The Blood Forest (Tree of Ages #3)(24)
Suddenly, something came crashing toward them. Kai threw himself in front of Finn, dagger drawn, but there was no need. As soon as Finn gathered her wits, she recognized the horse trotting toward them, and its riders. Finn had always thought Rada was one of the prettiest horses she’d ever seen with her black and white coat.
Heaving a sigh of relief at the sight of Kai and Finn, Bedelia climbed down from the saddle, then helped Ealasaid do the same.
“We’re lucky there’s a full moon tonight,” Bedelia began, “else we would have never been able to track you.”
“Which unfortunately means An Fiach will be able to track us,” Kai added. “We should keep moving.”
“We should wait for the others,” Finn protested.
Ealasaid stepped forward sheepishly, pushing her frothy mess of hair away from her face. “I agree, we should wait. If An Fiach should find us first, I’ll create a . . . distraction.”
Bedelia smirked. “You can trust what she says. She’s quite good at distractions.”
Ealasaid looked at the ground, embarrassed.
Finn wasn’t sure what was going on. Iseult had mentioned that Ealasaid had magic, so she assumed she’d used it to aid in her and Bedelia’s escape.
Noticing Finn’s unsure expression, Ealasaid stepped forward and took her hand. “Don’t fret. I’m sure the others will be along shortly. Maarav and Iseult are excellent fighters, faster than any I’ve ever seen.”
“That’s not saying much, coming from a village girl,” Kai joked as he took Rada’s reins to secure her beside their stolen horse. “I still think we should move on,” he continued, “but I know better than to argue with three women at once. You all should get some rest while I keep watch.”
“I will keep watch as well,” Bedelia offered.
Kai finished untying the bedroll from the saddle, then pushed it into Finn’s arms. “Sleep with your boots on,” he advised. “We must be prepared to leave quickly.”
Nodding, Finn turned with the bedroll in her arms and searched for a place to lay it. She felt uneasy, like her journey was once again about to become greatly derailed. Beyond that, she could not shake what the little Merrow girl had told them. All must fear the Dair. All must fear her. Kai would be a fool to love such a frightening creature as herself, like a sister, or otherwise.
“I know they passed through here before,” óengus stated coolly, aiming his icy glare at the diminutive, aged bar mistress. He’d tried kindness initially, but the woman had somehow seen through the act.
“And how would you know that?” she replied just as coolly. Though she was small in size, with muddy brown hair, and numerous missing teeth, a keen intelligence shone out of the woman’s eyes.
óengus knew Kai and Finn had stayed with the woman previously, and were likely hidden away somewhere in her home, along with the others. Still, he’d stationed half his men at the gates, just in case. He had no desire to chase them further down the Sand Road.
Suppressing a growl of irritation, both at the bar mistress, and at the thought of the men of An Fiach, he turned away from the bar. Though he was used to commanding others, he wasn’t impressed with the soldiers in his contingent. Most of them were mere peasants who’d never held a sword until the day they enlisted.
He strode through the double doors of the establishment without a word. The icy wind played with his short silver hair, tickling the whiskers of his neat beard, but he hardly noticed the cold. He knew there was a back entrance to the establishment. He’d take the time to post several men outside of it, then would find himself a hot meal while he waited for his quarry to reveal themselves. Just because he was now an imposter Captain of An Fiach, didn’t mean he wasn’t allowed to enjoy himself.
Before he could walk around the building, the sound of steel on steel caught his ears. He sighed. Incompetent fools. He had no doubt the clanging steel came from his men battling those he sought. His men would lose, and their quarry would escape. Of that he had little doubt.
Taking long, confident strides, he walked past the townsfolk trickling out into the streets to observe the commotion. He resisted the urge to cut down the curious onlookers getting in his way. He would be too late to catch those he sought, and it would take time to gather all his men and give chase.
Keiren would not be pleased.
Another day had come and gone while they waited outside of the Archive. Anders had expected more Travelers to join them, but none had shown themselves. Instead, he was stuck with Niklas, eating meager portions of a grouse he’d snared, along with a few foraged roots, all boiled in a pot with no seasoning. While it was no fine meal, Anders ate it with abandon. Since he’d started traveling with Niklas, his breeches had grown loose, and the occasional reflections he caught of himself in ponds and puddles showed gaunt cheeks and sallow skin. His parents would hardly recognize him, if he managed to see them at all.
He couldn’t help but wonder where he’d be if he’d stayed with An Fiach. He’d never gone hungry after joining, and had even felt almost safe with Radley and the other men at his side. He’d even briefly envisioned returning home after finding his sister, a proud man in uniform, his life sworn to protecting the weak.
Unfortunately, protecting the weak wasn’t what An Fiach was really about. He would never be able to clear from his mind the battle with the refugees, and Ealasaid’s conviction that he had somehow been involved in destroying her village, murdering her kin. Though he’d had no involvement in what happened to Ealasaid’s family, the dead of the ruined city in the North would haunt him forever.