Age of Druids

by India Drummond

  “Mine?” Aaron said. The thought had occurred to him, of course. He figured each of them must’ve considered they could be the one to rule the new druid city. But he had trouble taking the idea seriously.

  Joy frowned. “You are the true leader here. It isn’t right that the others assume the crown should go to a female. Lisle is right. If she only has another twenty years to live, it would be folly to put her on the throne. I have not met her daughter. Demi might make a fine queen, but she isn’t here.”

  “I thought you were keen on the idea of Maiya taking the throne. If I recall, that was actually your idea.”

  “Yes,” she said thoughtfully. “But I’ve reconsidered after seeing Munro’s reaction. His spirit darkened when we talked about it. He has true concerns, things he’s not giving voice to.”

  “Can you tell what?”

  “No.” She knit her delicate black eyebrows in a frown. “My sight does not interpret meaning so specifically. I see worries, fears, other strong emotions.” She paused. “Sometimes desires.” A tiny smile flitted across her lips and disappeared.

  Warmth crept up to Aaron’s scalp as he blushed. He dipped his head under the water and rinsed his hair, even though the bubble had protected it from the sea water.

  “But I’ve observed you druids over the past month with the eye of my spirit gifts. Most would do a passable job and possess decent hearts, but you are the one who has sacrificed consistently. You deserve the recognition for all your work.”

  “The crown isn’t about recognition or even deserving. It’s about who could do the best job for the people of Rìoghachd nan Ceòthan, for all the Otherworld.”

  “That’s my point,” she said emphatically. “Munro has been gone, leaving everyone else to manage the massive amount of work without him. Rory does nothing but obsess about Flùranach, both how much he loves her and how much he hates her. Douglas spends more than half his time with Tràth. I don’t judge him harshly for doing so,” she added quickly. “I would do the same if fate or duty separated us.”

  Aaron’s gut twisted at the idea. He didn’t even like to think about living away from Joy.

  She went on, “I don’t know Huck, but from what people say, he was a rebellious man. Not the kind who should be given authority, especially when dealing with the queens, who will have certain expectations of diplomacy. Sheng is talented, but I sense in him no desire to lead. He prefers to go off by himself and practice and study. He’s far too introverted to take on the mantle. But you prove yourself every day.”

  “You don’t understand about Munro,” Aaron said. “He’s not left us to our own devices out of selfishness. He spends day after day looking for Huck and Demi because he feels responsible.”

  “Why would he?” Joy asked. “Could he have prevented it?”

  “No, he’s just like that. He’s sort of a big brother to all of us. Has been from the start.”

  She nodded slowly, but then tilted her head. “If this is his mission, taking the throne at Ceòthan would only hinder him.” With a pause, she added, “I spoke to him about this while we were waiting for you.”

  “You did?” Aaron didn’t know what to think. He didn’t like the idea of Joy campaigning for him to be king. He worried the others would suspect he’d put her up to it. While he considered, he sensed something through their bond. Her words were convincing, but her emotions felt conflicted. “What aren’t you telling me? Why does the idea make you sad?”

  She shook her head and didn’t answer, but an emotion surged, one he recognised. She feared if he ascended to the throne, she would lose him. Maybe she thought the duties of a king would eat up all his time. He couldn’t tell exactly, but facing her greatest fear, she still encouraged him. Aaron didn’t know what to say.

  “Joy, you don’t have to be afraid.”

  “As a king, you would need to take a mate. If I were whole, if I could see, maybe I would be a worthy consort. But Jago says there’s nothing wrong with my eyes. The blindness is permanent. I remember as a child seeing azuri with swirls of silver in their eyes, but nothing as complete as what has happened to mine. I think perhaps my spirit vision so strongly compensated for the loss of my eyes that it is too strong. To regain my physical sight, I would have to lose my magic.” She sighed, a forlorn sound that made Aaron’s heart ache. “You would have to take someone else. Someone powerful. Make a political alliance as Queen Eilidh and Princess Imena did with Munro and Tràth.”

  “You’re perfect,” he said, as he had many times before. “If I couldn’t have you as my mate, I wouldn’t take one, king or not. You’re the only one I want.”

  She smiled sadly in response but didn’t say anything more. He knew at that moment he didn’t want to be king. Protecting Joy was his only concern. It would be nice to be chosen, but not if doing so meant hurting her. After once last scrub with the cloth, he stood and stepped carefully out of the tub.

  Joy rose as well. She touched her air talents and a warm, gentle breeze blew around his body, drying him. In spite of its warmth, goose bumps rose on his skin and he shivered. The wafting air caressed his skin, and his desire surged again. He was relieved she couldn’t see him. “Munro agrees with me,” she said. “He told me you would make an excellent king. He didn’t go so far as to say he would vote for you, but if you talked to him and said you were willing to shoulder the job, I believe he would.”

  Aaron was too dumbfounded to speak. If Munro voted for him, the others might follow. But that was the problem, wasn’t it? They’d be doing it because Munro led the way. Joy didn’t understand, perhaps because she hadn’t known Munro before Huck and Demi disappeared. He didn’t want to disappoint her, not with the faith she was showing in him, but he knew now what he wanted, and it wasn’t a crown and a job in politics. “I haven’t given the council vote much thought,” he said.

  She nodded. “I understand. I only mentioned it in case Munro brings our conversation up tonight. You aren’t annoyed with me, are you?”

  “No,” Aaron said, taking her hand to indicate he was going to his chamber to dress. “Why would you think that?”

  She followed him. “Your aura shifted. I sense you are holding something back. I can’t tell what though.”

  He blushed again, certain what she was sensing was his frustrated arousal. He’d done his best to not let himself give in to the feelings that were so close to the surface, hoping to disguise them so she didn’t suspect how much he wanted her. The last thing she needed was pressure from him. “It’s nothing,” he said. They’d arrived in his dressing room, and he chose a clean set of clothing to put on. Getting dressed was a relief. Being naked around her made him feel vulnerable, even though faeries didn’t think anything of nudity. He tried his best to act natural around her.

  He buttoned his shirt, and she approached, putting her hands on his chest. “It’s not nothing to me,” she said. “I don’t want you to hold back from me. We are bonded. We are meant to share everything.” Curious, considering she kept her own fears secret. Still, she clearly did so out of love.

  In that moment, with her staring up at him, her dark lips parted and her breath so sweet on his skin, he nearly gave in to his selfish desires. If he kissed her now, he wouldn’t want to stop, and he’d certainly be late for the druid meeting. Instead, he lifted her knuckles to his lips and kissed her hand. Her skin tasted wondrous. “I need to go,” he said. “The others will be waiting for me.”

  The disappointment that spread across her face was echoed in their bond. “I’ll be here.”

  “We might be a while. Don’t wait up if you’re tired.” He opened her hand and kissed her palm before letting her go. Leaving was so difficult, but staying would be torture.

  “I’m not tired,” she said. “I’ll wait for you.”

  Chapter 14

  Lisle waited for the nurses to bring Jago and Maiya to her. This place wasn’t like any school she’d ever known. The luxury of her surroundings, the hand-carved furniture and elaborate tapestries
on the walls, was a constant reminder of the noble blood of the children taught here. Even though Munro had given instructions that Lisle could speak with Maiya, the nurses were plainly unhappy at the disruption. The children’s time was carefully regimented, and visits from home were not usual or welcome.

  The nurses did as asked, but they took their time. Lisle suspected the only reason they agreed as readily as they did was because the sun had already risen, so the night’s lessons were finished. The children would be preparing for play and rest.

  Her night in Eirlioc Falls had been a disaster. She’d spent only a couple of hours in there before turning around to come straight home. She’d been allowed to question the Watchers, and even managed to talk her way into having Alyssa stay with her through the process, but the instant Lisle touched Alyssa’s flows, the Watchers had been aware of it. Alyssa had been accused of trying to manipulate them, which had only made the girl’s situation worse. After all was said and done, Alyssa had ended up getting the wrong end of the stick, and Lisle learned nothing that deviated from Griogair’s original story. She’d not gathered a single clue to prove him innocent nor found any hint he’d been manipulated.

  Lisle insisted that she’d asked Alyssa to ignite her power in their presence as a test to see if the ones being questioned would have been able to detect it if the same had been done at the moment of Prince Koen’s death. Although none of this had been her plan, doing so did reveal the difficulty of using astral powers near the Watchers without them having been aware. Unless one of them had been the actual perpetrator, in which case this information didn’t help. None of it helped, and she soon realised she wouldn’t find anything this way. In fact, she was beginning to doubt there was anything to find. Maybe Griogair did kill Koen for no particular reason. She didn’t like to think so, but he had confessed, and nobody involved disputed his account.

  Another hour passed before Jago’s distinctive voice called from down the corridor. “Omi,” he shouted, running toward her with his tongue stuck out in concentration. She stood and let him leap into her arms. Even with the strength the Otherworld gave her, she wouldn’t be able to do that much longer. Not if he kept growing at such an alarming rate.

  “Jago, darling,” she said and kissed him. “Have you been a good boy?”

  He narrowed his eyes and wriggled out of her hug, forcing her to put him down. “Of course. I’m always good.”

  His resemblance to his mother struck Lisle, and a sadness swept over her. Lisle tried so hard to move through every day, to remember Demi but not dwell on the loss, to trust Munro to search for the two missing druids. The challenge proved so difficult.

  “What’s wrong, Omi? You look sad.”

  “I am a little,” she said. “I miss your mama. I’ve missed you too.” She kissed him again, and he wriggled away from her lips. He was such a funny boy. So sweet and affectionate one moment, so independent the next.

  “Do you need me to come home and take care of you?” he asked with a serious frown.

  Her heart lurched at the offer. “No, sweetheart. Do you want to return home?”

  For an instant, he looked torn. “I think I should stay, if that’s okay.”

  “Of course. Do you like school?”

  He nodded. “Sometimes the lessons are hard, but mostly I have fun. They let me play with Maiya during the day, so I like that.”

  “Have you made a lot of friends?” Lisle and Demi both had worried what life in a fae nursery would be for a half-human child. The problem was compounded by the fact that his primary skill was with blood flows, talents he once used to defend his mother with deadly results. Lisle marvelled that he seemed untouched by the violence experienced early in his life, and she was relieved she’d never seen any sign he’d inherited his father’s taste for cruelty.

  Jago didn’t answer. Instead, he stood and raced to the door. “Maiya’s coming.”

  A nurse entered a moment later with the tiny princess in his arms. The girl wriggled, so he put her down. “My lady druid,” he said.

  Lisle nodded. “Please leave the children with me. I’ll call when I’m prepared to go.”

  “In an hour, it will be time for them to sleep,” he said.

  Jago took Maiya’s hand and helped her stand. She beamed at him happily and struggled to find her balance. An extraordinarily beautiful child, she had her mother’s white hair growing in wisps like a halo around her head and her father’s startlingly blue eyes. Her happiness radiated as she and Jago slowly made their way toward Lisle. With a wave of her hand, Lisle dismissed the nurse without acknowledging his snippy statement.

  “Hello, Maiya,” Lisle said. The princess surprised her by extending her hands upwards to be held, so Lisle obliged.

  “They dressed her up to meet you,” Jago said, his tone low and confiding.

  “I see. What a lovely dress.” The tiny gown was pale blue and made of delicate silks, the least practical outfit she’d ever seen on a child.

  “Omi, are you someone important?”

  Lisle laughed at the question. She’d never thought of herself as such, but she knew he was asking about her rank. At home in the Druid Hall, they had a casual way of dealing with servants, the humans often choosing to do for themselves. Here, Jago would undoubtedly be in a different world. Still, she wasn’t certain how to answer. “We druids have a lot of responsibility in the Otherworld.” She paused. “But everyone is important. You must remember that.”

  Maiya grabbed one of the tokens Lisle wore around her neck. The bone artefact held healing power, and Lisle felt a rush of cool rejuvenation as the girl activated the piece. Maiya smiled, revealing six teeth. She gurgled happily.

  “Did you bring me anything?” Jago asked.

  Lisle raised an eyebrow at him. “Is that a polite question?”

  Jago grumbled. “No, Omi.” After a pause, he asked, “But did you?”

  She tutted but couldn’t resist a small smile. “In my bag,” she said. While he dug around, she sat with Maiya, watching her turn the bone piece in her chubby fingers. Within moments, Jago unearthed the wrapped shortbread she’d tucked inside. He took a piece for himself and held out another to Maiya, who was too intent on Lisle’s talisman to notice. “Jago, Lady Joy told me you believe your mama is alive because Maiya told you so. Is that true?”

  He nodded, shortbread crumbs falling out of the corners of his very full mouth. He must have stuck the entire biscuit in at once.

  Lisle studied Maiya. “I wish you could tell me what you know about Jago’s mama,” Lisle murmured. “Your papa needs help finding her.”

  Athair, Maiya said in Lisle’s mind.

  “Yes,” Lisle said, recognising the fae word for father. She wished she was more certain what the girl understood. No matter how much natural talent she possessed, she was a baby.

  “Maiya is in my blood,” Jago said, wiping his face on his sleeve. “So she feels you and Mama too, because we have the same blood.”

  Lisle frowned. “Maiya can sense me?”

  Jago nodded.

  “What do you mean she’s in your blood?”

  “I can show you, if you want,” he said.

  Lisle felt a moment of uncertainty. Jago was powerful, possessing the air talents of his father and the blood talents of his mother, able to access both druid and fae flows. Finally, Lisle nodded. He wouldn’t hurt her. Not on purpose.

  He came closer and stood between her knees, gently scooting Maiya over on Lisle’s lap to make room for him. “Put the token down, Maiya. You need to let go of your power for a second.”

  Lisle watched with surprise. The girl did as Jago instructed her. Remarkable. She understood a lot more than anyone had given her credit for.

  He took his grandmother’s hand. She felt an instant pull toward him, as though he’d opened himself up to her. “Now you have to touch my blood like Maiya does,” he said. “I can’t do it to you. I guess because you’re all druid.”

  “I don’t know how,” she said.
>
  The boy frowned. “It’s easy. Just look at me right.”

  A thought occurred to Lisle. She let go of his hand for a moment and put Munro’s flute in her mouth. Touching his fingers again, she blew. The brightness of the whirling colours flowing between the children nearly blinded her. Near the centre of his chest, though, she saw a gap. Interestingly, both of the children had much more complex magic than Alyssa had, but the principle was the same. Lisle reached in, trying to do so gently. She didn’t want to give Jago the same jolt as she had Alyssa.

  His essence was different from that of a faerie, although it did have similarities. She moved slowly, letting her blood power seek out his own. When she touched it, she felt Maiya inside. The two children were so tightly woven together, Lisle could hardly tell where he stopped and Maiya began. With a soft brushing, Lisle glanced Maiya’s power as it lay within Jago. The girl squeaked loudly.