Archdruid Read online

  Ann knew she had to find a way to get Urien’s spirit out and save Xander. First, they had to stop Urien from getting the power of Trin. Having the druids’ isle would give him an unwanted advantage over them.

  “That connection is no good now there are Gliss over there.” Ann sighed. “It won’t be enough for me to do much.” Whatever connection she may have had to the island would be severed.

  Gliss were women with empathic abilities trained in the arts of pain and torture. They used their gifts to inflict pain and suffering on their victims. Gliss could kill with a single touch by reflecting someone’s emotions back at them. Ann hated the thought of them being on the Druid’s sacred island, defiling it with their dark magic. She only hoped they hadn’t taken anyone prisoner there. But she doubted anyone would have been left there. After Flora’s death, Sage hadn’t been back, and there had been no one else to become the island’s guardians.

  “The island is a source of natural energy; the very energy druids use. It’s part of our connection to Erthea,” Sage said. “No Gliss can break such a deep connection. You must sink the island. The sea will keep Trin and its power safe from Urien.”

  “What about the people already on the island?” Jax asked, digging the end of his double-edged staff into the ground. “Will they be protected, too?”

  “No, they’ll be dragged into the water,” Sage answered. “Good riddance. May the spirits have mercy on them when they reach Summerland.”

  Ann’s eyes widened. She’d never thought of her father’s old adviser as bloodthirsty. Maybe losing Flora had changed Sage.

  “If they try to make it ashore, we’ll take care of them,” Ed said.

  “Jax and I will stay here. Ann, you should go around the other side of the shore. The closer you are to the island, the better.” Sage motioned for her to go.

  Ann reluctantly nodded. She still didn’t like the idea of submerging the island, but what other choice did they have? Even if they fought and regained control over it, Urien would only keep sending more people to steal it back. Over the past few years on the run, she’d never been able to afford the luxury of staying in one place for too long. Maybe one day that would change.

  Ann trudged along the shoreline, keeping a shield around herself as her long black leather coat billowed behind her. The grass felt squishy underneath her boots. She breathed in the familiar scent of salt and grass with a deep breath. Her heart tightened.

  You have to do this, she told herself. There’s no other way. You’ll see the island again someday. It won’t be gone forever. Ann knew her shield wouldn’t do much good. Any Gliss would be able to see her if they looked out across the shoreline. But it made her feel a little safer.

  Ed trailed behind her.

  “I can’t believe I’m even considering this,” she muttered. “Trin was a second home to us. How can I sink it to the bottom of the sea?”

  “We don’t have another choice. It’s either that or Urien will find a way to harness its power.” Ed glanced round the shoreline.

  “I can’t stay here, either. We would be stuck constantly fending off Urien’s attacks,” Ann said.

  “At least it’ll be safe down there.”

  Yes, but she hated the idea of not coming here. This place had been her only refuge over the past few tumultuous years. A safe haven whenever she or the others accused of using magic in Caselhelm had needed to escape from Orla. She had no idea where she would take refugees and people who were hunted now. Trin had always been the first place they came to before her contacts in the resistance helped them move on to new places and start new lives.

  “What happens after this?” Ed asked. “We’ve been fighting off Urien’s men and Gliss over the past few weeks while our way here. What comes after?”

  Ann scowled. “We take Sage to Trewa. It’s the last surviving druid settlement. She should be—” She almost said “safe”, but where was anyone safe within the five lands anymore? “She wants to go there,” she said instead. “My only goal is to find a way to stop Urien and save Xander. If the druids can help, then that’s where we’ll go.” She glanced back at him. “What about you?”

  Ed frowned. “What about me?” He ran a hand through his long hair, something he always did when anxious.

  “You’ve been struggling to keep control of your beast. Are you…?” Ann couldn’t bring herself to ask him if he’d leave. Like Trin, he’d been the one constant in her life. She didn’t know what she’d do if he left.

  “I’m fine,” Edward insisted.

  Ann knew better but said nothing else. She stopped at the edge of the bank. The island loomed in front of her, with its sloping green hills and the tower that stood proudly on top of the tor. A lump rose in her throat as she stared at it. Ann took a deep breath, raised her hands, and said the words of power. “Doirtealáil Trin bhun na farraige.” The old druid tongue flowed off her lips easily. Light flared between her fingers and enveloped the island, radiating blue energy.

  Nothing happened.

  Ann frowned and said the words again. “Doirtealáil Trin bhun na farraige.”

  Still nothing.

  “What’s wrong?” Ed asked.

  Ann shook her head. “I don’t know, it’s not working. Maybe Urien did something.” A cool breeze blew in off the sea, ruffling her hair and filling the air with the scents of salt and seaweed.

  “Sage seems to think nothing can break the connection you have to the island.”

  Sage isn’t right about everything.

  “Maybe your resistance is blocking your connection,” Ed suggested.

  Her blue eyes flashed. “What resistance?”

  “Trying to deny you’re the archdruid.”

  “I have the power, but I’m not the archdruid.” Heck, she’d had to keep her magic usage to a minimum during her years on the run. Some of her former skills had grown rusty over time. She’d get the hang of it again.

  Ed put a hand on her shoulder. “You are, Ann. You need to accept that if you want to defeat Urien.”

  “Just like you accept your beast now?” She arched a brow.

  He looked away. “That’s different. I was turned into a beast. You were born for this. Darius taught and trained you as his heir because he knew you were the strongest out of his children,” Ed said. “You can do this.”

  “Some archdruid I am. I couldn’t even save Xander.” Her heart ached just thinking of her younger brother. Ann didn’t know if Urien had forced Xander’s spirit out, or if he remained trapped inside his own body. She hadn’t had a chance to check on Xander once Urien’s spirit had taken over.

  “You’re not infallible.” Ed wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I know you’ll figure out a way to get him back.”

  She leaned into him and squeezed his hand. He’d been there for her through everything. The three months he’d been Orla’s prisoner had been the worst of her life. But he was back, and she wouldn’t lose him again.

  Ann closed her eyes and sent her senses out. The island hummed with energy, glowing like a beacon to her druid sight. Pools of rainbow-coloured light danced around the island. Its protection might be gone, but its magic remained. She felt the connection there, like an invisible cord tethered to her. Her eyes blurred with power that rose from deep inside her. Ann hadn’t felt so much power for so long after years of keeping it locked away. It felt good to let it out again.

  She repeated the words of power, opened her eyes, and light enveloped the island. The presence of people flickered at the edge of her mind. The earth groaned as it slowly began to submerge beneath the waves.

  “It’s working.” Ed grinned.

  The deep blue waves of the eastern ocean swallowed the grass. It washed over the tiny beach with its golden yellow sand, swept up the pathways and through the apple orchard. It sucked everything under until only the tor itself hovered like a tiny island on the water.

  Then the great tower vanished into the depths, disappearing from view.

  She let her ar
ms fall to her side and sank to her knees, her energy spent as she took several deep breaths.

  “You alright?” Ed knelt beside her and touched her shoulder.

  “There are people escaping. Go take care of them,” Ann breathed, motioning to the figures moving in the distance. “I’ll be fine.”

  Ed hesitated then took off, blurring in the opposite direction.

  “That was incredible.” Sage smiled as she walked over to Ann’s side. “I haven’t seen so much power in decades. I’m not sure even your father could have pulled it off.”

  Ann’s eyes narrowed. “You never mentioned that. What if it hadn’t worked?”

  The old druid chuckled, and her lips twisted into a smile. “I knew it would work. You are much more powerful than you give yourself credit for.”

  Ann pushed her long wavy blonde hair off her face, still breathing hard. “I’m exhausted.” She’d noticed the dark circles under her eyes earlier, and knew they’d be deeper now. Probably even visible when she reapplied her glamour spell to disguise her true appearance. She slumped back against the grass. Beneath her fingers, pulsed the Erthea lines—lines of natural energy that were the lifeblood of the world of Erthea. She raised her hand, causing veins of cracking green energy to splinter across the ground as she drew power from them. The light shot up, bathing her body in a green hue. It felt like cool water washing over her as she drew the energy in and felt it restore some of her strength.

  “That’s because you channelled too much energy,” Sage said. “Take more of what you need from the earth.”

  I don’t need to be told that. Ann suspected she needed the island’s supply of energy to feel better. She reached down again, drew more power. Light washed over her. Nature gave druids their power, but fire was her own element. That gave her strength like no other element could. Too bad she didn’t have time to start a fire now.

  “We should reach Trewa in two days,” Ann said, brushing grass off her leather trousers as she rose. “Are you sure you want to stay there? You can travel with us—”

  Sage shook her head. “I’m too old for travel.” Her red hair seemed almost white now. “With Flora gone, I want to live my days among our people.”

  Ann’s heart twisted at the mention of her aunt, Flora, who’d died during Urien’s re-emergence. Flora had been Sage’s wife. It had only been a month since Flora’s death, and the pain still felt raw for all of them. Sage must’ve felt it just as keenly. Sage and her aunt had been a couple for over thirty years. Ann couldn’t imagine the kind of pain she was going through.

  “Don’t worry about me. You are going to have a long road ahead of you.” Sage rose to her feet. “Urien will need allies if he is to become as powerful as your father was.”

  Ann snorted. “I hear he’s already telling everyone he’s the archdruid. He’s killing anyone who refuses to join him.” She knew sooner or later she’d have to face her brother again, but Jax had been gathering intel for her as much as he could.

  “That’s why you must get to people before he does,” Sage said. “Urien can’t be everywhere at once. You must convince the other races to join your side.”

  “And then what?” Ann asked. “I’ve been in hiding for almost five years whilst Orla laid waste to most of Caselhelm. Even if I get the other races on my side, then what? I’m not my father, I’m just one person. I can’t command armies, nor do I want to. Plus, most of the other races aren’t very welcoming to the archdruid—someone who used to help enslave many of them. This isn’t like the realm wars.” She glanced along the shoreline to check for any signs of fleeing Gliss or guards who might have escaped the sinking island. “This fight is between Urien and I, not the other races.”

  “Urien will drag the other races into this. He wants to have the kind of power and influence your father had. You need them on your side,” Sage said. “I know you never wanted to be the archdruid, but you can’t walk away from that path any longer.”

  Ann shook her head. “I’m not the—” She scowled when Sage frowned at her. “I don’t want to be the leader of anything. I just want to get Xander back and stop Urien.”

  “And then what?” Sage asked, hands on her hips. “If you did both those things, what would you do? The five lands are still in chaos. The people who murdered your parents still haven’t been brought to justice. You know as well as I do there were more than Urien or Orla involved. Someone very powerful helped them.”

  Ann shrugged. After being in hiding for so long, she’d never allowed herself to consider that possibility. She knew it would take years, if not her entire life, to stop the people responsible for murdering her family and bring freedom to the five lands.

  “I’ll find those responsible; I’m getting close. I couldn’t find answers before due to Orla’s influence. Now Urien is back, I have a greater chance of finding who helped them,” she said. “Once I succeed, I’d like to have a real home again. Maybe live among the other druids. I don’t want to be the archdruid, or a ruler. That’s not who I am.”

  “Just because you don’t call yourself Rhiannon anymore doesn’t mean you stopped being a Valeran. Your father was the first archdruid to ever become a leader among the races—the leader of all leaders,” Sage said. “He didn’t raise you to live in the shadows, either.”

  Ann winced at the mention of her full name. “I agreed to come with you to Trewa, don’t push it,” she said. She moved along the shore as a woman dressed in a brown leather bodysuit scrambled onto the bank, her long dark hair plastered to her face. A Gliss.

  Ann pulled out her knives that she kept sheathed to her back and flung one at the Gliss before she had a chance to attack. It hit the Gliss in the chest, and she slumped to the ground, dead. Her body fell back into the water, a bright pool of red spreading out around her.

  “One down. I need to check on Edward.”

  Chapter 3

  Ed snarled, fangs bared, as he slashed at the first Gliss who came at him with his claws. His inner beast had taken control the instant he’d sensed danger.

  Jax swung his double-edged staff around, slashing two guards as they tried to grab him. He struck both down.

  Ed blocked the Gliss’s next blow as she came at him with a small metal shock rod equipped with magic that could burn through flesh and bone, causing unimaginable pain. He winced as it grazed his arm, sending a burning pain across his skin and grabbed the Gliss by the throat. She hissed at him and raised her hand. Light flared between her fingers and on her forehead as she unleashed her magic.

  Energy rippled against his skin as she used her magic to tap into his emotions and turn his power against him. Her magic vibrated against him like an oncoming storm. It only infuriated his beast even more. Ed’s eyes flashed emerald, their light reflected in the Gliss’ own eyes. He squeezed hard until they rolled back in her head. He snapped her neck and grabbed the next Gliss. She hit him hard, then kicked him in the stomach.

  Ed stumbled backward. Guess I’m not as strong as I thought.

  She threw one of her knives at him. It embedded itself in his shoulder. Ed grunted as he felt a sting of pain, but it would heal. He yanked it out before she had a chance to activate the magic held within it and threw it at her faster than she could blink. It lodged in her throat and her eyes widened in shock before she slumped to the ground, dead.

  Ed felt the beast, the strange, powerful entity that now resided in his body along with him. Rage and bloodlust heated through his veins; he wanted to kill again. To feel the warm blood on his hands, to taste it.

  “Hey, I think we got all of them,” Ann called as she ran over to them. “I got two Gliss and a guard already.”

  “Shame, I was starting to have fun,” Jax said and lowered his staff.

  “There are plenty more where they came from,” Ann said, walking over to Ed. “Ed, are you alright?”

  His fists clenched as he tried to regain control of his body. Back, he thought, trying to force to force the beast back into the cage of his mind. Back!
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br />   “You’re bleeding.” Ann touched his shoulder.

  Ed threw out his arm to shove her away. “Stay back,” he hissed. The force of the movement sent Ann flying through the air. She landed a few feet away.

  Ed gasped. Both his fangs and claws retracted. Spirits, had he hurt her? “What the fuck are you doing, brother?” Jax demanded, flashing him a glare as he hurried over to Ann. “You alright?”

  She nodded as Jax helped her up. “I’m fine.”

  “Ann, I’m…” Ed tried to form words, but couldn’t. The one thing he’d feared happening just had. He’d hurt the one person he cared about most. Deep down, he’d known this might happen sooner or later. Spirits, what if he had done worse than knock her over?

  “It’s okay, I’m not injured.” She pushed her hair off her face and her hand came away bloody.

  Ed turned and blurred away. He couldn’t believe it. He’d vowed he’d die before he ever hurt her, or anyone else he cared about. Now he had without even meaning to. I have to leave. I have to get this thing out of me! One way or another, I will get rid of this thing.

  Ed stopped at the edge of the shoreline. Where he could he go? Trin had gone now, and he hadn’t had a real home in over five years. Ann and Jax were the only family he had left. As much as it pained him to leave, he knew he couldn’t stay for much longer.

  But where can I go? Nowhere will be safe for me, even if I wear a glamour. Plus, I could be putting innocent lives at risk.

  “Ed.” Ann ran over to him. “What’s wrong? Why are you—?”

  “I’m sorry.” He avoided her gaze and flinched when she reached out to touch him. I can’t believe I hurt her.

  “It’s—”

  Edward felt waves of comfort coming from her through their combined mind link. He didn’t want comfort; he wanted to get away. “It’s not okay. I could have killed you. I can’t even be around you anymore.”

  “You can’t kill me. I can’t die, and I know you didn’t mean it.” She crossed her arms.

  “This thing inside me is getting stronger by the day,” Ed said, running his hand through his hair. “It’s trying to take control of me. I’d never forgive myself if I hurt you.”