Rion pulled her closer. “I know.” Arianna could have sworn his voice cracked, too. “I’m sorry. I’m here now. You’re safe.” Kaylee buried her head into his shoulder again, body shaking.
Arianna didn’t approach, she just followed in silence, leaving those behind who’d chosen to stay and clean up the aftermath. It wasn’t as if her father’s warriors would have allowed her to stay, anyway. Not when they didn’t know whether Eimear’s forest would hold. Half of Avalon’s forces were now escorting her. The other half had gone with her father to retrieve Ellie.
They walked in silence for miles, exhaustion casting a thick blanket over the entire lot of them. Alec was eventually presented with a horse. Saoirse lifted their mother into his lap before grabbing her own mount, then the trio disappeared from view. She hoped someone did the same for Ellie. Her father would have thought ahead for such things.
Arianna glanced behind one final time before entering the throng of trees that would lead to the massive redwoods. What Eimear had single-handedly created was beyond comprehension. The trees there rivaled the giants that guarded the forbidden mountain. They stretched high and met the edges of the land on either side. At least … that’s what Arianna presumed. It wasn’t as if they could see all the way to the ocean from here.
A monument. The High Lady had created a monument. She’d saved countless lives. It was another story to be written in their history books, marking her, yet again, as a legend.
THE TALL redwoods stretched high overhead as they all limped through the main gate. Thick mist obscured the tallest branches, preventing her from seeing just how high they reached into the heavens. That same mist rolled across the ground, cascading over roots and flowers, leaving a trail of dew in its wake that had already coated Arianna’s boots.
Fae guards stood with weapons in hand. Others were perched in the treetops, watching the group of refugees with a level of sympathy Arianna hadn’t anticipated. She’d expected them to still hold a grudge against Móirín. They’d been at war for a decade, but they’d been allies far longer. She wondered if some of Brónach’s citizens had never wanted the war at all. Perhaps some had been against it.
Arianna walked just behind The Demon, each of them filing into a crowded line as they made their way into the city. No one lined the streets. Had they been warned to stay inside? Anxiety crawled through her and Arianna wondered if she was leading her people into a pretty cage. Would the High Lord ultimately keep them as captives?
The Demon glanced back at her, Kaylee fast asleep in his arms. The youngling was so comfortable there, as if she knew he’d protect her from the world. Arianna looked away, refusing to meet his gaze. Instead, she focused on their surroundings.
Many homes had been built directly into the trees themselves. They weren’t as large as the redwoods that circled the massive city, but they were still far larger than the trees in Levea.
Curtains parted in windows as they passed. A door to her right inched open, revealing a female. She watched Arianna’s broken people amble past, their bodies worn and spirits nearly broken. Another door opened. A male watched from that one, his brows pinched with concern. A female with loose brown hair appeared behind him.
Slowly, as if they were just realizing the refugees weren’t a threat at all, doors and windows began to open. People walked from between the trees, and those above stood on the bridges built into the canopies. They all had the same wide-eyed, horrified expressions on their faces.
Another female opened her door and stepped over the threshold. She walked right up to a petite blonde who looked ready to fall over and placed a gentle hand on the female’s arm. The blonde jolted, as if startled from her waking nightmare. The youngling at her side gripped her mother’s hand just a little tighter.
The Nàdair citizen smiled at them both, offering comfort and sympathy with a single look, then tugged them toward her open door. The blonde didn’t possess the strength to resist. She followed, and both disappeared behind a solid oak door.
Another stepped forward, taking a family with three younglings. Still another enveloped a child walking alone. Over and over again, Fae emerged from their houses to claim one family after another. Arianna stared open-mouthed, her heart on the edge of breaking at the sight. She didn’t know if the High Lord had commanded it or if the citizens simply did it out of their own rising compassion.
They weren’t prisoners at all.
Arianna thought back to the war. She’d once thought it senseless. So many people had died. Then she’d learned the truth, or what the world thought had been the truth. A bitter pill most didn’t realize yet was that everything had ultimately beenVairik’s doing. Those in Levea had lost so much due to one male. Their High Lady. A sane ruler. Now their home.
All because of something one individual had deemed an injustice.
Because he couldn’t accept one female’s choice.
Her gaze drifted toward The Demon again. She noted the way he was walking with a limp now. His gait was also heavy from exhaustion. Somehow, away from the fighting, he looked worse with his blood-stained clothes, disheveled hair, and hollow eyes. Eyes that wouldn’t stop glancing her way no matter how hard she tried to avoid meeting them.
Arianna clenched her fists. One male had done so much to tear the entire continent apart, and it was her job to put it all back together. She couldn’t do that until Vairik was dead. And even after his death, her people would still have to find a new home. They’d need to eradicate the Dark Fae from the land. They might even have to eventually go to war with Fiadh, if it still stood.
Arianna searched the crowd behind her, hoping to spot the future High Lady of said country. If they could get Raevina on the throne, then their countries would be allies, thus avoiding another war altogether. But that was only if they managed to eliminate Vairik and his followers.
Arianna turned forward again, watching the palace loom closer with every step. Nàdair. This was where she’d establish her stronghold. This was where she’d begin setting things right. If Alec aided her cause, she’d rid the land of Vairik and his ilk forever. Judging from the way Alec had been fussing over his mother, he wouldn’t be hard to win over. He probably hated Vairik even more than she did.
But first she had to convince him that not everyone on his council was trustworthy. Exhaustion crept through her, begging Arianna to rest, but the creature within was ready for anotherfight. She had to face this now, before Ellie arrived and was subjected to anyone working for Vairik. Arianna wouldn’t let that male near her sister ever again.
The people, or what was left of those who hadn’t been offered shelter, collected around the outside yard of the palace. They let their packs fall to the ground and slid ungracefully to their knees. Some laid back, breathing heavily, while others tended to their wounded companions.
Servants were already pouring from the palace doors, carrying blankets, bandages, and trays full of steaming food. It seemed Alec had commanded someone to prepare before he’d even left the palace walls.
Arianna studied the wounded. Part of her wanted nothing more than to drop everything and help, but another part of her knew securing the palace took precedence. She’d visit the infirmary afterward.
Arianna paused again upon noticing the humans. She furrowed her brow. They’d never been allowed in Nàdair before. Had the High Lord changed his mind after her order from Ruadhán? One of them knelt before the injured and drew a rune, the symbol coming alive with a bluish sheen. Her heart leapt. The rebels. Did that mean Sive was here, too? Had all of Connall’s people made it? Did Alec already know about Vairik?
Arianna followed the guards inside. White assaulted her senses as she gazed upon massive marble pillars that stretched from floor to ceiling. The walls, the floors, the ceiling, they were all white, with a slight tinge of gray blended into the marble, giving it a cloud-like appearance. She watched as The Demon handed Kaylee off to a waiting servant. The poor youngling didn’t even stir.
Rion turned to Whelan next. “Watch over her.” The young male nodded and ran after the servant, his gaze never leaving Kaylee’s limp form.
