Druid's Bane

by Phillip Henderson

  “Where’s the bed?”

  “Down the hall way, yonder.”

  She kissed him as he carried her, half running, half stumbling down the hall.

  She was rambling to him between kisses. The heat of him against her and the need to have him was becoming unbearable. “If there is need for anything else, you have only ring one of the bell cords and a maid will come.”

  “I only want one maid.”

  “You’d better hurry because she’s about to come.”

  They crashed into the closed door. James fumbled for the handle.

  “What else should I know,” he said as he threw the door open and hurried in.

  “Nothing. Everything.”

  The urge for mutual possession was almost over powering. He put her down and pulled of his shirt. Danielle reached for his belt buckle, her mouth going to his hard bare chest, but he caught her fumbling hands and eased her back a bit. His eyes were alive with excitement and want. But there was concern there too. “Is this wise?”

  “Probably not.” She reached for his mouth, but after a few kisses he pulled back again, his hands holding her arms. “How are we going to manage this without it damaging your reputation?”

  “We’ll be discreet as always. Or you could marry me?” She couldn’t take her eyes off his lips.

  “I wish it was that easy.” He kissed her again and then picked her up and crossed the room to the four post bed. Danielle was already unbuttoning his trousers as he lay her down and crawled over her. His wonderful mouth went to her neck and his hands moved up her thighs, drawing up her dress and petticoat. As always after so long apart, the need to have him, to make love to him was making her frantic. His hand swept over her face and through her hair. His lips were against hers again and she clawed at his back and shuddered as he entered her.

  Within a few minutes her ecstasy was unbearable and she stifled the groan in her throat and blinked wildly as their animal passion drove her to blessed release. It was always this way when they made love for the first time after so long apart. Wild, passionate and far too quick.

  James rolled over and collapsed beside her on the bed, his chest heaving. “Sorry.”

  Dee laughed. She had her eyes closed and was panting for breath, enjoying the dizzy euphoria he always managed to produce in her. After a minute or two she felt him move and his hand touched her hair. She opened her eyes and realised he was studying her, lying on his side, his head propped on an elbow. He bent and kissed the swell of her left breast.

  “I wish this could last forever.”

  “It can. Your father and mine have given us permission to wed if we wish it.”

  His lips stopped and he glanced up at her, a surprised expression on his face. “Is that what you want?”

  “Don’t you?”

  “Of course. I love you madly. But I have everything to gain and you have everything to lose. You know my parents were commoners. When that gets out, the nobles will scorn you. You know how they think.”

  “James, they scorn me daily anyway. More important is what our marriage would mean to that part of the population that matters to me. That one’s birth is meaningless. That love should conquer all.” She slipped her arms around his neck and drew him down and kissed him. Then said, “I want this. I want you. And I won’t us to be an example to all.”

  His eyes were soft and loving as he said, “And I want you.” He suddenly shuffled up and sat against the bed head, quickly working the gold ring off his little finger. “This was my mother’s wedding ring. It is all I have left of her and I want you to have it.” He took her hand. “Dee, will you marry me?”

  “Yes.” Beaming, she laughed, overcome with joy, as he slipped the ring onto her finger. Then she kissed him and pushed him onto his back. Her hair fell around her face as she climbed over him and bent to kiss him again.

  “I think we should consummate it. Slowly this time,” she said, with a devilish grin.

  They both cursed as a knock came at the door and a guard called to her.

  “Welcome to my world.”

  Danielle gave him one more kiss and then got off the bed. It was known that she was in her chambers so she could not ignore the interruption. She quickly checked her appearance in the mirror on the dresser, straightened her dress and hair the best she could and then gave up and paced down the hall when the guard called to her again, this time asking if everything was all right. By the time she reached the door, a fist was hammering at it and Lord Whiteson, the first steward to the royal treasurer, was calling out to her.

  She opened the door. “Yes, Lord Whiteson?”

  The creepy young man offered a bow, his gaze lingering on her cleavage as it always did. “Milady, I do apologise for the interruption so soon upon your return, but the Lord Treasurer has an urgent matter he wishes to discuss with you. To that end, he requests your esteemed company in his chambers tomorrow evening for dinner.”

  Danielle accepted the message handed to her. She kept the impatience she felt from her face. This was likely about the gate tax the Lord Treasurer was recommending they levy on every foreign visitor who passed through the gates of the city. An extension to the shipping tax they now levied on foreign vessels. He had sent her three urgent letters during her convalescence at the Fairfax manor on the matter. All of which she’d tossed into the fire. And Bastion had been accosted on her behalf numerous times during her absence.

  “I’ll talk to your master tomorrow morning, but as to this, I am afraid I must decline. I am sure your master will understand how busy I am after so long away from court.”

  The young man’s face fell. “Yes, I sure he does. But, Milady, his lordship said that you should be reminded of the cost of your orphanages and soup kitchens and that if these are to be extended to other cities and towns of the realm as you wish, the crown will require further revenue.”

  “And as I have said, Lord Whiteson, I will talk to his Lordship tomorrow. Thank you.”

  Danielle closed the door and put her hands through her hair and stifled a groan

  James was leaning against the doorframe to the hall, two goblets of wine in his hands. He was grinning at her. “Your friend the treasurer then?”

  “I’m sure that man believes he owns the royal treasury, he’s so miserly.”

  She tossed the invitation in the fireplace before accepting the goblet and taking a sip.

  “You all right?” James asked

  Her mind was back on her duties. She flashed him an apologetic smile. My desk is piled with work that I really should start wading through. And Joseph will be here soon, I hope. Then we’ll need to get ready for the banquet tonight.”

  “Can I help?”

  “Would you?”

  “Of course.”

  “Thank you.” She kissed him, grateful for the offer, and then led the way through the door in his day room that gave entrance to her chambers.

  They had been working for about half an hour when Danielle sighed and closed her eyes. She had been reading Bastion’s notes on her Vafusolum proposal, or at least trying to. But everything else that was worrying her right now was distracting her thoughts. She really needed to talk to Joseph.

  “What’s wrong?” James was sorting through her messages, which had arrived at her chambers since Bastion had last picked them up on her behalf. He’d been opening and reading them to her, and then stacking them in piles according to her instructions. Now he came over and massaged her shoulders. “I know that look. What’s bothering you?”

  “You know the dream I had?”

  “You mentioned it a few times, yes.”

  “You are going to think this is madness. But I meet a druid on the highway today. A Larniusian Druid. My brother’s aged nursemaid.”

  “A Larniusian Druid? A follower of Maig?”

  She ignored the disbelief in his tone. “She is a woman called Fren. She knew about my birthmark and when I challenged her on it, she turned into a crow and flew away. How is that possible?”
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  James was silent and when she opened her eyes and turned to look at him she was not surprised to find him trying not to smile.

  “You think this is amusing?”

  “Dee, people don’t turn into crows. And even if they could, they’d be very big crows wouldn’t they?”

  “So I’m a liar then? Or mad?”

  “No, of course not. You were likely terrified, and saw things that might have made you think … Danielle.”

  She had got up and was heading for the balcony. A little fresh air would do her good. But James hurried after her, managing to get in front of her.

  “Do we have to argue about this?” he asked.

  “No, of course not. My mistake. It’s clear where you stand on the matter.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” he said as she stepped past and headed for the balcony door.

  She thought of something and stopped and turned back to face him. “Tell me one thing. Did Joseph instruct you to deflect all discussions about my dream?”

  The answer was in his eyes and, disappointed in him, she shook her head and opened the door and went out onto the balcony.

  He sighed and followed her out into the sunlight. “There was mention of it, yes. Come on, Dee, you’re smarter than this. I mean, druids and prophecies, and old nursemaids turning into crows? If there were something to be concerned about Joseph would know. Would he not?”

  She stopped at the stone railing, her eyes on the manicured lawn, and matured oak trees beyond. “I know how it sounds. But I feel the truth of this, James. At least I think I do. I can’t explain it but I feel a horrible foreboding, and it’s not waning. If anything the opposite is true. And I know what I saw on the highway and it was not a manifestation of fear.”

  “You’re telling me that you actually saw this woman shift from human to animal form?”

  “I saw a green flash and then a crow squawked from a tree, and Fren was gone.”

  “Was there a smell of sulphur?”

  She wondered how he knew.

  He held out his hand to her. “Come with me, I want to show you something.” She reluctantly took his hand and he led her back inside. Danielle followed him down the hall and back into his day chamber where he rang the servant’s bell. She watched him, not sure what to think as he rifled through his bureau finding ink, parchment and a fresh quill.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Asking the palace alchemist to bring some pyrowater.”

  “James, I know what pyrowater does. This was a green flash not green smoke. And even if it was a tinker’s trick, how did Fren know about the birthmark I bear?” Danielle rang the bell twice indicating that no maid was required.

  “She was your first nursemaid also, was she not?” James said, putting his quill aside. “Surely she would have noticed it.”

  Danielle was a little surprised he knew that. “I wasn’t born with it. It appeared when womanhood came upon me and by then she had long gone from her employment here at the palace.”

  Danielle heard something out in the garden that made her look towards the windows. When the sound came again, she grabbed her scabbard sword off the table and hurried over to the balcony doors in James’ dayroom, threw them open and strode quickly outside, her gaze on the trees.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Did you hear that?”

  The sound came again, the squawk of a crow. It was close but nowhere to be seen, so she ran along the stone balcony to the corner of the building and along the other side, passing her bedchambers and drawing up outside her day room.

  “Dee, it’s a bird,” James said, following.

  “There.” She pointed into the nearest oak tree. The feathery beast squawked and eyed them with its beady little eyes. The sight and sound made her skin tingle with ill ease.

  “It probably came down from the dungeon tower. I noticed a fair colony of them up there when your brothers introduced me to the tower warden last week.”

  As if to support his assumption another crow winged down from the palace’s south tower and settled in the tree. Now both were eyeing her. Their raucous cries felt very much like the mocking laughter Fren had heaped on her as she flew off through the forest after the abduction—at least to Danielle’s ears. Not about to tolerate that in her own home, and furious at the fear that was welling up inside her, she put her scabbard sword on a garden table and collected some stones from a window box.

  “Danielle this is ridiculous, they are birds.”

  “How do you know that?”

  She tossed the first pebble and missed, drawing more cackles of what was now certainly laughter. James tried to stop her throwing a second, so she kicked his shins. He swore and let her go. There was just enough time to get another stone away before he wrapped her up in his powerful arms, and carried her kicking and cursing towards the doors to her day chamber. Momentarily distracted by his unwelcome interference, Danielle didn’t see the crows take to the air until heavy wings beat the air around her head and beaks and claws began to attack her hair. Even James was cursing now. He lashed out with his free hand, belting the crows off her and then pulled her inside and closed the door with his boot. Beyond the glass the birds settled on the stone railing, eyeing them as if they owned the place.

  The violation was more than Danielle could stand. “Get rid of them!”

  “I will, but you stay here.”

  James opened the door and shooed the birds off as easily as he might a flock of hedge finches. They winged away above the trees cackling loudly.

  Danielle stood at the window and watched them go, just to be sure, and then crossed the chamber to get a glass of something to calm her nerves. A glimpse of herself in the mirror above the fireplace was enough to see that her gown was ruined; her face was pale and her honey blond hair a nest of tangles. Not that she cared about such things right now.

  “Are you all right,” James asked again.

  Danielle threw back what wine she managed to get into the glass and pinned him with a look that said he’d best stay away. “I’m going to have a word with Mr Furlew about clearing those beasts out of the South tower.” She’d see them driven from the city if she could.

  “Danielle, they were birds. Very likely attracted by the white satin of your gown and your fair hair. Along with the fact you were throwing stones at them. You know how aggressive crows are at this time of year particularly when you provoke them. You need to be reasonable about this. I’m going to call your maids to help you change.”

  “Don’t bother, I can change alone. And an old woman turning into a crow is not reasonable, James.” She noticed there was blood on his hands and concern got the better of her anger. “Did they peck you?”

  He looked where she gestured. “It’s not mine; likely belongs to the birds.”

  That was probably the case. Danielle noticed her sword on the table outside and went to collect it.

  “Where are you going?” James stepped into her path.

  “My sword.”

  James made her wait as he stepped outside first, his cautious gaze going to the trees. The crows were nowhere to be seen and the only evidence of the altercation was an abundance of black, downy feathers lying on the ground and among the furniture and plant boxes.

  “Ambivalent are we?” she said slipping past to get her sword.

  “No harm in being cautious.”

  She hardly heard him for on picking up her sword blood had poured out of the scabbard and down her hand. Her anger chilled to instant fear and she dropped the weapon in fright and gave a startled cry.

  James, seeing the blood on her hands, caught her shoulder as she crouched to retrieve her sword a second time. “You should leave it for Joseph to see.”

  She wheeled away from him and snatched up the weapon. It was her mother’s sword, and no one was going to take it from her, either by force or magic. “Believe me now?” she challenged. “Or is this a tinker’s trick too?” They both knew the blood hadn’t arrived ther
e by any natural phenomena. She drew the blade from the scabbard and examined both. “Fetch me something to clean it with.”

  “You should wait…”

  “James, please.”

  “No. You come with me. I’m not leaving you out here alone.”

  That was a compromise she could tolerate. And while it probably shouldn’t have, the worry in his face pleased her a little. It was hard to deny the truth when you’d seen it with your own eyes.

  Back inside James grabbed a cloth hanging by the drinks cabinet and brought it over to her. He now looked as worried as she felt. The blood came off easily and soon the black blade shone again as did the intricately carved metal work of the scabbard and both could be examined more closely. There was nothing to see that might tell them how the blade came to be covered with blood.

  James said, “What does the writing say?”

  She looked at him blankly. “What writing?”

  “On the blade. When it caught the light just then, I saw writing.”

  Curious to know what he saw, for there was no writing on her mothers sword that she was aware of, Danielle held the sword at eye level and slowly angled it against the afternoon sunlight flooding in through the balcony doors and windows. Gradually words appeared deep in the steel.

  “Sa Harmti a itha woma voim Ohma latas sa qetopis remtum a lurum,” James said, his voice trailing off as he realised the significance of what he’d just read.

  “Druid’s Bane, she who is first among the children of light,” Danielle said, making the translation from standard Trollic to Arkaelyon. She closed her eyes hard as a fury engulfed her, then without another word she snatched the scabbard from his hand, sheathed the blade, and made for the door with determined strides.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To see Joseph, and the gods’ help anyone who tries to prevent me.”

  James followed her out of the door and down the passageway. “Dee, wait. The Lord Protector will be here shortly. Might you be better served waiting and thinking this through, rather than making a scene? I’m sure Joseph will appreciate it, and he might be more forthcoming because of it.”