Rojuun (15 page)

“Alright. So what do we do now? . . .”
Liselle asked the more experienced members of the party.

“They won’t be very friendly if I remember
correctly. Druids don’t like anyone in their forest,” Sir Danth
said. “But as long as we don’t attack them or take hostile actions,
we should be fine.”

“They’re coming now! Yay!” Vevin
clapped.

The figures materialized out of the trees
like silent ghosts. They wore green and brown leggings, tunics,
footwear and cloaks. They didn’t make a sound as they walked toward
the party. There were twelve; four each from west, south and north.
Each one carried a bow and the feathered ends of arrows resting in
quivers were visible above their shoulders.

Tathan grew angry right away. He should have
the right to walk through some stupid trees on an ancient path if
he wanted to without having to worry about being questioned. When
Tathan realized he was beginning to crouch in a position to attack,
he took a deep breath, forcing himself to relax. It would not do to
endanger his cousin’s life like that.

One of the Druids, a woman of middle years,
raised a hand to halt the rest. She and a man beside her moved
forward toward the campsite from the north side of the clearing.
Upon coming within ten paces of the group, they stopped and removed
their hoods. The others stayed back, keeping their faces
hidden.

“Greetings, Travelers. I hope the morning
finds you well,” the woman said pleasantly. She was the same height
as Liselle. Her hair was brown with touches of grey beginning to
show. Her face, fingers and body were long and thin in form. She
had an intricate tattoo of vines starting behind her right eye,
circling around her cheek, then trailing down to the point of her
chin. Honey-colored eyes looked at them above a smile.

Tathan was not used to leading, preferring
to stay in the shadows, but his companions turned in unison for his
response. The woman followed their gaze to him, raising a
questioning eyebrow. He stepped forward.

“And greetings to you, Lady Druid. My name
is Tathan.” He gestured to his right. “This is my cousin, Liselle.”
He gestured to the left. “The gentleman in armor is Sir Danth, and
Vevin is to his left.” Just because Tathan wasn’t used to leading
didn’t mean he didn’t know how to handle it.

“Greetings, Tathan, Liselle, Sir Knight, Sir
Dragon,” she said, nodding in turn to each. “My name is Adele
Skiewin. It’s a pleasure to meet all of you.”

An icy wave of shock went down Tathan’s
spine. He was fairly sure the woman had just called Vevin ‘Sir
Dragon’. He remembered the stories he heard of dragons, including
those of their liquid-silver eyes.

“Are you alright, Tathan?” The woman asked
him. “Your face has become pale.”

Tathan also remembered that dragons were
nigh invincible, the most dangerous creatures in the entire world.
“Umm . . . Yes . . . I’m alright, thank you.”

Adele looked as though she didn’t believe
him. “Very well. I would ask what your intentions toward the
Willden Forest are.”

The question angered Tathan and he forgot
Vevin. Color came back to his face. His hand was on the hilt of his
sword again and he didn’t see the worried looks his companions
exchanged.

Adele put forth a calming hand. “Peace,
Friend Tathan. We are Druids, protectors of the forests. You are
free to travel as you wish. However, were it your desire to destroy
or burn down the forest that is our home, we would feel a bit cross
with you.” She smiled at him while speaking.

Tathan blushed as he realized that he was
acting like a fool. The woman was being courteous to them. “I’m
sorry.” His hand left the hilt. “I’ve been treated badly in many
places I’ve traveled. It’s not right for me to take it out on
you.”

She smiled even more. “Not at all, Friend
Tathan. Do you intend to wreak havoc amongst the forest?” she asked
half-jokingly.

He smiled wryly and answered, “No. We don’t
intend havoc or harm to the forest.”

“Excellent!” she said with a clap of her
hands. “Now then, I see you have breakfast. Do you mind if we join
you? We bring food as well.” She motioned her companions to
approach. The Druids all lowered their hoods. They were male and
female, most with tattoos similar to Adele.

“Of course. We would welcome the company.”
Tathan gestured for them to join around the campfire. Some dragged
over a couple of old hollow logs to sit on. Liselle put her bow
away and joined Tathan in sitting on the log they had placed the
night before. Sir Danth moved outside of the logs and remained
standing, while Vevin sat on the ground at Liselle’s feet with a
happy smile on his face.

Vevin.
Dragons were the most powerful
of all creatures in the world of Ryallon. They lived for centuries,
even millennia. They were vastly more intelligent than humans and
had powers of magic that the greatest wizards only imagined. Even
in his current form, he could most likely kill everyone here with
ease. Tathan felt another shiver go down his spine when he realized
they had been traveling with him for days.

“You look pale again, Friend Tathan. And
you’re shivering. Have you caught cold?” Adele asked, obviously
concerned.

“No . . . no, I’m sorry.” Tathan tried to
recover from his thoughts and pay attention to their guests. “Druid
Skiewin, I assure you that we travel through the forest only with
great respect.”

“Of course. I am not concerned, truly,” she
replied. Two of the other Druids were adding their own food to what
Tathan had prepared. “Please call me Adele. We don’t rest on
formality in the forest.”

“Alright, Adele,” Tathan said with a
smile.

She turned to Vevin. “It is an honor to be
in your presence, Sir Dragon. Might I ask what brings you to the
Willden?”

“I lost my home,” Vevin said sadly. A look
of fear crept into his expression and he turned to show her the
wound on his face. It was healing ever so slowly, but still looked
angry. “He took it from me and all my treasure!” Then he smiled.
“But Lady Liselle and Tathan found me a new home and Sir Danth said
I could have it and they are my friends now and isn’t that
wonderful?!” He got up to do a little dance, complete with
spins.

Tathan noticed the rest of the Druids had
given the dragon a fair amount of space. A few gulped nervously
when Vevin got up to dance. It was nice to know he wasn’t the only
one. Tathan wondered what in the world could hurt a dragon like
that. Then decided he probably didn’t want to know.

Adele smile at the dance. “It truly is
wonderful, Sir Dragon . . . Your home is in the Willden?”

Vevin stopped and thought for a brief
moment. “It’s in Aaltdiin, which is in the Willden. You won’t
destroy it will you?” he asked in a worried tone.

“No. We most definitely will not destroy
your home, Sir Dragon. The Druids revere dragons as well as all
life and would not deign to harm you or your home,” she said
sincerely.

“Oh, thank you so much!” Vevin exclaimed,
doing a happy dance.

Adele smiled once more. Tathan thought he
saw a bit of relief there. She turned to the knight. “Sir Danth, to
be honest, I have never seen a knight in the forest. Will you tell
me of your order?”

“But of course, Druid Adele. I am Sir Danth
Wazmordin, Guardian Protector of the Crown of Morhain, Black Order
of the Knights of Morhain.” There was a formal tone to his voice
that spoke of great honor and position.

“Knights . . . of . . . Morhain.” Adele
spoke in a voice that became quieter with each word. Her face was
now pale. Tathan looked at the rest of the Druids as they put hands
on weapons. Every single set of eyes was wide.

Even though Sir Danth didn’t have a body,
Tathan got the distinct impression that he had raised an eyebrow at
the movement. “I have no quarrel with the Druids and I would
recommend they not have a quarrel with me,” the knight warned.

Adele swallowed nervously. “Of course, Sir
Knight.” She frowned in thought. “The Knights of Morhain have been
gone for over a thousand years . . .”

“A sacred duty required me to exist longer
than my civilization. That duty is done now and I travel with these
people and this dragon.” He gestured to his companions. “I will
also tell you that I consider them my friends.”

The Druid swallowed nervously again. “Of
course, Sir Danth. Are your friends aware that the Knights of
Morhain were reputed to be the most deadly and bloodthirsty of all
ancient warriors?” she asked in a critical tone.

“Bloodthirsty? I assure you, my good woman,
that I have never had thirst for a single drop of blood,” he stated
with head held high. “Although I do admit there was an order of the
knights that did. Rather disgusting habit I should say,” he
finished in a more casual tone.

“I see . . . Well . . .” Adele trailed
off.

“Do not concern yourself, Lady Druid. I have
no intention of killing everything I see,” Sir Danth said in a
comforting tone that didn’t seem to comfort any of the Druids. “I
am traveling with my friends and will only kill to protect them.”
While he made the statement in a way to set aside any concern the
Druids may have had, it sounded more like a threat.

The Druids all stared at him in mild panic.
It struck Tathan as extremely odd that they would feel comfortable
around a dragon, but be afraid of a knight. He thought it might be
a good idea to get the conversation off Sir Danth. “Do you know if
the city of Brondaggiin still exists?” Tathan asked Adele. “It’s my
understanding that it was made to be one with the forest and that
we were getting near it.”

Adele stared at the knight for a moment
more, and then turned to Tathan. “Yes, only two days travel. The
city won’t be as it was in its prime, but it’s still beautiful . .
. which brings me to my next point.” She gave Tathan a hard
gaze.

Tathan had a feeling that his original
mistrust was about to be justified. “Yes?”

“The Druids do not allow outsiders into
Brondaggiin,” she said.

“Then there is no problem. They may enter as
my guests,” Sir Danth stated.

Adele stared at Sir Danth. There was tension
in the air and the potential for violence was palpable. Tathan
didn’t
want to get into a fight with Druids in the middle of
the Willden Forest. It was not a formula for survival.

“When we were in Aaltdiin, Tathan and I
noticed what looked to be a fortress next to a lake by the
mountains,” Liselle said, interrupting the tension. “Does that
belong to the Druids as well?”

“No! The fortress city is an abomination and
the beings that built it are unnatural,” Adele said, biting off
each word in anger. “It isn’t the work of Druids.”

“Enough!” Tathan yelled, startling everyone.
He stood up and began pacing back and forth. “Everywhere I go,
people get territorial and hostile toward outsiders.” He turned to
Adele. “You say we’re welcome, but then tell us that we can’t go in
your city.” He gestured toward Sir Danth while still addressing the
Druid. “You become hostile toward him, calling him a killer, which
he probably is, but you’re getting cranky about it.” He threw both
of his hands into the air. “We ask a question about a fortress and
you get angry about that!” Tathan pointed at Adele. “We’re not
truly welcome here are we?”

She was quiet for a moment. The rest of the
Druids removed hands from their weapons. With a deep breath, Adele
replied, “You have my apologies. Things have been . . .
difficult.”

“I understand difficult, I really do. But I
ask you to understand that we’re just traveling through the
Willden. The way south is not open to us,” Tathan said. “It’s our
intention to travel north to the Kingdom of Kethril. When we saw
the fortress, we considered exploring it. The truth is that we
don’t know for certain where we’re going, or what we’re going to
do.”

“I
do
owe you an apology. My behavior
is unaccep . . . Aaaaiiiiggghhhh!!” Adele screamed, rising into the
air, arms and head arched back. Tathan instinctively drew his
sword, causing the Druids to also draw weapons.

Adele straightened upright, still floating
mysteriously in the air. Dark green energy emanated from her eyes
and mouth. A deep, supernatural voice came from within. “Come to
me, Tathan of the Shadows. Come to me, Liselle, Child of Flowers.
Come to me. I am the Mother Tree. Come and speak with me.”

Adele collapsed on the ground as the
mystical energy left her body.

The man that had approached with Adele moved
to tend to her. The rest of the Druids remained motionless with awe
showing on their faces. Tathan sheathed his sword and looked at Sir
Danth who only shrugged. After a brief moment, Adele came to and
stood up, dazed.

“Are you alright, Druid Adele?” Liselle
asked her with concern in her voice.

“Y . . . Yes,” she replied weakly. “I . . .
The Mother Tree has only spoken through me twice before and it is
difficult.” She wiped an arm across her forehead and took a deep
breath before sitting down. “You shall visit the city of
Brondaggiin after all. And you shall visit Mother Tree.” She looked
at them all one by one. “It’s a rare honor, one that few have been
granted.”

Chapter
14

After eating breakfast, they traveled the
road to Brondaggiin. The four companions walked out of respect for
their guides, their horses led by members of the Druids so the
party could talk to Adele.

“Druids have existed in the forests of the
world since the beginning of humanity,” she began. “Few know our
ways and nothing is written so as to keep it so. Most Druids are
born into the order, though on rare occasion a person will feel a
call to join.” She shrugged. “It is as the gods will it.”

“Druids are human then?” Liselle asked.