The Oaken Throne

by Sara C. Roethle

  “I’m sure Iseult would not appreciate me joining you,” he muttered, returning his gaze to those enjoying the feast.

  “That is not true,” Iseult said, appearing around the corner behind them. Even with his soul returned, he was still annoyingly stealthy.

  Kai scowled at him. “Is that so?”

  Iseult simply smiled.

  Kai balked. Iseult was . . . smiling? How . . . odd.

  He heard footsteps coming toward them from the direction of the feast a moment before Anna joined them. Standing near Kai, she placed her hands on her hips. “Why are we all lurking in the hall?”

  “We’re trying to convince Kai to travel with us to the fortress, and perhaps someplace else beyond that,” Finn explained, much to Kai’s chagrin.

  Anna raised her dark brows at him. “Well of course he’s coming.”

  He rolled his eyes at her.

  She scowled, jutting her hips to one side. “Are you truly telling me that you would turn down the opportunity to travel with the former Oaken Queen, an Aos Sí, a silent warrior,” she gestured to Iseult, “and me, a fully restored Gray Lady of Clan Liath? Really, I thought you had a thirst for adventure. Have you grown cowardly?”

  He buried his face in his palm, suddenly overcome with laughter. When he finally was able to speak, he dropped his hand, glancing between each of his companions. His friends. “My apologies,” he laughed. “Whatever was I thinking? Surely the path to riches lies solely with companions such as these.”

  A smug look on her face, Anna nodded. “Well now that your thinking has been un-addled, I believe it’s time we all celebrate. The evil Snow Queen might not be dead, and the world might not have been set right,” she shrugged, “but I’d say it’s close enough.”

  With that, she turned and re-entered the raucous feasting room. Iseult followed her, leaving Finn and Kai alone once more.

  Finn took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. “So you’ll come? You are all so dear to me, I fear I cannot let you go. At least not yet.”

  He nodded, now smiling despite his reservations. “Why not?” he replied. “Perhaps I’ll find another reason to kidnap you along the way.”

  She scowled, then laughed, tugging him into the celebration. Anna had conveyed the situation perfectly. Evil was not dead, and the world was not right, but with friends like the ones he had, it was close enough.

  Sitting at the head of the feasting table with Maarav, Ealasaid watched as Slaine attempted to give a very drunken Sage a lesson in swordplay.

  She chuckled as the young mage was once again swept from his feet, then turned toward her husband. “Will you be sad to see your brother go?”

  Maarav shrugged, then wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Fate brought us together after all these years, against all circumstances. I’m sure I will see him again. Are you sad to see Finn and the others leave?”

  “Yes,” she said honestly, emotion welling up in her at the thought, “but I have all I need here. Wars will continue to brew in this new land, I’m sure, and my mages need me.”

  “And I need you,” he added.

  She smiled. “And our child needs both of us.”

  He pulled away and blinked at her for several seconds. When he finally recovered, he asked, “Are you bladdered? What are you talking about?”

  Before she could answer, he pulled her close and kissed her, clearly pleased.

  She laughed, and her sadness slowly leaked away. She had family all around, and that family would soon become a bit bigger. She would see her friends again, of that she was sure, and in the interim, she had plenty to occupy her time.

  Finn picked her way through the forest, searching for one tree in particular. She knew it wouldn’t look any different, but she’d know it when she saw it. Loinnir waited not far off, basking in the sun while grazing on dried grass. Finn could feel the new magic all around, slowly soaking into the land.

  She stopped walking, sensing a familiar energy. She turned toward a nearby sapling, extending her hand to run across its smooth bark. It was as she’d suspected. By combining her magic with Ealasaid’s and Oighear’s, they’d managed to seal away all Cavari, perhaps even all other Dair as well.

  “Hello, mother,” she muttered. She hadn’t wanted to turn her mother into a tree with all the rest, but it had been impossible to pick and choose.

  She summoned her magic, now dampened by mortal blood. Hopefully it would be enough.

  The tree’s bark began to glow faintly. A tiny spark stung her hand and she recoiled.

  A voice whispered in her head, “Finnur, do not do this.”

  “Mother?” she asked out loud. “I’m going to free you, do not worry.”

  “No,” her mother’s voice answered. “It is better this way. I feel . . . at peace.”

  Finn shook her head. “But mother—”

  “No,” her mother’s voice interrupted again. “I’ve lived long enough, a phantom for so many years. Now that my daughter is finally free, so too am I. I knew breaking the barrier would free you from us, and you would be able to do what was right.”

  Finn placed her hand once more against the bark, but this time, did not summon her magic.

  “I am a part of the earth now,” her mother said into her mind. “I will always be with you.”

  Iseult walked up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned to him, retreating to the curve of his arm. That was, until Naoki trotted over and butted her way between them. The others weren’t far off. They’d venture first to the fortress, but beyond that, who knew? There were plenty of adventures to be had in this new land, the fate of which no longer depended on her.

  She turned back toward the sapling, a tiny tree ready for a new life, just like her. Saying a silent goodbye to her mother, she felt like she should probably cry, but she could only smile. Everything was finally as it should be, if perhaps a little different than she’d imagined.

  The End

  Dear Readers,

  I just wanted to make a note to say what a wonderful time I’ve had sharing this story with you. While this is the end to this series, I do have plans for future stories with these characters (yeah, I’m incapable of letting go!), so this isn’t quite goodbye. If you’d like to be notified of news and updates, please consider joining my mailing list by following this link:

  Sara C Roethle Mailing List

  In the meantime, I do hope you’ll consider taking a look at some of my other series. If you like Dark Urban Fantasy, check out Death Cursed, Book One in my newly revised Bitter Ashes Series, or if Historical Fantasy is more up your alley, please check out Clockwork Alchemist, Book One in my Thief’s Apprentice series!

  Glossary

  A

  Anna- descendent of clan Liath.

  Àed (ay-add)- a conjurer of some renown, also known as “The Mountebank”.

  Áit I Bhfolach (aht uh wallach)- secret city in the North.

  Anders (ahn-durs)- a young, archive scholar.

  An Duilleog (ahn Dooh-lug)- the leaf.

  An Solas (ahn so-lahs)- the light (organization of mages).

  Aonbheannach (aen-vah-nach)- unicorn.

  Aos Sí (A-ess she)- ancient humanoid Faie.

  Ar Marbhdhraíocht (ur mab-dry-oh)- volume on necromancy

  Arthryn (are-thrin)- alleged Alderman of Sormyr. Seen by few.

  B

  Bannock- unleavened loaf of bread, often sweetened with honey.

  Ballybog- large Faie common in swamps.

  Bedelia- former lover of Keiren.

  Bladdered- drunk

  Boobrie- large, colorful, bird-like Faie that lures travelers away from the path.

  Branwen (bran-win)- a young, archive scholar.

  C

  Caorthannach (quar-ah-nach)- Celtic fire-spitting demon.

  Cavari (cah-var-ee)- prominent clan of the Dair Leanbh.

  Ceàrdaman (see-air-duh-maun)- the Craftspeople, often referred to as Travelers. Believed to be Faie in origin.

 
À Choille Fala (ah choi-le-uh fall-ah)- the Blood Forest. Either a refuge or prison for the Faie.

  Ceilidh (kay-lee)- a festival, often involving dancing and a great deal of whiskey.

  D

  Dair Leanbh (dare lan-ub)- Oak Child. Proper term for a race of beings with affinity for the earth. Origins unknown.

  Dearg Due (dee-argh doo)- female, blood-drinking Faie.

  Dram- a small unit of liquid measure, often referring to whiskey.

  Dullahan (doo-la-han)- headless riders of the Faie. Harbingers of death.

  E

  Ealasaid (eel-ah-sayd)- young mage.

  Evrial (ehv-ri-all)- Pixie clan leader.

  F

  Finnur (fin-uh)- member of Clan Cavari.

  G

  Garenoch (gare-en-och)- small, southern burgh. A well-used travel stop.

  Geancanach (gan-can-och)- small, mischievous Faie with craggy skin and bat-like wings. Travel in Packs.

  Glen- narrow, secluded valley.

  Gray City- see Sormyr

  Grogoch (grow-gok)- smelly Faie covered in red hair, roughly the size of a child. Impervious to heat and cold.

  Gwrtheryn (gweir-thare-in)- Alderman of Garenoch. Deathly afraid of Faie.

  H

  Haudin (hah-din)- roughly built homes, often seen in areas of lesser wealth.

  Henkies- little purple man fairy that lives in the knolls.

  I

  Iseult (ee-sult)- allegedly the last living member of Uí Neíd.

  K

  Kai- escort of the Gray Lady.

  Keiren (kigh-rin)- daughter of the Mountebank. Whereabouts unknown.

  L

  Leon Gheimhridh (leh-oun yeav-jah)- winter lion.

  Liaden (lee-ay-din)- the Gray Lady.

  Loinnir (lun-yer)- one of the last Unicorns.

  M

  Maarav (mah-rahv)- brother of Iseult, descendent of Uí Néid.

  Meirleach (myar-lukh)- word in the old tongue meaning thief.

  Merrows- water dwelling Faie capable of taking the shape of sea creatures. Delight in luring humans to watery deaths.

  Midden- garbage.

  Migris- one of the Great Cities, and also a large trade port.

  Móirne (morn-yeh)- member of Clan Cavari. Mother of Finnur.

  Muntjac- small deer.

  N

  Neeps- turnips.

  Niamh (nee-ahm-uh)- deceased daughter of Finnur.

  O

  Óengus (on-gus)- a notorious bounty hunter.

  Oighear (Ohg-hear)- ruler of the Aos Sí, also known as Oighear the White, or the Snow Queen.

  P

  Pooks- also known as Bucca, small Faie with both goat and human features. Nocturnal.

  Port Ainfean (ine-feen)- a medium-sized fishing port along the River Cair, a rumored haven for smugglers.

  R

  Ratchets- Goblin hounds.

  Redcaps- Goblins.

  Reiver (ree-vur)- borderland raiders.

  S

  Sand Road- travel road beginning in Felgram and spanning all the way to Migris.

  Scunner- an insult referring to someone strongly disliked.

  Sgal (skal)- a strong wind.

  Sgain Dubh (skee-an-doo)- a small killing knife, carried by roguish characters.

  Síoda (she-dee)- Lady of Garenoch.

  Slàinte (slawn-cha)- a toast to good health.

  Slàine (slahn-yuh)- clan leader of assassins.

  Solas Na Réaltaí (so-lahs nah rail-ti)- starlight.

  Sormyr (sore-meer)- one of the Great Cities, also known as the Gray City.

  T

  Travelers- see Ceàrdaman.

  Trow- large Faie resembling trees. Rumored to steal children.

  U

  Uí Néid (ooh ned)- previously one of the great cities, now nothing more than a ruin.