“Not too soon though,” Huck said. “Go. Have some fun. Get some rest. You deserve it.”
“You too,” Munro said. With that, he stepped through the portal, on his way back to Caledonia where he belonged.
∞
Three months after Demi and Jago’s arrival at the Halls of Mist, Munro brought Eilidh to the Druid Hall. They travelled together more often of late. Eilidh’s essence had grown stronger as their daughter grew in her womb, and Munro hated being away from them. Eilidh held his arm as they approached the Hall’s main courtyard.
Demi and Huck sat together in the garden, watching Jago play with some blocks one of the druids had crafted out of a smooth, dark wood. The child seemed normal and happy. Some weeks after the wedding, when Munro returned for a brief visit to check on the new arrivals, Huck had told him what had really happened in Amsterdam and how Ulrich died. Fortunately, the boy seemed to have no memory of that night or of his father.
Jago put down his blocks and beamed up at Munro and Eilidh when they arrived. Skipping over to her, the boy took her hand.
She smiled with delight. “Hello,” she said. She cupped his face in her palm. “Aren’t you a beautiful child.” Looking over his head, she spoke to Demi. “Are you sure you will not allow him to join the infants in the Caledonian nursery?”
Demi chuckled and shook her head. “No, but thank you, Your Majesty. Perhaps we will visit soon, though, if that’s permitted. I think he’d like to be around other children.”
Munro understood her reluctance to send Jago away to school. He’d explained to Eilidh many times that humans raised their own children, but she didn’t understand why. She insisted any child would be better off with those whose life’s work was bringing up fae offspring. At least she’d compromised some, agreeing that he should educate his daughter in human and druidic lore himself. He didn’t want his kid brought up by strangers, but he planned to take each day as it came, rather than arguing over the theoretical.
Eilidh sat and chattered with Demi. While they were all distracted, Jago reached over and put his small hand on Eilidh’s belly. Munro felt the jolt in Eilidh’s essence as something surprised her suddenly.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his protective instinct kicking into high gear.
She stared at Jago.
The boy leaned over and whispered to her belly. “Hello,” he said. With a smile at Eilidh, he said, “When will Princess Maiya come out to play with me?”
Eilidh and Munro exchanged a glance. She frowned at Jago. “Why do you call her that?”
He furrowed his eyebrows. “Because that’s her name. She told me,” he said.
“I see,” Eilidh said slowly.
Demi came and gently tugged Jago away. “Come sit with Mama,” she said, then to Eilidh added, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right,” Eilidh told her, making an effort to relax. “I was just surprised. Maiya was my grandmother’s name.”
Jago shrugged. “She will be a queen someday, and I’m going to be her prince. She wanted me to know her name.” He went back to his blocks without another word and continued with the towering structure he was building one inch at a time.
“Oh,” Eilidh said. She met Munro’s eyes. “Oh,” she repeated.
Demi looked embarrassed and whispered, “He doesn’t know what he’s saying sometimes. I’m sorry.”
“That’s quite all right,” Eilidh replied. “Children are remarkable.” Her voice sounded distant.
“Come on,” Munro said. “Let’s say hello to the others.” He stood and held out his hand. Eilidh took it and rose to her feet, gently rubbing her swollen tummy as she watched the lethfae boy playing in the grass.
A Note from the Author
Thank you so much for reading Druid Lords. If you enjoyed it, please take a moment to leave a review at your favourite online retailer.
I welcome contact from readers. At my website http://www.indiadrummond.com, you can contact me, sign up for my newsletter to be notified of new releases, read my blog, and find me on social networking. Follow my Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/india.drummond.author) to hear about upcoming releases and giveaways.
—India Drummond
The Caledonia Fae series by India Drummond
Book 1: Blood Faerie
Unjustly sentenced to death, Eilidh ran—away from faerie lands, to the streets of Perth, Scotland. Just as she has grown accustomed to exile, local police discover a mutilated body outside the abandoned church where she lives. Recognising the murder as the work of one of her own kind, Eilidh must choose: flee, or learn to tap into the forbidden magic that cost her everything.
* * *
Book 2: Azuri Fae
A faerie prince disappears in the borderlands, and his father enlists the help of outcast Eilidh and her bonded druid, Quinton Munro. Tantalised with hints of a lost and ancient magic, they learn that time is working against them every step of the way. Is the prince’s disappearance related to the vanishing of an entire Scottish village?
Faced with deception, assassination attempts, and a mad queen who would sacrifice her own child to keep a dreaded secret, Eilidh struggles with an impossible situation. Her people demand she commit treason and betray the man she loves. Will she do what duty requires, or throw away the chance to reunite the kingdom in exchange for the life she hadn’t dared hope for?
* * *
Book 3: Enemy of the Fae
With a young, inexperienced monarch on the Caledonian throne and traitorous plots implicating those nearest Queen Eilidh, unrest is rife in the kingdom. She must sift through the intrigues and lies to survive, all while trying to discover which of her trusted companions hates her enough to commit mass murder.
Pressures threaten to overcome the young ruler, and to protect Quinton Munro, her bonded druid, she must send him away. His journey becomes a mission when he stumbles on an ancient truth that will shake the foundations of the entire faerie realm. Confronted by infinite danger and the promise of limitless power, Munro faces the most difficult choices of his life. Will he hide the truth to preserve stability in the faerie kingdoms or embrace the promise of his true druid heritage?
One friend will die because of that truth, one friend’s betrayal will cause irreparable scars, and the once tightly-knit band of druids will learn that not all magic is benevolent.
* * *
Book 4: Druid Lords
The druids of Caledonia have taken their place in the Halls of Mist, only to learn that their path is fraught with many dangers. When their newest member, Huck Webster, finds a woman of magical talents in Amsterdam, their troubles multiply. Lying between them and a peaceful existence are a dead prince, a furious queen, and a druid accused of murder. Each druid must search his soul and discover where his talents, and his loyalties, lie.
* * *
Book 5: Elder Druid
As the Druid Hall celebrates the completion of the Mistgate, their leader Munro is abducted, leaving them in disarray. Queen Eilidh declares Munro dead, which threatens the fragile balance of power in the Halls of Mist. With the druids crippled by grief and uncertainty, no one notices the insidious force influencing them from a dark mirror realm.
That force has a voice, a sinister whisper in Lord Druid Douglas’ ear, compelling him to feed the Source Stone and driving a wedge between him and his companions. Trath's magic could protect the druid lord, but the prince has fled heartbreak in search of a different life. But will his quest bring redemption or ruin?
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