Day 17 of Midwinter, Sunrise

The Watchful Crown, Falias

Annwn

WHERE DID HE GO? Belenus seemed equally surprised and frustrated.

“Ruadan? He is a slippery one,” I replied in my head. “He will find us.”

Before Ethadon had gone back inside, I had shut off both the Penitent Brand and Guilt-Sight boons. I didn’t know if the brand would have been visible to others, but caution seemed the better part of valor, plus I was honest enough with myself to know that I also didn’t want others to see what I had seen in him.

I had learned something interesting from using Guilt-Sight on my brother. One of Ethadon’s regrets was how soon the army would be leaving for the battlefront. The army would ride hard to Mag Mór this afternoon. I knew that Nuada must have some sort of magical aid in order to move the entire Falias army so quickly.

THE SUN IS NOT COMPLETELY UP. THERE IS STILL TIME TO ACQUIRE THE SWORD.

Before I could respond, I saw a pulse of light from the roof of the main Crown building.

“It appears Ruadan would like a chat,” I said. I was consciously avoiding any thoughts about the sword or our first catastrophic attempt to steal it.

IT COULD BE A TRAP.

“With Roo, that wouldn’t surprise me at all. Be on your guard.”

Though the sky was lightening with a brilliant palette of purple, the morning rays of the sun had not fully crested the horizon, meaning our boons could not yet carry us to meet with Ruadan directly. The sounds of commotion behind our position on the balcony came to my ears, and before Belenus could alert me to the presence of the guards, we jumped down onto the balcony below. From there, we jumped to a waterspout, then a windowsill. Again and again we jumped, and before long, we stood at the side of the red-haired and grim-faced lord of Gorias.

“Interesting method of travel, Grunt,” he said, his usual snarky tone devoid of any affection. He partially reclined on a mostly flat section of the Crown, his pose casual. “Honestly, I thought it would take you longer to get down here, or I might have stood up. You won’t be offended if I stay seated, will you? I’m really quite comfortable.”

I DON’T LIKE HIM.

“He often has that effect,” I replied in my mind, then to Roo I said aloud, “I’m pleased to see we are talking as opposed to trading sword strikes.”

“We still might,” he said, his expression hard even as his words and tone were flippant. “But I’m hoping that your good deed in Cruachan is a sign that you’ve experienced a change of heart and feel some regret over how you left Mother.”

I drew back, shocked. “How do you know about what happened at Cruachan?” Thɪs chapter is updated by novel-fire.ɴet

He smiled wickedly. “Let’s just say I’m well connected.”

I felt a tingle as Belenus attempted to use identification magic to appraise Ruadan, followed nearly immediately by a strong sense of irritation at the lack of results.

Ruadan quirked an eyebrow at me. “Now, now, aren’t you going to buy me dinner first? Besides, you should know by now that my ways are unknowable to all but me.” He waggled his fingers as if doing a magic trick.

“It wasn’t…” I started to tell him that I wasn’t the one using identification magic, but I stopped myself, realizing how crazy it would sound. “Tell me how you know about Sétanta.”

“I was there when you emerged from Cruachan. I was here when you arrived in Falias.” He shrugged. “In truth, I have been following your progression since you left Deepwater.”

“How is that possible?” I asked.

“If I told you that, I wouldn’t be nearly as mysterious… and you know how much I enjoy that.”

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

I shook my head. Inside, I felt Belenus assessing both our surroundings and the progress of the guards back up in the central spire. He was leaving me to deal with my cousin. That, I knew, was a good thing. Belenus was just as likely to destroy him as he was to listen to what he had to say.

Ruadan was eying me carefully. “You are different, Grunt. Something has changed about you.” For all his frivolity, I suspected that Roo saw people much deeper than we’d ever given him credit for.

“I’ve been working out,” I told him, trying to match his typical level of snark. It was a losing proposition, but he smiled, seeming to appreciate the effort. “So you knew that I was coming here?”

He nodded. “Yes. To free Brigid.” He paused as if waiting for me to interrupt. After a few tense seconds, he continued, “I’m waiting for you to say that you are here to free my mother. If that’s the case, we can be friends again.”

I startled a bit before blurting awkwardly, “Actually, that is exactly why I am here.”

“I knew it!” he said, slapping a knee before standing up quick as lightning. “I’m very relieved that I won’t need to strangle you in your sleep.” He eyed me again, thoughtfully. “Though, based on your recent changes, I suspect that would be harder than I had originally thought.”

“And…” I started to say.

“Now, now, you were off to such a good start. Don’t backtrack.” He condescendingly shook his head and lightly tapped the wicked-looking dagger on his belt.

IF HE ATTACKS US, I WILL SEAR HIM TO HIS BONES.

“Don’t threaten me, Roo. I’m not the king’s grunt any longer,” I said.

He peered closer at me, then smiled in what looked like genuine delight. “You earned your domain! Very exciting!”

“It’s more complicated than that…” I paused, my words trailing off. I wondered suddenly how much Belenus would let me tell him. “There is too much to tell, and no time now to tell it. But if you have followed me since Bren and I parted ways, you must know that I have fallen out of favor with Father.”

“Yes, of course. It’s why I didn’t immediately stab you when I saw you in the market…with the chicken.” He gave a mock shudder. “You appeared to be very hungry after traveling so quickly from the Midlands.”

I flushed in embarrassment, remembering the dirt, and blood, and grease that I had licked from my fingers in the alley. I tried to bring us back to the more important topic. “Roo…we need your help to steal the Sword of Light.”

“We?” he asked, catching the slip of my tongue.

“Brigid and I,” I rushed to say, trying to cover for my mistake. Roo’s expression made it clear that he wasn’t buying it, but thankfully, he didn’t press.

“So you want my help to steal the sword… Are you proposing a trade of sorts? I help you, and you, in turn…will do the thing that you should do anyway?”

I knew that his question was a trap, but also that there was only one truthful answer to it. “Yes.”

“Counteroffer,” Ruadan said, motioning for us to walk to another part of the roof as the sun crested the top of our world and began to light our path. “How about you rescue Mother, as you should, and as you SAY you’ve come to do, I assume in an attempt to right your many wrongs, and then I’ll think about helping you steal the sword?” I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. He wasn’t wrong to doubt me.

“We don’t have time. The army is setting out this afternoon for the battlefront.”

He contemplated that. “What if Nuada decides he no longer needs to keep a political prisoner? What’s to stop him from murdering my mother before they leave?”

“I’ve thought a lot about this,” I said. “If Father had wanted Brigid dead, she would be. There must be a reason that he is keeping her alive.”

“Such as?”

I shrugged, honestly mystified. “Maybe it has something to do with the war. Is it possible he’s using her as leverage to bring Gorias into the fray?”

Ruadan shook his head. “No. If he admitted to kidnapping my mother, Gorias would already be at the gates of Falias.”

I realized suddenly what this meant–neither the Dagda nor Aengus knew Brigid had been kidnapped and by whom. “Why haven’t you told your grandfather or your uncle where she is?”

“Because Gorias would lose that fight… We wouldn’t just be fighting Falias, would we? There is Findrias, which Gorias shares an island with, and of course, the navy of Murias, which would stop all trade in and out of Gorias harbor. We would lose in a big way.”

I nodded, understanding. “Then there is another reason he’s kept her alive, and I’m sure that reason won’t change by the time the war begins.”

He shook his head. “Your hunch isn’t worth my mother’s life. I’m afraid I’m going to have to decline your proposition, Grunt.”

HE IS NO USE TO US. I WILL DEAL WITH HIM.

“No!” I said aloud. Ruadan flinched back, wrapping his fingers around the handle of his dagger. “There is another way.”

I felt sweat beading on my forehead. I had to think of another way to get Ruadan to help us, or Belenus would kill him. “What if…” I said, thinking out loud, “You went for the sword, and I went for your mother… at the same time?”

He seemed to be considering my words, his keen gaze clearly noting the beads of sweat that dotted my forehead. I wondered suddenly if he had other appraisal magic that could circumvent my detection of identification magic. The truth was that no one had ever truly understood Ruadan’s boons.

“I’m going to choose to trust you, Grunt.” His brow furrowed, and he paused, looking directly into my eyes. “I can’t promise that I won’t fail. That sword is the most protected item in the realm.” He narrowed his eyes. “But I do promise that if YOU fail, we will be on significantly less amicable terms the next time we meet.”

I nodded solemnly. We spent a few more minutes discussing what would happen after we had both achieved our goals. I even asked him for a small favor, based on a theory I had about his constant knowledge of my whereabouts. When we finished, I held out my hand to shake, hoping he would sense my level of commitment. But Ruadan was already walking away, clearly planning the heist of the millennium.