“You can’t leave us here!” The brown-haired women screamed. “It’s coming! It’s coming!”
“What’s coming?” Serxio asked.
There was a scuttling sound somewhere beyond the nearest trees.
“Do not despair.” Rohan unsheathed his sword. “Lightbringer should be able to cut through them. It is spelled to break most materials, Serxio.”
The Fae runes on the blade burned hotly. The sword seemed to vibrate with power and some of that power flowed into him. This had never happened before, but Rohan did not feel alarmed in the least. This felt right.
“Hurry! Hurry! HURRY, MAN!” The black-haired man cried.
There was more scuttling. Branches shook all around them as if something heavy--or perhaps many somethings--were jumping from one branch to another. Rohan caught sight of shiny bodies the size of plump pigs moving in the corner of his eye.
What is in this forest?
“Do something! Don’t leave us to die!” The woman who had been shaking shouted.
Rohan focused himself and commanded, “Place your hands against the pillar and move as far apart as you can from one another!”
They did as he said on trembling legs with their chains jangling with their fear. Rohan brought Lightbringer up, but he paused at the top of the swing as the soft rustling became much louder near where the green orbs had fallen to earth.
“It’s almost upon us!” One of the men shrieked.
“What is it?” Serxio asked, eyes scanning everywhere.
“I don’t want to die! I’m innocent! Innocent, I say!” the kneeling man blubbered.
Rohan did not wait to see if they answered Serxio. Instead, he turned back to his task. He brought Lightbrighter down. There was a flash of light and the chains were sheared through. He struck again and again, severing chains, but there were so many. He had not yet managed to free one person before there was a splat! sound. He’d moved instinctively to the right just as a five-inch diameter mass of gray material appeared on the ground where he had just been standing.
Seeing it up close, he now knew what it was, but it should not have been possible.
It was webbing.
But spiders aren’t that big! Rohan thought before he turned his head, and he realized how very wrong he was about that.
FAMILY
Finn tried to stagger to his feet again to escape Marikoth. The Fae watched him with amusement, not trying to stop him, but not looking worried that he was going to get away either. Marikoth was right to be confident, for Finn’s legs collapsed underneath him once more before he got halfway to his feet. He lay in a collapsed heap, his breathing coming in quick gasps and his heart hammering in his chest. His side was screaming with pain, and he was exhausted from the simple act of trying to stand. He stared up at Marikoth with huge eyes. What did the Fae want? Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good.
“I would not strain yourself, Finn,” Marikoth advised with a wag of one long finger. “Your body really cannot take much more.”
“What--what are you talking about?” Finn got out between gasps.
Marikoth dropped down to his haunches so that they were eye to eye. He studied Finn for long, silent moments before proclaiming with simple sincerity, “You’re dying, Finn.”
Finn, who had been frozen like a field mouse in front of a cat, fell back from Marikoth. He lay sprawled out on his wounded side. Fresh agony from his side had him curling in a ball. The fur blanket that had seemed so comforting before now felt like bonds.
“No! No!” Finn cried, his heart clenching. “That’s not true! That’s not possible!”
“You put yourself between a bolt and Tyreon.” Marikoth made a movement with his hands to indicate that Finn had been shot through and through. “Your body is failing. Not from blood loss or even the wound itself, but from the bolts themselves. Your beloved Rohan has his silver bolts spelled against Fae.”
The shock of Marikoth knowing he had Fae blood was blotted out for a moment. A memory came to Finn of searing pain in his side. It was pain beyond anything he had experienced. The world had spun and then gone black even as he heard Rohan screaming his name.
He thrust that memory to the side and denied, “I’m not--”
“Not Fae? I have eyes that can see.” Marikoth’s red eyes suddenly glowed like embers.
Magic, Finn thought. I cannot lie to him. He’ll know.
“The blood you seek to deny is killing you, Finn. There is no doubt about it,” Marikoth said almost with sympathy.
Finn reached down to where the remembered pain had come from and felt something wet this time. When he brought his hand up there was a crimson stain on his palm. His eyes widened, and his breathing once more became staccato gasps. He wiped his hand on his shirt, smearing it with red fingermarks.
Am I dying? Finn asked himself.
He listened to his labored breathing and his heart’s shocky rhythm. He was very unwell, to be sure, but there was something more. A sinking weight inside of him as if his soul was being slowly pulled out of his body.
He’s right. I am dying, Finn realized.
The thought was more numbing than terrifying. He believed that there was something after this life, but then he felt a swelling rage that he would be leaving this life so soon after he’d begun it. So soon after he’d found one bright light in Rohan.
And Rohan will never forgive himself if I die, Finn knew as well, even though it is not his fault.
He was certain that even if he and Rohan had not made love the other day, Rohan would have felt crushing guilt over killing anyone he had not intended to.
“How do you know all of this, Marikoth?” Finn asked. “Why do you know what’s happened to me?”
The Fae shrugged. “You drew my attention, so I’ve been watching you.”
“What about me drew your attention?” Finn asked, trying to act nonchalant even, though he was certain he knew.
Marikoth sensed him taking life from beyond the Wall. Why, oh why had he done that? Because he was afraid of his stepfather? Being helpless in front of this beautiful, deadly creature made his stepfather seem so… weak.
“Must we play this game?” Marikoth asked. When Finn didn’t say anything, he let out an exaggerated sigh and said, “You stole something that was not yours. Life from beyond the Wall.”
“Why do you care? Was it yours?” Finn asked, deciding playing dumb was not going to work with Marikoth.
The Fae tipped back his handsome head and laughed. It was a tinkling, joyous sound yet it caused the hair on the back of Finn’s neck to stand on end.
“Oh, Finn, you really are something!” The Fae looked at him almost fondly.
Finn didn’t see what was so funny. Besides, he needed to get out of here.
But where is here? It looks like the Lupine Woods, but it isn’t, Finn thought.
“Why did you put yourself between that bolt and Tyreon? What is the King of Wolves to you?” Marikoth asked.
Finn opened dry lips to answer, but no words came out. He realized he was parched. Probably blood loss. He looked around for that wine, but he didn’t see it. That was probably a good thing. Marikoth was clearly evil, not to mention Fae. He didn’t even try to stop the prejudice inside of him from flowing. This Fae had pretended to be Rohan and tricked him into… into what? He didn’t know. But if he hadn’t figured it out, he was certain that Marikoth would have used his caring for Rohan against him. Best to tell this being nothing.