Archdruid

by Tiffany Shand

  “Not like you’d force people to join you, brother. Or are they supposed fall in line given how great and powerful you are?” she retorted.

  Urien’s jaw tightened. “You won’t hurt me. You love your precious Xander too much.”

  She hurled a fireball at him. It shot straight through him, hitting the stone with a loud boom.

  “Trewa will soon be mine. You can’t protect the druids forever.”

  “What good will that do? You hate the druids. You despise the fact you even have druid blood,” Ann sneered.

  “Soon I’ll be more powerful than anyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re the archdruid. All the races will fall in line soon enough.”

  “How? Going to kill everyone when you round up all the leaders in one place?” She smiled at the surprise on his face. “Yes, brother, I know about that. And I’ll be there to make damn sure you don’t slaughter dozens of innocent people.”

  Urien laughed. “You can’t hurt me. You won’t. The banelings are just the first wave. What’s coming next will be much worse.”

  He laughed and vanished in a flash of light.

  Ann hurried back toward the village. She saw Jerome and the other warriors fighting the banelings. A chill ran across her mind, something darker and more powerful stalked beyond the boundary of the stones.

  Urien, what dark powers have you been conjuring this time? She followed the presence with her mind, but couldn’t get a clear image of what it was. A cloud of darkness swept around the stones. The ancient guardians stood there, silent, but glowing with light.

  A baneling flew at her, knocking her to the ground. Ann gritted her teeth and set it aflame. She hurried back toward the stones, searching for the presence she’d felt. Come on, where are you? What are you? Fire formed in her hand.

  The stones were lit up like beacons, which meant they were keeping something out. Something far worse than banelings.

  Urien? No, she’d feel if it were him. The presence felt stronger. Darker than him.

  “I know you’re here. So stop hiding in the shadows.”

  A voice, low and harsh, laughed. “I’m beyond your powers, little druid.”

  “What are you? Did my brother send you?”

  “I’m beyond your brother, beyond even the power of the stones,” it hissed.

  A burst of light shot through the barrier of the stones. It hit Ann in the chest, slamming her against them. She saw a flash of red eyes before everything went black.

  Chapter 13

  Ed wondered how the heck banelings had managed to get past the stones as he snapped the neck of one of them.

  Ceara sliced through another one.

  “Who let you have a sword?” he asked her.

  She rolled her eyes. “No one lets me do anything, wolfy. Where’s Ann?”

  Ed glanced around, wondering the same thing. He didn’t sense her nearby and sniffed. The smell of death and burning filled the night air.

  “Have you seen Ann?” Ceara called to Jax.

  “She ran off earlier,” he called back and inclined his head in the opposite direction.

  The beast growled at the edge of Ed’s mind, edgy and wanting to get out. Something’s wrong.

  Ed moved past the other warriors, knocking aside any remaining banelings who got in the way. The coppery scent of blood hit him, and his eyes flashed red. The beast burst from his mental cage. His fangs and claws came out as he blurred. Jerome knelt beside Ann where she lay near the stones. Blood seeped from her head and her coat steamed from where something had struck her.

  Jerome looked up and gasped. “Blessed spirits, what are you?”

  Ed shoved the man aside, sending Jerome flying through the air. “Mine,” the word came out low and guttural. The beast now had full control. Ed tried to force it back, but it wouldn’t relinquish control. It whined as he gathered Ann up in his arms.

  Jerome lay unconscious where he’d landed several feet away.

  Neither Ed or the beast could muster any concern for him. He only cared about Ann. Ed brushed her hair off her face and his hand came away bloody.

  Two banelings stalked toward him. Letting go of Ann, he grabbed both beasts by their throats and snapped their necks one by one.

  A voice laughed, and a shadow stalked outside the glowing stones. “You’ve grown up, boy.”

  Ed froze, he knew that voice. It sounded like same thing that chased him from the blue woods in his memory.

  “You,” the beast growled. “You hurt what’s mine.”

  The voice laughed, harsh and cold. “I wonder who’s more of a threat to her. You or I.”

  Ed blurred and threw himself at the glowing ward cast by the stones. He cried out as the energy sent lightning coursing through him.

  The shadow laughed. “Even the stones reject you. You don’t belong in these lands.”

  Ed thrashed. Both he and the beast wanted blood, wanted to tear that shadow creature apart. Yet the stones’ power repelled him. Light flashed around the ancient sentinels as he made to go through the circle once more.

  Ed snarled. That thing had hurt the woman he loved. In one swift move he burst through the glowing energy and charged at the shadow. Static burned against his skin, but he felt no pain.

  The voice laughed, and the shadow blurred away.

  Rage heated his blood. He wanted blood, craved it. Ed didn’t even try to regain control. The anger felt too strong.

  Where did it go? We have to find that thing. He sniffed the air, but found no scent, and growled.

  Behind him, he sensed Ceara and Jax.

  “We need to get her back to the village. She’s hurt,” said Jerome, who Ed guessed must’ve woken up again.

  “What happened?” asked Ceara.

  “Ed?” Jax called.

  Ed spun around and blurred back. Jerome touched Ann again and Ed felt the beast rage.

  Mine, the beast growled.

  I’ve got to get control again. Instead, he flew at Jerome. He grabbed the druid, slashing at him with his claws. Jerome cried out and pulled out a knife, plunging it into Ed’s shoulder. Ed felt the sting of metal as it bit through his flesh.

  “Ed, stop!” Jax snapped, rushing over and trying to get in between them. “Jerome, leave him alone. He’s not a threat.” Jax’s touched Ed’s arm. “Ann needs a healer. You need to change back.”

  With a low growl, he shoved the druid aside, knocking Jerome to the ground. “Don’t touch what is mine.” His eyes flashed emerald as he scooped Ann up into his arms. “Mine,” he growled.

  “You need to go,” Ceara said to Jerome. “You’re making this worse. Go get those scratches cleaned up.”

  “What? Do you really think I’m going to leave her with that thing?” Jerome pointed at Ed. “He—”

  “Ed won’t hurt her, trust us,” Jax said. “Back off, mate, the beast is very protective of her. Coming in between them will only make it worse.”

  Ceara touched Jerome’s arm, light flaring over her forehead as her magic passed through the air. “Ann will be safe with him. You need to trust us when we tell you he’s not a threat or a danger to anyone. He only acts like this when Ann’s in danger.”

  Jerome looked like he wanted to protest.

  “Oh, and don’t you dare try to get the others to attack Ed,” Jax warned. “It will only cause more unnecessary deaths. You do not want to mess with the beast, believe me. Like we said, don’t come in between him and Ann.”

  Jerome still didn’t budge. “But she’s hurt. How do I know he won’t harm her?”

  “Go, now,” Ceara commanded, pulling out one of her shock rods. “Or I’ll make you leave.”

  Jerome reluctantly stalked off.

  “Come on, wolfy. Time to turn back,” Ceara said, still gripping her shock rod.

  “Where the fuck did you get that?” Jax demanded.

  “Focus, bird boy,” Ceara hissed. “We have to get him to change back. But he’s going to be a lot more difficult whilst Ann’s unconscious.”

&n
bsp; Jax rubbed the back of his neck. “Right, Ed, we’ve got to get Ann to a healer.”

  Ed turned and started to blur.

  “Not that way,” Jax said, touching Ed’s arm. “You can’t go back looking like that. People will think you’re gonna attack them. Change back into your normal self.”

  Ed growled. He didn’t give a damn what he looked like. Only Ann mattered. If she needed a healer, he’d get her one.

  Ed blurred back through the village and into Blaise’s house. Colours and a blur of faces rushed past. Blaise stood scrambling through a cupboard, pulling out different vials as he went. “Blessed spirits. What—?”

  He set Ann down on the wooden divan. “Heal. Help,” he said, voice still guttural.

  Blaise walked over and examined Ann’s head wound. “There are others far worse—”

  “Heal her.” He grabbed the man by the throat.

  Jax and Ceara both came running in, breathing hard.

  “I wouldn’t argue with him if I were you,” Jax gasped. “It won’t end well. Help Ann, or at least wake her up. She’s the only one who can get him to change back.”

  “But—” Blaise protested.

  “Do you want him to turn his rage on the village?” Ceara demanded. “Just do it and be quick about it.”

  Blaise sighed and muttered, “Why did I agree to let you people stay here?” He moved over to Ann’s side.

  “Because she’s the archdruid and we go where she goes,” Ceara replied. “Hurry up.”

  Blaise touched Ann’s forehead. “Why does the beast only seem to respond to her?”

  “We’re not sure. Probably because he’s in love with her,” Jax replied. “You’ve got wake her up fast. We don’t know any other way of changing him back. If he thinks she’s still in danger, there is no telling what he might do.”

  Ed felt his patience wearing thin. He wanted blood, yet the need to stay with Ann proved too strong to ignore. He couldn’t leave her. The urge to stay, to make sure she was safe, felt stronger than any rage he might have felt.

  “Leigheas agus mend.” Blaise muttered words of power. The blood receded around the wound.

  Ann groaned and opened her eyes. “Ow, what are you doing, Uncle Blaise?”

  “We have a problem.” Blaise motioned to Ed. “He’s not in control.”

  “Ann, I don’t think he can turn back,” Jax added. “We need you to talk to him. You are the only one who responds to. He’s already attacked Jerome.”

  “What?” Ann still looked dazed, her eyes glassy with confusion. “Is Jerome alright?”

  Ed let out a hiss at the mention of Jerome’s name.

  “He’s fine. Just a few scratches,” Ceara reassured her. “Probably better if you don’t mention him. Seems the beast has a jealous streak.”

  “Edward, change back.” Ann clutched her head.

  He didn’t want to change. He had to track down and find whoever had hurt her. Ed would find that shadow and…

  Ann scrambled up and moved over to him, stumbling as she went. “Change back.” She reached up to cup his face.

  The beast retreated, his fangs and claws retracted. Ed caught hold of her as she swayed on her feet. “What are you doing?” he demanded. “You should be resting.”

  “He’s right, Rhiannon. You should rest,” Blaise ordered. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have other people to attend to. One of you should keep an eye on Rhiannon for the next few hours.” Blaise then left.

  Ceara grinned. “You look much better, wolfy.” She glanced at Jax. “Why does the beast react that way?”

  “That’s obvious,” Jax remarked. “It thinks Ann—”

  “Why don’t you two go and see if anyone needs help?” Ed suggested. He didn’t want Ann to find out the beast thought of her as his.

  “Yeah, we should check on Jerome. You hit him pretty hard, wolfy,” Ceara said. Ed wanted to strangle her. “And you mangled up that pretty face of his, too.”

  Ann glanced between them and frowned. “Why would you hit Jerome?” she asked. “Are you sure he’s alright?”

  “He’s fine,” Ed insisted. “I lost control.”

  “Yeah, the beast didn’t like Jerome touching you. Lykaes are very possessive of their women.” Ceara smirked. “You did tell Jerome Ann was yours, remember? Growled it, actually. He wouldn’t even let us near you.”

  “Let’s go, sister.” Jax grabbed Ceara’s arm. “You can tell me how the heck you got your hands on that weapon you’re not supposed to have.” He led her outside.

  “I’m a lot more resourceful than you think, bird boy.” Ceara grinned.

  “Listen, it’s not what you think. You know the beast is—” Ed began.

  Ann staggered when she made a move.

  “You’re supposed to be resting.” Ed caught hold of her again. “Now’s not the time to be stubborn.”

  “You don’t understand. Something’s outside the stones—a shadow thing tried to get through. It hit me with power.” She rubbed her ribs.

  “I know. I saw it, too. You heard what Blaise said. You might have a concussion.”

  “I’m fine.” She pulled off her coat then lifted her tunic. A black bruise now covered the side of her abdomen. Good thing her coat was spelled to ward off magical attacks and had taken the brunt of the blow.

  “Does it hurt? I’ll get Blaise back here.”

  “I need to get back to the stones,” she insisted.

  “No, you need to lie down and rest. The shadow is gone; I saw it leave.”

  Ann pushed past him and stumbled toward the door.

  “Ann, you might not be able to die, but you’re not invincible.” He caught hold of her waist to keep her upright.

  “Fine, carry me then, just do that blurring thing so no one else sees.” She wrapped her arms around his neck as he picked her up.

  Ed blurred back to the stones that now stood dark and silent. “I doubt we’ll find anything.” He carried her past the stones to where he’d seen the shadow. To his relief, the stones didn’t try to repel him this time.

  “I saw Urien earlier, too. He taunted me. This was his way of telling me he can get to me no matter where I am.” She sighed. “But that shadow felt…different. More powerful than anything I’ve felt before.” She glanced around. “Put me down.”

  “You can barely stand.” He didn’t want to risk her making herself worse just because of her stubborn nature.

  “Put me down.” Ann gave him her ‘don’t argue with me’ look.

  Ed put her down but kept an arm around her waist. He felt magic on the air. It bristled against his skin. “I couldn’t tell where it was either,” he said. “It didn’t have a scent.”

  “You lost control again?” She looked at him.

  “You know the beast in me is protective of you.”

  “Possessive too, huh?” Ann arched an eyebrow. “It thinks I’m yours.”

  Ed rubbed the back of his neck. “I shouldn’t stay here. The beast is becoming more uncontrollable. I lose all control when it comes to you. I should leave.” He didn’t want to talk about how the beast felt toward her. It only proved to be too embarrassing. One of these days he knew he’d have to admit how he truly felt, but it wouldn’t be today.

  Her eyes widened. “No.”

  “Ann, you should have seen Jerome’s face when he saw me tonight. I’m a danger to everyone here. You can’t protect me from everyone. What if I killed someone? If you hadn’t brought me out of it, I could have done more than scratched someone.”

  “But you didn’t. Maybe the beast is reacting to your emotions. You can’t leave, not until we recover more of your memories. Even then…I need you with me.” She touched his cheek. “We can find a way to control this thing. With some more practise, we’ll figure out a way to keep it under control.”

  He sighed and squeezed her hand. “I hope so.”

  Chapter 14

  Urien growled in frustration as his latest spell failed to produce any results. “Fuck, why won’t i
t work?” He gritted his teeth.

  I don’t know why you bother, Xander remarked. You’ll never find Papa’s vault. He would have spelled it so you couldn’t locate it.

  “I’m you now, remember?” Urien muttered. “He wouldn’t have kept you out. You might be the worthless one, but he trusted you.”

  Xander laughed. I’m not worthless. That’s you, remember? You’re the bastard.

  “Really? I’m on the verge of gaining control of all the lands—not just Caselhelm. What good have you done, brother?” Urien shook his head. Why was he wasting his time talking to Xander? He had work to do, and not just finding the vault.

  Orla had taken over things whilst he focused on the most important task at hand: forming an alliance with the elders again.

  Who are these elders you keep thinking about? Xander wanted to know.

  “Nothing you need to know about.” Gods below, he’d been doing everything he could to stop Xander from hearing his thoughts. If Xander managed to reach limbo again he might be able to warn Rhiannon about Urien’s plans.

  I need to find that vault. It’s the only way, Urien thought.

  I never saw Papa have a vault, Xander remarked.

  Urien gripped the desk and grabbed a jug of ale. Alcohol seemed to be the only thing that allowed him to tune Xander out, but it also dulled his senses, which made it harder to perform any magic. He took a long swig, feeling the booze burn the back of his throat.

  He muttered words of power in the druid tongue. “Cabhair liom an méid atá á lorg agam.” Power vibrated through the air. Urien glanced around, scanning each wall for any sign of a door. Something that might indicate the vault’s location. He moved from each corner, seeing nothing. Urien moved to the back wall and pressed a panel. The wall slid aside, revealing another room beyond. Books, crystals, jars and other things lined one wall. A huge fourposter bed covered in heavy blue linens took up most of the space. It still smelled like Darius in here.

  Urien wanted to tear this room apart, but he kept it the same. This place provided a refuge when he needed to get away from Orla and the others.

  Too bad he couldn’t find a refuge from Xander’s incessant voice.