The Blood Forest (Tree of Ages #3)(27)
She scowled at his hand. “I’ll grant you your death if you don’t remove your paw.”
Niklas tsked at her. “You may be powerful, girl, but you do not want to incur the wrath of the Ceàrdaman. We are . . . many.”
She glared at him, stepping back out of his reach. “What do you want?”
“I want to help you,” he explained, letting his hand drop to his side. “When I come to you next, I expect to be welcomed with open arms.”
The woman sneered. “I’ll open the door. How about that?”
Niklas nodded. “Acceptable.”
With a final scowl for both of them, she marched past Niklas and muttered words at the doors. They both swung inward. She muttered more words under her breath at the guards, and they remained perfectly still, never once looking at her.
“They won’t remember her,” Niklas explained, moving to Anders’ side. “And we should escape this room while the spell still lasts.” He glanced at Lissandra, still on the plush rug covering most of the floor. “She’s not likely to remember either. I recommend we leave her where she lay.”
Anders glanced at Lissandra, still confused. “I thought you were searching for a certain tome.”
“Yes,” Niklas sighed. “To give to her.” He gestured in the direction the woman had gone. “Now let us find your family. I’m sure they’ll offer you a fine meal.”
Anders’ stomach dropped, his thoughts torn away from the red-haired woman. Ceàrdaman and strange, magic-wielding women he could handle. His mother’s disapproving eye was another matter entirely. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he followed Niklas forward, resigned to his frightening fate.
Chapter Six
Finn woke up cold and alone. At one point during the night, she’d woken to relieve Bedelia from her watch duties, then later Bedelia had gotten back up to stand watch with Ealasaid, while Kai got some rest. Now the extra bedroll beside her was empty, but she could hear voices not far off.
She sat up and watched her breath fog the air. By the gods it was cold. Steeling herself against the forthcoming discomfort, she wiggled out of her bedroll and stood, straightening her breeches and corset. As Kai had suggested, she’d slept with her boots on, leaving her feet sweaty and sore. All for nothing, obviously, since they’d needed no quick escape.
Catching the sound of voices again, she hurried toward the noise, soon spotting the source. What she found filled her with joy. Perhaps her journey would not be derailed after all.
Seeing her, Iseult ended his conversation with Kai and approached. He smiled down at her warmly. A smile that, she was beginning to realize, was reserved only for her. “We thought we’d let you rest awhile,” he explained.
Maarav and his men stood several paces back, tending their horses. She spotted Iseult and Maarav’s large warhorses, along with four new ones.
“Naoki?” she asked hopefully, searching around for the dragon.
Iseult shook his head. “Kai explained what happened, but we did not see her.”
She held a hand against her stomach, and the sudden knot that blossomed there. Had she been killed?
Iseult placed a comforting hand on her bicep, and she allowed herself a shuddering exhale.
“I was worried you wouldn’t be able to find us,” she muttered finally, then glanced at the nearby horses, “but I see you’ve not only done that, but have gone far beyond.”
Iseult frowned and withdrew his hand from her arm. “The soldiers we fought were undertrained. It was not difficult to escape with the horses. We led them on a chase for much of the night, then circled back around to find you.”
Anna approached from the nearby trees, looking tired and irritable. “You’re welcome for that,” she said snidely. “It’s fortunate you’re so . . . shiny, else we might not have found you so quickly.”
Finn sighed, knowing Anna was talking about seeing her magic. It suddenly dawned on her that if Anna could see it, others likely could too. Was that how the Ceàrdaman had found her in Migris? And the Cavari who’d stolen her away through the earth? She stifled a shiver. She should probably learn how to hide her . . . shine, but the only person she knew to ask how was àed.
Iseult softly cleared his throat, startling her back into awareness. Reading her worries, he comforted, “Perhaps Naoki will still find you. She should be able to follow your scent from quite a distance.”
She nodded, but wasn’t hopeful. “Let’s go,” she muttered, glancing at Anna as she walked away toward the horses. She’d need to ask Anna more about her shininess, but in that moment, she didn’t have the heart. Later.
Nodding to herself, she walked with Iseult as everyone congregated around the horses. She ended up riding with Bedelia, while Ealasaid and Anna rode together. Anna had complained that it wasn’t fair that only the men should get their own horses, but she really couldn’t argue against the fact that she and Ealasaid weighed less than any of the men, except maybe Tavish, who had already graciously offered to share a horse with any of the women.
Finn, however, had not complained about riding with Bedelia. They had ridden together all the way to Migris once, and she took comfort in riding together once again. She’d formed more of a bond with Bedelia than she’d managed with either Ealasaid or Anna, and knew she could trust her. Soon enough Bedelia had managed to unsour Finn’s mood, though her heart still ached for Naoki. Still, they chatted happily as they rode through the woods, avoiding the Sand Road for fear of running across An Fiach.