Distorted thoughts and words jumbled around in his mind. Blood gems, dragons, royalty, Drumans, and power. Where did he fit in all the insanity this new reality had brought him? It was possible this Dericote had the answers to the questions he had.
He gazed at the mound to the west of the camp. Balder lay dead because of what this Druman had done. They owed it to Balder’s memory to go on until they met face to face.
The resolve of both Uchida—sensei and the Elder finally made sense. Absolutely nothing would stop them.
The mid-morning light revealed the small shack as they came to the last and final clearing. It was bereft of any greenery save for the bare trees huddled together in the center of it. Hard earth floor cracked under their feet and the Elder’s pitiful excuse for a heart thumped weakly in his chest as he took in the sight of Dericote’s lair. It had been many years since he’d been here, but it still looked the same.
“This is it?” Uchida-san asked from behind him, her tone doubtful.
Taking inventory of her physique, he saw she’d healed completely from the attack last night. The bandages had been torn off sometime earlier this morning and except for a light scar, there wasn’t any sign she been mauled.
“Hai.” Another step drew him nearer to the shack. Would Dericote be able to heal Alderic?
“Do we just walk up to the door and knock?” Luke asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet at the inactivity.
“Unless you feel like dying,” Odin responded. Folding his arms.
The air had grown colder, and their breaths escaped like wisps of smoke.
“He will come to us presently.” Memories came forward from the last time he’d taken a trip here. He’d been a young man then, with juusha to lead and care for as they prepared for the Druid’s Spear to appear. Back then Dericote’s scorn had been biting and with that explicit warning, he let it be known that he never wanted to see the Elder’s face again.
And here he was, defying the Druman’s command.
A creaking sound drew his attention back to the door of the shack. It opened to reveal a tall figure clothed from head to toe in a long encompassing coat with a wide hood.
Uchida—chan’s body went rigid as a board while a subtle but palpable excitement radiated from Kenzo—sama. From past experience and knowledge of Dericote, the Elder knew the Druman would hate the idea of someone looking for his presence.
“Why are you here?”
The figure came closer, his voice dark and raspy. Long strides ate up the distance between them.
“Dericote, I need your help.” There was little time to waste. He sensed the rage gathering from the form coming at them.
“I made it clear to you that I never wanted to see your face again. Weren’t the wolves enough to make sure you heeded my commands?” Dericote stalked closer, and the group around the Elder formed a protective circle.
“I risked it in order for you to save my son.”
“Save your son?” He stopped a few feet away from the edge of the semi-circle of human protection. “What has happened?”
“Alderic was attacked by one of Ludovicus’s juusha. The boy was among us for many years and we never suspected he served Rhychard—sama’s enemy.”
It was impossible to tell what Dericote thought about his words, but the Elder waited with bated breath.
“What else are you not telling me, old man?” The voice coming from the dark expanse of the hood had lowered an octave. It was a threat to be truthful and though the Elder had not given the Druman any cause to suspect he would lie to him, he nonetheless heeded the command.
“The boy was enhanced by Ludovicus’s mark.”
At that, the hood was ripped away to reveal the face of Uchida—chan’s father. Her spine lengthened a bit, it seemed, at the sight of her father’s face.
Time had lent kindness to the Druman. His skin had retained its golden hue, although it was darker now. Random bands of burnished red graced the top of his head. A large patch covered the left pupil-less eye, giving him the look of a pirate. The air of menace surrounding him had yet to change, but the Elder figured nothing would change that aspect of Dericote.
“So the Druid’s Spear is forming?”
“Surely you must have felt the effects of it yourself,” the Elder told him. Then he squinted. “Especially with controlling the wolf pack that killed one of my people.”
“You were warned, old man, not to come here.”
They leveled a stare at each other, Dericote’s eyes hard like bricks of gold. The past was between them as well, but the Elder could not allow it a foothold.
“And I am asking you to save my son.”
Rin might as well have been a rock on the ground for all the attention her father paid to her. Protecting her men and the Elder were her priorities, though, as well as ensuring the help of this creature to save Alderic. Not with one glance did he acknowledge her as his scion.
The wind blew her hair about her head but she ignored it. Her eyes were the same color as his, the deep amber gold she beheld every day when she happened to look at her reflection. The color of her hair was mirrored by the bands of the color along his head.
To think this creature, this hybrid of species, was her father seemed incredible, and yet, it was true. But after the attack he launched on them last night, she would not give him the title of her parent.
“What makes you think I can help you?” Dericote took another step closer to the group.
“Stay where you are,” she warned him.
He barely flicked a glance at her and took one more step closer. Without having to say a word, her men closed ranks, alert and ready to use force to keep the Druman away if need be. “I am not some sort of sorcerer to cast a spell on your son and heal him.”
“You know very well why I brought him. The Great Druid passed down his knowledge of healing arts to you.”
A scornful sound escaped Dericote’s lips. “The modern world has sufficiently surpassed my knowledge of the human body.”
“If I were to take him to them, your obscurity would cease to be. I know how much you long for privacy.”
The Elder’s words had a hidden taunt to them. Dericote glared at him and then let out an exasperated breath. “Tell these children of yours to bring him in. I’ll see what I can do. It won’t be much.”
With that said, he pivoted and walked back to the shack. Rin gave the orders for Odin and Luke to bring Alderic while Donvar and Ken took hold of the Elder and escorted him. Although he had stood well before, she could tell from the pallor of his face it was an effort to remain emotionally stable.
She was the last to enter the shack. Sparsely finished, it had a set of crude wooden chairs along a wall and a table. A fire place, unlit, dominated a wall while skins of animals took residence on the opposite side. A small hallway led to what would be living quarters, but she had no wish to gain any insight into this Druman’s world.
He obviously had no thoughts about her whatsoever.
Despite her resolve to remain aloof, Rin nonetheless stole a glance at him. Dericote meandered about the kitchen area lined with plain, unadorned cabinets. Instead of foodstuffs, he pulled out ancients texts of some sort and slapped them on the table. He had wide, expansive hands, the talons clear and curved slightly inward.
Abruptly he looked up and caught her eye. For a swift moment, she wondered if he would say something, anything, to acknowledge her. Yet, a mere second later, Dericote sent his gaze toward the Elder. “Tell them to bring your son and place him in the center of the floor.”
With a nod, the men gently carried Alderic in the midst and set him down. Rin tried to push away the morbid thoughts. Despite all that had occurred in the last three days, her friend still had not awakened.
It did not bode well.
Her thoughts were mirrored when Dericote asked the question as to the length of time Alderic had been unconscious. “Three days and he hasn’t stirred.” Her father shook his head.
“He’
s been having seizures,” Ken offered.
Rin saw Dericote send a lightning gaze to Ken before addressing the Elder. “This doesn’t sound good at all, old man.”
“Please see what you can do. He is my only son.”
Expecting to see Dericote give a dismissive and uninterested nod, it came as shock to see a violent expression cross his face. The patches of red had deepened as if seeped with blood. “Get out, all of you!” he yelled.
“Dericote,” the Elder started.
In a blink, the Elder was lifted in the air by his collar, strong talon hands clutching snuggly around the frail throat. Dericote moved so fast it had been a blur. Her men went to attack but at a call from the Elder, they all stood down. “Leave now. I will be fine.”
“You really think you should stay alone with me?” Dericote drew the Elder closer until they were nose to nose.
“Leave him be!” Rin shouted. She rushed came to stand beside him. “You will release Senpai at once.”
A chill went down her spine at the softly spoken words, directed at the Elder. “I didn’t kill her last night. I will kill her today and the rest of your children if they don’t leave. And then your son will die without my help. Although it may be too late, despite what I do to him.”
Even in his threat, Dericote refused to look at her. Rin bit back a retort. If he wanted to pretend she didn’t exist unless as on object to threaten and intimidate the Elder, so be it.
“Uchida—chan, please leave. I will be fine.” With a difficult twist of his head, the old man sent a kind look from moistened eyes. Rin’s heart leapt at the sight of such vulnerability. She’d never seen the man like this in her life. “I’ll be fine.”
They left, leaving the Elder suspended in the air by the Dericote, who didn’t spare them another glance.
“What is going on between Dericote and the Elder?” Donvar asked no one in particular as they all stood outside.
“There’s a history here we know nothing of,” Odin answered, his eyes brooding into the distance. “For some reason, this Druman is furious with our Senpai.”
Rin impatiently gave orders for the men to guard the perimeter, although she suspected there was no need to do this. It gave her something to focus on and stopped all train of thought from the others. When they were sufficiently distracted, she wandered down the slope from the shack on some pretense or other, but it was really for an opportunity to think.
The level of rage Dericote exhibited was reserved for someone who had been treated badly. But the Elder, despite his lack of openness about her father’s existence, was an honorable man. What had happened in the past to allow this sort of animosity?
Even more so, what did this animosity have to do with her?
“Sensei?”
She turned around to see Ken coming toward her. “Hai?”
“I came to keep you company,” he responded simply.
For a moment she opened her mouth to rebuff his attentions but then she closed it. Perhaps she needed the distraction. The way her sire treated her, she might as well have been an insect to be brushed away. Although it should not bother her, it did. Despite the attack last night, part of her wanted to try to see exactly what type of being was her father. The Elder had told them all about some of his philosophy from the time before, but what did that mean to an orphan discovering her parent was alive?
“I’ve been doing some thinking,” Ken began.
“About what?”
“Callen and Kaluwa—no kimi.”
Rin shook off the unexpected melancholy and focused on what Ken had to say. “What about them?”
“Why did they come back?” Ken stared off into the distance. “They already had the blood gem in their possession. Callen had been gone for almost a week while we searched for him in the recesses of the cave. Why the subterfuge?”
Rin frowned. “I was suspicious of that as well.” For the time being she let her thoughts wander away from the topic of the Elder and Dericote. “There’s nothing else be had.”
“But there must have been something,” Ken insisted. He turned his dark eyes on her. “When Okasan died, I was given two artifacts – that geode thing which I now know is the blood gem and another.”
“What else were you given?” She had an awful idea what that other artifact was.
“I don’t know. It was leathery and dark green. It looked like half the shell of something or other.”
“Half a shell?” Dread tinged the question and his next words proved it.
He nodded. “It had a strange form of demarcations on it, like veins.”
A bolt of lightning struck her spine. “Tell me, Ken,” she said slowly, tasting the words as the growing horror cascaded over her from head to toe, “was there a tube-like appendage sticking up from it?”
“Hai!” Ken said enthusiastically.
“Why didn’t you mention this earlier?” Venom had entered her voice as she took a step closer to him.
Ken’s brow rose. “I just remembered it. Everyone had been focused on the blood gem and how important it was that it slipped my mind.” One of his eyes narrowed at her. “After all, I did wake up after being electrocuted after being attacked by a Druman who murdered my brother four days after my mother died.” Acid dripped from his lips.
“All right, all right.” She waved him silent. “I understand.” A little moan of distress escaped her lips even though she tried to push it back.
“What is it?”
Dragging her hand through her hair, she started to walk back to the shack. “It’s the Vessel. The blood gem is extremely important but the Vessel is equal to it, if not greater. It’s the means by which Ludovicus will be able to achieve his goal.”
“Achieve his goal,” Ken repeated slowly. “What goal is that?”
“To become a dragon again.” Rin quieted as she took mental pieces of the puzzle and put them together. The Druid’s Spear forming lent power to the Drumans. The Sun’s Children attacked with each alignment, lending their strength to them. This was also the opportunity for any Druman to become a dragon again. With both the blood gem and the Vessel, it would be possible to perform the ceremony.
What kind of danger would Ludovicus be when he was a dragon? He was already powerful in his current state. Regaining his original form would make him more than a force to reckon with.
“You said Kaluwa gave you visions and memories of what it was like to be a dragon?”
“Hai.”
“Callen must have given them the blood gem and told her about Vessel. They came to distract us while they searched for the Vessel.”
An errant memory reared its head. Alderic had retrieved the Vessel when they first encountered Ken.
They’d been so caught up in finding the Descendant and the blood gem that the very important, vital Vessel had fallen to the back of consideration.
That must have been what Callen had found when he attacked Alderic.
Rin shivered in a sudden chill as a dark cloud covered the brightness of the sun. A bad omen if there ever was one. The Elder had to be told, and then plans made to retrieve it from Ludovicus’s hands soon.
Wondering about the Elder brought to mind once more Dericote and his complete disregard for her. Despite that, she hoped he could do something to save Alderic.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Rin glanced back at Ken to see his inquisitive look. “Am I so easy to read then, Ken?”
He swallowed and darted his gaze away. “Not necessarily, but if I just found out the father I thought was dead was alive, had sent a bunch of wolves to attack me, and then hates me to boot, I’d be a little upset.”
Reluctantly she laughed. “Ken,” she said softly.
His head whipped back to her, his eyes intent all of a sudden. A tick pulsed along his cheek. The air became charged around them, latent with an emotion she couldn’t name. It confused her.
“Is something wrong?”
He came closer to her and slowly reached up t
o tuck a wisp of hair behind her ear. The action startled her so much she could do little more than stare. Besides their training, which could hardly be called intimate, he’d never touched her. Vulnerability entered his eyes as he looked down at her.
When he’d taken a step back, Rin sensed it was more than just putting physical distance between them. “My mother used to say my name like that sometimes.”
“Gomenasai,” she apologized with a little bow. “I had no wish to bring you sadness.”
A strange little smile graced his lips. “It didn’t bring me sadness at all. I hadn’t heard it in so long.”
“Uchida-san!” Luke called out as he ran down the slope to them. Breathing heavily as he stopped, his eyes had nonetheless grown as wide as saucers. “Kitte da! I think…I think Alderic is dead.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“I told you there wasn’t much I could do,” Dericote was saying as Ken and Uchida—sensei ran into the shack.
The Elder had shriveled into a husk of a man. His sunken eyes were dim and devoid of their typical otherworldly glow. Alderic’s body lay before him, cleaned with a fresh pair of clothes, and still.
“He can’t be dead!” Uchida—sensei whispered, her amber eyes wide in disbelief.
“And yet, he hasn’t risen up and said hello to you,” Dericote responded scornfully.
The callousness of the Druman grated against Ken’s sense of fair play. The man was dead; couldn’t he show a little respect?
Apparently that was not to be because Dericote turned away with a wave of dismissal. “Get him out of here and shut the door on your way out.”
“Did you kill him?”
The moment she uttered the words, a terse silence fell over the group.
Dericote finally looked his daughter in the eye. “I didn’t kill him. I did what I could do because the old man brought him here.”
The Druid's Spear (Ascent of the Gem Bearers Book 1) Page 21
