Oszlár returned the letter to Munro. “In Ashkyne, Queen Konstanze will do as she pleases. Her people expect strength and even ruthlessness from her. Did the lady confess?”
Munro turned to Huck with the unspoken question.
“All Lisle told me was that she heard Demi and Ulrich arguing.”
The scowl never left the elder keeper’s face. “I would like to speak to the newest member of your Hall, if I may.”
A moment passed before Munro realised he meant Lisle. She was, he supposed, one of them now.
“I’ll get her,” Huck offered and slipped out of the workshop.
“How can we convince Konstanze to release Demi and Jago?” Munro asked.
“We will see what she wants. If her primary objective was to avenge her brother, Lady Druid Demi Hartmann would be dead already, and you would not have been invited to visit Ashkyne. The offer of death rites, while strictly adhering to protocol in the case of a condemned faerie, is clearly an excuse to negotiate with you.”
“What about the boy?” Aaron asked.
“As the child’s blood relative, Queen Konstanze is within her rights to take him under her protection. I’m surprised, however, considering he’s lethfae.”
“What does that mean?” Rory asked.
“Even I am shocked at the news Ulrich was azuri fae. Many rumours surrounded him, and he was known to be, shall we say, cold-blooded, but none suspected he followed the Path of Stars. Queen Konstanze’s family did well to keep his talent secret. A half-druid child recognised as part of the royal family will only remind the fae of Ulrich’s clandestine visits to the human realm and what many still consider to be impure magic.”
Munro opened his mouth to argue how much that perception had changed in the past year, but at that moment, Huck entered the workshop with Lisle Hartman. The old woman’s eyes were bloodshot, with dark circles under them. “They are going to execute my granddaughter?” she asked. Although she looked exhausted, her voice sounded stronger than before.
“We’ll try to stop them,” Munro said. “This is Keeper Oszlár. He’s advising us on how to proceed. He’d like to speak with you.”
She eyed the ancient keeper warily and raised her chin. “What do you want to know?”
Munro admired her grit. Even though she was clearly distraught, she was still fighting with everything in her.
The keeper bowed to her. “My lady druid,” he said. “If we are to help your granddaughter, I must know what you saw.”
“Why don’t we sit down?” Huck said, but nobody moved or spoke for an instant. Lisle seemed to be evaluating Oszlár.
After a long silence, she began speaking. “I put Jago to bed early. We planned to leave in the night, so we decided to rest after supper. I couldn’t sleep, so I was awake when the front door opened. At first, I thought Demi had gone to the corner shop. She had mentioned that she planned to buy Jago some treats for the journey. But then I heard shouting.” Lisle’s eyes shone as she stared straight ahead as though watching events replay in front of her. “I got out of bed and went to check on Jago, but then I heard him crying downstairs. I rushed down, but as I came to the landing, Demi saw me and gestured for me to stay back. She looked frightened, so I did what she wanted.”
“Where was the boy?” Oszlár asked.
“Clinging to Demi’s leg.”
“And where was Prince Ulrich?”
“Standing in the centre of the room.”
Munro’s instincts told him she was leaving something out. The idea niggled at him, though. Could she be lying? Or was she simply omitting certain facts? He wanted to jump in and ask, but he decided not to interrupt the keeper’s questioning just yet.
Lisle went on. “Demi looked at me, and I knew by her expression he was attempting to weaken her.”
“What do you mean?” Munro asked. “What was he doing?”
“I don’t know.” Lisle hesitated and touched her fingers to the side of her face. Munro could tell she once again was hiding something and had a suspicion what her secret might be. If she’d been a compatible bond with Ulrich as well, she may have felt an inexplicable attraction towards him. If that was the case, he may have begun to unlock her druidic talents in that short time. Such a pull towards the man who’d hurt her granddaughter would be confusing, not to mention mortifying. He had no evidence of such a connection, but the theory would explain some of her reticence. “Ulrich shouted,” she continued. “I heard pain in his voice.”
“What did you see?” Huck asked.
“Ulrich had been pacing as he ranted, and he had moved back and out of my sight. He was out of my view when he cried out, but I can tell you, Demi did not touch him.”
“What about the child?” Oszlár asked.
“Jago?” Lisle narrowed her eyes. “He’s only four years old, a baby. What could he do but cry for his mama? He did nothing to Ulrich. I swear on my life.” Her words left no room for doubt. Fae children were not helpless in the same way a human child would be. On the other hand, Jago was only half-fae. He’d likely never met a faerie before, much less been trained to use whatever power he might possess.
“So if Demi didn’t kill Ulrich, who else could have?” Aaron asked.
Lisle shrugged. “I cannot pretend to understand the ways of magic. Although my family has a long tradition of stories of the fae, I thought them to be no more than stories until Ulrich appeared. Might a faerie have been invisible or struck him from a distance or using a weapon I couldn’t see? Is there no spell or enchantment that might kill?”
“I suppose it’s possible.” Munro looked to Oszlár. “Any ideas?”
The old keeper kept his focus on Lisle. “What manner of wounds did you detect on the prince?”
“His body was out of view, but I do know he did not die quickly. He was still living when his men rushed in.”
“What happened next?” Huck asked her gently.
“I called out for Jago, but in the commotion, he didn’t hear me. Demi pleaded with me. She said, ‘Stay back, Omi.’” Lisle sighed. “I shouldn’t have listened to her, but…” Her voice trailed off.
“They frightened you,” Huck said.
She nodded. “They were dressed in black and very tall. Their eyes swirled and glowed. They moved like no one I’d ever seen. They blurred out of sight before I knew what happened. The next moment, they were gone, and they’d taken Ulrich and my grandchildren with them.”
“So maybe he wasn’t dead?” Aaron suggested.
Huck shook his head. “There was a huge pool of blood on the floor when I arrived. I don’t imagine anyone who bled that much would survive.”
“What do you think?” Munro asked Lisle. Time to test his theory that Lisle may have also possessed a compatible bond with Ulrich.
She appeared to be considering how to respond, but finally she nodded. “The moment was brief, but I believe he is dead. Despite his pain, his heart was still beating when his men arrived, but I would swear he died in that house. I am certain.”
On one hand, Munro felt satisfied that he’d uncovered a big part of her deception. She might not even realise her powers had been unlocked by Ulrich. But her story had holes in it. Faerie didn’t just drop dead. He also considered the initial shout and pain may not have been the time of the death blow. What if one of his men killed him, using the chaos as a cover? Munro wanted the theory to fit, but he didn’t know what motive might a Watcher have or how he could strike a killing blow without the others noticing. Still, if astral magic or illusions were involved, eye-witness statements meant little. “What was Ulrich’s sphere of magic?”
“Air,” Lisle replied. “I remember Demi saying he used to bind her with air.”
“No,” Munro said, “I mean his primary talent. If he had the ability to bond with a druid, he must have been azuri. That means astral, which is the mental, blood magic, temporal magic, or spirit magic. We’ve never found anyone with spirit magic, though, so don’t know how those talents would manifest.”
She shook her head. “Demi only mentioned his use of air and some water talents, but never anything like those others.”
Munro wasn’t going to argue with her. Perhaps Ulrich only used his earth talents. When she had been an outcast, Eilidh fought her astral abilities for years.
Rory turned to Oszlár. “I’m guessing astral,” he said. “Besides being the most common, Ulrich’s attempts to control Demi fit with mental magic. Illusion would explain why Lisle didn’t witness more specifics.”
Oszlár nodded slowly. “Perhaps.”
“I think you’re right,” Lisle said eagerly. “Demi often spoke of feeling as though she was heavily under his influence.”
“You must accept Konstanze’s invitation,” Oszlár said. “Speak to the lady druid and learn what you can about the night of Ulrich’s death. Your best hope to free her is to convince Konstanze of her innocence.”
“What about this whole draoidh thing?” Huck asked. “I thought we were supposed to wield more influence than this.”
“I had hoped,” Oszlár began, “we might uncover more secrets to unlock the power of the draoidh of old before this test of belief came. Right now, tradition is the only weapon you possess, and Konstanze knows this. You will be better off if the lady druid is innocent.”
“What if I confess?” Lisle said. “If I say I killed Ulrich, they should release Demi and Jago.”
Munro sighed, unhappy that their weakness in fae society would lead to this gloomy state of affairs. “They won’t believe you any more than I do, and a confession wouldn’t solve our problem.”
“I doubt Konstanze will release the boy, no matter what else happens,” Oszlár said.
“But my granddaughter would live.”
The old keeper shook his head. “More likely, the Ashkyne queen would demand to execute you both. No, false confessions will help no one.” He turned to Munro. “You must go to Konstanze. Whatever you do, do not back down or show fear.”
“Come with us,” Munro said. “I will need your advice.”
“She will not admit even the keepers. The move is unprecedented, but she is within her rights. The queens’ rule in their own kingdoms is absolute.”
Munro nodded. “I’ll leave in an hour,” he said. Then, realising their dependence on the fae had the potential to take a nasty turn, he thought about his conversation with Rory. He’d not given the problem much thought when they spoke about wanting their own gate to the human realm. They’d be able to access Caledonia as long as he was bonded to Eilidh, but if anything ever happened to her, all bets were off. Munro didn’t want his men stranded in the Halls of Mist forever. “Rory, you come along. I’d like to continue the chat we had on the way to Caledonia about gates.”
“No,” Huck said. “I’m going with you. Demi knows me. She trusts me more than she would anyone else. Munro, I need to do this.” With a glance to Lisle, he added, “This is my fault. If everything goes wrong, I at least want the chance to tell her how sorry I am. Please.”
Munro breathed in, then blew out the air in a rush. “Okay,” he said. Events were changing too fast. He didn’t have time to really think things through, so instinct would have to do.
“I know what you’re talking about though, Munro,” Rory said. “An idea came to me about our little problem. I’m on it.” He glanced around at the others. “All of us are.”
Aaron nodded. “Sure, I’m in. Whatever we need to do.”
Douglas spoke up, reminding Munro for the first time he was in the room. “Count me in,” he said.
Although prospects seemed bleak, the druids’ willingness to work together and support each other buoyed Munro’s spirits. Now he had to figure out what to say to Konstanze.
Chapter 11
The more time passed, the more the walls closed in on Aaron at the Druid Hall. When his powers were unlocked by the blood faerie Cridhe, he’d felt like he was a part of something for the first time. After he learned Cridhe planned to kill them all, well, the news dampened his enthusiasm, to say the least. Later, Munro invited him to the Isle of Skye, then on to Caledonia. He’d swept along with the crowd, going the only places he believed his magic would ever truly belong.
But his best mate Phillip was murdered by Cadhla, the former queen of Caledonia, and Rory was permanently scarred by Flùranach. These events brought home to him that although the druids might not fit into the human realm, at least no one there was plotting their deaths. Now another queen had them in the crosshairs. As long as their magic was so underdeveloped, the druids were sitting ducks.
Worse yet, Flùranach had come back from who knows where and was living under the same roof. Aaron had heard she was scheming to bond with Rory again, but Rory turned her down flat. What happened when she wouldn’t take no for an answer? What if she set her sights on Aaron? He and Huck were the only two unbonded druids. Unless, he supposed, they counted Lisle and Demi. But Demi probably wouldn’t leave Ashkyne alive, and Lisle had to be eighty if she was a day. What were the chances of them finding the old lady a compatible faerie before she croaked of natural causes?
Aaron stood to leave the workshop. He had decisions to make before it was too late. His gut told him the Halls of Mist weren’t safe as long as they didn’t have a way out that wasn’t dependent on a queen. All their food, their supplies, and their servants came from the kingdoms. If the queens refused the druids permission to access their gates, the druids would be in serious trouble.
Hon stepped into the doorway, blocking Aaron’s exit. “Queen Eilidh of Caledonia,” he announced.
Aaron didn’t trust Eilidh, truth be told. She was messing Munro about. What sort of woman wants to marry three guys? She claimed to love Munro, but hers wasn’t any kind of love Aaron understood. Why Munro put up with her taking a third husband, Aaron didn’t know. He figured being bonded made it near impossible to object, another reason bonding didn’t appeal to Aaron much. He didn’t want to fall for some faerie, just to get treated like Munro and Rory did. The others didn’t appear to mind, but nobody would put a leash on Aaron’s neck. Even Douglas had changed since he’d bonded with Tràth, almost never leaving the prince’s side. Aaron had known Douglas before, and he hadn’t seemed gay. But with all the stuff Douglas claimed he and Tràth got up to at these wild parties, it sounded like Douglas had gotten into the swing of things, so to speak. If bonding with a guy would make Aaron gay, he would say no thanks. Not interested.
After a moment, Eilidh followed the steward into the workshop. The druids wouldn’t receive most royals in the workshop, but with her, most of the usual protocol didn’t apply. “My lords and lady,” she said with a tilt of her head. Aaron choked on a laugh. She never would act so formal if Oszlár hadn’t been around. “Keeper,” she said to the old faerie.
“Your Majesty,” Oszlár said. “I hadn’t thought to find you away from Caledonia with the transitions your kingdom has undergone in recent days, not to mention your upcoming wedding.”
Was there a criticism in the statement? Aaron raised an eyebrow at Rory, but Rory shrugged. He didn’t know either.
“I consider the needs of the Druid Hall a priority. Quinton believed I may be able to assist with Queen Konstanze,” she explained.
“Naturally,” the keeper said.
Rory stood and greeted Eilidh. “Sorry, Eilidh. Munro left not ten minutes ago. Konstanze sent a message inviting two druids to speak with her.” He glanced at Lisle with some discomfort, clearly not wanting to discuss Demi’s execution in front of her. “Will you excuse me? I’m going to escort Lisle to her suite.”
“Of course,” Eilidh said, watching the old lady carefully. Aaron would give his eye teeth to know what she was thinking.
Rory guided Lisle out, leaving Aaron and Douglas as the only two druids in the workshop.
“What was Konstanze’s message?” Eilidh asked Oszlár.
He handed the parchment to her. Eilidh read through the document, glanced up at him, then looked to the other druids. With a
sigh, she returned the parchment to him. “This isn’t good,” she muttered, then straightened herself as though she’d made a decision. “Keeper, might I have a word with you? I’d be happy to walk back to the library with you so as not to take more of your valuable time than necessary.”
Curious, Aaron thought. What did she want to tell him that she wouldn’t say in front of the druids?
“Of course, Your Majesty,” Oszlár said. He turned to the others. “I suspect we may be forced to wait some time before the others return from Ashkyne. Please send word upon their return, and I will offer whatever assistance I can.” He handed Konstanze’s letter to Aaron.
“Sure,” Aaron said. The whole thing struck him as odd. Just before Eilidh arrived, Oszlár said he planned to wait at the Druid Hall. Why would Eilidh’s request change his mind?
Oszlár and Eilidh left the workshop together, strolling down the path towards the entry hall. Aaron turned to Douglas. “I’ll be right back. I want to find out what they’re up to.”
He peered around the stone arch that led to the corridor. The pair walked ahead, and his keen hearing picked up their murmuring voices. Keeping his steps light, he followed. Words floated to his ears, but he had trouble catching everything. Interestingly, they were talking about Demi’s boy.
Eilidh stopped in the courtyard, and Aaron hovered behind a stone column. If someone walked up from the other direction, he’d look a bit odd lurking there, but the Druid Hall wasn’t exactly bustling with activity.
“I’d not expected this,” Eilidh said to Oszlár. Her brow creased into a frown.
“Children are a gift from the Mother,” Oszlár said.
“But a lethfae child? What place would a half-blood have in our society? How would that child be regarded? Not having the full magic of a faerie, but not draoidh either.”
“Or perhaps the best of both?” Oszlár said. “In millennia past, when draoidh lived and worked among us, lethfae children, although not common, did exist.”
“I’ve never heard of them,” she admitted.
“None of us had realised the draoidh had human origins until recently. Why would we think their children as anything other than fae?”
Caledonia Fae 04- Druid Lords Page 12