by Krystal Wade
His soft-spoken words hold so much loss. What must it be like, raised to be a tormentor with knowledge you’ve stolen someone’s future from them and rubbing it in their face on a daily basis, only to realize it’s not the life you want, and it’s not a life that belongs to you? Perth is without a purpose. Just like Brit. Or at least I think that’s how they both see their lives.
Rocks crunch under the weight of slow, heavy steps. I look over Perth’s head as Arland exits the mouth of the cave, hands clasped behind his back.
He takes a seat next to me, facing Perth. Arland doesn’t look in my direction, doesn’t touch any part of my body. He takes even breaths in and out, rests his hands on his knees. “You have been under my charge for a number of years now, Perth. None have been pleasant. What do you stand to gain from this partnership?”
“Katriona and I were just having a discussion … .” Perth snaps his mouth closed, as if he doesn’t want to admit he’s been wrong all these years.
I could punch him. “Go on, Perth. Tell him what we were talking about, or he’ll never believe me.”
Arland looks between Perth and me, clearly waiting for someone to explain.
He sits straight, looking Arland square in the eyes. Respect—something I’ve never seen Perth offer anyone. “I stand to gain a real life, Arland. Friends, honor, maybe even one day a family that loves me and loves others. I was not raised with that, and it is something I would cherish more than life itself. The Ground Dwellers are not on the right path, and I want to make sure they get there.”
This is a decent start.
“Why have you waited so long to come forward?” Arland asks.
Perth huffs. “You and I are both aware if I had come to you, you would not have believed me. I, as everyone does, had to wait until the right time. When I found myself alone with Katriona, I knew the time was right.”
Perth pauses, shifts his focus from Arland to me then smiles. “She tried to kill me. Did she tell you?”
Arland chuckles. “You are lucky she did not, Perth. Think about all she has lost. Her home, her comfort, her closest friend—add us to the list at the time she was alone with you, I am surprised you are not wounded.”
I glance at the spot above Perth’s heart; he’s changed his shirt, but I know the cut I inflicted must still be sore.
He catches me staring then rubs his chest. “She did bleed me, but I will live.”
Arland pats my leg. “I am proud of you.”
He removes his hand and his smile fades, demeanor serious again. “Now, we need to come up with a plan. If we show up with Kate at Willow Falls, your father will want to see the two of you as a pair. Do you know any reason he would allow you to avoid being Bound to her?”
Perth shakes his head. “When we arrive and he sees Leader Wilde, he will most certainly call for her to cast a Binding spell over Katriona and me.”
I suck in a sharp breath. Perth was so adamant about getting to Willow Falls before. High Leader Maher said Perth knew all the Leaders were there. I pray I’m not putting trust in the wrong person. Pray he’s not walking me into a trap.
“Are you aware of Binding spells?” Perth asks.
“Mom explained it to me earlier.” I’m afraid revealing anything else would be too much. Mine and Arland’s marriage should be just that—mine and Arland’s. Private.
Perth cocks his head to the side, squinting, then turns to Arland. “I will attempt to convince my father we should wait before the Binding spell is cast. We can make a show of it. Festivals, long gazes, held hands, stolen kisses.”
“I am sure you would enjoy that,” Arland says, keeping his tone level.
“You know as well as I do, Katriona will never have the kind of passion she shares for you with anyone else. A Seer paired you, another told me I would be lost without love forever if I tried to obtain her, and Katriona herself cannot keep her eyes off you—she does not look at me that way.”
Arland and I were paired by the gods, not just a Seer, but I’ll take what Perth said as a compliment … in an offhanded way.
“Are you okay with this, Kate?” Arland asks.
No. I don’t want to kiss Perth, don’t want to hold his hand—no offense to him—but if it’s what we have to do … . “If you believe it’ll work, I will do what I have to.”
“Good. My father will love the show. He will be thrilled to think he is hurting both your families—and in the public eye at that.”
Perth nods—an approval to himself, I’m sure. “A pretend courtship will be the perfect excuse to avoid the Binding spell, but I worry about the two of you and your ability to hide your feelings for each other.”
Arland and I exchange a quick, humiliated glance, faces flooding with red.
“Brit said she could help us with that,” I say.
“When we are finished discussing our plans, you should confer with her. Your visible feelings will be the hardest obstacle to overcome—that and your magic connection. You two shine when you use magic together—in fact, you two shine when you are together. Period. You will need to stay as far apart as possible.”
I nod. “We are aware the magic is more powerful when we’re together.”
“A couple more things you will need to work on, Katriona,” Perth says. “You need to sound like one of us. Go by your given name, slow your speech down. Stop using combined words no one here has ever heard. While most of us understand you, it would behoove you to fit in more.”
“I don’t see—”
Arland takes my hand in his. “He is correct, Kate—Katriona. It will help. They may not notice the way you look at me if there is nothing for them to see.”
“They may not notice you staring back either, Arland.” Perth laughs. “You should not, at any time, allow my father to see either of you looking at one another. The punishment would be—”
Arland glares at Perth, shutting him up in an instant. But I know what he was going to say; it’s probably the same reason High Leader Maher warned me to keep my distance: Leader Dufaigh would have Arland killed.
Perth reverts back to his submissive, child-like state.
Arland softens his expression, then he faces me. “Kate is not a name of any other Encardian, and if you speak like us … .”
“Fine, but I only have ever allowed people who are mad at me or in love with me to call me Katriona.” I stare into Arland’s eyes; he’s called me Katriona a few times, and when he did, shivers ran through me. I suspect he may be thinking of the last time he called me by my name; his gaze roams my body, transporting me to our room in the base. I wish we had privacy and a bed here … .
Perth presses his hands on the ground next to him, shifting his weight. His eyes flit between me and Arland.
Perth has called me Katriona since we partnered at Watchers Hall, and although I’m unsure of his feelings for me, I doubt he feels love … or I hope he doesn’t. “Or people who do not know me well enough to call me otherwise.”
Arland clears his throat. “So, you two will pretend to fall in love, Katriona will go by her given name and work to speak like us, but how will we work our way out of the lies to form an army?”
“An army?” Perth asks.
“Yes, Griandor said in order for me to form an army, I would have to unite our kind with the Ground Dwellers.”
“Griandor told you this?”
“Yes.”
“So a god gave you a horse and told you to form an army?” Perth’s tone is filled with as much disbelief as his words.
“He gave me the horse long before he told me to form an army, but yes, Griandor visited me before you and I ran into each other at Watchers Hall.”
Perth’s expression falls flat. “And he told you, you have to unite our kinds?”
“Yes, Perth, he told me I had to unite our kinds,” I repeat in the same empty pitch. “I know we have been at war for longer than a century, but if Griandor told me to do it, I’m sure it can be done.”
“And if it cannot?” h
e asks.
“It must. We will find a way,” I say.
Perth’s constant lack of faith irritates me.
I squeeze Arland’s hand. “Why else would we go to Willow Falls and put on a show if we did not need something from it?”
Perth runs his fingers through his blonde hair a few times, then drops his hand back to his lap and sighs. “If an army is what you need, consisting of both Ground Dwellers and Light Lovers, where does that leave the Sea Dwellers?”
I glance back and forth from Perth to Arland. “The what?”
“Sea Dwellers are a more peaceful people than both us and your kind, Perth. There will be no issue with them,” Arland says.
His confidence in their allegiance is soothing; being at odds with another group of people is too much to think about, but someone needs to give me an Encardian history lesson. I hate finding things out by chance.
Images of red-headed mermaids, swimming beside a wooden ship full of drunken sailors, pop into my head. I’m almost positive that’s not what Arland and Perth are talking about, but I’m going to ask anyway. “Are we talking mermaids and—?”
Arland laughs. “No, Katriona, mermaids do not live in this world. Sea Dwellers are Draíochtans like you and I, but they chose to live in homes over the seas.”
“Like boats?”
“Some live on boats. Others live in dwellings constructed over the water along the coasts, but that is unimportant”—he waves his hand—”Since the war began, they have been living at Wickward with the majority of our remaining population.”
Wherever they lived before the war, they are now Ground Dwellers like everyone else—yet another tragedy this world and its inhabitants have faced. I hope I get them through it because if not … .
Perth’s eyebrows draw together. “If Griandor only mentioned you need to unite the Ground Dwellers and Light—?”
“Griandor did not say I had to unite the Ground Dwellers and Light Lovers specifically; he just said I would have to find a way to unite everyone. He did mention another Leader, Murchadha, but I did not realize there were others. The confusion is my fault. So, before I try to wrap my head around this, are there any other Draíochtans I need to know about?”
“No, there are only the three kinds of Draíochtans. We have three main leaders: my father, Perth’s, and Murchadha. There are a few other remaining Leaders under the big three; however, none hold the same power or importance,” Arland says.
“What do the other Leaders do?”
“Not much of anything now, but before Darkness, they governed small towns and provided a voice for their people.”
“If so many died, who will choose the future High Leaders?”
Perth laughs.
Arland and I both stare at the Ground Dweller.
“Katriona, do you not see the irony? My father forbids Ground Dwellers from fighting against Darkness. The longer the war goes on, the more Light Lovers and Sea Dwellers die, the better chance my people have for deciding our kind as High Leader.”
“Are you telling me your father hopes for all current Leaders to die?”
Perth holds my gaze. “And anyone already chosen for the future.”
Arland … and me.
He nudges my shoulder, casting a scowl in Perth’s direction. “I am sorry we have not discussed more of this world. I focused all our time on moving us to Wickward and failed to explain the basics. I still wish I understood why your mother hides information from you.”
I stare beyond Arland and Perth—above them—beyond the endless stars in the open patch of sky, and up to the heavens. Mom is so focused on me doing the right thing and staying on the path of Light, I think she forgets I’m committed to this world, but I do wish she’d share more.
Peace washes over me, ironing out the subtle tension in my shoulders and chest. I take a deep breath of the stale air and watch billions of twinkling lights above our heads. Whether Griandor thinks my mom a fool, the peace must be the gods’ way of telling me she’s already shared enough.
“Like Mom said—the same reason Perth gave—she has been waiting for the right time. In her case, it seems there may never be a right time.” My gaze returns to the cliff, returns to Arland where it belongs.
“Anyway, Arland, your father told me all the Leaders are at Willow Falls to discuss the current situation. If I am supposed to unite everyone, I’m—oops—I am sure Griandor meant the Sea Dwellers, as well. Do you think Leader Murchadha will also be at Willow Falls?”
“Yes, he certainly will be.” Arland stares at me, melting my heart with the intensity in his emerald eyes.
“Are you prepared to lie to all the Leaders of this world?” he asks, voice raspy and seductive.
Nodding, I smile. Arland and I will be married if we play this game the right way, but Perth was correct; Arland and I cannot be near each other for long without showing our love for one another. At this inappropriately timed, random moment, I don’t care.
“Have you two forgotten I am here? This could be a serious issue,” Perth says, loaded with sarcasm, but sarcasm Arland and I deserve to hear.
I ignore Perth and stare at Arland. We won’t get many opportunities at Willow Falls … have to make up for it now. “Well, Mom says I am supposed to give a speech. Since I do not know what the speech is or what exactly it will be about, I guess we will have to play the entire experience at Willow Falls by ear.”
He smiles. “I believe that is the best we can come up with.”
“Great. We will go to Willow Falls, Katriona and I will pretend to be in love, you two will work on this issue”—Perth points between Arland and me—”and now you guys no longer need me?”
“No,” Arland and I answer at the same time, without looking away from each other.
Perth jumps to his feet. “I will send your sister out for you.”
“Thank you,” Arland says.
“Enjoy the time with Katriona while you still have it, Arland, because soon those lips will be somewhere else.” And with that, Perth walks away.
Arland’s muscles tense, fingers squeezing around my hand. His gaze follows Perth into the cave, but somehow Arland restrains himself, relaxes, and takes a deep breath. “I know he tries to irritate me, therefore, I will not allow him. He is correct, though; I do not look forward to the days at Willow Falls when your lips will meet with his instead of mine.”
The thought makes me shudder. “But we will get through it, Arland, and in the end, we will be together. Remember that. Hold onto it because it will be the only thing keeping me going.”
He turns back to me. “I am sure I do not deserve you.”
“What? Why?”
“Our world is in ruins, our friends are dying, our future together rests in the hands of our acting abilities, and somehow you remain strong … hopeful. I do not have the same outlook. Your visions all ended with death.”
I lean into him. “Without hope or a positive outlook, what do we have? Our friends have died, but we still live. The world is in ruins, but we have the power to fix it. Our future together lies in the hands of my mom, and she is willing to help … even if her intent is a little fuzzy.”
Arland rests his back against the rocks then pulls my head to his chest. “You are right.”
I sit up. “We should go back inside. We need to talk to Brit. And Lann and Enid … .”
Pulling me back down, he runs his fingertips along my arm. “There will be time for all of those things. We have a long way to travel; enjoy the peace while we still have it.”
I don’t fight against Arland. Relaxing, I place my head on his chest then close my eyes; there may not be any more moments like this for a long time.
Chapter Twelve
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” I say, pulling away from Arland.
He tucks my tangled hair behind my ear. “Shouldn’t?”
I sigh then bite my lip. “Should not. We should not be doing this.”
“I kissed your forehead. If you would pref
er, I could arrange for Perth—”
“Arland!” I punch his shoulder. “I am serious. We are awful. Flanna just lost Lann. Enid … well … .” I cannot say how Enid died. What happened to her could have also happened to me. “What are we going to do with them—for them?”
He drops his hands in his lap and smiles ever so slightly. “Since I met you, Kate, I have not been myself. I am like one of our youth stricken with lust. Forgive me.”
I laugh. “Are you seriously asking me for forgiveness? Yesterday I threw myself at you. Today—”
“You did nothing wrong. Again, it was me.” The hunger in his eyes dissipates. “I sent Cadman and Ogilvie out earlier to dig a grave. I will go talk to them and see if they have made progress. We will bury the bodies, and if you are up for it, we can leave for Willow Falls.”
Hearing Lann and Enid referred to as ‘the bodies’ makes my blood run cold. Tears fill my eyes. I look away from Arland, back up to the sky, hoping the light will somehow make me feel better.
Faint-gray hues paint the hole in the Darkness—our gift—overtaking the twinkling stars and black night. The setting hardly seems fit for a funeral. There will be no church, no mourners dressed in black, no limos, no songs—Lann and Enid deserve more. They dedicated their lives to end this war.
“I will be okay to leave for Willow Falls, Arland, but what about Flanna and the children? And what about the daemons? You said they sleep as we do. If we leave now, will we not be more vulnerable?”
“Flanna and the children will be okay. Loss is something we have grown accustomed to. They know as well as anyone we must keep moving.” Arland’s voice is strong, but he clenches his fists.
Draíochtans may be accustomed to loss, but being used to it doesn’t appear to make it any easier. Every word Arland speaks, every gentle touch on my hand, every sad smile he offers hints at the pain he tries to hide.
Arland turns his head toward the river. “And we will be more vulnerable the longer we wait here.”
“Arland, Flanna and the children still need time for mourning—”
“I know, but the daemons will trap us here if we continue to wait.”