by D G Palmer
Hyasda held up her wrinkled hands. ‘It’s not my words, I’m just a messenger. But, on the other hand, how many faeries do you know of that have a soul?’
‘I’ve heard that there are other children with faerie and human parents.’
‘Yes, that is true, but how many of them can call their father hero or dragon?’ Hyasda stated. ‘Right or wrong, this whole thing was perpetrated by Queen Rhiannon and the other High Bourne of Imperial City, as well as Cernounos, the green man. Perhaps you could seek them out, plead your case, try and convince them that you are no danger.’
‘Imperial City? I’ll be there to attend the Mage Academy. Maybe I could ask Gydion to petition the Queen on my behalf.’
‘Yes, that could work and, in the meantime, you could go to Cernounos yourself.’
‘Is his home far?’
‘The Druid Glade? No, it’s not far, perhaps thirty miles.’
‘Six or seven hours on horseback, less at a canter,’ Finn added seeing Daniels exacerbated look when he heard the distance. She had kept quiet the whole time, for one simple reason, she wanted as little to do with Hyasda as possible. Finn had always thought of the little old lady as being just a bit odd, kept to herself, was amiable as much as she needed to be, getting faerie dust for Quinn, but after their encounter the other day, when she had ordered her to go with Daniel to Earth, Finn’s opinion had changed. For the first time she had seen a different side to Hyasda. She didn’t like the way she manipulated her, held her debt over her head.
‘See, not far at all,’ Hyasda said as she continued to try and convince Daniel. ‘I’m sure you could obtain some horses from Murphy, the coachman.’
Daniel wasn’t normally a proactive person. He tended to shy away and let things take their course. But that was the old him. That was the Daniel that suffered stares of curiosity on a daily basis. The Daniel that did anything so as not to bring attention to himself. This was his new life and he needed to leave that version of himself behind.
Both Finn and Hyasda could see that Daniel was slowly coming around to the idea. And the pair of them were pleased when he finally decided that he would make the journey to seek an audience with the Green Man.
‘But what about Trinity?’ Daniel asked. ‘I was told that she had come here with Tristan; that you had sent them somewhere.’
‘Yes, that’s right. I asked Tristan to get me some Solecuss Root and Lunar Weed too.’ Hyasda paused a moment to ponder. ‘Come to think of it, the best area to harvest Lunar Weed is, coincidently, on the way to the Druid Glade, and it can only be gathered during a full moon. There hasn’t been one yet, so perhaps you will find them camped nearby.’
‘It sounds a good idea,’ Daniel nodded. ‘Are you coming, Finn?’
‘You couldn’t stop me,’ she replied as she grabbed his arm and dragged him to the entrance. There, Finn, paused momentarily, before leaving quickly, when she heard the wizened old Hyasda call after her.
‘Don’t worry, Finn, I haven’t forgotten your I.O.U. I will be calling to settle it soon enough.’
Chapter Twenty-Eight
‘Isn’t that your friend?’ Finn asked. She knew that it was, he was hard to miss because of his size, but she wanted to deflect Daniel, get some reprieve, from his persistent questions about why she had acted so weird in the herb store. It was bad enough that she had used Hyasda’s knowledge of magic to cheat during the Beltane Games but then to spy on Daniel and his family for the alchemist was a step too far. It was something that she would have to keep secret. He could never find out.
‘Daniel Welsh, the Shade slayer!’ Ch’tan brought his hand down on the boy’s shoulder. Daniel’s knees almost buckled under the weight of the heavily muscled arm. ‘Greetings, my friend!’
‘Hi, Ch’tan,’ groaned Daniel as he tried to shrug the log like arm off of him. ‘How are you? How’s the Princess? It’s a shame she isn’t here; I brought her a book that I know she’d like.’
‘Do not worry, I will give it to her on your behalf once I complete the King’s bidding and I return to Murias.’
Ever since Ch’tan had first told him about this, in the back of Daniel’s curious mind, he had wondered what could be so important that the King would order him to stay in Ariest, whilst the princess went back home without a guard.
He was just about to question the Undany royal bodyguard about it, when a group of people suddenly saw the Goddess and her Consort Shade slayer. Having to deal with fans and well-wishers was something that both Daniel and Finn were far from used to. Each of them had encountered disparaging attitudes towards them in the past for being different from the norm. Now, here they were, the social outcasts, sitting on top of the popularity tree.
Daniel had to admit that Finn was taking to it much easier than he was, simply because, in her mind she should have been getting this treatment already, even when she was raising hell. She regaled them with stories of their adventures home and away, of eating pizza and hamburgers, had them hanging on her every word as she told them about fighting three Shade in another realm alongside the legendary Mondragons.
The time eventually came for the people to go back to what they were doing before they had bumped into the Goddess and Consort. Daniel waved stiffly at them, glad to finally see the crowd disperse and move on so he could get back to questioning Ch’tan.
‘Hold on!’ Finn jumped in. ‘Let’s not stand out here when we can sit in The Dog and get some drinks at least.’
The other two nodded and they all entered the tavern. Finn signalled to Eveline who brought over three drinks with Daniel giving her enough coin to cover his accommodation also.
When the three of them were alone, and after Daniel had checked that no one was eavesdropping, he finally got to ask Ch’tan the questions he had wanted to. ‘What is it that King Noi has gotten you to do? When we were in Murias he wouldn’t allow the Princess to come to the surface without you. So, if he’s telling you to stay here while she goes back unprotected, I know it must be pretty important.’
Ch’tan took a big gulp of his mead. ‘For the King, it is,’ he admitted. ‘You know that Undany and surface dweller relations are strained, I have been sent to pay respects and parlay with the druids and The Green Man.’ Daniel and Finn looked at each other as Ch’tan continued. ‘The king is hoping that with the influence of Cernounos, Queen Rhiannon might reverse her stance on my people and the alliance rekindled.’
‘That would be a good thing, since you both live in this world,’ Daniel said.
‘Allies before can be allies again,’ added Finn.
‘Perhaps,’ Ch’tan whispered his eyes glazed over as his thoughts momentarily went elsewhere.
‘The funny thing, Ch’tan, is that me and Finn were preparing to make the same journey,’ admitted Daniel.
‘Really?’
‘Quite a coincidence, to be honest,’ mused Finn as she drained the last bit of her drink.
‘Apparently there’s a prophesy out there that people think is about me, that I’m a danger to Ariest. So, I’m on a similar errand, too. To show them that their thinking is wrong.’
The guard was about to comment but bit his tongue and changed his mind. ‘Well, since we are on the same journey, it would be good to have company. But we will need to leave soon if we are to get there in good time.’
‘Not a problem,’ replied Daniel. ‘Hopefully, we should find Tristan and a friend of ours on the way.’
‘Friend of ours? Speak for yourself!’ Finn downed Daniel’s mug of golden honey mead in one. ‘I’m ready to go whenever you guys are!’
LEARNING HOW TO RIDE a horse was now high on Daniel’s list of necessary requirements for a life in Ariest. He didn’t particularly need to become a master, just proficient enough so that he didn’t need to be led by someone else.
One benefit of having someone else control the speed and direction of your steed was that it allowed you to take in and appreciate you surrounds more. Which was exactly what Daniel did. The sounds and
smells of the nature put a smile on his face. He relished the chance to see more of Ariest. Just as Finn relished the chance to be away from Almedia.
The headstrong girl had always wanted to get out and see the rest of the world, she had come close to doing so on occasions, most notably with Crellis of the Tolgarr, but things always seemed to have a habit of bringing her back to the familiar surroundings of Almedia.
Not that that was a bad thing; finding out that Quinn was her stepfather and not just her uncle, made her wonder how that revelation would affect their current dynamic. She didn’t think it would, but you never know. He might suddenly protest against her choices in life.
The convoy came to another clearing where they decided to rest for a while and stretch their legs. This was the second such break they had taken, the first coming an hour or two after they had started. Daniel thought that one might have been an ideal spot for Trinity and Tristan to have set up camp, but they found no such evidence.
Although there was a brook nearby the second site and they had found a patch of scorched earth, signifying use of a fire, Ch’tan determined that it was several weeks old at least.
It was always going to be a stab in the dark as to whether Trinity and Tristan had decided to gather the Lunar Weed before the Solecuss Root, or even if they had gone that way at all. With the lilac sun beginning to set and the light-blue sun already in twilight the pink sky of Ariest had become a deep fuchsia. Given the current situation there was only one course of action left to the threesome, proceed to the Druid Glade and hope to rendezvous with the others on the way back to Almedia.
CH’TAN HAD BEEN RIGHT to urge the party to pick up the pace. Even though they couldn’t gallop at high speed, due to Daniel’s lack of experience, at a canter they were still able to make it to the Glade before nightfall.
Glow worms illuminated the exit from the main path that led to the druid elves home. Other animals hooted, chirruped and scurried by unalarmed by the presence of the three strangers on horseback. The path led to a thick growth of trees, the sizes of which none of them had seen before. The walkway led into the home of the druids between two weeping willows whose drooping branches seemed to act as a curtain, hiding the beauty of the Druid Glade beyond.
Daniel, Finn and Ch’tan all dismounted. As they approached and were about to push aside the tree branches to enter, several of the animals transformed into elves. Some held staves, other’s hands glowed with magical energy, all ready to attack. Finn, accustomed to getting caught being somewhere or doing something she wasn’t supposed to be, put her hands up.
One of the elves spoke and although it sounded so beautiful and melodious the threatening intent that accompanied the speech wasn’t lost on Daniel and the others.
‘Point that stick elsewhere,’ Ch’tan growled at them. ‘I am on official Undany business on behalf of King Noi to speak with Cernounos.’ Again, the elves responded angrily in their native tongue.
‘It’s because of me,’ Daniel revealed. ‘They won’t let me enter. They keep calling me the bringer of destruction.’
‘You can understand elvish?’ Finn was astonished as were the elves themselves.
‘I didn’t know I could, it just kind of happens. It a similar thing happened before when I read the Book of Azul. That’s written in Undany. Perhaps it’s a mage thing,’ he shrugged.
‘If you speak our language or not matters little,’ an elf responded in the common tongue. ‘You are not welcome here. We all know of the prophesy. We all know of your part in it. You shall not set foot within the sacred Druid Glade and tarnish it with your presence, destroyer. Begone or we shall be forced to take action.’
‘Action? Action is my middle name,’ Finn said lowering her hands and placing them on her guns. ‘If you’re going to make threats, I hope you’re ready to follow through on them.’
‘The girl is right!’ Ch’tan added. ‘We come peacefully but if you want to bring the fight then a fight you shall have!’
Daniel didn’t want this. Of course, he wanted to speak to the green man, but not this way. He wanted to convince Cernounos that he was not a threat. How could fighting their way into the druid home convince them that he was anything but?
The royal bodyguard had enough of the stalemate. ‘I told the king, no matter the species, surface dwellers are all the same!’ Ch’tan moved towards the glade entrance, determined to have an audience with the nature deity. Two elves crossed their staves, blocking his way. He pushed them aside.
Then all hell broke loose.
One of the elves swung their staff at the big man which Ch’tan caught in his two hands. Defending himself against the first elf left him wide open for the second one’s attack. Sparks flew as he struck the Undany across the back with his enchanted staff. Finn jumped over the prone body of Ch’tan to tackle the elf who had put him there. Before Daniel could even act, the druids that had powered up their magic had called upon the roots and vines of the forest to tether and bind him.
Ch’tan had regained his feet and started to utilise his superior brute strength. He grabbed the staff of the elf that had first attacked him and swung her around, with the intention of using her as a battering ram to take out as many of the other elven druids as possible. But he wasn’t counting on the remarkable elf agility as she somersaulted away.
‘What is the meaning of this?’ The voice was filled with authority and the elves immediately stopped and stood to attention in a line. Finn and Ch’tan remained cautiously on guard.
‘We are sorry, Archdruid Tavisum,’ the female elf said with a bow. ‘The one known as Daniel is here. He tried to enter the Glade. We could not willingly stand by and allow the bringer of destruction access.’
‘Daniel?’ Trinity stepped out from behind the Archdruid. A mere wave of her hand and the vines and roots that bound him quickly retreated. The elves noted how easily nature responded to her. One or two wondered why their leader was so accommodating around this stranger, even going to far as to rush to her aid.
Once Daniel was freed, they wrapped their arms around each other tightly, both resisted the urge to kiss in the presence of Finn. ‘What are you doing here?’ Trinity was more than excited to see Daniel. The relationship between them was just getting started, in the early stages of budding, when he returned to Earth. But now that he was with her again, she hoped they could fully explore it.
‘I came to speak to the Green Man and hopefully find you on the way,’ smiled Daniel. ‘I have so much to tell you.’
Trinity took his hand in hers and began to lead him toward the Druid Glade. ‘You’ll have to tell me how the family reunion went as well!’
‘I cannot permit this to happen. These young elves may have been rash in their actions but never the less, they were correct. Daniel is not welcome here.’
‘The prophesy is wrong,’ Trinity said in desperation. ‘My father knows it, that’s why he has taken Daniel as a student.’
‘Your father and I do not see eye to eye on a good many things,’ Tavisum replied.
‘And what of my father?’ Daniel asked.
‘Your father is a great man, an honourable man. But answer me this, Daniel Mondragon, are you or are you not the Mortokai?’
He was caught in a quandary. Daniel wanted so much to emulate his father, to be the honourable man just as the Archdruid said he was. But to be such a man he couldn’t lie. And the truth would only further convince them that the prophecy is true. ‘Yes, I am.’
‘And so, it is.’
‘That doesn’t mean anything,’ Trinity stated still fighting to convince them of Daniel’s integrity. ‘He has saved people from the Shade; strangers. If he were evil would he do that?’
‘It is not a matter of being good or evil. It is a matter of protecting Ariest as we know it,’ replied Tavisum.
‘Oftentimes change can be a good thing,’ Ch’tan added.
‘Even if it is built on the blood, bones and destruction of those that were there before?’ Tavisum count
ered. ‘The decree stands, Daniel Welsh is banned and shall not be allowed to enter the Druid Glade.’
‘You can’t be serious!’
The stern look the Archdruid gave Trinity, let the youngster know that she was not one for levity. ‘The rest of you are welcome within the Glade to recuperate, however.’
‘And leave Daniel out here? That kind of hospitality I want nothing more to do with. Wait for me here, Daniel, and I’ll be back after I get my things.’
A mischievous grin suddenly broke out on Finn’s face. ‘Don’t be so hasty, princess. I haven’t come all this way not to see this place. I’ve heard a lot about it and I intend to drink my fill of its experiences.’
‘Whilst we leave Daniel out here alone? And you say you have feelings for him?’
‘Put a sock in it!’ Finn hugged Daniel and kissed his cheek before she whispered in his ear. ‘It’s a good thing we took those things from the vault because if you want to get in and see the Green Man, you’re going to have to use them. Elves have night vision, so they won’t be completely blinded, but they will be severely hampered, just be careful out there.’
‘I’m not sure about this!’ Daniel said as Finn walked off to join the others.
‘Don’t worry about a thing,’ she called back with a wink. ‘We’ll be in and out before you know it!’
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Shadows around Gydion began to shake and then a Shade appeared, then another, then a third. With three quick frost bolts Gydion slowed them with ease. Just as he had done when they attacked Ariest, but this was their realm this was the home of the shade. Here their number was infinite.