10
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My last stay in Saoghal taught me that the dropping of the sun behind the horizon did not mean the end of the day for the pixies.
As the moon shifted high into the sky and the stars came out with a vengeance, the real fun started for those within all four kingdoms. Beneath the starlight and within the flashing of the fireflies, the pixies would drink and sing, love and laugh, and not a single inch of Saoghal was untouched by their raucous joy.
Not anymore.
As I slipped out of the Cluaineach castle, careful to keep my overall presence as concealed as possible, Saoghal was as silent as a grave.
Not a song floated across the sky, not a dance shook the ground that I walked on.
All that I was left with was the occasional spark of flickering golden lights and the wood-dust that settled in the wake of it.
It took several minutes of stumbling and whispered curses to finally find my footing in the semi-worn path out of Cluaineach.
After an hour of trotting my way down said path, Rory was as easy to identify as a watchtower along a black sea.
That vibrant, near-periwinkle hair of his seemed to catch the moonlight from above, glistening within the tall lengths of grass as a beacon.
“Rory,” I whispered as I drew near, convinced that startling him would end with a sword through my chest.
He spun around, his eyes as wide and energetic as ever as he cracked a large grin. “Oh, Olivia. I feared you would not come!”
Me too.
I was undeserving of the amount of hope in his eyes.
“I haven’t… I haven’t been able to get into his chambers yet.”
Rory shook his head a few times, that permanent grin still tearing at the corners of his lips. “I’m just glad to see you alive. Did you have any troubles?”
“No.”
I was surprised – and slightly disgusted – at how quickly my mouth formed the lie.
“Tell me everything,” he beamed.
So I told him everything. And all the while, I lied some more.
I explained my arrival, that I had been cast into the dungeons – though I did not tell him it was Raegan, instead that it was a guard that did not recognize me.
Then I was only brought out of the dungeon once Killian found me, and I was escorted to a bed where I was allowed to sleep.
Lastly, I explained that I was offered an oath just as he predicted, except it wasn’t because Raegan didn’t trust me but that he missed me.
I didn’t mention how right Rory had been about Raegan, nor did I mention that Urram had travelled with me.
When I finally finished telling him the short tale, he nodded a few times as his lips pinched.
“How long do you think you’ll need, then?”
“How long will the Rachainn give me?”
He let out a nervous breath. “Not long. We’ve received word of advancements from Uisge and Speur.
News travels of their decision to move forward with their plans, yet they do not wish to work together.
Cluaineach and Choilltean will be attacked on two fronts, from two separate armies.
” He paused only to run a hand through the base of his hair, his fingers tightening on the long lengths of it.
“I fear it will be the end of the two kingdoms.”
My heart tightened into a possessive vise, one that cried out and demanded that I save the place that had saved me. But I said nothing, only continued to stare at Rory.
“Take a week,” he sighed, stepping towards me with a new level of seriousness in his vibrant eyes that would never suit him.
“Meet me here in one week. If you finish the task earlier, head towards the ticket booth on the edge of the causeway – the ticket-master is a Rachainn and he will bring you to me.”
My brows lifted as I considered that, watching as Rory removed a bag from his shoulders and pulled a few more plastic bottles from the tattered pack. All with that same pink-red concoction of cherry-tasting acid.
“I think this should last you a week. Continue to drink it at regular intervals. The more you drink, the more it will build up in your system. And the more that’s in your system, the longer you can stay that size.”
Nodding to him, I took the several bottles and tossed them into my own bag, wincing as I threw it over my shoulder. Once we were both squared up and ready to depart, he lingered in that space just in front of me.
“Has he… Has he said much? About the kingdoms, about his plans?”
Only that I am to help him with something.
“Not much. He seems well. He seems unbothered and confident.”
Why am I lying?
“Good.” He bit down on his lower lip, his eyes focused straight through me. “That’s good, right?”
“I guess.”
He took my hand in his once more, squeezing it as his gaze solidified on my face. “Please be careful, Olivia. Do not take unnecessary risks. I love my kingdom, and I love my King – but they are not worth it. Be safe.”
Before I could respond, Rory dropped my hand, pivoted on his heel, and disappeared into the stark shadows of night.
The whole walk back to the castle was the loneliest I had ever felt.