Dawn of Magic: Sea of Flames Page 14

  “I find it offensive that you would bring a dragon to our meeting,” a voice said from behind her.

  The three companions turned, taking in a cloaked form not ten paces away. Though his features were shadowed, Finn had no doubt it was Arawn. He was in his younger form, judging by his voice, which sounded singular and not like one hundred whispering voices all at once.

  She stepped toward him. “You specified that we would meet in a place of my choosing, does that not include accompaniment?”

  Arawn shrugged, then pulled back his hood, revealing his shoulder length black hair. His hooked nose cast a sinister shadow over his lips. “I suppose it does, but before we discuss matters, I’d like to know why you’ve set our meeting place where we might be surrounded by Dearg Due.”

  So they had come? She hadn’t sensed a thing.

  “Am I to prove my allegiance?” Arawn pressed. “This seems a risky way to go about it. What if I decide to let you die?”

  Did he think she expected him to protect her? All the better, she supposed. “I am a busy woman, Arawn. Two meetings in the time of one.”

  “If I prove my loyalty here and now, you will ally yourself with me against Belenus?”

  “I will.”

  Arawn flicked his gaze to Branwen, who nodded. “She speaks the truth.”

  Finn wasn’t sure why Branwen was lying for her. Did she truly believe she would ally herself with someone who’d cursed the man she loved?

  A soft humming emanated from the branches above, slowly increasing in volume in a sickly sweet song that instantly made her drowsy. Her eyes widened, their heavy lids quickly forcing them back down. She hadn’t considered that the Dearg Due might enlist other faie, and she should have, given they’d done so before.

  “Cover your ears!” she hissed, covering her own, but Kai had already fallen to his knees. Branwen stared dumbly up at the branches above.

  “I suppose now is my time,” Arawn drawled, raising his voice to be heard over her clamped hands. “I could easily entrap you while you sleep. Belenus could hold you captive until his work is done.”

  Though she couldn’t block out all the sound, the song of the geancanach did not seem to affect her as strongly as it did in the past, but her eyelids were still growing heavier by the moment. “You lied about an alliance,” she yawned.

  Arawn stepped forward into a sliver of moonlight. “If I’m to save you now, as an immortal, you must allow me to curse you—mildly and temporarily, of course. I cannot curse an immortal without that being’s cooperation.”

  “What?” she said, not fully understanding his muffled words. She looked to Kai. He was on the ground, but still conscious.

  Arawn lifted his voice. “He is mortal enough that I do not need his permission.” He knelt down and touched Kai’s forehead.

  Kai groaned, then blinked up at Finn and Arawn. “Why can’t I hear anything?” His words were slurred and awkward.

  “You cursed away his hearing?” Finn questioned, knowing she was speaking too loud over her muffled ears, but she was beginning to panic. Her knees felt like pottage. She’d be on the ground soon. Naoki was already curled up, fast asleep.

  “Yes, and if you do not allow me to do the same, I believe the Dearg Due will swarm.”

  “Fine,” she growled. “Do it.” She wasn’t sure how to allow a curse, but she didn’t flinch away when he touched her. In fact, she welcomed the touch. Anything to keep her from falling asleep at a time like this.

  Her hearing deafened, except for a gentle whirring, making her feel like she was underwater.

  Arawn’s lips moved, but she could not make out his words. He turned from her, lifted a long fallen branch, then walked to the nearest tree, shoving the branch upward into the foliage. Something small and gray, slightly resembling a rock, tumbled down from the tree. The geancanach hopped to its scrawny feet, unfurling its bat-like wings as it scurried away into the underbrush.

  Arawn whacked a few more trees with his branch, knocking down more geancanach. She imagined they were hissing and shrieking, but she couldn’t hear a thing.

  She simply took it all in, realizing how foolish she’d been. While she could easily defend herself against predatory faie, others like the geancanach would never attack head on, and she might not be immune to their gifts. Fully recovered, Kai stood and moved to her side, his mouth a grim line.

  Once the trees were clear, Arawn approached, then poked her in the forehead with his index finger, likely harder than was necessary. With a loud pop, her hearing returned. He moved next to Kai and did the same.

  Finn looked around for Branwen, spotting her curled up on the forest floor beyond Naoki, who now lifted her head with a yawn. “What about her?” she asked, gesturing toward Branwen.

  Arawn sneered. “I’m not sure I could curse her even if she allowed me. Her life is no longer mortal, she’s animated by the magic of the in-between. She’ll have to wake on her own.”

  Kai sidled close to Finn’s side. “Let’s hope they didn’t enlist any other dark faie. Fire elementals, for instance.” He shuddered.

  “Fire elementals aren’t dark faie,” she said distantly, scanning the woods for the next sign of attack. “They’re simply chaotic. The only one who could command them before was Oighear.”

  Hissing laughter tickled her spine. She turned, spotting several pairs of reflective eyes.

  “Surprising to hear such knowledge from one who would enslave us.”

  Finn focused on the source of the voice, spotting a wisp of white hair as it caught the moonlight. “I do not wish to enslave you, but it’s my fault the land is in chaos. I must set things right.”

  “We think things are right as they are,” the voice hissed, echoed by mutters and laughter of what seemed a hundred other voices.

  “This night just keeps getting worse,” Kai muttered.

  Finn felt sick. She’d grossly underestimated the number of Dearg Due that would come. She’d only ever run into smaller hunting parties. Could she drain so many? Had she grown so arrogant that she’d endanger Kai not once, but twice this night?

  “Stay where you stand.” Arawn. She’d nearly forgotten about him.

  She forced herself to not turn back. “Why?”

  “I’m proving my allegiance, tree girl. Do not be so ungrateful and do as I say.” He muttered words in another language under his breath. Another curse?

  “Who is your new companion?” a hissing voice questioned. “Will he be as tasty as you?”

  “Hardly,” Arawn scoffed.

  The Dearg Due hissed and chattered for a moment, then swarmed.

  “Remember my words!” Arawn called.

  Finn didn’t move a muscle, except to prepare herself for attack. The first wave of the Dearg Due came into view, moving gracefully like deer. Soon they would be upon them, and she knew she’d never drain them fast enough.

  They reached the clearing, then fell to their knees, shrieking.

  Finn’s eyes darted around for the source of their pain.

  “He’s cursed the ground around you.” She jumped at Branwen’s voice in her ear. “Do not venture forward.”

  Kai stayed near her other side. She turned just in time to halt Naoki from bounding past them into the horde of Dearg Due. They kept coming despite their sisters’ agony.

  “I would act quickly, Finnur,” Arawn called out. “You may miss your chance.”

  So Branwen had been spying, and had spilled her plan to Arawn. Did he also know she would use this new magic against him? She lifted her arms, closed her eyes, then reached out to the magic of the Dearg Due. The ones hit by Arawn’s curse were the first to be drained. They were nearly defenseless, and it was always wisest to pick off the weakest prey when one could.

  Finn’s eyes snapped open, her thoughts startling her.

  “Don’t stop!” Kai urged.

  She inhaled sharply then closed her eyes, draining magic from more of the Dearg Due. They’d stopped swarming when they realized they could
n’t cross the barrier.

  “Flee!” voices hissed. “Abomination!”

  The night was a shifting mosaic of tattered black dresses and white hair. Just as quickly as the attack had begun, it ended, leaving the three companions, a dragon, and a god alone in the clearing.

  “You may move now,” Arawn instructed. “The ground is no longer cursed.”

  She barely heard his words. Currents of magic like angry ocean waves swept through her. She needed more. She’d need much more to defeat a god. She never wanted to let this feeling go.

  “Finn?” Kai questioned.

  Kai’s magic called to her. It was lesser than the Dearg Due, but it was still there. And she wanted it. She needed it. She started to drain his magic. He had no barriers in place, it was easy to steal.

  He gasped, surprise in his wide eyes, then fell to his knees.

  “What are you doing!” Branwen cried. She reached out toward Finn, then quickly recoiled.

  Her fear was unwarranted. Branwen did not call to her predatory instincts. Her magic was different, not tasty. What called to her were the faie.

  Kai looked up at her, his eyes bugging and his mouth gaping like a dying fish. “Finn,” he rasped.

  Arawn’s laughter cut through her mind like jagged glass, shattering the veil of hunger disguising her actions.

  “No!” she gasped. She lowered her hands. What had she done? What had she been about to do?

  Kai still stared up at her, but seemed unable to move. She fell to her knees in front of him. She held out her hands, but didn’t dare touch him.

  He watched her cautiously, his shallow breaths fogging the air between them. Finn’s breath was so hot it seemed as if she was breathing smoke.

  After a moment, Kai nodded. He seemed ready to topple over, but he was alright.

  She looked up to Arawn. “You knew this would happen to me.”

  He grinned. “It’s the price you must pay to defeat Belenus. You should be thanking me for making you strong.”

  Her horror was replaced by rage, like flipping a coin, it only took an instant. She rose, then stalked toward Arawn. She reached out her hands and called to his magic. He was her true target. His magic quickly answered, pouring out of him. Even just a taste of it was almost too much to bear.

  “Good girl,” Arawn cackled, even as he fell to his knees. “You’re almost strong enough to defeat him, but there’s one last thing you must figure out, and you’ll need me to do it.” He snapped his fingers and disappeared.

  She stared at the space where he’d been. Even with his magic weakened, he’d escaped so easily. She could feel Kai and Branwen’s eyes on her. Even Naoki seemed frightened to approach.

  She couldn’t blame them. Even as the taste of Arawn’s magic faded, she still wanted more. She wanted to cling to every last hint of that intoxicating warmth. Hunching her shoulders, she looked to Kai. “Please forgive me.”

  He watched her for a moment, shadows obscuring the lower half of his face. “Are you, you again?”

  She nodded, clenching a hand to her stomach. She’d almost killed Kai, and it had felt wonderful. Even draining Arawn had felt wonderful, though he was right. She might be able to drain Belenus, but she’d need Arawn to trap him. That was a feat she could not manage on her own.

  She stared at Kai with wide eyes, and finally managed to answer. “Yes, I’m me again, the only problem was, I was me the whole time.”

  Kai

  Kai stumbled several times on the way back to the estate. What Finn had done . . . it was like nothing he could have imagined. It had to have been even worse for the Dearg Due. Part of him felt they deserved it, but part of him wondered if anyone deserved such a fate. It was like having your soul drained away. The very thing that made you, you. He hadn’t realized how much his Dearg Due blood had become a part of him until that moment, but maybe it was partially the Dair blood running through his veins too. Maybe she had tugged at all of it. If Finn’s people still walked the land, would she be able to do the same to them?

  As they neared the gates, Branwen finally broke the silence. “You need to figure out how to trap Belenus. If you just drain him like that, he will easily escape.”

  Finn didn’t answer. Kai could only imagine what she was thinking. Guilt had driven her to do horrible things once upon a time. If anything, guilt was her greatest weakness.

  He forced his feet onward, longing for his bed, though usually he’d be awake most the night. “Arawn let you drain him to prove that you need him. If he can hold Belenus still for long enough, you can defeat him.”

  Kai looked at Branwen to observe her response to his comment. She glanced back with wide, innocent eyes, but he saw through the act. She was working with Arawn, and well aware that he planned to involve himself and become invaluable to Finn. The real question was, why? Why would a god side with Finn over another god, especially when not long ago, he’d proven himself her enemy? What had changed?

  He stopped walking, then addressed Branwen. “Don’t act like you don’t know,” he sighed, tired of the ruse. “What does Arawn really want?”

  Branwen turned back to him with a frown. “I believe he just wants Belenus gone, and he believes Finn is his best chance of reaching that end.”

  Finn stepped away from Kai to face them both. “If Arawn does not care to harm the mages, then we’ll work with him. We may not be true allies, but we have a common enemy, and we are stronger together.” She glanced over her shoulder toward the gates, then back to Kai and Branwen. “After that . . . well, if Arawn is to become my enemy once more, I will know as much about him as I can gather. If I’m to hurt someone with this new—” her brow furrowed in disgust, “magic, then it will be him.” She looked to Kai for a moment, her expression pained, then shook her head. She turned and continued walking, leaving no room for arguments.

  Not that Kai had any to offer.

  Kai and Branwen caught up, flanking her in silence. As they reached the gates, the guards quickly recognized them—and the feathery white dragon hurrying after them from the western woods—and signaled for the gates to open. Kai didn’t see Ashclaw, but imagined he was nearby, hunting.

  He looked up at the tall walls as he awaited entry, telling himself to keep quiet, but he could not banish Arawn’s mocking expression from his mind. “So we will ally ourselves not only with a dragon, but a god,” he muttered. “Not one enemy, but two.”

  Finn looked toward him, her brow furrowed. He’d expected her to look tired, pallid, something . . . what she looked was wonderful, as if the magic had granted her endless energy and good health. The only hint that the experience weighed on her was the slump in her shoulders. The unsure look in her eyes. “Do you have any better suggestions?”

  He chewed his lip, hoping an answer would come.

  The gate had opened. The guards awaited their entry, eyes cast nervously outward into the dark night.

  “No, I do not,” he finally replied, “I just hope that no harm comes to you because of this.”

  Finn cast her eyes downward and walked past him through the gates. Her muttered words carried on the wind. “I’m not the one you should be worried about.”

  At those ominous words, he looked to Branwen, her eyes swarming with the worry he felt. Not quite allies, and not quite acquaintances with common enemies, but two people now sharing similar fears. Fears of what they’d just witnessed, and what might be soon to come.

  Óengus

  Óengus panted, unable to breathe fully with the bruising on his ribs. The sun had begun to rise, and he needed to get further away from the Aos Sí encampment.

  If only he could move.

  His cursed gifts had finally come to use, allowing him to escape the encampment by first judging Aos Sí positions in the dark. Then, with hands and feet bound, he was able to inch himself along with his heels. The only issue had been the route of escape . . . down the cliffside . . . with his hands and feet still bound. He knew he might die, but he would have died anyway if he di
dn’t take the chance.

  At least the bindings on his hands had snapped during the fall, along with a few ribs, and his shoulder ached horribly. Now he stared up at the first rays of morning, his mouth bone dry, and his body unable to rise. There was no point in rising regardless.

  A shadow cut across his face, relieving his eyes from the light.

  Keiren stood over him, her crimson hair billowing in the omnipresent cliffside breeze. She looked well for a woman who’d endured lengthy torture. Perhaps too well.

  “How did you escape?” he asked, blinking up at her.

  She looked down at him, her expression slack. She could have just as easily been looking at a carcass rotting in the sun. “That is not important. You must come with me now.”

  He glared at her.

  She tugged at a thin leather strap cutting across her chest and cloak, bringing a water skin forward from where it had been resting against her back. She lifted it from her shoulders, then tossed it to him.

  He caught it with his good arm, removed the stopper, and swilled water so greedily he choked.

  She watched him for a moment, then continued walking, easily scaling the boulder shielding his body to continue on down the escarpment.

  He took another swill of water, then sat up. His body resisted, but he managed to stand and hobble after her.

  While he’d been fairly resigned to die on that cliffside, now curiosity won out. There was something very wrong with the sorceress. The Travelers had clearly done something to her mind.

  No matter. He followed anyway. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do.

  Iseult

  In the chamber he shared with Finn, Iseult sat alone, hunched over, elbows on knees. The bed beneath him offered no comfort, nor did the crackling fire in the hearth. He had let her go off into the woods to meet a god. He hadn’t even tried to stop her—or to protect her.