The Druid's Spear (Ascent of the Gem Bearers Book 1)

by Payne, Parker

  Alderic continued to convulse, his body shaking in great quaking movements.

  The thing was that she had no idea what to do.

  “I believe he’s having a seizure,” Ken said in the silence that encapsulated the small group.

  Rin gladly turned to him, happy to not be the one to have an answer.

  “What do we do?” Luke came forward and squatted next to them. Ken scooted over to Alderic’s head. It was a relief to hear him say, “Get something for his head.”

  The Elder nodded at Balder, who found one of the food packs and placed it under Alderic’s head. The man still jerked around and Rin’s heart squeezed. This was her childhood friend, arrogant but good-hearted, and it had come to this. Unbelievable to think Callen had done this to him. What power had Ludovicus given the small man to cause this much damage?

  “What else should we do?” Odin came forward.

  Ken cradled the man’s head in his hands. The long slender fingers trailed down the sides and she saw him apply pressure to a point just under his ears.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I remember reading somewhere that if person is having a seizure, apply some pressure at the point along his lower jawline. It helps to keep the jaw closed and minimizes damage on his tongue.”

  It seemed to be working, as Alderic’s mouth clenched more until only the grid of teeth showed through his lips.

  Ken studied the convulsing man. “I think its stopping.”

  The group watched as the motions lessened and then stopped all together. A line of blood ran from the corner of Alderic’s mouth and down the side of his face.

  “What happened?” The Elder leaned over and touched the side of his son’s face. “Why is there blood from his mouth?”

  Ken waited until all the tremors had stopped and then leaned forward. “I’m not sure, but I believe he’s bit his tongue.” He sighed and pushed his hair back away from his face. “In seizures like this, they always make sure to use some sort of obstruction to avoid that but we didn’t have enough time.”

  Donvar stood up from his position near Alderic’s head. “Do you mean it’s possible that Alderic could have bitten off his tongue?”

  Rin gulped and averted her gaze.

  “It’s possible, but I don’t think so. He may have just simply cut it.”

  The Elder’s face drained of color. The dark, otherworldly eyes were dull with pain. He said nothing, but bent over to glimpse inside his now prone son’s mouth. Rin forced herself to remain still as he retrieved a small chunk of flesh from the interior. Gasps of dismay lifted from the group.

  “I think I’m going to be sick,” Ken muttered as he started to move. Rin reached out and grabbed him. “What else can we do for him?”

  “Sensei, I’m not a doctor.”

  “What else?” Her hand tightened on his arm. Although her gazed focused on Alderic, she sensed Ken’s confusion at her actions. It was tantalizing to succumb to the whirling tornado inside of her, but she must suppress it.

  Ken pushed his hair back again. Maybe something in her grip translated to him. She was on the edge of keeping it all in. Clearing his throat he bent once more over the still frame. “Well, we don’t have any salt. From what I remember, we need to rinse his mouth out with water and then pack it somehow.”

  They talked briefly among themselves though most of the conversation flowed over Rin.

  “What are we going to do with his…tongue?” Luke stood up.

  The Elder had sat the entire time, head bowed over the appendage of his son’s flesh. They waited to hear from the old man, but when he said nothing but continued to stare into his palm, Donvar let out a forced laugh.

  “Senpai will keep it so we can show it to Alderic when he heals.” A poor attempt at optimism in a dark place, but Rin sense everyone grab on to with desperate fingers. Despite the fact it seemed hopeless, Donvar’s words made hope within easy reach. For the first time Rin allowed herself to think of her father. Would he really be able to save Alderic, or was all this for nothing?

  Like many things in the past few hours, she didn’t know. She just didn’t know.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  “Did you find the Vessel?” Ludovicus’s obsidian eyes bore a hole into Callen’s marked chest.

  He squirmed at the intensity. “Hai, Master.”

  “Bring it to me.” His lord held out a reptilian-like hand.

  Callen gulped to bring more moisture to his sudden parched throat. “I do not have it.”

  Slowly, Ludovicus withdrew his hands. The already black eyes became darker. “Why?”

  “Before I could retrieve it, I was interrupted by the Elder’s son. I had to take care of him.” Remembering the way he settled the score with Alderic—kun made the blood rush through his veins once more. It had felt so good!

  “It’s of no consequence, Ludo,” Kaluwa-no kimi interjected, moving lithely to stand bedside Lord Ludovicus. “We know the location of Rhychard—sama’s juusha and we can obtain the Vessel there.”

  Ludo slammed his fist down. “To be so close to my objective and to be thwarted by humans.”

  A look of hatred had entered into his master’s eyes as they settled on him. Callen fell to his knees. “Please have mercy, my lord.”

  “Your impotence is not worthy of your ancestor’s line. Gowan would have never failed in his objective.”

  Callen’s heart slowed in dread. He had no idea who this ancestor Gowan was, but he was sure it wasn’t a good thing to be compared and found lacking.

  “Stop harassing him, Ludo,” Kaluwa-no kimi admonished, her tone slightly bored. “If he had not gone back to the juusha because of your instructions, you would not be in possession of the information we have now.”

  “Such as?”

  “Such as the strength of Rhychard’s Descendant, and also of Dericote’s existence.”

  “Dericote?” The obsidian eyes finally drew away from his bowed down position. Callen released a breath he had not been aware of holding. “Dericote is still alive?”

  “Even more so, he has an Osha—no jin. A daughter.”

  A growl of intense ferocity erupted from Ludovicus’ mouth. “Why have my Druman brothers become so weak? Why have you all succumbed to this desire for human flesh?”

  “We are part human, Ludo.”

  “No! We are dragons!” He jumped up from the throne chair, feet pounding the ground, making the small pebbles dance in the air with each step. “We are masters of this world.”

  Reaching up, Callen saw Ludovicus grip the end of a long stalactite and wrench it from the ceiling with a single tug. With an angry snarl, he threw it against the far wall, smashing it to pieces.

  Callen jumped up as the ceiling began to collapse, pieces of rock and stalactites falling to the ground.

  “Master!” he cried out.

  Kaluwa-no kimi rose into the air until she came to the place where the hole from the loosened stalactite lay. Shaking her head, her hands closed over it. The hole sealed up after a short moment. As Callen continued to watch, she drew her fingers inward and then floated down, the dirt and rock forming into a stalactite not too dissimilar from the one Ludovicus had ripped away. She ended it by pinching her fingers and there it stood once more. The stability of the ceiling was restored as it ceased from falling.

  “Your rashness will get us in trouble again, Ludo,” Kaluwa-no kimi spat out. The spiked bones along her head and spine had risen while the green skin darkened. “Callen has served you well. You know the location of the juusha, he can show you where to retrieve the Vessel, and…you can end one of the last ties to Rhychard-sama by destroying his juusha. What is more is that Dericote is alive. We can kidnap his daughter and bring him to us.”

  Her defense of him made Callen’s shoulders thrust back in pride. Having a Druman benefactress had its advantages.

  As if she sensed the direction of his thoughts, she turned to him, the purple pupil-less eyes gentle. He was trapped by them.


  “I believe Callen deserves a reward for his service, don’t you Ludovicus? Just like his ancestor?”

  There was a promise in her eyes, Callen was sure he read as vividly as he could among Master Ludovicus’s female followers. And he had the notion she wasn’t just talking about any reward. His mind recoiled at the thought and he averted his eyes. What was he thinking?

  “You’re right, Kaluwa.” Ludovicus stepped over the pile of smashed rubble and once again settled onto his throne.

  “Tell me, Ludo. Have you felt an increase in strength?” Kaluwa-no kimi walked directly into his field of vison, drawing Callen’s attention to her once more.

  Ludovicus leaned forward in the chair. “I have. Mars has lent us its power.”

  “Then the Great Druid was right. When the Children of the Sun begin to war again, we’ll receive power.” She spoke the words to his master, but her eyes were fixed on him.

  Why couldn’t he take his eyes off her? She should be unattractive to him. But, contrary to his will, Callen’s eyes roved over her. She wasn’t completely dissimilar from a human female. Her breasts were ample, hips curvaceous, and her scent intoxicating. And if Uchida-san and Kenzo were anything to go by, it wasn’t completely odd that he, a human, would find her desirable.

  From the way she held his gaze, the reptilian face ceased to hold its strangeness, and instead, Callen found it a thing of beauty.

  “Then we’ll go to Rhychard’s juusha and retrieve the Vessel.” Master Ludovicus stood and wandered out the throne room. Kaluwa-no kimi remained where she was.

  “Thank you for coming to my defense,” Callen said as he gave a bow of gratitude.

  “You have done well. Ludo is a rash lord, but can be made to see reason at times.” She shrugged, the movement elegant. The bones had receded back into her spine. “It was also in my best interest to come to your defense.”

  Gracefully she made her way to him, the purple orbs zoning in on him. “You’ve been watching me rather strangely, Callen.”

  Heat flowed to the roots of his hairline. “I apologize if I’ve offended you.”

  “Why would I be offended?” Kaluwa-no kimi gave a soft puff of laughter, “I want to know the cause of your scrutiny.”

  She had neared him. Towering above him by at least a foot and a half, more than it was a few days ago, she somehow contrived to present an air of delicateness and femininity.

  When he didn’t say anything, she reached out and touched his shoulder. “Do you find me attractive?”

  What was he to say? That he did find her desirable, although everything human inside of him should not? That in the weirdest way he found this strange female more intoxicating than all the women in among Ludovicus’ followers?

  “It’s fine if you do. I’ve lived a very long time, Callen. Do you think you’re the only human male to be attracted to me?”

  There was a roar, the only sign of Ludovicus’ wrath before Callen was lifted into the air and thrown back against the wall. The impact didn’t hurt and he landed neatly on his feet as Master Ludovicus wrapped his hand around Kaluwa-no kimi’s throat.

  “I will NOT have yet another Druman fall to the disgusting weakness of human attraction. You will remain aloof.” The talons along his finger shone a fiery molten red. “Is that understood?”

  A mud pit appeared under Ludovicus feet and he fell into it, abruptly losing his grip. Kaluwa-no kimi brushed off her throat. An instant later, the pit hardened, capturing Ludovicus in its grip up to his neck.

  “I decided to follow you of my own will, Ludo. You are not my lord. My only king is Rhychard-sama and he is dead. You have no authority over me but what I give you.”

  Steam rose from the hardened pit and then the ground turned once more into a mud pit with bubbling plops splattering. Master Ludovicus snarled as he braced himself on either side of the pit and rose out of it. Mud covered the lower half of his body but with an almost absentminded wave of his hand, the mud dried. Flaking it off impatiently, he pointed a finger at Kaluwa-no kimi. “When I retrieve the Vessel I will be one step closer to being a dragon again.” His voice held a distinctive rasp, the sound reminiscent of a hissing snake. “No one is going to stop that from happening. Do I make myself understood?”

  Kaluwa-no kimi shrugged, unconcerned by Ludovicus’ wrath. “Very.”

  Without glancing back, Ludovicus called out, “Callen.”

  “Hai, master?”

  “Take me to Rhychard’s juusha.”

  The second day into their journey proved more strenuous than the first.

  Alderic had another seizure as he rested in his unnatural slumber. The violence of it did not match the previous experience, but it made everyone feel the desperation of the situation. His physical wounds were still tender and bruised, but no one knew what internal damage he had.

  Their group kept moving upward along the side of the mountain. The temperature dropped several more degrees. It became difficult for most of their party to breathe, and frequent stops happened along the way. The Elder, too old and frail to make the climb in the first place, had collapsed along the way. Odin wordlessly took up the duty to carry the old man on his back.

  Rin knew the only ones not affected by the climate of the mountainside were herself and Ken.

  It was yet another degree of separation between her childhood friends. While they panted along the way, she breathed easily. Though she was cold, she was largely unaffected by it. The same went for Ken. After that first day, his stamina had increased. She saw the lithe form of Rhychard’s Descendant begin to climb the terrain with surety. By the end of the second day, they came to one another large clearing, this time wooded with a small copse of trees, bare of leaves. Patches of snow dotted the terrain, interspersed with matted grasses and semi-hard mud patches. Rin came to the edge of the clearing to look over the cliff. The forest below seemed small and insignificant. Soon, the wind picked up, and she turned around to find Ken standing there watching her.

  “Kenzo—sama?”

  Even through the woolen cap on his head, she saw his eyes narrow. “When did I return to Kenzo—sama? I thought we agreed I would call you sensei and you would call me Ken?”

  Rin opened her mouth to answer, although she had no idea what she would say, when Ken interrupted. “You’re attempting to make yourself inferior so the others’ attitudes won’t bother you as much.”

  How could he know that?

  Her surprise must have shown in her face because he sighed. “Sensei, you can make this situation what you want it to be. Don’t let their awe change who you are.”

  “It is easy for you, but you are not the one seeing your friends treat you like this.”

  “You may have a point there,” Ken nodded in acknowledgement, “yet when I first came here, I was treated with deference despite my pleas. I have no connection as you have with the juusha.”

  She swallowed, dropping her head. “How can I when they won’t even talk to me?”

  The crunch of the snow underneath booted feet alerted her to Ken’s presence long before a gloved finger tilted her bowed down head.

  “Sensei,” he urged softly, “this will be the first and only last time I will allow you to bow your head.”

  “Ken.” Those light brown eyes drew her in.

  “You and I are alike in birth, but we decide who we are by actions, isn’t that so?”

  “Of course.” It was something the Elder had taught her most of her life.

  “Then show them you are no different.”

  Rin squared her shoulders. Ken was right. She needed her friends to get her through this moment as Alderic’s life hung by a thread. By tomorrow midday, according to the Elder, they would reach the place where her father resided. There was no need to continue this journey with the strain between them. The Druid’s Spear was appearing, Ludovicus was awakened, the blood gem had been stolen, and now Alderic. This was not a time of dissension.

  She stepped back and Ken’s finger dropped from her. Making h
er way over to where Alderic lay, covered from the elements, as the others set up the tents for the night, she bent down next to Balder.

  “Has he awakened at all?”

  “Uchida—sama—” the man started to say.

  She interrupted. “If you address me that way once more, I will hurt you.”

  Balder’s head jerked up from his contemplation of the prone form of Alderic, his eyes wide. She held his gaze, willing him to see her as he used to know her, not as to what she was. Balder let out a breath and nodded once.

  “Uchida-san, his condition remains the same. He hasn’t had another seizure, which has to be a good sign.”

  Rin hoped it was.

  She stood and patted Balder on his shoulder in acknowledgment of what he did. “Stay with him for the first watch and then either I or one of the others will come and relieve you.”

  He nodded once more and she walked over to where Odin, Luke, and Donvar were putting up the tents. The Elder has been safely secreted under the fortification of an outcropping of rock that somewhat protected him from the elements. She kept her gaze from that corner of their camp. It was too soon to deal with that battle.

  As she neared, Odin, Luke, and Donvar stopped their work and then bowed respectfully toward her. “What can we do for you, Uchida—sama?” Odin asked.

  Grinding her teeth, she nonetheless kept her face void of expression as she bent down and fiddled with the pile of snow. “How soon will the tents be up?”

  “A few moments,” Luke answered, still avoiding her gaze like the others.

  The snow she played with soon was formed into a mound. “Good. Once we get Alderic and the Elder inside, I will choose among you which one will take the first watch over Alderic after Balder.”

  Standing, she took the mound of snow and molded into a ball. The men still refused to look at her which gave her plenty opportunity to raise her hand and throw it straight into Donvar’s face.

  The short man spluttered about as he fell, his little arms waving in the air. The sight of his predicament made her laugh. “You will take over first watch, Donvar.”