Stoc (A New Druids Series Book 3)

by Donald D. Allan

  I twisted on to my side to see her face better. She glanced sideways at me. "So you think I'm right?" I asked.

  I watched her chew her lip for a moment and then nod once.

  I flopped back down on my back and smiled at the sky. "Okay, tonight."

  The large fire crackled and sparked into the midnight air and all around the fire I looked at the expectant faces of my seated draoi students. We had placed large logs around the fire and we were somewhat comfortable. Some had blankets spread out on the ground and were leaning back against the wood. The sky was star-filled and cloudless. Only a whisper of a wind could be felt.

  The draoi had received what training Nadine and I could provide. They were craobhs of varying skills and were ready to move to the next level. Nadine had spoken to Gaea, and she had confirmed that they should be stocs. Full druids with all the responsibilities that entailed. Nadine and I had differences about what should happen next. She spoke of ceremonies of which we had no time for.

  Dempster sat on the porch of the farmhouse in a rocking chair. He had his hands folded over his large stomach with his eyes closed pretending to be asleep. When he truly slept his snoring could be heard for miles. Anne sat next to him with one ear to her baby sleeping inside. Our blacksmith, Charlie, was absent and asleep. The farmhands sat nearby at the edge of the firelight and talked quietly. The summer night was cool but comfortable and welcomed after the heat of the day. Nadine hummed a quiet tune, and I smiled at the serenity of the scene.

  I used my senses to probe the night and was marginally surprised to find several dozen animals gathered outside the light of the fire. They were waiting and excited. I looked around the fire and found the two draoi who communed with animals. Chris and Tara Whitby smiled when they caught my glance.

  "I see we are not alone tonight."

  "No, Freamhaigh. They insisted they be present," replied Chris.

  "That's well and good. My apologies to them for the large fire. I hope it doesn't frighten them too much."

  Tara laughed a little and shook her head. "No, they are quite content where they are."

  Chris held her hand and nodded.

  I looked at Nadine beside me. "Ready, Cill Darae?"

  "Yes, Freamhaigh. It is time."

  I stood from our log and looked down at the eager, smiling faces. "You have all come a long way, my friends. I apologise for how I have been these past few days."

  The draoi all spoke at once telling me not to worry about it. I held up my hands, and they quieted. "Thank you, but I was miserable and you know it. Nadine has convinced me to get past it and move on and I agree."

  I heard Dempster mutter "about time" under his breath and several draoi laughed out loud.

  "Yes, yes. About time. I agree. You will have to indulge me for a moment. Nadine has asked me to go over our powers once more. Back to the basics, she said. Change is coming and with it your skills will be required. Soon we must travel. And I want to be sure you understand your strengths and what they mean to this world and Gaea. So bear with me please."

  The draoi looked at one another and then settled onto their logs. Some slipped off to sit on the ground and put their backs to the wood. As they settled I smirked, it was surely a sign that I would be talking for some time and they knew it.

  "I will try to keep this short."

  More laughter erupted and Nadine shushed them. Some had the sense to try to look guilty. Some grin openly back at her. "Such cheek," she scowled.

  "Alright, I see you've settled in. So, what have we learned this winter? A lot, I suspect. We have learned from each other and grown stronger for the experience. Nadine and I have only a cursory understanding of the powers of the draoi. Nadine with her years of experience from the draoi who came before us taught us much of our history and the beliefs of those who fell to the sword and worse.

  "I have challenged those teachings. The Draoi Manuscript gave a lot of detail but I felt it was flawed as you know. It gave all draoi the same powers and abilities. We know now that each draoi is gifted differently by Gaea. Those differences give us strengths when we work together. As the carpenter works wood, and the blacksmith tempers iron, so do the draoi work nature and the earth we stand on.

  "Please humour me while I explain those powers in some detail. You know me and what I have been able to do. I can see all of nature around me and determine its desire. I can take the damage to nature and heal it. I have communed with Dog. I have caused flowers and plants to thrive.

  "You know all this because each of you has similar powers. Some only have one. Each are different. But tonight, let us re-examine those powers and discuss their use." A few groans came in response to my last words.

  "Haha! Humour me. Healing seems to most of us as the most useful, but I must disagree. I'll explain that in a moment. Healing is important for obvious reasons. We use it to heal people, animals, insects, and plants. All living creatures. With another draoi they can lend their power, or use their own healing skills to increase how much we can heal. Agnes, Katherine's mum, was an example of that strength. We healed her of a terrible wasting disease, but it took Nadine and I both to do that. We both have healing powers and together we bonded and healed that poor woman."

  I looked down at Nadine and she smiled sadly at the memory. A few made the sign of the Word. Agnes had been healed only to die soon after at the hands of her murdered husband, risen by Seth, the monster who had killed my own mother all those years ago.

  "We can manipulate all living things. This power has a price. We can only heal. We can cause no harm or that power is reflected back on you. This is our bond to Gaea. She nurtures life. She causes no direct harm. For that reason her powers, which she grants us, can only be used as she can use it. But why would we harm others? That is not our purpose. I hope you can all see that."

  A young draoi named Olivia, strong with healing, stood. "Freamhaigh, can we not help the war? Take down the enemy?" Her brother, Nathan, also a healer, sitting beside her nodded his head in agreement. Heather and Chris, the other healers, looked up in interest.

  I shook my head. "No, Olivia and Nathan. That's not our purpose although many would hope so, like Lord Windthrop. The war is not our concern. We are focused on the world around us and making sure that nature survives. The old draoi felt they had to maintain a balance. That was not fully correct. We are here to ensure that harmony is maintained."

  "But is there nothing we can do to help?" asked Chris. "Surely, Freamhaigh, stopping the war would help nature? War destroys, not much else."

  "Perhaps. Perhaps we will be involved. There is much we can do, that is certain. I just don't see it at the moment. Part of me would run to help. Another part of me, the part that Gaea pleads with, says no. I can see the same desire in all of you. We can heal the wounded. Ease their pain. That you know. But we would need to heal both sides. All who are injured deserve our healing regardless of their side in a war. Can you see that need?"

  Olivia hesitated and then shook her head. A look of fright crossed her face and I could sense she was afraid she gave insult. Olivia behaved in a fashion that made people around her socially uncomfortable. She was completely unaware and uncaring of how others perceived her. She could be picking her nose while others talked around her. It was her way, and we all accepted it. She had a heart of gold and we all loved her. "Fear not, dearest Olivia. It will take time to understand that, perhaps. We all have much to learn and the art of healing is a powerful skill and one that we cannot be selective about who benefits. We'll talk more on this on the morrow. For now think on it. It is not intuitive, but once you see the reason, you will understand. Gaea led you here and I believe that we share a common sense of value. Think on it then come see me. With your brother."

  She nodded quickly and sat back down next to Nathan. They glanced at one another and then back to the fire.

  "Plants are next, I suppose. I started with plants myself without knowing it. A gift from my mother, the former Cill Darae from a bygone day. I
lived on my own in the wild and I harvested herbs outside Jaipers for years. I knew I had a talent, but never guessed that my draoi powers were leaking through."

  A few laughed, and I watched Ethan jab an elbow in Warren's ribs across from me and smile at one another. The brothers had a special gift for plants. They were almost my equal in gathering herbs and fruits and vegetables. The flowers growing in the beds around the farm were bursting with life and their aroma filled the air. They worked the fields and Dempster was making the richest breads anyone could remember enjoying.

  Sitting near them were Elisabeth and Jolene, their equals in the plant skills, if not perhaps a little better. They wove vines around the trestles of the farm. Their use of the magic was subtler and lacking the brute force of the brothers. The young ladies coaxed and asked the plants to do their bidding. It left a stronger sense of harmony than the brothers were capable of. As a result, the fields they tended were bursting with grain. The grass fields grew thick and lush. The fields of the boys were impressive but I could sense a small amount of resentment by the plants.

  "Working with plants is a gentle art. They speak to us if we listen. A gentle hand goes a longer way than a rough push or twist." I smiled at the brothers to soften the words. "We are here for the long term. Nothing is so pressing with plants that we can't take the time to ask rather than demand. This is the way to harmony although it can create a sense of balance."

  Warren looked up at me and smirked. "Yes, Freamhaigh. I will say that we have twice as many fields soon ready for harvesting than the two lovely ladies." A few laughed at the words and Warren glanced worried at Elisabeth who scrunched up her nose and made a face back at him.

  "Yes, and this is well and good. Just close your eyes for a moment and feel the field nearest us. Sense the wheat. Tell me what you feel."

  I watched the draoi close their eyes and concentrate. I glanced at Nadine and she grinned up at me. When I looked back to the others, I could see those with the power to sense plants nodding in understanding. Warren started and snapped his eyes open to look at me.

  "I'm sorry, Freamhaigh. I see now." He looked at Elisabeth and she had the sense to release him from her teasing. She reached out and took his hand. Ethan opened his eyes and looked confused.

  "The field is healthy and growing strong, you can see that and sense that. But underneath is a feeling of disquiet, isn't there?" Ethan nodded his head slowly. Warren looked down at the ground and held Elisabeth's hand a little tighter. "It has been pushed. Coerced. It comes close to breaking our rules. We do not force life to go against its own nature. We can ask, plead, and beg if we must. Your fields are growing strong and tall. But the plants are angry. You can sense that, no?"

  Warren nodded his head and Ethan finally seemed to understand. He looked from me to the field and then stared at Jolene sitting beside him. She grimaced and nodded. She took his face in her hands. "Told you, you big stupid head," she said and then kissed him to soften the words.

  Ethan kissed her back, and we all watched as he struggled to find words. "Will you show me how to gentle my hand?" he asked her.

  "Of course, ya big dunderhead. That's what I've been telling you for months!" She smacked his leg for good measure and the draoi laughed. A couple of draoi leaned over and thumped Ethan on the back.

  "Alright settle down, folks!" I called out laughing and in time they settled down. "Next is our Vision. We can all do this. This is our most important power. Some find it easier than others, but all with some talent. This magic allows us to see the life within all things. We can see how interconnected all life is. The relationships. The dependencies. We could be blind and still see the world for the life that fills it. It is the strength behind all what we do. We can see the balance and affect the harmony of all life.

  "This is the power behind healing. We can look deep into a life and see the damage there. We can see how it should work and correct what has gone wrong. I have shown you how to go so deep that blood vessels seem as large as you and I. There is power here. A mother in difficulty birthing her child can be helped by our powers. We can ease the functions of the body and remove pain when necessary. We could, if Gaea did not forbid it, stop a heart, or cause brain function to cease. Such power! But that is not our purpose. Our power is not ours to wield in this way.

  "There is so much power in life. You can all sense nature and have learned to draw that strength to your benefit. We could walk from one end of the realm to the other and never stop. Nature grants us this power. We do not take it. We are gifted it. Gaea would tell you that all life is one, and she is all life. I believe her. You and I are one. We always have been and always will be. When we pass our life energy returns to the whole. Gaea never forgets her parts. The enemy of the Baron is the Baron, do you see?"

  A few draoi shook their heads, and I smiled.

  "You will understand in time and I won't force you to that understanding. Best you come to terms with it on your own. And here comes the difficult part to understand. For this reason we cannot choose sides. All life is life. I tell you that should you have a murderer before you dying of some injury you must heal him as you would the mother of a child giving birth. We do not care what a person has done–only that we can heal them. If we were to join the Baron, he would expect that we heal his people and not the enemy. That we cannot do. I would heal the enemy for they are not my enemy, nor yours. They are life and we treat life.

  "Erebus is different. I wish you had seen him, but I am glad you didn't. He is not life and yet he lives. Gaea could not sense him. Could not control him. He was like the rocks and minerals of the earth. We cannot sense or manipulate the rocks of the world. The inorganic is blind to us. The earth that we till with our magic is saturated with plant matter and organisms. But the soil, the soil is different, just like rocks. Erebus is perhaps something similar to this. We don't know. Erebus was defeated here on this farm and at great cost. He had changed people, stripped them of their ties to this world. It was unnatural and what we would call evil.

  "We cannot change the natural processes of the world. All live to die someday. We can ease that passing, but we cannot stop what must come. We are called to heal and heal we must. The Baron didn't understand that and thought to own and control us. Sadly, Steve and his crew left with him and I blame myself for that. I didn't take the time to explain what we are to him. I thought he understood. I was wrong, and he left."

  I looked around the circle and saw concern reflected back with the firelight. These people had faced their own demons and crossed the realm to find Nadine and I. Gaea had merely pushed them along their path, but they knew nothing other than they had a calling to come here to the farm. They arrived not knowing what to think, and I, as their teacher, gave them little of my time and understanding. I felt I had failed them. I could not form the words to explain my sense of disappointment in myself and instead I opened myself up and pushed my feelings to them across our bonds.

  I had toyed with the idea of empathy for weeks now. We communed with animals and plants but no words passed. We knew what was being said despite the absence of language. It was a form of empathy. I could sense all of nature around me at all times. Pulsing and breathing. The power of life so unimaginably strong. I opened my emotions and poured it to my draoi. It engulfed them and swam through them. They gasped as a whole and stood with heads thrown back and teeth exposed with the strength of the emotions. I fed them my sorrow, my happiness, my pride in their abilities, and my fear and hope for the future. I showed them a world where everyone was in harmony and working toward a better world. I showed them the role we would play and how we would do the work for Gaea.

  In all happened in a few heartbeats, and then I released them. Many gasped for breath and dropped down to sit hard on the logs and ground. Nadine reached up with a trembling hand and took mine. I pulled her up into an embrace and she whispered in my ear. "Never do that again! It was too much. Too much emotion! I lost myself and I was you. I was you, Will!"

  I
held her and looked out over her shoulders at the others. They all stared back at me in shock. "Now you understand?"

  They nodded.

  "I'm sorry that was so intense. I knew no other way to express myself." Nadine thumped my chest. "We are leaving the farm soon. We are called to the north. Something will happen there and we need to be there. Together you know we are stronger. Nadine and I can heal far better together than apart. Elisabeth and Jolene have already discovered how they can work the farm almost in isolation. What took twenty farm hands they can do almost solely together. Imagine what we can do once we head out into the world.

  "We will be leaving Ethan, Warren, Elisabeth and Jolene here with Dempster, Anne and her child. Plus the farmhands. Oh, Charlie, too. We leave in a week."

  Chris stood up, and I nodded to him. "We don't doubt your words, Freamhaigh. But I question whether or not a few craobhs can effect that much change?"

  I smiled at Chris. "No you are correct. Craobhs aren't up to the task, are they? But you aren't craobhs are you? You've all known that you have your full power. We understand as much as we can about our powers and wield them to the best of our abilities. Harmony and balance. Preserve life whatever the cost. This is our mantra.

  "In times long past, Nadine told me that the draoi had specialised ceremonies to promote craobhs to stocs. Special moonlight ceremonies. Running around naked in the woods. Wild orgies, and who knew what else."

  A few laughed out loud and Nadine smacked my bum and muttered "Did not".

  "Not my style, people. Perhaps in time we will find a way to make the transition more meaningful. For now I can merely just state 'Congratulations, you're all stocs.'" I beamed at them and the draoi looked to one another. Dammit, I thought, I could have done that better.

  The draoi in front of me drew in a breath and looked behind me. I turned to find Gaea standing there with a frown on her face.

  "That's it?" she said accusingly.