Pure

Maigred woke up the next morning feeling a bit better. There hadn’t been any bad dreams or visions plaguing her sleep last night.

When she stopped by Cara’s room to check on her, Cathal had apparently already been by to help her get up and ready for the day, because she wasn’t in her room and the chamber pot had been emptied and cleaned.

Maybe things will get back to normal now, she thought as she went downstairs.

When she reached the dining room she found Finten sitting at one of the tables eating porridge. She froze.

He looked up at her. He didn’t say anything, he just watched her staring at him.

Maigred let out a soft breath and went over to sit across from him. He smelled a little better today, but he still smelled awful. Maigred wondered how long it had been since he’d bathed properly. “Good morning. How are you today?”

He gave a slight shrug of the shoulders. There was an apprehensive look in his eyes. “I came to bring back your basket and,” He reached down and pulled her knife from his belt. “Your special knife. Thank you for bringing it. It gave Ehir an easy death.” He held it out to her.

She took it from him. It had been cleaned. “What do you mean?”

“Tarasque don’t die easily. But that knife released him quickly.”

Maigred bit her lip. “Oh. I-I’m glad.”

Finten gave a nod, then he looked at her for a moment. “Are you doing okay? That must have been a difficult thing for you to do yesterday, with Ehir.”

Maigred pressed her lips together. “He was changing, wasn’t he? Into a wyrm?”

Finten’s eyes dropped to the table. He gave a nod. “Yes.” His eyes jumped back up to meet hers. “He didn’t want to. He asked me to end him before that. I just…I couldn’t do it. I thought there was still time, still hope for him.” His eyes fell back to the table again.

Maigred remembered the look of terror on Finten’s face when he had been begging for someone to bring a knife. “Yesterday was difficult for me, yes, but I thought he was changing, and I couldn’t let that happen. He would have destroyed everything and everyone I care about. Sometimes we have to take action, even if we’re afraid.”

Finten looked up, there was something soft in the look he gave her. “You’re right.” He suddenly jerked his eyes away from her and pushed his chair back. “I have to go. My men will be waiting on me to get started on today’s work. Thank you again, for…for everything.”

Maigred watched him leave the inn. She noticed he was still wearing the bandages she’d put on his arms yesterday. She frowned, wondering why the fight had taken so much more out him than it had from his men.

He’d only eaten half of his porridge. She tucked her knife into her belt, collected his dishes and brought them back into the kitchen.

Cara was in the corner knitting and chatting with Sinead who was helping Eoghan wash dishes. Aoibh was just carrying a full tray out into the dinning room and Cathal was finishing up with the day’s baking.

Maigred went over Cathal’s side and bumped his arm with her elbow. “How long were you going to let me sleep?”

“Good morning, smaller, older sister.” His lips turned up, the smile tugging at the mass of scars that crisscrossed his face. “You’ve had a difficult week, you deserved a bit of extra sleep.”

She snorted. “Older? You think that because I was born first I can’t handle things when you’re not around?” she laughed. “Honestly though, it wasn’t a big deal.” She grabbed one of the muffin tins and began popping warm muffins out onto the table.

Cathal glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

“What?” She asked.

“Finten told me what happened yesterday.”

She frowned. “So? I told you what happened yesterday.”

“He was real grateful that you were there.” Cathal glanced at her again.

“What, Cathal?”

“Why were you over there, of all places, at just the right time, with everything Finten just happened to need?”

Maigred let out a sigh. “I had another vision.”

“Did you tell Finten that?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Cathal, it doesn’t matter. I haven’t gotten another vision telling me to court him. I’ve already asked him, he refused. Twice. I think I did what I was supposed to do in his life. I’m ready to just move on.”

Cathal gave her a look. “You were ready to kill for him, Maigred. That’s not something you’d do for just anyone. I’m surprised you’d be willing to do it at all.”

Maigred turned to Cathal, one hand on her hip. “I was willing to kill for all of us, Cathal. The man who died was turning into a wyrm. He would have destroyed us all. I did exactly what I would have done if I found a weed in the garden. I ended him. Don’t read too much into it, okay?”

Cathal shrugged. “Okay. Finten might not feel the same way though.”

Maigred frowned. “What?”

He gestured towards the pantry with his chin. “He brought your basket back with a little extra inside. Go look at what he gave you.”

Maigred immediately went to the pantry. Her basket was sitting on one of the shelves. Inside it she found what was left of the tinctures and bandages that she hadn’t used yesterday, next to them there was a handful of sprigs of fresh rosemary and on top of those a perfect, red rose.