Leaf and Branch (New Druids Series Vol 1 & 2)

by Donald D. Allan

  The Archbishop looked around the room searching for a Lord Protector. Who clearly, she chuffed to herself, was not present in the room. Belle smiled and gestured to the door to the chamber leading to the large adjoining office. The Archbishop grimaced and limped over to the door and knocked. Hearing no reply, he cracked the door open a little and looked inside. He looked over to Belle and shook his head.

  Belle turned to the other door — the one leading to the bedchamber — and grimaced. She took a breath and marched over and rapped on the wood door frame. She waited and heard a muffled "Enter".

  "Your Grace," she said over to the Archbishop. "He's in here." The Archbishop nodded and started over to her. Belle grabbed the door knob and turned it and slowly pushed open the door. The first thing she saw was the unmade massive bed sitting central to the room. It had a soaring canopy cover and was dressed with silk tassels. Such a large bed for such a small man. My husband and I could make good use of it, she thought and bit her inner cheek to stop from smiling. She looked left and spied Lord Protector John Healy where he was seated at a small table next to the large bay window. He was eating his breakfast and watching the sunrise outside. The clouds on the horizon were on fire with oranges and reds. It was a breath-taking view but she was surprised to see the Lord Protector taking the time to enjoy it. Or being able to appreciate it.

  "Lord Protector, you summoned us?" asked Belle Arbor and stepped to the side to allow the Archbishop to enter first.

  Healy rose, placed his napkin on the table, and looked over at the two of them. "Yes, thank you. However, it was actually the Archbishop who called for this meeting. He asked for the Word Advisor but I preferred you over that sour man for obvious reasons."

  Belle snapped her head over to the Archbishop and she could see the anger in his eyes and that surprised her. He never showed anger. Why now? The Archbishop was a mystery to her. She watched him as Healy strode across the room to welcome them. Healy raised his hand to shake hands with the Archbishop and Belle could see the jaw tighten on the head of the Church. The Protector saw it now. She could see his eyes widen a little. Such hatred, cold and hard, there for all to see here in this private chamber. This is unexpected. These two go back all the way to the Revolution. Greigsen helped calm a nation and hand the Realm over to Healy. Why the hatred? Why now? Unless it didn't matter now, but why?

  Healy left Greigsen, but gave him one more look, before coming to stand in front of Belle. Belle watched his smarmy smile fill his repugnant face. She curtseyed and lowered her head to hide her disgust. When she rose, expression cleared from her face, he grasped her offered hand and bent low over it to press his dry lips against it. He held it for an unacceptably long amount of time and Belle pulled it free with a tug. Healy rose and smiled knowingly at her. He had the audacity to wink before turning back to Greigsen. Belle felt the heat on her cheeks and turned to see if the Archbishop had noticed. But, she saw, he's not even looking at us or out the window. He's looking over to the fireplace behind Healy.

  She focused on the fireplace and, at first, wasn't sure what she was seeing. Then she saw a figure emerge from a secret door that had opened beside the fireplace. It was Seth Farlow, she recognised. The weasel of the castle. She gasped. She could sense he had no aura. He wasn't of the earth! Like the Archbishop. She saw he carried a small crossbow and was raising it toward the Lord Protector who still had his back to the threat, unaware. Timed seemed to slow. Outside the room, she heard a sudden commotion and she froze confused by what she was hearing and seeing.

  ACT NOW! STOP THE ASSASSIN!

  The loud voice of Gaea in her head had her reacting automatically. She was the Cill Darae of the Draoi, the Head Priestess of Gaea herself, her power was Gaea's and she felt the strength Gaea gave her now. Belle had trained many draoi in the past on how to defend themselves, how to use their powers against others, and how to heal. She was the best healer of them all. With her knowledge of healing came an intimate knowledge of how to harm a human body. She started to reach out to use her power to stop Seth when she found to her shock he was untouchable by her abilities. A shout sounded outside in the outer chamber accompanied with the clash of steel on steel. She had little time, the crossbow was almost level now and Belle saw many things at once. She saw the gleam in the Archbishop's eyes, she saw Healy start to turn his head toward the sounds in his outer chamber, and she saw there was little she could do against a man like Seth who was beyond her powers.

  Belle reacted. She used her new strength to push her body into a motion beyond what normal people could manage. She manipulated her body internally without thought. She was unable to harm another with her power, but she could use the power on herself. She moved in front of the crossbow just as the bolt was released. She reached up with a hand and snatched it out of the air and felt a burn on her palm. She reversed the arrow and threw it back at the strange man who stood before her. His eyes were wide with fright as he tried to track her movements. She watched the arrow pierce the man in the right breast and saw the pain lighting up his features mix with a look of pleasure. What the...? She whirled toward Healy and saw first the horror on the face of the Archbishop. He raised a hand toward her and pointed. Belle looked back to Seth and was stunned to see him moving at speed out of the room and back through the secret opening. He had Gaea's powers, but how?

  "Demon!" cried the Archbishop. "She's a demon!"

  Healy looked at her in confusion and then back to the sounds of fighting and cries for help coming from outside.

  "She's here to kill you, Lord Protector!"

  Healy glanced at her a second time and frowned. Belle heard her husband cry out.

  GO TO HIM. SAVE HIM.

  Belle pushed her body to move as quickly as possible and rushed out of the room and back into the outer chamber. She arrived in time to see her husband and the guards on watch fighting off the new arrivals. Three of his guards were down and bleeding. Belle knew two could be saved if she had time. She grabbed a sword from one of the fallen men and moved toward where her husband was fighting off two of the attackers. She had never fought with a sword before. The grip felt strange in her hands and the sword heavy. She strengthened her fingers, arm, and shoulders and swung the sword up in an arc to intercept a blow that would have landed on her husband's open side.

  The strength of her swing drove the attacker's sword back and into his other arm, the edge biting deep, through the bone, and severing it completely from his body. The sound of the strike was unbelievably loud in the chamber and drew the instant stares of the other men, including her husband. Belle felt vomit rise in her throat. She had never done harm with a weapon before. What she had just done was particularly nasty. Heart blood sprayed from the stump and the man went down trying to staunch the amputation. The need to heal him fought with her need to vanquish the attackers. She was conflicted. This is not what a Cill Darae was supposed to do. I'm not a fighter.

  FIGHT!

  All doubt ended with the order from Gaea. "Fight!" screeched Belle echoing Gaea and she pushed toward another of the attackers while strengthening her legs to better brace her swings. She swung her sword and moved it mid-swing to avoid the parry and struck the next attacker in the chest. The man flew back in a crimson mist to strike the back wall.

  The cry of "Demon!" was heard from the doorway behind her and she recognised the Archbishop's voice. All the guards looked from behind her to where she was standing panting in the middle of the room. The guard against the wall groaned once and Belle felt him pass on. She had killed him. She turned toward the guards and growled. No one else will die here, she thought. Not if I can help it.

  She watched as all the guards united against a common threat turned toward her and raised their weapons. She looked to William and she saw horror there. Horror toward me? She looked at herself. Her sword dripped blood to the carpet floor. She was covered in a fine spray of blood and she felt spots drying on her face and arms. She had used her powers in front of people. On Gaea's orders, she
thought, but that doesn't change the fact these guards have all just seen a woman moving at unnatural speeds and with superhuman strength. She glanced back toward the Archbishop and could see the horror plainly written on his face. Healy was just behind him and staring with equal disgust and fear. They fear me and think me something I am not. Dear Gaea, what have you had me do?

  Cries could be heard in the castle interior now. The sword in her hand suddenly grew heavy and so she let it go and it thumped to the carpet. She looked to her husband and mouthed I'm sorry to him. A touch of a smile touched the corner of his mouth and Belle felt relieved. He doesn't fear me, thank Gaea.

  Run now, Belle. Take your boy. Leave Munsten. Your husband will help you if you ask. Trust me in this.

  A sob broke out of Belle. The fear she had been holding all these months broke free. It was now. Whatever Gaea had planned it was now in motion and she and her child were caught in the middle of it. Gaea, why? Why now?

  Belle waited for an answer and the silence felt like a fist punched into her stomach and she bent over and retched. She raised her eyes to her husband. "Our spot," she said and he looked grim but nodded once. Belle forced herself to stand and, using the strength of Gaea, sped out of the room. The cries of alarm fading behind her.

  Belle waited in a bastion on the seaward side of the outer wall and kept Will pressed up with his back to her front. The bastion was sheltered from the wind but the smell of fire and smoke was thick in the air and Belle coughed. The city was burning. She had no idea who was burning the buildings or why. The cries from the city folk were getting higher pitched and more panicked. She had watched a couple of families being pulled out of their homes and then questioned on the street. The troubling part was it wasn't guards or constables doing the door-to-door searching. It was members of the Church of the New Order. They were armed and telling everyone they were looking for demons and under the authority of the Lord Protector and the Archbishop. When she heard them asking specifically about her she had become more frightened and started using her powers to stay hidden. Gaea was not answering her pleas but she continued to pour her power into her. That was something, at least.

  She was troubled by how quickly the Church ruffians were finding her people and separating them from the masses. She had no idea how but she felt their fear and pain through her links with them when they were discovered. A few had been killed and the shock of their deaths was taking its toll on her. She was shaking now with an effort to keep the pain she was feeling at bay. She wished she could warn them all and she had pleaded with Gaea to do so but Gaea was no longer speaking to her. Belle was devastated and felt betrayed and abandoned. The sounds of violence in the streets of Munsten were getting louder and closer. Houses had been lit on fire when occupants refused to open up and allow the Church access to search. The smoke from the fires had obscured the sun for most of the day but now night had fallen. The smell of smoke and burnt flesh was thick in the air.

  On the way to her current hiding spot in the bastion Belle had watched one of the draoi, a new Craobh named Anne, use her powers openly against one of the Church ruffians. The power had washed over the man like nothing more than the wind. He had laughed and held up a red gem for the poor woman to see. The despair in Anne's face had nearly broken Belle. The man had pushed Anne to the cobblestones and then stomped on her throat with a black boot. Belle felt Anne pass instantly with a crushed neck. The violence of the act and the expression of pleasure on the man horrified her. The world had descended into chaos and at the centre stood the Church and the Lord Protector. This was different from the Revolution. This time, her people were being targeted. Systemically and methodically. Hunted.

  Belle felt safe with William in the bastion for now. It was one of the few quiet spots in Munsten where no one travelled. It was too high up on the wall. Belle was confident she and Will could remain hidden for a long time if need be. It was here where she and her husband had spent many romantic evenings before they had wed. They had watched many sunrises here lost in each other's embrace and kiss. Belle was starting to get worried about her husband. She had expected him hours ago and she hoped he hadn't decided to place his duty above his wife and child or been implicated somehow. Never, she thought. He is not that kind of man.

  "William, where are you?" she said out loud causing Will to stir in her arms. She kissed the top of his head and held him tight. She used her power to make him calm and sleep.

  After fleeing the Lord Protector's chambers Belle had run directly to their quarters and scooped Will out of his bed. She put them both in plain street clothes, grabbed some important items and food, and then fled and didn't look back. It had been a troubling trip here. The worst point had been when they hid in a root cellar. She had hidden there when a patrol hit the street up ahead from her. One of the guards saw her duck into the cellar and pulled the doors open with a loud bang. She drew so much power to keep the searching guard from seeing her sitting with Will right before him. The guard left confused and called the other guards to search the other cellars all around them. She had lain there for an hour, with the cellar door open, staring out into a street full of chaos.

  When it grew dark she had run directly here carrying Will in her arms. Cloaking their movements from prying eyes was hard work and she had been drawing on Gaea's strength for a while now but she had yet to feel any fatigue. The power from Gaea had been extraordinary. She wielded it like a Duilleog might and worried she had overused it on wee William. She kept him calm and quiet. He was only eight and apt to cry out. Even now Will was fussing and didn't understand what was going on. She was gentle with her power caress but knew it would dull his memories of the night. Much like how alcohol can make memories vague and confused.

  Drawing power in the city should be next to impossible without tapping your own inner strength. Munsten was built on solid stone and stone was not part of Gaea. Belle had no idea how Gaea was lending her strength but she was thankful. Belle sobbed when her emotions again threatened to break her hold of them. It was too much.

  She was worried about William. He should be here. For the thousandth time, she considered just leaving with Will and abandoning her husband. She felt the unmistakable push from Gaea to just run. Belle scowled and pushed back, determined to remain here for her husband. He would wait for me if our roles were reversed. The only sense I have from you is the one to run. To abandon all that I love. It's not fair. Now either help me or leave me alone!

  Without warning, Belle felt the thread to Freamhaigh Dalton sever. She cried out and collapsed, pulling Will down with her into her lap. Will started to cry and looked about confused. Belle grasped at the other threads for strength. Everywhere there was pain and suffering. Losing the Freamhaigh touched all draoi. His death, thankfully quick and painless, resonated throughout all of them. As Cill Darae, it was more than pain. It came with a profound sense of loss. The man was a misogynist but he was a good man and a better draoi. So much loss! Why, Gaea? Why? Belle sobbed until sleep overtook her. She slept until a hand landed on her shoulder. She cried out in fear and started to fight before she realised she was hearing her name.

  "Belle, Belle? Love, it's me, William! I'm here."

  Belle looked up into the face of her husband. He was covered in soot and reeked of smoke. He had been beaten, his face bruised and swollen. His bright blue eyes were full of worry for her. Her heart almost burst with her love for William and she threw her arms around him, crushing Will between them and she released all her fears and cried into her husband's shoulder. The anguish and grief poured out of her like pus from a wound. She held close to hysterics and struggled to calm herself.

  "Lass, lass, calm down. You need to flee. They are tearing this city apart looking for you. They know! They know about Gaea but they call her — and you, too! — a demon. A demon! How could they ever think someone as caring as you could be a demon? You've healed so many of these people. Men, women and children all healed by you would now strike you down in a heartbeat, love. Yo
u must flee with Will! Do you hear me?"

  Belle tried to get control of her emotions. She lost control of them all the time. It ran in her family and she saw it in Will. Gaea said it was because she was more empathetic to emotions. It was what set her apart from most people. She didn't know if that was true but didn't doubt it. It's difficult when a deity speaks in your head, she thought and then laughed out loud at her own jest.

  She turned her tear-streaked face to her husband's. "I've shown them Gaea's powers, William. She told me to and I obeyed without hesitation. Now they all know and they fear it. The Church is hunting down my fellow draoi. I feel their threads breaking, William! It rips my heart out every time. The Freamhaigh...Dalton..." and she stopped with her voice catching.

  "Yes, I know, love," replied her husband quietly. He leaned back and released Will from between them, rubbing his long blond hair. "It was me, love. I was forced to kill him. I'm sorry."

  Belle reached out and grabbed William by the front of his tunic and pulled him closer. "W-what? You? Why, William?"

  William didn't fight her. He looked grimly down at her and spoke calmly. "He told me to. Said Gaea had said I must do it with witnesses. That the act alone would free me to do what I must do."

  Belle felt Gaea for a moment and knew her husband spoke truth. She dropped her hands from the tunic to Will. "What must you do?"

  "Get you and Will out of Munsten. All the ways are blocked. I wasn't trusted, you see. I am the man who married a demon. I've been questioned all day. Beaten really. Over and over again. Killing Dalton was a test. They carried him in and bade me kill him to prove my faith. I refused. They beat me until I agreed. They handed me a knife and watched. I-I don't know how he did it but I heard Dalton in my head. He told me to kill him. I watched his eyes and it was him speaking to me, Belle. He said to get you and Will out as soon as possible." William pulled Belle in tight to his chest and Belle could feel him shaking. "He said Will was meant for great things. Our boy, hon. I did as he wanted. Quick. He felt little. I'm sorry. It felt like murder. I watched the life fade from his eyes. At my hands."