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

by Sara C. Roethle

  “Ready the horses,” he ordered, his gaze on Anna and Sativola.

  “But-” Bedelia began to interrupt, but he cut her off with the raise of his hand.

  “You come with me,” he instructed. “We’ll help the others gather our supplies, then we will depart.”

  Bedelia’s shoulders hunched, but she nodded and followed him toward the inn, while Anna and Sativola branched off toward the horses. Iseult would get everyone moving, then he’d aid them with the saddling.

  Like an angry storm, he burst through the inn’s double doors to find Finn and Kai frantically speaking with the innkeep. Anna had obviously already alerted them. Good.

  He turned toward Bedelia. “Gather your weapons and check the rooms. Then return to aid Anna and Sativola with the horses.”

  She nodded and rushed off toward the interior stairs. While it was against his better judgement to let her out of his sight, time was short, and he’d just keep Finn in his sights instead.

  He approached the pair arguing with the innkeep, just as the stout, round-bellied man waved them off.

  Finn turned to him first, while Kai watched the man walk off with a scowl.

  “He won’t allow us to purchase any extra supplies,” Finn huffed.

  “We’ll make do,” Iseult replied. “Anna and Sativola are readying the horses. Gather your belongings.”

  Finally turning to join the conversation, Kai gestured at a few satchels and bundled cloaks piled against the lower portion of the bar. “Already done. Anna seemed to think we don’t have much time.”

  Iseult’s shoulders relaxed. It was . . . pleasant to travel with competent companions. “Let us depart then.”

  Thundering footsteps above them announced Bedelia a moment before she appeared on the stairs, her cloak flowing behind her shoulders. Her satchels were still slung across one shoulder, along with her bow and quiver. Her sword hilt poked up over her opposite shoulder, the silver knob on its pommel matching the dagger at her waist.

  She really was a dangerous creature, one Iseult could stand to be more wary of. Looking at her brimming with weapons, he desperately wanted to know whatever she had nearly divulged to him, but it would have to wait. Nodding in her direction, he turned and ushered Kai and Finn toward the door.

  To evade An Fiach, they would need to ride away from the main road, near the area where the Blood Forest had initially resided. He had no idea what they might find there, but hopefully it was something less deadly than a meeting with An Fiach.

  KAI’S HORSE danced beneath him. He kept a firm hold on his reins, else the creature was likely to bolt. Everything had happened so quickly. From Anna announcing An Fiach was on its way, to the thundering of approaching horses, to their narrow escape down a back street of the small burgh. They could only hope the remaining townsfolk would not give them away too quickly, and it would take An Fiach time to pick up their trail. If they kept moving, and perhaps found a few streams to cross, they might just escape.

  Finn glanced warily around at their expansive, rocky surroundings from her perch behind Iseult in the saddle. Kai knew if they continued on in the same direction, they would reach a more densely forested region, cut in half by a wide river. Following that river upstream would eventually lead to the old border of the Blood Forest. Fortunately, they would turn south well before they reached that point, as long as An Fiach didn’t follow them too far into the wilds.

  He sighed and scanned their surroundings, giving his horse’s reins another tug. The yellow grass swayed in the breeze, growing sparse around black, scraggly trees and large clusters of rocks. The rocky terrain would likely make tracking them almost as difficult as a large stream bed would, but he still could not help his nerves.

  He patted his heels against his horse’s sides, urging it forward. Continuing in that direction, they’d reach a large valley. If they instead moved south, there was no saying what they might find. The area was densely forested.

  Anna, Sativola, and Bedelia followed his lead. He glanced back toward Iseult and Finn, just as Iseult hissed, “Halt!”

  Trusting Iseult’s judgement, Kai instantly obeyed. A moment later, he realized what had caused the alarm. They were approaching the entrance to a wide canyon, bordered by rolling hills on either side. In the distance was a rocky escarpment, dotted along its top edge with the silhouettes of riders. He hadn’t noticed them at first with the odd angle of the sun. It was only as the clouds shifted that the riders became visible. They’d chosen their position wisely. Any looking toward them would have been staring straight into the bright sun, while the riders had it at their back.

  It was clear by the riders’ stances they had not yet seen his party. They all peered outward across the ravine, as if expecting someone from the North, while their party approached from the West.

  Silently, Kai followed Anna’s example and turned his horse around, slowly retreating to where the hills of the valley would conceal them. Once being sighted was no longer a danger, they trotted their horses toward the distant tree line. Once there, they gathered in a small circle.

  “Not An Fiach,” Iseult muttered.

  “Nor assassins dressed in black,” Anna added.

  “Their armor seemed strange, didn’t it?” Finn cut in. “It was difficult to see, but their helmets appeared oddly shaped.”

  Kai nodded. “I can’t help but wonder . . . ” he trailed off, allowing his gaze to linger on Finn.

  “The alleged Faie Queen?” she gasped, suddenly catching on to his meaning.

  The Merrow girl in Ainfean had said someone claiming to be the Faie Queen was forcing the Faie to rally toward her cause. Could the riders they’d just seen have been something less than human? Indeed, they had seemed otherworldly, standing perfectly still in a straight line, elongated helmets glinting dully in the sun.

  Everyone turned their gazes to Anna.

  “I can’t see everything!” she snapped. “My thoughts feel . . . jumbled. Like there’s too much energy around for me to decipher.”

  Sativola nodded thoughtfully, though he knew very little of Anna’s visions..

  Anna turned her glare to him. “Don’t pretend to know what’s going on,” she growled.

  Sativola frowned. “Finn can melt men’s flesh and call the earth up to do her bidding, and either ye or she brought Kai back from the dead. I don’t need to know just what’s going on to accept that I’m out of my depth, and to accept that ye can somehow see the future, or something like it.”

  Anna’s glare was softened by shock, then the barest hint of a smile. “I knew there was a reason I hired you,” she mused.

  “We should move on,” Iseult interrupted. “It does not matter who the riders are, we already know of many who pursue us. We’ll keep to the trees and make for Garenoch.”

  They moved on, but the conversation continued.

  “What’s this about a Faie Queen?” Sativola whispered, leaning toward Kai as they rode. “Didn’t the death of the last queen happen centuries ago?”

  Kai nodded. “It may just be a rumor, and if it’s not, it’s just another concern on the long list of many. Perhaps this new queen is responsible for what happened in Migris. Anna believes someone powerful was controlling the Faie who attacked there.”

  “Well then I’d say this Faie Queen is everyone’s concern,” Sativola countered. “And a primary one at that.”

  Kai nodded, deep in thought. Iseult and Bedelia both rode silently ahead, ignoring them, though Finn was glancing over her shoulder from her perch behind Iseult, observing his and Sativola’s conversation.

  “I believe the Faie Queen is a concern of ours as well,” she said finally. “She may not know of us, or have her sights set on our demise, but she likely seeks what we seek.”

  Iseult lowered his arm and subtly squeezed near Finn’s elbow. Kai only caught the movement because he was looking right at her, but he would have done it himself had he been closer. Neither Bedelia nor Sativola knew exactly where they were going, and what t
hey hoped to find there, and it was best to keep it that way.

  As far as Kai knew, none of them knew just what mystical powers the Faie Queen’s shroud held, but it was rumored to be a uniting factor amongst the Faie. If the rumors were true, the simple piece of cloth could make its owner the most powerful ruler in the land. Powerful enough to wipe out entire cities with a thought. Powerful enough to defeat not only the armies of the great cities, but the Ceàrdaman, the Reivers, and even Finn’s people, the Dair . . . unless the Faie Queen herself was of the Dair.

  Kai shook his head. Perhaps if all remaining factions banded together, they might stand a chance, but old hatreds and fears lived on, ready to conquer any shreds of bravery or common sense that might stand in the way. If this Faie Queen truly existed, and managed to obtain the shroud, they were quite likely doomed.

  ÓENGUS TUGGED at the leather cord in his gloved hand. The creature at the other end fought him, but eventually lost ground and was yanked back into submission. He looped the cord around the pommel of his horse’s saddle, then scowled down at the beast, which had once again pressed its sharp beak, held shut with another leather cord, to the ground. It went half mad when it caught certain scents, ruffling its sparse white feathers while trying to spread its wings, also tied down with cords. Its talons scratched at the rocky ground as it once again tried to pull itself forward.

  Óengus’ men eyed the creature warily, occasionally shifting their gazes to him, then quickly looking away. They would have killed the creature, had he not intervened. He would have killed it himself, had he not been informed that it belonged to a woman with long, dirty blonde hair, riding with a man who fit Kai’s description. He had little doubt the scent the creature so dutifully followed belonged to Finn. Though the reports had claimed she was on horseback, the creature seemed quite intent to follow a certain path.

  Óengus knew an opportunity when it bit him on the nose, much like the creature would likely do if he unbound its beak. For now, he would allow it to lead them to Finn. Perhaps upon finding her, the creature would then prove a useful bargaining tool.

  His horse danced beneath him, and he turned as the rest of his men approached, finished scouring the small burgh for signs of their quarry. Óengus knew in his gut they had already escaped, but it would not do to leave any evidence ungathered.

  Over their shoulders the men carried sacks of supplies, and led a few new horses, likely stolen and not paid for. Military men always seemed to think lowly townsfolk owed them something.

  Óengus sneered, then gave the creature another tug. He would be glad to be rid of them all soon.

  Giving his men the signal that it was time to move on, he slackened the tension on the creature’s restraints. With a squeal, muffled by its closed beak, it took off at a scurrying run. His horse galloped after it, followed by the thundering hoofbeats of his men.

  He knew he was close to locating Finn, and not Iseult, nor the Faie, would stand in the way of his success. There was too much at stake.

  AN ENTIRE ARMY of Faie would have been less frightening than the past three days for Anders. Finally, Niklas had declared it time to depart, after he’d had his fill of fine food and vintage wine.

  Now, Anders’ mother eyed him sternly. She looked just how he imagined Branwen would if she ever made it to her mother’s current age. Her tawny hair had strands of gray at the temples, but her honey brown eyes were just as clear and alert as ever.

  “And you’ll be bringing your sister back next time you come home?” she asked for the hundredth time.

  “Yes mother,” he sighed. “I assure you, I will not come home again without her.”

  “You shouldn’t have come home without her at all,” she said, also for the hundredth time. “I cannot believe you’d leave her alone in some unprotected burgh to the North.”

  “She’s fine,” he lied. As far as he knew, her wounded body was somewhere up North. Whether or not she was in a burgh, he did not know.

  His father had already gone about his work, leaving only Anders’ mother to see him off. It was just as well. He was once again facing the idea of never seeing either of them again. It was easier just to say goodbye to one. The meaner one.

  He gave his mother a light kiss on the cheek, then turned to go with Niklas at his side. The gates were opened for them, and soon enough they were back on the road. He was glad to at least have fresh supplies. Niklas would not be able to starve him like he had before. Though, judging by how much the Traveler could eat in one sitting, he would not be surprised if their supplies did not last long.

  “So where is Branwen?” Anders asked as they walked back in the same direction they’d come. “I’ve fulfilled my end of the bargain, now it’s time to fulfill yours.”

  “In time,” was all Niklas said in reply.

  Anders frowned, thinking of the red-haired woman they’d met in the high wing of the Archive. Niklas had planned a meeting with her, but surely he didn’t expect Anders to come.

  He glanced at his companion, noting his eerie smile on skin suddenly returned to ghostly pale. He knew the Travelers always kept their deals, but often not in the way one might hope. He was a fool to trust Niklas at all, but what else could he have done?

  Sighing, he turned his gaze to the long road ahead. He was a victim of circumstance, caught up in a game he could not escape. He had never really believed in fate, but only an overpowering force like destiny could put a man’s life in such horrible shambles. His father had always told him destiny was a cruel mistress. His father was a wise man.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Bedelia chewed her lip, unable to deny her body the small expression of anxiety. She had been prepared to divulge everything to Iseult. To let him be her judge, and perhaps her executioner. Then they’d had to leave Badenmar so quickly she hadn’t the chance to explain herself.

  Now he eyed her warily, clearly desiring a moment to speak alone. While she was grateful he hadn’t forced her to speak in front of their entire group, the prolonged tension was making her ill. She was more frightened of telling Finn the truth than she was of Keiren, Óengus, and all of the Faie combined, but she refused to cower from her punishment. If Iseult did not kill her, Keiren would. She knew her fate. The least she could do was die with honor.

  She glanced at Iseult and Finn. Finn was slumped forward against Iseult’s back, fast asleep. She must have been exhausted from whatever she’d done to heal Kai. Those details, however, would likely never be explained once they’d discovered her dastardly truth.

  “I believe it’s safe to stop now,” Anna groaned. “Surely An Fiach will not be able to track us all this way over such rocky terrain.”

  Bedelia was not sure about that, but stopping sounded nice. It was only late midday, but they’d been traveling since morning. Her legs felt stiff, her back was sore, and she knew the others must have been feeling the same, especially Sativola, who hadn’t undergone any miraculous healing like Kai.

  Without a word, Iseult drew his horse to a halt and dismounted, then helped a sleepy Finn down from the saddle behind him, taking her effortlessly in his arms before walking a few paces and setting her down on the stump of a massive felled tree. She rubbed at her eyes, then hunched forward, encasing her knees in the drape of her cloak.

  Everyone else dismounted, but kept their horses near should a quick escape be needed. Small rations of cured lamb and dried fruit were passed around, then everyone settled in on the rocky ground to rest their weary bones.

  Bedelia avoided eye contact with Iseult, hoping he would not choose this moment to pull her aside. All she wanted in that moment was to be still, to rest her arms and legs, and fill her belly. Setting her remaining portion of fruit on the leg of her breeches, she lifted her arms over her head to stretch, keeping the end of Rada’s reins in one palm, though the animal was not likely to run off.

  With a sigh, she began to lower her arms, then searing pain shot through her shoulder. Finn screamed and jumped up from her stump to rush toward her, but
Iseult intercepted her and shielded her with his body.

  Feeling dumbstruck as everyone drew their weapons, Bedelia looked down at her shoulder to see the shiny tip of an arrow protruding through the cloth of her tunic, which slowly became saturated with blood.

  FINN SCREAMED as another arrow cut through the air, narrowly missing her chest as Iseult spun her aside. Had An Fiach found them so soon? She caught brief glimpses of figures surrounding them, bows and weapons raised. She clung to Iseult’s arm around her waist, half wanting to fight against him to aid Bedelia, and half wanting to remain near him where she felt safe.

  She whipped her head from side to side, trying to keep all of their attackers within sight. Their foe slowly closed in around them, revealing themselves to be not An Fiach, but the oddly armored riders they’d seen near the valley.

  Their helmets were made of dull silver metal, curving upward artfully like symmetrical ocean waves away from delicate-boned faces. Their body armor was composed of plates of the same type of metal, with overlapping points like the scales of a spined lizard. One stepped forward from the rest, his narrow eyes intent on Finn. He lifted his odd helmet from his head, revealing large, pointed ears, and black hair like spider silk. His skin was as pale and smooth as a freshly made snowbank.

  He knelt and bowed his head, obscuring his face with his silken hair. “Forgive me. I did not realize we were attacking one of the Dair until it was too late.”

  Finn pulled away from Iseult, her hand raised to her mouth in surprise. Bedelia hobbled to Finn’s other side, arrow still protruding from her shoulder.

  “Who are you?” Finn asked, hoping her ignorance would not incite further attack. They’d only fired a few arrows so far, but had ceased as soon as they’d gotten close.

  The man before her stood, bracing his helmet beneath one armored arm. His eyes were a deep blue, reminding Finn of the sea right before a storm hit. “I am Eywen, and we are the Aos Sí,” he explained. “You have trespassed on our lands, a penalty punishable by death, but we did not realize one of the Dair would travel with,” he hesitated, glancing around at the rest of her party, “humans.”