“Were you truly never my friend?” Finn interrupted, heartbreak clear in her voice.
“I always was!” she quickly corrected. “Or at least, for the most part. After you saved me from the wolves, and didn’t care if I told you why I wore armor or traveled through the woods alone, and especially after I learned you were the one who left the potion for me, my thoughts changed. I began to hope there was some way I could save you from Keiren, and she knew it. She knew my heart had changed, and I would never lead you to harm.”
Finn took a deep, shaky breath, and was quiet for several seconds.
Bedelia was so overwhelmed with waiting for a reply, she had to resist the urge to reach out and shake her friend.
“And what of Àed?” Finn asked finally, not meeting her waiting gaze.
Bedelia closed her eyes for a moment. This was the hard part. The part Finn would never forgive. “Keiren turned him into a tree,” she breathed. “He now stands where the Archtree once took root.”
Finn blinked at her in shock. “So he’s not dead?” she gasped.
“N-no, but-” she stammered, unable to interpret Finn’s attitude.
“Well this is wonderful!” Finn exclaimed. “When he did not come to find me, I knew something terrible had happened. I couldn’t help but fear the worst, that he’d been in Migris when it was attacked. But if he has simply been turned into a tree, there is still hope of saving him. I was a tree for a hundred years, after all, and it did not do me any harm.” She frowned. “Well except for the loss of my memories, but those came back.”
“But,” Bedelia began again, totally taken aback.
Finn took both her hands in hers and eyed her intently. “Àed told me about his daughter, Keiren. That she was powerful, and cruel. Now I know it must be true if she would turn her own father into a tree. I will forgive you fully, if you promise to help me get him back.”
Bedelia thought her heart might burst. She would forgive her, after everything she’d done? “I will give my life if that’s what it takes. I swear it.”
Finn released one of her hands to pat the other one. “Now now, if that’s what it takes, we will find another way. Thank you for telling me.”
She couldn’t quite believe her ears. This had to be some sort of trick. “I don’t understand,” she blurted. “How can you forgive me so easily?”
Finn beamed at her. “I cannot claim to know much about the mortal realm, but one thing I’ve come to know quite intimately is friendship. My friends are not perfect, they have made mistakes, just as I have, but what makes a true friend is the ability to see beyond that. I see your heart, Bedelia, and that is all that matters.”
Bedelia blinked rapidly as her tears began to fall, and foreign sensations overcame her. Sensations she had blocked out long ago. She never would have guessed that what it would take to bring her back to life was not a lord, not a lover, but a friend.
She pulled Finn into a fierce hug, which Finn happily returned. She did not care if half of those in the common room had turned to look at them, and could clearly see the tears on the warrior woman’s face. All she cared about was that she finally had a friend.
Pulling away, Finn took her hand and stood, leading her back across the room. Kai and Iseult resumed their posts on either side of Finn while she told the rest of their party Àed’s fate. The general consensus was joy that he was still living in some way, and could possibly be saved.
Bedelia shook her head in disbelief as her friends continued to drink and make merry. She couldn’t help but feel that they were almost like a family. They might not all get along, and they might have their secrets, but they were there when it counted, and that was all that mattered.
Chapter Seventeen
Finn awoke, filled with sudden memory. The final pieces slowly coming back to her, bit by bit. The curtained window had darkened the room, though it was still night. Anna snored loudly in the bed next to hers.
Anna. Finn sighed. In the morning, she would attempt to use the shroud to remove her magic, but it seemed she still had several hours before she needed to figure that out.
The shroud was now tied around the waist of her breeches. After a much needed bath, she’d felt it best to keep it near. She didn’t relish having the magical item so close to her skin, but she had listened closely to what Slàine had told them. She couldn’t risk this third queen coming along and stealing it away from her, not when they didn’t know what she’d do with it.
With a final glance at Anna, she donned her cloak and boots, then let herself out into the hall, just like she’d done the night she’d stayed with Àed at this very inn. The same night Iseult tied a man up by his boot strings for accosting her.
The hall was dark, but lantern light could be seen from the common room below. She smirked. Would she have to jump out a window again? At least she was wearing boots this time so she wouldn’t freeze her toes off.
She crept down the stairs, then halted at a sound. Someone setting a drink down on a table? Morning was just a few hours off. Who would be sitting in the common room at this time? Curiosity getting the better of her, she finished her journey down the stairs and peeked around the end of the bannister. A familiar shape sat alone at a table, his back toward the sole lantern.
“You should be resting,” Iseult muttered, somehow sensing her presence.
She left the stairs and closed the distance between them. “As should you,” she replied, reaching his side. She frowned at his visible bruises, sure that uglier ones hid beneath his clothing. Not that he would ever complain about either.
He did not look up, and her heart gave a nervous flutter. Refusing to back down, she lowered herself to the bench beside him. Finally, he met her gaze.
“I will keep my promise,” she stated bluntly, having some idea what might be bothering him. “I will do my best to use the shroud to return your soul. Maarav’s too.”
He shook his head and smiled ruefully. “No, you will not.”
“I will!” she gasped, holding a hand to her chest. “Would you doubt me after all this time?”
He shook his head. “It is not you that I doubt. I have failed you.”
She frowned. “I don’t understand.”
He sighed and took another sip of his drink.
The smell of whiskey fluttered to Finn’s nostrils.
“I had hoped to escape Oighear,” he explained. “I knew she intended you harm, intent on possessing the shroud.” He began to lower his gaze, then forced it upward. “I watched helplessly while she approached you. If it weren’t for Kai . . . ” he trailed off.
She smiled softly, now understanding his upset. “You know, I’m not entirely without defenses,” she teased.
The barest hint of a smile crossed his lips. “Of that I have no doubt, but I swore I’d protect you.”
She placed a hand gently on his arm, wishing she could somehow put every thought she was having into his mind. “You have protected me. I would never have gotten this far without you. I owe you everything, and I will be following through with my promise.”
He took hold of her hand on his arm and gave it a squeeze. “Perhaps in time, but not yet.”
She frowned, once again confused. “Why ever not?”
“I do not know what will happen,” he explained. “I’ve always been unnaturally fast and resilient. I can blend into shadows, and often hide in plain sight. I always thought it was simply luck, but Maarav displays these same skills. I believe it’s a product of our . . . condition.”
“You don’t want to lose those skills?” she questioned, even more confused. Iseult didn’t seem the type to worry about such things.
He sighed again. “I previously would not have cared one way or another. I only cared about ridding myself of my curse. But now, you have a long road ahead of you. I cannot stand idly by, and I cannot allow myself to be weakened. Not now.”
“But if I die,” she began, “if the shroud is lost-”
He turned toward her abruptly, enfoldi
ng her hands in his. “If I stand any chance of preventing either, I must remain as I am. If you are killed, I will surely have gone down before you.”
Her eyes welled with tears. She wasn’t sure what she had done to earn such loyalty, but there it was. She searched every corner of her mind for some sort of argument. It wasn’t fair for him to remain cursed, especially when she was the one who had cursed him. She opened her mouth to speak, but he shook his head.
“I will hear no more arguments,” he said softly.
She closed her mouth.
“Tomorrow we will formulate a new plan,” he continued. “We do not know what the Cavari will do now that you have the shroud, and there is still this third queen to worry about, and An Fiach. It seems there is no end to those who seek you.”
She sniffled, still fighting tears. “My apologies,” she chuckled. “You will likely soon be as notorious as I.”
He gave her hands a final squeeze, then released her from his grip. “One can only hope,” he teased, then stood, offering her his hand.
She looked up at him with a small smile.
“Am I mistaken, or were you going out for a walk? Perhaps to stick your toes in the cold soil?”
She grinned and took his hand, then stood and began to lead him across the common room. “This way,” she instructed, “I know an excellent window we can depart through.”
They both laughed as they wove their way through the smattering of tables, benches, and chairs, on their way to a moonlit walk. Although this time, they used the front door.
Though Finn had insisted numerous times that Iseult get some rest, the next morning found the pair near the inn’s front door, watching the sun rise, just like it did every day, though today was somehow different.
Though Finn worried about his health, her heart was full. All of her friends were back together, and now she knew where Àed was. Though she had many concerns, returning him to human form was her primary quest.
The inn doors creaked open. She turned to see Anna and Kai. Remembering her task, she fingered the shroud around her waist, barely visible beneath the edge of her loose blouse.
Anna’s eyes followed her movement, then raised up to her face. “I’ve decided against removing my magic,” she announced.
Gaining nothing from Anna’s deadpan expression, Finn looked between Kai and Iseult. Kai didn’t seem surprised, letting Finn know Anna had already discussed this with him. Iseult didn’t seem surprised either, but then again, he never did.
She turned her gaze back to Anna. “Do you care to explain?”
She replied with a sharp nod. “After speaking to Ealasaid and her new . . . group, I’ve determined that it is in my best interest to remain,” she hesitated, “cursed.”
Finn couldn’t believe what she was hearing. After how set Anna had been on removing her magic, there was no way she would change her mind. Just as she’d said, she viewed her gift as a curse.
Anna glanced at Kai, who gestured for her to continue. She sighed. “And, I had a dream last night.”
Kai gestured for her to elaborate, obviously growing impatient.
Iseult wandered off to check on the horses, disinterested in the entire scenario.
Anna glared at Kai, then stomped her foot in frustration. “Fine,” she growled. “I had a vision that if I rid myself of my magic, I would not sense coming danger at the most important time. It would cost certain lives-” she hesitated. “Lives that I’m not willing to risk. That is the end of it.” She turned on her heel and stomped back into the inn, leaving Finn and Kai alone.
Finn turned her confused gaze to Kai, who smiled and took a step closer to her.
“Do you care to explain?” she questioned, still confused.
He leaned in near her ear. “You were the one she dreamed about,” he whispered conspiratorially. “She doesn’t want you to die.”
Finn’s jaw gaped. Beyond her ability to remove Anna’s magic, Anna never seemed to care if she lived or died.
At her stunned expression, Kai continued. “Anna does not give her friendship lightly, but once you have it, she will kill for you. I know she seems selfish at times, and in many ways she is, but loyalty is important to her. You have gained her trust, and that’s something very few can say.”
Still shocked, she leaned her back against the wall.
Kai mirrored her.
“And what of this danger she referenced?” she asked finally.
He shrugged. “She does not know. Her vision was vague.”
They stood in silence as the sun slowly crept upward in the sky. Soon clanking and clomping could be heard within the inn, and patrons began to walk through the doors beside them, searching for a hot meal.
Ready for a meal herself, Finn began to push away from the wall, but Kai caught her eye before she finished the movement.
“Do you have something to say?” she questioned suspiciously.
He grinned. “I’m just wondering where we’re going next.”
She felt her mouth form an oh of surprise. “We?”
He rolled his eyes at her. “You didn’t think you’d get rid of me that easily, did you?”
She smiled, relieved. She knew she had been a burden on Kai, and had nearly gotten him killed many times, but she selfishly didn’t want to lose him. He seemed to understand her in certain ways others could not. “We’re going to go find Àed,” she explained happily.
Having heard Bedelia’s tale, he groaned. “All the way back to that blasted island?”
Finn nodded, a mischievous grin on her face. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe from the big scary Sirens.”
He waggled his eyebrows at her. “If it means another kiss, I’ll call out to them myself.”
She laughed and punched his arm, then walked past him into the inn. She might be well on her way to fulfilling a dangerous prophecy, but her fear was far less than when she’d first set out. She was no longer a weak little tree girl. She was a queen. May the gods have mercy on any who dared to stand in her way.
“But I don’t understand,” Anders muttered, pacing around the expansive stone room. “What is she doing all of this for?”
He and Niklas both waited within the fortress while the angry red-haired woman ordered her troops. Anders had nearly run the other way when they’d gotten close enough to behold them. He’d had few encounters with Reivers, but he recognized their wild beards and black war paint. Even the painted women warriors among them were burly and fearsome.
Niklas smiled softly, drumming his fingers against the wooden bench on which he was seated. “Keiren Deasmhumhain longs to dissolve the barrier between the living and the dead,” he explained. “The shroud of the Faie Queen can be used for this purpose, but few are strong enough to survive the ritual. As powerful as Keiren is, she was born to human parents. She is not immortal. She needs immortal blood if she hopes to survive her plan.”
“And how would she obtain immortal blood?” Anders asked skeptically.
“Why, from an immortal being,” Niklas replied, like it was obvious. “If an immortal being willingly gives away a portion of his or her life force, a measure of that being’s blood can be shared. If someone were to share with Keiren in such a way, she could complete the ritual.”
Anders frowned, then plopped down on the bench beside Niklas. “And what does any of this have to do with me?”
Niklas smiled. “Everything, dear lad. Everything.”
Óengus slumped forward in his saddle, weak, and barely able to keep his seat. He’d made it to Garenoch just in time to witness the strange battle that had taken place there, and had seen Kai ride off in this direction. He had kept to the tree shadows as he journeyed onward, paralleling the only obvious path Kai could have taken. His horse, just as road weary as him, made painfully slow progress.
Yet, he could not give up. He’d lost the dragon, and his men, but if there was still some chance he could help Keiren enact her plan, he had to take it. She’d promised to give him back what she�
��d taken from him so many years before. Killing her would be the only other way to meet his goal, and he was not foolish enough to believe himself capable of succeeding.
Not that he wouldn’t try if given the chance, but he knew he would likely be the one to die, and he couldn’t do that. Not yet.
He’d reached the small meadow too late. Whatever action had taken place, had already happened. Remaining hidden in the trees, he spotted Finn, Iseult, Kai, and Bedelia as they prepared to depart. He considered following them, but found himself too weak. He lifted his hand to check the wound on the back of his shoulder. He’d bandaged it the best he could, but it was in an awkward spot, and he’d lost too much blood.
This was the end for him.
He never thought he’d miss his shadow, but now he knew his true folly. It should not have been sent to the in between. It should be in reality with him. When he died, would he truly die, or would his shadow remain? Would he become little more than a specter?
Knowing he’d soon topple off his horse to the ground, he let the beast amble onward anyway. It didn’t matter. The creature could soon go where it pleased.
He gazed off into the distance, catching a hint of something white. His life was truly leaving him. He was beginning to hallucinate. His horse seemed to be guiding him toward the object. Perhaps the white form would lead him to the underworld. Because it was a form. As he neared, he realized it was a woman, curled up in the dead grass. She was dressed in white, with perfectly white skin and hair to match. Crimson blood stained her chest, and speckled her peaceful features.
Utterly entranced, he barely noticed as he fell from his horse. He groaned as he hit the ground, then managed to roll onto his side. Opening his eyes, he nearly screamed at the visage before him. The white woman remained on her side, but her eyes had opened to regard him.
“A Gray Lord,” she muttered. “How interesting. Yet, your shadow is stuck in the in between. You know, it’s only supposed to go there when you dream?”
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