The Blood Forest (The Tree of Ages Series Book 3)

by Sara C. Roethle

  He stepped up behind her on the plank and gently touched her shoulder. She jumped at his touch, then turned her worried gaze back to him.

  “There’s nothing to be concerned about,” he assured her softly. “I will keep you safe.”

  He looked past her, observing Maarav and Ealasaid already down onto the dock, both watching as Anna’s ship drifted into the harbor. Maarav’s hired men, Tavish and Rae, also waited below, securing the ship to the large wooden beams of the dock with heavy lengths of rope, in addition to the already lowered anchor.

  As Finn nodded and started forward again, Iseult briefly wondered where Tavish and Rae would go from here. He watched Rae, the older of the two, grimly checking each of the ropes they’d secured. Sunlight glinted off his dark skin as he glanced up at Finn and Iseult as they passed by. He hadn’t spoken much on their journey, and Iseult had found himself increasingly uneasy around the man.

  Tavish, however, had rarely stopped blabbering. He’d excused his lively demeanor as an accompanying trait to his bright red hair. An idiotic thought as far as Iseult was concerned, though the man’s dark brown eyes reflected a certain cunning.

  Maarav stepped forward and offered Finn his hand as she reached the dock, but she ignored him. Just as Iseult had found it impossible to trust Rae, so Finn had found Maarav. Though, he couldn’t blame her for being wary of his long-lost brother. Iseult was wary too.

  Finn stepped onto the dock with him close behind. Roughly sixty paces away, a plank was lowered from Anna’s ship. Peering in the direction of the sun, it was difficult to decipher who managed the plank, but judging by the man’s massive size, Iseult didn’t think it was Kai.

  He turned to witness Finn nervously chewing on her lip. Noticing his gaze, she asked, “Do you think there’s anyone left in the city? Anyone who might harm Naoki?”

  Iseult pursed his lips in thought. He was still skeptical that Finn had actually adopted a real baby dragon, though Kai and Anna had both seemed to agree that’s what it was. He flicked his gaze to the nearest ruined building, a small shack that would normally store extra lengths of rope and spare planks. “I doubt anyone is left here. Perhaps a few looters hoping to salvage some goods, but our party is large enough that we should not be bothered.”

  With a nervous nod, she began walking toward Anna’s ship. Iseult followed after her, continuously scanning their surroundings for hidden threats. It was unnerving that the city seemed so empty. When they’d first noticed the smoke, he’d thought it likely that Conall was responsible, but now he wasn’t sure. If Conall had taken Migris, he would have left men in place to claim it for his people. Now that they were able to observe things more closely, Iseult thought the Faie were more likely to blame. Only the Faie would attack a city simply to lay it to waste, abandoning what could be a useful commodity. It would also explain why any survivors would be hesitant to return. Though most alive had only been around to experience the aftereffects of the Faie War, stories were still told of the horrific occurrences.

  Leaving Maarav, Ealasaid, and the other two men behind, Iseult and Finn reached Anna’s ship just as Kai was making his way down the plank toward the dock. He seemed tired, and a little thinner than usual, not to mention the pair of angry red gashes across his cheek. Upon closer observation, Iseult noticed more gashes on his hands, and a few tears in his dark green tunic and gray woolen breeches.

  Kai’s gaze remained on Finn as he finished his descent. Anna could be heard shouting orders up on deck, but was yet to appear at the top of the plank.

  “Where’s Naoki?” Finn demanded, taking a step toward Kai. She seemed to have noticed the gashes on his face, taking it as a sign her dragon had been harmed.

  Kai narrowed his eyes at her. “Well greetings to you too,” he grumbled. “Your dragon is fine. I, however, have borne the brunt of her tantrums during this last leg of our voyage.”

  Finn’s expression softened. Iseult’s did not.

  The trio stood in awkward silence for a moment before Kai gestured toward the plank leading back up to the ship. “I’ll leave it to you to retrieve her,” he said to Finn. “And you’re welcome.”

  Not responding, Finn hurried past him up the plank.

  Kai gave Iseult a quick nod in greeting, then turned to walk back up the plank after Finn. A half-second later, Iseult was at his side, boarding the ship. By the time both men reached the deck, Finn had disappeared from sight. Anna stood on the other end of the deck near a pile of supplies, ordering three men around as they carried things out of the main cabin.

  Kai sighed, then gestured toward the hatch leading below deck. “Protect any areas you’d rather not have sliced open,” he explained. “The little dragon has talons as sharp as any blade.” He absentmindedly touched the wounds on his cheek, then led the way forward.

  Iseult followed Kai to the hatch, then down a narrow set of wooden stairs. At the bottom, they walked down a short hallway, then turned right into one of the small, windowless cabins. Iseult widened his eyes in surprise as he observed Finn, seated on a small bed, being nuzzled by what appeared to be a baby dragon.

  With only the light streaming in from above deck to see by, he couldn’t make out all of the creature’s details, but he noted a sharp beak, large, round eyes, likely lavender or blue in color, and a sparse sprinkling of glossy white feathers, densest around the edges of the creature’s wings. It was making a soft purring noise deep in its throat as its beak rubbed against Finn’s face.

  At Kai and Iseult’s appearance, Finn bundled the creature into her arms and stood, disregarding the sharp talons resting perilously close to her throat. Iseult would have liked to tell her bringing a dragon on their travels was not a wise idea, but her glowing smile forced him to silence. He hadn’t seen her smile like that since before he’d told her she was responsible for stealing his people’s souls.

  “Let’s check the city for supplies,” he muttered instead, “then we’ll move on.”

  He turned and led the way back out of the cabin, as Kai whispered, “A man of few words, eh?” to Finn behind his back.

  Their footsteps followed his a moment later, and soon they were all on the dock, along with Anna and her three crewmen, including the massive one with curly hair he’d heard referred to as Sativola.

  They met Maarav, his men, and Ealasaid further down the walkway. Maarav now held the reins of both his and Iseult’s horses, brought down from the ship. Once everyone was gathered together, Iseult repeated his plan.

  “What about the ships?” one of Anna’s men, with deeply tanned skin and short yellow, hair argued. “We can’t leave them behind.”

  Iseult sighed. He didn’t have time for these men. Greenswallow was a long way off, and they needed to arrive there before anyone else discovered the location of the Faie Queen’s shroud, buried where Finn once stood as a tree.

  “I had hoped to leave my ship in a safe harbor as well,” Maarav cut in smoothly. He raked his fingers through his black hair, peppered with a few strands of white, just like Iseult’s. “But we must adapt to the current situation. Many of us have places to be inland, and those left can hardly manage to sail two ships on their own. We’ll have to leave them, and hope for the best.”

  “Or someone can stay to guard them,” the yellow-haired man spat.

  “Are you volunteering?” Kai questioned. “I’m sure a brawny man like yourself can hold off an entire army of Faie on your own. We’d be much obliged if you’d watch the ships for us.”

  The yellow-haired man snarled his dry lips, but didn’t speak again.

  Iseult took a step closer to Finn, still holding the dragon in her arms with its limbs curled around her. Tavish, Rae, and Ealasaid were all staring at the creature, but said nothing.

  “We’ll divide into two groups, search for supplies, then meet at the front gates,” Iseult instructed.

  No one argued. Instead, all glanced warily at the smoldering city, wondering what dangers might still lurk within its walls.

  FINN
STRAIGHTENED her satchel strap across her chest, trying to balance its weight with the awkward addition of Naoki on her shoulders. It seemed the dragon had grown a bit in their time apart, but still insisted on her chosen perch.

  Finn suppressed a grunt of effort. Her legs already felt like pottage transitioning from the ship to dry land, and the added weight made her feel even more off balance. It would not do to topple over and land on one of the corpses, visible now that they’d entered the city.

  Iseult prowled at her side, his eyes keen on the surrounding buildings, all showing signs of being touched by fire. At their backs walked Ealasaid, Maarav, Tavish, and Rae. Maarav still held the reins to his and Iseult’s horses. The animals remained eerily quiet, as if sensing the ghosts of the dead. Kai, Anna, and Anna’s crewmen had taken another route. They would all search for supplies, then reconvene at the city gates to begin their journey.

  They now walked in the direction of Maarav’s inn, since he’d insisted they check in on the establishment. Finn didn’t know what he was hoping to find, it seemed most everything had been destroyed, but she supposed if he had a cellar some goods might remain.

  She quickly averted her eyes from the ground as she stepped around another charred corpse. It wasn’t the first body they’d come across, and it surely would not be the last. Many had been killed.

  She hurried forward, only to have Iseult reach out a hand to stop her. “Don’t look down,” he instructed, but the warning came too late. At their feet lay a child, badly burned like many of the other bodies.

  She raised a hand to her mouth, afraid she might be sick.

  Seconds later, from behind her, Ealasaid gasped. Naoki hissed at the noise, prompting Ealasaid to then let out a surprised yip.

  Iseult put an arm around Finn and led her forward. Surprisingly, Naoki did not seem to mind his presence, or else found him more frightening than Kai, and so refrained from hissing at him.

  “Are you sure you want to walk all the way to your inn?” Iseult grumbled, looking over his shoulder toward Maarav.

  “We need supplies,” Maarav replied simply, “and our best chance of finding them is my inn. With any luck, the cellar will be intact.”

  “I think I’m going to be ill,” Ealasaid muttered as they passed another body. “This is far worse than Uí Néid.”

  “The dead there were freshly killed,” Maarav explained. “It’s different once they’ve been lying around for a while, but you’ll get used to it.”

  Ealasaid snorted. “I’d rather not get used to seeing corpses at all.”

  Finn attempted to take a steadying breath, but inhaled too deeply. Her stomach convulsed, forcing her to bend forward. The smell of the charred corpses was too much for her, and she found herself expelling what little food was in her belly. Naoki hopped to the ground and chittered nervously at her side as Iseult kept a hand on her back, waiting for the moment to pass.

  As Finn’s nausea began to wane, she heard someone else retching behind her, and turned to see the red-haired man, Tavish, had also lost his morning meal. The sight somehow made her feel slightly better.

  “Perhaps some of us should go ahead to the gates,” Maarav sighed, glancing between Tavish and Finn. “Rae and I can gather the supplies on our own. With only two of us, we can ride the rest of the way.”

  “And what if you encounter whoever killed all these people?” Ealasaid gasped.

  Maarav gestured to the desolate streets. “Take a look around you, my girl, no one is left in this cursed place.”

  Finn crouched to allow Naoki back onto her shoulders, then looked to Iseult for his opinion, secretly hoping he’d agree with Maarav so she wouldn’t have to continue looking at the bodies.

  Iseult nodded in understanding, then turned his gaze to his brother. “I’ll take the women . . . and Tavish, to the gates,” he agreed. “But be quick with your tasks, I’d like to be far from this place come nightfall.”

  “We all would,” Tavish muttered, then gestured for Ealasaid to walk ahead of him toward Iseult and Finn.

  The four of them changed directions, making their way toward the gates, while Maarav and Rae climbed atop the horses and continued on toward whatever might remain of Maarav’s inn.

  Finn walked beside Iseult in silence for some time, deep in thought, keeping her gaze upward to avoid looking too closely at any more corpses.

  “Do you know what’s odd?” Tavish blurted suddenly.

  Finn jumped, realizing the man was walking close to her other side, though she noted he was peering around her toward Iseult.

  Iseult did not reply, but Tavish still continued, “It’s odd that we seem to only be seeing the corpses of townsfolk and the city guards.”

  “Why is that odd?” Ealasaid questioned, walking a few paces behind them.

  “Because in any battle there are casualties on both sides,” Iseult answered grimly.

  “So you did notice,” Tavish commented, seeming relieved that he wasn’t the only one to find the situation strange.

  “Yes,” Iseult replied simply.

  Finn wished she could be so observant, but she’d been too busy trying to pretend they weren’t surrounded by any corpses, let alone only those of the townsfolk.

  “So what do you think happened?” Tavish continued, once again looking past Finn at Iseult.

  “Either the bodies of the opposing forces were taken,” Iseult explained, “or the townspeople were killed by a force so great they all died where they stood. Now keep your mouth shut. Dangers may still lurk.”

  Wide-eyed, Tavish snapped his mouth shut and glanced around warily. Finn couldn’t say she was glad for the silence. It seemed to bring out the eeriness of their surroundings. As far as she was concerned, they couldn’t reach the gates soon enough.

  Naoki let out a sudden squawk from her perch on Finn’s shoulder. Finn stumbled, but Iseult’s hand darted out to catch her arm before she could fall.

  Maintaining his grip on her, Iseult glanced around for what had alerted Naoki. Finn looked too, until her eyes caught a hint of movement a few feet away. She pointed, just as Tavish seemed to notice the same movement.

  It was the corpse of a young woman, less burned than the rest, but still just as dead. Her limp body was wriggling back and forth, though none of her limbs seemed to be responsible for the movement.

  “The dead are coming to life!” Tavish gasped.

  “No,” Iseult said coolly, then released Finn’s arm to step forward.

  He withdrew his sword, lowering the tip toward the woman’s still wriggling body. At first Finn thought he might use the sharp edge to skewer her, but instead he slid the point beneath her torso, then flipped her body over, revealing a small creature that had been trying to free itself from the trapping weight of the corpse.

  It struggled to its clawed feet, checking over its craggy, rock-like skin for injuries with its spherical eyes. One of its bat-like wings seemed to be broken.

  “It’s a Grogoch,” Finn gasped.

  The Grogoch jumped at the sound of her voice, then trembled in fear as it looked up at Iseult. Naoki hopped off Finn’s shoulder and crouched on the ground, prepared to pounce the Grogoch.

  “Wait!” Finn cried, then knelt beside Naoki to halt her pounce. However, Iseult looked just about ready to pounce the small creature himself, and Finn couldn’t blame him. They’d met Grogochs before. Not only had many townsfolk danced themselves to death, but both Finn and Iseult had been rendered unconscious long enough for Kai and Anna to kidnap her.

  The Grogoch blinked up at her, still trembling.

  “What happened here?” she demanded. “Did you sing the townsfolk to sleep so the other Faie could murder them?”

  Naoki let out a low growl.

  The Grogoch was trembling so violently she thought it might wet itself. “N-no, lass,” it sputtered in its humming voice. “I was only here to have a bit of fun, then they attacked. I was knocked down and my wing was broken.” It gestured pleadingly with its taloned hands at t
he drooping wing.

  “We know these creature’s tricks,” Iseult muttered. “We should kill it and move on.”

  “No!” it rasped. “I did no wrong!”

  Finn held up a hand toward Iseult, halting his sword arm.

  “Tell me what happened,” she instructed. “Who attacked?”

  “Other Faie,” the Grogoch whispered. “Elementals, led by someone powerful. The elementals never meddle in the world of humans. They must have been forced.”

  Something tickled at the edge of Finn’s memories. She knew something about these elementals, but couldn’t quite place what it was. “Tell me more about the elementals,” she urged. “Tell me everything you know and you will not be harmed.”

  “Finn-” Iseult began to argue, but she silenced him with a pleading look.

  “Cannot be killed,” the Grogoch explained. “These ones were made of pure fire. Whoever commanded them did not reveal themselves. Many of the townsfolk fled, but others tried to fight. Silly men. Stood no chance.”

  Goosebumps broke out across Finn’s entire body. She knew she’d encountered elementals in her previous life, but could not quite recall the event, just like all her other memories. She knew they were there, buried somewhere deep within her subconscious, but she had no access to them.

  The Grogoch was eyeing her suspiciously, as if wondering whether she’d go back on her word.

  Several pairs of footsteps sounded behind Finn’s back. She turned for just a moment to see Kai, Anna, Sativola, and the other two crewmen jogging toward them, carrying sacks of supplies over their arms, but when she turned back, the Grogoch was gone.

  “We should not have let it go,” Iseult muttered as the others reached them.

  “What are you all standing around for?” Kai questioned upon arrival.

  Finn frowned and turned back to Iseult. Their eyes met, and she tried to silently let him know there were things they needed to discuss. He seemed to understand her silent meaning, as he nodded, then turned his gaze to everyone gathered around them.