Chapter 18
It was hard to distinguish the actual hour in the density of the forest, but night was certainly coating us.
Sticking close to Darragh’s barely visible, shadowy form was the only way I was able to navigate the terrain without running face-first into a tree or falling into a gully.
How he was able to move so quickly and with such confidence in inky blackness was astonishing.
Seraphs, I said to myself with an internal eye roll.
The Divine really left humans to traverse through life with no advantages.
It took Darragh a much shorter time to find the horses than it took me to find Darragh. He was only a couple of miles away, but in my wanderings, I looped around and backtracked, and by the grace of Clotha, somehow stumbled upon him.
Astorath was agitated when we approached, knocking his big head into Darragh in a manner that said, “Where were you, idiot?” Darragh put his forehead to Astorath’s and stroked his head.
Celeste had wandered out of their little rock enclosure and was munching on some grass.
She was not going to wait and see what happened to get her dinner. Understandable.
We decided to make camp where we originally left from, positioning us between the two craggy rocks and giving us some semblance of shelter. It wasn’t perfect, but Darragh said it had a good vantage point to spot anyone who might walk up to us, and it was enclosed in the back.
I wanted to hold it together, but the later it got, the more I was convinced Cora was in hysterics that I wasn’t back at the castle.
Shifting awkwardly on my feet, I watched Darragh unhitch Astorath’s and Celeste’s saddles.
I wrung my fingers and fidgeted with my hair.
By the time he lit a tiny fire, I was pacing and chewing on my fingernails.
Darragh eyed me. “Is something wrong?”
“I worry about Cora.”
He shook his head. “I’ll call for Stolas.
That should have been the first thing I did upon arriving.
” He stuck his index and little fingers into his mouth and whistled twice.
A moment passed before a large, shadowy form dove from a tree top and landed on Astorath’s saddle.
Darragh stroked the feathery chest of the bird as Stolas cocked his head, assessing me with wise eyes.
Darragh scribbled a few words on a torn piece of parchment, tightly rolled it, and tied it to the thin leather strap that wound around Stolas’ leg. “Take this to Lieutenant Osman. Quickly.”
“Thank you!” I addressed Stolas. His assessing eyes blinked at me, and then he shot up to the blackened treetops out of sight.
“I don’t have much food, but would you like to share the bread and cheese I have, my lady?”
“Rory,” I reminded. “I am a little hungry.”
Darragh nodded, pulled a clothed bundle out of his saddle bag, and sat in front of the small fire he made.
He rested his elbows on his knees and leaned against one of the rocks.
I sat across from him, fanning out my wool dress and pulling my cloak tighter around me.
Inside the bundle were bread and cheese, and he passed me half of each.
I took a small bite of the cheese, the salty, rich flavor satisfying my hunger. “What happened back there?” I asked hesitantly.
His eyes went downcast, and he slumped his shoulders.
An odd sight for such a fearsome-looking man.
“I followed the voices, and it led me to that trio of morons. I only saw two at the time, and as I positioned myself to listen to their conversation, a third was able to get the jump on me and hit me in the head with the end of a dagger. I went to use my enchants but found them suppressed. They swam beneath the surface, but it was like a weight held them down. I realized then that he was a subduer.”
“I’m not sure what that is.”
“Someone capable of suppressing another seraph’s enchants and divine powers. The other two joined the third and were able to overtake me. They had the upper hand because they disarmed me so quickly. I am fairly pissed at myself for letting someone approach me from behind without detecting him.”
I searched his eyes. “That’s why you weren’t healing while tied to that tree. Why you couldn’t use enchants to break out.”
He palmed the back of his neck. “Yes.”
“Darragh, don’t be hard on yourself. I know you have a reputation as this fearsome warrior or whatever, but nobody is perfect. Mistakes happen. I am just glad I got there in time to help. However small that may have been.”
“I have a reputation?” He grinned.
I huffed out a small laugh. “I might have heard a thing or two.”
“I’m sure you did.” His amusement dropped.
“Seriously, my lady, you didn’t just help a little.
When you stabbed that seraph in the leg, it broke his enchant’s hold on me.
He was the subduer, and the silver of the dagger rendered him unable to hold his enchant.
” He tipped a corner of his mouth. “Nice blade work, by the way.”
“Please call me Rory.” I helped save his life, and he still couldn’t stop with the propriety. “Silver does that?”
“Yes. If a seraph is bound, cut, or stabbed in silver, they can lose or dampen their enchants. A cut with silver will make a seraph heal at the same rate as a human. That’s why I carry them.
” He pointed to the daggers resting at his hips.
“Anyone not of the guard or army is not allowed to carry silver weapons. Though, like anything else, civilians will carry them as contraband.”
My thoughts turned to the youngling I saved. The dagger sticking out of him was silver. I wondered if Gabriel would let me carry a silver dagger for my own protection. Not that I knew how to truly wield one.
“Do you think those men have anything to do with the human someone saw this morning?” I questioned.
“I wish I knew. Before I was blindsided, they were talking about a shipment coming in two days’ time. I couldn’t make out all the details, but they mentioned a village that is east of the city.”
I scanned the darkened trees for lurking danger. Dread washed over me. “Are you not worried about those three showing up here tonight?”
Darragh shook his head, relaxed. “No. You won’t ever see them again. I sent them somewhere they won’t be a bother.”
“Where?”
“The underworld,” he said nonchalantly and bit into his bread.
I raised my eyebrows and sat in stunned silence, unsure if he was joking or not.
“So,” he continued, wiping the crumbs from his legs. “I will make sure to check out the village for this supposed shipment they mentioned coming in. I have a contact there that I can speak with.”
“How long will it take for us to get to this village from the castle?”
“Us?” He raised one eyebrow at me, pausing another bite of bread.
“Yes. I am going, too.”
Darragh pinched the bridge of his nose. “My lady, I am already going to have to wield some kind of tall tale about why we were all the way out here and had to stay overnight in the forest if the royals or Gabriel find out about this. Taking you out of the city again is out of the question.”
I shrugged. “So, we don’t tell them. You said your lieutenant would cover for us, right?”
“Yes, but—”
“Unless he talks, there shouldn’t be an issue, correct?” I raised my eyebrows and tipped my head, knowing my argument was sound.
“My lady, it isn’t safe,” Darragh pleaded.
“Rory. And I think I handled myself pretty alright today.” I didn’t know why I said that with such confidence when I was running on adrenaline and fear the whole time.
He let out a frustrated sigh that bordered on a growl. “Why do you want to go so badly?”
I swallowed. “Because these are my people. This impacts Cora and me. What if you find this supposed shipment, and it happens to be humans? Do you think they would trust you? If I am with you, then they would be more willing to trust a human than a seraph. I promise I will stay out of the way and let you take the lead on everything.”
“Like you promised not to leave the horses?” He tilted his head.
I deadpanned, causing him to give a little smirk at my annoyance.
“Fine,” he relented. “But it may be a boring or uneventful trip.”
“I am alright with that! Today was plenty eventful for me anyway. Plus, I’ll have a whole day to recover before we go again.
I promise, no leaving the castle tomorrow.
I just want to be a part of what is going on and to be kept in the loop.
If humans are being trafficked into Tironaill, this is bigger and more important than me finding a way home. ”
“I understand. You have a loyalty to your people, and you must honor that.”
The way he said that made my heart clench. To understand having a community but never being a part of one must be hard to reconcile.
“What did you tell Lieutenant Osman?”
“That we ran into trouble, but we were both safe and wouldn’t make it back to the castle until the morning. To tell anyone who asks that I was checking out a potential militia threat, and you were ill and tired, staying in your rooms.”
Panic rose. “That isn’t going to stop Cora from being completely upset at my absence and causing a scene.”
Darragh raised his hands in supplication.
“Ah, yes. Well, the lieutenant and Anya happen to have a well-guarded secret relationship going on, so I told him to tell her to stay with Cora tonight and keep her calm and reassured that you were well. Anya won’t say anything.
” He picked up a long stick but paused and glanced up at me.
“Best not to mention their connection. They could both be sent for atonement if others found out.” The fire rustled and glowed brighter as he stoked it.
“Atonement for having a relationship?”
He kept his voice impassive. “Angheal and daemonite.”
“Such a vile way of thinking,” I said to myself and shook my head.
Darragh didn’t respond as he finished the cheese and stood. “You should get some rest. I will watch through the night.”
“The Divine blessed seraphs with no need to sleep now?”