I had neither the knowledge of military planning nor the insight to make comment. Nadine looked troubled and I could sense her disquiet.
"I see. You've included Nadine and me in this discussion. I presume you think we are your allies in this?"
Steve blinked in a moment of surprise. "Of course we think you as an ally. Why wouldn't you be? The Lord Protector enforced the Purge, did he not? He is not your friend."
"True. I admit to a rather large dislike for the man. He is responsible for the death of my mother and father. The Sect even more so. But my personal issues with him are just that—personal. I am the Freamhaigh and Nadine the Cill Darae of the Tree. Our task is simple, Steve. We must bring harmony to the world. That is not the harmony between South and North Belkin, or between Healy and the Baron, or even placing a king on the throne. It is about the harmony of the earth and nature. I am more concerned with what people do to the earth than what they do on the earth. When you starve the north, you will kill people while the Lord Protector eats and gluts himself in Munsten.
"I cannot take sides in this. There are no sides for me or the draoi. I represent both the people of the north and the south. Both will require our aide."
The Baron smashed his fist to the table and roared startling us all. The miniatures on the table bounced and landed in a clatter. "Treason! You openly admit you would aid the enemy! Steve, you promised me these druids would help us. I see now your judgement was clouded with your emotions and false sense of loyalty. I see nothing but children before me all imagining a world of peace and beauty."
Steve looked apologetically at me. "I'm sorry, Will. I shouldn't have spoken for you. I should have discussed this with you first. But honestly, you surprise me with your words. I know your past. How could you possible side with Healy?"
"I am not taken sides, Steve. And I am no longer the boy you knew in Jaipers. The Lord Protector is not my worry other than the effect he may have on the harmony and even the balance of the world. The plants, insects, animals and people interact continuously. It is a beautiful dance and I wish you could see it as we do. You speak to me of war. I care not except for easing the pain of it. War is inevitable. Animals war. Insects war. Trees war for sunlight. My task is to reduce the damage and ease the return of harmony. It is not an easy task and my numbers are few."
"Guards!" cried out the Baron. Steve whirled toward him.
"What are you doing?" demanded Steve.
"Doing what I must," declared the Baron.
A moment later five guards rushed in with weapons drawn. Two positioned behind myself and two behind Nadine. The fifth stepped in front of the Baron and saluted.
"Sir, the druids have been rounded up and detained as per your orders."
Steve stepped forward but Franky held him back with her one arm. "Leave Will alone!" he demanded.
The Baron ignored him. "Excellent, Captain Tibert. Take these two to the others and restrain them. I'll have further orders shortly. Get them out of my sight. They sicken me. Steve, don't interfere."
Steve and Franky looked stricken as they watched the guards grab the arms of me and Nadine. It was good to know they hadn't known or been involved. Nadine glanced at me and I could sense she was upset that I had been right.
I turned my head to look the Baron in the eye. "You are to leave this farm immediately. You are no longer welcome here."
The Baron laughed. "Excuse me? You insolent bastard. You are nothing. A treasonous son-of-a-bitseach. Guards take them away."
The guards tried to move us but found they were unable. They tried again and Nadine and I looked serenely across the table at one another.
"Windthrop," said Nadine with a sigh. "Perhaps you didn't hear my husband. Leave at once."
"Guards, what's going on? Remove them!" yelled the Baron.
"Sir, we can't budge them."
"What? Try harder!"
The guards grunted with strain as they tried once again to move us. This continued for several seconds with the Baron yelling at his guards to try harder. Steve and Franky moved aside and looked on with wonder.
"Freamhaigh," said Heather who had entered the barn quietly behind us. "The farm is secure."
"Thanks, Heather. Time to go, Lord Windthrop."
Nadine and I shrugged past the guards and strolled out of the barn holding hands. The farm was deathly quiet. We could see that the Baron's men were clustered together on the lawn in a large group. Surrounding them were hundreds of animals. Dogs, cats, deer, wolves, bears and even the Baron's horses quietly stood or sat in a circle surrounding the soldiers. Insects of all kinds swarmed in a large circle around the men. The soldiers cowered in fear and glanced upward to the hundreds of birds circling overhead.
The Baron emerged from the barn shielding his eyes from the morning sun. "What is this? What's happening here?" He cried out in fright once his eyes adjusted and he saw his men surrounded by wild animals. "What in the Word? Why are my men surrounded by animals? Steve, get out here!" A hint of panic touched the voice of the Baron and Nadine and I smiled at one another. We saw our draoi standing nearby with their hands clasped in front of them. Non-threatening, just like I wanted, I thought happily.
Nadine and I watched the Baron stumble past and approach his encircled soldiers. He fumbled for his sword but couldn't seem to find the pommel. A black bear turned toward him and roared at him and the Baron slide down onto his backside and then scrambled to distance himself; his sword forgotten.
"Steve! Steve!" he cried.
Steve and Franky ran out of the barn and stopped to survey the scene. I caught a quick frown from Steve's face toward me before he composed himself. His aura was lit up with conflict and so was Franky's. That was not good, I needed them to remain with the draoi. I was worried about that. Nadine had assured me last night not to worry after we worked out this response. She didn't think it would be necessary but once the Baron had called the guards on us she had known that I was right. I had argued the Baron would do anything to secure our aide and that we should be prepared.
Steve ran to the Baron's side and helped him to his feet. I watched as the Baron's aura sparked with anger and hatred. Franky drew her sword and surveyed the area. The men and women from Steve's crew were standing in the shade of the main house and laughter burst from them at intervals. Franky relaxed a little and then, like Steve, threw a frown our way.
"They won't be harmed, Baron," I said, once he focused on me. His face was scarlet and I could see he was about to start screaming at me. Nadine moved to stand by Franky. Steve stood next to the Baron, and it was to him I spoke next. "Nothing would have happened if the Baron had left my draoi alone, Steve. The moment they rounded them up all bets were off."
I could see Steve's jaw clench. He looked out over the surrounded men and the calm animals that circled them. The occasional cry from a bird being the only sound. The Baron struggled to speak but Nadine kept his throat constricted just enough to stop that. We had heard enough from him.
"How?" asked Steve, and he glanced at the Baron and then back to me.
I looked at Franky and stared meaningfully at her sword. She shook her head a minuscule amount and that small gesture broke my heart. Nadine looked sorrowful and hung her head a moment before looking up and speaking. "It only took the draoi a matter of minutes to bring in the waiting animals to circle the Baron's troops. Then they silenced your men and stood calmly over there asking the animals to act as they did. No harm will come to your men so long as they behave and leave peacefully."
I stepped in front of the Baron. "You, sir, came into my home and thought to take possession of my people. We welcomed you, healed your injured, and remained civil despite your constant attempts to belittle those efforts. We listened respectably to you. We heard your plans for domination in the south and lead the land into civil war and your intention to take the throne. Those plans will not and cannot involve my draoi." I left the circle and walked over to my people. They smiled at me, with their trust in me and Nadi
ne absolute, and our trust in them more so. They were warriors of a different kind. Warriors for the world.
What the Baron and the others were not seeing was the tremendous effort my draoi were exerting. It was taking all of them to control the animals, insects, and the soldiers. They had lent Nadine and I the strength to remain rooted in the barn. If they had thought to simply pick us up, we would have had to use other means. As it was, we were simply so very much stronger than the guards. It was taxing, but we felt the power of Gaea supporting us and drew satisfaction that she agreed with us in this. I turned back to regard the enraged face of the Baron. Nadine eased his heart somewhat, but he was very close to a full heart attack. The man simply had no idea who or what he was dealing with, despite our best efforts to educate him. Ignorance is bliss, my old friend Daukyns used to say.
"You disappoint me greatly, Baron. Steve spoke so fondly of you and so I had expected a better man. You are a man who had known the draoi. Even loved one dearly. Yet you chose ignorance instead. You are a small minded, petty tyrant. You would take when someone offers. You would condescend rather than listen. You are heading into a war, Lord Windthrop, of your own making. Gaea, whom you met I might remind you, tells us a greater conflict is coming. Your worldly desires pale in comparison.
"My draoi are the strongest the world has ever seen. It would take much more than a couple of hundred soldiers to contain us. It bodes well for our future, but I'll be honest with you: this use of power in this way does not sit well with me. Or Nadine. Our purpose is to restore the harmony of the land. Not force others to our will.
"You've insulted us. Ignored us. Then opted to grab us for your own selfish ends. We are done. You are to leave the farm and never return. You are no longer welcome here."
I had never spoken to anyone in this manner and I fought to control my limbs from shaking. Nadine helped keep me calm. I looked out at the soldiers of the Baron and saw nothing but fear. This was how the draoi would be remembered. Not as healers, but as people who could control strange magic.
There was no helping it. I was confident we were stepping out on the right path. The Baron thought to use us as part of his power base. Last night my draoi discussed the future and agreed our path was elsewhere. Something was coming to Belkin. Something far more serious than an uprising to overthrow a start-up petty dictator like Healy. Those last words had been Nadine's, and I smiled remembering her acceptance.
In time we would find a way to show the world the good we could accomplish. For now, our first open use of magic would follow with tales of fear and horror. It was not the way we wanted this. But we couldn't be a tool for anyone's dreams of conquest.
I walked over to Nadine and we clasped hands. I nodded to the draoi, and the animals turned and fled into the surrounding fields and woods. The birds cried out and flew off in every direction. The insects spread out and disappeared into the grass. The Baron's men slowly drew apart and looked to the Baron for orders. He was a sight to behold. His face was beyond furious. This was a man who did not accept humility or defeat. The draoi had made an enemy this day but it could not be helped. He had forced this on us with his arrogance.
Steve shook his head and then took the Baron by the arm and gently pulled him away, whispering soothing words to him. Franky shot Nadine and me a baleful look and then strode over to the Baron's men yelling out orders to pack up and move out. Nadine released the Baron's voice, and he started cursing and yelling.
The next few hours were uneventful but ultimately sorrowful. My draoi and I remained outside where we were and watched the Baron's men pack up and then ride out in silence. He said nothing to us as he left. He didn't even spare us a glance, and I was thankful for that. A moment later Steve and the crew emerged with their belongings and a large piece of me shattered. Steve stopped his horse next to me and looked down at me. He looked angry, disappointed and sorrowful all at the same time. His aura was shot with so many colours I couldn't make it out.
"It didn't have to be this way, you could have helped. Why, Will?"
I swallowed the grief that threatened to consume me. I had expected Steve to understand. He had vowed to be our protectors in the world. He was breaking that vow and not seeming to care. This man who had protected me as a child would now leave and follow the hollow promises of a petty, angry man instead. I didn't know him anymore. The months on the farm had changed him back to who he had been before. I didn't like this former highwayman. I think perhaps Reeve Comlin would agree with me.
Nadine squeezed my hand and answered for me. "Shame, Stephen Comlin. Shame! You follow that arse of a man down that road and abandon those here who protected you and cared for you. Off you go. You know why this is wrong. You just won't admit it to your heart. When you figure it out, come back and apologise to me. Until then, off on your merry way with your merry band."
Steve looked startled and started to speak. Franky reached out from her horse and grabbed his forearm with her one hand. "Leave it. We must follow, you know why. There's nothing you can do or say here. They don't see the greater calling. Come on."
Steve hesitated and then nodded. "Farewell, Will. Good fortune."
I didn't answer and watched Steve Comlin and his crew until they disappeared down the road. They were heading south toward Jergen. In the direction Brent and James had gone six months ago. It was there that the conflict would begin. We had only a few months and then it would start.
I embraced Nadine and the other draoi broke apart to tend to chores and the farm animals. Life on the farm would resume. It always would. Despite all the grief and betrayal, I still felt hope. The time of the draoi remaining hidden in the world was over. I felt a sense of purpose in what Gaea was doing. I trusted her. I knew that I needn't worry that the people would always fear us. We would be the calm before the storm and smooth the way for the true hardship that was on the horizon. It was us against the world.
Four
SIX MONTHS AGO
Heading to Jergen - November 900 A.C.
BRENT AND JAMES dismounted to walk alongside their horses. They balanced the ride transitioning from walk, trot, and canter, and every two hours they walked for fifteen minutes to give the horses a break. Since leaving the Rigby Farm they had made good time. They had been on the road for only a week and the occasional flurry of snow reminded them to make haste to the city of Jergen. They rode in silence and slept well off the road at night and kept warm by a small fire. They were in constant vigil for any sign of Major Gillespie and his men. They were somewhere between the farm and Munsten, that's for sure, mused Brent. I wish to Hell I knew where he was.
While walking the horses they often brought up the night at Rigby Farm. Brent expressed confidence he knew what had happened, but James still had his doubts. They recounted the race up river, urged to go faster by Steve Comlin, and dragging a complaining Dempster along with them. They discussed stumbling into the horror of the farm and finding men without life walking upright and killing. Later, the young man Will Arbor, had named them aos'si, or the sluagh sidhe. Names from fairy tales designed to frighten children. But Brent had seen them and believed.
"So you're saying God came to our side and slew Erebus, the demon figure?" asked James rhetorically.
"Yes. What's so hard to believe about that?" asked Brent. "Holy light shot out of my forehead—and the amulet—and pierced the creature from Hell. We all witnessed it. I'm surprised you still doubt it."
"Will seemed to think it was something else."
"Yes, well, Will is not an expert on religion, is he? He follows the Word and Gaea. Plus he's only eighteen. What does he know?"
"Well, we all saw Gaea. She's real."
"I don't need to see God to believe, you heathen. Have a little faith!"
"Pfft," snorted James. "I have faith in my sword, sir, I'll have you know. Will could do some pretty remarkable things, you have to admit. His wife and the others, too. I can't get it out of my head. Who has powers like that, anyway?" James thought for a second a
nd then grinned sideways at Brent. "'Cept maybe you I suppose."
"Shut up! I liked you better when I outranked you."
"Well, we all pine for the days of yore, don't we? When everything was wine and fine women all the time." James heaved an exaggerated sigh. "The heady days. Back when you were sufferable."
"I'll knock you back into yesterday if you like. Just keep talking."
James laughed and his horse ducked his head at the bright sound. The weather looked promising. The snows of November had only produced a light dusting. They were making fast time on the road. They would reach Jergen in two days' time. Nadine had told them to stay at her house along the coast and had written a note introducing them to the woman currently staying there. The prospect of a warm house drove them forward.
For a time, they walked in silence. Each chasing their own deep thoughts. James looked out across the field to their right and watched a murder of crows take flight at some sound. He kept his eyes on the tree line and then coughed slightly. Brent turned his head to observe, and they slowed to a halt. After several minutes, they shook their heads and resumed their walk.
"Nothing. Keep an eye anyway, James."
"'Course."
"I know you have your doubts, James. I can see it in your eyes. But I also know you trust me, so thanks. I don't understand why God would use me in this way, but I live to serve His will."
"Humph. What else am I to do? You've ruined my military career along with yours. So I guess I'm stuck with you," James chuckled to take any bite out of his words. "I can't imagine a better person to spiral into certain death and gloom with. Truth be told, I'm curious to see where this all goes."
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