by C.S. Fanning
inspired if one didn’t know him. Aeden was a child playing at being a warrior. He had no real training, no noteworthy skills and was unfit material to serve a goddess.
In the back of her mind were whispers that perhaps she was just being petulant which only served to make her the angrier. She was fuming at herself, at Aeden, at the Druids, and even at the gods as she rode along. In her state of mind is was fortunate that she was at least aware of the horse’s movements for the first indications of trouble was the sudden twitching of the big roan’s ears. He had heard something and that put Fianna on the alert. It didn’t take but a moment for her hunter’s instincts to identify the source of the horse’s sudden movement. Across the river, movement caught her eye, and as they passed through a narrow opening she could see at least a dozen men, obviously foreign by their dress, walking in single file.
Quietly and without sudden motions, she turned the big roan away from the river and walked him several yards to where the bank dropped away to form an old dried up oxbow lake before turning to warn the others. A few minutes later they were all gathered in the shelter of the oxbow discussing their next step. Aeden suggested that they cross into the hills and make their way to the Shannon without following the river.
“Aeden, every hunter knows that you don’t leave the water in unfamiliar country” Fianna argued.
“I understand the danger in that, but so will our pursuers Fianna, otherwise we would have lost them by now” Aeden countered. “You are our leader and I will follow whatever path you choose” he finished.
This surprised Fianna, she had expected him to argue more and perhaps refuse to follow her choice if she opposed him. She was thankful that he had not put her in that position.
“The danger is in not being able to find water, and those hills are known for being treacherous as well, but what we have to decide is which poses the greatest risk. Are the hills and the possible lack of water a greater danger to us than the men that we know hunt us? I don’t like leaving the water but Aeden makes a good point. We need to carry all the water that we can and make for the hills, which will provide us with cover if nothing else. Perhaps at the least we can slow our pursuers down” she announced, unsure of her decision but doing her best not to let it show.
There were no objections, so in minutes they were all gathering their things and redistributing the loads they carried. The horse was a great benefit, being able to carry Fianna and a considerable weight of supplies as well. Fianna hated feeling like an invalid; they would make much better time if she could walk and put Teagan on the horse. The girl had proven her worth as a healer but trekking across country was far more taxing than anything she was used to. If not for the childlike infatuation that she obviously held for Aeden, Fianna was convinced that Teagan would already have bolted for home no matter the risks. Sadly, Aeden didn’t seem to even be aware of the girl, but Teagan had been sullen ever since Aeden had described his encounter with the Morrighan. Being jealous of a goddess, particularly one known for her love of conflict was not a good idea.
By noon they were on their way through the timber, if the forest in this region ran all the way to the hills they would be easily into the highlands by the time they made camp, If not the trip might take considerably longer as both Fianna and Aeden agreed that crossing the open in daylight would be too great a risk. As she rode, Fianna spent the afternoon crafting for herself a new bow. Her arrows were somehow spared in her fall but one limb of her bow had cracked when she had fallen on it and she could not bear the thought of only being armed with her hunting knife. Not for the first time she wished they had all been better armed on this expedition.
It was late afternoon when Fianna called a halt. The trees had thinned until now there were only a few oaks scattered here and there and though they could see the grassy slopes of the hills ahead there was still over a mile of bare grassland separating them from cover.
It was tempting to make a run for the hills, putting as many miles between them and any pursuit as was possible before the sun faded from the sky. On the other hand, the forest had kept them from sight and though the grasslands bordering the highlands was not very wide, they would be exposed to prying eyes for a league in either direction on the featureless and flat plain that separated the hills from the forest. Reluctantly they agreed to wait at the forests edge until night fall and make for the hills by the dim light of the waning moon.
Aeden watched as the rest of them rolled themselves into blankets and tried to sleep. Faolan was weary but holding up. Quinn seemed to be thriving, which Aeden found surprising. Fianna moved stiffly with her broken ribs, but he was beginning to realize that he had completely misjudged her; she was tough and capable, and she was no harder on anyone than herself. As he watched her gingerly move to watch on the opposite side of the makeshift camp two things came to his attention. First, he realized that what he’d taken as petulant snobbery was perhaps her justified derision at the often silly actions of himself and his friends. He didn’t understand what had made her so different from the rest of those their age, but Fianna was the best of them at keeping her head and the druids had chosen wisely in making her their leader. The second thing he noticed was that she was rather cute, and that flustered him far more than accepting that she was more mature and a better leader. Riordan and Teagan were the two that worried him the most. They were already exhausted and the road ahead was not likely to get much easier. Both had virtually collapsed into sleep the moment they had stopped, and were now lying motionless in the hard ground. They needed a good rest and soon.
Despite his own injury Aeden felt pretty good, and thinking of it he realized he hadn’t felt the pain of the cut all day. Lifting his shirt he pulled back the bandage and was astonished to see the wound had knitted together already leaving only a pale scar where the knife had sliced him open the day before. Either Teagan or Finnis were more talented healers than he had ever met or heard of, or his encounter with the Morrighan had done more than merely enchant his sword.
Fianna had made it clear that she felt him a fool to accept the goddess’s proposal, and perhaps he was. A part of him rejoiced at being chosen by such a powerful being, but he knew that the gods were fickle and that he had most likely shortened his own life in the bargain. What Fianna didn’t seem to understand was his sense of obligation for the Morrighan’s intervention which he was certain had saved them all. As the others settled in to sleep for the few hours’ rest that they might get before nightfall, Aeden quietly crossed the camp to sit beside Fianna. Since he had noticed her attractiveness he found himself suddenly self-conscious about talking to her, but his guilt at misjudging her made him desire to apologize for his earlier behavior.
“Fianna I just want to tell you…well, I just wanted to say that you are doing a great job, and I understand now why you were chosen to lead us” Aeden stammered as he eased himself down beside her on the fallen log she had chosen as her post.
Fianna stared at him without speaking for so long he was beginning to wonder if he had somehow offended her. Finally she said “you are not the only one who was too quick to judge” she said.
Neither one spoke for several minutes, each considering the others words. Finally it was Fianna who broke the silence. “I am worried about Teagan and Riordan. I’m afraid Riordan is bearing the weight of responsibility for our situation, and Teagan is going to get tired of you ignoring her and then she will do something foolish.”
“Why would her foolishness have anything to do with me?” Aeden asked, confused.
“You really have no idea?” Fianna asked, incredulous that he was that blind.
“No, I’ve got enough responsibility seeing to Riordan’s safety and now serving the Morrighan; whatever that means. Why am I responsible for Teagan as well?” Aeden wanted to know.
Fianna couldn’t hold back the giggle that escaped her then. “Teagan has been swooning over you for as long as I can remember.
If not for you I am sure she’d have already run off home putting us in even greater peril.”
Aeden had often noticed that Teagan was beautiful, all the boys did. He had often overheard boys talk about how Teagan would have all kinds of options after her Nameday, and while he had no doubts about their meaning he really hadn’t given much thought to girls in that regard. The idea that Teagan might desire him made him feel oddly excited and more than a little bit embarrassed.
Fianna watched the flush creep across his face, and it was all she could manage not to tease him. Obviously he had truly never recognized Teagan’s infatuation, and now that she had pointed it out his discomfort said more than words that he was now curious. Fianna didn’t understand why that upset her but it did and once again they sat facing the plains ahead lost in their own thoughts.
It was almost dark when Aeden shook Fianna, who had dozed off. “We need to wake the others and prepare to move” he said. She had fallen asleep on watch and though she was upset with herself, her ire spilled over onto Aeden.
“Why didn’t you wake me sooner? We should already be moving!” she said angrily.
Aeden looked at her for a