better than any other creature, except unicorns, perhaps. Even a fledgling like our little friend can sense the magic of its familiar spirit across an entire ocean. This dragon has chosen the Cavari girl. We returned here because it is the border of my domain. Here ends my warding against foreign magic. It’s as good a place as any to begin her tracking.”
Bedelia began to sweat despite the cold. If what Oighear said was true, as long as she had Naoki, she’d always be able to find Finn. With her and Iseult along, Naoki seemed comfortable, as if believing her friends would never cause Finn harm.
Oighear smiled wickedly at Bedelia’s expression. “I suppose you now realize I have nearly won this game.”
Bedelia glared at her. “Perhaps, but the next time you meet Finn, it will not be in a room warded against her magic.”
Oighear snorted and gave Naoki’s tether a tug. “I am not afraid of a single Dair. An entire clan, perhaps, but one girl is no match for me. Now let us be off, we have much ground to cover.”
She strode past them, tugging Naoki along, then mounted her gray dappled horse. From her perch, she cast a smug gaze upon Bedelia and Iseult as their keepers rode up behind them, prodding them forward.
“We have to do something,” Bedelia whispered, leaning in toward Iseult’s shoulder.
He did not meet her worried gaze, but answered with a slight nod, barely perceptible.
She could only hope he had more ideas than she, because if left up to her, they’d likely both die from exhaustion long before Oighear found Finn.
Ealasaid could hardly believe her ears upon hearing Kai’s story. Here she’d thought she would be the one with all of the information to share, but the Alderman of a small burgh like Garenoch gathering magic forces was but a trifle compared to encounters with the Faie Queen.
She took another sip of her hot tea, then pushed away her empty plate. They’d all had a hearty meal at their inn, an odd place called the Sheep’s Delight, while Kai told his tale. Anna had remained mostly silent throughout, while Sativola drank more whiskey than Ealasaid thought possible for a single man.
“It’s odd being back here,” Anna muttered to Kai, staring down into her half empty mug of wine.
“The place where it all began,” he mused. “Think what might have happened had Anders and Branwen not recognized Àed.”
Anna snorted half-heartedly. “We’d likely be much better off. Not chased by the Faie and An Fiach. Speaking of An Fiach,” she continued, raising her gaze to Maarav and Ealasaid, “has there been any word of them this far south?”
Ealasaid shook her head, wishing she had known the group from the start. As it was, she’d always be an outsider, unable to reminisce about the past. “Only from travelers coming from the North,” she explained. “The last we saw of them was in Badenmar.” She turned a quick glare to Maarav, still angry that he’d refused to help the townsfolk . . . not that she’d been able to do any better. “Most have not even heard of them in these parts,” she continued with a sigh. “These lands are still under the rule of the Gray City, or so I’m told, though most of the guard has withdrawn from the countryside, leaving the smaller burghs to fend for themselves.”
“Hence the Alderman here welcoming magic users without drawing much notice,” Maarav added. “Though I imagine it won’t last for long.”
Anna took a long swig of wine, then returned her mug to the table. “Yes, I imagine as soon as magic is used against the Alderman, all the magic users that have come to fight will be thrown to the dogs.”
Maarav nudged her with his elbow. “I told you so.”
She glared at him. She’d been arguing with him since Badenmar about her magic. What was the point of having special gifts if she did not use them to help people? “Forgive me for wishing to use my gifts for good,” she muttered.
He grinned. “And protecting me isn’t any good?”
Sativola burst into drunken laughter at that and she tried not to blush. She had become rather protective of him, though she wasn’t sure why. She knew full well that remaining by Maarav’s side was not the most noble choice, but if she didn’t, who would? Out of everyone, he was the one who’d remained by her side the most. What type of woman would she be if she didn’t return the favor?
Anna sighed, not seeming to notice Ealasaid’s embarrassment. “Well, regardless of magical acceptance, we’re stuck here for the time being, thanks to Kai.”
Suspicion twisting his features, Maarav drummed his fingers on the table. “Please explain to me again, why those dark riders will not come to find you within the burgh?”
“That is simply what we were told,” Anna answered, “and it has fortunately proven to be true, at least thus far, seeing as we’re still alive.”
Ealasaid nodded. She’d seen the riders disappear with her own eyes, and she highly doubted it had anything to do with her lightning. She pursed her lips, looking at Kai. “So at what point will you be able to leave the burgh then?”
Kai shrugged. “The one who gave us this task simply said to get here, and to not leave.”
Ealasaid noted Maarav’s expression as it once again turned suspicious. Neither Kai nor Anna had divulged who’d sent them on their near-death mission, and it was clear Sativola knew little more than he or Ealasaid. She supposed she could not throw stones in any case. It wasn’t like she’d been terribly forth coming with her own secrets all along.
“And what about Finn?” she asked, genuinely worried about her friend. She still felt the sting of the moment they’d parted, and the shocked look on Finn’s face. “Why did you need to distract the riders from her? What task is she supposed to accomplish?”
Anna and Kai met each other’s gazes for a brief moment, then Anna turned to Ealasaid and shook her head. “Please trust that you are better off not knowing. You do not want to be any mo
re involved in this than necessary.”
“Wise advice,” Maarav concluded, emptying his dram of whiskey then thunking the empty container on the table. He stood, then offered Ealasaid a hand up. “Now if you do not mind, we have a task that needs tending.”
Ealasaid let out a heavy sigh, her mind now turned toward their task. While she truly believed that Maarav cared for her, at least a hair, it didn’t stop him from taking advantage of her magic for his own gain, even if it meant risking both their skins on a near constant basis. All this, while cautioning her from helping people if it meant revealing herself.
Saying their temporary goodbyes to Kai, Anna, and Sativola, who would be staying at the inn that evening, Ealasaid allowed Maarav to lead her outside.
The sky was now dark, and she had to watch where she stepped on the rutted, muddy road, only sparsely illuminated by lantern light. Maarav removed a piece of parchment from his breeches pocket and looked it over, then pointed in the direction they were to go.
“Are you sure this is a wise idea?” she whispered as they began to trot along down the dark street.
“Now more than ever,” he replied, his green-gray eyes scanning the road ahead, looking for the next landmark.
The directions they’d been given were confusing at best. If this was all a trap, she could only hope her lightning would save them.
She bit her lip and continued jogging forward, remembering the old woman they had met earlier. The gray-haired woman, Grelka, had known of her powers even though she hadn’t used them in front of anyone in the burgh. Grelka had urged her to stop hiding, and to bring in a new era.
It had sounded like crazy ranting to her, but Maarav had become instantly intrigued. He’d seemed to sense an opportunity. Grelka had handed her a piece of parchment with a time and a place, instructing her to show up if she hoped to change her fate.
She lifted her skirts a little higher to avoid the mud as they jogged on, rounding several more corners, until finally coming to a halt. The directions stopped there . . . in a dead end. The narrow space in between buildings ended in a solid wall, blocking passage back to the main thoroughfare.
“What do we do now?” she panted, lowering her skirts.
She and Maarav both jumped as a throat cleared behind them. They turned. Grelka was there, her sparse, white hair glinting in the moonlight. Warming her bony shoulders was a gray, heavy knit shawl, just as old and worn as her deeply lined face, and murky, puddle water colored eyes.
“This way,” she instructed, gesturing behind them.
Ealasaid turned and gasped. Where before had been a solid wall, now stood a doorway. As she watched, the door creaked open, and a young man with sandy blond hair peeked his head outside.
“Are we ready, Grelka?” he asked.
“This is the last one, Ouve,” Grelka answered.
Ouve turned wary eyes to Maarav. “And him?” he asked.
Maarav stepped forward as if to explain himself, but Grelka answered, “The soulless one may pass. The old blood runs through his veins.”
Ealasaid noted how Maarav stiffened at being called, soulless one, and she wondered at the odd title. Before she could think further upon it, Grelka hobbled forward and hurried them inside.
Ouve moved out of the way as they entered, then shut the door behind himself. Ealasaid whirled on him, half expecting the doorway to be a solid wall again, but the door was still there, real as ever.
“Just an illusion,” Grelka explained, taking in Ealasaid’s wide-eyed expression.
Ealasaid turned to find Maarav had already moved further into the room, observing those already present. Candles bedecked every surface, though they illuminated nothing remarkable. Empty, dusty shelves lined most of the walls, interspersed between boarded up windows.
“An empty storeroom?” Ealasaid questioned to no one in particular.
“So it would seem,” Maarav replied, moving to stand at her side.
Ealasaid scanned the other people in the room, noticing most faces were shadowed in the hoods of their cloaks. Patting her blonde curls self-consciously, she wondered if she should be hooded as well.
Ouve stepped into the center of the gathering, his lanky form towering over most in the room. He was almost as tall as Maarav, but with about half the muscle. His hood was off, readily showing his face, making her feel less conspicuous in showing hers.
“Here we begin the first meeting of An Solas, the light,” he announced. “I thank you all for coming forward in trust.”
Some of those gathered muttered and nodded their heads in understanding, while others made noises of confusion. It seemed about half of those present had been dropped into this situation without much explanation like she and Maarav had, though thinking of Maarav, he didn’t seem terribly confused.
The boy continued to utter formalities, introducing the few who didn’t wear hoods.
More curious about what her companion might have to say, she stood on tip-toe to hover near Maarav’s ear. “Do you know something you’re not telling me?”
He leaned down toward her so she could stand normally. “There have been a few whispers across the burgh of magic users banding together without an Alderman, or other magic-less official to rule them. I know you desire to do good, but I’d rather you not stick your neck out on your own. This seemed the perfect opportunity.”
Her heart skipped a beat. After how dutifully he’d required her to hide her magic, now he wanted her to join some sort of secret resistance?
“You saw what happened up North,” he whispered, “and what happened in Migris. We are at war, and the rulers of this time are powerless against what is to come. I, for one, would like to be part of the new leadership once everything comes to pass.”
“And you think these people are it?” she gasped.
“They are the beginning,” he replied. “Their forces will grow. Magic users are our only hope of standing against the Faie. Now pay attention.” He pointed toward the center of the room.
Ealasaid turned her gaze to find Ouve looking at her. “Would you like to introduce yourself, my lady?”
She nervously shook her head, just as many of the others had done, and the boy moved on. “We must gather others to our cause,” he continued. “Those that have been turned away from their homes, and who have been persecuted along with the Faie.”
Ealasaid digested his words as he continued on. The great cities were falling. Migris lay in ruins. Their people would need them soon enough, and a new order would come to the land.
Her mind flitted to the ruined city in the North, and the Reiver, Conall, who had manipulated magic users to fight for him. What would it be like to have such a gathering without Conall? To be led by another magic user, perhaps with their best interests at heart?
The only relevant question was, who would be that leader?
Grelka ambled up to her side opposite Maarav, startling her. “Those riders,” she whispered, “the ones who chased your friends near the burgh, do you know what they are?”
Her friends? Had Grelka been watching as she and Maarav were reunited with Kai and the others? There had been a crowd, but she hadn’t noticed Grelka there.
Maarav leaned in front of her to quietly address Grelka. “Is it important?”
Ouve glanced at them, then continued his long address to the group.
Maarav placed a hand on Ealasaid’s shoulder and guided her toward the nearest corner. Grelka followed.
Once they were out of earshot, Grelka began anew, “I’ve been seeing those riders in my dreams. They search for someone.”
“Oh yes,” Ealasaid began quietly, “They search for-”
Maarav gave her shoulder a painful squeeze, cutting her off.
She blushed, realizing she’d almost given away something Kai and Anna had asked her to keep private.
Grelka’s gaze was intent on her, as if reading the thoughts she’d almost spoken.
Wanting to distract her, Ealasaid asked, “You said you saw them in
your dreams?”
Grelka frowned, then nodded. “I am what the old clans call a seer. I saw the riders coming here, and I saw you stopping them.”
Ealasaid’s blush deepened. “I did what was needed,” she explained simply.
Grelka shook her head. “I was not referring to your lightning today, I was referring to my dream. In my dream, you lead others to stop the riders.” She gestured toward the others at the meeting, who were now all conversing amongst themselves. “You will lead them.”
Ealasaid looked to Maarav, unsure what to think.
He stared at Grelka coolly. “I will not allow you to throw her into danger.”
Grelka laughed, able to speak louder now that the room was filling with conversation. “She will be fine. You, on the other hand, your fate has not been chosen.”
“What do you mean?” Ealasaid gasped.
Grelka shook her head. “I can say no more. Meet me at the edge of town at dawn, and bring your hunted friends. Their task is not yet finished.” With that, she ambled away to address others in the meeting.
Ealasaid turned her gaze up to Maarav. “Do you still believe this meeting was a good idea?” she asked caustically.
His eyes followed Grelka across the room. “I think I would like to know what else the seeress has to say,” he muttered. He turned his gaze down to her. “Let’s return to the inn and get some rest, then we’ll speak with Kai and the others.”
Kai tossed and turned in his bed at the inn. Anna seemed to be sleeping soundly in the bed beside his, divided by a narrow table. He expected Sativola to come crashing in at any moment, though he seemed intent on drinking his worries away.
Kai couldn’t say he blamed him, and once would have been matching the man drink for drink. Not now. Finn had given up a portion of her power to save him. What type of man would he be if he didn’t risk his life to save her?
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