Wilde's Army (16 page)

“Like Mom said—the same reason Perth gave—she has been waiting for the right time. In her case, it seems there may never be a right time.” My gaze returns to the cliff, returns to Arland where it belongs.

“Anyway, Arland, your father told me all the Leaders are at Willow Falls to discuss the current situation. If I am supposed to unite everyone, I’m—oops—
I am
sure Griandor meant the Sea Dwellers, as well. Do you think Leader Murchadha will also be at Willow Falls?”

“Yes, he certainly will be.” Arland stares at me, melting my heart with the intensity in his emerald eyes.

“Are you prepared to lie to all the Leaders of this world?” he asks, voice raspy and seductive.

Nodding, I smile. Arland and I will be married if we play this game the right way, but Perth was correct; Arland and I cannot be near each other for long without showing our love for one another. At this inappropriately timed, random moment, I don’t care.

“Have you two forgotten I am here? This could be a serious issue,” Perth says, loaded with sarcasm, but sarcasm Arland and I deserve to hear.

I ignore Perth and stare at Arland. We won’t get many opportunities at Willow Falls … have to make up for it now. “Well, Mom says I am supposed to give a speech. Since I do not know what the speech is or what exactly it will be about, I guess we will have to play the entire experience at Willow Falls by ear.”

He smiles. “I believe that is the best we can come up with.”

“Great. We will go to Willow Falls, Katriona and I will pretend to be in love, you two will work on this issue”—Perth points between Arland and me—”and now you guys no longer need me?”

“No,” Arland and I answer at the same time, without looking away from each other.

Perth jumps to his feet. “I will send your sister out for you.”

“Thank you,” Arland says.

“Enjoy the time with Katriona while you still have it, Arland, because soon those lips will be somewhere else.” And with that, Perth walks away.

Arland’s muscles tense, fingers squeezing around my hand. His gaze follows Perth into the cave, but somehow Arland restrains himself, relaxes, and takes a deep breath. “I know he tries to irritate me, therefore, I will not allow him. He is correct, though; I do not look forward to the days at Willow Falls when your lips will meet with his instead of mine.”

The thought makes me shudder. “But we will get through it, Arland, and in the end, we will be together. Remember that. Hold onto it because it will be the only thing keeping me going.”

He turns back to me. “I am sure I do not deserve you.”

“
What
? Why?”

“Our world is in ruins, our friends are dying, our future together rests in the hands of our acting abilities, and somehow you remain strong … hopeful. I do not have the same outlook. Your visions all ended with death.”

I lean into him. “Without hope or a positive outlook, what do we have? Our friends have died, but we still live. The world is in ruins, but we have the power to fix it.
Our
future together lies in the hands of my mom, and she is willing to help … even if her intent is a little fuzzy.”

Arland rests his back against the rocks then pulls my head to his chest. “You are right.”

I sit up. “We should go back inside. We need to talk to Brit. And Lann and Enid … .”

Pulling me back down, he runs his fingertips along my arm. “There will be time for all of those things. We have a long way to travel; enjoy the peace while we still have it.”

I don’t fight against Arland. Relaxing, I place my head on his chest then close my eyes; there may not be any more moments like this for a long time.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” I say, pulling away from Arland.

He tucks my tangled hair behind my ear. “Shouldn’t?”

I sigh then bite my lip. “Should not. We should not be doing this.”

“I kissed your forehead. If you would prefer, I could arrange for Perth—”

“Arland!” I punch his shoulder. “I
am
serious. We are awful. Flanna just lost Lann. Enid … well … .” I cannot say how Enid died. What happened to her could have also happened to me. “What are we going to do with them—
for them
?”

He drops his hands in his lap and smiles ever so slightly. “Since I met you, Kate, I have not been myself. I am like one of our youth stricken with lust. Forgive me.”

I laugh. “Are you seriously asking me for forgiveness? Yesterday I threw myself at you. Today—”

“You did nothing wrong. Again, it was me.” The hunger in his eyes dissipates. “I sent Cadman and Ogilvie out earlier to dig a grave. I will go talk to them and see if they have made progress. We will bury the bodies, and if you are up for it, we can leave for Willow Falls.”

Hearing Lann and Enid referred to as ‘
the bodies’
makes my blood run cold. Tears fill my eyes. I look away from Arland, back up to the sky, hoping the light will somehow make me feel better.

Faint-gray hues paint the hole in the Darkness—our gift—overtaking the twinkling stars and black night. The setting hardly seems fit for a funeral. There will be no church, no mourners dressed in black, no limos, no songs—Lann and Enid deserve more. They dedicated their lives to end this war.

“
I
will be okay to leave for Willow Falls, Arland, but what about Flanna and the children? And what about the daemons? You said they sleep as we do. If we leave now, will we not be more vulnerable?”

“Flanna and the children will be okay. Loss is something we have grown accustomed to. They know as well as anyone we must keep moving.” Arland’s voice is strong, but he clenches his fists.

Draíochtans may be accustomed to loss, but being used to it doesn’t appear to make it any easier. Every word Arland speaks, every gentle touch on my hand, every sad smile he offers hints at the pain he tries to hide.

Arland turns his head toward the river. “And we will be more vulnerable the longer we wait here.”

“Arland, Flanna and the children still need time for mourning—”

“I know, but the daemons will trap us here if we continue to wait.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “Why did we not leave earlier then?”

Arland cups my cheek, soothing my frustration. “You needed rest, and we needed to speak with Perth. Doing so gave Flanna and the children enough time to compose themselves—or at least some time.”

“You said the magic would hide us from daemons even if they passed through the spell—or at least, that’s what you said about the stables. Does our magic not work out here?”

A coy smile plays across his face. “That’s?”

“Are you going to point out every mistake I make now?”

“Perth may be a lot of things, but he was correct to mention the way you speak. The people here may not care enough to notice, but there are many at Willow Falls who will. And you do not have much time to practice.”

I roll my eyes. “I do not like being told what to do, or what I’m doing wrong.”

“I’m?”

Arland is right, but I don’t have to like it. “Please answer my question about the magic before I go kiss Perth like you offered.”

Eyes widening, he chuckles and threads his fingers through my hair. Arland pulls me so close his breath warms my lips. “I will stop correcting you. Please, do not run off.”

“My question, Arland.”

“Daemons
would
pass through, however, if any of them made it out of here earlier without being killed, then they might tell others of our location. They could wait for us, surround us, and we would have to fight them here … again.”

“So risking everyone by leaving during the day is safer than staying put and waiting until the daemons go to sleep?”

He nods.

“Okay.”

I take a deep breath, pushing aside my own grief, so I can tend to the others. “I will go check in on Flanna and the children while you talk to Cadman and Ogilvie about the graves.”

Arland kisses my forehead, stands, then offers me his hand. I grab it, and he helps me to my feet. For everything I’ve endured today, I feel stronger than I think I should. I don’t know if my courage derives from adrenaline or sheer will, but whatever it is, I’m thankful for it.

“Solas,” I whisper. A blue flame appears in my hand and provides enough light for me to maneuver through the cave without running into anyone. I search through groups of soldiers. Most of them talk amongst themselves, but Flanna is nowhere to be seen.

Mom is sitting along the side of the cave with the children. Anna catches sight of me then runs over and latches onto my leg.

I’ve been a huge failure to these people.

“She … she d-died, Kate. She—”

I kneel then wipe the tears from her swollen face. “Anna, I know you were very close with Enid—or who you thought to be Enid—but she is in a better place now.”

She throws her arms around me, body trembling. “I want to be in the better place, too.”

A lump forms in my throat. I swallow it. I have to be strong. “No, Anna, you do not want to be in the other place. We are going to fight this. We are going to win, and when we do, you will live a happy, full life. Do you understand?”

She inhales through her stuffed nose. “Can I stay with you?”

“Come on.” I stand then take her by the hand. “I am on my way to find Flanna; she lost someone she loves, too. Can you be strong for her?”

Anna wipes tears from her face with the back of her sleeve. “Mmhmm.”

“Good.”

We walk hand-in-hand through the dark, searching for Flanna in every hideaway, every group of people.

“Where do you think she is?” Anna asks.

“She is probably alone somewhere.”

Faint sniffles come from the furthest corner of the cave. We follow the sounds, then find Flanna on her side, cowering in a ball.

Anna tugs at my hand.

“What is it, Anna?”

She looks at Flanna, then back up to me. “Did Lann go to the better place, too?”

“Of course he did.”

Anna drops my hand then takes a few steps toward Flanna. She sits up, face void of emotion, void of the vibrant life I’ve come to depend on. Flanna catches my gaze. Her bloodshot eyes are tormented. She already lost her mother, and I’m sure many others, and now someone she loves even more intimately.

Anna takes Flanna’s hands, sits next to her, then whispers in her ear.

“Is that what Kate told you?” Flanna asks.

I’m rooted in place.

“Yes. She told me Enid is in a better place, and Lann is there, too.” Anna turns and looks up at me. The innocence in her big, green eyes, the way she’s trying to help—she is such an incredible child.

Flanna grimaces. “Well, Anna, Kate is correct. It is hard to lose people we love, but we should not waste time crying over them. Kate lost someone she loved, too, and here she is, trying to help us.” With trembling hands, Flanna groans and stands up, then gives Anna a hug.

“Thank you for coming to talk to me.”

“You are welcome.”

Flanna puts her hands on her hips and stares at me blankly.

“Arland had Cadman and Ogilvie prepare … .” I clear my throat and tip my head in Anna’s direction.

“So Arland wants to have a funeral?” Flanna asks.

“Yes, then we are going to leave. Arland thinks the longer we wait, the more danger we are in.”

“I had a feeling we would not be here much longer. Are you okay? I mean after the incident with the shifter?” Flanna’s face pales and she presses her hand to her forehead.

“I was lucky.”

She looks behind me; her eyes widen.

My heart races. Every time someone sees something behind me, we end up in some sort of fight or argument or discussion I’d rather not have. Holding my breath, I turn around slowly and find Arland standing in somber silence.

“Arland,” Flanna says.

“Flanna, I am—”

“Do not say it, Arland. I know you are. He was your friend, too.”

The two of them have shared grief before. If it weren’t for Arland, Flanna wouldn’t be alive, but I don’t know how to respond. Should I hug Flanna, or Arland?

Arland takes a couple steps then stands next me, but keeps his hands behind his back, shoulders squared. “Cadman and Ogilvie are ready for us outside. Katriona, will you please gather everyone and bring them down the path toward the river?”

“Yes, sir,” I say, trying out my new role: someone not in love with Arland.

He turns away then heads through the exit.

Not responding to Flanna’s open mouth, I grab her and Anna by the hand then lead them toward the other soldiers.

“Kate, why did my cousin call you Katriona? And why did you call him sir?” Flanna whispers.

“We will explain everything to all the soldiers after … .” I don’t know why I have such a difficult time forming the words funeral or graves, but for some reason, my mouth refuses to speak them.

She glares at me.

“When we arrive at Willow Falls, Perth and I are going to pretend like we are in love. He is going to
court
me to avoid an immediate forced Binding spell. Arland and Perth agreed in order for Leader Dufaigh and everyone else to believe the lie, I would have to work to speak like everyone else—to fit in—so people do not look at me, or catch me looking at Arland.”