The Blood Forest (Tree of Ages #3)(37)

She pushed one side of the heavy double doors open and walked out into the night, quickly spotting Iseult leaning against the front of the building, his tall frame seemingly at ease. Though his breath fogged the air, he did not have his cloak tightly wrapped around himself like she did, leaving the sword pommel at his hip to glint in the moonlight.

He turned his expressionless gaze to her as she approached. “How is he?”

“I’m not sure,” she muttered. She leaned against the building beside him, wincing at the knot in her stomach. “Anna seems to think if he makes it through morning he’ll survive, but she seems unsure.”

He nodded, but did not comment further.

“Bedelia said you wanted to speak with me?” she pressed, wishing they could have their conversation by a warm fire instead of outside near the stabled horses.

He nodded again, but seemed hesitant to speak. She turned her gaze up toward the sky, hoping a lack of eye contact might make him feel more comfortable with whatever he needed to say.

Unfortunately, the silence drew on for several long moments.

As she watched, sparse clouds drifted in to cover the moon. There was a crispness to the air that hinted at more snow, though she’d been told repeatedly it was the wrong time of year for it. Perhaps the strange weather was following them, just like the assassins and An Fiach. One of the horses whinnied behind them, drawing Finn back to the present.

“Do you think we made the correct decision?” Iseult asked finally.

“To come here?” she asked, confused. Iseult wasn’t normally one to ask for opinions.

“To leave the others,” he clarified.

She turned her head to search his face. Was he regretting leaving his brother behind? He hadn’t seemed overly concerned with Maarav’s welfare when they left him, but she knew better than most that Iseult had many hidden depths.

Finding no further clues in his expression, she turned her gaze back to the moon. “I’m not sure, really. I do not believe he was responsible for the ambush, but I cannot necessarily say the same for Rae and Tavish. They did not fight against us, but did not help us like Maarav. Still, I have not trusted Maarav from the start.”

Iseult nodded. “His motives have remained unclear to me. I do not think it happenstance that he found me in Migris, nor do I think Bedelia just happened to be traveling the Sand Road at the same time as our party.”

“Bedelia?” she questioned, startled by the abrupt subject change.

He nodded. “I would like you to tell me more about the time you spent with her. How you met, and how you parted.”

“I told you already,” she replied, feeling slightly defensive about the subject. “After I was stolen away by the Cavari’s Faie creatures, I escaped and ended up lost in the woods. I saw a campfire in the distance and hurried toward it to find Bedelia. She fed me and accompanied me to Migris.”

“And you were far from the Sand Road when you met her?” he pressed.

“Well yes,” Finn began.

“And she did not tell you what she was doing by herself, so far from the road?”

“Well no,” she replied, starting to see his point.

He sighed. “I caught her wandering around outside the castle ruins while everyone slept,” he admitted. “I believe she was looking for me. Once I had safely escorted her back, I sensed guilt in her expression.”

Finn felt like a fist was slowly clenching around her heart. “What are you saying?”

His expression softened as he looked at her. “My apologies, I did not mean to upset you, and perhaps I have misjudged her. I would simply like you to be careful what you say to her.”

“And you would like me to consider leaving her behind, like we did to Maarav and Ealasaid?” she accused. “You would like me to leave yet another friend behind?”

He opened his mouth to say more, but the inn door opened to their right. Bedelia peeked her head out. “Kai is awake,” she explained.

Finn’s heart thundered in her ears. She turned back to Iseult.

He nodded for her to go. “Be careful,” he advised.

She nodded, then followed Bedelia inside. There was much to discuss with Iseult, but her priority at that moment was Kai. She’d already lost àed and Naoki. Though she hadn’t been as close to Ealasaid, her loss stung as well. Now she might possibly lose Kai.

Perhaps she should be suspicious of Bedelia, but she could not bring herself to question her friendship. She’d lost enough friends already. She wasn’t about to chase away the few that remained.



Anna bit her lip hard enough to make it bleed. She would not cry. Kai had awoken, and it was clear by his unfocused, sad eyes that he believed he was going to die. She believed it too. His face was horribly pale, coated in a sickly sweat, his breathing ragged and weak. She thought it likely his internal organs had been damaged, and were now beginning to fail him. She could think of no other explanation.

Even more disturbing than the readily visible signs, was the fading of the color surrounding him. Since developing her curse of seeing the in between, she had started seeing soft colors surrounding people. Kai’s was usually a calm, deep forest green. Now it seemed that it was fading to a bleak gray.

The door creaked open across the room and Finn poked her head in. Anna gestured for her to come inside. Though he was just feverishly mumbling to himself now, Kai had asked for her.