The Last Druid (19 page)

Tal was still in the room, spinning
together two threads of the yarn she had been making earlier.  Calla stopped about halfway across the room, staring at the woman suspiciously; somehow, in the two weeks she had been here she never once crossed paths with his wife.  He gently nudged the girl towards a chair next to her.

Tal looked up, her expression soft and kind.  “Is this Ca
lla?” she asked quietly.

“Yes,” he replied.  He took his place in the chair on the other side of Tal, directly across from Cal
la.  He reached over and picked up a small bell from the table next to him, ringing it hard for a few seconds before setting it back down; it would take only a few minutes for one of the servants to come with the tea.  He sat back in silence for a moment before addressing the two women.

“I think we can agree,” he began, “that what happened today has served to warn us.”

Both of them looked up at him, neither saying anything in response but seeming to agree with him.

“I think it is safe to assume that we cannot depend on
Hiran anymore.”  He tried to ignore the look of hurt in Calla’s eyes.  “It has been two weeks, and still he has not sent us word of success or failure.  If the presence of the Council Guard has proven anything to us, it is that we can no longer afford to wait for him; we will have to take matters into our own hands.”

Even as he spoke, he still hoped that somehow
Hiran would come through. 
Old friend,
Ren thought,
do not let me down.

XXIII

Hiran

Hiran sat up in the higher branches of a large pine tree, carefully moving the needles aside with his fingers to get a better look at the ground below.  Three soldiers, all of them bearing the Council insignia on their uniforms, came running down the path in his general direction.  They had heard him moving around here, but from the way they continued past him it was safe to say they have an idea as to where he actually was.  He kept listening after they disappeared from his sight down the hillside, the racket they made echoing back to him for several minutes, before he finally hopped from his perch back to the ground.

That was a little too close,
he thought.

The base of the mountain was swarming with soldiers, all under the Council’s command.  After only the second day of searching for
a clear path up the mountain they started appearing everywhere.  It seemed like Hiran couldn’t take more than a few steps before running into another patrol.  It was likely the Council knew he was somewhere in the area.  As much as he feared getting caught and forced to face those he hated just as much as they hated him, he couldn’t stop now.  He had to take his chances and find some path that the Council had overlooked, and then figure out how to get Calla up without both of them getting spotted.

That was proving to be quite the challenge.  No matter where he went
he always managed to stumble on a small group of guards, and after losing them in the woods was forced to look somewhere else.

The Council’s control was getting tighter.

Hiran swatted at a low-hanging branch and continued on his way up this one particular path.  In two weeks of searching, this was the only one he had found that showed even the slightest bit of promise.  But he didn’t feel that comfortable leading Calla up this way. 

His thoughts drifted back to her as he continued up the hill.  He was surprised by just how much he missed her when he hardly even knew her.  He couldn’t get her out of his head these days.  But why?  Of course he knew she was the one chosen by the Lady to save them all, and he could not interfere with that for any reason.  But there was something else there in his heart as well, something he hadn’t quite felt before. 
He had only seen her for a few days prior to Mai’s arrival and curiosity was all he felt then; but spending the past few weeks getting to know her was changing something in him.  He had a sense that his feelings towards her seemed to be shifting.

Was he falling in love with Calla?

He shook his head.  What did he know of love?  He’d heard of it, of course—he always thought it was a foolish emotion to have, especially after having so little of it over the last few years.  But how did he know it was one he didn’t have?

He tripped over an exposed root and almost fell to the ground
, breaking his train of thought.  His feet scraped at the dirt as he staggered forward, trying to keep himself upright.  He straightened up as he regained his footing, cursing at himself quietly.

“Hi! over there!” shouted a voice—from very close by.  “
There’s something moving over there!”

Hiran
swore loudly, charging down the mountain away from the voices.  He quickly left them far behind and started to slow down, glancing over his shoulder repeatedly to make sure he wasn’t being followed.  He turned around again to come face to face with another three soldiers.  For a minute they all just stood there staring at each other in surprise.  Then with a shout the soldiers ran at him while he darted off to his left; they followed close behind him, shouting for their comrades the entire time.  Over their din Hiran could hear more soldiers yelling somewhere up ahead of him.

Damn it all!
  He sprang off to the right.  He had to lose his pursuers somehow but no matter how hard he ran they still stayed close behind him, their shouts getting louder.  What was worse, there was a clearing coming up ahead of him—if he was driven there he wouldn’t be able to hide.  He had to stick to the trees if he was to have any hope of escaping.  He jumped to the right again.

“Hold it right there!” shouted the men behind him.

“We have you now!” yelled more voices.  “You cannot escape us—we have you surrounded!”

Hiran
felt his heart drop.  He slid to a halt as more soldiers appeared in front of him.  They moved to form a ring around him, pointing their weapons at him.

XXIV

Calla

Calla thought she was flying.  She couldn’t describe the weightlessness she felt any other way.  The world around her was a gray haze, swirling around her like clouds of mist.  She was beginning to wonder where she was when the scene around her changed.

The mist faded into a green meadow
filled with colorful flowers.  Birds were singing in the trees nearby, and butterflies and other insects fluttered and buzzed around her.  Somewhere nearby she thought she heard children laughing; she looked up, and a small group darted out into the meadow playing some kind of game among themselves, completely oblivious to her presence.  Something glimmering above her caught her attention, and craning her neck back to look up she saw the white tower of the city.  She knew where she was: just outside of Elenan.

Cal
la bent down and picked a flower; she let the white crocus sit in her palm as she stared at it.

But suddenly it changed—the petals began to shrivel
and crumble, until Calla was left holding a small pile of brown dust.  The air around her changed as well, feeling thick and heavy as she stood there.  She looked up to find flakes of ash swirling around her, and a much different landscape before her eyes.

The rich green she had seen before was gone.  There were not any flowers to be found on the ground, and the grass was yellowed and brittle, snapping and breaking with ease under Cal
la’s light step.  The trees were worse to look at: devoid of leaves, they were burning, blazing limbs falling to the ground everywhere she looked.  Many had burned so much they were beyond recognition.  She looked up at the tower only to find it wasn’t even there, while the mountain behind it was crumbling.  In the distance, she could hear voices screaming out in anguish and despair.

Just as suddenly as the vision had appeared, it was quickly swallowed up by the
gray mist again. Calla blinked, trying to understand what had just happened.

—This will pass if we fail.—

Startled, she looked around wildly to find the speaker, finding only the unbroken clouds of mist swirling slowly around her.  “Who said that?” she shouted to the silence around her.

—I am here.—

“Where are you?”

—Our time is not yet over.  You are in danger, but you can prevail.—

“What are you talking about?  Who are you?”  Calla was getting frightened.

—You must stay strong. 
Only then will you succeed.—

Cal
la stared in silence at the world of gray around her.

—You must find me…—

Calla sat bolt upright in her bed as her eyes snapped open, breathing hard.  The moments from that dream continued to play in her head, over and over again in sharp detail instead of fading like most nightmares.  The destruction she had witnessed there was seared into her memory.  She tossed a lock of her hair back over her shoulder as she focused on calming herself down, vaguely noting how moist it was with sweat.

So that’s the future I’m
supposed to prevent,
she thought.  The thought didn’t make her feel any better about this whole mess she had been dragged into.  She crawled out of bed and walked over to stand by the window.

There was a soft pattering of paws on the floor behind her. 
You cannot sleep?
  Lina walked over to join her.

“What do you think?” Ca
lla replied, feeling more than a little unhappy right now.

Lina hopped up onto the windowsill, circled in place
a few times and lay down on the narrow ledge. 
I could hear you tossing and turning all the way down the hall.  Was it another nightmare?

Ca
lla shook her head, rubbing at her eyes with her fingers.  “I’m not sure.”  She sat back down on the edge of her bed.  “I’m not sure about a lot of things anymore.”

Lina stared at her for a moment, her golden eyes wide and unblinking, before leaping over to Ca
lla’s side; as large as she was, she landed lightly on the mattress.  She rubbed her muzzle against Calla’s arm. 
Talk to me Calla,
she said,
that is part of why I chose to stay.  What is wrong?

“A lot.”  Ca
lla didn’t look at her, trying to keep her emotions under control.  “I can’t take much more of this, Lina.  I miss home, my family, my friends—everything that was a major part of my life.  I don’t want to be here anymore.”

Lina licked
at her cheek, attempting to comfort her. 
I cannot offer any advice to you on this.  Perhaps when Hiran comes back, you could talk to him about this?

Ca
lla felt a single tear sliding down her right cheek.  She wanted to hate him for just dumping her here to fend for herself before running off without another word.  She hated everything that had led to her being here, but somehow Lina was right: maybe she should talk to Hiran about what was in her head when he finally came back.  For some strange reason, he was the one thing she couldn’t bring herself to hate; more than anything, she wished he was with her once again.

Why do I miss him so?
she thought to herself.

Suddenly Lina stopped, standing up straight, her ears perked up as she listened for something.  As Cal
la watched her in confusion she started sniffing at the air.  After a minute she let out a growl.

Cal
la backed away from her slowly.  “Lina?” she asked fearfully.

The Tri-tail’s growling grew louder. 
Something is not right here
, she said. 
There is something in the air—something very out of place
.

Cal
la stared towards the door of her room.  “I don’t hear anything,” she said nervously.

No sooner had she spoken that it was her turn to stiffen with fear.  A gentle breeze started blowing through the open window, carrying with it faint voices crying out in despair that
Calla was just able to hear; it had been so long since she had last heard such voices it actually scared her.  Their cries grew louder in her ears as they shouted out in warning.

They are coming!  Run—they are coming for you!

Calla’s heart hammered even harder against her rib cage.  “Oh no…”

There was a loud crash from the front of the house, and all hell broke loose.  Voices started screaming from all sides at once as everyone in the house was woken up.  Servants dashed past her door, someone was barking orders, and everywhere confusion took over.  Cal
la and Lina didn’t move an inch, frozen with fear in their places until finally Calla shook herself awake.  She jumped up and grabbed her bag from the floor by the door.

Lina stared at her, a growl still rumbling in her throat. 
What are you doing?!

“I have a hunch,” Cal
la replied.  “I don’t think we can wait for Hiran to come back anymore, Lina—the Council might have figured out I’m here.  If Hiran was right, then I shouldn’t stay for their guards to find me.”  She ran back to the window.

But where will you go?
  Lina sprang after her.

“Up the mountain, and hopefully away from the soldiers.”  Cal
la jumped out the window; luckily her room was on the lower level of the house.  Crouching among the bushes, she could hear the soldiers’ cries getting louder as they came closer.  “With a little luck,” she continued, “we should avoid running into any more of them.”

Lina jumped out and landed next to her. 
I hope you know what you are doing,
she said.

“So do
I.”  Calla set off running without another word, Lina at her heels.

They raced across the grass towards the mountain, not daring to look back to see if anyone was following.  Ca
lla forced herself to run harder.  She never really saw where she was going, just kept running for what seemed like forever.  Trees rose up around her and in her path, but she barely acknowledged them as she jumped around them and kept going.  The only sound she could clearly hear was her own breathing.  The landscape around her continued to change as she ran, trees giving way to rocky slopes as she climbed ever higher up the mountain’s side.

Only when her legs felt like they might give way did she finally stop
, leaning up against a large boulder as she caught her breath.  Lina was also exhausted, sprawling on the ground next to her with her tongue hanging out one side of her mouth as she panted heavily.

So…what happens now?
she asked.

Cal
la let herself fall to the ground, stretching her legs out in front of her.  “I don’t know,” she gasped out.  “I just picked a direction and ran.  I didn’t really have a plan at the time.”

Lina groaned. 
You ran up the side of the mountain without any idea of what to do afterwards; brilliant.  At least we never ran into any more soldiers.  But really, we cannot stay up here forever—eventually someone is going to find us.

“I’m thinking!  But we don’t exactly have
that many options—”

—You came.—

Calla jumped, staring at the darkness around them wildly.  There was no one up on these slopes but them.  So where did that voice come from?  Calla looked down at Lina; the Tri-tail was up, so she must have heard it as well.

—Over here.  This way
. — said the voice, even louder than a moment ago.  It seemed to be coming from further up the mountain.  A bright golden light suddenly began to shine from among the rocks above them.  Both Calla and Lina started backing away as they stared at it.

“I don’t like this.”

Me either.

—Come closer, child.  Do not be afraid
. — The light was pulsing, beckoning for them to follow.  Still Calla hesitated, unsure about what was happening now.  But that voice sounded so warm and reassuring, melting what fear she felt.  Hesitantly she started to climb toward that light among the rocks.  Lina stayed back and whimpered at her, then quickly ran after her.

The climb was difficult on such an uneven surface, many rocks crumbling out from under their feet, but they eventually made it up there.  They stared at the wide opening of a large passage that extended down into darkness; sitting here at the entrance was a small golden orb—the source of that light they had seen.  As they stepped forward it darted down into the cavern ahead of them, driving back the darkness.

—Come.  I need to see you— the voice insisted.

Cal
la looked down at Lina.  “Shall we?” she asked.

Lina whined again. 
I would rather not.

“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to; I understand if you’re scared about it.”  Calla paused at the tunnel opening, biting her lip.

Not while you plan on going down there—there is no way that I will let you go alone.
  With a high-pitched whine she came up and stood leaning into the back of Calla’s leg.

With a gulp
Calla walked down the tunnel, Lina following close behind her.  The glow of the orb was harsh down here, hurting her eyes.  Whenever she came within a few inches of it, it would jump further down the tunnel.  She continued to follow it as it led them on, keeping one hand pressed against the wall as she went and feeling for each step with her feet.  The air temperature gradually rose as they went on, and the darkness beyond their strange lantern steadily faded away.  As they rounded one bend the golden orb abruptly vanished, but they no longer needed it—there was another light source somewhere up ahead of them, lighting the rest of the way forward.

A few steps later the tunnel ended, opening onto a massive cavern.  Its far walls were blurred, barely visible from swirling haze.  It was hot down here, causing sweat to pour down Ca
lla’s body and making it difficult for her to breathe; Lina just collapsed in place, the heat hurting her more.  The light in this place came from somewhere below them.  Calla cautiously peered over the edge of the platform they stood on and saw the fires that raged down below.  The mountain’s heart was alive with a vast lake of molten magma.

“Where in the world…?”

—You are almost there.  Just this way. — The voice echoed around the cavern, making it difficult for Calla to pinpoint where it might be coming from.

As she looked around she saw
a stone bridge extending partway into the cavern; the very end of it hung out over the molten lake.  The entire length was supported by a series of thin pillars, apparently formed naturally by the liquid fire as it had receded to its current level so far below.  The whole thing looked somewhat stable, yet Calla couldn’t help but imagine the worst possible scenario of what could happen once she set foot on the stone.  A vision crossed her mind of the entire structure breaking apart, crumbling into the abyss below.  As one step followed another her fears slowly melted, until she finally reached the end: a wide, circular platform with nothing that even closely resembled a rail to line the whole space.  Calla turned to look back the way she had come.  The ledge where she had been before was distorted from the waves of heat rippling through the air.

Now what?
  Lina shifted her weight between her paws. 
While I do like warm weather, this is a little extreme.

“I know.”  Cal
la turned around repeatedly, seeing no creature of any kind that could have spoken.  “I don’t understand any of this.”

—Your people have a phrase: ‘
Ask and you shall receive.’—

Cal
la looked back towards the center of the main platform she stood on.  She was no longer alone there.

Standing behind her was a woman, wreathed in flames.

XXV

Elenia

She watched the girl’s face as she took in what she saw.  Calla just stood there with her mouth hanging open slightly, the shock visible in her eyes.  Elenia felt herself smile and checked herself—it wouldn’t do to come across as menacing.  She thought taking a more fiery form would go over a little better here, making her fit with the current environment and save some time that would have been spent on lots of tedious explanation.

But as she looked on this girl she couldn’t ignore the wave of sorrow that
coursed through her.  Old memories started floating up, trying to pull her focus from the now, memories from a life of so long ago.  She fought them back down into the shadows of her mind.  She couldn’t think about that past right now, it was too distracting.  She wasn’t ready to deal with that when the girl was standing in front of her—not yet.

Something behind the girl growled loudly
, out of fear rather than aggression.  She leaned over to one side, trying to look around Calla at the creature.  The large wolf-like creature stared back at her with wide golden eyes, its three tails twitching nervously.  A Tri-tail wolf, a female judging from how high she stood and the odd blue color at the end of her middle tail.  Tri-tails were rare in this world now, seen only every once in a while.  For one to turn up now, and to act as the girl’s companion…