The Blood Forest (Tree of Ages #3)(62)
Iseult glanced back at their minders, then answered, “I believe the dragon tracks Finn by her magic, not her scent. They were likely heading toward the compound, but changed course when Finn escaped.”
“Precisely,” Oighear agreed, suddenly appearing behind them.
Bedelia nearly jumped out of her skin. Iseult did not. Instead, he turned his cool gaze to the Faie Queen.
Bedelia tried to quiet her breathing. Hadn’t Oighear just been several paces away, over by the next group of corpses? She internally scolded herself. One would think after all her time with Keiren, she’d be used to magic. She turned to glare at Oighear, but the woman’s eyes were all for Iseult.
“You don’t seem to regret speaking your suspicions near me,” Oighear commented. “That means you knew I’d already figured it out?” She raised her colorless brow.
Iseult nodded once, making Bedelia feel like a fool for not figuring things out as quickly.
“You would not return to this place for Naoki to find Finn’s scent trail,” he explained. “She would then only lead us back from whence we came. You knew Naoki had been tracking Finn’s magic, not her scent. She’d last sensed her from this location, leading these men here, so it’s a sensible area to begin anew.”
Oighear reached down and stroked Naoki’s bony head. “Dragons can sense magic better than any other creature, except unicorns, perhaps. Even a fledgling like our little friend can sense the magic of its familiar spirit across an entire ocean. This dragon has chosen the Cavari girl. We returned here because it is the border of my domain. Here ends my warding against foreign magic. It’s as good a place as any to begin her tracking.”
Bedelia began to sweat despite the cold. If what Oighear said was true, as long as she had Naoki, she’d always be able to find Finn. With her and Iseult along, Naoki seemed comfortable, as if believing her friends would never cause Finn harm.
Oighear smiled wickedly at Bedelia’s expression. “I suppose you now realize I have nearly won this game.”
Bedelia glared at her. “Perhaps, but the next time you meet Finn, it will not be in a room warded against her magic.”
Oighear snorted and gave Naoki’s tether a tug. “I am not afraid of a single Dair. An entire clan, perhaps, but one girl is no match for me. Now let us be off, we have much ground to cover.”
She strode past them, tugging Naoki along, then mounted her gray dappled horse. From her perch, she cast a smug gaze upon Bedelia and Iseult as their keepers rode up behind them, prodding them forward.
“We have to do something,” Bedelia whispered, leaning in toward Iseult’s shoulder.
He did not meet her worried gaze, but answered with a slight nod, barely perceptible.
She could only hope he had more ideas than she, because if left up to her, they’d likely both die from exhaustion long before Oighear found Finn.
Ealasaid could hardly believe her ears upon hearing Kai’s story. Here she’d thought she would be the one with all of the information to share, but the Alderman of a small burgh like Garenoch gathering magic forces was but a trifle compared to encounters with the Faie Queen.
She took another sip of her hot tea, then pushed away her empty plate. They’d all had a hearty meal at their inn, an odd place called the Sheep’s Delight, while Kai told his tale. Anna had remained mostly silent throughout, while Sativola drank more whiskey than Ealasaid thought possible for a single man.
“It’s odd being back here,” Anna muttered to Kai, staring down into her half empty mug of wine.
“The place where it all began,” he mused. “Think what might have happened had Anders and Branwen not recognized àed.”
Anna snorted half-heartedly. “We’d likely be much better off. Not chased by the Faie and An Fiach. Speaking of An Fiach,” she continued, raising her gaze to Maarav and Ealasaid, “has there been any word of them this far south?”
Ealasaid shook her head, wishing she had known the group from the start. As it was, she’d always be an outsider, unable to reminisce about the past. “Only from travelers coming from the North,” she explained. “The last we saw of them was in Badenmar.” She turned a quick glare to Maarav, still angry that he’d refused to help the townsfolk . . . not that she’d been able to do any better. “Most have not even heard of them in these parts,” she continued with a sigh. “These lands are still under the rule of the Gray City, or so I’m told, though most of the guard has withdrawn from the countryside, leaving the smaller burghs to fend for themselves.”
“Hence the Alderman here welcoming magic users without drawing much notice,” Maarav added. “Though I imagine it won’t last for long.”
Anna took a long swig of wine, then returned her mug to the table. “Yes, I imagine as soon as magic is used against the Alderman, all the magic users that have come to fight will be thrown to the dogs.”
Maarav nudged her with his elbow. “I told you so.”
She glared at him. She’d been arguing with him since Badenmar about her magic. What was the point of having special gifts if she did not use them to help people? “Forgive me for wishing to use my gifts for good,” she muttered.
He grinned. “And protecting me isn’t any good?”
Sativola burst into drunken laughter at that and she tried not to blush. She had become rather protective of him, though she wasn’t sure why. She knew full well that remaining by Maarav’s side was not the most noble choice, but if she didn’t, who would? Out of everyone, he was the one who’d remained by her side the most. What type of woman would she be if she didn’t return the favor?