She nodded rapidly, her worry and fear playing across her face and into his mind.
He walked out of the room, wishing it had a door he could slam.
Chapter 15
“What is your name?” Demi asked her guard when he brought her another tray of fruit.
He hesitated before tilting his head slightly. “Leocort.”
“Do you have children?” she asked.
A flicker of surprise passed through his swirling violet eyes. “My daughter is a scholar,” he said. “She lives at the Ashkyne Hall and has worked with the keepers on rune study for two hundred years.”
Demi blinked. “I forget that faeries age differently,” she said. “You must be proud of your daughter. My father was an archaeologist.”
Leocort leaned in the entryway. “I do not know this word.”
“He studied humanity’s past by recovering and studying ancient artefacts, documents, and art.”
“He is dead?” the faerie asked her.
The bluntness of his question startled her, but she nodded. “He had heart disease and died three weeks before his fiftieth birthday. When I was younger, I’d hoped to pursue the same kind of work.”
“Why did you not?” Leocort asked.
She looked away. “Ulrich,” she said quietly. “I was a student in Berlin when I met him. I’d gone to my family’s home in the south of Germany for the winter holiday. My mother was still alive then.” Demi had to fight the urge to lose herself in the memories. Leocort stared at her relentlessly, waiting for her to go on. “I think I fell in love with him the first time I saw him. He was so beautiful, so elegant. When he spoke, I felt light-headed. I couldn’t stay away. He became like an addiction.”
Leocort had gone perfectly still. The palpable silence tightened around Demi. She shivered, exposed and laid bare by his unwavering gaze. No matter how uncomfortable she felt, she had to go on. That she’d recently told the story to another stranger, Huck, made recounting the tale somewhat easier. But Huck had listened with sympathy and tenderness. Leocort stood in front of her, immobile and unreadable.
“My studies fell by the wayside, and I came more and more often to my mother’s home so I could see him. No matter how she worried, I refused to stop seeing Ulrich, regardless of how cruel he’d become, the way he whipped and choked me and taunted my weakness. My mother died before I became pregnant with Jago. When Jago’s life sprang up within me, Ulrich’s domination was broken. My son’s blood protected me. Only then did I realise how strange and tragic my mother’s death had been. I think she died from anxiety over me. My grief and shame would have overwhelmed me, but for my son growing inside me.
“I had to get away while my son’s soul shielded me from Ulrich’s influence. He followed us to the North. Somehow he found us in Austria, then in Switzerland. We chose large cities. My grandmother told me the fae don’t like cities, but eventually, he always found us. We stayed in Holland the longest.” She paused, hating the light she cast on her actions, but she had to tell him if she wanted to gain his trust. “He promised he would kill me if I didn’t give up Jago. How could I? How could any mother let a cruel, monster of a man take the light of her life?” She detected a glint of sympathy in Leocort’s eyes. “I’m not a violent woman, but his blood is on my hands.” She looked down at her palms, fingers outstretched. No matter what had happened that day, she carried the blame. Her hands dropped into her lap, and she met Leocort’s eyes. “I had no choice,” she said fiercely. “As you would do anything for your daughter, I did what I had to for my son.”
The faerie guard said nothing, but he gave her a respectful bow. “My lady druid, thank you for sharing your story with me,” he said and silently slipped out the door, leaving her alone with her tray of fruit.
Demi looked at the food and sighed. She wished he’d brought her a steak and potatoes instead of pomegranates and pears, that she didn’t feel so weak and helpless, that she’d never met Prince Ulrich.
∞
The moment Munro and Eilidh were outside the library, he voiced his frustrations, careful to keep his voice low so passers-by wouldn’t overhear. “When are you going to tell me why you’re blocking our connection? Didn’t Elder Oron tell you not to do that?” He was being unfair, bringing up her teacher and advisor and his warning not to disrespect their bond by keeping Munro out of her mind.
She turned towards the Druid Hall. “How does this new portal work?” she asked.
“What aren’t you telling me? I touched your thoughts down there. You’re a mess. Why won’t you talk to me?”
“You are to become my mate in two nights’ time,” she said softly, nodding to a group of faeries who bowed as she passed.
“And meanwhile you’re trying to get pregnant with Griogair’s kid,” he said, unable to keep the accusation out of his voice.
Despite her efforts to mask their connection, her surprise rippled through his thoughts. “You agreed when I told you about my intention. You said you didn’t even understand why I would be worried.” She slowed her pace and touched Munro’s arm. “I took Griogair to the altars as a show of respect for him as my first mate. I thought you understood.” She stopped, then glanced back towards the portal. “So much changed because of Vinye’s death. I will take a third mate next year, a faerie I do not particularly like. He and his father push me constantly, always jockeying for position.” She sighed. “I’m tired, Quinton.”
Munro touched Eilidh’s face and saw the way her eyes shone with unshed tears. “I love you,” he said, not caring who heard him. The one thing his new position as a so-called druid lord afforded him was the position in society to officially become Eilidh’s mate, to publicly declare his love for her, to touch her without creating a scandal.
She smiled with relief. “I love you too.”
“Now,” he said, “how about letting down that wall between us? I miss having your thoughts in my head.”
She bit her lip, an endearing but uncertain gesture he’d never seen from her before. Inside, she sent to his thoughts.
He took her delicate hand in his, and she squeezed his fingers lightly. Whatever was bothering her had her trembling. He grew more worried with every step. What didn’t she want him to know so much that she didn’t want him learning the truth where anyone would observe their conversation?
Once in the Druid Hall’s courtyard, she let go of his hand and stood opposite him. She furrowed her eyebrows a moment, as though considering. After a pause, she straightened her posture and looked him in the eye. As she did, she released the barrier between them.
A whirlwind of emotion made Munro catch his breath, but within seconds he understood why Eilidh had been masking her presence from him and everyone else. She wasn’t alone. A tiny strand of foreign energy flowed through her aura like a ribbon of light through the night skies. “How…” he started, then cut himself off. How did this happen? Jesus. Dumb question. Eilidh and Griogair had just gone to make a sacrifice to the Mother to ask to be blessed with a child. He was surprised she knew so soon, but the spark of life within her was unmistakeable.
“I recognised her life the moment her magic awakened. It is so different from my own.”
“Then she’s not azuri?” Not that it mattered. He struggled to find something to say while his mind tried desperately to absorb the news.
“Her primary talent is of the earth, like her father’s,” she said. Munro knew fae parents didn’t know a child’s spheres from the start, but he supposed Eilidh’s advanced astral abilities gave her unusual insight.
Most faeries tried for centuries, but she and Griogair had gotten lucky. Still, doubts plagued her. He sensed them as they rippled through her, clouding her happiness. “You’ll be a fantastic mother, Eilidh. I’m happy for you and Griogair.” He scrubbed his hand through his short, golden hair. “Before, the idea of you having a baby with him was abstract. Especially with us getting married so soon. But now that I sense her energy, now that she’s real, it’s different.” Ho
w could he say otherwise? Sure, he felt conflicted and a tiny bit jealous, but Eilidh needed his support. He’d always sworn he’d be there for her, no matter what. She should be elated now, spending her energy taking care of herself and her baby.
“My daughter may be queen someday,” Eilidh said, her voice quiet and her gaze distant, almost as though she was speaking to herself.
“May be?” Munro asked, honing in on the worry rippling through Eilidh’s mind. “Why wouldn’t she be?”
“Because,” Eilidh said, smiling sadly at him. “I don’t know how my people or the magic of the Source Stone will react to the idea of a lethfae queen.”
“Lethfae? She’s…”
“Yours,” Eilidh finished for him.
“How?” Jesus wept. He’d gone stupid again.
Eilidh burst into laughter. “I will illustrate for you later if you’d like.” She paused, her tone turning serious. “I have known for some weeks, and have been feeling uncertain how to tell you and Griogair. When her energy was only a flicker, I wasn’t certain whose child she was. I was so surprised to conceive when I’d not visited the altars. Then, Griogair saw her strands when we went to Andena, and I had to begin hiding my aura. I wanted to tell you before it became public knowledge.” She sighed. “So much is happening all at once. The first queen in an age to have multiple mates, and now a lethfae child.”
“You think she’ll be in danger?”
“Keeper Oszlár considers our child to be a gift.”
“And you don’t?” Her inner conflict worried him. Surely she couldn’t be considering not having the baby. Now that he knew, now that he’d seen the bright light of his daughter’s magic, losing her would be unthinkable.
Eilidh’s eyes glistened. “I’ve never felt so complete.” When she said the words, the chaos in her energy calmed somewhat, although her aura shone brighter than usual.
Munro pulled her into a bear-hug and held her tightly to his chest. He put his lips to her ear. “I love you,” he said. “I love both of you.” He felt like he might weep, and he wasn’t really the type to break down.
They stood together for a long moment, but finally he released her. “I have to go,” he said. “We must move quickly if I’m going to be back in time for the wedding.”
Eilidh gave him a playful pinch. “Don’t even think about arriving late.” Her expression grew serious. “I have faith Oszlár will manage to stall Konstanze. She may wish to taunt me and put pressure on you with this promised execution, but I cannot believe she would tarnish such an important day,” she said, then added with a frown, “Just in case, though, find the evidence you need.”
“And if I can’t?” he asked her. He didn’t like to admit that he might fail, but there was every chance he would.
“In that case, I will stand beside you at her death rites. Our ceremony will wait if necessary.” She paused, her expression dark. “But if Queen Konstanze thinks she can insult Caledonia, the Druid Hall and the Keepers of the Source, she’ll learn a hard lesson. The wrong would not go unanswered.”
Munro nodded, grateful for her willingness to put her life and happiness on hold to save a woman she’d never met. Postponing a royal wedding would be no small thing. If things escalated with Konstanze, months could pass before they’d manage to make their commitment official. An old-fashioned part of him wanted the ceremony to be sooner rather than later, now that they had a baby on the way. He kept the thought to himself. Eilidh would never understand why such a thing would matter.
Hand-in-hand, they made their way inside, stopping only to ask a steward where the other druids were working. When they arrived downstairs, the first voice they heard was Lisle’s. “The seal should be in blood,” she said. “Blood is the strongest.”
“Seal?” one of the men asked.
Munro and Eilidh entered the cramped storage room where the druids were gathered around what looked like a pie safe. He would have laughed at their choice of places to make their first portal, but his voice died in his throat. A shimmer wavered in the space where the cupboard doors had once hung.
The old lady continued, “You must dedicate the magic.”
Aaron noticed the new arrivals. “Hey,” he said to Munro and Eilidh, his smile broad. “Good stuff, eh?” He cocked his thumb towards the shaky portal. It shone, then faded.
Munro nodded and stepped forward, running his hand over the wood. “It’s not stable,” he said.
Lisle glared at him. “Clearly,” she said.
“You know how to fix it?” he asked her.
“I’ve been trying to tell these dunderheads,” the old woman muttered with a snort.
“Show us,” Munro said, gently coaxing her attention to the portal. This had to be the most incredible thing they’d ever made. The aura thrummed with chaotic energy.
“A knife,” she said and quickly added, “A sharp one.”
Huck slipped into the nearby kitchen and returned with a small paring knife. He handed the blade to Lisle. “Here ya go,” he said.
She snorted at his casual tone. Turning her attention to the portal, she ran the knife over her palm. The process reminded Munro of the ritual cutting Eilidh had performed when she became queen of Caledonia. The old lady whispered something rhythmic, and Munro strained to hear the words but couldn’t understand them. With a smooth swipe of her palm, she rubbed the blood over the curved lintel.
The energy within the portal shot out like a storm, enveloping Lisle, and the others hopped back. Arcing waves of white light crackled and danced. Beyond the light show, they saw a lush, green forest.
They all stood mesmerised for a moment, stunned. A panic swept over Munro, almost pushing him to his knees. He looked at the source of the emotion: Eilidh. She’d gone pale. “You can’t,” she said. “Please, dear Mother of the Earth, no.” They all turned to look at her.
“Eilidh?” Munro reached for her.
She grasped his arms and stared into his eyes. “You mustn’t go through that portal.”
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Is it not safe?” He glanced at Lisle. Had she done something to endanger them?
“How can you be certain if it is or isn’t?” she asked. “Please. Don’t take the risk. Don’t be the one to perform the test. I need you, Quinton. We need you. Not now. Please.”
“Do you know of some reason the gate isn’t safe? If this is dangerous, none of us can go through,” he said.
“I…” she glanced around the room, as though suddenly aware of everyone’s stares. “No.”
“What’s wrong?” Rory said quietly to Munro.
Lisle interjected, speaking to Munro. “You stay,” she said. Looking around the collected druids, she pointed to Aaron and Huck. “They should go.”
Munro didn’t know if he could trust Lisle. She’s already lied to him at least once, and he got the distinct impression she didn’t want anyone to go to that house.
“If something they find will save my Demi, then they must go,” she said as though reading his doubts. “But you have your own family to think about. Family is everything.”
Munro looked into her eyes and understood that she somehow knew about Eilidh’s baby. How, he had no idea. “Okay,” he said. “Aaron, Huck, you up for the trip?”
Aaron’s eyes shone with anticipation. “This is the coolest shit we’ve ever done. Hell yeah, I’m game.”
“Absolutely,” Huck replied.
“Rory? Is Flùranach ready?”
Rory glanced at the door. “Aye,” he said with a frown. “She’s in the other room.” Something was clearly upsetting him, but Munro didn’t have time to ask. “I’ll get her,” Rory said and slipped into the corridor. He returned an instant later with Flùranach, who looked red-eyed and shame-faced.
Munro groaned inwardly. They had too many distractions. “If you guys are certain, this portal buys us a lot of time,” he said.
Rory nodded. “We know the flows we used.”
“Okay,” Munro said. He took a few minu
tes to outline how to search, what to look for, and how to approach the neighbours.
“We got this,” Huck said. “Don’t worry so much. Trust us.”
Munro nodded. He didn’t have a choice, did he? He glanced at Eilidh, wanting to jump through that portal with the others. He sighed. She needed him to stay behind. Even though their mission was important, she was too. “Best go then,” he said. “Douglas, you’re with me. We’ve got some investigating of our own to do.” At least he could use his rune knowledge to study the Source Stone while the others were at the scene.
“Got it, boss,” Douglas said happily.
With only a moment’s hesitation, Aaron, Huck, Rory and Flùranach approached the portal. Eilidh spoke to Flùranach. “Mask them well, child,” she said sternly. “Their lives are in your care.”
Flùranach curtsied deeply. “Yes, Your Majesty. I will not fail.” She stood and gestured into the air. A slight shimmer surrounded the trio, then vanished.
Without another word, they climbed into the cupboard. The electrified portal consumed them, yanking each into the darkness one at a time.
Chapter 16
Huck’s insides compressed and his airways closed. His eyes bulged and his ears rang. Heart hammering in his chest, he flailed in the blackness and sensed nothing. No heat, no wind, not a single sound.
Pain bloomed in his lungs. He needed air. Time stretched and thoughts grew distant. This was the end, he realised. He would die in a pastry cupboard.
Warm light surrounded him, and a firm hand slid behind his head, tilting his chin upwards. With a cough, he jolted awake. Aaron’s face hovered above him, slightly altered, however, to hide his fae-like appearance. Despite Flùranach’s illusion, the other druid appeared haggard and tired. Relief flooded through Huck’s mind. They’d made it.
“He’s alive,” Aaron said, then glanced down at Huck again. “It’s past daybreak. The gate’s closed.” He grinned.
Huck coughed a few more times as Aaron helped him sit up. Flùranach and Rory sat in the grass nearby. Huck’s mind reeled. They’d travelled through not only an unstable gate, but a closed gate? The arches that glowed from nightfall to dawn weren’t even visible in the daylight. He glanced down at his watch, a remnant of his human life as irrelevant to his existence in the Halls of Mist as electricity and the evening news. It was still set to Central European Time. “Eight o’clock?” he asked. “We were in there for two hours? How did we survive?”
Caledonia Fae 04- Druid Lords Page 17
