Wilde's Meadow (Darkness Falls #3) (5 page)

“You need not worry, Brit … unless you are afraid of heights.” Flanna speaks for the first time since hacking like a lunatic at her
healing
tree bark. “Perth here has only crossed this path once in his life, judging by his reaction. When Arland and I were children and on the move, we passed through here many times. He was not bringing you to this cave to rest, but rather to cross the fastest way we know to The Meadows.”

Flanna spins Brit by the shoulders so she’s facing the wall of rock, then stands beside her. “Inside that dark entrance is a narrow stone path surrounded by a black ravine no one has ever dared measure the depths of. Sure, I kicked a pebble over the edge once, but I never heard it hit the ground. So, are you afraid?”

Brit flashes a beaming smile over her shoulder, then returns her attention to Flanna. “Of heights, absolutely not. Of you right now … a little.”

She laughs and pats Brit on the back. “Good to hear, but I believe Perth may have an issue containing his fear. My desired effect has been achieved.”

“
Flanna
!” I shout, exploding into blue flames. “He didn’t deserve that.”

Arland chuckles and rubs his hand across my shoulders. “Kate?”

There’s caution in his tone, and I don’t like it. I recognize he’s trying to calm me, but Flanna’s sudden burst of cruelty isn’t welcome. Ever. And it isn’t like her. Taking a deep breath, I focus on Perth’s shaky breathing, on his hands rubbing together, on his narrowed eyes. “You aren’t helping, Flanna. Do you want to scare him more?”

“I am not afraid of heights, Katriona, nor am I afraid of the Crossing Caves,” Perth says, staring at my Confidant.

“What is it then?” Concentrating on my magic, on my anger and love, I drive the flames back until they disappear over my heart. “You look afraid.”

“Only of memories … .”

Brit snorts. “Okay, so if he’s only afraid of memories and we’ll be crossing some deep ravine soon, can I ask the question that’s really bothering me?”

“And what question might that be?” Arland asks.

My sister looks to Cadman. “How did the soldiers catch up to us if they’re on foot?”

He smiles at my sister as if she’s a prized student. “Many were already on their way here, and they sent a few soldiers with a team of horses to meet the others.”

Arland’s deep, sinister waves of laughter drift into the night. “Now I know how you felt, Kate. Always in the dark. Always making a decision others already knew you would make. Always wondering about those around you.”

Cadman ignores Arland’s uncharacteristic outburst, strangely unsettling as it is, and slides from his horse, landing on the ground with a thud. The aging soldier approaches, pausing between each step as though he’s afraid walking too fast will startle us. “I did not bring all the soldiers from Wickward into Willow Falls. I was unsure of what we would be met with and wanted Kate to have her army. When you suggested the six of us fight alone, Arland, I knew you were not entirely serious. No matter how strong we are, our small group cannot fight the daemons by ourselves. Dughbal we can seek out and kill, but I do not believe killing him will end the evil working for him.”

Cadman places a hand on Arland’s shoulder, then mine. “This place is laced with dark magic from a century ago, magic which instills fear and anger in the hearts of those near it.”

“Are you saying there’s a magical security system around the Crossing Caves?” Brit asks, raising her voice … and eyebrows.

Cadman turns to her. “Yes. When Ground Dwellers built the underground bases, they also infused the caves and surrounding areas with Nefarious spells. They were intended to keep out Darkness, but as you know, The Meadows was attacked first. The magic did little to help. And by all of the emotions coming from the five of you, it would seem we thwart only ourselves.”

“That certainly explains why we always moved fast when we traveled through these caves.” Arland’s jaw muscles tense. “But why are you not affected by these spells, and why does Kate not appear affected?”

“I am not sure about Kate, but maybe my age or knowledge of the magic helps me.” Cadman tilts his head to the side. “Or maybe because I was here when Perth’s mother jumped into the ravine because the spells scared her so deeply.”

Brit and Flanna gasp. I squeeze Arland’s fingers, heart retreating from my stomach and rising right in my throat. Only memories Perth said; only the worst kind of memories anyone should ever have.

“Perth, I’m … I’m so sorr—”

“Please, Katriona, whatever you do, do not feel sorry for me.” Perth returns to his horse. He places his foot in the left stirrup, then mounts. “I will ride to greet the others. Cadman was right to tell you what dangers we face, but I wish he would have been more discreet in doing so.”

Perth trots away without looking back, kicking up a storm of leaves in his wake.

I stare at Cadman, appalled at
everyone’s
behavior. Magical spells or not. “Maybe the magic affects Cadman after all, Arland?”

Arland nudges my back, pressing his warm hand just above my waistline. “We should leave as well. We can meet the others away from the threats of this place; a crowd of us might turn bloodthirsty. Arrangements can be made from wherever they are, but we need to move. Now.”

Climbing onto Mirain, I take her reins and wait for the others. Brit and Flanna rush onto the backs of their animals, probably in the same hurry I am to get away from the dark pull of the spells, then Arland and Cadman do the same. I dig my heels into my horse’s sides. She bolts through the trees, leaving behind a part of this forest I’m not looking forward to returning to.

Branches brush my legs and have to be moved from overhead so I’m not knocked from Mirain. The others follow in a line. Everyone remains silent. If I look at anyone right now, they might find out just how frustrated I am by how childish they acted, especially Cadman, so I keep my eyes forward. If Ground Dweller magic can cause us to act that way just by standing around for a few minutes, I’m scared to think of what Dufaigh will do while we’re gone,
and
I’m scared to pass through the Crossing Caves.

The gentle sounds of hooves sinking into the earth come from ahead. I glance up and find Perth slowly riding his horse. I know he wasn’t hoping to greet the others, but did he plan to run away?

I urge Mirain to move faster. She obliges, picking up her pace until we catch up with Perth. A large branch scratches my leg through my leather pants, but I ignore the pain. It’s nothing compared to what I’ve already been through.

“Hey, Perth. You okay?”

He glances over his shoulder, eyes flitting away before they meet mine. “Why did you follow me?”

“Because you’re my friend.”

“You sure about that?” Perth snorts. “Being near me at Willow Falls was painful for you, kissing me set you on fire—not in a good way—my father is still feared—”

“I don’t fear
you
,” I say, keeping my voice firm, controlled. Perth deserves kindness; he’s been through as much as any of us. “And I am sorry if I came across as snotty at Willow Falls. I was under a lot of pressure, but it’s no excuse for not treating you fairly.”

Flanna chokes. “Did I hear Kate say she treated Perth
unfairly
? He is as sneaky as his father, Arland. He clearly has feelings for your
wife
.”

“Maybe we aren’t far enough away from the Crossing Caves. Flanna is still acting bitchy,” Brit mutters.

“
Bitchy
? Have I ever told you how much I like your sister, Kate?”

“Flanna,
enough
.” Arland’s voice resonates through the forest, sending a couple animals scampering through the underbrush. “Have you all forgotten we are in the middle of a war?”

“Have you?” Flanna retorts, voice lowering to a whisper.

“I will send you back, cousin. Would you prefer to spend your days underground with Leader Dufaigh, or would you prefer to fight with your friends and family? You promised you were over Lann. Now act as a responsible Leader should.” Arland digs his heels into Bowen, riding closer to Perth and me. “I apologize, Perth. You protected Katriona even while I could not, and for that, I will forever be in your debt. My cousin—no, no one should treat you as anything less than you are: an honorable man.”

Arland once asked Perth what he stands to gain from helping us. Perth responded with honor, friends, and maybe even a family who loves him. What Arland just said, what he
did
, makes me proud of them both. Two people who hated one another to the core, who stand to gain the world if the other fails, are now closer to being friends than I ever imagined they would be.

Perth’s jaw falls slack, but he quickly closes his mouth and smiles. “Thank you.”

Glancing back, I glare at Flanna, Cadman, and Brit.

“Don’t you dare give me that look,” my sister says, wagging a finger at me. “I defended him.”

“Do I need to scold you, too, Kate?” Arland stares ahead, eyes intent, shoulders squared.

I slow down, dropping away from Perth to ride next to Arland. “
Scold
me?”

He turns. His chiseled features soften, revealing a hint of amusement in his eyes. “For provoking the hecklers. We are exposed here, and we travel by horseback.”

Arland points into the dark distance. “The additional soldiers will create only more of a problem for us. More noise. More arguing… . If we as Leaders cannot control our behavior, how can we expect anyone to?”

He’s right, and that only makes me more concerned to pass through the Crossing Caves. “Are we all going to The Meadows?”

Arland keeps his gaze on me, searching. “You are concerned about the caves.”

“Are my thoughts that loud?”

He chuckles. “I do not need to read your thoughts to know how you fear caves.”

“Are they as bad as Flanna made them seem?” I imagine our army forming a single file line and huddling together to avoid falling into the black abyss.

“Worse.”

“Do I even want to know?”

“As a child, I thought my fears of entering the caves were because of Darkness, but now with the information Cadman provided us, I know my fears to be from the Nefarious spells.”

“Could you be a little more specific?”

“Images of evil beings, nothing like Dughbal’s daemons—these were worse, much worse—flooded my mind every time we entered the caves. The monsters whispered for me to jump into the ravine, promised what I would encounter at the other side would be more frightening than anything imaginable. Many people did jump.”

Perth’s back straightens. Hearing Arland speak of the dark magic, of how it pushed people over the edge, must bring back so many memories. I wonder if Perth was there and what he experienced. I wonder if he considered jumping into the ravine with his mother; they were practically forced by their own people’s magic.

“If anyone spoke or screamed, the fear grew into something so powerful it drowned out all thought. I nearly went into the ravine the first time, but my father saved me.”

I look away from Perth and stare at Arland. His will is stronger than most; if he almost committed suicide, how will the rest of us survive?

“
I was five, Kate. Since then, I have traveled through the caves at least three times. I do not expect I will have an issue, but many will. And to answer your question from before, I plan for some soldiers to come with us, some will remain close to the caves, while the others will run scouting missions through various parts of Encardia.”

“
Is there anything else I should worry about?
”

“
Not unless you are afraid of the dark.”

I laugh aloud.

Everyone glances at me as though I’m crazy.

“
If I was afraid of the dark, we’d be in big trouble, Arland.
”

He smiles. “
Good, because we cannot use light of any kind in the caves, and I am sorry I did not warn you about the dangers.
”

“
It’s okay. I feel bad for Perth though. His
mother.”

“I believe I see them, Arland.” Perth points ahead, leaning forward on his horse. Like that will help him see better.

Arland and I follow Perth’s gaze, and for once, I see into the distance. Magic swirls around the soldiers, white and glittering with the flapping of the sprites’ wings.

My palms sweat, making the leather reins colder than the air around us. “This is it. We have an army, and now we’re going to war.”

“We have always been at war, Kate,” Flanna says, voice sounding kinder than before.

“Do not fear what the future holds, and do not allow any of them”—Arland tips his head toward the soldiers—”to see your concern. Be strong. Be the Leader you were born to be.”

Be strong. I can do that; I
have
done that. The hard part will be hiding my feelings from everyone, but I will do what I must. ”Let’s go get them then.”

Arland makes clicking sounds, persuading Bowen to ride faster, and everyone falls into line, following him into the beginning of the end.

Chapter Five

We ride upon the soldiers staring at the wall of magic surrounding them. No one notices our approach—which concerns me—but somehow the way they all smile at the sprites fluttering their tiny wings makes
me
smile. So many of these soldiers haven’t experienced old magic; they haven’t traveled with us between bases or fought against hundreds of daemons. For many of these Draíochtans, this may be exciting, liberating, and yet it may also be their death.