The Blood Forest (Tree of Ages #3)(12)
Finn patted her back. “Try not to worry too much about it. You are not the only one in our party who’s been affected by Faie tricks. Once I ran off into the woods on my own, putting all of my companions in danger, and while we were sailing, Kai nearly flung himself into the ocean to reach the Sirens.”
Ealasaid groaned, but finally revealed her face and smiled. “You’re right. It was a spell and not really me. I just wish Maarav had shared in my embarrassment, at least a little.”
Finn returned her smile. “Come now, he’s probably just feeling down that you no longer wanted to rest in his arms come morning.”
Ealasaid smiled a little wider, then Anna approached and handed them each a slice of bread topped with white cheese. She looked like she wanted to say something, then Sativola came crashing out of the trees, followed by Kai, Maarav, Tavish, and Rae, the latter two with their eyes downcast and a bit of blood on their clothing.
Iseult approached the men with Naoki in tow. “Where are the others?”
Tavish and Rae both kept their eyes downcast.
Suddenly feeling wary, Finn remained on her seat next to Ealasaid, several paces away from the men. She took a bite of her bread and cheese, chewing slowly.
“They were all swept up in a Faie spell,” Maarav explained for his men. “The others did not survive. We buried them as best we could.”
“What?” Anna growled, charging up to the remorseful men like an angry wolf. “You killed my crew?”
Rae was the first to meet her eyes. “They would have killed us otherwise.”
“And how do we know that,” she snapped.
“You do not,” Rae replied, standing his ground. “Which is why Tavish and I will take our leave of you.”
“No, you will not,” Maarav interrupted, his tone not welcoming arguments.
Anna turned her glare to Maarav, while Rae’s expression remained impassive.
“You swore to accompany me until my mission is complete, or until I release you from service,” Maarav explained, his gaze firmly on Rae and Tavish, “and you know full well what it would mean if you were to go back on that oath.”
Naoki trotted over to Finn and buried her beak against the leg of her breeches, as if unsettled by the sudden tension. Finn stroked the dragon’s head with her free hand, her gaze remaining on the arguing men. She had a feeling there was more meaning to Maarav’s words than she was able to divine. Perhaps some secretive law pertaining to the hidden city up North?
Casting a final glare at Anna, Rae met Maarav’s gaze. “I will abide by the rules.”
Finn glanced at Iseult to see if he understood any more of this conversation than she did. Though his expression gave away little, he was watching his brother like a hawk. Perhaps he trusted Maarav as much as she, which was little.
“Get cleaned up,” Maarav ordered the two men, then turned toward his bedroll and supplies, effectively ending the argument.
Anna gave Rae and Tavish another hard look, and neither seemed to miss how her hands hovered near her daggers. They all stared at each other a moment more, then Anna turned away with a huff.
Finn took another bite of her hard bread and cheese, then turned to Ealasaid, silently asking her what she thought. Ealasaid shrugged, then stuffed the rest of her bread in her mouth, stood, and walked away, decidedly keeping her distance from Maarav.
Finn’s small meal settled like a hard lump in her stomach. After what they’d seen in Migris, she knew the risk of death for her party was high, but she hadn’t expected the first two men to go like that.
She lifted her gaze as Kai approached and took Ealasaid’s vacated seat. “At least none of us killed each other in the Blood Forest,” he muttered.
She nodded, then gave him a thoughtful look.
He raised his hands in surrender. “I wasn’t about to tease you about running off that day, I swear.”
She shook her head. “It’s not that, I’m simply wondering why you were affected by the Sirens, but not the Faie of the Blood Forest, or the ones last night. And I’m wondering why Iseult is never affected at all.”
Kai frowned. “Well Iseult, I suspect, has a heart made of black iron, warding the Faie away. And perhaps I was only entranced by the Siren’s because. . . ” he trailed off, pondering his answer.
“Because you’re desperate for female attention?” Anna asked, walking up behind him. She handed him a piece of bread and cheese, just like she’d given Finn, then gazed toward where Maarav, Tavish, and Rae had moved to converse, out of hearing range. Sativola walked up beside Anna.
“I think it would be wise for us to look after each other’s well being,” Anna advised, her voice low. “I’ll watch your backs, if you’ll watch mine.”
“Deal,” Finn and Kai said in unison, while Sativola said, “Aye.”
Finn met Iseult’s gaze from where he stood by the horses. He gave her a subtle nod. They would all need to look out for each other.
Soon everyone gathered together to depart, a pall of heavy silence surrounding them. Rae and Tavish watched everyone but Maarav warily, as if realizing they were no longer entirely welcome.
Finn could only hope they would choose to leave on their own, along with Maarav, lest anyone else end up in a shallow grave in the woods.
Iseult felt little relief at being back on the Sand Road. Finn walked beside him, completely unharmed by the previous night’s events, yet he couldn’t help but think how easily she could have been the one on the wrong side of a Faie enchantment. If Rae and Tavish had harmed her instead of the other men . . . well, Rae and Tavish would not longer be in existence.