“Uh.” Bran jumped to his feet. “Maybe you should all look at this.”
I sat up and looked in the direction of his pointing finger. A transparent woman was hanging out of a tree, beckoning us to her. “Get your things,” I said. “This is what we’ve been waiting for.”
We were ready within minutes. The woman was gone by then, but a couple of trees down, another was waiting. As we approached, she reached out and touched the next tree then shrank back into her own. Another spirit-like woman came out of that tree, and so it went on until we came to a patch of land that felt free of the blight and was covered in Brighid’s flowers.
“What now?” Brendan asked as the women disappeared.
“Wait,” I whispered.
“This is all I have left,” a deep voice said.
I turned my head and saw the Guardian move toward us.
“This is the last patch of pure land, and it’s because of the flowers.”
“The blight is spreading,” I said. “That’s why we’re here. We need your help.”
“I’m the one who needs help,” the Guardian said miserably. “I’m the one who’s dying.”
“There’s a way to stop it,” Drake said. “The First Tree. It cleans the darkness. Where is it?”
“The First Tree?” The Guardian hesitated. “Yes, it could be the key, but it’s been lost to this place. Those trees couldn’t exist here, not after the change.”
I had no idea what he was talking about. “Then where can we find one? If we find them, we’ll bring some back to the forest to help you restore the land. All we need is to know where.”
“Across the water. That’s where they came from, and that’s where they’ll be.”
Brendan and Drake exchanged a worried glance.
“You mean across the sea,” Rumble said. “The forbidden lands.”
“So far away, yet not far enough for some,” the Guardian acknowledged.
“Will it work?” Brendan asked. “If we find the trees, will they grow here?”
“For as long as they’re needed,” the Guardian said. “But it may be too late. It takes time for the earth to replenish, and most of us don’t have that kind of time. Not anymore.”
“We have to try.” I looked at the Guardian. “Don’t give up yet.”
“Bring me the tree, and I won’t have to.” He retreated and disappeared, and I was looking at a tree once again.
“Well,” I said. “That was interesting.”
“We don’t have ships,” Drake said. “How are we going to get across the water?”
“We could build one,” Bran said doubtfully.
“Buy one from the human realm,” Rumble said.
“Yvette’s family has a ship,” Brendan said. “She made a point of telling me. I’ll broker a deal with her if they don’t offer it to us when we reach their land.”
“We can’t all go across the water,” Drake said.
“No,” Brendan said. “Only one of us should go. The others can bring the stone back to the rift, once we find it.”
“Who goes on the ship?” I asked.
Brendan bowed his head. “I have no child or wife keeping me here. I will go across the sea.”
My heart raced. “But it’s dangerous.”
“Living is dangerous,” he said, smiling. “It will be an adventure, and the realm needs us to act. We need both the stone and the trees.”
That was if either of them even worked. We were relying on the words of beings we assumed knew more than us.
“What if you can’t find the First Tree?” I asked.
“I won’t return until I do.”
And I felt a piece of my heart crack at the words. If he left, he might never come back. But he was doing it so Drake and I didn’t have to go.
***
I awoke feeling as though I were missing something. I sat up, frowning, and got up because I wasn’t close to going back to sleep. Dubh had gone wandering, and everyone else was sound asleep.
I grabbed my bag and moved away from the others to rummage through my things and try to figure out what wasn’t there. But everything was accounted for, and I even came across something I'd forgotten: the sword from Sadler’s room of treasures and junk. I couldn’t recall packing it.
“Looking for something?” Brendan asked, sitting next to me.
“Did I wake you? Sorry.”
“Everyone else is asleep. What are you doing out here?”
I realised I was a good ways from camp. “I don’t know. I woke up feeling weird, like I'd forgotten something. But then I found this.”
“A badly made sword?”
I held it out, my arm steadier than it had ever been. Something about holding a weapon imbued me with confidence. “It’s so light. It’s perfect. I forgot all about it.”
“Why do I want to touch it?”
His voice sounded so strained that I looked at him. He flexed his hands, his gaze on the sword.
“What are you on about?”
“I want to touch it so badly it hurts. Is it cursed?”
“Of course not,” I scoffed.
“It might be cursed.”
“Coward,” I whispered because I was curious, too.
His eyes met mine at the dare. “I keep telling you you’re trouble.”
He laid his hand over mine, his larger fingers reaching the shaft. And then the sword changed.
I made to let go, but Brendan held on tight, his face full of wonder. The sword lengthened, widened, and sharpened, but it remained light to hold. The blade shimmered green, and the hilt became a jewelled masterpiece.
“This is it,” he whispered. “This is the sword, Cara. This is the Claíomh Solais.”
“The sword of victory? How could it be?”
“Didn’t you see it? Didn’t you just want to hold it? It woke us both, Cara. We felt it. It wanted to be seen.”
“This was Sadler’s,” I said under my breath.
“He must have been collecting the treasures.”
“He had this and the spear. What if he had the stone, and I got rid of it?”
“It would have called to you as the other items did. Besides, the stone would have ensured fertile land around your castle.”
“My castle,” I said with a surprised giggle. “Still sounds so crazy. What do we do with this?”
Brendan reluctantly let go. “You keep it, and when I’m gone, I’ll know you’re safe with this by your side.”
“You don’t have to go. We could send a group of soldiers on that ship.”
“How can I ask other men to do something I’m afraid of?” he said gently. “Besides, you and Drake and the others risked your lives numerous times to save me from the Fade. The least I can do is a little life-risking of my own.”
I looked at the sword. I didn’t want to give it up, and maybe that was exactly why I needed to. “Take the sword with you. We don’t know what kind of danger you’ll face when you leave. At least take the sword and have a chance. Whoever wields it will never lose. We can’t afford for you to lose.”
“Only the worthy can wield the sword,” he said flatly.
“You’re worthy.” I nudged him. “I know you are.”
“Says she who refers to herself as just a human more often than not.”
“Only to people stupid enough to listen to me. I don’t want you to go, and you’re going to go anyway, so don’t turn me down twice. Take it.” I held the sword out to him.
He gazed at it for a moment before giving me a mischievous glance, like a child about to do something wrong. Then his face fell. “I know where the spear is. I can’t have this.”
“What are you talking about?”
“We agreed one person can’t have all of the treasures. It would be dishonest if I took this now.”
I grabbed his hand and made him hold the hilt of the sword. “I trust you.”
“You trust me with your life and with the treasures but not with your heart,” he teased, but the look in his eyes was serious.
His attempt at humour fell flat. “I never learned how to do that, and when I tried, I got hurt. I believe you would never intentionally hurt me or Scarlet. That’s enough for me.”
“So you do trust me,” he said as if looking for confirmation.
“I trust you—maybe more than anyone.” It was myself I didn’t trust. I didn’t believe I would know when people meant what they said or if they wanted more than one night with me. I didn’t trust myself to understand when I had been hanging on too long, or to have the sense to walk away at the right time. I wasn’t equipped with those tools, so I didn’t put myself in a position of needing to use them.
He frowned. “You used to speak your mind constantly. Now I have to figure you out. I find it troubling.”
I pushed against his arm. “You already know me. Don’t be silly.”
He finally took the sword. It looked right in his hand. “But I’ll be going soon. Out of sight, out of mind.”
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
His eyes glittered in the moonlight, and I was suddenly terrified of what I was feeling. For a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me, and when he didn’t, I felt disappointed—me, who had always been the one to push him away. But I wasn’t the only one who had changed.
He stood up to leave. I reached up, took his hand, and held on, staring straight ahead of me. He waited.
“Be careful when you go away,” I said. “It’s better to be safe than brave.”
“I’ll have the sword, remember? What can go wrong?”
“Then don’t forget to come back.”
He squeezed my fingers and let go. He went back to camp, taking the sword with him. I wouldn’t tell the others about it unless he did. I doubted Drake would understand. I was taking a lot of chances with Brendan. Maybe a small part of me was giving him enough rope to hang himself with. Maybe I was setting him up to disappoint me so I'd turn my back and harden my heart against him. But a growing part of me felt sure he wouldn’t do anything to let me down.
***
We briefly separated so that Drake could check on his court and Brendan could organise a small force to accompany him across the water. He wasn’t certain of volunteers, but he wasn’t going to force anyone to travel with him. Rumble and I pressed on, unwilling to wait.
“What do you think?” I asked him as we rode. “About the treasures and everything else.”
“Many fae are obsessed with old stories, myths, legends, and prophesies.”
“Sadler once told me Deorad had some obsession with a prophesy. Maybe he had so many children because he thought one of them would turn out to fulfil it.”
“Whatever reasons he had for doing the things he did, I doubt he truly understood them himself.”
“Do you hate him?” I asked.
“No. I feel nothing for him. I was told early on I was nothing, attached to no one. He never played much of a part in my life.”
“Do you hate Drake?”
He hesitated. “No, but I can’t say I understand his actions.”
“Join the club. I have to admit, I had hoped you two would get to know each other. You are half brothers, after all.”
“It means nothing to him. And the more I know of him, the less I like him. Besides, you can’t claim a family you’ve never known.”
“I claim you,” I said stubbornly. “You and Vix and everyone else. You’re all Scarlet’s family, and she’s mine, so that makes you all mine, too.”
His amusement came through in his voice. “You have a strange logic.”
“I’ve been told. Here looks as good as anywhere.”
We set up camp and waited for the others to find us. Rumble removed his helmet.
I smiled. “It’s because I reminded you I own you, right?”
“I don’t feel like a possession. At least not today. You gave him the sword, didn’t you?”
I froze. “How did you know?”
“I suspected it might be the sword. I’m not so surprised that you gave it to him. You are…” He looked away.
“I am what?”
“It’s not my place.”
“I’m asking you what you think!”
He looked at me seriously. “I think that you find it hard to see the wrong in that man. I’ve heard the stories.”
“Sadler’s stories.”
“And others. Be careful.”
“He’s always been a friend to me,” I said, “when others weren’t.”
“Do you hate Drake?”
“Only sometimes. The more time I spend here, the more my anger dies away. I’m not sure why.”
He didn’t look convinced. To change the subject, I said, “Do you think the court even needs a queen? Why can’t people vote on what happens? Why can’t the advisers take care of everything?”
“You don’t mean to return?”
“I have to return. I just mean… what do I know about running a kingdom that the rest of them don’t? Nothing, that’s what. It seems pointless even having me there when the advisers are the ones who figure out what’s going on.”
“I don’t remember that happening. Perhaps, when we return, you’ll see why you’re needed.”
“What does that mean?”
He shook his head. I meant to press him, but Drake and Brendan returned with four soldiers, plus Dymphna and Bran. I tried not to look concerned.
“Four?” I said. “Only four want to explore the world?”
“Five,” Brendan said. “Bran’s coming, too.”
“You’re taking Bran?” I said, aghast.
“It’ll do him good. You mother him so.”
“I do not mother him.”
Bran looked from one of us to the other, his face flushing. “Can we not do this in front of everyone?”
I laughed at his obvious discomfort. “Sorry. Are we ready to get started then?”
“We might as well,” Drake said. “We’ve a long journey ahead of us.”
We moved on as a larger group, but I worried for the rest of the evening—about the court, about Brendan, about Scarlet, about all of us. The realm was dying, and even though we were trying, we still might not solve the problem in time.
It took us almost a week to get to Yvette’s home. By then, the atmosphere between us had shifted into something less than pleasant.
As we approached Yvette’s lands, Brendan held up his hand for everyone to stop. “Much has changed. This is nothing like I remember.”
“Let’s go and barter for a ship,” Drake said impatiently. “I want to get this over and done with.”
“Desperate to send me off?” Brendan asked sarcastically.
“There are worse things,” Drake retorted.
“Don’t you ever feel greedy?” Brendan asked, looking at Drake with a dangerous glare. “No matter what you have, you still want more.”
“Okay!” I called out. “We’re here. Let’s do this before it gets dark. There are gates ahead, and we don’t even know if we’re welcome. Can we put whatever this is aside until later? Please.”
Scowling, Brendan rode on in the lead. A huge wall rose up before us right in the middle of the forest. We rode to what looked to be the only gate. The sky grew dusky as we approached.
“Halt,” a soldier on the wall said in a deep, commanding voice. “State your business.”
As Brendan announced us, I peered through the gates. Brendan had described a craggy rock-edge of a place, but beyond the gates were lush fields. A road meandered toward what looked like a beautiful castle. And surrounding the castle were the shores of the realm. The sea brushed against the rocks as if in a caress, and the one longship in the bay barely moved against the current.
The soldiers opened the gates and welcomed us through. We made our way along the road, ready to meet Yvette’s clan. I tried not to vomit.
Chapter Nineteen
On either side of us lay fields in the midst of exceptional growth. I smelled fruit.
“An orchard perhap
s,” Brendan said, noting my curiosity. “That wall stretched on out of sight. Who knows how much land is here?”
“And nobody knows where these people come from?”
“Offshoots of other families,” he said, unconcerned. “Families spread and move on. It happens.”
“I thought the fae didn’t procreate enough for that.”
“In the time I’ve been gone, a lot has happened.” He pressed his lips together as if to say the conversation was over.
Well, whatever. If he wasn’t going to be even the tiniest bit suspicious, I would do it for him. And it had nothing to do with any kind of jealousy.
We made it halfway down the road to the castle when Yvette came to greet us, accompanied by three of her women. She kept her focus on Brendan. Her eyes were sky blue—unnatural even for the fae—and her long lavender hair was in ringlets down her back. A riding cap was perched on her head at an angle, and as she rode sidesaddle on a silver-haired horse, the bracelets on her wrists chimed, sounding like an actual instrument.
“Greetings,” she said pleasantly. “I wasn’t expecting a visit. You’ve caught me unawares.”
She didn’t look as though she had been caught unawares. I frowned. I really needed to give her a chance. I couldn’t afford to have another friend’s partner hate me. A realisation hit me: I had rarely ever been liked by two halves of any couple, fae or human—even my own parents.
“You weren’t exaggerating about the fruitfulness of this land,” Brendan said. “It looks as though the blight never existed, and that's why we've come. We’re told a stone may exist here that is keeping the land cleansed. We need to use that stone to heal the rift in the Fade. If you know its whereabouts, we would be most grateful to hear about it.”
“A stone?” She smiled as if delighted. “I’ve never heard of a stone being here. You’re welcome to search in the library, of course. I assume that’s where a treasure would be kept.”
I shifted in my seat. He'd mentioned a stone, not a treasure.
“I thank you,” Brendan said. “Is there any one place here that’s purer—noticeably purer—than the rest?”
“Only our lady,” one of Yvette’s women declared as the other giggled.
Ugh.