Tree of Ages: Book One in the Tree of Ages Series by Roethle Sara C

Author:Roethle, Sara C.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-03-25T00:00:00+00:00

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When Liaden regained consciousness, she found herself awkwardly slung across the back of a shaggy, short horse. The horse was keeping up a rather brisk, bumpy pace that was quite irritating. The last thing she remembered was a Traveler pulling her from her bedroll, then she was submerged into a world of grays.

She had walked through long halls for days, or perhaps weeks, she was not sure. She had heard voices, and felt as if there had been several consciousnesses within her skull. The extra minds had guided her through the maze-like corridors with soft coaxing. Occasionally she had seen other human forms, but they were always hazy, and did not seem to notice her.

Eventually she found what the voices were looking for. It was a great tree that appeared to be mostly dead. Yet there was life in its roots, and she somehow just knew that those roots reached into another place, and not just into the ground. The tree's name echoed in her mind, Archtree.

Brought back to reality again by the harsh movements of the horse, she tried to right herself in the saddle. It became apparent that someone was holding her in place, and she began to thrash about until she fell from the horse to the ground. The next sight she saw was Finn standing over her, only not looking how she was supposed to. Veins of light could be seen flowing underneath Finn's skin like wildly writhing serpents. The lights shone particularly bright where her heart should have been.

“Liaden!” Finn shouted, causing the light to intensify. She crouched closer, bringing her headache inducing brightness with her. “Are you all right?”

Liaden flinched at the sound, then waved Finn off. “I'd be fine if you'd just stop shining so brightly.”

“S-shining?” Finn asked, but Kai appeared before an explanation could be offered. He lifted Liaden up into a sitting position. “Are you hurt?” he asked.

She pushed away from him to sit on her own. “The Travelers?” she asked, wondering how she had been freed from her captors.

“Dead,” Kai replied as he got to his feet.

“How?”

Àed came into view. “That's not important now. What is important is that we're going to be just as dead if ye fools don't get up out of the dirt and get movin'.”

She allowed Kai to help her stand, but instantly almost lost her footing again. She felt absolutely exhausted, and hungry. Very, very hungry. She noticed that Àed shone with a similar light to Finn's, only his was more muted and golden in tone.

She held on tightly to Kai's arm as he guided her back into the saddle so they could begin moving again, reveling in the feeling of being near someone she trusted. She shivered as she thought of the cold touch of the Ceàrdaman. Closing her eyes against the sharp pain in her head and the sick feeling in her stomach, she asked, “Would someone please explain to me what is going on?”

“The Faie are at war,” Iseult answered blandly from somewhere behind her.

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