Stoc (A New Druids Series Book 3)

by Donald D. Allan

  I settled back in my seat. "They're not students any longer. They're almost all stocs now. We have to promote them soon, Nadine. I want a ceremony to mark it. Something special."

  "Hmm. Yes, well, we used to have a ceremony for that before. You wouldn't approve, I don't think."

  "It's not that. It used to be a private ceremony. Hidden and secretive. I can't have that now. It needs to be in the open. With witnesses. With oaths to the land, animals, people and to Gaea. She better be there."

  "She will," Nadine hesitated. "She promised she would be."

  "Have you asked her about Katherine?"

  "Yes, of course. Says she's fine—but we knew that already—but she did say she is watching over her. Says she's glad she's moved on. Has something to do. Typical cryptic stuff. I swear she makes it up as she goes along."

  "I think so, too. All right. I'll get the craobhs rounded up and ready for your inspection within the hour."

  "Thirty minutes, mister!"

  I rose and gave her a smart salute. "Yes, ma'am!"

  "You're spending too much time training with the crew, Will. It's going to ruin you."

  "Ruin me how?" I replied and kissed her. "It's got me in better shape than ever."

  Nadine ran a hand inside my shirt across my chest. "I'll say. It's nice."

  I laughed and kissed her again, this time we lingered and sent our love across our bond. I rose and started to leave. Dempster coughed into his hand and I turned to him.

  "Yes, Dempster?"

  "The wee child, Anne's... why won't she name her?" Dempster twisted a dish towel in his hands.

  "She will when she's ready. It's her tradition from the north. They don't name their children until they are one year old."

  "But that's nonsense! You and Nadine will make sure she's healthy. She should name her."

  I opened my senses and examined the auras of Dempster and Anne and I understood at once. He loved her, but she didn't. It explained the special treats he kept making for her daughter. I looked back at Nadine and she winced. She knew it, too.

  "Dempster, the baby is fine, and she doesn't need a name to be healthy. Anne has her ways. Respect it and leave it be."

  Dempster untwisted the dish towel from his hands and tossed it into the double sink. He nodded once and then turned back to his task. More baby food by the looks of it, I thought. As if Anne didn't have enough already.

  I left the kitchen with Nadine looking at me in sympathy. I didn't need it. There was nothing I could do. People are people and love is love. Nothing in my power could change that.

  As the sun reached its zenith, the Baron, his retinue, and his following army, entered the road circle in front of the main farm house. The army continued out past the inner fields. Our sentry had counted over two hundred men including the chirurgeons and supply people. Dust rose from the hooves, feet and wheels, but the brisk wind swept it clear and away.

  Lined up in front of the house were Steve Comlin's crew wearing leathers with swords and bows and looking grim and serious. Steve stood out in front of them with Franky by his side. My students stood off to one side and wore their simple grey cloth tunics and pants. Nadine and I stood near them in similar clothes. We look so boring so near to the crew. Nadine poked me at the thought.

  The Baron rode his horse with years of experience showing. I had never met him before and Steve had said little about him. I was feeling a little excited by all the activity here on our little farm. His back was straight, and he looked important. Nobody like Lord Windthrop had ever graced Jaipers, and I looked on in wonder. His men rode and marched behind him in three long columns about a shoulder-width apart. Carts filled with equipment were in the centre of the column. With them I could see the black robes of the chirurgeons on their own cart. I was impressed, but I had never seen an army before. Nadine grunted beside me and I felt her laughing at me.

  The Baron's horse, I could sense, was proud of its stature and lifted its forelocks higher than a normal horse would. Just then the horse sensed me and faltered for only a moment but he stumbled and his eyes grew wide. I laughed and turned to my craobh with the strongest animal sense. Tara nodded, and I looked back to the horse as he settled down with her calming.

  Steve yelled out an order, and the crew drew swords and presented them in front of them. It was one large ringing of steel and the sun glinted off the oiled blades. It was a wonderful moment, and I was impressed again. I squeezed Nadine's hand when I felt her mirth roll over me.

  The Baron recovered on his horse and stopped in front of Steve. A moment later the entire column stopped more or less as one when one officer behind the Baron yelled out to halt. The Baron swung free of his saddle and drew his own sword and held it before him. Steve stepped forward and brought the sword to his nose and then swept it in front of himself to hold it angled outward from his body, the point to the ground. The Baron lifted his sword to his nose and then lowered it in front of his body with the blade pointing straight up. Steve raised his sword to his nose and then lowered it to the same position as the Baron's. The military had strange customs, and I didn't see the need for any of it. It looks good though, I thought.

  The Baron sheathed his sword. Steve followed and then stepped up and grasped the man's forearm. Grins split their faces and then Steve beckoned to the crew.

  "Do you wish to inspect, Lord Windthrop?"

  "They look well turned out, Steve. Well done to you and Franky. I can see from here that I doubt I'll find a single piece of equipment in need of attention. Let them know I appreciate their attention to detail for me. I won't hold them here. Let's forego pageantry, eh?"

  "Yes, sir. But if you'll indulge me, I would like to introduce you to Will Arbor and his wife Nadine." Steve raised a hand toward us.

  The Baron's eyes lit up, and he strode over to Nadine and I. He towered over most people and was wide of berth with a belly to match. His hair was dark black and mutton chops sprung white and thick from his cheeks. His face was bright red and a large bulbous nose protruded from it. He was an imposing figure. I shook his hand when he offered it and Nadine curtsied; something I had never seen her do before. I gawked at her and she scowled sideways at me.

  "Baron," introduced Steve. "This is Nadine Arbor, Cill Darae to the draoi and her husband, Will Arbor, Freamhaigh to the draoi. Gathered are their students, all draoi in training."

  "Ah, the draoi," smiled the Baron. He looked about the farm and ignored my students. I frowned, the slight seemed intentional. "Not so long ago we could not have spoken those words out loud in company, eh?" Nadine nodded with her face grown serious. I sensed her dislike of the Baron through our bond. "I've known the draoi my entire life, dear woman, no need for the long face. Steve has told me he explained Peter to you?"

  Nadine and I nodded. Peter had been a healer for Steve and his crew during their highway robbery days against the Lord Protector to line the Baron's pockets. "Yes, he had. I suspect he was draoi, sir."

  "Yes, indeed he was. He was my childhood friend. Peter Parks. His death tore my world apart. He never kept being draoi secret from me. Not when he discovered he had powers as a child, not during all his training, and not when the Archbishop and the Lord Protector hunted him down and killed him like an animal."

  Nadine frowned. "He shouldn't have revealed it. That was not our way."

  "Yes, he explained that to me. Some things transcend rules, eh?" The Baron didn't wait for an answer. He turned to Steve. "Shall we retire inside? I feel strained. Major Sibbald will see to my men." He looked over and scowled at the major until he nodded.

  Steve nodded and led the way with Franky walking amicably beside the Baron. Nadine and I took hands and walked behind them. I looked to my students and shrugged. A couple of them smiled and rolled their eyes to the sky. One had the audacity to hold up her middle finger to the back of the Baron. This should be interesting.

  We retired to the large dining room table in the main farm house. Nadine sat next to me and the Baron took the head o
f the table at the far end away from us. Steve settled in next to him and Franky sat next to Nadine with a nod and a smile. Yelling outside was all that could be heard as the Baron's men stabled their horses and established a camp in a fallowed field. For a time and over the din, Steve and the Baron exchanged pleasantries about the road, the weather and the travel. Dempster entered and placed down china cups and small plates. He returned with a steaming pot of tea, milk and honey, and again with two trays laden with pastries and small fancy sandwiches.

  The Baron wasted no time digging in and for a time the only sound at the table was that of china, teaspoons, and smacking lips. The outside noise faded, and I found I could hear the grandfather clock ticking in the front hall. Nadine kept feeding me little morsels and laughing at my discomfort under everyone's eyes. Steve glared at her and she pouted back.

  "It seems love is not lost at Rigby Farm," boomed the Baron with a brass chuckle when he noticed the look on Steve's face. "It warms my large heart. Don't begrudge the young their exuberance, Steve. Let them enjoy it while it lasts."

  "She's over sixty years old, Lord Windthrop," said Steve.

  The Baron blinked. "What's that you say? Over sixty? Do you jest?"

  "No, I'm serious. She's sixty-something-or-other. She was renewed or some sort," intoned Steve while grabbing the last pickled cucumber sandwich. "She drives us all insane." Nadine beamed at Steve.

  The Baron looked to Steve to see if he was joking. When Steve refused to look back and sat and chewed his sandwich, the Baron looked ready, to Nadine and back to Steve. "How is that possible?"

  "Dunno. Ask her," replied Steve.

  The Baron turned his head to Nadine and scowled. Nadine looked back at him nonplussed and then tucked a stray strand of red hair back behind her right ear.

  The Baron grew a little redder in the face. "Well?"

  Nadine placed a hand on her breast and faked a look of surprise. "Are you speaking to me?"

  "By the Word, woman!" thundered the Baron. "Have you not been listening?"

  "Why, yes I have. When you address a woman, you should start by using her name and then phrasing the question in words that have meaning."

  The Baron flopped back in his seat and let his hands dangle by his side with his mouth agape. "Why I never..."

  "Why yes, you have, dear Baron. I remember you as a man-child running around the castle in Munsten. Always precocious and always in trouble. Your manners have not changed a whit."

  The Baron looked apoplectic. "As a man-child!? That was before your time, young lady. You are insolent." Steve groaned at the words. His eyes pleaded with her.

  Nadine's eyes sparked, and she leaned forward in her seat. "I remember you stealing kisses in the garden behind the bushes. You, me, and the son of an Army sergeant. You were much fitter then. It was all a game until you stole a kiss from the boy. He fled crying. Remember? You made me promise never to tell a soul or you would have everyone who knew me killed. Do you remember that? The incident got out anyway. That boy wouldn't shut up trying to embarrass you. It caused quite a stir. Your family hushed it up and had the sergeant's entire family exiled to the north. All because of one small kiss."

  The Baron sputtered and clasped his chest. His eyes were wide and white. In fear for his health I reached out with my power to calm his heart but Nadine was already there and calming the muscle. The Baron relaxed and then hung his head for a moment. Nadine squeezed my leg for a moment and I placed my hand on hers. I doubt the Baron even understood how bad his heart was. It seemed to be a common ailment with the middle-aged. One of my draoi was certain it was bad diet and was working on finding a balance of food that would make people healthier. He was making great progress. His father had been a Wordsmith in Salt Lake City in the north and he applied the principals of the Word to everything he did. A gifted draoi that was unfortunately fond of practical jokes.

  When the Baron raised his head, he locked eyes with Nadine. "Nadine Brewster. That was her name. We were friends back when I was allowed to play with children beneath my station—as my father often told me. Repeatedly." The Baron squinted at Nadine. "I see similarities in you. But how could I possibly believe you are that same person? You've heard the tale from some gossip. By the Word, I still hear the tale whispered in corners even after all these years."

  "Do you remember wearing my dresses? You liked my white one with the embroidered blue rose on the shoulder. It fitted you perfectly."

  The Baron turned white. Steve looked at him in shock, his face nearly as white. The room grew quiet. I looked around at everyone and could see discomfort in all eyes except Nadine's. She was enjoying this. I cleared my throat, and all eyes turned toward me. Steve looked grateful for the interruption.

  I laid my hand on Nadine's shoulder. "Lord Windthrop, sir. I assure you this is the same Nadine you knew as a young man," I shifted in my seat not sure what else to say. "Gaea changed her. Stole all her years away so she could be the Cill Darae and serve her for a longer time."

  The Baron held my gaze. "Peter often spoke of his magic. About how he could speed the healing of others. Bring the flesh back together. Is that of what you speak? Surely your magic cannot turn back the years."

  Nadine and I shared a glance. "No," I said simply. "That is not in our power. There is much we can do, but that is beyond us."

  "Then I simply won't believe it. Enough of this charade, Will," said the Baron, leaning forward in his chair until he loomed over the edge of the table. "I'm here for only one reason. And that is to discuss my plan. Steve and I have talked at length about your druids and we believe we have a role for them. If you will listen."

  I was surprised and grew angry at once. How dare they talk about my draoi and not include Nadine and I. My thoughts must've been visible because Steve looked embarrassed. I was about to speak when Steve raised a hand to quell my protest.

  "Will, I'm sorry," he began. "It started innocently as a series of what ifs and it spun into something more substantial. Over the last few months we have come to believe you are a crucial part of what we do next..."

  "But..." I tried to interject, my anger growing stronger.

  "Just listen, please. I can see you're angry. Please, the decision will be yours. You and Nadine's. There's a war coming, Will. A war to end the Lord Protector's tyranny, and finish what the Revolution started, and maybe return a king to the throne. Belkin has suffered long enough. The realm is divided, and the Baron seeks to unite us. That's why he is here today. To enlist us to his cause. He will need the druids beside him. He saw what Peter could do. Imagine what dozens of druids could do to turn the battle! It would give us the edge we need.

  "I've been fighting the Lord Protector my entire life. Except for my years in Jaipers I have always fought the enemy. I have worked with the Baron for years and been in countless fights and I have seen men and women close to death saved by Peter Parks. I thought him merely an exceptional chirurgeon. I can see now the truth of it and I've seen your druids practicing their arts. Your magic is powerful and will give us the edge we need. You can slow the advance of the enemy. Heal our wounded. By the Word, your druids have picked up using weapons like no one else I have ever seen. Such speed and accuracy. You would be unstoppable. A force for good to unite Belkin and restore order."

  "You want to put my draoi in harm's way?" The words come out of me in a dry, low hiss. "To put them into battle? Draoi don't fight, Comlin. Draoi protect the land and provide harmony to the world. We don't march with swords in hand to kill those who we would protect."

  "No one is suggesting you do, far from it, young man," interjected the Baron. "Peter never marched into battle. He tended to the wounded. Had them up on their feet and back on the line faster than any of my best chirurgeons ever managed on their best days. No, I see your druids filling a support role. Healing the wounded and what not. Working safe in the Red Tents, behind the line."

  I looked to Nadine for support and stopped when I was surprised to see a gleam in her eyes. She approve
d?

  "Nadine, no," I pleaded.

  "I think he is right, Will. Listen to him. You weren't there during the Revolution and the Purge. You didn't see so many innocents struck down and lying bleeding on the streets. So many died and the draoi could do nothing to stem it. Here's our chance! A chance to step forward and show the world the good we can do. They'll accept us then. They'd have to."

  "No, Nadine," I shook my head. "This is too much to ask. You and I cannot decide here and now and I won't without speaking to the others first. This is their choice, too."

  Nadine looked a little startled but recovered and took my hands. "I would expect nothing less from you, love. It's why I adore you. You are right. The others have a say. Forgive me."

  The Baron coughed politely into his hand. "My dear boy, take what time you need. This is a decision that history will look back on. Make sure it's the right one. Perhaps you should understand what else is happening in the world first. It will affect your choice."

  Just then a knock at the entranceway to the dining room turned our heads to see a captain in the colours of Turgany standing politely in the opening.

  "Beg your pardon, sir. You asked me to report once the men were settled. I've set up the map table in the barn as you ordered."

  "Ah, thank you Captain Tibert. We'll be over momentarily. You are dismissed."

  The captain came to attention, saluted, and turned and left. The Baron turned back to me.

  "Tell me, young man. Do you trust your people?" he asked.

  Nadine growled and lurched to her feet. "Listen to me, Andrew Windthrop. That's thrice you've belittled Will to his face. He is not a dear boy or a young man. Now you question the loyalty of the draoi? He is the Freamhaigh of the Tree and the draoi. Selected by Gaea herself. He has been charged to return this world to a state of harmony and protect all life. I dare say he outranks you or anyone else in Belkin. He is the Freamhaigh of the entire world, you smug bastard. Do you ken me?"

  The Baron rose to his feet and planted his fists on the table and leaned over. He glared at Nadine and I. "I've had enough of this charade. The druids are nothing but a group of healers and plant sowers. They will heal my people. I require their obedience. You are my vassals and you will talk to me with respect!"