The Last Druid

by Colleen Montague

  Calla 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…” Calla’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, Calla,” 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. Calla 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?

  Calla 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.

  Calla 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.

  Calla 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.” Calla 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 Calla 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—Calla 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!

  Calla 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 Calla 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 Calla 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!”

  Calla was finally home.

  XLIII

  Epilogue—Calla

  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.

  More than once she wished it all really had been a dream, something she could wake up from and forget about entirely. Fate hadn’t been so kind.

  She had turned seventeen while she was away—after coming home everyone had to remind her of her age, that she was still young. Calla certainly didn’t feel it. She felt old, incredibly old after everything she had been through. She didn’t say a word about the experience to anyone but her father. She told Morlan everything: Mika’s true identity, her own identity, Hiran, Mai, the battles she had taken part in and the pain she endured. She didn’t hold anything back from him, even the news that Elenia, her mother and his wife, had willingly cut herself off from this world and her mortal family. He had wept over it, but otherwise agreed to keep his daughter’s secrets from everyone else.

  After that she was caught up in the fast current of life around her. Kira managed to pull her back into her wedding plans. It cheered Calla up a little until she was fitted for her bridesmaid’s dress. Kira had chosen a fitted gown of pale green with a plunging neckline and no sleeves; it revealed every scar on Calla’s body. It took little effort to convince Kira that her dress needed to be a different style. And Calla did her best to smile as Kira and Marrin were married in that mid-summer.

  The pace of life picked up from there. Calla’s father became the king’s new military advisor, Kira gave birth to twin sons a year after her marriage, Calla’s sisters grew up into beautiful but rebellious teenagers—everything proceeded as though the world hadn’t come dangerously close to destruction. It all threatened to leave her far behind.

  And now at nineteen Calla was caught up in the past, and she couldn’t move on. Some things she just couldn’t let go of.

  She stared at the young willow, planted not far from the house. Calling it a sapling was a bit of a stretch, really—it was still a seedling even after three years. Calla had planted Mai’s Soul gem here shortly after coming home. Maybe it was quiet because it was still young. She frowned at it, as though her expression would make it speak with Mai’s voice.

  She heard movement behind her, but it didn’t sound right to be footsteps approaching through the grass. It sounded more of autumn leaves being blown around by the wind. In the middle of an open field where there were few to no trees it was strange to hear, and alarmed those who didn’t know what it really was. Tree spirits like the oak spirit drifting behind her had woken up and started appearing in the city and the surrounding countryside a few months after Calla’s return. Everyone except her father thought they were some kind of ghosts or monsters coming to get them.

  There were no more monsters now—they had all been sealed away in another dimension.

  Calla kept her back to the spirit. “Anything?” she asked the form of swirling leaves.

  The spirit drifted closer to her, the leaves coming together into the form of a woman just on the edge of her vision. “The one you still seek has not been found,” she replied in a whispery voice. “My sisters and fellows have searched tirelessly for you. We have wandered far beyond the bounds of our forests and gathered others to continue where we must stop. In these past few years we have found nothing; we believe there is little chance of the man you seek coming here now.”

  Calla bit back her disappointment. Hiran…He was still out there. In her heart she believed he hadn’t been caught in Elenia’s spell when she took her mountain, the city of Elenan, and most of the surrounding lands off of this world. He had gone off on his own to think, everyone told her, to decide what he wanted of his new future. She still wished that he had told her some of what was on his mind, or at least come to explain himself first rather than leave her without so much as a word. But it did her no good to dwell on things that already happened. She could only hope that she would see him one last time, no matter what he decided.

  But what if he chose not to keep her in his life, and never came after her at all? She felt her spirit sink at the possibility. A piece of her was telling her to move on, to let him go forever. She didn’t want to give up on that hope of seeing him again—not yet.

  “Keep searching,” she said
flatly to the spirit behind her.

  “Lady, the chances of this friend of yours coming to find you after all this time—”

  “I said keep looking!”

  The spirit herself was silent. The only sound Calla could hear from her was the leaves that made up her form. She sighed, rubbing at her eyes with her fingers. She was being stubborn, she knew it. Everyone around her saw it too, though only a few knew what that stubbornness stemmed from. She just didn’t want to accept the idea that he might not be coming back to her.

  The oak spirit drifted through the air to float just at the edge of Calla’s peripheral vision. “Lady Calla,” she said, “there is more.”

  Calla turned her head slightly to listen. “Go on,” she said.

  “One of my sisters wishes to inform you that the lilies down at the lake are concerned by this season’s apparent lack of rain as well.”

  “I can’t make it rain,” Calla said. “That ability seems to be beyond my power, and I think I would get in trouble with Kar if I even tried. I don’t want to take that chance.”

  “And there is a colony of bats that wish to move into the attic of your home.”

  “That’s out of the question. Creatures of the night have their place in this world, but not in my house. I’ll try to find a cave or some abandoned structure for them. I’ll answer them myself.”

  The spirits shape wavered for a moment. “May I return to the forest, Lady?” she asked.

  Calla turned her head to look directly at her. “Don’t forget what I said.”

  She caught sight of the spirit’s face; she was uneasy, but otherwise kept quiet. “We shall keep you informed, my lady.” The oak spirit drifted away from her and her shape started to shrink, the leaves blowing away with the wind in a long trail that wound towards the woods.

  Calla sighed and stared back at the young willow. “What would you do, Mai?” she asked. She was met with silence, the willow’s small branches swaying gently in the breeze. She stood up and walked away. Three years and Hiran still was nowhere to be found; it was as though he had fallen from the face of the earth. With a sniff she pushed the thought aside as she turned onto the road.