[Druids Bidding 02.0] RenFaire Druids: Dunskey Castle Prequels

by Jane Stain

  Mr. Perry dubiously looked them over, these seven twenty-something foreigners in homespun wool and linen with weird hats and archaic weapons.

  Emily imagined what he saw:

  A bunch of kooky ragamuffins who couldn’t afford to eat in the lobby café, much less rent a party suite.

  She fought the urge to giggle.

  No sense in sounding like the kooks he fears we are.

  Apparently remembering his manners, the hotel manager pulled himself together and addressed them civilly, if dismissively.

  “Ah … yes. Will you excuse me for a moment?”

  Wow, cool, a top floor suite. This party is going to be fun.

  They booked the largest suite that night for their guild party, bought four phones in the hotel’s gift shop, ran out to the SUV, let Bethany drive, and called home again to check in while there were cell towers around.

  Emily’s parents were surprised but pleased to hear from her again so soon.

  After Vange hung up, she said all four of her boys were doing fine, and that sent a pang of guilt through Emily about leaving her two boys in childcare.

  Before long, the seven of them were walking up to the faire’s main gate.

  What do you know, the usual faire employee guards are back on duty this morning.

  Emily smiled and held an arm out toward her friends.

  “All of them are with us.”

  “OK Emily. Have a great faire day.”

  “You too.”

  Emily turned to Vange and Peadar.

  “OK, let’s go right on up to the shack and get you two gate passes this instant.” She turned and waved to Aga, Bethany, and Jessamin. “Bye, ladies. Thanks again for a wonderful evening, and we’ll see you back at Celt Camp.”

  Surprising Emily, all three of them hugged her.

  “Thank you so much for inviting us out with you and Dall.”

  “Yeah, it was really fun showing you two around.”

  “You’re fun to hang out with.”

  Emily didn’t know quite what to do with all this admiration, so she just let her pleasure in their company show on her face.

  “Aw, thanks.”

  They waved then and took off toward the guild site, calling back to her over their shoulders.

  “And we can’t wait for the party tonight.”

  “Yeah. It’s going to be so nice.”

  “Whoa yeah. The party suite.”

  Vange and Peadar did get gate passes. It was no problem with Dall and Emily right there: two staff people who were the leaders of one of the biggest guilds at the faire talking to another staff member—who wasn’t a druid.

  Vange hugged Emily.

  “Thanks, Em. So I guess you have to go run the guild now, huh. No more free time for you.”

  Emily hugged her best friend back and then she squeezed Dall’s waist.

  “Yeah, we do have to go run the guild. But there’s hot breakfast waiting for us there. And Dall and I have some ideas on how to run it much better today.”

  The four grinned at each other as they left the little ID shack.

  As soon as they were outside and relatively alone, they had a little private meeting. Dall softly confirmed the plans Emily and Vange had come up with. Peadar gave some of his own suggestions. And then Dall made Vange cry.

  He hugged her and Peadar together while he spoke.

  “Lass, it is time we were properly welcoming you into the family. You’re a MacGregor now, part of a royal family, so be proud and fight to the last.”

  When the four of them got to the guild encampment, everyone cheered them.

  “Tonight at Hastings at eight.”

  “Yeah, can’t wait.”

  Dall shouted from the road as they walked down.

  “Aye. Be sure to come, as I have ordered much ale and wine.”

  Emily and Vange ran ahead and entered the guild area first.

  Everyone was hugging Emily and saying good morning to her and thanking her and Dall for inviting them to the party and saying how much they were looking forward to it.

  Siobhan got up to make a speech.

  But no one paid attention to her.

  All eyes were on Emily, and right in the middle of it all she spoke up to everyone, then rushed over to the other side of the encampment.

  “Once you have your breakfast, everyone who wants to work on dances, crafts, and games this morning, come over to this side of camp with me.”

  As she rushed off with half the guild, Emily glanced at Siobhan’s face.

  The druid was pissed.

  But what can she do, say I’m not really a clan leader? Nope. She just has to suck it up.

  Emily gestured for her group to sit down while she watched Dall and Peadar enter Celt Camp and organize their half of the guild.

  Dall didn’t stand in front of Siobhan. He was too much of a gentleman for that, but he did speak up in his strong and gorgeous voice before the druid had a chance to interfere.

  “Aye, and everyone who wants to work on weapons skills this morning, stay over here with me. Midday, we shall switch the groups, so nary a one of you need fear missing out on anything.”

  The clan loved it. They cheered.

  Keeping an eye on Dall’s side of the camp where Siobhan was, Emily got her people moving with looms a weaving and dances a reeling and the children running about playing tag all the while.

  Stepping around Siobhan without seeming to disrespect her, Dall got his team into pairs that sparred in formation for a time and then he paired them off one by one for practice duels for an alternate time.

  In this way, the leaders effectively created twice as much activity and interest in their stage area.

  The audiences were twice as large as they normally would be, and they grew larger by the hour as word spread around the faire and customers brought others over to see this awesome ‘new’ show.

  Emily noticed that this person was good at getting the dances going and that person was a natural at keeping the children occupied, while this other woman had a knack for keeping all the looms moving. As planned, she took note of who was good at what so that she could eventually delegate leadership in each smaller area.

  Dall did the same with the weapons drills and skills.

  Peadar and Vange cheerfully helped.

  Vange is really in her element here, making everyone laugh and have a good time. Oh, how I’ve missed her.

  Everyone but the four of them switched sides at the midday meal, just as Dall had said.

  All their faire clan were complimenting them on a job well done.

  “I really hope the guild runs this way from now on.”

  “Yeah, for some reason clan life feels more real today.”

  “Aye. And look how much the audience is enjoying it.”

  But Emily and her kin were uneasy. It seemed as if they had taken over real control of the guild. It was the first step on their path to getting the druids to ease their control over the MacGregors.

  Perhaps they should have been ecstatic.

  But most of their reason for splitting into two groups had really been to make it impossible for Siobhan to put all of them under her spell.

  And Siobhan hadn’t tried to do that today. She hadn’t said anything.

  And there was no way the druid had given up.

  In fact, where is Siobhan?

  The answer to that question froze Emily in her tracks.

  There was Siobhan coming down the road, bringing Aiden with her.

  “Vange.” Emily said as softly as she could and still be heard.

  Vange came over with a big smile on her face.

  “Aye?”

  Vange’s smile faded when Emily spoke next.

  “Quickly but discretely, go get Peadar and leave Celt Camp so you can wake us up later.”

  Vange moved to say something.

  But Emily just nodded sideways toward the road and waited anxiously.

  There. Vange saw for herself what was happen
ing and went and grabbed Peadar. And then she turned toward Emily and made a circling motion.

  Emily didn’t understand, but it didn’t matter. Frantically, Emily made shooing motions and mouthed at her friend.

  “Get the heck out of here.”

  Vange gave her a quick nod, and the two of them ran off down the road toward the fence.

  Why did she go that way? Oh well, at least she’s out of range.

  And then Emily just stood there, frozen, while Siobhan and Aiden approached.

  What to do? Two druids and two of us left. No more avoiding the daze. And I was really starting to like having a clear mind. I guess we just let the druids have their fun and then hope they go away before faire is out so Vange and Peadar can wake us all up in time to go to the party. At least everyone’s so spread out that they won’t all fall under the spell. We got that part right.

  Emily sought Dall’s gaze and caught it, then nodded to where Siobhan and Aiden approached. And then Aga and Bethany’s voices brought her attention back to her immediate area.

  “Should we start another game?”

  “There’s a lull over in the game area.”

  Emily did her best to smile at them and not show her unease. Again, no sense in frightening them. They might make a scene and cause a panic…

  What am I thinking? The only thing that really makes sense is to scare them all clean away from the faire site so they never come back. But … they would just be scared of me. I don’t have enough of their trust yet to make them believe what I know about the druids. They would run to them from me.

  Out loud, Emily kept her comments practical, supportive, and about fun.

  “Aye, do go ahead and start another game. One of your choice. Mayhap you will be put in charge of the games, if this goes well.”

  They curtsied.

  “Thank you, Emily.”

  “Aye, we do thank you.”

  Emily looked back at Dall. He was talking to Aiden.

  She surveyed her side of the guild area. The fact that everyone was having fun entertaining the customers and their whole setting was being used to advantage made her smile in spite of the impending loss of her wits.

  And just like that, Siobhan was at Emily’s side.

  Think of the devil and she will appear.

  Siobhan’s voice was haughty.

  “How convenient. You’ve made the guild run without you. Come on over and see Aiden. He has some things to say to you and Dall.”

  Unable to think of any plausible reason to refuse, Emily followed Siobhan over to where Aiden and Dall were standing on the other side of the blacksmith’s booth, which was so noisy that no one on this side could hear what they were saying.

  Am I under their spell now? Why do I care so much what they have to say? Why do I care so much about working here at the faire? Wouldn’t I be smarter to stay away and keep the children away, even if it meant being away from Dall too?

  But as she settled against her husband and he rested his arm around her shoulders, Emily knew the answer to that.

  She didn’t want to be away from him.

  It was bad enough when they went to his time and he had to go off to battle. They could see about leaving the boys with her parents, but she was not going to let the druids scare her into cowering away somewhere while Dall was here in her time and not even fighting.

  No. The cowering and the complacency have to end. Now.

  Aiden addressed her.

  “I was just telling Dall that while we admire your leadership and your initiative, you are to bow out and let Siobhan handle things as before. You are leaders here in name only.”

  Emily looked over where she and Dall had the guild pleasing the audience better than Siobhan ever had on a good day.

  “Oh? And what was Dall telling you?”

  This ought to be good.

  Dall held her close for reassurance, but hers or his? She wasn’t sure.

  Emily held him too, squeezing to let him know she was one hundred percent with him.

  He spoke solidly in that tough matter-of-fact highlands way she had so admired in the women in his family, among whom it was especially striking.

  “I would know the time and the place of the service I owe beforehand, and I now declare it has a limit.”

  Aiden laughed.

  “It’s well and fine for you to declare such a thing, Dall, but you are oath-bound by your forebear to serve us. You know this, and your bride knows this, and Peadar knows it, and his bride, and one day your other children will know, and theirs, and so on. This is old news. Why bring it up now?”

  Dall stood tall and patient—and resolved.

  “The cause be the ending now of the open-ended nature of our service.”

  Aiden started to speak, but Dall cut him off.

  “My line of MacGregors are oath-bound to you, aye, but I cannot believe we were ever meant to be your outright slaves in the manner you use us. Hence, looking forward, we serve you in the way we serve a liege laird, keeping our own lives and our own homes, and coming to do your bidding not always, but only some of the time we are here in the twenty-first century.”

  Aiden and Siobhan both had their mouths open to speak the whole time.

  But Dall continued on forcefully.

  “And we will know ahead of the time when we are to serve, and you will allow us to remember it afterward. And nay more of your having a hand in selecting our brides for us, either. As I say, we are as tenants, not as chattel to you, I so declare. Nay more spelling us or the local volunteer actors with your complacency, either.”

  Dall paused then, finally giving Aiden a patch of quiet to fill with his own words.

  Aiden’s eyes narrowed on Dall.

  “So those are your demands, are they?”

  “Aye, they are.”

  “Yes.” Emily added to show her solidarity with Dall.

  The faire’s owner smiled at him and Emily for the crowds, but just where the two of them could see, he held up a toy sword that belonged to their sons.

  Emily gasped.

  Dall moaned.

  “Yes Dall, Emily. We have your children in our custody. Had you forgotten? I would not want to see any harm come to the wee ones, but we only need to ensure the survival of your fourth son, not your third.”

  Emily saw red, she was so angry at Tea Dye Aiden.

  This man needs to be put away somewhere. He’s threatening my children.

  And he thinks he’ll get away with it.

  Will he?

  In the time it took Emily to have these thoughts, her husband had released his hold on her and moved into Aiden’s space.

  Quicker than her reaction time to look in his direction, Dall had a dagger at Aiden’s throat.

  Before she got used to that idea, Dall was dragging the man up the dirt road toward the children’s dell.

  And yelling.

  Making a scene.

  “Make way.”

  Drag drag drag.

  “For a man who is desperate to be sure his children are safe.”

  Drag drag drag.

  “From this man who did threaten them with bodily harm.”

  Drag drag drag.

  The customers made way, but they lined the sides of the dirt road ahead too, craning their necks to get a good look at the ‘criminal’ passing by them. They thought it was all part of the show—that Dall and Aiden were just acting—but the customers were effectively clearing a path for Dall nonetheless.

  The entire Scots guild had run after Dall in support of him. They were just acting, but the guild were effectively buffering the audience from real and genuine violence nonetheless.

  And then it got really showy, and Emily found herself caught up in the spectacle.

  Several guild men grabbed Aiden’s feet and legs—gently.

  Aiden didn’t struggle much.

  Dall plainly meant business and wasn’t giving the old druid much chance to struggle.

  More guild men grabbed Aiden’s
middle.

  Abruptly, they were bearing the druid aloft above them.

  Dall still held the dagger at the dangerous man’s throat.

  And then Emily’s attention was drawn to the back of the moving crowd, where Siobhan was trying to get her boss loose.

  “Leave him be.”

  But she was having no effect at all.

  “He’s hurting him.”

  Looking the part of the loyal wife defending her criminal husband—and getting pointed at and tsk’ed over by laughing customers—Siobhan kept trying.

  “He didn’t mean it like that, Dall.”

  Emily shook her head no in disappointment and anger.

  Sure he didn’t. I once thought you and I were friends, Hailey. Now I see your true colors.

  The frantic woman looked determined to get the head druid loose and dispel the atmosphere of hatred that was thick around him now.

  Emily wanted to chase after them. Desperately. She yearned to go make sure her children were safe.

  But only she could do what else needed to be done. She turned and ran to Dall’s throne chair. She had pushed her phone into a hole in the upholstery.

  While she ran over there, Vange and Peadar came out of hiding behind the woodwork of the blacksmith’s booth.

  Vange spoke first.

  “I can’t believe he threatened the kids.”

  Peadar spoke too.

  “Do you wish for us to stay and keep you safe, or to go along with Da and see to your wee ones?”

  So that’s what Vange meant with her circular gesture. They went around to the back of the setting.

  Emily hugged both of them.

  “You heard him threaten them? You’re witnesses?”

  “Aye, loud and clear we did. Just me at first, but I did call her over when I knew I still had my wits and I was hearing Da make our case.”

  Emily fumbled with the chair until she had her phone in her hot little hands. On impulse, she switched it on and snapped a photo of Siobhan and the retreating crowd just before they crested the hill and went out of sight.

  “Awesome. Go with Dall, you two. Peadar, you stay with him as his witness.”

  Peadar nodded once firmly yes.

  Emily put a hand on her stepson’s arm to thank him, and then she hugged her best friend again and quickly continued, glad that this woman she trusted was legally family now—her step daughter.