Cill Darae

by Donald D. Allan

  A fresh shake from Steve had her focus on him. His face was mere inches from hers and he seemed very upset. With her powers she could feel his fear. All around her was fear. It soaked into the very fabric of the world around her. The draoi all fed it and nature was scared. She could feel the earth shudder, the trees twist their roots, and the animals huddle together in the corners of their pens. Oh dear, she thought. What am I allowing to happen here?

  Nadine wiped at her cheeks with her sleeves and Steve let her go and leaned back. “Oh, Steve. This is horrible!”

  A sob shook her, startling her, and once it started she couldn’t stop. She could sense the uncertainty in Steve and knew he didn’t know whether to hold her or not. She helped him and opened her arms to him and sank into his cautious embrace. A laugh mixed into her sobs and she felt Steve’s confusion and that had her laughing and crying in a strange mix of emotions. She let herself fall into it and for a time it was just an outpouring of grief and Steve holding her awkwardly.

  Nearby, the rooster chose that moment to cry out, and that froze Nadine in Steve’s embrace. She pulled her head back and looked at Steve in amazement.

  Steve rolled his eyes. “I told you, that rooster is mental.”

  A laugh bubbled up from Nadine, and Steve smiled at her. She laughed a little harder and soon the two of them were laughing at the absurdity of a rooster crowing at night. Nadine let go of Steve and wiped her eyes again. Steve’s shirt was soaked, and he wiped at it with a mild look of disgust.

  “Women.”

  Nadine smacked his arm. “Stop it.”

  Steve gave her a long look. “Are you better now?”

  Nadine nodded.

  “Good. Now explain what is happening. The crew and farm hands are afraid. They’ve never seen the draoi so openly argue. Explain.”

  Nadine hiccupped and threw her hand over her mouth in surprise.

  Steve raised an eyebrow at her.

  Nadine raised a finger in the air and then concentrated on her diaphragm. In a moment, she stilled her hiccups and drew a shuddering breath.

  “The draoi are split. The Gaea Decision went deeper than we thought. Kennit has taken half the draoi over to him.”

  “Over to him? What does that mean?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t think it possible. Will as Freamhaigh and me as Cill Darae were the leaders of the draoi. Now, I would suspect the Simon motes and the loss of Gaea have changed those dynamics. I didn’t see this coming.”

  “Nadine, know-it-all Nadine, didn’t see this coming?”

  “Less cheek, Steve Comlin. No, we didn’t see this coming. There has been so much going on. Will and I were so concerned with spreading the Life Salt and trying to calm the villages and towns, we stopped looking at ourselves.”

  “And Will hasn’t left the workshop in over two weeks.”

  “Yes, well. True.”

  “And Kennit saw an opportunity and took it, is that it?”

  Nadine shook her head. “It’s worse than that. First we lost Katherine, Heather and Dog. They disappeared from our bond.”

  Steve nodded, he knew and was still dealing with the loss of his daughter.

  “But they’re not dead. We know that. We would have felt that. We are certain of that. They just disappeared.”

  Steve nodded for her to continue.

  Nadine wiped snot from her nose and sniffed. “Then we found out Kennit is using the Simon motes in a way we had never seen before. We don’t know how he is doing it. Right now, all the draoi loyal to him are blocked from me. I can see their threads, but they disappear so quickly. Kennit's is gone now. I can’t see it at all.”

  “What about Katherine’s and Heather’s?”

  Nadine lost focus for a moment and when her eyes cleared, she shook her head. “Gone, too. And Dog’s. Steve, Will’s is the same. I’m blocked from him. How could Kennit do that?”

  Steve shook his head. “You are asking the wrong person, Nadine. I know nothing of your powers.”

  Nadine bit her lip. “And I don’t understand mine anymore. I spoke with the Simon motes today.”

  “You did? They speak?”

  “Yes, it surprised me. I was so angry at Kennit and I forced my power through whatever was blocking me. I didn’t even realise I was cut off. It refused me access! Me, the Cill Darae! It said it didn’t know me. My power did something then. And it recognised me again. It spoke of three users. I’m one. The other is Will, but it can’t see him. But there are three. The other one, I’m sure it’s Kennit.”

  Steve sat in silence absorbing what Nadine had said to her. “Now what?”

  “I don’t know! I’m scared, Steve. I need the draoi loyal to me kept safe. I’ll speak to them. You speak to the crew and farm hands, all right? Tell them anything. Just calm them down.”

  Steve gave Nadine a long look and Nadine grew uncomfortable, then annoyed as it persisted.

  “Do you have a problem taking orders from a woman, Steve Comlin?”

  Steve chuckled. “No, not at all. Quite the opposite in fact. I’ll do as you say, Nadine. My crew are yours.”

  Steve left then and saw to the men and women of the farm. He had been keeping everyone busy and calm ever since. Two weeks had passed and still Nadine could not figure out what was happening. Her conversations with the intelligence behind the Simon motes led nowhere and frustrated her to the point of her stopping to speak to it altogether. Whatever Kennit had done with the motes was beyond her ken.

  She remembered the strange device in the Chamber in Munsten. She knew Lana had studied it for a time. She had always reported that she was learning nothing. Now she was not so sure. Nadine was convinced Lana had discovered something and shared it with Kennit. They were using that knowledge to their advantage.

  And Nadine knew Lana was lost to her. Her thread was gone now. It had disappeared right after Kennit's. The coincidence of Katherine, Dog and Heather disappearing from the bond so soon after arriving in Munsten with Lana clearly working for the other side was not lost to Nadine. She only hoped they were still alive. Why stopping the discovery of Hietower’s bones and proving Edward the heir to the throne was important was beyond her. It was related somehow.

  For now her immediate concern was the draoi. They were divided, and they refused to speak to her. Nadine was no longer the Cill Darae of all the draoi. Without Gaea she no longer felt that she was the high priestess of anything. The draoi still loyal to her treated her as usual and Nadine was thankful for that.

  Steve posted guards on her draoi. Will went about his business as if nothing was wrong. When confronted he appeared confused and wandered away. Nadine cried for her husband. He no longer slept with her. He no longer slept at all. Instead he stayed in his workshop and worked and worked. It was maddening. And Nadine had long since stopped walking in and screeching at him. He was like the aos'si; the animated dead, but Will was alive. She feared for him and worried she could not bring him back.

  She had no one to turn to for help and hid her pain from the others. She met with the draoi and they discussed what was happening. They were all so new to their powers as draoi, and the complications and unknown factors of the Simon motes made it all so much worse.

  She found herself sitting on the porch with Anne and wee Frankie beside her at noon. Dempster was getting lunch ready and his out of tune humming could be heard far too clearly.

  Anne fussed with Frankie and settled her down across her chest. “Can ya no fix Dempster’s lack of ability to carry a note?”

  Nadine, with her eyes closed, smiled and shook her head. Nadine was using her sight to track the draoi loyal to Kennit. She had found that their auras were still visible to her. They remained together in the barn and didn’t do much. That worried her. They seemed far too content to merely huddle and do nothing. She reached out farther and then followed the road north towards Munsten.

  With her vision she spied a man stumbling down the road, with his arm up over his chest. She recognised him at once. Nadine
jumped up from the bench. She yelled and sent a summons using her power. “Steve! Steve! Send a cart north at once! Martin Jordan is walking the road toward us. He’s sorely hurt!”

  Steve staggered out of the barn holding his head. He looked over at Nadine and then ran back inside. In moments the cart was readied, and Nadine jumped up beside Steve and two of his crew. Nadine poured power into the horses and they sped off down the road. From a distance she gave what energy she could to Martin. She didn’t have the reach of Will, and it was difficult.

  An hour later, they spied Martin staggering along the side of the road and rushed to his side. The relief on his face was clear.

  “Ah, Nadine. Steve. So kind of you. I don’t think I can walk much further,” he said, his voice cracked and dry. As Nadine leapt from the cart, Martin fell to his knees and then fell forward. He put out his arm to stop himself and cried out in agony and fell over to his side.

  Nadine reached his side and her eyes closed. Steve joined her and saw the signs of a draoi lost in their powers. He looked over Martin's frame and was shocked to see the state he was in. His clothes were hanging off him and his feet were bare and bloodied. A rough beard covered his face and Steve judged it was about three weeks of growth. His hands were cut and scraped all over and Steve feared for him.

  In a moment, a heavy sigh escaped Martin. “That’s so much better, the p-pain. It’s gone. God be praised.” Martin’s head lolled to the side and Steve felt a moment of panic, then recognised he had merely passed out.

  One of the crew surprised Steve by opening an umbrella and holding it over Nadine and Martin. He looked at the man and the man shrugged.

  “This takes time, it always does. Thought I would shade them, sir.”

  Steve shook his head. “She’s draoi, son. She’s nature herself. I don’t think the sun will bother her.”

  The man shrugged again, and a smile turned up the corner of his mouth. “Doesn’t hurt.”

  “Fine. Guard them. We’ll be here a while. Martin’s hurt bad.”

  Many hours later, the cart pulled up in front of the farm house. Kennit and his draoi came out to see what was happening. They watched Nadine and Steve slowly walk Martin into the house, and they returned inside the old barn.

  Inside the farm house, Martin was sitting at the kitchen table devouring a large bowl of soup. Nadine, Steve, Dempster and Anne sat with him and watched him eat.

  Dempster cleared his throat. “Should he be eating that fast?”

  Nadine patted Dempster’s hand. “He’s fine. He needs the nutrients. I’m still working on him.” She turned her attention to Martin. “Speak, Martin. What’s happened?”

  Martin put down his spoon and looked at them all. Grief was written all over his face. “I’ve been excommunicated.”

  Anne leaned forward. “Ex-communi-what?”

  “Ex-communicated, my dear. Thrown out of the Church.”

  Nadine made a sound and Steve frowned at her. He reached out and took Martin’s hand. “I’m so sorry, Martin. But that makes no sense. You were a hero to the church. Look at all you did. What happened?”

  “Eylene Kissane is what happened. She’s taken over the church. They’ve raised her to the position of Archbishop, against all that's holy and written in our laws. She rules the church now. She’s formed a Church Guard and they patrol the city of Munsten with an iron fist. They are spreading across the land, going from village to village. They are expelling the wordsmiths and town leaders and taking over the reeve and magistrate positions.”

  Steve looked bewildered. “But Brent is the Regent. Why is he allowing this?”

  Martin shook his head. “He’s lost, Steve. Lost. He follows Eylene like a lost puppy. He does whatever she says. She has him believing the church alone can solve the problem in the land. I’ve lost my friend. He does nothing while the villages and towns are getting worse. They are close to revolt. So close. And Brent does nothing. Eylene has him under her power and now that she is the Archbishop she will start to run the realm, too.

  “She is planning something. I know her. We all do. She had a reputation down in Shape. The church there was a bit of an oddity. They tolerated little. Argued what the role of the church should be with the church elders all the time. It was only Healy and the former Archbishop that kept them at bay. Now, they’ve broken loose. The vacuum left in the church with the bishops and deans slaughtered in Munsten has been filled by Eylene and her cronies. This will not end well. Not end well at all.”

  Steve looked at Nadine for a moment and then spoke to Martin. “And what of Edward? What is happening with him?”

  Martin shook his head. “When I… left… he was still with Brent. The church is teaching him his future role, but I fear for him. Eylene will not tolerate him much longer.”

  Steve sat back and frowned.

  Nadine leaned forward. “And how were you so injured?”

  “Eylene threw me out of Munsten. Quite forcibly. I landed… badly and broke my collar bone. I knew only to come here. The journey is a blur. I managed to get a ride with a caravan down to the Crossroads. I walked from there. I prayed to God I could reach you, and He answered my prayers.” Martin pulled out his amulet from a pocket and clenched it. They could see the lanyard was snapped. “You should know I am no longer welcome in any church in the land. I am to be killed on sight. I had nowhere else to go. I hope you understand. I don’t mean to impose.”

  “Oh, Martin. I’m so sorry. You aren’t imposing. You are family here. You are always welcome here.” Nadine clasped his other hand and held it tight. “You need to rest and get your energy back. I’ve reset your collar bone. It’s good as new. A few of your ribs were broken, and you had a nasty crack in your hip. Your wounds are closed, and you are as right as rain. I don’t understand how you made it this far. One of your miracles, I suppose. But you need your sleep. Go rest. We can talk on the morrow.”

  Martin held the amulet up to Steve. Steve understood at once and went behind Martin and tied the lanyard behind his neck. Martin held up the amulet from his chest and then let it fall. Without another word, Martin stood and left the table and they heard him mount the stairs. Steve looked at Nadine and she smiled at him.

  “Yes, I forced him to go upstairs. He is full of turmoil. Grief overwhelms him. He’s lost so much. His church, his friend Brent, so much. He is barely holding it together. I’m calming him. Sleep will do him good.”

  Steve nodded and looked relieved. “This is not good. Why are we only hearing of this now?”

  “Lana, our draoi in Munsten, she’s with Kennit. She’s kept us in the dark.”

  “And Katherine, and the others?”

  Nadine shook her head. “I can only assume the worst. Lana has them, I’m sure of that now. But from here, there is little we can do.”

  “James is with them. If he’s still alive, he’s the man to get them out.”

  Nadine just nodded.

  * * *

  The next day was overcast. A stiff breeze carried the scent of rain and the farm hands and crew, preparing for the worst went through the farm and tied everything down and brought the animals inside. Once everything was settled Nadine called for a meeting of all the draoi, including Kennit’s group, plus the crew and farm hands. They gathered in the new barn and outside the wind howled and the wood rattled. Nadine was surprised that Kennit and his draoi agreed to meet but they showed up and waited for her news. Steve brought in Will and he stood next to Nadine. She took his hand, and he looked at it for a moment before letting go. Nadine hid the grief from her face and spoke to the group.

  Nadine told everyone the news from Munsten, and Martin added commentary. She was chagrined when Kennit failed to show any surprise. She could see he had known all along and said nothing. Her draoi stood together on one side of the barn with the crew and farm hands and Kennit's draoi stood on the other side.

  Martin was pleading with them all. He saw the rift and spoke to the greater good. “The land needs the draoi more so than ev
er. The villages and towns need your guidance. The church needs to be held accountable. I fear the worst. This is your calling, is it not? To aid the land? You must go back out there and do something!”

  Nadine saw the logic and felt the need. “I agree, Martin. Too long have we sat here at the farm. Erebus is gone, but now the Realm suffers from another threat. We all saw the good we did in the towns and villages.” She turned to Will. “Will, my darling. Order the draoi to return to the Realm. The good they can manage might just balance this new church order.”

  Will gazed back at her without expression.

  “Will? Did you not hear? We must do something! The church cannot be allowed to bring back their rule! The last time the draoi suffered the most! We were wiped out. Slaughtered. We cannot stand idly by while this Eylene Kissane does harm.”

  A laugh from Kennit surprised her, and she turned to him in anger. Before she could speak he spoke up. “Allowed to bring back their rule? When has the church ever ruled the land? You speak of false fear. The church brings balance to the land at a time when you allowed Gaea to be removed. I have spoken to this new archbishop. She has a vision for the realm. One where the draoi work side by side and help bring order and peace. Your vision comes too little and too late, Nadine.”

  “And you speak for the draoi, I suppose?”

  “Me? Who am I? I am not the Freamhaigh. I am not the Cill Dara. Ask your husband instead what he wishes.”

  Nadine growled and looked to Will, but he remained motionless with a vacant expression on his face. “What have you done to him, Kennit Doirich? Answer me!”

  Kennit put on a face of pretended surprise. “Me? Why would you think I had anything to do with him? Perhaps it is the absence of Gaea that has him so… quiet.”

  Nadine looked about the draoi with surprise. “You would deny it? You have split the draoi. Pulled them from their role.”

  “Can you hear yourself? You and Will pulled the draoi here to the farm and have done nothing. Nothing! While the Realm trembles and is close to revolt. The people are scared, hungry, lost, and the draoi hide here on a farm. I have done nothing but speak reason to those who would hear it.