He stood at the sound of footsteps while Bedelia remained slumped against the wall on the stone floor. The slight illumination from the lanterns in the hall increased as someone approached with a torch. Iseult was surprised to see Oighear herself, in her glittering white gown. Normally, she had pairs of the Aos Sí bring either him or Bedelia up for questioning. She had never come down to them before.
She tugged at something on the end of a leather cord until a struggling Naoki came into view. Before Iseult could help himself, his eyes widened ever so slightly.
“Ah,” Oighear observed, her eyes intent on his face. “So you’ve seen this creature before?”
A moment later his subtle giveaway wouldn’t have mattered. Seeing him, Naoki rushed toward the bars of the cell, chittering frantically. There was a leather cord tied around her beak, and a few thicker ones around her wings, holding them down. Seeing the creature Finn dearly cared about in such a state filled him with rage.
“The men who encroached upon my lands were being led by this creature,” Oighear explained. “We questioned one of the soldiers before he was killed. Apparently, their Captain was seeking out a girl with long blonde hair and dark eyes, along with a man fitting the description of your other companion with Dair blood. You can imagine why I found all of this wonderfully interesting.”
Iseult glared at her. He could already guess her plan, but would let her say it first.
“The issue is,” Oighear continued, “that this creature seems to fear my soldiers. She will not continue her tracking.”
Relief flooded through Iseult, there was hope yet.
Finally Bedelia stood and staggered weakly to the cell bars. “So what do you want?” she growled. “Why are you telling us any of this?”
Oighear smiled wickedly. “I thought the creature might recognize you. Perhaps you can coax her to do her job.”
“Never,” Bedelia and Iseult said simultaneously.
“Forgive me,” Oighear replied, demurely raising her free hand to her chest. “I was not asking your permission. You will accompany me, and a group of my most loyal followers. We will find the Cavari girl, and she will lead us to my shroud.”
Iseult shook his head, having realized her plan after all. Though he had never been fond of magic, he wished for it in that moment, if only to strike Oighear dead. His hands flexed on the bars of his cell until his knuckles turned white.
Just before he would have made an attempt to grab her and slam her against the iron bars, Oighear stepped back. Five Aos Sí warriors came into view, iron chains and other bindings in hand.
“Naturally, you’ll be walking while we ride,” Oighear explained. “Though the chains can be quite heavy, I expect they won’t slow you down.”
Iseult eyed the warriors approaching him. He could attempt escape now, but with Oighear standing out of reach, the odds were not in his favor. Perhaps once they were on the road, he and Bedelia could make their escape.
Oighear turned to one of the Aos Sí not holding manacles or chains. “Make sure my horse is well prepared,” she ordered, “since my proper mount seems to have gone . . . missing.”
The insight that Oighear’s mount of choice was not available did little to comfort Iseult. One of the Aos Sí opened the barred door to his cell. He sighed and allowed the remaining warriors who entered the cell to thoroughly bind him. Following his lead, Bedelia did the same, though she eyed him curiously, as if hoping for a plan.
He subtly shook his head. He had nothing at the moment. Still, while Oighear’s presence would complicate things, being out in the open was preferable to rotting away in a dungeon. The self-proclaimed queen had her weaknesses, and a long journey would only give him more time to find and exploit them.
Oighear turned her lilac gaze to him and smiled, as if challenging him.
He would do his best to not disappoint.
“You are such a fool!” Anna shouted over the thundering of their horse’s hooves.
“Tell me something I’m not already aware of!” Kai shouted back.
Having caught up to Sativola, for a day and a night they had done as Móirne bade them, resting little while taking the most direct route toward Garenoch. Then, during one of their short rests, Anna had a vision. She’d woken with a start and urged them onto their horses.
Just as they departed, several cloaked figures came into view on horseback. They chased them now, on the final stretch toward Garenoch, though Kai feared they would not make it.
“You may be glad to die for her!” Anna shouted back. “But I am not!” She kicked her heels repeatedly against her horse’s sides, but the animal clearly could not go any faster. As it was, their mounts were already frothing at the mouth from exhaustion, especially Sativola’s from the extra weight of his massive rider.
“They’re going to catch us!” Sativola shouted. “We should turn and fight.”
“If we fight, we die!” Anna shouted back.
They could see Garenoch in the distance. If only they could reach it, they would be safe, at least, according to Móirne. Some of the townsfolk had come out of their homes to behold the commotion. Kai’s eyes squinted, then widened in surprise, recognizing a shock of blonde curls.
“Is that Ealasaid?” he shouted, shocked.
Anna didn’t answer, too intent on the Cavari, now just a few paces behind them. Kai darted his attention away from their pursuers and back to where he’d seen Ealasaid, only to find a tall, black clad figure had herded her behind a building from the sight of the townsfolk.
Ealasaid raised her arms, and lightning crackled right behind Kai’s mount, nearly throwing him from his seat. The horses of the Cavari shrieked, tossing a few of their riders. Kai glanced over his shoulder as lightning struck again, hitting a few of the Cavari directly.
The townsfolk in the distance were screaming in panic. Kai’s horse began to slow, unable to go on any longer. He looked over his shoulder again and nearly toppled from his mount.
The Cavari were gone.
Badly shaken and hardly believing their eyes, Kai, Anna, and Sativola continued trotting forward. The townsfolk watched them in terror, as if they were questioning their own eyes as well. Kai began to wonder if they would even be allowed into the burgh, but slowly the crowd dissipated. Avoiding the remaining townsfolk’s questioning gazes, they closed the final distance between them.
Kai had barely dismounted when Ealasaid sprinted toward them, practically knocking him to the ground with a hug. He patted her back, holding onto his reins with his free hand, and let out a shaky laugh. “I must say, I’m pleased to see you too.”
“Who were those riders?” she asked breathily, pulling away. “I couldn’t believe my eyes when they simply disappeared. It was like I blinked, then they just weren’t there anymore.”
Kai glanced warily about as Anna and Sativola dismounted and joined them, followed by Maarav, approaching from the cover of the nearby buildings.
“It’s a very long tale,” Kai explained, “one I’d rather tell from the relative safety of an inn.”
“That is, if the townsfolk don’t run us off for being in the proximity of magic,” Sativola added.
“Oh they won’t,” Ealasaid said happily. “We have much to share with you too.”
With his horse’s reins in hand, Kai, Anna, and Sativola followed Ealasaid down the dirt road leading into the burgh. A few townsfolk remained outside their homes, watching the newcomers curiously, but to Kai’s surprise, no one accused them of Faie mischief, nor did anyone try to chase them off.
He caught up to Ealasaid’s side where she walked beside Maarav. “Am I to understand that the people here do not fear magic?”
“Quite the opposite,” Ealasaid replied. “The Alderman has welcomed magic users to protect the burgh. Although,” she rolled her eyes at Maarav, “someone demands I keep my skills hidden.”
Maarav rolled his eyes back. “You’ll thank me for it later.”
Kai observed the exchange curiously. He had definitely not forgotten the encounter with the assassins and their relation to Maarav, but he was also not going to turn down the friends who’d just saved his hide.
“We have a room at the inn,” Ealasaid explained. “You can stable your horses there, and then tell us where the others are.”
“Well that’s a simple answer,” Anna cut in. “We don’t know.”