How terribly vexing. “If you must,” she said as he walked toward the door.
She’d meant to leave her back to him as he departed, but turned at the last moment.
He held the door open, but had turned back too. Their eyes met.
She glowered. “You know you’re infuriating, don’t you?”
“My dear Anna, don’t mistake one emotion for another.” He exited and shut the door.
She was left blinking after him, her heart fluttering. Suddenly she regretted that she must leave in the morning. She was beginning to need him, and that simply wouldn’t do.
She didn’t need anyone, and no one needed her.
She knew the words were no longer true. She needed quite a few people, and for some reason, they felt the same. She was wanted here amongst her friends, and by Eywen.
What a lot of idiots.
Ealasaid
Ealasaid’s curly blonde hair gleamed as she walked past a candlelit wall sconce in the hall of an estate back building, the one filled with all her friends. She was bone-tired, but she couldn’t rest just yet. She passed a small window and glanced out at the east end of the courtyard, spying the structure where the original estate owners, Lord Gwrtheryn and Lady Síoda, now lived. She wouldn’t venture within that structure for all the honey bannocks in the land, and the pair seemed to feel the same way about her. They hated magic, and the faie, and the dragon in their courtyard, but they’d been kept safe. It was more than most could say.
She reached Finn’s door and was about to knock, but realized it was open just a crack. Afraid something was amiss, she pushed it open, her magic just a thought away.
The room within was empty, lit only by a glass lantern by the bed. The door to the adjoining balcony stood open, revealing only star-speckled blackness.
Keeping her steps light in case there really was an intruder, she walked across the room and peeked out.
Finn stood alone, wrapped in a gray woolen blanket, her gaze distant. She looked somehow harsh in the moonlight. Different than how she used to be. She was just as kind as ever, but the day she’d rescued Naoki, she returned with something sharp about her. Ealasaid cringed, hating to admit, she’d avoided Finn because of it.
She was quite sure she hadn’t made a sound, but Finn abruptly turned toward her.
She stepped fully out onto the balcony, bracing herself against the biting air. “I wanted to bid you a proper farewell now, since it’s sure to be chaos in the morning.”
Were Finn’s eyes glinting in the moonlight, or was she seeing things? No one else seemed to sense this massive change in the woman that for so long they’d called friend. If they did, they surely hadn’t voiced it.
Finn smiled softly, easing Ealasaid’s tension. “I appreciate you coming. We’ve had little time to talk, and I know you’re busy with the mages. And with Elias.”
The mention of her son warmed her heart. It always did. “There does always seem to be one emergency or another. It’s exhausting.”
Finn wrapped her blanket more snugly around her shoulders. She seemed nervous, which in turn raised Ealasaid’s hackles.
Finn chewed her lip, fidgeting for a moment, then blurted, “I’ve been meaning to apologize.”
Ealasaid’s jaw gaped, but before she could reply, Finn finally made eye contact, halting the words on her tongue.
“I’ve been avoiding you,” Finn sighed, “and I didn’t mean to.”
Ealasaid could barely breathe, fearing Finn had seen the hesitance in her eyes, reflecting her true thoughts. Was she about to be confronted?
Finn went on,“It’s just that, it’s hard sometimes, being around a child, seeing him with two parents ready to protect him. Though I lost my daughter long ago, it doesn’t really feel like that long, and when I defeated the Cavari, I lost my mother too.” She bit her lip, as if she’d said too much.
Ealasaid gave a small sigh, relieved that Finn’s words held an apology, and nothing more. She lifted her hand to her chest. “I had no idea you felt that way!”
Finn stepped toward her. “It’s not your fault, not at all. It’s just something that’s difficult to face. You and Maarav have managed something in this chaos that Iseult and I have not. It’s simply difficult to face not only what I’ve lost, but what I may never have.”
Guilt welled up from Ealasaid’s chest, tickling her throat. Here she’d been silently judging the changes in her friend, when she’d been walking the halls of the estate in real pain. Pain she might not have expressed to anyone until this moment.
She closed the distance between them and rubbed Finn’s arm through her woolen blanket. “There’s no reason you can’t have it too. Have you and Iseult—”
Finn shook her head before she could go on. “It wasn’t long ago that I faced a god and leapt from a tower onto a dragon’s back, and Iseult was asleep, under a curse. So no, I don’t think either of us have even considered anything more. And with how things are now . . . ” she trailed off, turning her gaze back to the courtyard.
“Eala,” she began anew, glancing toward her, then back to the courtyard, “something changed inside me when I gave Naoki my blood. She kept some of herself, she remained a dragon at heart, but I—” she hesitated, “I was dying. I was perhaps even closer to death than she.”
Ealasaid was utterly still. “Finn, I know you took on some of Naoki’s blood, but are you saying you’re actually part dragon now?”
She shrugged, her panic seeming to settle into resignation. “The black dragon called me dragonkin, and the other morning, I could have sworn I scented Kai before I even opened my eyes. Things are shifting inside of me. I don’t know what it means to be kin to dragons, but I do know that dragons are consumed by the need to eat magic. They are hunters. Bringers of destruction.” She stepped forward, bracing her hands against the railing. “I fear what will become of me.” She shook her head, tossing her long hair to trail down her billowing blanket. “No,” she corrected, “I fear what I will become.”
It was a bit surreal to Ealasaid, having her own fears voiced by the one who’d elicited them to begin with, but Finn didn’t need agreement, she needed a friend. She squeezed Finn’s shoulder. “You’re still you. You still care about the same things you cared about before, else you wouldn’t still be here. And you have the rest of us to help you figure out everything else. Maybe once we find Oighear or Keiren, one of them can tell us more. Keiren has the sight, she might know more than any of us.”
Finn stood a little straighter at her words. “You’re right, of course you’re right. And I promise you, I will defeat Belenus. I will set things right, but finding the Dearg Due, seeing if I can rein in their magic, and eventually the magic of other faie, is the first step. We have to right the imbalance. There will be no point in saving the land from the gods if there isn’t any land left to save.”
Ealasaid smiled, though she still felt a bit uneasy. “See? You’re still you, and once Belenus is gone, you and Iseult can consider what you both want for the future.”
Finn nodded a little too quickly, not seeming to fully consider her words. Still, she replied, “Thank you. I was being short-sighted.”
Ealasaid wasn’t so sure about that. In fact, she thought Finn was being quite rational in considering the long-term implications of her condition. While she had done her best to comfort her friend, she wasn’t really sure if Finn ever would be able to live a normal life, because she just wasn’t normal. As the rightful Queen of the Dair, she’d been an anomaly from the start, and now she was an immortal woman with dragon blood running through her veins.
So no, she could not say what the future held for her dragon-blooded friend, nor for the man she loved. All she knew for now, was that Iseult was a very brave man.
Branwen
On a rooftop above the balcony, the hem of a black cloak fluttered in the wind. Branwen’s jaw grew more tense, having overheard the conversation. These utter fools, focusing on the faie and this blasted imbalance. Didn’t they
realize that the root of all their suffering was the Ceàrdaman? Didn’t they realize Niklas had been pulling their strings all along?
She shook her head. Just as he’d pulled hers. When Iseult was cursed by Arawn, it was she Niklas sent to meet Finn in that place that had seemed so torturingly like the in-between—where she’d been trapped half-alive for far too long. It was she Niklas sent to confront the Snow Queen herself, convincing her that her interests were best served by aiding Finn in breaking Iseult’s curse. And when Finn learned that it was she who had sent Oighear to break Iseult’s curse, she hadn’t given that a second thought. However, had she known Niklas was actually behind it, she would have suspected further manipulation. After all, the Travelers never did anything for free.
Branwen gritted her teeth, quelling her annoyance. Niklas had played Oighear just as easily, knowing the Snow Queen would never have trusted one of the Ceàrdaman. But a wraith, someone too weak to harm her, too stupid and human to manipulate her? Well, that was far more clever. Oighear had jumped at the opportunity to have Finn in her debt, but where was the Snow Queen now? Niklas probably knew, but he’d never tell.
Just like he’d never admit to killing her brother.
Branwen crouched down on the roof with her hands pressed against her stomach. Thoughts of Anders demise still sickened her. Niklas was unaware that she knew he murdered her brother. This knowledge exposed him as her enemy, and now she was his. But keeping that secret from Niklas was difficult, so she needed to take him down quickly.
If Niklas’ death withdrew the magic which animated her . . . well, this half-life was really no life at all. She and Niklas would both leave the realm of the living together.
She leaned forward, peering over the roof’s edge. Finn was now standing alone on the balcony. Finn. Not such a great friend, really. Not anymore. She sucked her teeth, recalling the moment she’d told Finn what really happened to Anders, even at the risk that Niklas might have been spying—though she had not sensed him, and she always sensed him when he was near—but for what? Finn had barely reacted, not with surprise and certainly not with care. She’d thought Anders got what was coming to him for having trusted the Travelers in the first place.
Casting her thoughts aside, she leaned forward. She waited impatiently for Finn to leave, but she remained on the balcony alone.
“Where are you, Keiren?” Finn muttered under her breath.
Branwen went utterly still, bracing herself at the roof’s edge. Keiren had been the one who told her that Niklas killed her brother, in exchange for whatever she knew about Niklas’ plans. The sorceress was apparently the only intelligent one of the bunch, keeping an eye on the Travelers’ moves instead of gawking at gods.
Unfortunately, neither she nor the sorceress knew what Niklas was doing now. He’d sent Finn after Belenus, but why? The gods couldn’t touch Niklas, him not being mortal, and not even of this realm.
Finally, Finn went inside. Branwen rose from her crouch, her black cloak billowing in the wind. At least Finn was finally prepared to act, even if she was concerning herself with the wrong thing. For now, she could continue to watch, and she’d do what she could to guide Finn in the right direction.
She began to turn away, but hesitated. Once upon a time, Finn had been her friend, someone she could have spoken to earnestly about her troubles.
She shook her head, then made her way across the roof. That was a lifetime ago, and they were different people now. Finn hadn’t helped Anders when he needed it. She was as much to blame for his death as Niklas. She was needed for now to defeat the Travelers, but once that was done, if Finn perished in the final battle . . .
Branwen’s mouth sealed into a bitter line. Yes, if Finn was brought down along with the Niklas, she’d not shed a single tear.
She was about to leap from the roof onto the high wall when a throat cleared behind her. She whipped around.
A tall, thin man stood behind her. Onyx black hair shadowed deep set eyes and a hooked nose. She recognized him, though she’d only watched from afar. The god Arawn.
Arawn stepped toward her. “Greetings wraith, I’ve been looking for you.”
She stepped back, but he was suddenly at her side, holding onto her arm. “What do you want?” she choked.
“The same thing as you, my dear. Now let us be off.”
Anna
They departed on an unusually sunny morning, riding straight to the forest west of Garenoch. Anna’s hackles were raised in anticipation, despite the ambiance of bird-filled pine trees with sunshine gleaming through their branches. Scouts who ventured into the forest rarely returned, and she wasn’t sure her group would either. For it was within the deep forest, after nightfall, that they would find the Dearg Due. She hoped the search would take but one night, and a single encounter, after which they could retreat to the burgh and the relative safety of the walls. She’d rather not venture too far, for she feared there were even mightier faie within the forest than the Dearg Due.
She glanced around, assuring herself none of her companions had been lost, her memories of the Blood Forest still all too clear. Finn and Iseult rode ahead, Kai next to her in the middle, and Bedelia at the rear. Naoki was off in the woods somewhere, doing who knew what. Her nearby presence made Anna feel safe, she could admit . . . at least, safer than she would have without her. The dragon was large enough to scare off most faie, but she wasn’t as big as the black dragon, nor the bronze or green they’d battled at Garenoch.
Kai’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Do you see anything?”
She shook her head. She’d been watching the forest for lights, anything that would give away faie magic, but had seen none save the dappled sunlight filtering through leaves and needles.
She absentmindedly patted her gray mare’s neck, then froze mid-motion. A hint of shimmering light caught her eye, duller than Finn, but still noticeable. “On second thought, I take that back. There.” She pointed past Iseult.
Hearing her words, Finn and Iseult stopped ahead. Finn looked back to Anna, but Iseult trained his gaze in the direction of the lights only Anna could see.
“So soon?” Finn asked. “We’re only half a day’s ride from Garenoch.”
A dark-haired figure came into view ahead. At first Anna thought Eywen had come to accompany them after all, but that hope quickly vanished. This Aos Sí, though nearly as tall as Eywen, was female, and watched them with impassive eyes, bow raised, aimed at Iseult. Anna nearly yipped as Bedelia’s horse moved to her other side. Bedelia could be so quiet sometimes. Anna had nearly forgotten about her.
More Aos Sí could be seen behind the lead, deeper in the trees. The were all female as far as Anna could tell, some in tattered dresses and some in loose breeches.
The lead Aos Sí spoke in the common tongue, “We have claimed this forest, mortals. You’d best turn back.”
Kai’s gaze darted to Anna, the most obvious question clear in his eyes. They didn’t recognize Finn?
Finn cleared her throat and straightened in her saddle. “As Queen of the Dair, anything that belongs to you, belongs to me.”
The lead Aos Sí snorted, flicking her head back to toss aside one of the small black braids hanging near her cheek. The back of her hair hung loose down to her rump. “You do not shine like the Dair. Name yourself.”
The other Aos Sí behind her muttered amongst themselves. They didn’t seem overly hostile, except for the bow still aimed at Iseult.
“Were any of you at the fortress in the marshlands?” Anna asked, wanting the bow to lower before someone lost an eye. “Surely you remember her?”
“They weren’t at the fortress,” Finn answered for her. “Eywen said many of the females disappeared once they were free from Oighear.”
Finally, the bow lowered. “Eywen?”
Please be friends and not enemies, Anna thought at the recognition in the woman’s tone.
“Yes,” Finn answered. “He has remained with us since the barrier fell.”
&nb
sp; The bow dropped to the woman’s side, and Anna heaved a sigh of relief. It would have been rather pathetic for them to get killed their first day out, and not even by the Dearg Due.
Some of the other Aos Sí stepped forward while the lead observed Finn, as if memorizing every detail. “You truly are the Oak Queen who freed us from Oighear the White? I know Eywen would not willingly follow any other. Unless you tell us falsehoods.”
Anna’s horse danced nervously beneath her, probably sensing her burning questions. Was this an old lover, perhaps? “How do you know him?” she blurted.
Kai grinned at her. “Is that jealously I sense?” he whispered.
She glared, but the Aos Sí answered. “I am his sister.”
His sister, not his lover, Anna thought, the small pang in her heart disappearing.
Eywen’s sister nodded toward the deeper woods. “Now come, you will be guests at our camp. Tell us of your plans, and why you’re here, and we’ll decide if you truly know my brother, or if you are imposters and must be killed.”
Anna watched Iseult and Finn lock gazes ahead. Finn nodded encouragingly, and with a heavy sigh, Iseult dismounted.
Finn was down next. “Lead the way.”
Anna looked to Kai, who shrugged, and Bedelia, who’d already dismounted.
Bedelia looked up at her. “I don’t see that we have much choice, unless we want to battle them here and now. They outnumber us, and we know how fast the Aos Sí can move.”
With a groan, Anna climbed down from her saddle. Though mildly curious to know Eywen’s sister, she preferred to just find the Dearg Due, do what they must, and get on back to the estate.
“Bloody dragon,” she muttered to herself, “never around when you need her.”
Eywen’s sister looked over her shoulder as she turned to guide them. “What was that?”
“Nothing.”
Dawn of Magic: Sea of Flames Page 4