by J F Rogers
Oh brother. Had Pepin taken lessons from Ryann? Shouting our identities for any lurking creatures to overhear? Stealth. We needed stealth.
“We’ve been expecting you, Fallon.” Maili lowered her weapon and returned the arrow to its quiver on her back.
“On a platter?” I asked.
“Pardon?”
Pepin stepped in front of me. “Please excuse Fallon. She believes someone here attacked her.”
“The falcon was you?” Her arched eyebrows rose.
“Yeah.” I crossed my arms.
“I feared the possibility. ’Tis why Zakur didn’t shoot to kill. My most sincere apologies, Fallon. Zakur wouldn’t have shot had he known it was you. We can’t be too careful with Morrigan’s spies lurking about.”
“You can if it means impaling an innocent victim.” I spoke under my breath.
Pepin threw me a warning glance.
“Please, come.” She twisted a knot in the tree and slats emerged from the trunk, one at a time, starting from the top and winding their way down, forming a staircase.
I reached out to test a plank, yanking it up and down. It didn’t budge. “Cool.”
Maili tilted her head, her eyebrows pinched together. She knelt to touch the top step. “It doesn’t feel cold.”
“No, I mean—”
“Fallon has many interesting sayings.” Pepin waved me off and started up the steps. I followed, hugging the tree, fighting the morbid urge to look down. Wolf came up close behind.
“Not him.” Maili pointed to Wolf. “If you wish to enter our village, enter in human form.”
Pepin threw the pack at Wolf then continued up the stairs through branches and leaves until nothing but greenery surrounded us. The world disappeared. The stairs seemed endless. We came to a platform leading to a wooden walkway with railings on either side. Wolf, in human form and dressed, caught up to us as I gawked at the treehouse village. Surrounded by leaves, it was easy to pretend we weren’t so high.
When Wolf stepped on the platform, Maili twisted another knot. The steps disappeared into the tree as if they never existed.
“This way.” She waved us on along the walkway.
“How did the stairway do that? Is it magic?” I asked.
She whirled around, her face darkening. “We don’t use magic.”
“Then how…?”
“We’re tree-folk. Just as pech have abilities with stone, we have abilities with trees.”
“I thought you were gachen?”
“We are. But not all gachen are the same, you understand.”
No. I didn’t. Other than the Treasach. But they’re unnaturally big because they bred themselves that way. Then again, were the selkie, who transfigured into seals, considered gachen?
“Your mother’s clan, the Cael, have abilities with dirt, which is why their homes are in mounds in the earth. Just as the selkie have abilities with water.” She viewed me over her shoulder. “You didn’t know this?”
I shook my head. There was a lot I didn’t know.
We came to a broad platform. Wooden structures protruded from the trees, hidden among the branches. Decking and suspended walkways connected them. I spun, taking in the surrounding view as though seeing snow for the first time. “Amazing…”
Maili’s face shone like the sun after a rainstorm. “You like it?” The light dimmed. Gray clouds overcast her face once more. “You should have seen it before.” She glided along a walkway through more thick branches with a surefootedness I didn’t possess at this altitude.
I struggled to keep up. “Before what?”
“I’ll explain when we meet the others.” Maili picked up her speed through the trees. She led us up a winding staircase to a building nestled between enormous branches seemingly growing flat and spread out just to provide support.
My foot slipped on the staircase. I caught myself on the railing. I couldn’t see the ground, just a sea of branches and leaves. My surroundings wavered. “Oh.”
Wolf came up behind me and grabbed my shoulders. “Are you all right?”
I gave him a weak smile and focused on the next step, blocking out everything else. I could change into a falcon and soar high in the sky, but I still had issues with heights in human form? It made no sense. If I fell, I could transform. Unless I got tangled in my clothes and…I shuddered, blocking out the horrid image I’d nearly conjured.
We reached a landing in the middle of a spacious room. The railing continued beyond the opening in the floor. I clung to it until I reached the top. Rounded windows took up the far end on both sides. Birds twittered, flitting from branch to branch outside. Inside, wood covered the entire surface area, floor to ceiling—a hollow tree made so smooth the grain glistened. A green and tan carpet overlaid much of the floor. At one end, cushions and furs formed a circle. At the other, two men, both dark skinned like Native Americans, one bald, the other with shaggy, black hair, sat cross-legged on the floor at a round table.
When Maili approached the strangers, they stood. She waved first toward the older, bald man. “This is Shimri”—her arm moved to Shaggy Hair—“and Zakur, the one who shot at you.”
Both men placed a hand on their heart and dipped their heads in respect.
“My apologies, Fallon.” Zakur spread his dark hands, callused fingers held up and open. “My shots merely warned. We typically shoot to kill. But we’ve been expecting your arrival. These days, we can’t even trust the animals. But I’m confused.” He glanced at each of us. “If you’re a pech and you’re a wolf…who was the other bird?”
“Other bird?” Pepin, Wolf, and I asked in unison.
“Aye. There were two birds. Both big. I fired warning shots at both.”
“See?” Hands on my hips, I spun to Pepin and Wolf. “I told you I saw another bird. I kept watching the skies to make sure it wasn’t following us. It must’ve been flying low, out of sight.”
“This is why we always keep watch. Now that you’re here, they won’t be warning shots.” Concern masked Maili’s face. “Shimri, please warn the watchmen about the other bird.”
Shimri descended the staircase, disappearing in the hole in the floor. Wood filled the gap. Only the railing suggested a staircase existed.
“Have a seat.” Maili motioned toward the table. “We’ve much to discuss.”
“Is anyone else here?” Like Declan? I pushed the rising hope down, already sure of the answer.
“Just us and the men posted outside, keeping watch.” She touched the wall by the window and leafy vines concealed the opening. Then she nodded to Zakur. “Will you light the room?”
I’d never seen the Cael do anything so impressive with dirt. I’d only seen the hill homes already built. I’d never seen one being built. But then, they’re known for their pottery. Is that because they have abilities with clay? Did I have such abilities?
“We can’t risk the fasgadair seeing our light.” Maili crossed to the other window. “They think they’ve burned this entire village.”
Faolan and Pepin sat on either side of me at the table. After Maili concealed the other window, she sat across from us while Zakur lit candles in a chandelier with a tiny torch on the end of a long stick.
“You want me to get those?” Before anyone could ask what I meant, I lit the candles in the other chandeliers.
Pepin scowled, crossing his stubby arms, while the two strangers stared, slack-jawed.
Maili whispered, “You have Cataleen and Aodan’s gift.” Her eyes glazed. Then she shook her head and rose. “Forgive me. You must be hungry. Let me get you something to eat.”
The hole in the floor opened, and Shimri’s bald head poked through like a whack-a-mole. “All is clear.”
“Thank you, Shimri. Please share our plans whilst I prepare food for our guests.”
As she strode away, he settled at the table. “As I’m sure you’re aware, we’re to provide safe passage through the Sea of Firinne to the Ai
n-Dìleas in Bandia. It won’t be easy with the fasgadair watching the coastline.”
“Why are they watching the coast?” I asked.
“They know gachen are seeking refuge in Bandia.” Shimri stroked his short beard. “The mountains are only passable for a couple months. That window is nearly open. Regardless, the best way to Bandia is by ocean. Morrigan hopes to intercept anyone who tries to flee.”
Zakur leaned in, his black eyes boring into mine. “You are the ultimate trophy.”
I shrank back.
Shimri smacked Zakur’s shoulder. “Pepin, what have you learned from your last visit with the pech?”
Pepin cleared his throat. “They’re rallying forces, forging weapons for themselves and our people, and training while they wait for our arrival.”
“Wait.” I jolted. “The pech will help us?”
Pepin’s eyes glistened. “After the Tower fell, they wanted to strike at once. We’ve been holding them back, convincing them to wait for us…for the right timing.”
Maili set a plate before each of us. “We don’t need the pech to get themselves killed. We need every able body.”
“Aye,” Zakur said. “This will be a war like Ariboslia has never seen. The clan wars won’t compare.”
War. What had I been thinking? I could come back, change a few people, and put things right? This was much bigger than that. Bigger than me.
My gut churned. “So, we’re going to cross a sea just to pick everyone else up and return to war? Why not wait here for them?”
“Hear! Hear!” Zakur slammed his mug on the table, splashing liquid over the edge.
“Because…” Maili shot Zakur a look that made him focus on his food. “Sully made it clear. We are to bring Fallon to Bandia first.”
“It doesn’t make sense,” I said.
“How often does Sully make sense?” Zakur chewed with his mouth open.
“How often has Sully been wrong?” Maili took a dainty bite.
“I don’t know,” he muttered under his breath, daring a quick glance at her. “I haven’t heard everything Sully ever said.”
“He speaks for God.” Sweeping her glorious braid over her shoulder, she notched her slender chin up.
“Where are the others? My mother? Cahal and Evan?” I swallowed a lump in my throat, risked catching Maili’s eyes, and whispered, “Where’s Declan?”
She settled into her seat, exchanging a glance with Zakur that compounded the weight in my stomach.
“Most everyone is safe in Bandia.” Zakur swallowed his food. “Last I heard, Sully sent your mother, Cahal, and Declan, among others, on a mission to travel Ariboslia, warning villages to flee to Bandia.”
“You don’t know where they are now?”
Chapter Eight
◊◊◊
STILL GROGGY, I SMOOTHED my wrinkled T-shirt, then descended the spiral staircase, wishing it had a railing. How high up were we? Willing myself not to look down, I held on to Wolf’s shoulder. My whole body groaned. Every inch ached. Had I gotten soft since my last visit to Ariboslia? Why did the Arlen sleep on the ground? They had cushions. Couldn’t they make a mattress?
We arrived at ground level. I rubbed my shoulder, avoiding the bruise, and peeked at the still-dark sky. Weak rays of light poked through the trees from the east.
Something quacked behind me. I’d heard that sound before. I spun around. A furry lizard crouched in the crook of a tree.
“Aw. A fur dragon.” I crept toward the creature and extended my hand to pet its mohawk.
“Fallon, no!” Maili lunged closer.
My hand stopped midair as the furry lizard opened its mouth. A stream of fire blasted toward me. Before the fire assaulted my face, it split in two. Separate streams shot past me on either side.
The lizard closed its mouth, and Wolf pulled me away.
“What’s in yer head, lass?” He eyed the fur dragon as it scurried into the tree and disappeared beneath the foliage.
“I thought fur dragons were friendly.”
“Aye. Fur dragons are friendly. But that”—he pointed to the tree—“was not a fur dragon. That was a fire dragon. Don’t ye know the difference?”
How could I?
“First, fur dragons don’t climb trees. If you ever see one in a tree, it’s not a fur dragon. Second, a fur dragon has black fur surrounding its eyes. Fire dragons don’t.”
Seriously? Like that little detail was supposed to help? “Okaaay.”
Maili edged closer, her delicate dark brows pinching a bit at the center. “Can you control fires too?”
“I don’t think so. I can only start them.”
“How did the spray split in two?”
I scratched my head. “Maybe it had something in its throat.” I hadn’t split the flame. Had I? It didn’t feel like I had. Then again, I hadn’t realized I’d started the fire the first time. Hadn’t that emerged out of desperation? Perhaps I could control fire and I protected myself. “If it was me, I’m not sure how I did it. I never have before.”
With a deep breath, Maili tipped her head skyward. “We need to get moving if we’re to reach the ship on time.”
“Should I fly ahead and scout the ground?”
Shimri shook his head. “We’re better off fighting in human form.”
I’d heard that one before, and I believed it after Ryann’s death. I scanned the trees, suspicious of the critters and birds. “I’m a better fighter as a falcon.” A picture of the fasgadair’s eye skewered on my talon came to mind. I shook it off—the vision, that is. The eye had been harder to remove.
“You may be able to fight as a bird, but you can’t kill a fasgadair if needed. We go together. On foot.” Maili threw me a dagger in a leather sheath. “It’s not far.”
I fumbled the catch, stooped, and retrieved the weapon. “It’s daylight. The fasgadair will be in animal form. Nothing will touch me in the sky. I’m the predator up there.”
Shimri raised his eyebrows as though giving it serious thought…or questioning God’s choice in using me. “An arrow could kill you. Our allies on the ship won’t know not to shoot you.”
Right. Point taken.
Maili buckled a sheath around her tunic, emphasizing a figure to rival Kpop idols, and swept a stray lock of shiny, black hair from her eyes.
I buckled my sheath, puckering my T-shirt, as the men donned their swords. If only I could fly and escape the possible need to use a dagger.
The path thinned, and the forest thickened. We spent hours plowing through shrubs, avoiding roots, rocks, and debris. I was grateful for my jeans and sneakers for protection. So far, no one had commented on my strange attire. It was much better than a dress and flimsy, leather shoes.
Though the sun shone brighter, our way was dark, dappled in blinding light. A growl came from my right. “What’s the matter, Wolf?”
“Huh?” Wolf, still in human form, responded from my left.
My head jerked in his direction. “Wha—? I heard a—” I pointed.
The others stopped and peered in that direction. Quiet.
Maili nocked her bow.
A low growl repeated from the thicket. Shimri and Zakur crept toward the sound with Wolf, Maili, and Pepin close behind. They armed themselves as they advanced. My fingers curled around my dagger hilt as I trailed a few paces behind. The growl deepened, gaining strength with each impending step.
The creature leapt from the bushes, snarling. Shimri struck it with the butt of his sword, and it fell limp.
“A raccoon?” I stepped toward the small animal with little ears and a masked face. It looked…cute. Now that it wasn’t growling.
“A fasgadair,” Wolf replied.
“How can you tell?” I didn’t notice the electric scent. Do they only smell like that in fasgadair form? Right. Wolf hadn’t smelled back when… I should’ve thought of that.
“A real raccoon wouldn’t have threatened us, particularly d
uring the day.”
“Unless it’s sick,” Zakur said.
I hooked my thumbs in my sheath. “What are we going to do with it?”
“Kill it,” Shimri and Zakur said in unison.
“Bring it with us,” Maili ordered.
“Right.” Zakur nodded. “Raccoons are good eating, fasgadair or not.”
“Not to eat.” She threw Zakur the look she reserved for him. “We have her.” She pointed at me. “If we don’t have to kill it, why would we? Let’s get it to the ship and lock it up. If it’s not a fasgadair, we’ll have extra food. But if it is”—she eyed me askance—“we find out if it’s redeemable when night falls.”
Let the testing begin. My stomach twisted. I had expected this.
Wolf took a leather sack from his bag, shoved the raccoon inside, and flung it over his shoulder. “Let’s go.”
“Ummm.” I tugged on my lip. “What if that thing changes into a fasgadair while it’s in that pouch?”
“The demons aren’t daft enough to turn during daylight. ’Tis much too painful.” Wolf pushed a branch out of his way.
I surveyed the area. Nothing but shrubbery and dirt. Just like the woods behind my house. But everything was suspect. “What if there are more?”
“All the more reason to leave,” Wolf called over his shoulder.
Shimri took the lead. “Be on the lookout for animal tracks, particularly as we near the shore. Our ship will meet us when the sun reaches its apex.”
We must be close then. The sun had almost come to its highest point. Judging from the cool, salty breeze, we were nearly there.
The trees cleared, and the ocean spread before us. Maili and Zakur scanned the beach, dashed to an overgrown patch of rose-hip plants, and rooted through them. “We need to pull the dinghy from these shrubs. Be swift and stay low.”
Wolf, Pepin, and Shimri worked to pull the rowboat free. I picked a rose hip. Bumpah showed me how to eat them, avoiding the fuzzy seeds. We munched on these tart little fruits whenever we passed them by at the beach. Bumpah swore those were the reason we rarely got sick. I plucked one, then remembered the blueberries. Or not blueberries. Whatever they were that nearly killed me. “Are these…?”
