Branwen watched from the protection of the dark, dense trees as Finn once again approached the Cavari. It was nearly midnight, yet the cloaked forms had stood there all evening, knowing she would come. Branwen had known it too. She’d watched when Finn and Iseult had visited them earlier that day. In fact, she’d been watching everyone since she’d arrived at the fortress, yet no one ever seemed to notice. She could walk right past someone, and they wouldn’t even see her unless she spoke. Though her body felt real, it was as if she’d become little more than a ghost. It was fitting, perhaps, considering how much, or how little, everyone seemed to care about her.
Finn had told her they would further discuss destroying the barrier to the in-between, but the discussion was pushed off over and over as each new emergency arose. First, they had to gather supplies after the battle Branwen had missed. Then Kai was sick. Then Kai ran away. Now Anna, Eywen, Àed, and Bedelia all had gone. They all had plans. Plans that had little to do with her.
She chewed on her lip as the waiting cloaked forms bowed before Finn. Iseult waited some distance behind with Finn’s unicorn. It was clear that neither man nor unicorn were allowed to take part in whatever ceremony was about to occur.
Branwen nearly screamed as something nudged her in the back. She turned to view Finn’s white dragon, nearly the size of a small pony, though more sinewy and lithe.
The creature blinked its spherical lilac eyes at her, intelligence shining through the large orbs, reflecting moonlight.
Branwen lifted a finger to her lips, urging the creature to remain silent, but it reached its beak forward and nudged her again.
Beginning to panic that she’d be discovered, she glanced toward the Cavari. They stood huddled in a small circle around Finn, still not noticing her or Naoki.
Still nervous, she turned back to the dragon, then nearly screamed again as the beast darted its head down and clamped its beak around her wrist.
Her eyes slammed shut against the pain. She clenched her jaw to keep from crying out. Suddenly, her wrist was released. She opened her tear-filled eyes, and this time she did scream.
She screamed not in fear, but in rage and frustration. She was surrounded by mists she knew all too well. She was back in the in-between. The dragon, now standing before her in the misty marshland, had somehow taken her back to the prison that she’d only recently escaped.
“Take me back!” she desperately cried. She could not be stuck here, not again. The Travelers had given her back her body, tethering her to the land. She should not have been able to come here again. Niklas had said she couldn’t come here.
The dragon blinked at her, as if expecting her to do something.
She shook her head in frustration, swatting at the tears that streamed down her face. “You don’t understand,” she muttered. “I was given life by the magic of this place, I’m not supposed to be able to come here. You may have very well killed me.”
She sat down on the loamy earth with a huff, looking down at the angry red lines on her arm, created by Naoki’s beak. The area was already beginning to bruise. She supposed she should not fear the harm done, as she was probably as good as dead.
Naoki took a step forward, then extended her long neck to nudge Branwen’s shoulder with her beak.
Cradling her wrist, Branwen glared up at her. “Well, you can at least show me why you brought me here. Maybe you’ll actually be able to take me back too.”
The dragon bobbed her head, as if actually comprehending Branwen’s words.
Her eyes wide, Branwen climbed back to her feet, curiosity outweighing fear.
With an excited stomp of her talons, the dragon turned around and darted off.
Branwen stared at her quickly retreating white rump for a moment, then took off at a run, awkwardly cradling her injured wrist.
While she was furious with the dragon, it was at least nice that someone was paying attention to her, even if it likely meant her death.
Ealasaid walked through the mists of the Gray Place, though her physical body was safe in her bed. She was beginning to grow more comfortable being there. She’d explored many of the seemingly endless stone halls, and had searched the dark marshlands. She wasn’t even sure what she was looking for. Answers perhaps.
She was finally beginning to believe she was the third queen from the prophecy, especially after the Travelers had presented her with the ancient wand, but she still didn’t understand why. Finn and Oighear were both centuries old. They had a long history that made them enemies, but why her? Her life had little to do with either of them, or with the politics of the Faie.
Her boots squished into sticky mud and she cringed, then turned as she sensed a presence at her back.
She gasped at the sight of a woman but a few paces away. Finn? No, this woman’s hair was darker, and her eyes blue. She might not be Finn, but she was most definitely one of the Cavari. Ealasaid could sense it.
“What do you want?” she demanded. She clenched her hands into fists, wondering if she could summon her lightning when she wasn’t truly in this realm.
The woman tilted her head, trailing long brown hair over her black-cloaked shoulder. “Isn’t it odd that the gods would face a mortal girl with not one, but two inhuman enemies?”
Ealasaid sealed her lips into a firm line, wondering if she’d absentmindedly muttered some of her thoughts out loud for this woman to hear.
“I would think the gods have little to do with it,” she replied tersely.
The woman smirked. “I suppose not. Something stronger than the gods has led you down this path.”
“What do you want?” Ealasaid asked again.
“I want to warn you to run far away,” the woman stated. “You do not understand what you are up against. You may be Oighear’s equal in power, but you will never defeat my daughter. She is more powerful than even she knows.”
Ah, so this was the mother Ealasaid had heard mention of. “I don’t want to defeat anyone who means me no harm,” she snapped, “but I will protect those who need protecting.”
“There is another way,” the woman said, stepping forward.
Ealasaid resisted the urge to step back. She’d faced the Snow Queen and survived. She would not be afraid now.
“The prophecy has begun,” Ealasaid stated calmly. “Finn returned and made it so. From what I’m told, there is no other way.”
“What do you think this place is?” Finn’s mother questioned, lifting her arms to encompass the misty land around them.
Ealasaid was so caught off guard by her question that she blurted, “The in-between, of course, what does that have to do with anything?”
The woman stared at her, her blue eyes unwavering. “Everything, my dear, absolutely everything. A barrier separates this land, a land composed of pure magic, from ours. What do you think would happen if that barrier came crashing down? Why, it could change the fates themselves, prophecies included.”
Ealasaid blinked at her. While what she said was intriguing, it wasn’t like she could destroy such a barrier herself, so why tell her this at all?
“Think about it,” the woman said simply. “Otherwise, your fate is all but sealed.” She turned away.
Before Ealasaid could think of anything to say, Finn’s mother disappeared into the mist, leaving her alone in a magical world, far different from her own.
Chapter Six
Kai awoke in a strange bed with a gasp, then quickly shielded his eyes from the sun streaming in through the nearby window. Cursed nightmares. He sighed. Or perhaps they were portents of his future. He saw no other reason to be dreaming about the Dearg Due, the strange women who’d inflicted his current condition upon him.
With a groan, he crawled out of bed and walked toward the light, wincing at its brightness. He hadn’t thought things through when he agreed to stay within the bustling estate. He no longer enjoyed being up during the day like everyone else.
Forcing his eyes open to mere slits, he peered outside, grateful he wa
s on the second story so no one would see him cringing.
Outside was an expansive, beautiful garden, its hues darkening with winter’s cold. Could it truly already be winter, not just the unseasonable cold they’d been experiencing for months? So much had happened he’d barely noticed the seasons changing.
He peered out at the garden, and the occasional figures hurrying down the main path on one errand or another. He couldn’t help but think Finn would have liked it there.
A knock sounded on his door, turning him from the window. His shoulders relaxed once the light was at his back and no longer stinging his eyes.
Reluctantly, he strode across the room toward the door, wishing he’d thought to change his dirty traveling clothes before he’d collapsed onto the soft bed to rest.
He paused before opening the door, wondering if an enemy might be waiting outside.
The knock sounded again.
He opened the door, then stepped back, hiding his surprise. Ealasaid stood framed in the doorway, her normally fluffy blonde hair held back from her face in a tight braid. She wore an emerald velvet dress, plain and simple except for the expensive fabric. Behind her stood Maarav.
“I told you it was him,” Maarav muttered.
Ealasaid looked Kai up and down, her gray eyes showing no mercy. “Why have you come here?” she demanded. “Did Finn send you?”
He blinked at her, surprised by her tone. “N-no,” he stammered. “Truly, I had only planned on visiting the burgh for a quick meal before moving along. Maarav insisted I come to this estate.” He flicked his gaze past Ealasaid to Maarav, hoping he’d validate his story.
Maarav rolled his eyes. “I did try to tell her that.”
Footsteps sounded from the exterior hall, then a young, dark haired man appeared in the doorway behind them. “Lady Ealasaid,” he huffed. “You asked to be alerted the moment Lady Keiren returned. She is at the gates.”
“Already?” Maarav groaned.
Kai stiffened, wondering if now would be a good time to hop out the window and flee, though he’d be hindered by the stinging sunlight.
Ealasaid nodded to the dark-haired mage. “Please tell the guards at the gate to instruct her to meet with me right away.” As the man scampered off, she turned back to Kai. “You will come with us. Keiren has the sight. She will be able to divine your true intentions.”
Kai gulped. If this sorceress truly could see more than what met the eye, he was cooked. He was in a human burgh filled with human mages, none of whom felt any love for the Faie.
He said a silent prayer to the gods as he followed Ealasaid and Maarav into the hall, hoping they would not turn on him. Although, despite his fear, he was quite intrigued by the idea of finally meeting the sorceress who’d wanted to steal Finn’s immortality.
Ealasaid’s thoughts whirled as she walked at Maarav’s side down the hall, with Kai following behind them. Keiren had said a week, but it had been only a matter of days. The anxiety she now felt made her realize just how uneasy Keiren made her. Even if she seemed solidly on her side, she could not forget that Keiren had brought An Fiach to Garenoch when she’d first arrived. For all Ealasaid knew, Keiren’s errand might have been a meeting with the mage-hating humans.
They reached the end of the hall and walked out onto a wide staircase, descending to the ground floor lined with large stepping stones leading to the various outbuildings.
Ealasaid glanced at the other paths longingly, then took the one heading toward the main estate.
Maarav leaned near her shoulder. “Does this mean you will not be taking Slàine’s oath this evening?” he whispered. She glanced back at Kai, who was shielding his eyes from the sun. Leave it to Maarav to get the man bladdered enough to be sick the next morning on his first night in the burgh.
“No,” she whispered, turning her attention back to Maarav as they walked. “I’ll still take it . . . we’ll just perhaps push it a bit later, after Keiren has gone to sleep.”
He sighed. “You know she’ll know as soon as she sees you, there’s no point in hiding it from her, but you are queen here. She cannot tell you what to do.”
She snorted as they reached the massive double doors to the estate. “Try telling that to her.”
Two guards opened the doors, and to Ealasaid’s surprise, Kai scurried in ahead of them.
With Maarav next to her, Ealasaid entered, looking Kai up and down, noting his pallid visage and the way he hunched like he’d just been whipped. Something odd was going on with him, but she suspected her original guess was off. Perhaps he wasn’t a spy, but a man in dire need of aid.
“Let’s go,” she said, her tone softer than before. “We’ll meet with Keiren, then we’ll find you a meal and a bath.”
Kai blinked at her, surprised.
Suddenly embarrassed for acting so paranoid in the first place, she walked past him and toward the wide stone stairs.
Behind her, she heard Maarav mutter to Kai, “I told you it would work out.”
She could not make out Kai’s reply as both men started up the stairs behind her, their boots drowning out their words. Perhaps Kai and Keiren showing up so close together was a sign that she should not wed Maarav that night after she took Slàine’s oath. Maybe she was being selfish to worry about such a thing when so many were depending on her for leadership.
Reaching the top of the stairs, she turned right toward what had once been used as a sort of throne room for Lord Gwrtheryn and Lady Síoda. It had since been repurposed as a place for her to greet new mages, and to hear reports from her scouts.
As they neared the room, Ealasaid eyed Slàine’s two assassin guards who had replaced the usual estate sentinels. One man opened the heavy door for her to walk inside, followed by Kai and Maarav.
She scanned the large room with a sigh, relieved for some reason that she’d made it there before Keiren.
The maps they’d been perusing what felt like weeks ago were still splayed across the massive wooden table, illuminated only by the sunlight streaming in through the row of windows in the north-facing wall.
Without her needing to ask, Maarav instructed one of the guards to light the sconces on the wall opposite the windows, but not the many candles, unneeded in daylight hours.
She slumped into an empty seat, her emerald dress billowing about the chair, then gestured for Kai to do the same. Curious about his strange state, she observed him watching the guard light the sconces with a small torch procured from the hall. Kai seemed to flinch as each new light flared to life.
“Are you ill?” she questioned. “At first I thought you were just suffering from too much whiskey, but you seem to be in pain. Perhaps you need to see a healer.”
“I told you we only had one drink,” Maarav sighed, taking a seat on the opposite side of the table.
Ealasaid pursed her lips, observing Kai.
“I’m not ill,” he muttered, “and I must say, you are far different from the girl I remember.”
Her expression softened. Had she changed that much? She did not have long to think about it as Keiren strode into the room, still wearing her heavy black traveling cloak.
At first she looked annoyed, then she spotted Kai, and tilted her head curiously, pushing a strand of fiery red hair behind her ear.
She took a step toward him.
“This is Kai,” Ealasaid introduced, but Keiren raised a hand to cut her off.
“Why is there a Faie man sitting in our meeting room?” Keiren questioned, never removing her eyes from Kai.
Ealasaid frowned, turning to Maarav, who was staring at Keiren. “He’s not Faie,” Maarav explained.
Keiren shook her head, tossing her red hair about. “He might not have started out that way, but he is now.”
Kai slowly slunk from his seat, taking care to remain as far away from Keiren as he could.
“I’m not Faie,” he explained, backing away. “I was just . . . bitten by one.”
Ealasaid stood, staring at Kai as if just seeing him
for the first time. His pallid skin, his red-rimmed eyes, the way he flinched from the sun . . . it was all because he’d been bitten by one of the Faie?
She glanced at Keiren, apprehensive to let Kai out of her sights. Maarav rose and stood slightly in front of her protectively.
Kai backed away, his hands raised as if to ward off a blow. “I’ve no evil plan,” he blurted. “I didn’t even want to come here, you must believe me.”
“He’s not lying,” Keiren observed, her voice calm.
Ealasaid swallowed the lump in her throat. She believed Keiren if she thought Kai not a threat, but that didn’t change the fact that he’d been . . . infected by one of the Faie.
“I’ll gladly leave,” he said when none of them spoke.
“No,” Keiren said, her voice suddenly sly. She turned her bright blue eyes to Ealasaid. “I advise that we keep him. He is Faie, but not Faie. He could prove useful.”
“He’s not a puppy,” Maarav interjected. “You can’t just keep him.”
Keiren rolled her eyes at him. “You might change your tune when you hear what I have to say.”
“Which is?” Ealasaid interrupted.
“Return the Faie to his room,” Keiren ordered, gesturing to Kai, “I must deliver this news in private. It concerns the Snow Queen.”
Ealasaid observed Kai as he continued to back himself into a corner, watching the exchange like a trapped animal.
She took a deep breath, wishing the exchange could have gone more pleasantly. “Would you mind returning to your room for a time?” she asked Kai politely, ashamed for treating him so poorly when she’d once considered him a friend. “If there is a way to help you, I promise I will do my best.”
He nodded, though he seemed suspicious.
“Have at least two mages escort him,” Keiren instructed.
Ealasaid sighed derisively at Keiren, keeping her attention on Kai. “Do you mind?” she asked, not hating the idea. He’d been a cunning man when human, and she really didn’t want him to try escaping.
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