Kai kicked at the dirt in annoyance. “It's probably just a wild bear coming to put us out of our misery.”
“Not a bear,” a man said as he appeared. “But the second part is about right.”
Finn could see in the hint of morning sunlight that the slender man was not overly tall, giving the impression of being quick on his feet. He wore rather ornate clothes for a person tromping through the wilderness. Gold embroidery lined the cuffs and collar of a stiff blue velvet shirt, and well-oiled mustaches completed the look.
Finn thought she sensed Kai's energy as it shifted from irritation to anxiety. “Mius. Of course you would be here,” he groaned.
“Oh yes Kai,” Mius replied. “Act as if you are the one who has been wronged. I imagine that pretty young thing with the dagger fell afoul of your tricks as well.”
Kai struggled against his restraints to little avail. “It was a fair game. As for the girl . . . her anger might actually be warranted.”
Mius took a moment to look Finn up and down, lingering on her too large clothes then settling on her face. “If you'd like to do the honors, you could go ahead and stick that dagger in his back.”
Kai grabbed at Finn's skirts with his hands in an attempt to induce her into cutting the ropes.
“He is my prisoner,” Finn said bravely. “You'll have to wait your turn until I'm done with him.”
Mius took a step forward. “Oh no, my dear. I'm not in the habit of waiting my turn.”
Kai groaned again as two massive men came walking out of the forest to flank Mius. One had a large scar across his face, and the other had too much weight in his belly, but they otherwise looked quite similar. Kai began tugging at Finn's skirts again. Seeing no other choice, she cut the ropes from his hands, allowing him to quickly remove the one around his chest.
“How did you find me?” Kai asked, ignoring the thugs in favor of staring down Mius.
Mius chuckled. “In a strange trick of fate, your companion Anna came waltzing into my camp last night. I knew you had to be nearby.”
“What did you do to her?” Kai asked sharply.
Mius shrugged. “I've no quarrel with Anna. Though I did have my men detain her.”
The two large men circled Kai as Finn backed away. Kai held his hand back to Finn for her dagger, and once again seeing no choice, she relinquished it. The thugs drew long swords of their own as they circled.
“It would seem you are outclassed, my friend,” Mius observed.
It was Kai's turn to laugh. “Outclassed and outnumbered are two very different things. When I feel outclassed, I'll let you know.”
Ignoring Kai, Mius turned his gaze to Finn, pulling at the edge of his mustache in contemplation. “As soon as we dispatch of this fiend, I would gladly escort you to Port Ainfean.”
“W-why would I want to go to Port Ainfean?” Finn stammered, worried that Mius knew of the bounty.
Mius smiled. He didn't seem at all tired for the early morning hour. “It is only the best port burgh this side of the Melted Sea. A pretty lass like you would be well taken care of.”
Finn was not sure she liked the idea of being taken care of. “I've other places to be. My apologies.”
Mius shrugged and raised a hand in signal to the thugs. Like trained dogs they closed in on Kai in perfect unison. The scar-faced thug swung his sword in a downward motion that would have nearly cut Kai in half, but Kai ducked under the blow, narrowly missing the blade. The pot-bellied thug swung with much the same result. The men were large, but obviously not well trained. Still, it would not be long before one landed a blow. Kai's weariness from having walked all night was evident in his movements.
Finn tried to think of what she should do, but if she neared the men she would likely be cleaved in half. Kai landed a slice with the dagger across the scar-faced man's chest, causing him to back away. The uninjured thug charged only to gain a slice across his back in passing as Kai avoided the attack. Scar-face, seeing that Kai was distracted, took the opportunity to wrap his trunk-like arms around the smaller man. The muscles bulged in scar-face's arms as he squeezed tightly, immobilizing Kai.
The pot-bellied man closed in, ready to skewer Kai, and Finn could stand by no longer. Even though Kai had betrayed her, she could not simply watch him die. She charged the thug who was ready to stab Kai, and leapt on him full-force. She barely moved the man at all, but in his surprise he dropped his sword. Finn slipped back to her feet and grabbed the sword from the grass, but became entangled in her skirts and ended up on the ground.
The swordless, pot-bellied thug took his time walking over to her, all the while looking down on her with amusement. The mountain of a man had numerous small scars littering his face, emphasized by a nearly bald head. Finn held the sword up in a shaky, two-handed grip, keeping the pot-bellied man from fully reaching her. All of the men laughed, except for Kai, who seemed to be not getting enough oxygen. Finn's mind raced as she wondered how she might get out of the situation, when the ground began to shake.
Thick roots shot up from the earth like tentacles, surprising Finn enough to almost make her drop the sword. Loose dirt rained down upon her as the roots twined their way around the pot-bellied man's legs. Thin tendrils grew around his limbs as the thicker trunk inched upward. The man's laughter drained from his face to be replaced by shock, then fear. His feet were ripped out from under him and he hit the ground without so much as a thud, as the roots absorbed the impact. He swatted at the roots to no avail. Like serpents, they quickly engulfed the remainder of his body, cutting off his screams just as they started.
The roots squirmed violently, the smaller tendrils writhing like worms, until the sounds of bones cracking and being pulled from their sockets could be heard within the mass. Everyone watched in shock as the sickening popping sound seemed to drag on forever, then finally came to a silent end. When the roots were finished with their work, they retreated into the ground as if they had never been, leaving a large patch of upturned earth underneath the man's mangled corpse. The whole scene was over in a heartbeat, leaving Finn wondering if her mind was playing tricks on her.
Finn swallowed a lump in her throat. She had started sweating out of fear, and released her clammy hands from around the sword's hilt, letting it drop to the grass. The thug's crumpled corpse stared up at her.
“You Tuatha witch!” Mius cursed.
Finn did not turn to acknowledge him. She was too busy staring at the dead man in front of her. The living thug had dropped Kai and was backing away with his hands held in front of him, as if to ward off a blow. When he had gained some distance, he turned and ran.
Mius looked as if he might attack Finn, but then he turned and walked stiffly away. Moments later, the sound of horses running could be heard as Mius and the living thug fled back to their camp. Kai gave the corpse a wide berth as he walked over to offer a hand to Finn. She took his hand and stood shakily.
“What in creation was that?” Kai asked quietly as he gazed down at the corpse.
“I-I don't know,” Finn stammered.
Kai looked at her, his eyes wide with fear. “I mean, was it you?”
“No,” Finn answered as she shook her head too quickly, though she was not sure of her answer. “It was probably more Faie escaped from the forest.”
“Oh . . .” Kai paused. He glanced down at the crumpled corpse again. “Well, thank you.”
Finn's thoughts felt slow and muddy. “For what? I told you it wasn't me.”
Kai managed a small smile, though he still looked green. “For not letting them kill me. I wouldn't have thought you would care.”
Finn felt the heat of anger creep across her face. “And would you have let me be killed, had the situation been reversed?”
Kai smiled a little wider, and Finn almost thought he wouldn't answer. “No,” he said finally. “No Finn, I would not have let them kill you.”
“Good,” Finn replied and she and Kai moved to put distance between themselves and the corpse. “Now what
do we do?”
“Well it seems,” Kai began, halting his pace to turn toward Finn, “that we are at a bit of an impasse. I am no longer your prisoner, and you are not mine.”
Finn took a step away from Kai and eyed him warily. She also glanced back at the sword on the ground.
Kai held up his hands in a soothing gesture. “You just saved my life, when you could have just as easily been rid of me. My honor would not allow me to take you prisoner now.”
Finn scoffed. “I wasn't aware that you possessed any honor.”
Kai took the insult in stride. “Well I do, and now I believe we should leave this place before the wolves come for the corpse.”
Finn's stomach turned at the thought. “What about Anna?”
“Anna . . . ” Kai began, “will not be very pleased about the loss of our prisoner, so you really shouldn't be around when I tell her. I will escort you to Port Ainfean-”
Finn threw her hands up in exasperation. “I thought you said I wasn't a prisoner!”
Kai glared at her. “If you would let me finish. I will escort you to Port Ainfean. If your friends are industrious, they will learn of the bounty. You were to be delivered to any number of ports along the river Cair. As Ainfean is the closest, it would stand to reason that they will look for you there first.”
Finn took another step back. “And how am I supposed to believe that you will simply not turn me over once we are there?”
Kai shrugged. “You can try and make it there on your own if you like.”
Finn sighed, as she did not know the way, and there wasn't really anyone else to ask for directions. “Fine!” she took a final look at the corpse. “Let us go.”
Their horse stood partially hidden in the trees, looking at them both like they’d gone mad. Finn was surprised the mare hadn't run during all of the excitement. Then again, she looked tired enough to drop dead from exhaustion. Finn had never related to an animal more than she did in that moment.
Chapter Eighteen
Óengus knew that the girl would be delivered somewhere along the river Cair. There were several ports, and each hunter would have been given a different port. Most contracts worked that way. Different delivery locations cut down on hunters waiting in ambush to steal your bounty at the last moment.
The port he had been given was Port Uelli, but that was not where they were going, because he also knew that the bounty had originated somewhere northwest on the Sand Road. You could find out almost anything by placing the right amount of coin in the right pocket, though he had not managed to find the bounty's backer. Still, he knew from his sources that once the girl had made it to one of the ports, she would be given to an intermediary, who would pay off the hunter, then ship the girl to Port Ceardh. After that, Finn would be taken back up the Sand Road to where the bounty had originated. He planned on finding her before she made it to the Sand Road by bypassing the other ports and heading straight for Ceardh. He’d lied to Iseult about knowing which port the girl would be taken too, but felt it his only chance of gaining the man’s trust on the matter. If Óengus’ plan was successful, he might still claim the bounty. If he was not, then he would steal the girl back from those who wanted her, and he would receive payment from Iseult instead. He would win either way.
He did not voice this entire plan to his companions. Iseult had proven himself to be a rather brash man. Óengus knew he would not have the patience to accept a plan where the girl would remain captive until the most opportune moment. Iseult wanted her for some reason that Óengus could not fathom. If Iseult did not want the bounty, then he wanted this tree girl for himself.
The girl's description painted her as something clearly of the Faie. From what Óengus knew of Iseult, he was not particularly fond of the Faie. Yet, he wanted the girl. This piqued Óengus' curiosity, and his curiosity would be satisfied before he allowed Iseult or anyone else to escape with this mysterious girl. If he let them escape at all.
“There was a camp here,” Iseult commented as they rode.
There had been an admirable attempt to hide the camp, but a mistake had been made. Though there was no sign of a fire, there was a large patch of dirt that had clearly been smoothed over. At one edge of the dirt, it was clear that two humans, and one horse, possibly with a third human, had left the cleared area. None but an experienced tracker would have noticed it, and even then it was hard to spot. Iseult would have done well in Óengus' line of work, had he been able to handle such work without empathy.
“Two sets of footprints, and one horse. It could very well have been them. Especially in an area so far from the travel roads,” Iseult went on.
Óengus bit his lip in frustration. If they attempted to track Kai and Anna, they would always remain one step behind. “We should not stray from my plan. It truly is our best chance of reclaiming the girl.”
“We follow the tracks,” Iseult demanded.
Óengus sighed but did not argue. The tracks would eventually be lost to them, especially since they belonged to those who were attempting to go undetected. Then Iseult and the old man would have no choice but to follow Óengus' lead.
Óengus watched as Àed, silent until then, dismounted his horse and looked at the tracks more closely. He placed his hand over one of the tracks and closed his eyes. Óengus wondered if the old man had access to some magic after all. He knew that he was the one who was once known as the Mountebank, as word of such a character re-emerging traveled fast, but he had assumed the Mountebank had simply been a con man. Many things seemed like magic to the untrained eye, but were really simple tricks and sleights of hand.
The old man finished what he was doing and gestured for his horse to move forward. The beast obeyed, though Àed never reached back to grab its reins. Magic indeed.
Àed followed whatever path he had found wordlessly, and Iseult followed him without question. Seeing no other choice, Óengus let out a sigh of annoyance and followed behind Iseult.
Finn dragged the long sword that had once belonged to the now-deceased thug across the forest floor, even though the blade was much too large for her height and weight. She had thought that Kai would want her to have the dagger and would hence take the sword, but when she suggested it, he only laughed and kept the dagger in his belt, all the while complaining about all of his other lost weapons.
Since she did not have a weapon she could properly wield, Finn refused to let Kai walk behind her, though he did not seem to fear her being at his back in the slightest, perhaps because she had passed up two opportunities to be rid of him. She was not sure how wise either choice had been.
Yet, she assured herself that she'd really had no alternative. Despite her past memories, she did not fully know the current world of humans. She felt better having at least one world-wise person along. Even if that person was a deceitful scoundrel.
That was all of little consequence though. The decision that weighed most heavily on her mind was the decision to continue on to Port Ainfean. The choice was risky at best, but she could think of no better course. As far as Iseult and Àed might know, she was still a prisoner. At least, she hoped they knew. With her as a prisoner, they might be able to figure out some idea of where she would be taken. So, it would stand to reason that she should continue that course, and hope that they'd find her.
Of course, it could all turn out to be some grand trick on the part of Kai, and she would end up a prisoner in reality once more . . .
She shook the thoughts from her head. “How many days will it take to reach Port Ainfean?” she asked.
“Two, perhaps three,” Kai answered, not bothering to turn around. “Depending on how quickly your delicate legs tire.”
“My legs will do just fine,” she snapped.
Their minimal conversation had bordered on argument since they'd left the scene of the attack behind. Each time one of them would start a conversation, they would receive a rude comment or chastising from the other, regardless of how much either of them actually wanted to talk.
> “The horse needs to graze,” Finn observed, not ready to let the conversation drop once again.
“The horse can graze when we camp,” Kai argued.
Finn looked back at the tired beast, stretched to the end of its reins. It had not been a very lively horse to begin with, and was clearly not used to long travels.
“She seems about to keel over,” Finn pressed.
Kai finally stopped and looked back at the horse. The annoyance on his face was replaced with concern.
“We'll have to turn her loose,” Kai stated. “She won't be of any good much longer.”
Finn nodded and tried to hide her small smile over finally winning an argument. They unstrapped their bedrolls and meager supplies from the horse, then strapped them across their own backs. Finn was surprised to see Kai take the heavier load without a word. With how he had been treating her, she imagined he would have given her the heavier load out of spite.
Finn removed the horse's bridle and sent her on her way. Hopefully she would make it to a farm where someone would care for her. Perhaps she would even make it home, as horses often returned to their stables when set loose. She envied the horse for a moment before they set about their way again.
“So I was thinking,” Finn began.
“Of course you were,” Kai said sarcastically.
Finn ignored him and continued, “Back when you first completely and utterly betrayed me by taking me prisoner, you offered a deal.”
Kai trudged on, not bothering to glance back. “And what deal was that?”
Finn cleared her throat. “You told me that when I was ready to tell you the truth about my past, you would in turn tell me the truth about yours.”
Kai was silent for a moment. “And what if I simply choose to lie?”
Finn hoisted the sword up over her shoulder, hoping to make it easier to carry. “Well I don't think you will. Though you've omitted many, many truths. You haven't really lied to me.”
Kai finally looked back. “That you know of.”
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