The novices who had stayed to write the test turned in their seats to cast them a curious look. Serena and Viktor were also among them and it was possible that they had told on them.
Maren gave an innocent smile, but it didn't seem to soften their teacher in any way. Elmar and Lars groped at the blank sheets of paper on one of the tables in an attempt to show Aedan that despite their disobedience, they were still willing to take the test. But the druid was no longer interested in their knowledge.
“Leave the papers be,” he growled. “So you figured you'd have fun in the woods instead of doing your duties. Did you really think you could skip it?” He shifted his staff to his left hand as he made his way to them. “As I can see, you all stick together so you will certainly enjoy working together. You will clean all the houses. I want the floors shimmering, the linens dazzling white, the furniture to gleam like never before, the windows to be invisible and there will be no spider webs.”
As Aedan had spoken his verdict, there was an outbreak of annoyed muttering and the group of unfortunate novices exchanged highly disgruntled looks. Viktor gazed at them with a grim face as he provocatively put his legs on the table. But as bad as it was, Aedan didn't seem to know where exactly they had spent the evening. His last words were the “cherry” on top though.
“And one month of service in the kitchen,” he added delightedly.
XIV. The Druid Grove
“See? What did I tell you?” Viktor preached, watching Darius and the rest of the Black Squad scrubbing the mud off their dirty clothes. “I advised you well, but you didn't listen.”
Darius impatiently flung his wet jacket against the flat rock. It appeared he had been listening to this for quite a while.
“Are you done?” he said irritably and gave Viktor an annoyed look.
“Yeah, but I don't know if you're done too. Can't you see the little goblin doesn't appreciate anything you do?” Viktor said shortly.
Darius gave a heavy sigh, lowering his head.
Viktor continued, “Look, just leave it be. That's the best thing you can do.” Serena seemed to agree with him completely.
“Yeah, you have your friends, don't you? Who cares about her,” she said airily and waved her hand.
Darius let out a bitter laugh.
“Like you, who turned your back on me at the first chance? Oh and by the way, that renowned love potion of yours doesn't work at all, Viktor,” he retorted as he continued scrubbing his jacket on the rock.
Serena gave Darius a significant look.
“Hmm, a love potion? That sounds interesting,” she chaffed, but the only answer to that was his venomous glare.
Even then, Viktor didn't stop defending his alchemy skills.
“It works, but you nullified its effects. Have you forgotten that you used it for revenge? Stop chasing after her 'cause that won't help. You have to let things happen on their own,” he said in a slightly affronted tone.
Darius looked up and gazed wordlessly at Fjalldís, who was having fun with Maren and Magnus on the other side of the creek. They were already done with their work — all their clothes were dazzling clean. The best way to wash fabric was to twist it tightly and slam it against the flat rocks and it was clear that Magnus had done all the work for them. It was hard to believe what Viktor had said about the potion — everything suggested that if Darius let Fjalldís be, she would only stick around that “super-hero” Magnus.
Once Viktor and Serena left and Henry and Giselbert were busy talking, Rodrick brought his washing closer to their leader.
“Hey Darius,” he whispered, leaning closer to him. “Why do you care about it so much?”
“I don't know,” Darius retorted gruffly. Rodrick gave him an understanding sneer.
“Yeah right,” he said, poking his friend as he chuckled.
“It's not what you think,” said Darius firmly, shooting Rodrick a slightly annoyed look.
Rodrick was still snickering, but then he gave Darius a friendly pat on the back.
“Don't worry man, I'm not gonna tell anyone.”
Everyone who had partaken in the marsh adventure had to wash their clothing right now because if they didn't, it would be waiting for their return from a tiresome journey. Aedan was going to take them on a druid trip.
When they finished washing, they left to the dining room to join the rest of the novices and have the lunch that they had prepared themselves as a punishment for yesterday. There were several meals to choose from — some better, some worse, depending on who cooked it. Afterwards, they were all summoned to gather 'round at the courtyard. It seemed they would have a nice weather, except for a few clouds in the sky.
Before Aedan could give them any instructions, Elmar's arm darted up from the crowd.
“Should we take our books?” he asked diligently.
“No, you won't need that,” Aedan said with a soft smile, but then his expression hardened. He shifted his druid staff into his other hand and strode to Rodrick, who was carrying a backpack full of “something” and obviously, he was also chewing on this “something” with almost indecent enthusiasm. “What's the meaning of this?!” Aedan growled wrathfully. “Take it off at once. This is a druid trip, not a picnic.”
Rodrick stopped chewing and fixed his horrified green eyes on his teacher.
“And what will we eat?” he said with his mouth so full of biscuits, the words came out totally muffled. A few crumbles fell out of his mouth.
Aedan took a deep breath.
“For those who haven't understood — listen closely, because I won't repeat it a hundred times — this is a DRUID trip. You won't need books, writing tools, food, water, spare clothes or a bed. All that will be provided by Mother Nature, but only if you behave. And She knows if you behave or not,” he said flatly.
The last words sounded as if he was addressing them to five-year-old children, so they didn't take it seriously. But the fact they would go into the wilderness without any food or blankets made them doubt they would live to see another day. However, Aedan was completely certain of his words.
“But you will need one thing. Follow me, everyone!” Aedan commanded, sounding a bit brighter now. With a brisk pace, he led the novices through the long dim hallway down into the underground chamber where the test was held last evening. But this time, there was something else on the tables.
“What is that?” Darius asked in a horrified tone.
“Your druid cloaks,” Aedan fizzled through his teeth clenched tightly, as if he considered it impossible that they couldn't tell by themselves.
The novices edged closer to take a look at the rags they would have to wear for at least the next twenty four hours. Each one of them had to dress in a simple cloak of dark green colour, made of thick cotton which had a hood on its top and laces to tie. They did it with extreme muttering. When they turned to their friends to look at each other, they weren't sure if they should laugh or cry. Could Aedan even choose something worse for their druid cloaks?
“I hope it doesn't have fleas,” Giselbert commented, a little more audibly than he should. Aedan's stern gaze landed on him immediately, but he didn't say anything. There were too many complaining novices, so the moaning of the Black Squad was lost in the crowd.
Maren leaned closer to Magnus.
“Do you think we can survive this?” she whispered.
“Let's get surprised,” Magnus said with very little hope as he was tying his “royal” cloak under his neck.
“Getting surprised” was really the only thing they could do. Aedan led them down the lanes out of the town. As soon as they descended the serpentine path to the rocky valley and crossed the little bridge over the crystal clear creek, the druid expedition had begun.
Aedan's gentle steps were hidden under his long druid cloak and as usual, it looked as though he was floating.
“If you want to learn exemplary druid behaviour, the best thing you can do is follow my example,” Aedan said proudly, raising his staff hig
her. “And the first thing is — your druid staff.”
“But we don't have one,” Lars said bashfully.
Aedan was glad that at least someone had realised this.
“Exactly. You think fast, Lars! Now, you will find a long stick that will feel comfortable in your hands. It's very important that you find it yourselves, enhance it yourselves and put your own effort and energy into it. Don't forget to test its hardness — you don't want it to break with the first hit. Take only what you find on the ground, never from the living trees!” Aedan said grimly and surveyed them all with his stern gaze to make sure they understood. “And never forget — before you take anything, you need to ask Mother Nature for permission.”
Belinda raised her hand.
“And how do we make sure if the stick will break or not?” she asked curiously. She was one of the few novices who were actually interested in this druid expedition. But it seemed that Aedan didn't think about this.
“Well, try it on the rocks... or... or on yourselves,” Aedan said, lowering his voice at the end of the sentence. He waved his had carelessly, taking a seat on a flat rock nearby. He let them do their work while he was listening to the lovely chirping of forest birds. Aedan could hear cheesed muttering behind him and then the children slowly shuffled into the forest and scattered around to find their staffs. But not all of them were searching so hard. Magnus, Maren and Fjalldís used this moment alone for a secret conversation.
Once Magnus reached the minimum safe distance, he decided to tell Maren what she missed when he spoke with Valezar telepathically.
“Valezar mentioned there was no meeting of mages these days,” he said in a slightly worried tone.
“Really?” Maren said, curiously turning to Magnus. “That's strange. But where did Zimbadur go then?”
Fjalldís' amazed voice interrupted their conversation.
“Zim... Zimbadur? The Master of the Ragnan Mages Guild?” she asked as she stopped walking, a stunned look on her face.
“Yeah, why?” Maren said casually, stopping as well to look at her.
“Well, I just... You know him?” Fjalldís said. Clearly, Zimbadur's name was known even outside the walls of Ragna.
“We just –” Magnus started, but Maren cut him off immediately.
“We visited him personally in his office,” Maren bragged. “We got along perfectly, he even cured me from cold and he let us smell his flowers,” she said dreamily, imagining Zimbadur's charming smile.
Magnus suddenly started scratching his back, wriggling madly. Maren and Fjalldís paused to give him a suspicious look, as though he had fleas biting him under his clothes.
“What's the matter?” Maren said in a concerned tone.
Magnus looked desperate.
“Nothing, gnats I guess. Excuse me for a while,” he said with a forced smile, quickly vanishing into the trees and bushes before they could ask anything else.
Fjalldís and Maren exchanged puzzled looks, shrugging.
“So, where were we? Oh, of course — I almost received an autograph from him!” Maren said merrily, embellishing story quite a bit.
“Wow! That's something!” Fjalldís exclaimed in amazement. “Wait till I tell this to Belinda and Aurora —Zimbadur is their idol!”
While Magnus heard the girls sighing admiringly from a distance, he flung himself against a nearby tree. He drew his druid cloak aside and groped under the tunic on his back. To be honest, he was glad his friends weren't there.
Maren gave a light giggle.
“My dream is to become a famous and respected mage. I want to join the Mages Guild when I finish this training. Actually, this is the first step that will take me there. magick is in my blood — my father was a very powerful mage!” she said proudly.
“Really? That's terrific! So your mum lives in Ragna? And your father was a mage.” At these words, she saddened a little. “I wish I knew my parents as well,” she said bitterly.
It appeared that this moment helped Maren and Fjalldís to break the ice between them. But now that they finally started getting to know each other, they were interrupted by Magnus, who had just returned from his little “walk”. Both girls gazed at him wordlessly. He was as white as a ghost.
“Magnus? Did something happen?” Maren said, sounding rather worried.
Then suddenly all colour returned to Magnus' face, as if there was nothing wrong.
“Oh, nothing. Look, I have found my staff!” he said cheerfully as he showed them a strong healthy stick that was taller than himself and certainly quite heavy. But to Magnus it was as light as a feather, so he had no trouble handling it.
Maren and Fjalldís had immediately forgotten what they saw just seconds ago.
“Where did you find that?” Maren said, surveying the beautiful piece of wood with curiosity, but Magnus remained silent.
“Oh come on, share with us! Just tell us the location!” Fjalldís demanded.
“I can't do that, you have to find your own, without my help –” Magnus said, hoping they would understand, but they had obviously forgotten all the instructions that Aedan had given them.
“Magnus! Don't be such a meanie! Where did you find it?” Maren shrieked. When she saw him take a run instead, she bolted after him. “Fjalldís, help!”
The three of them were having fun, but we could hardly say that about the Black Squad. They were shuffling around the forest, surveying the surroundings with bored looks, expecting to find something astonishing that way.
“There's nothing here. Not a single stick,” Darius groaned. “This stupid druid expedition is completely useless. It's a waste of time,” he said, kicking everything out of his way.
“Tell me about it,” Giselbert said in a tired voice, as if he had walked miles without taking a break. “And on top of that, we have to wear these lousy cloaks.” He pulled the laces tied around his neck as though the cloak was strangling him.
Then a girl's voice preached somewhere near them, but Serena's mouth was shut.
“If you didn't complain about everything, you could have found your staffs by now. The only problem is — you don't want to. And if you dont want to, no one can help you.”
On a small slope to their left, there stood a girl with long wavy hair, looking at them from above. She was clearly better at searching for staffs. She had a nice long stick in her hands, certainly good enough to make it a staff of high quality. The sight of Belinda was really impressive — she looked as though she had been born a druid. But her words didn't teach them anything, it was more like pouring oil into the fire.
“And I suppose that you could teach us?” Viktor scoffed. Before Belinda could answer, Darius snorted, a malevolent sneer on his face.
“Just look at her — rotten druid stick, druid flea-bag cloak, lousy druid mane and finally, druid insolence. Aedan must be very proud of you,” he said scornfully. As his friends burst into mocking laughter, he looked around to see how much they liked the insult.
Belinda gaped at them for a moment, then frowned angrily.
“You know what? Maybe he would be proud of you too... if you weren't such a jerk,” she said fiercely, disappearing in seconds so the Black Squad couldn't see her wiping her eyes.
“That was brilliant,” Viktor praised him. “You know, I was beginning to fear that you became soft.”
Rodrick was still laughing, almost rolling in the pine needles on the ground.
Hearing these words, Darius immediately made the harshest expression possible to eliminate all doubts from his comrades.
“What are you talking about? That's for duffers. Duffers like the highly glorious druid Belinda, the little scrub Lars, nerd Elmar, jester Magnus, his groveller Maren and –” he said confidently, but then suddenly stopped as Fjalldís' name came onto his tongue. He just couldn't spit it out.
“And...?” Henry said curiously, the others waiting impatiently for Darius to finish that cool sentence, as if they were getting inspiration from it.
Seeing t
he eagerness in their faces, Darius quickly added, “And the two irritating girls who live in Maren's house, have you noticed them? The two of them never stop gossiping.”
For a moment, his friends gazed at him wordlessly. That was definitely not the answer they expected.
Viktor rubbed his chin.
“Now that I think about it, I guess you're right. Those two must know about everything that's going on around. If anyone knows the biggest secrets of all the novices, it's them!” he said firmly. Then he threw Rodrick a significant look. “Maybe we should learn what it is that they know.”
Aedan was growing impatient, when a chirping bird told him that his novices were finally coming back. When they gathered around again, some of them looked more miserable than before they left, while the others seemed much brighter. Aedan decided not to investigate the details.
“I can see that everyone has found something. Some of you — excellent, others — less appropriate,” Aedan said, when his eyes slid across the feeble coniferous bough in Lars' hands. “But that's okay, it will have to do for now. Those of you who have found some quality staffs can keep them for your whole life. The longer you use it, the more you're connected with it and the more powerful it becomes. Never forget to carry it above the ground if you are outside, don't use it as a walking stick. Otherwise you could harm Mother Nature!”
While Aedan was talking about using a druid staff, asking for food and water from Mother Nature, orientation in the forest and rules of fire-making, Magnus was dropping off to sleep. It looked as though he had been watching the tips of his shoes for a good half an hour.
Drakonika (Book 1) Page 25
