“To remove the curse from your bloodline,” she muttered.
“Yes,” he answered, “but the place he comes from may have altered his perceptions. Perhaps he has darker motivations unbeknownst to me.”
Finn sighed. “I’m just glad this will all be over soon. All we need to do is reach my meadow.”
Iseult gazed at the stormy sky above them, tasting the rich scent of damp earth on the back of his tongue. He did not believe things would be anywhere near over once they found the Faie Queen’s shroud. Finn still did not have her memories, and he believed the loss of her child in her previous life was the reason. Her devastation had caused her to lay a curse upon his people before she retreated, never to be seen again . . . until now. There was great power within her, and he could only hope her memories would not change the bond he shared with her, lest his quest end in his death.
Bedelia swatted at the branches catching in her shoulder-length hair. While she was glad to be back on dry land again, she found everything a constant source of rage. Keiren didn’t care if she lived or died since she had failed so horribly in her quest. No one cared.
She sighed and swatted at another branch as Rada, her black and white horse, carried her further down the trail. The animal also seemed relieved to be back on dry land after sailing all the way to that forsaken island just for her owner to spy and burn down a tree.
Thoughts of the island where the Archtree resided brought thoughts of her recent, short-term friendship with Finn. Unlike Keiren or anyone else, Finn cared. She’d heard Finn question Maarav about her well-being. After knowing her only a short while, Finn cared if she lived or died. How cruel that she was now set out to harm Finn even further. Keiren had already taken àed away, and Bedelia knew just how much the old man had meant to Finn. Now she was supposed to take away even more of Finn’s support.
The trees grew sparse as she neared the Sand Road, her final destination, for the time being. Keiren had informed her that Finn would cross her path within the day, though the estimate was anything but solid. Keiren still couldn’t see Finn clearly with her arcane gifts. She’d thought it was àed keeping the girl from her, but now he was gone, turned into a tree, and Finn still eluded Keiren’s ever-watchful eye.
Good. For the first time in many, many years, she was glad Keiren was unhappy, and she almost hoped being near Finn again would block her from Keiren’s sight too, not to mention òengus. He’d been given another mission, since Finn and her companions would never be foolish enough to trust him like they hopefully would Bedelia.
Reaching the Sand Road, she crossed it, then dismounted. Soon enough she had built a small fire, and had begun roasting a rabbit she’d snared in the woods. She sat in the dry grass and propped herself up with her arms while Rada snuffled the ground for something to eat.
She sighed, looking up at the gathering clouds overhead. A cold rain would be a welcome distraction. Perhaps it would wash away her memories of the past few weeks. Still gazing upward, she resituated her once injured leg. Though the wound caused by a Faie wolf had healed over, lines of black still ran through the veins beneath the skin, currently covered by her deep green woolen breeches and light plate armor. Even with the potion that had allowed her to heal, she still might die from the aftereffects of the bite.
At times, death seemed a welcome reprieve, but she couldn’t actually accept such a fate. After all she’d endured in her often tumultuous life, it couldn’t all just end. She had loved once, but now knew her love was never truly returned. Her past years of service had been for nothing. She had to make the future ones count.
She shook her head and patted Rada as the animal stepped a little closer and snuffled near her lap. No, she could not allow herself to die. She would see this thing through, and see where she ended up. Keiren had made her feel worthless. Now, after all this time, she was determined to reclaim that worth, one way or another.
Evening was fast approaching, and tensions were high. Maarav knew his confrontation with his men had not gone over well with anyone, especially Iseult. Unfortunately, he’d had little choice. If he would have let the men go, it would have entirely undermined his standing in the city he would always consider home, not to mention it would have been an unwise strategic move in his current situation. He knew he was the odd man out. This journey centered around Finn, and she did not trust him. He had little doubt his brother would side with her over him, and might even side with Kai and Anna too. While Iseult had expressed little love for the pair, he technically knew them better than he knew him, not to mention Finn was in favor of their presence.
Maarav knew better than to let himself become so grossly outnumbered. He had many reasons for remaining with the party, and could not risk being ostracized.
He glanced back at his brother, walking beside Finn and her little dragon. Just as his own motivations had remained hidden, so had Iseult’s, though he obviously cared a great deal for Finn. The reasons for that were a mystery. Maarav knew the histories, and he knew just who Finn was. She had cursed their people . . . although, he didn’t fully view it as a curse. He’d always been highly proficient at his job, somehow faster and more stealthy than others. Sometimes it was as if he could even hide in plain sight. Perhaps souls just served to weigh their hosts down, and he was better off without one. Better off, until he died, at least. He was not sure just what would happen to him then. If one stuck strictly to the lore, the souls of his ancestors were stolen. Trapped someplace in between the worlds, never able to live or die . . . or whatever actions souls actually experienced.
He and Iseult were different. They’d been born into this curse. Perhaps they were just empty shadows, never meant to truly be men. He’d always known there was something that held him apart from other people, and his mother had explained just what that was, but it was still difficult to fully comprehend.
“Someone ahead near the road,” Tavish muttered beside him.
Maarav narrowed his eyes, peering into the distance to see the subtle glow of a fire. “Scout ahead,” he ordered quietly.
A moment later, Tavish and Rae were off, moving silently through the growing shadows. They should have made camp before the sun finished its retreat, but it seemed everyone was reluctant to do so. He supposed he couldn’t blame them.
He chuckled, thinking of the Faie spell that had so fully ensnared Ealasaid. It hadn’t affected him, but he’d been glad to play along. He’d been planning on letting her know in the morning, viewing it as a grand prank, but the girl had been so utterly embarrassed, he didn’t have the heart to tell her. He hadn’t expected her to react so negatively.
He walked on in silence, straining to hear Finn and Iseult’s hushed conversation behind him, yet they were a bit too far off. It had been that way all day, and he couldn’t help but feel they kept their voices low on purpose, just to keep him from hearing.
A few moments later, Rae and Tavish returned.
“Just a lone woman with her horse,” Tavish explained. “I doubt she’ll give us any trouble. Perhaps she’d even care to share her fire. I’d rather not venture back into the woods tonight.” He eyed the trees to their right warily.
Maarav shook his head, ashamed that his men had fallen so quickly to Faie tricks, though honestly, he suspected his curse had more to do with his immunity than anything else, as Iseult also seemed immune.
His mind made up, he continued walking, and his men followed. Soon the fire came more clearly into view.
Iseult and the others quickly closed the distance between their groups.