She couldn’t quite believe her ears. This had to be some sort of trick. “I don’t understand,” she blurted. “How can you forgive me so easily?”
Finn beamed at her. “I cannot claim to know much about the mortal realm, but one thing I’ve come to know quite intimately is friendship. My friends are not perfect, they have made mistakes, just as I have, but what makes a true friend is the ability to see beyond that. I see your heart, Bedelia, and that is all that matters.”
Bedelia blinked rapidly as her tears began to fall, and foreign sensations overcame her. Sensations she had blocked out long ago. She never would have guessed that what it would take to bring her back to life was not a lord, not a lover, but a friend.
She pulled Finn into a fierce hug, which Finn happily returned. She did not care if half of those in the common room had turned to look at them, and could clearly see the tears on the warrior woman’s face. All she cared about was that she finally had a friend.
Pulling away, Finn took her hand and stood, leading her back across the room. Kai and Iseult resumed their posts on either side of Finn while she told the rest of their party àed’s fate. The general consensus was joy that he was still living in some way, and could possibly be saved.
Bedelia shook her head in disbelief as her friends continued to drink and make merry. She couldn’t help but feel that they were almost like a family. They might not all get along, and they might have their secrets, but they were there when it counted, and that was all that mattered.
Chapter Seventeen
Finn awoke, filled with sudden memory. The final pieces slowly coming back to her, bit by bit. The curtained window had darkened the room, though it was still night. Anna snored loudly in the bed next to hers.
Anna. Finn sighed. In the morning, she would attempt to use the shroud to remove her magic, but it seemed she still had several hours before she needed to figure that out.
The shroud was now tied around the waist of her breeches. After a much needed bath, she’d felt it best to keep it near. She didn’t relish having the magical item so close to her skin, but she had listened closely to what Slàine had told them. She couldn’t risk this third queen coming along and stealing it away from her, not when they didn’t know what she’d do with it.
With a final glance at Anna, she donned her cloak and boots, then let herself out into the hall, just like she’d done the night she’d stayed with àed at this very inn. The same night Iseult tied a man up by his boot strings for accosting her.
The hall was dark, but lantern light could be seen from the common room below. She smirked. Would she have to jump out a window again? At least she was wearing boots this time so she wouldn’t freeze her toes off.
She crept down the stairs, then halted at a sound. Someone setting a drink down on a table? Morning was just a few hours off. Who would be sitting in the common room at this time? Curiosity getting the better of her, she finished her journey down the stairs and peeked around the end of the bannister. A familiar shape sat alone at a table, his back toward the sole lantern.
“You should be resting,” Iseult muttered, somehow sensing her presence.
She left the stairs and closed the distance between them. “As should you,” she replied, reaching his side. She frowned at his visible bruises, sure that uglier ones hid beneath his clothing. Not that he would ever complain about either.
He did not look up, and her heart gave a nervous flutter. Refusing to back down, she lowered herself to the bench beside him. Finally, he met her gaze.
“I will keep my promise,” she stated bluntly, having some idea what might be bothering him. “I will do my best to use the shroud to return your soul. Maarav’s too.”
He shook his head and smiled ruefully. “No, you will not.”
“I will!” she gasped, holding a hand to her chest. “Would you doubt me after all this time?”
He shook his head. “It is not you that I doubt. I have failed you.”
She frowned. “I don’t understand.”
He sighed and took another sip of his drink.
The smell of whiskey fluttered to Finn’s nostrils.
“I had hoped to escape Oighear,” he explained. “I knew she intended you harm, intent on possessing the shroud.” He began to lower his gaze, then forced it upward. “I watched helplessly while she approached you. If it weren’t for Kai . . . ” he trailed off.
She smiled softly, now understanding his upset. “You know, I’m not entirely without defenses,” she teased.
The barest hint of a smile crossed his lips. “Of that I have no doubt, but I swore I’d protect you.”
She placed a hand gently on his arm, wishing she could somehow put every thought she was having into his mind. “You have protected me. I would never have gotten this far without you. I owe you everything, and I will be following through with my promise.”
He took hold of her hand on his arm and gave it a squeeze. “Perhaps in time, but not yet.”
She frowned, once again confused. “Why ever not?”
“I do not know what will happen,” he explained. “I’ve always been unnaturally fast and resilient. I can blend into shadows, and often hide in plain sight. I always thought it was simply luck, but Maarav displays these same skills. I believe it’s a product of our . . . condition.”
“You don’t want to lose those skills?” she questioned, even more confused. Iseult didn’t seem the type to worry about such things.
He sighed again. “I previously would not have cared one way or another. I only cared about ridding myself of my curse. But now, you have a long road ahead of you. I cannot stand idly by, and I cannot allow myself to be weakened. Not now.”
“But if I die,” she began, “if the shroud is lost-”
He turned toward her abruptly, enfolding her hands in his. “If I stand any chance of preventing either, I must remain as I am. If you are killed, I will surely have gone down before you.”
Her eyes welled with tears. She wasn’t sure what she had done to earn such loyalty, but there it was. She searched every corner of her mind for some sort of argument. It wasn’t fair for him to remain cursed, especially when she was the one who had cursed him. She opened her mouth to speak, but he shook his head.
“I will hear no more arguments,” he said softly.
She closed her mouth.
“Tomorrow we will formulate a new plan,” he continued. “We do not know what the Cavari will do now that you have the shroud, and there is still this third queen to worry about, and An Fiach. It seems there is no end to those who seek you.”
She sniffled, still fighting tears. “My apologies,” she chuckled. “You will likely soon be as notorious as I.”
He gave her hands a final squeeze, then released her from his grip. “One can only hope,” he teased, then stood, offering her his hand.
She looked up at him with a small smile.
“Am I mistaken, or were you going out for a walk? Perhaps to stick your toes in the cold soil?”
She grinned and took his hand, then stood and began to lead him across the common room. “This way,” she instructed, “I know an excellent window we can depart through.”
They both laughed as they wove their way through the smattering of tables, benches, and chairs, on their way to a moonlit walk. Although this time, they used the front door.
Though Finn had insisted numerous times that Iseult get some rest, the next morning found the pair near the inn’s front door, watching the sun rise, just like it did every day, though today was somehow different.
Though Finn worried about his health, her heart was full. All of her friends were back together, and now she knew where àed was. Though she had many concerns, returning him to human form was her primary quest.
The inn doors creaked open. She turned to see Anna and Kai. Remembering her task, she fingered the shroud around her waist, barely visible beneath the edge of her loose blouse.