Caledonia Fae 04- Druid Lords (23 page)

A whirlwind of emotion made Munro catch his breath, but within seconds he understood why Eilidh had been masking her presence from him and everyone else. She wasn’t alone. A tiny strand of foreign energy flowed through her aura like a ribbon of light through the night skies. “How…” he started, then cut himself off. How did this happen? Jesus. Dumb question. Eilidh and Griogair had just gone to make a sacrifice to the Mother to ask to be blessed with a child. He was surprised she knew so soon, but the spark of life within her was unmistakeable.

“I recognised her life the moment her magic awakened. It is so different from my own.”

“Then she’s not azuri?” Not that it mattered. He struggled to find something to say while his mind tried desperately to absorb the news.

“Her primary talent is of the earth, like her father’s,” she said. Munro knew fae parents didn’t know a child’s spheres from the start, but he supposed Eilidh’s advanced astral abilities gave her unusual insight.

Most faeries tried for centuries, but she and Griogair had gotten lucky. Still, doubts plagued her. He sensed them as they rippled through her, clouding her happiness. “You’ll be a fantastic mother, Eilidh. I’m happy for you and Griogair.” He scrubbed his hand through his short, golden hair. “Before, the idea of you having a baby with him was abstract. Especially with us getting married so soon. But now that I sense her energy, now that she’s real, it’s different.” How could he say otherwise? Sure, he felt conflicted and a tiny bit jealous, but Eilidh needed his support. He’d always sworn he’d be there for her, no matter what. She should be elated now, spending her energy taking care of herself and her baby.

“My daughter may be queen someday,” Eilidh said, her voice quiet and her gaze distant, almost as though she was speaking to herself.

“May be?” Munro asked, honing in on the worry rippling through Eilidh’s mind. “Why wouldn’t she be?”

“Because,” Eilidh said, smiling sadly at him. “I don’t know how my people or the magic of the Source Stone will react to the idea of a lethfae queen.”

“Lethfae? She’s…”

“Yours,” Eilidh finished for him.

“How?”
Jesus wept.
He’d gone stupid again.

Eilidh burst into laughter. “I will illustrate for you later if you’d like.” She paused, her tone turning serious. “I have known for some weeks, and have been feeling uncertain how to tell you and Griogair. When her energy was only a flicker, I wasn’t certain whose child she was. I was so surprised to conceive when I’d not visited the altars. Then, Griogair saw her strands when we went to Andena, and I had to begin hiding my aura. I wanted to tell you before it became public knowledge.” She sighed. “So much is happening all at once. The first queen in an age to have multiple mates, and now a lethfae child.”

“You think she’ll be in danger?”

“Keeper Oszlár considers our child to be a gift.”

“And you don’t?” Her inner conflict worried him. Surely she couldn’t be considering not having the baby. Now that he knew, now that he’d seen the bright light of
his
daughter’s magic, losing her would be unthinkable.

Eilidh’s eyes glistened. “I’ve never felt so complete.” When she said the words, the chaos in her energy calmed somewhat, although her aura shone brighter than usual.

Munro pulled her into a bear-hug and held her tightly to his chest. He put his lips to her ear. “I love you,” he said. “I love both of you.” He felt like he might weep, and he wasn’t really the type to break down.

They stood together for a long moment, but finally he released her. “I have to go,” he said. “We must move quickly if I’m going to be back in time for the wedding.”

Eilidh gave him a playful pinch. “Don’t even think about arriving late.” Her expression grew serious. “I have faith Oszlár will manage to stall Konstanze. She may wish to taunt me and put pressure on you with this promised execution, but I cannot believe she would tarnish such an important day,” she said, then added with a frown, “Just in case, though, find the evidence you need.”

“And if I can’t?” he asked her. He didn’t like to admit that he might fail, but there was every chance he would.

“In that case, I will stand beside you at her death rites. Our ceremony will wait if necessary.” She paused, her expression dark. “But if Queen Konstanze thinks she can insult Caledonia, the Druid Hall and the Keepers of the Source, she’ll learn a hard lesson. The wrong would not go unanswered.”

Munro nodded, grateful for her willingness to put her life and happiness on hold to save a woman she’d never met. Postponing a royal wedding would be no small thing. If things escalated with Konstanze, months could pass before they’d manage to make their commitment official. An old-fashioned part of him wanted the ceremony to be sooner rather than later, now that they had a baby on the way. He kept the thought to himself. Eilidh would never understand why such a thing would matter.

Hand-in-hand, they made their way inside, stopping only to ask a steward where the other druids were working. When they arrived downstairs, the first voice they heard was Lisle’s. “The seal should be in blood,” she said. “Blood is the strongest.”

“Seal?” one of the men asked.

Munro and Eilidh entered the cramped storage room where the druids were gathered around what looked like a pie safe. He would have laughed at their choice of places to make their first portal, but his voice died in his throat. A shimmer wavered in the space where the cupboard doors had once hung.

The old lady continued, “You must dedicate the magic.”

Aaron noticed the new arrivals. “Hey,” he said to Munro and Eilidh, his smile broad. “Good stuff, eh?” He cocked his thumb towards the shaky portal. It shone, then faded.

Munro nodded and stepped forward, running his hand over the wood. “It’s not stable,” he said.

Lisle glared at him. “Clearly,” she said.

“You know how to fix it?” he asked her.

“I’ve been trying to tell these dunderheads,” the old woman muttered with a snort.

“Show us,” Munro said, gently coaxing her attention to the portal. This had to be the most incredible thing they’d ever made. The aura thrummed with chaotic energy.

“A knife,” she said and quickly added, “A sharp one.”

Huck slipped into the nearby kitchen and returned with a small paring knife. He handed the blade to Lisle. “Here ya go,” he said.

She snorted at his casual tone. Turning her attention to the portal, she ran the knife over her palm. The process reminded Munro of the ritual cutting Eilidh had performed when she became queen of Caledonia. The old lady whispered something rhythmic, and Munro strained to hear the words but couldn’t understand them. With a smooth swipe of her palm, she rubbed the blood over the curved lintel.

The energy within the portal shot out like a storm, enveloping Lisle, and the others hopped back. Arcing waves of white light crackled and danced. Beyond the light show, they saw a lush, green forest.

They all stood mesmerised for a moment, stunned. A panic swept over Munro, almost pushing him to his knees. He looked at the source of the emotion: Eilidh. She’d gone pale. “You can’t,” she said. “Please, dear Mother of the Earth, no.” They all turned to look at her.

“Eilidh?” Munro reached for her.

She grasped his arms and stared into his eyes. “You mustn’t go through that portal.”

“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Is it not safe?” He glanced at Lisle. Had she done something to endanger them?

“How can you be certain if it is or isn’t?” she asked. “Please. Don’t take the risk. Don’t be the one to perform the test. I need you, Quinton.
We
need you. Not now. Please.”

“Do you know of some reason the gate isn’t safe? If this is dangerous, none of us can go through,” he said.

“I…” she glanced around the room, as though suddenly aware of everyone’s stares. “No.”

“What’s wrong?” Rory said quietly to Munro.

Lisle interjected, speaking to Munro. “You stay,” she said. Looking around the collected druids, she pointed to Aaron and Huck. “They should go.”

Munro didn’t know if he could trust Lisle. She’s already lied to him at least once, and he got the distinct impression she didn’t want
anyone
to go to that house.

“If something they find will save my Demi, then they must go,” she said as though reading his doubts. “But you have your own family to think about. Family is everything.”

Munro looked into her eyes and understood that she somehow knew about Eilidh’s baby. How, he had no idea. “Okay,” he said. “Aaron, Huck, you up for the trip?”

Aaron’s eyes shone with anticipation. “This is the coolest shit we’ve ever done. Hell yeah, I’m game.”

“Absolutely,” Huck replied.

“Rory? Is Flùranach ready?”

Rory glanced at the door. “Aye,” he said with a frown. “She’s in the other room.” Something was clearly upsetting him, but Munro didn’t have time to ask. “I’ll get her,” Rory said and slipped into the corridor. He returned an instant later with Flùranach, who looked red-eyed and shame-faced.

Munro groaned inwardly. They had too many distractions. “If you guys are certain, this portal buys us a lot of time,” he said.

Rory nodded. “We know the flows we used.”

“Okay,” Munro said. He took a few minutes to outline how to search, what to look for, and how to approach the neighbours.

“We got this,” Huck said. “Don’t worry so much. Trust us.”

Munro nodded. He didn’t have a choice, did he? He glanced at Eilidh, wanting to jump through that portal with the others. He sighed. She needed him to stay behind. Even though their mission was important, she was too. “Best go then,” he said. “Douglas, you’re with me. We’ve got some investigating of our own to do.” At least he could use his rune knowledge to study the Source Stone while the others were at the scene.

“Got it, boss,” Douglas said happily.

With only a moment’s hesitation, Aaron, Huck, Rory and Flùranach approached the portal. Eilidh spoke to Flùranach. “Mask them well, child,” she said sternly. “Their lives are in your care.”

Flùranach curtsied deeply. “Yes, Your Majesty. I will not fail.” She stood and gestured into the air. A slight shimmer surrounded the trio, then vanished.

Without another word, they climbed into the cupboard. The electrified portal consumed them, yanking each into the darkness one at a time.

Huck’s insides compressed and his airways closed. His eyes bulged and his ears rang. Heart hammering in his chest, he flailed in the blackness and sensed nothing. No heat, no wind, not a single sound.

Pain bloomed in his lungs. He needed air. Time stretched and thoughts grew distant. This was the end, he realised. He would die in a pastry cupboard.

Warm light surrounded him, and a firm hand slid behind his head, tilting his chin upwards. With a cough, he jolted awake. Aaron’s face hovered above him, slightly altered, however, to hide his fae-like appearance. Despite Flùranach’s illusion, the other druid appeared haggard and tired. Relief flooded through Huck’s mind. They’d made it.

“He’s alive,” Aaron said, then glanced down at Huck again. “It’s past daybreak. The gate’s closed.” He grinned.

Huck coughed a few more times as Aaron helped him sit up. Flùranach and Rory sat in the grass nearby. Huck’s mind reeled. They’d travelled through not only an unstable gate, but a
closed
gate? The arches that glowed from nightfall to dawn weren’t even visible in the daylight. He glanced down at his watch, a remnant of his human life as irrelevant to his existence in the Halls of Mist as electricity and the evening news. It was still set to Central European Time. “Eight o’clock?” he asked. “We were in there for two hours? How did we survive?”

Flùranach shook her head. “It felt like mere moments.” She glanced at Rory.

“I dunno,” he said. “I blacked out too.” He stood. “I guess we’d better get a move on. We can’t be sure yet we’re even in the right place.”

Huck struggled to stand and took Aaron’s extended hand. When he had clambered to his feet, he surveyed the area. “Yeah,” he said. “Damn. We made it.” Elation flooded through him at the success of their journey, even if their arrival and delivery had been rough. His body objected to the harsh treatment, but urgency pressed him onward.

“You ready to run?” Aaron asked.

The concern warmed Huck. He felt a part of the group in a way he never had before, realising if he’d died in that portal, someone would have cared. “Yeah,” he said.

They moved at a slower pace while their bodies adjusted to being alive, quickly finding they had landed in a forested area just outside of Mol, Belgium. Over the long run over the border and into the Netherlands, Huck noticed how quickly he was recovering. Rory definitely seemed the least affected of the humans, but Aaron struggled as much as Huck did. By the time they arrived in Amsterdam a few hours later, he felt practically normal again, albeit with a slight headache.

When they stood on Demi’s street and stared her house, Huck shivered. It seemed like years had passed since he’d last been here, even though it had only been days.

Rory nodded to Aaron and Huck. “You two go inside and nosy around. I’ll take Flùr and talk to the neighbours. With her knack for magical persuasion, we might get lucky and find someone who saw something helpful.”