The Last Druid (37 page)

Cal
la said nothing in response at first; she just sat there and let Elenia hold her.  She was being asked to take in a lot of information.  This supreme being, this woman who had looked out for her for the past several months—she had been her mother all along.  It made her half mortal, half
god
.  That piece of knowledge alone was intimidating.

So what did this mean for her future?

“I will not force you to stay,” Elenia said, as if hearing Calla’s thoughts.  “I know how you miss your friends and close family.  You are more than capable of making such choices on your own.  Besides, I gave up the right to have a say in any part of your life long ago—and to continue to have an active role going forward.”

Ca
lla looked up.  “So you’re leaving me?  Again?”

Elenia pulled back.  “This is difficult enough for me already,” she said.  “Please, do not make it any worse.”

“You just left me and…uprooted everything that made my world perfect.  Now you plan to do the same thing again.”

“There is no part of your world that will be changed now by my leaving; in some ways I already put it into turmoil by sending Mai to collect you.  For all these years you grew and thrived without any kind of impact from me.  It would make little to no difference if I went back with you.  You are an adult, you are more than capable of making the important decisions on your own—you have proven that time and again in these recent months.  I have no reason to interfere
any further.”

“So you are leaving.  Forever.”

“Calla, you have seen what I and my brothers are capable of; you have witnessed some of the darker forces that cross over from other realms of existence.  All of us are beings of the ancient world, being of unimaginable strength and power.  The demon Bralon was not one of a kind—there are many others just as powerful as he was, and some that are even greater.  If they were to come to this world with evil intentions they would have the power to destroy all of creation.  Kar and Ronan do not share this worry because the gateways to their realms do not open directly to this world and are greatly protected; the gateway to my realm is on Mount Elenan, right above the city, and I have no guard around it.  I cannot leave it open and create the risk of another apocalypse.  The only way that I can close it permanently is to remove it completely from this plane, meaning that I must take it and much of the surrounding lands—including the city and its inhabitants—to my realm of existence.  The followers of darkness will eventually find another way, but at least my solution will allow this world and its remaining inhabitants to enjoy true peace for a little while.”

“But it will still end…”  Ca
lla’s voice trailed off.

“Eventually, but not during your lifetime or the next several generations.  Fate undoubtedly will decide when that day shall be.  Everything that has happened shall remain a memory for those who wish to remember it, and for those who choose to not remember it shall all exist as stories for them to learn from.”

From somewhere above them came the faint sound of wing beats.  Both women looked up.  Circling over their heads was one of the strangest birds Calla had ever seen.  It was large though it was quite close to the ground; she would guess that if it was down at their level it would be as tall as a deerhound.  It had a long neck and tail feathers that flowed out behind it like a peacock, yet its head, legs and talons were more like those of an eagle.  Every feather was a fiery crimson, edged in tones of gold and the occasional contrasting streak of blue.  Even this far below she could see its emerald-green eyes.  The call it let out was a high pitch for a predatory bird and musical—it was beautiful and soothing.

Elenia sighed.  “The phoenix is calling me home,” she said sadly.  She stood up slowly.  “I can no longer remain here.  I must go—now.”  She took a few steps into the deeper grass and suddenly stopped.  “Will you give my love to your father?” she asked over her shoulder.

“I will,” Calla replied.

Elenia smiled.  “Thank you, Ca
lla,” she said, “for everything.”  Calla watched as the Lady walked off across the field.  Her form continued to grow smaller and smaller until the moment the wind picked up; she seemed to dissolve into it and was gone.  Calla looked up at the sky.  The phoenix was nowhere in sight.  She stood up, waving her hand over the two grass chairs and watching as they unknotted themselves and returned to their original forms.  She had delayed long enough—it was time for her to return to her home as well.

As she turned to search for Frost and Lina the ground abruptly started shaking violently, sending her to the ground.  The earth around her groaned louder than thunder as it rumbled.  Barely audible over it all she could just make out the frightened whinnies of a horse and loud yips from some canine animal; if Lina and Frost were shouting out to her she couldn’t hear them.  Somewhere beneath her the earth sounded as though it was cracking, breaking apart.  She had visions of a massive fissure opening up directly below her and swallowing her whole, or worse being thrown skyward as the ground exploded upwards.  She tightened her hands around the clumps of grass and squeezed her eyes shut, praying it would all stop soon.

Eventually it did stop, the earth gradually growing still and the rumblings subsiding until the world returned to its previous peaceful state.  Unnerved by the whole experience Calla was afraid to get back up, fearing that if she did so the earthquake would immediately continue where it left off.  She lay on the ground and waited, the minutes ticking by and the earth staying quiet.  Deciding that it might be safe enough to move, Calla slowly rose to her feet and looked around.

She felt her jaw drop hard when she looked back towards Mount Elenan—or rather where
it had been.

There was nothing there.  Where there had once been rolling hills of bright green grass, patches of flowers and occasional brush there was empty space; even the road she had followed when she first left Elenan was gone.  Ca
lla now stood at the edge of a crater that stretched out to the horizon, a deep hole lined with dark dirt, sand, and broken pieces of rock.  The place she had called home for the last few months had been completely wiped off the face of the earth.  Cautiously she backed away from the crater’s edge.

Frost came up behind her, his hooves thumping through the grass.  Lina was right behind him. 
What was that?
they both asked. 
What in the world has happened here?

Ca
lla thought back on what Elenia had told her.  “She said she was taking the ancient world gate and surrounding lands away from here,” she said quietly.  “I didn’t think she meant she would literally take it.”  Everything was gone—the city, Ren, Miin, Kosh, the Malc and the other Nymphs.

And
Hiran…Where was Hiran when all of this happened?

Frost rubbed his nose impatiently against the back of her shoulder. 
Lady
, he said,
we should leave.  There is nothing for us in this place anymore.

Ca
lla nodded and walked around to the horse’s side.  She put both hands on the saddle and was about to put one foot in the stirrup when she stopped.  She looked down at Lina.  “Do you still want to come with me, Lina?” she asked.

My home just vanished
, Lina replied as she shook dust from her fur. 
If Elenia wanted me to stay she would have said something, or just dragged me back.  There is nowhere else for me to go now.  Besides, good friends should stay together.

Cal
la smiled and climbed up into the saddle.  She took the reins in her hands again and tugged on them to turn Frost around.

I know the way to your home, lady,
the horse said. 
Elenia came to me and placed images of the road to take in my mind.  It will be easy for me to guide us all there.

“I trust you.”  Cal
la looped the reins around the saddle horn and wove her fingers through Frost’s mane.  He set off first at a trot and then a canter, careful to go slow enough so that Lina would still be able to keep up.

One day blended into the next as they rode on, stopping to rest only at night.  The route Frost had been shown was long and
meandering, and the landscape around them was constantly changing.  On some days they would be on open grasslands, others in woodlands, more still in yellowed prairies.  At one point they came across an edge of the Dead Lands.  They paused to stare down at the gray dust; it was already turning back to a living brown dotted with tiny, bright green shoots of new plant life.  The land was finally starting to heal.

It was after a few weeks of travel that Ca
lla finally had a sense of where she was.  As the three rode through an open field through deep, dark green grass Calla spotted a clump of the strangest flowers.  They were dazzling white with copper-colored veins running through the center of each petal.  Their stems and leaves were dark red.  As they drew closer she thought she could hear voices coming from them—or, rather, one familiar voice, crying out in intervals from every blossom at once.

Echo flowers—Cal
la had heard about them from the Nymphs in Elenan.  They grew in the places where enchanted creatures were killed when they were still so young.  The type of creature would determine the color of the flower.  Like those from the blood of other Nymphs, Mai’s flowers were mostly white.  Calla felt a single tear slide down her cheek as she saw the memory of the Brilken slicing Mai’s head from her shoulders.  Her fingers strayed up to touch the Soul gem hanging around her neck.

They were
back in the Ganeuen province, only about a fortnight away from Kida but if they kept their current pace it was possible they could arrive sooner.  Yet with the sun partially below the horizon they wouldn’t be able to go much farther today.  Under the cover of the trees Calla pulled on the reins to bring Frost to a stop for the night.  Curling up under her blanket by the base of a tree she found sleep to be elusive, what with so many thoughts running through her head.  But something else was keeping her awake, chattering from the branches overhead.

…And winter’s chill did touch her heart
, a male voice was saying. 
Where those joys did once take root, /And she was left to face the dark alone.

Oh Jar
, said another voice as soon as the first had finished his line of poetry. 
Your poetry is lovely, but must it be so sad?  Especially tonight, our first night together?

Would you rather I sing to you?

Absolutely not!

Cal
la smiled to herself as at least one of the two owls flapped their wings.  She recognized the voice of the first one—it was the same owl she and Mai had heard singing that night so long ago when they were last here.  Since she had been away it seemed he had developed a mastery of words and taken up poetry.  Apparently this new talent was working out better for him.

One more week later Cal
la set her feet down on a familiar dirt road.  Spring was transitioning into summer now, humidity making the air heavy and the earth beneath her feet dried and cracked.  She took the reins in her hand and led Frost down the road while Lina hopped along by her other side.  She stared around as she walked, absorbing everything she had missed.  Houses rose up on either side of the lane, single trees and well-tended gardens around them, people—Elves, her own people—walking to and fro without showing any sign of acknowledging the travelers.  Over the faint chatter of people she heard running water from the nearby stream and the cheerful songs of birds.  Everything was peaceful, warm, welcoming—all as it should be.

A scream penetrated the quiet calm around them from somewhere to their left.  Startled out of her reverie Ca
lla turned around in time to catch a glimpse of a girl with golden, curly hair running towards her before she slammed into her, arms locked around her torso in a constricting embrace.  Calla’s best friend squeezed her arms even tighter as she tried twirling her around.

“You’re here!” Kira screeched in her ear.  “You’re all right! 
You’re alive!
”

Cal
la was finally home.

XLIII

Epilogue—Cal
la

Three Years Later

Three years.

Calla tossed her long braid back over her shoulder, letting it fall hard against her back as she sat there.  With her elbows on her knees she stared at the small sapling, wondering why it never spoke to her.  These past few years her Earthmagic had been as strong as ever, had grown even, yet she never heard this one living thing say even one word.  It frustrated her immensely on most days.  Unless it was having as much trouble moving on as she was.

Three years.

Calla rubbed the fingers of one hand against her forehead.  She couldn’t believe it had been that long already.  Every time she looked back on the events of that one year it all looked like some kind of insane, twisted dream that grew to be a part of her nightmares.  But it had been all too real—she was constantly reminded of how real it was by the scars across her chest and arm, Lina the Tri-tail wolf who slept by the foot of her bed every night, the voices she alone could hear and the Brilken’s tooth that hung on the piece of leather around her neck.