A Kelpie of Rowan

Chapter 57

He stays on her trail and Rowan quickly touches a tree with her palm, whispering into the air. "Take me somewhere safe, take me home." She tries to press her urgency onto the tree, and the wish that the Seelie Lord doesn't find her home.

The tree sends a pulse of heat into her and her ragged breathing eases for a moment. What did it do? She doesn't have time to dwell on it, the forest lights up before her, creating a path of light. Rowan doesn't even take a moment to think, she just hurtles for the path, following it through the trees. Behind her, the Seelie Lord curses. Perhaps he tripped over something? That would be good. Anything that slows him down for even a moment is good.

She wants to look back to see what's happening, but she can't risk it. Doing so will slow her down and that really isn't good. Rowan sees a flash of movement from the corner of her eye. A tree branch, moving in the wind? It's followed by a muffled curse. Rowan's eyes widen. Are these trees helping her like the ones in the bramble patch clearing do? The forest around her is full of movement now that she is aware of it.

Branches swing around her, trunks sway, even the leaves seem to move in such a way that they obscure her from view. Well, that is what she is guessing. She can't look behind her to see what the leaves are doing, but she can feel their movements on the back of her neck and she can guess. The way before her remains clear, the glowing trees a beacon of hope in the sea of fear and instincts that surround her.

A branch brushes against her shoulder and another burst of heat courses through her. She picks up in speed, bolstered by the boost in energy. She hadn't even realized she had begun to flag, she was so consumed by the adrenaline pushing her ahead. But even that doesn't last forever. Ahead of her, the forest changes, becomes unfamiliar. She is about to leave familiar territory.

Are the trees leading her to the same place they were before? Why would they want her going there so much? She shakes her head, sending the thought flying out of her head. It doesn't matter now where they are taking her, all that matters is that the Seelie Lord doesn't catch her. Warmth spills over her skin as she gets deeper into the forest beyond the boundary between the familiar and unfamiliar forest. The Seelie Lord shouts from behind her.

"Stop!"

She can hear the desperate glamour he's trying to inflict in his voice, but she is protected from it. Wherever he doesn't want her to go so much is probably a better place for her to be. She pushes herself faster, sucking in air as quickly as she can. The warmth on her skin spreads and envelops her just before Rowan bursts into a clearing. A man is standing in it, a man with red hair and golden antlers. Rowan frowns. He looks familiar, why does he look familiar?

He spins around to look at her and his curious gold-green eyes widen in shock. And fear? Can she see fear in his eyes as well? He takes a single step toward her and stops. Rowan just stands there panting, pulling air into her lungs with ragged breaths. She has no idea how long she has been running, but it's clearly been some time. The Aos Sì man, because of course he is one, what else would he be? He starts moving again, taking swift steps toward her.

He hisses beneath his breath. "What are you doing here?"

Rowan blinks at the urgency in his voice. She's right, he is afraid. But why? "The trees led me here. I was running-"

His head snaps up to look behind her. His gold-green irises grow larger and he pushes her away and to the side, towards the trees. Rowan stumbles, confused. She stands amongst the grasses and the dirt, frozen. The man motions for her to go. She doesn't move. He speaks under his breath, the words harsh.

"Go, now! Hide."

Rowan remains motionless and he curses in Scottish Gaelic, or at least she thinks so, the words are too quiet for her to make out. Something moves behind Rowan, cracking branches in its wake. She spins to find a tree reaching for her. Branches aren't cracking, they are moving and are unused to doing so. The branches wrap around her and pull her up into the air. Rowan stays still in their grasp.

The trees are moving for a reason and the ones at the clearing moved to protect her. Perhaps these ones are doing the same? The tree pulls her back against its trunk. She presses her back against the rough bark, seeking comfort in the familiar texture. Beneath her, the sound of cracking branches and muffled shouts are growing louder. The Seelie Lord is getting closer. She would have thought he would arrive sooner, the forest must have been putting up quite an effort to slow him down.

He shouts again and the sound is almost from right beneath her. Rowan presses closer to the tree, shaking. She doesn't have any magic left. In fact, she's surprised she didn't pass out from the flame she used earlier. If he finds her, she'll either have to risk herself and use magic or physically fight him. Rowan cranes her head to look around the trunk of the tree. Despite herself, she needs to see what he is doing. She won't be caught unawares.

She pulls back again with a restrained gasp. He's a meter away from the clearing and set to run right into it and the other man below. She looks back at the Aos Sì in question. He looks unconcerned, his golden antlers shining in the sunlight that filters through the trees. His hands are folded and his hair looks immaculate. Whatever scared him when she ran into the clearing is gone now, the only emotion he shows is steady calm.
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Oh look, it's the antlered Aos Sí again! Why do you think the trees led her here? What's going to happen when the Seelie Lord is in the clearing?  Will he find Rowan? Will the antlered man betray her location? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~Goddess of Fate, signing out.