Caledonia Fae 04- Druid Lords (9 page)

“I didn’t notice you there,” Rory said.

“I’ve been learning to mask my essence,” she told him.

“I sensed you at the shifting of the gates.”

“I faltered,” she said and looked away as though ashamed.

Oszlár stepped towards Flùranach. “I can’t allow this.”

“I need you,” Rory said, and Flùranach’s face lit up.

“I will do anything you ask,” she said. “Have you forgiven me?”

“I…” He was trapped. If he said no, Oszlár would make things difficult. But he didn’t want to lie. This moment felt too important to tarnish it with falsehood. “I want to.”

“I forbid you to leave,” Oszlár said to the girl. “Go to your room.”

Flùranach bowed her head in a submissive manner unlike any Rory had seen her demonstrate before. He almost didn’t recognise her. “If a druid lord commands me to go with him, I cannot refuse. I don’t wish to defy you, but I have little choice.”

“I heard no command,” Oszlár said. “He wishes to speak with you, and I’m telling you that you aren’t ready. This is too important for us all, child. Don’t be selfish, as is your habit. Remember, your wilful selfishness initiated the whole of your misfortune.”

“I command you to come with me, Flùranach,” Rory said. The authority in his voice sounded strange and foreign even to his own ears. “You will serve the Druid Hall.”

She bowed her head low, as a servant would do. “As you wish, my lord druid.” She kept her eyes down and didn’t meet Oszlár’s glare as she walked around him.

“You are willing to take responsibility for her, are you?” Oszlár said. “You don’t even know what has happened to her, where she has been, or what she’s endured. You haven’t forgiven her for her last catastrophic mistake. What happens when she makes another? What will you do if she breaks another druid and you realise you might have prevented the disaster by leaving her to train with me?”

The keeper’s words stung. The last thing Rory wanted was for Aaron or Huck or some future druid to go through what he had. The Flùranach standing in front of him didn’t look like the same impetuous young woman who had attacked him. But was he prepared to challenge Oszlár? Why did the keeper’s insistence on keeping them apart grate so much? Why didn’t he just leave her behind? They could talk to this girl of Huck’s without Flùranach. Sure, her talents would make life easier by confirming what they suspected, but they weren’t against a wall…yet.

“I will take responsibility for her,” Rory said, staring into Flùranach’s downcast eyes. “She won’t hurt anyone else.”

Oszlár gazed at Rory searchingly, then nodded. “I will give my blessing on one condition.” He turned to Flùranach. “Return here every fourth day so we might continue your training. If I sense you are becoming unstable, you will return here permanently without argument.”

“Thank you,” Flùranach said and bowed to the keeper. She turned to Rory and waited for his next command.

Every eye in the room was on him.
Jesus
, he thought.
What have I done?
“Fine,” he said. “Let’s go.”

Huck ascended the stairs with Rory and Flùranach behind him. The tension stretched between them as they walked in silence. Everything about Flùranach exuded regret. She didn’t seem dangerous. In fact, her behaviour came across as eerily submissive, in stark contrast to the eager, brash young woman who’d approached Huck six months before with wild claims about him being a druid. But Huck hadn’t seen her since, so he was hardly an expert.

He turned as they arrived at the portal. He opened his mouth to speak but froze when Rory turned to Flùranach. “Stop it,” Rory said. “Or I send you to Oszlár right now. Got it?”

She nodded and blushed. Huck didn’t know what she did that bothered Rory and wasn’t going to ask.

Rory asked Huck, “Are you ready? If we leave now, do you think we’ll get through Ashkyne and to the German gate before daybreak?”

Huck nodded. “The run to Amsterdam isn’t bad. We’ll arrive in good time. How does Flùranach’s thing work, exactly?” He didn’t understand why he was asking Rory instead of her. Something about her seemed off, as though she was a shadow of her former self.

“When we found you, she sensed your presence from outside the building. So we can go, check out the house, then come straight back and talk to the others. We should be able to find out what we need to and return before the gates close at dawn.”

“If she’s a druid, I want to speak with her,” Huck said. “Aren’t we planning to invite her here like you two did with me?”

Rory hesitated. “We can’t take a strange human through the German gate without Konstanze’s permission, not unless we want to battle a bunch of her Watchers, which we don’t. We can see how much time we have, but we can’t bring her with us today. Besides, we’ve always said we should give someone time to make the decision. Learning about the Otherworld is a lot to take in.”

“When I found out, I wanted to join you instantly.”

“She might be different. It won’t hurt to give her time to consider her options.”

Rory was right, but Huck felt an inexplicable sense of urgency. Maybe his reaction was partly motivated by the attraction he had for her, but he believed that pull was more than just physical. There was something special about her and he wanted, no needed, to get to know her. “Okay,” he said. “I can always stay behind and spend the day in Amsterdam and return when the gates reopen at nightfall.” Rory cast a glance at Flùranach, and Huck wondered if the other druid was afraid to be alone with her. Maybe Huck should come back with them after all. “We’ll play it by ear.”

“Let’s go,” Rory said, and they went through the portal. On the other side, they had a little bit of a hold-up when the Watchers routinely challenged Flùranach. She pulled out an identity token bearing the sigil of the keepers, and they let her pass. The druids had created their own tokens for those who lived in and served the Druid Hall. Huck made a comment that they’d have to make one for Flùranach, but Rory said nothing. His wary expression spoke volumes. He watched her as though she was a dangerous animal.

When they arrived at the gate to the German borderlands, Flùranach asked, “Shall I cast the illusions now?”

“Sure,” Rory said. Flùr would definitely stand out, and with those pointed ears and shining eyes, Rory couldn’t pass for human anymore. Only Huck still appeared completely human, although he had noticed his hair looked thicker and glossier and his skin had an almost unnaturally healthy sheen.

“No pink hair this time?” she asked softly.

A smile flickered across Rory’s lips but was quickly replaced by an anguished expression. “No,” he said, his voice almost choked.

Again, the pangs of regret played across her troubled eyes, and she nodded. With a scant whisper, she gestured at Rory, adding minute flaws to his skin, rounding his ears, dulling his hair, and changing his eye colour. She did the same to herself and added the additional illusion of jeans and a t-shirt. Rory and Huck’s clothes were simple enough to pass for human attire, so she left them as they were.

Rory nodded, and his expression softened. “Thank you.” With a glance at the tall, glowing gate, he added, “We should go.”

The scant praise made Flùr flush with happiness, but Rory had already passed through the gate and hadn’t noticed. Huck let Flùranach go second, and he went last. They immediately turned and made their way through the countryside. The Watchers on the human side of the gates didn’t show themselves. They encountered no other people until they came to Dutch cities. The trio rushed through without slowing, keeping to smaller, less populated roads. Even still, they moved so fast that anyone who saw them would assume their eyes were playing tricks on them.

Once in Amsterdam, the three travellers had to be more careful. The city never went completely silent, even at this late hour. They had to dodge vehicles on the road and avoid people who hung about here and there, especially as they passed through the tourist parts of town. It must be a weekend, Huck thought, but he couldn’t be sure. Faeries didn’t operate on a Monday-through-Friday, nine-to-five work week, so neither had he for quite some time.

When they approached the right street, they stopped. Huck didn’t need to say a word. Flùranach immediately focused on one house, her gaze travelling to the highest level. “I was right, wasn’t I?” he asked. “You can sense her power?”

“Yes, I think so.” Flùranach said, but she frowned and shook her head as though trying to deflect a bee buzzing around her ear.

“What’s wrong?” Rory asked, concern etched on his human-looking features. Huck found it strange to see him without the usual glowing blue eyes and pointed ears.

“Her power feels strange to me, but the house has been warded,” she said, “which interferes with my perception. This doesn’t feel like any ward I’ve encountered before, and yet the impact is strong. If I did not feel drawn to the druid presence inside, I would experience an urge to pass this place by, my mind not wanting to accept it.”

“Could a druid create a ward?” Huck asked, looking from Flùranach to Rory.

“I don’t know,” they both said at once.

“I’m going to knock,” Huck said.

“At this hour?” Rory reasoned. “We should wait until morning.”

“Rory,” Flùranach said, her attention still fixed on the top floor. “I believe she is not alone. I’m not sure. The ward is confusing my senses.”

Huck stopped short. He’d not even considered the woman might not occupy the house alone. Was she living with a husband or boyfriend? Could that person be another druid or an outcast faerie in hiding? His gut twisted when he contemplated the possibility. He’d only seen her once, but he didn’t enjoy the idea that she may be spoken for.

“I’m going in,” he said. “If there’s a faerie inside, there’s a good chance they’re awake anyway, with the way faeries stay up all night and sleep during the day.” He turned to Rory. “Coming with me?” he asked.

Rory glanced up and then at Flùranach. “Can you enter a warded building?”

She furrowed her brow. “If you take my hand, I will try. But without your touch to guide me, my mind will quickly send me in the wrong direction. This enchantment is peculiar and powerful.” Considering Flùranach was an astral faerie with strong mental powers, that was saying something.

With a reluctant nod, Rory held out his hand and Flùranach took it.

“Okay,” Huck said. He walked across the street to the house, and with a glance back at Flùr and Rory, he pushed the doorbell.

A muted ringing sounded inside the quiet house. He pressed again and waited. After the second chime sounded, a set of light footfalls padded towards the front of the house. Someone paused near the door. She was probably watching him through the peephole, Huck thought. There was no motion for a long time, and he wondered if she was hoping he’d go away. But if she could see him, she knew he wasn’t alone. Would the presence of others frighten or reassure her?

He’d stand there punching the bell until daybreak if he had to. He lifted his hand and pressed again, ringing for a third time. Finally, several sliding latches made a scraping sound as someone unfastened them. The door opened as wide as the thick chain lock would allow. Her small face peered at him in the darkness. “What do you want?” she asked. Her accent was deep and throaty.

“I need to talk to you,” he said, uncertain what he should say. The plan had seemed so reasonable in his head, but now he wasn’t sure.

“I don’t know you. Go away.” She sounded scared.

“I know you’re a druid,” he told her. “So am I. So is he,” he said, pointing to Rory, who stood behind him. With a gesture to Flùranach, he said, “And she’s fae.”

The woman paled. She slammed the door but didn’t move away.

“Please,” he called as loudly as he dared. The last thing he wanted was for a neighbour to summon the police. “We’re not here to hurt you. We only want to talk.”

“Who sent you?” she replied.

“No one. We’re from the Druid Hall.”

“The what?” She sounded genuinely surprised.

“The Druid Hall. We live and work together in the Halls of Mist.” When she didn’t speak for a few moments, he added, “We’ve come to offer you a place with us.” Huck held his breath and listened hard.

“How did you find me?” she asked so softly he almost didn’t hear.

“I followed you from the coffee shop,” he said. “I recognised what you were when you read my runes.”

He waited a long few moments, then the chains slid in their locks. She opened the door again. “How do I know you are what you say?” She peered through into the darkened entryway at Flùranach. “She does not look fae.”

He gave Flùranach a nod, and she momentarily dropped the illusions on herself and Rory. The woman in the doorway sucked in her breath but didn’t back away. “Can we come in?” Rory asked gently. “I swear we aren’t here to hurt you.”

She gave a fearful glance over her shoulder.

“Is there someone else here?” Huck asked.

She nodded and opened the door a little wider. “Come in, but please keep quiet. I don’t want to wake my family.”

Huck’s hopes fell. She had a family. He’d just met her. The news shouldn’t bother him. With a mental kick to his determination, he reminded himself he had a job to do. He stepped into the gap, but turned when the other two didn’t follow him.

Flùranach had gone bone-white. She gripped Rory’s hand for all she was worth. “I can’t cross the threshold,” she said, swallowing uncomfortably. “Some druid magic is making me sick.”

The woman inside seemed pleased. “We are warded against the fae,” she said. “The stronger you are, the more adversely you’d be affected.”

Huck looked at her. “Can you remove it? Just temporarily?”

She knitted her dark eyebrows together. “I have to protect my family,” she said.

“Not from us,” he told her. “We mean you no harm. We just want to invite to you the Druid Hall.”