Stoc (A New Druids Series Book 3)

by Donald D. Allan

  "What's the matter with your eyes?"

  "Blinded by the light."

  "Saw that, thought you were dead to be honest. Glad to see you're alive."

  "How's the battle look? James isn't being honest with me, I think."

  "Looks bloody awful. Without Will's druids, we are losing badly."

  "What happened?"

  James answered. "I'm not sure. That Gaea woman disappeared. Your light went out. Then it came back, stronger than ever. The draoi collapsed as soon as that black monster blew up into a cloud of smoke. We can't wake them."

  "Steve, what do you think?" asked Brent.

  "As the love of my life just told me, we need to bug out."

  "Bug out? What's that mean?"

  "Sorry, highway talk. Means retreat as fast as possible. We can save lives here. I think I have a way. Hold up, we're here and the Baron and the good Colonel are yelling at one another. Pretend you can see. Be easier. Trust me."

  The sound of bickering grew louder until they rode up to the Baron. He stopped yelling at the Colonel and turned to Brent.

  "General, you're back. Good. Tell the Colonel now is the time to push forward. Victory is at hand. He wants to retreat!"

  "Good idea. Colonel, call the retreat," ordered Brent.

  "What!? Are you insane? We have to win!"

  "Yes, we do, on our terms. We were winning, now we aren't. The smart thing to do is run. Lick our wounds, regroup and strike again. Colonel, what are our loses?"

  Steve could see the Colonel looked startled by the question. He raised a warning hand and shook his head ever so slightly. The Colonel closed his mouth and then turned to Brent. "Sir, we are suffering staggering loses. Two thirds dead or wounded. Sorry, but the count is not accurate. That is my best estimate. We should have enough to vacate the field provided the enemy allows us. It will be painful. We will lose many more. This needs to happen now, sir."

  "Lose them by staying to fight!" yelled the Baron.

  "Lord Windthrop. If we continue to fight, we lose all the men and women. If we retreat we lose less and survive to fight another day. This is a simple matter. We must retreat and we are."

  "General Bairstow, I will have your head for this!"

  "On who's order, Lord Windthrop? Enough, your ambition clouds your good judgement. Colonel, call the retreat. Steve, what's your plan?"

  The Colonel yelled for the retreat and the bagpipes changed their tune. The Baron looked like he had apoplexy. Steve looked at the field and spotted Franky striking down another of the eastern soldiers. She's taken a liking to fighting them. "I'll harry them with my crew. Been doing this for years for the Baron. Fine time to start doing it for you, General. Start getting your people off the field. I'll give the soldiers something else to worry about. Could use your archers though. I need accurate shooters. People who can shoot near to us as they can and not hit us. Keep the pressure on the enemy. How much time will you need?"

  Brent kept blinking his eyes and looking around. "That depends on the wounded." The Baron studied him trying to determine what the problem was.

  Steve looked toward the red tents and saw the care givers loading the wounded into carts. They weren't being soft about it. Steve could see the urgency. "I see the Colonel has already ordered emptying the red tents. Wounded are going into carts and wagons."

  The Baron looked at the red tents being evacuated and frowned.

  Colonel Sibbald snorted. "Seemed prudent."

  Brent thought a moment. "Good man, Colonel. Hmm. Thirty minutes should see us moving south. Best guess I have."

  James was nodding. "Sounds correct, Brent. Thirty minutes and we're moving south of the Crossroads."

  "Fair enough," said Steve. "If you've archers fleet of foot, have them stay between you and the army and continue to rain down arrows when they can. It'll be helpful. We've wasted too much time already. People are dying.""

  "You'll have the archers, Steve. Thanks, and good luck."

  Steve turned to the Colonel. "Get him to Will as soon as he wakes. He needs his eyes back."

  Steve rode off to sounds of the Baron losing his mind once again and chuckled to himself.

  Twenty

  Rigby Farm - September 901 A.C.

  WE MADE IT back to the farm three weeks later. The retreat from the Crossroads had only been possible with the help of Steve's crew. General Ben Miller had been unable to bring his army together to pursue the fleeing Army of Turgany with Steve's crew harrying them and keeping them scattered. The remnants of the Turgany Army were singing praises of his men and women. Franky had reached an exalted status with the tale of her beheading Mushir Adham. It was getting more elaborate by the day. We felt like heroes but in truth we had suffered a tremendous loss.

  The Baron had retreated to his manse in Turgany in the country. Before he left Brent had had a long discussion with him. Steve had joined them. The Baron would still be the figurehead of the rebellion but no longer would he fight at the front.

  Rebellion was a word Steve had come up with. We all liked it and it was spreading across the county. It was a much better word than Revolution. We already had one of those and it hadn't worked out well for anyone. We were in open rebellion and the Army of the Realm would soon come for us.

  Brent, Vicar Martin, James, Steve, Franky and the crew, and the newcomer called Edward Hitchens, all returned to Rigby Farm. We were depressed and had a lot to talk about. We had remained silent most of the way remembering those who had fallen. My draoi moved through the army and consoled those who needed it. Vicar Martin had proven to be very good at helping others and many lit up just to see him come by to talk.

  Many approached us cautiously and started to ask about the draoi and what we were. No one was frightened. At least not very much. They had seen the good we could do. Many talked about how it felt to swing a sword with such ease. Others pointed at areas of their body where they claimed to have been struck and then healed. With not a mark to show for their wounds, some were annoyed we had healed them so thoroughly. My draoi promised to leave scars the next time. It seemed we had been accepted.

  Even Vicar Martin embraced us. He had seen both sides of the amulet and the light. I found out later that a light had come from me directly to the amulet. I hadn't seen that. He had and was thinking hard about it. He told me he was certain we weren't demons, and he had laughed such a deep and long laugh that Brent and the others had joined him.

  When we arrived at the road leading to the farm Steve's crew and the draoi left the army and they carried on toward Jergen. We thought it best they winter there. The walls and harbour would protect them from President Healy. At least for a time. Colonel Sibbald, with Major Tibert and Crenshaw, was positive they could swell their numbers. We needed the army, but the future had yet to be discussed.

  The draoi we had eft behind on the farm told the others of our arrival. The farmhands greeted us and Dempster had prepared a feast for us. Of the crew which had left the farm with the Baron at over sixty, only thirty-six remained. Twelve more had been killed at the Crossroads. Too many had died already in this stupid war. I wanted it over. There was too much death and the crew were friends of ours.

  We had a simply ceremony and a celebration of life at our farm cemetary. I looked at all the grave markers. There were so many. Most were empty but the markers reminded us that we were paying a price and a heavy one.

  My draoi were proven stocs and welcomed in this part of Belkin. We had recovered from the power drain with massive headaches and sore muscles. Use of our power was like heat on a burn. We avoided it for a time. We had woken on the run lying next to wounded in carts. Once we felt stronger, we went to work healing everyone. Forty stocs all working together can heal a staggering number of people. The chirurgeons had the good sense to not interfere. Edward Hitchens had made copious notes and observed our work. I found it hard to believe he was the rightful heir to the throne. Steve asked me quietly to check to see if it was true and I had laughed at him. The draoi were star
ting to have mystical powers now. When I told him I would need the father or mother to compare him to Steve had stalked off.

  Of Gaea, we heard nothing from her. Nadine looked glum, but that fact that our powers were still with us gave us hope. We all heard what she had said on the field. This battle had been her plan all along. She had brought all this together and then failed.

  The others all seemed so despondent and Nadine and I shared a look. The draoi had something we would share. We had hope for the future. We had learned life always finds a way, and we had life all around us. Nature was just as vibrant as always.

  Once we were fed, and the horses cared for we retired to the dining room table in the main farm house. The crew were getting boisterously drunk in the outbuildings and Dempster was singing for them. He had a lovely tenor and knew a surprising number of dirty songs. All thanks for having owned the Inn of the Woven Bail in Jaipers.

  Dempster had provided snacks and pulled out the very best wine for us. It all sat untouched, and we stared at one another. For some reason, I found myself at the head of the table in the same seat Ben Rigby had used. I felt small for the size of the chair and squirmed a little. Nadine smacked my leg and frowned at me.

  "So, here we are," I began. Franky smirked and eyed Steve. Brent and James smiled a little. Vicar Martin was looking longingly at the pastries on the tray. Edward sat quietly and probably felt more uncertain than I.

  "Here we are," agreed Brent. "Hope is not lost, everyone. We have an army made up of seasoned soldiers. They will train the new soldiers. We will be stronger than before. We know the effect of having draoi on our side. We will win this war and bring back the Realm to where it should be."

  "And where is that exactly?" asked Steve.

  Brent looked annoyed at the question.

  "Now, now, hear me out. Where is it that the Realm has to be? Back to a King on the throne? We saw where that led us."

  James leaned forward to speak. "In all fairness, we had one bad king in centuries of rule. You have to admit that the Realm under the Lord Protector..."

  "President," interrupted Franky.

  "President. Fine. Whatever. Anyway, it's been worse than the king before him. This can't continue. We need a better government. Why not start with a king? Maybe place rules on him this time. Govern him a little. No more 'his word is law' crap."

  They bantered about government for a little until Nadine and I grew tired of it. It wasn't solving anything.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, please!" I interrupted.

  "Did he call me a lady?" asked Franky, faking insult.

  "Hush," said Steve. "Let him speak. He's our boss now, remember?"

  "Humph," said Franky and slouched lower in her chair.

  "I'm no one's boss. I'm just the Freamhaigh of the draoi. A focal point. We decide as a group now. Just one of the many little changes we made, Nadine and I." Nadine made a small noise and when I looked she had her face expressionless. "Haha! This is serious. We need to speak about Gaea, Erebus and the amulet."

  Brent leaned forward. "And God," he added. Vicar Martin nodded in agreement.

  I looked at Nadine and she nodded. "And God. Sure. I discovered something remarkable on the battlefield. All my draoi know and we have talked about it. I want to share this with you. You all have a right to know. Steve, you remember Jaipers and the infection?"

  Steve nodded.

  "I cured the village. I saw within the villagers what I then called motes. Little things were in the blood of those infected. It caused the sickness. It attacked the body and spread itself. Duplicated."

  Edward looked up, suddenly interested. "By the Word, motes, you say? I hypothesized that a year or so ago. Little organisms in the blood that cause sickness. You say you have seen them and can prove it?"

  "Prove it? I suppose. I'm here to tell you it's truth. What's more, at the Crossroads, I saw something else. All the draoi did. We shared the experience joined the way we were. I discovered two other kinds of motes. For a lack of a better way to explain it, I want to call one Gaea motes and the other Erebus motes. You all have them in your bodies."

  I saw a look of concern cross everyone's faces and I held up a hand. "Sorry, you do! But don't worry, they are in balance. Everyone has equal amounts of Gaea and Erebus motes. It's in the animals, too. It's everywhere. There are exceptions though.

  "One, the draoi, we only have Gaea motes. I don't know why or how. But we have all checked each other. We all agree. No Erebus. Just Gaea. Brent, you have more Gaea than Erebus. Same as you, Vicar Martin. Everyone else, its equal proportions.

  "I bring this to your attention because it brings things into focus. This is not a war between the President and the Realm. This is a war going on inside everyone and every animal. The results of which will mean that should we lose, Erebus will eradicate all life on earth. Gaea has been fighting him for thousands of years. She fights for us. If he wins we all lose. Everyone and every living thing. Everyone has a war going on inside them

  "The draoi were so confused for so long. Somewhere along the line this balance was what the draoi fought for. The draoi could have been doing so much more, I think. They didn't know and Gaea said nothing. She's to blame for a lot of this. She says it didn't matter that we didn't know, but I don't believe her. I can't.

  "So here we are. What we do know is that the President is under the sway of Erebus. We face an enemy of his making. We must fight the President and remove his influence on the land. It will give us a better position to fight from."

  "Wait, what?" asked Brent. "Erebus is dead. I killed him. You all saw that."

  "No, Brent," answered Nadine. "Only his corporal form was destroyed. He's in you right now. All of you. He is everywhere."

  "You mean he can hear everything we are saying right now?"

  "No, we don't think so. Gaea needs to focus herself to influence things directly. The day-to-day talk is ignored by her. We think it is the same for Erebus."

  "You think?"

  "We have no reason to believe otherwise, Brent Bairstow," responded Nadine glaring at him.

  Vicar Martin patted Brent's arm to calm him. Brent leaned back in his seat. "It's important, Nadine. I ask because it is important to military planning. So, stop glaring at me. I'm not arguing with you, I'm asking questions that need to be answered."

  Nadine opened her mouth to say something nasty, and I pinched her under the table. She yelped and turned on me. "Stop it, Nadine. He's right. We take things for granted and expect others to understand what we intimately know to be truth. For others, we need to spell it out. Offer proof if need be."

  Edward nodded at me.

  "This is the challenge for the draoi. We need to make others understand what we are and why we are. Prove to them we are not a threat. We work for Gaea. Her soldiers, you might say. Time for us to get smarter."

  "Great," said James. "Can we start that with wine and pastries in our stomachs?"

  I couldn't help it. I laughed and soon the others joined in. Nadine found my hand under the table and squeezed it. We looked at each other and smiled.

  We had hope.

  Epilogue

  Outside Cala, October 901 A.C.

  KATHERINE RIGBY PULLED the rabbit out of the fire and tore it gingerly in two and then blew on her hands where the hot grease had burned them. Dog whined seated next to her and laid his head on her leg and forced it down a little to let her know he was there and hungry, too. He had watched the rabbit cook for the past thirty minutes, not letting it out of his sight once.

  "Ya think I don't know you're hungry, Dog? I can feel it up here." She tapped her head for emphasis. "It's too hot and you know it. Be patient."

  The past week had been spent gathering herbs in the area surrounding Cala. Having the sickle from Nadine made the job so easy. She almost respected Nadine when she had offered it to her. I took it out of spite but now I love the feel of the black glass in my hand. Dog thought of it as her little claw.

  The nights were getting col
der, and she had used the last of her herbs trading for warmer clothing and a thick wool blanket to sleep under. She and Dog curled up together every night now and shared the warmth. His coat was thick, and she loved lying next to him. She felt safe and warm. So did he.

  Their relationship was a strange one, even she admitted it. They loved each other but not like Will and Nadine. It was a pure love but one that crossed species and had nothing of that gooey stuff Will and Nadine were always doing. They were companions of the heart, true and simple. She was finding it harder and harder to separate where she ended and he began.

  Adding to the mix was that Dog was becoming increasingly intelligent. They didn't speak but shared images as thoughts. She and he had become adept at understanding each other. She found it necessary to use words out loud if only for her own sanity. It kept her feeling human.

  Dog had been a boon to her. When she had disappeared into her own despair and grief at the farm, it was Dog who reached down and pulled her up from the darkness. She owed her sanity and well-being to Dog. And she loved him all the more for it.

  The journey to Cala had been long and arduous. Dog had an instinct for survival and had treated Katherine like a new cub for most of the journey. He always stayed close and steered her away from dangers only he could smell. They had avoided bears and wolves and stayed clear of other humans.

  She couldn't stand being around people anymore. People reminded her of her other life. The one with mom and dad and the time before Will Arbor had shown up and destroyed all she had held dear. She didn't blame Will. He was her Freamhaigh and he could hide nothing from her. He was free of blame for what transpired. He felt guilt anyway. If anything, it was Gaea fault. Her, I hate. And yet she loved her, too. It was complicated, and she hated complications.

  Dog had it right. Stay away from bad things. Live a happy life chasing rabbits and eating rabbits and sleeping with a belly full of rabbits. That was life. That was all that was important.