The One Who Was Chained

7

I went out on a limb and told Queenie why I wanted Finn to pay for his actions. I thought it would help her understand why I wanted to be the hero in the story. To prove myself to the people. To prove them wrong. But, as always, something went awry.

"So you finally decide to show your sorry face." I let my anger run free.

"Indeed I did." Finn stepped through the veil of clouds. They seemed to obey him, wisps pooling at his feet. He was exactly as I remembered him. Tanned skin dotted with freckles, dark hair, azure eyes sharp enough to cut. He stood almost a whole foot taller than me, and he no doubt carried weapons on him.

"Why." It was not a question. It was a demand. "Why did you set me up. Why did you make them believe that it was me."

"Because I couldn't let them capture me. Not when I was so close to discovering the truth." Finn's expression was unreadable.

"The truth about what?" I asked, hesitating slightly, maybe even trembling.

"Why should I tell you?" he taunted. I planted my feet, standing my ground. I made it clear that I was not going anywhere until he spilled whatever secret he was hiding.

"Because you owe me a favor." I let my blow sink. His face went pale. He remembered.

"You're right. I do owe you a favor," Finn chose his words carefully, "You get one question. Choose wisely." Queenie landed on my shoulder, more gently this time, giving Finn an unblinking hazel glare.

"What were you so close to finding out about that you had to kill someone and blame me for it?" Finn sighed and collected a response.

"The Council was conspiring with the mortals. Joan was at the forefront of the plan. I had no choice. Believe me when I say that I regret all of it. Blaming you included. But I needed to stay within their circle of trust so I could gain more information. And the reason why I was going to the towers was not to rig them or destroy them. It was to protect them."

"Oh..." I whispered under my breath.

"Mairen," Finn's voice turned sharper. "What did you do."

"I may or may not have thrown your giant Varcat into the sea..." My voice trailed off. He sighed, then turned away, mumbling something under his breath. But I wasn't worried about that. No. I was worried about the mortals conspiring with the Council. Alan knew I would go. And he also knew that once I was gone, there would be no one to stop him, no one to stand in his way. All the people trusted him and the rest of the Council. I had been the only one to ever have doubts. So yes, Finn still deserved a hard slap on the face and a few harsh words. But that wasn't my biggest concern at the moment. I had to find out why the Council was helping the mortals.

"Finn?" Queenie hesitantly asked, "Why are the mortals allying themselves with the Council?" He turned back to face us, a sullen expression on his face.

"I don't know."

"Then we have to find out, don't we? We have to stop them." Queenie protested from my shoulder.

"Don't you see?" Finn's tone made Queenie go passive. "I can't go back. The Council knows that I found out about them. So if I go back, they'll kill me, you, all of us. They can't risk that information getting out."

"I understand why you don't want to go back," I tried to reason with him, "But we have to. There is no other way. Do you want to just stand by and watch the Council let the mortals destroy us? Because that's not how I want to be remembered."

"And why do you all of a sudden care about what people think?"

"I have my reasons." I took a step forwards. "And you have yours. I require nothing more from you. That is, unless you want to help. But I highly doubt that." I turned on my heel with extra emphasis, my braided hair swaying behind me. Just because I wasn't tall didn't mean I couldn't make a statement. I walked back to where Klika had patiently waited for me. I mounted her and grabbed the reins. Queenie hopped into the saddle bag and stuck her silvery head out.

"Mairen, wait-" I cut him off.

"No. You have made your position clear. If you change your mind, you know where to find me." Klika shot off into the sky. I didn't dare look back at that island. If Finn wasn't who I was looking for, then I would leave. Time was of the essence. The sky seemed to shake around us, the magic buckled. Another tower had fallen. I whistled to Klika, urging her to go faster. And in my head, a plan began to emerge.