The Oaken Throne

by Sara C. Roethle

  “It is a relic of our people,” the Traveler explained, “hidden away for centuries, waiting for a time when someone who walks the line between reality and the in-between would rule.”

  Ealasaid’s mouth went dry. It was an ancient relic of the Ceàrdaman, and they were giving it to . . . her?

  “Um, thank you,” she muttered, unsure of what else to stay.

  Seemingly satisfied, the Travelers began to back away.

  Ealasaid opened her mouth to ask them more about what the gift of the wand meant, but they were no longer there. They had faded from existence as if they’d never been. Yet, the box with the wand was still very real in her hands.

  Maarav moved to peer over her shoulder at the wand. “I don’t like this. Not one bit.”

  She turned her head and blinked up at him, unsure of what to say.

  The female mage cleared her throat. “We should retreat back within the gates where it is safe, my lady.”

  Ealasaid nodded, quickly putting the lid back on the box. She’d examine the wand further when she was safe within her bedroom.

  While she had no idea what it meant, or what powers it might possess, if any, she was quite sure the tides of fate had just shifted.

  She could only hope the change was in her favor.

  Chapter Three

  Finn knew distantly that she was in a dream, but she couldn’t quite seem to pull out of it. Moonlight lit her way. The mists of the Gray Place obscured her feet, parting, then reforming around the hem of her thick robe. The robe itself was a deep forest green, but was not the ratty robe originally gifted to her by Àed. This one was was well-made, with soft fur lining the hood. A heavy broach shaped like a golden leaf gathered the fabric near her left shoulder, below her collarbone. Her long, dirty blonde hair blew freely in the warm air.

  She knew the area in which she treaded. She recognized the odd, scraggly trees, and knew a large lake was not far off. She wondered if she was meant to go to that lake. Perhaps it was the only way she would wake. Something butted against her bare hand, startling her.

  She turned down to see Naoki, pushing against her palm for attention. The dragon’s once sparse feathers had finished growing in, coating her head, body, and wings in glistening white. Tiny glittering feathers had even sprouted down over the base of her sharp beak. She blinked spherical, lilac eyes up at Finn, as if questioning her presence in the Gray Place.

  Finn stroked Naoki’s feathered head, rather comforted to have the company, then continued walking. The dragon’s appearance in the Gray Place was no surprise. She’d appeared there before, and Finn knew she could find her way back to the real world whenever she chose.

  With a shaky breath, Finn pressed onward, wondering if she had been summoned here, or if she had arrived on her own.

  The shimmering lake came into view. Walking to its shore with Naoki by her side, she admired the calm, dark surface reflecting the moonlight. Her eyes darted about. No one waited for her, at least not that she could see.

  Naoki trotted along the lake’s edge a short way to examine a small boat lodged in the sand. Finn remembered the boat from a previous dream. She could still recall the feel of Oighear’s icy fingers around her throat as she swayed on the boat, trapped in the middle of the lake. Nothing on earth could compel her to set foot in the vessel now.

  She stared at the boat for several seconds, then turned, sensing a presence at her back. She scanned her surroundings, but there was no one there. She could have sworn she felt eyes on her.

  Without warning, Naoki darted past her, back in the direction she’d come. Seconds later, she was out of sight.

  Shaking her head in confusion, she wrapped her arms around herself as a cold gust of air hit her, so cold she began shivering. She began to grow nervous. The Gray Place was usually even in temperature, except for her one dream of Oighear. She blinked, and found herself surrounded by familiar trees, not the odd scraggly ones that were here before. Her eyes widened in surprise. What was happening?

  The moon shone softly overhead, but the mist it once illuminated was gone, except for Finn’s breath fogging the air in front of her face.

  A final look around revealed the distant fortress. She was back in reality. She looked down at her muddy, bare feet, then stroked her palms down her white underpinnings, covered only by her ratty green cloak. Had she been sleepwalking?

  “My apologies for interrupting your dream,” a voice said from behind her.

  She whipped around, then narrowed her eyes. “What are you doing here, Niklas?”

  The Traveler stood alone, his pale gray robe cloaking all but his bald head, and the tips of his unnaturally long fingers.

  “I’ve come to check on you,” he purred, “and to make sure my wraith is behaving. I can’t seem to find her.”

  Hmm, so Branwen had told her the truth. It was Niklas who turned her into little more than a ghost.

  “She’s fine,” she replied sharply, fighting her chattering teeth. “If that’s all, I’d like to return to my bed.”

  Niklas titled his head. “No, that is not all. I would like to offer you a gift.”

  Finn shook her head. She knew better than to take anything from the Ceàrdaman, especially Niklas. “I do not want your gift.”

  He smiled, revealing sharp teeth. “Oh trust me, my dear, you will want this one, lest you give the human queen the upper hand.”

  Her eyes narrowed further. “What do you know of Ealasaid?”

  Instead of answering, he lifted a small black velvet box from within the folds of his robe. It was roughly the size of his palm, not likely to hold a weapon, or anything else that might cause her harm.

  He opened the box to reveal a ring. Curious in spite of herself, Finn stepped closer to observe it. The solid gold band had a thick base engraved with tiny leaves and acorns, embedding a deep green stone with a raw, irregular surface.

  Niklas offered her the ring, still resting within its box.

  She lifted her eyes to meet his gaze. She’d encountered the Travelers enough to no longer be startled by the reflective nature of his eyes.

  Niklas smiled softly. “I offer you this gift on behalf of Clan An Duilleog, the Clan of the Leaf. That is the clan from which I hail.”

  She took a step back. “I do not desire your fealty.”

  His smile broadened. It was a predatory smile, the last thing some people saw right before meeting their ends. “You have it whether you like it or not. You have had it from the start.” He held the box toward her.

  “No,” she said, taking another step back. “I do not want it.”

  He sighed. “Always such a difficult girl.” He closed the box containing the ring, then turned and walked away, fading from sight.

  Finn blinked, slowly lowering the hand that had darted to her thundering heart. She paused mid-motion, noticing a peculiar weight on her finger. She lifted her hand and peered down at the ring Niklas had offered her.

  Disgusted with his trick, she tugged the ring off her finger, then dropped it in the dirt. She kicked soil and dead leaves over it with her bare foot, already throbbing from the cold.

  With a final huff, she turned and walked back toward the fortress, wondering just what Niklas was plotting. She also distantly wondered about the eyes she’d felt on her in the Gray Place. She didn’t think it was Niklas. Whatever it was, Naoki had chased it, and might be chasing it still, given she wasn’t here.

  She reached the gates to find one side slightly ajar, just enough for her to slip through. She glanced to the Trow on either side of the gate, resting peacefully in their rooted tree forms. She wondered if anyone besides the Trow had seen her depart, barefoot in the middle of the night. They’d probably think her quite mad, and after her strange night, she’d have trouble arguing with them.

  When Finn finally awoke, the sun was already streaming harshly through her window. She’d missed dawn by a long shot. She was supposed to meet with Anna to enact their plan with Kai.

  She sat up with a
groan, peering down at Naoki curled happily by her feet. Her sleep must have been deep to not notice the dragon’s return. She stroked her soft white feathers, then lifted her hands to rub at her eyes. She scowled, extending her hands in front of her. That cursed ring was on her finger again.

  With a growl, she tore it off and slammed it onto the low table beside her straw mat. If it ended up on her finger again, she’d throw it out the window.

  Naoki barely moved as she climbed out of the blankets and placed her bare feet on the chilly floor, noting the mud still speckling her skin.

  She hurried to the basin of icy water near the hearth of burning embers. Shivering, she washed her feet, then dressed in forest green breeches, a loose tan tunic, and her ratty cloak. Finally, she tugged on her woolen socks and boots. It was time to find Anna. Hopefully she wouldn’t be off with Eywen somewhere since Finn had missed their meeting.

  She rushed down the hall, then descended the stairs, following her well-trod path to the entry room. It had become somewhat of a meeting place for their small group. If Anna hadn’t finished her breakfast already, Finn would find her there.

  She entered the large room to find not only Anna, but Iseult and Bedelia. Their expressions were grave.

  “What’s happened?” Finn asked, rushing toward them.

  Anna waited for Finn to reach her, then explained, “I went to Kai’s room this morning. I wanted to speak with him after all you told me. He wasn’t there.”

  Finn glanced at Iseult and Bedelia, then back to Anna. “While it’s odd for Kai not to be in his room given his current state, it isn’t necessarily cause for alarm.”

  “I was on watch last night,” Bedelia explained, her expression pained. “I saw him sneak through the gates. He seemed to think no one was watching.” She pushed a lock of short brown hair behind her ear. “I would have been more suspicious, but I saw you go out a few moments after him. I apologize, I did not know of his condition, or I would have tried to stop you both.”

  Finn’s heart fell. Niklas had lured her out the gates not long after Kai’s departure. He might have even seen her meeting with the Traveler, but she had been too busy to notice him. Although, none of that answered the question of why he left. Had he finally succumbed to the bite of the Dearg Due? Was he even now seeking out his new mistress?

  Iseult watched her carefully. When she did not speak, he explained, “I believe he was the one who heard our discussion last night. It may have prompted him to flee.”

  Finn closed her eyes, attempting to fight off the panic threatening to take over. She was such a fool. Kai had heard her plan, and left before she could sacrifice more of her strength for him. She had to find him.

  Her eyes snapped open. “We must leave at once. If we start now, we may still be able to catch him.” She turned to Bedelia, knowing her tracking skills were superior. “Will you help me?”

  Bedelia nodded, her brown eyes wide. “Of course.”

  “As will I,” Anna said immediately.

  “You cannot,” Iseult argued. “Have you forgotten the position we are in? We cannot waste time with this.”

  She raised a hand to halt his speech, then nearly screamed at the sight of the green-stoned ring on her finger. With a shriek of irritation, she pulled it off and flung it across the room. It went clattering across the stones, skidding to a halt before the fire.

  Iseult, Anna, and Bedelia all looked at her like she’d grown a second head.

  Sparing a final wary look for Finn, Bedelia moved across the room and retrieved the ring. Walking back to the group, she extended the ring to Finn.

  Finn glared at it.

  Anna huffed. “Is there any reason you’re fretting over a ring right now instead of Kai?”

  She sighed. Those gathered knew enough about her to not be surprised by her explanation. “Niklas was here last night, outside the fortress. I rejected the ring, but when I woke, it was on my finger. He said it meant his clan had sworn fealty to me.”

  Bedelia dropped the ring like it had stung her. It clattered to the stones.

  Anna glanced at it, then up to Finn. “I suggest you throw it in a bog.”

  Iseult watched the exchange with thinly veiled rage, though whether it was directed at her, or the fact that Niklas had visited the fortress unbeknownst to him, she did not know.

  With a sigh, she knelt and retrieved the ring, then stood, peering down at the odd green stone. “I have a feeling that even if I threw it into the sea, I’d still wake up with it on my finger the next morning.” Not wanting to waste any more time on the ring, she stuck it in her pocket.

  “Now back to finding Kai,” Anna suggested.

  “He left of his own volition,” Iseult interrupted. “Let him make his own choices.”

  All three women glared at him, but it was Finn’s glare that finally compelled him to raise his hands in surrender.

  He sighed. “At the very least send a scouting party of Pixies to find him. There is no need to go yourselves. Pixies are more efficient.”

  Finn watched as Anna raised a dark brow at him. “And you think Pixies will be able to convince him to come back?”

  “Then you go with them, but Finn must remain,” he said. “There is much more at stake here than a single life.”

  Guilt twisted Finn’s gut. She knew he was right, but . . . “I would never forgive myself if I did not try.”

  He flexed his hands, clearly on his last nerve. “Then send Anna and the Pixies. If they find him, the Pixies can fly back to retrieve you. Do not waste your time on what may be a fruitless search.”

  She pursed her lips. She supposed they could all live with that, but it still didn’t feel right.

  She turned back to Anna, who nodded. “I’ll be fine on my own. I travel better that way.”

  Against her better judgement, Finn nodded her consent, and Anna stalked off to prepare.

  Finn watched her go, but something still felt wrong. Some instinct told her that the incorrect decision had been made, and for that, someone she cared for would pay dearly.

  Anna rushed around the fortress, gathering supplies in preparation for her journey. Too much time had already been lost. Thanks to Bedelia, she knew around what hour he’d left. If he’d traveled through the night, he could already be miles ahead of her. If only the fool had confided in her sooner.

  If only she hadn’t been too distracted by her own misery to ask.

  Shaking her head, she shoved her few articles of clothing into a saddlebag. She’d be taking one of the few horses they had at the fortress. Hopefully the extra speed would be enough to catch Kai.

  A knock sounded on the partially open door behind her.

  “Come in!” she called, giving her room one last scan to make sure she didn’t miss anything. She had no idea how long she’d be gone, so the more supplies she could bring, the better.

  She turned to see Eywen pushing the door the rest of the way open.

  Suddenly she felt oddly guilty. She hadn’t told him she was leaving . . . not that she owed him any explanation. He had no reason to care.

  “I’ve just spoken with Iseult,” he said, scanning her mostly empty room. “He told me what happened with Kai.”

  Slinging the saddle pack over her shoulder, she turned to fully face him. “Yes, I’m a fool for not realizing the severity of his condition. The Pixies are going to help me find him so I can bring him back.”

  He nodded, not debating the fact that she was a fool. “I’ll accompany you on your way out. I’ll be journeying east to see if any of my people would like to join our cause.”

  Anna blinked at him. Here she had actually felt guilty for not telling him of her last minute plans, when he’d been planning on leaving for who knew how long.

  Yet, she couldn’t be angry. She had no reason to be angry. Her face reddened anyway.

  “You’d think you would have mentioned that previously,” she said curtly.

  He tilted his head, cascading raven black hair over the shoulder of
his tunic. “Are you angry?”

  “Not at all,” she said simply, then strode past him toward the door. She shouldn’t be concerning herself with one of the Faie. Kai was more important.

  He followed her out of her room. “Would you not like me to accompany you?” he questioned, following her down the hall.

  She shrugged, not bothering to look at him. “You may do as you please.”

  “Then I will accompany you,” he decided.

  She ignored the nervous little flip of her stomach.

  They reached the entry room to find Finn waiting by the fire. She turned at the sound of their footsteps, then hurried toward Anna, wrapping her in a hug before she could protest.

  Grumbling in irritation, Anna pushed Finn away to arm’s length to see tears glistening in her eyes. The woman cried far too much.

  “Promise me,” Finn began, “Promise me that if you need my help, you’ll send the Pixies. Loinnir will carry me swiftly to wherever you may be.”

  Anna nodded, suddenly choked up, but she’d be cursed if she’d allow herself to cry.

  Especially in front of Eywen.

  “I’ll find him and bring him back,” she assured.

  Finn turned to Eywen, offering him a warm smile. “May your journey be safe. I hope you’ll return to us soon.”

  He nodded sharply. “I have sworn my allegiance to you, my queen. I shall return.”

  Anna rolled her eyes at him, gave Finn a final wave, then headed for the large double doors, already opened, revealing the damp green courtyard.

  After a few more muttered words to Finn, Eywen caught up to her side.

  Anna was not surprised to see Iseult standing near the gate, he’d want to be there to ensure Finn didn’t ride off while he wasn’t looking. What did surprise her, however, was that he stood ready with two mounts. It seemed Eywen had planned on accompanying her whether she liked it or not.