“What are you doing here?” Nyx scowled at him. “Did you use some kind of magic on me? Because that’s rude, druid. You have no right to invade someone’s mind.”
“No, I didn’t do anything. You invade people’s minds all the time.” He shrugged. “I heard the voice too. I just followed what I heard. Our minds must have somehow merged.”
Nyx opened her mouth to protest and realised he had a point. She did invade people’s thoughts without even meaning to most of the time. She had never thought of it as rude or invasive, though. It wasn’t like she could stop her power from overhearing people’s thoughts or whatever they were feeling.
“Okay, so what’s happening?”
“I’m not sure. We…”
Nyx stopped listening to him and reached out for the tree.
“Don’t.” Darius grabbed hold of her arm. Her fingers glided over the solid bark. “You are not supposed to touch it.”
“I know this place…”
He frowned. “How?”
“I don’t know.” She searched her mind but had no recollection of ever being here. “It’s like a memory from a dream. Yet I’ve never been here.”
“This is the tree of life. The source of all magic,” Darius breathed. “This place is sacred and protected. Even my father isn’t allowed to come here. I dread to think what he would try to do if he could access this place.”
Nyx frowned. “Doesn’t he know it exists?”
Darius gave a harsh laugh. “Oh, he knows. But every Archdruid has been barred from this place for centuries now. One of my ancestors tried to use the magic here once, the results were unimaginable.”
“Why are we here?”
A woman walked around the tree. She was beautiful with pale skin and long raven hair. Her purple gown looked to be made from silk and had gold streaks across it. Sprites danced around her.
“Welcome, Nyx.” The woman gave her a warm smile, and Darius bowed his head in respect. He seemed to know who she was, at least.
“Do we know each other?” Nyx furrowed her brow.
“I summoned you both here,” the woman said.
Who is she, druid?
She is the Great Guardian. The protector of this place. She is the one who told me I had to find you.
Nyx narrowed her eyes. You said Gideon –
Gideon knew about you, but she’s the one who said you were important.
And the Great Guardian is?
The Guardian of the tree of life. She is considered a protector of the fae. She rarely interferes, Darius explained. She’s good at giving cryptic messages. Don’t disrespect her, I beg you.
I’m not stupid, druid. Nyx knew this woman had a lot of power, and she was not about to disrespect her in any way.
Darius fell to one knee. “You called us, Guardian.”
Nyx bowed her head. She didn’t want to disrespect this woman. Power flowed from the Great Guardian like waves crashing against rock. Somehow, Nyx didn’t feel overwhelmed by it.
“I have summoned you because you are tasked with stopping the darkness creeping over these islands,” the Guardian said. “You must repair the rift in the veil or it will fall, and unspeakable things will come through.”
“How do we do that?” Nyx asked. “Can we have some clear answers, please? I don’t understand all of this cryptic nonsense.”
Darius gave her a look. I said don’t disrespect her.
“I’m not, druid,” she hissed and gave him a shove.
“You must learn to work together,” the Great Guardian held out her hand, and a butterfly flew into it. The butterfly’s wings sparkled with orbs of light. “If you do not…” The light on the butterfly’s wings went out, and the creature turned to dust. “This will happen to many on Erthea.”
Nyx gasped. She couldn’t believe that beautiful thing had withered away. “But how can we stop it? I’m no hero. Back in Joriam, I was little more than a slave.” She glowered at Darius.
“I never said you were a slave,” he protested.
“You must learn to work together,” the Great Guardian said once more.
“I’m not part of the prophecy,” Darius pointed out.
“Neither am I for that matter.” Nyx crossed her arms. “There’s nothing special about me. I just want to be left alone to lead a normal life somewhere where I’m not treated as a slave.”
“Prophecy can be interpreted in many ways. Find who lurks in the shadows.”
Light then blinded them. Nyx opened her eyes and found herself back in the spirit grove. “I thought you said we’d find answers here.”
“I think we did.” Darius scrambled up. “She said to find whoever is working in the shadows. So, someone must be using the darklings. We have to find out who.”
Nyx rubbed her now aching temples. “How are we going to do that? You don’t even know where to begin, do you?”
Darius opened his mouth then closed it again. “We will have to figure out that part ourselves. What else did the Guardian say to you?”
Nyx hesitated and wondered if she should tell him or not. “Not much. She called me a child of the fae.”
“She didn’t tell you anything else? Like about where you might have come from?”
Nyx shook her head. “No. So let’s focus on fixing the problem with the rifts, shall we?”
Chapter 14
“Do you really think we can work together, druid?” Nyx demanded as she trailed behind him. “That would imply trust — and I don’t trust you.”
“I don’t trust you either. I sensed you were about use my weapons against me earlier.” Darius retrieved his weapons off the ground where he’d left them. “What stopped you?”
She shook her head. “I’m guessing that Guardian.” Nyx crossed her arms. “You never once mentioned her when I asked you why you came to get me. I thought Gideon was the only one who wanted me. Now it turns out she does too. Who asked you first?”
He shrugged. “I wasn’t sure you would believe me.” He had considered telling her about the Great Guardian but decided against it. “Gideon asked me to find you right after I left the spirit grove a couple of days ago. I went there seeking answers about the rifts.”
“Why does she think I can help?” Nyx frowned. “I can’t control my powers, and like you said, I’m a criminal. Why would she consider me important?”
“Have you ever considered that you might be destined for something more than thievery?” Darius had no idea why the Great Guardian thought Nyx might be important, but he couldn’t deny her wisdom. If she thought Nyx was important then she probably was. The Guardian never got things wrong.
“Of course I have. I never wanted to steal. Sometimes people just do what they must to survive.”
Darius could not argue with that. He might have been born of privilege being the son of the Archdruid, but he had done what he had to do to survive. “Agreed but we need to learn to trust each other.”
She crossed her arms. “Trust must be earned, druid.”
“Must you keep calling me that? There are dozens of druids on this island. I’m not the only one in existence.”
“Would you prefer prince then? And yes, I will continue calling you druid because that’s what you are.”
Darius snorted. “I’m no prince, and no, I wouldn’t. Trust works both ways. If you help me find who is trying to bring down the veil, I’ll ask my brother to grant you your freedom.” Darius had no idea how he would convince Gideon to do so. Even if he somehow managed to prove Nyx was innocent, she was still a mind whisperer and a fae of unknown origin. That still made her a threat in the eyes of the court and to the Archdruid. There was little chance of her managing to gain her freedom unless she ran away or he used the help of his resistance contacts to smuggle her away. He would worry about that later.
“That’s not good enough. I never asked to be dragged into this,” she snapped. “I just want to go home to my sisters. They need me. If I don’t return, they will be sold, and the gods only know wher
e they will end up this time. They’ll probably end up with someone far worse than Harland.”
“Would you leave to be with your sisters if you knew you could help save the world?”
Nyx hesitated. “This isn’t my homeland, it’s yours.”
“If the veil falls, your realm will be just as badly affected as Andovia. Come on, I still have work to do.”
They headed away from the grove and through the woods. Shafts of sunlight splintered through the heavy canopy of leaves overhead. More sprites zoomed above their heads and the faint ringing of bells carried on the air.
“Are there only trees on this island? Nyx asked.
“Mostly, but I want to show you something else first.” Darius stopped when they reached the clearing and headed up a steep cliff. The canopy parted, giving way to open sky and lush green grass.
“Ambrose said something about you being in the Forest Guard. Aren’t you supposed to be doing that?”
“I’m about to. One of my duties is patrolling the forest.” Darius grabbed her arm when she stumbled.
“This isn’t the forest, druid.” She shoved his hand away. “Or did you bring me up here for something else?”
He chuckled, shook his head and whistled.
Nyx put her hands on her hips. “Now what are you doing?”
“Just wait.” He whistled again.
A shadow swept down towards them from the outcrop of tiny floating islands. Massive wings stretched out as it glided down to Darius. It was a massive creature with scales the colour of moonlight and piercing golden eyes. The creature roared as it landed beside Darius.
“Is that a…?” Nyx gasped and took a step back.
“A dragon, yes.” Darius patted the dragon’s snout. “This is Sirin. She’s mine. I’ve had her since she was a hatchling. The island is too vast to patrol from the ground — the Varden patrol most of the forest. I help to patrol the skies, so we’ll be doing it from the air. Let’s go.”
“Wait, you want me to climb on that?” Nyx’s mouth fell open. “That’s not going to happen. I can fly fine by myself.” She motioned to her wings that flashed with a riot of colour.
“Sirin won’t hurt you.” Darius scrambled onto the dragon’s back. “You won’t be able to fly around with us all day, and I doubt you could keep up with her speed. Climb on. “
“Oh, I’m not getting on that thing.” She raised her hands in protest. “She looks like she’s about to eat me.”
He chuckled. “She doesn’t eat people. Although she will attack anyone she views as a threat to me. Come up.” He held a hand out for her. “It’s safe. You won’t fall off. I’ve been flying around on dragons since I was a child.”
“But she’s big and…”
“And we are wasting time. I have to go out to where the first rift opened up. Either that or I’ll send you back to Ambrose for more tests.” Darius knew how much his mentor wanted to test Nyx’s powers further. Although he would like to be present to see what would happen, he had to keep track of the rifts as well as check for any darklings that might have come through. Even if the high council refused to acknowledge the problem didn’t mean it would go away. One way or another, he would convince them of the danger. He only hoped more people wouldn’t have to die before that happened.
Nyx sighed and took hold of his outstretched hand. Darius pulled her up onto Sirin’s back. “Are you sure this is safe?” Nyx clutched his coat. “Because if we fall out of the sky, I may kill you myself.”
“I wouldn’t make idle threats like that if I were you.” Darius clicked his heels, signalling for Sirin to take off.
Sirin flapped her massive bat-like wings and took flight.
Nyx let out a startled cry of alarm as Sirin rose higher until they were over the heavy canopy of trees. The great trees loomed below them, their curtains of green flapping in the breeze and their branches creaking and groaning. They glided along.
Darius glanced behind him and realised Nyx had her eyes shut. “You can look now.” He laughed. “Besides, I don’t know why you’re so afraid. You fly.”
“Yes, I fly using my wings and my body, not the wings of a strange beast.” She narrowed her eyes and scowled at him. “I could push you off this dragon.”
He did laugh then. “You could, but Sirin would save me. Or I would use magic to make myself float as I did with you yesterday.”
Around them were dozens of much smaller islands and outcrops of land, including Doringa, where the Dragon Guard was stationed. The might of the Archdruid’s army was scattered all over these islands.
“When did the first rift open up?” Nyx asked as her grip around his waist loosened.
“About five days ago. More are opening all the time.” Darius leaned left, so Sirin banked that way and they glided around the northern-most point of Eldara.
“Then why did you and Ambrose come to Joriam?”
“You know why I came – because of the Great Guardian. Ambrose came to the lower realm to track the rift and see if the veil was torn any further down there,” Darius replied. “He didn’t come to find you. We have to track how far the veil is cracking so we can attempt to find something that might slow down the break.”
Sirin’s senses hummed at the edge of his mind as though they were one being. Darius had grown up training with the Dragon Guard and had a special bond with Sirin. He could call her when they were separated over long distances, and she could commune with him through her mind as well. Fergus might only see dragons for their strength and ability to enforce military might, but Darius knew they were much more special. Sirin glided lower as they descended and reached the north peak of Eldara. Trees and hills surrounded them. Below them stood several houses, some in the trees like Ambrose’s villa and others on the ground.
“What’s that glowing wood that the houses are made from?” Nyx asked. “They look so… strange. Is it some kind of ward?” The houses shimmered with a faint blue and green hue.
“No, wards are always invisible. It’s called Ashwood, made from the wood of a rare ash tree. The wood can change colour depending on the season. Ash trees usually only grow here on Eldara and the Andovian islands.”
“How could one have ended up in the lower realm then?”
Darius shrugged. “One would have to have been planted there as a sapling. Or sent there. It’s harder for them to grow outside of this realm. They need magic to survive on and a land rich with natural energy. That’s more difficult to find in the lower realm.” That made Darius even more curious about Nyx’s past. He guided Sirin towards the ground where they landed with a thump. Darius climbed down and patted Sirin’s head. “Good girl.”
Nyx slid down the side of the dragon. “Phew, I never thought I would be glad to be on solid ground again.” She breathed a sigh of relief. “I hope flying around on her won’t be a habit, druid. I thought I was supposed to be your servant? Shouldn’t I be doing household chores or something? I could have stayed back at Ambrose’s house and helped Ada. I’m used to menial tasks.”
Darius grimaced at the word servant. He didn’t know what Nyx was yet. Not a servant as such, just someone he would have to put up with — at least until she got control over her powers. “I don’t think Ada would appreciate the help. She hates anyone interfering with her kitchen, and Ambrose insisted I take you with me. We’ll have to figure this out as we go along.”
Darius had no place for a servant in his life, and still didn’t know what he would do with her if he had to take her everywhere with him. What if she found out about his connections to the resistance? Had Ambrose even thought about that? He would have to speak to his mentor about that later. Why Ambrose thought Nyx would be safer with him Darius couldn’t fathom. She was much more likely to get in danger whilst he was on patrol than if she stayed with Ambrose himself. Although he supposed Ambrose couldn’t take her to council meetings, and it would be much safer if she stayed away from the Crystal Palace altogether.
“Now where are we going?” Nyx asked a
s they trailed away from Sirin towards a large building made of grey stones. The roof was thatched, and smoke rose from the chimney. “I thought we were looking for a rift? This doesn’t look anything like the one I saw yesterday.”
Darius repressed a sigh. “Do you always ask so many questions?” Her constant questioning would irritate him to no end. How was he supposed to get any work done? “This is the Forest Guardhouse. I’m here to find out if there are any more reports. All guards come here to get orders and to pass on any relevant news about what they’ve heard or seen around the island. I have to report into my general.”
“Aren’t you in charge here?” Nyx raised an eyebrow. “I mean, you are the son of the Archdruid. How could anyone rank higher than you?”
Darius did sigh then. “I don’t use my family name to work my way through the ranks. I am a Captain. Everything I do I earn on my own merit and not because of my father. So, come along and stop asking questions.” He turned away from her and pushed open the door to the guardhouse.
He stepped inside. A wooden board with pieces of parchment pinned to it took up one side of the wall. A large fireplace sat on the far side of the room along with a large desk. Behind it sat a dark-haired man with long grey hair and a weathered face. He wore the usual forest green tunic of the guard and looked up as Darius walked over. “About time you came back out here,” the dark-haired man said. “You’ve been gone longer than expected, Valeran.”
“General Killian.” Darius gave him a nod. “Sorry to be away for so long I had other matters to take care of.” He shot a glance towards Nyx as she trailed in behind him. “Any more signs of rifts?”
“Not yet, but the one that opened up last has grown in size.”
Darius gritted his teeth. He had feared that might happen and muttered an oath. He should have been here working on the problem instead of wasting so much time looking for Nyx in the lower realm.
“Who is the girl?” General Killian arched an eyebrow at Nyx.
“This is Nyx. She is working with me under Ambrose’s orders.” He knew she wouldn’t appreciate him calling her a servant and the fewer people who knew about her powers, the better. Besides, the general never questioned Ambrose’s advice. “Do you have any other duties for me? If not, Ambrose wants me focused on finding a way to stop the rift from spreading.”
The Calling (The Andovia Chronicles Book 1) Page 13