The Blood Forest (Tree of Ages #3)(11)
“And what changes did your people predict?” Anders asked finally.
Niklas curled his bloodless lips into a grim smile, then restated the prophecy Anders had now heard many times. “The seasons are changing. The lines are faltering, undoing the old and bringing life to the new. Trees will fall, and changed earth will be left in their place. A storm is coming.”
Anders looked up at the cloud-obscured moon, just as a brilliant streak of lighting cut through the dark sky, illuminating their surroundings for a brief moment. A light drizzle of rain began to fall, but that was the second least of Anders’ worries, right after the cold. The brief flash of lightning had revealed eyes, countless pairs of glowing eyes, watching them from the hills.
Either Niklas did not notice, or he was not overly concerned. That made one of them.
They walked on through the night. Anders was constantly aware of the feeling of eyes on him, but nothing ever attacked, likely because of Niklas.
By morning, Anders’ new primary worries were the painful, grumbling knot of his stomach, and his feet feeling like they might be bleeding within his boots.
This was the longest they’d traveled with so few breaks, and such little food. In the beginning Niklas seemed at least a little interested in keeping Anders alive, but as time wore on, he became increasingly obsessed with their goal.
Though Anders was dreading reaching the Archive and attempting to enter with a Traveler at his side, he breathed a sigh of relief as the ornate fortress came into view in the early morning light. The golden hue of the expansive central building, domelike in shape, seemed to shimmer in the thin, cool air. Surrounding it were the lodgings, other communal buildings where many scholars spent their entire lives, and multiple long wings housing countless books and other recordings. In fact, the Archive could be considered a city unto itself, for the people within had all they needed to survive.
While the spired gates around the complex had at one time brought Anders comfort, making him feel safe, now the sight was daunting. Positioned above and around the gates were numerous Archive Guards, supplied by the Gray City, Sormyr. Anders would only need his parents to verify his identity to pass through the gates. Niklas was another story.
Unfortunately, Anders could not simply enter and retrieve the tomes Niklas desired. The Traveler claimed he would need to be there to identify each book, and Anders would not be allowed to take them outside of the Archive.
Suddenly Niklas halted, still far enough from the Archive that the guards would not be overly concerned with their presence. “We will wait here,” he explained. “Make camp and a meal if you must, but be prepared. We await the right moment.”
“Is something going to happen?” Anders gasped, wondering if Niklas’ people had interpreted a portion of the future involving his family’s Archive.
Niklas nodded. “Yes, and you will be needed. Prepare to be important, for once in your life.”
Anders sighed, surprised that the insult didn’t even sting. He’d let enough people down, and had been let down in return, that his pride was a thing of the past. While he wouldn’t mind regaining a measure of importance, he did not trust the grim cast to Niklas’ features. Important men could be either heroes, or villains.
Anders wondered which one he was about to be.
Chapter Three
Finn sat up with a yawn. She stretched her arms over her head, reluctantly letting the cool air hit her upper body. She wanted nothing more than to retreat back into her bedroll, but after the events of the night, she knew they should not linger away from the road.
She yawned again. She and Iseult had taken first watch, while Kai, Anna, and Sativola had taken the second. Maarav and Ealasaid hadn’t been allowed to participate in standing guard, since they seemed unable to pull free of the Faie spell. Sitting up fully, she searched around for the pair. She didn’t see Maarav, but her eyes eventually found Ealasaid, sitting near the fire with a morose expression. Ah, it seemed the spell had broken.
Finn wiggled the rest of the way out of her bedding and stood, plucking her cloak from the pile to wrap around her shoulders. She walked toward the fire, then took a seat beside Ealasaid on a portion of tree trunk.
“I’m such a fool,” Ealasaid muttered, leaning forward to bury her head in her hands.
Finn glanced around again for Maarav, but saw only Iseult and Anna tending to the horses and fixing a cold meal, respectively. Naoki circled Iseult’s feet, chirping up at him, and he’d occasionally toss something down to her, likely a small scrap of meat judging by how quickly she gobbled each morsel.
Finn turned back to Ealasaid. “Where are the others?”
Meeting her questioning gaze, Ealasaid explained, “He went off with Kai and Sativola to search for the other men.”
She smiled softly. “He being Maarav, I assume?”
Ealasaid nodded, then reburied her face. “He wasn’t even embarrassed,” she groaned. “We woke up this morning in each other’s arms, and he gave me a kiss on the cheek and thanked me for the entertaining evening.”
“You didn’t-” Finn cut herself off, searching her mind for a tactful way of asking what she was thinking. “You didn’t entertain him too much, did you?”
Ealasaid snorted and lifted her head. “No, thank the gods. Just kissing. Lots, and lots of kissing.” Down her head went back into her palms.