Arcane Rising: The Darkland Druids - Book One, R Nicole [suggested reading TXT] 📗

“Couldn’t resist talking to daddy?” he asked, a smirk pulling at his lips.

“Nice to see that knife in your heart didn’t change your terrible attitude,” I drawled.

He snatched my beanie, tearing it off my head. My hair fell free, tumbling around my shoulders.

“Your hair has changed since the last time saw you,” he said with a grin. “What a beautiful shade of green.”

“Quit it with the arsehole, Owen,” I snarled. “I’m not the same woman you tried to kidnap on top of Calton Hill.”

His gaze raked over me. “I can see that. Been in a fight, have you?”

I ignored his baiting. “I think it’s time you and I have a frank discussion about what’s really going on here.”

“They don’t know anything about us, do they? You don’t even know what kind of Fae you are.”

I narrowed my eyes. “If you know what kind of Fae I am, then why not just tell me? Let me make up my own mind instead of letting some indecipherable prophecy decide things. Wouldn’t it be better for everyone if I came of my own free will?”

“I meant what I said that day in the close,” he told me. “Come with me and I will give you all the answers you deserve.”

“Was killing my father necessary?”

“A child shouldn’t be without their father, but,” Owen sighed, “it had to be done. He stole you from us. Justice had to be served.”

I tensed. Everyone thought they were the hero of their own stories. They thought they were doing the right thing, but how much evil was in Owen’s heart? The Fae weren’t human or Druid—who knew what drove their motivations?

“Tell me something true, Owen. Give me one good reason why I should side with the Chimera, especially after you took the one person I loved the most away from me.”

“You want a truth, Elspeth?” He stalked towards me, anger clouding his eyes. “Your mother was supposed to be our queen. That was before your Druid father stole her from us. Then he stole you.”

“A queen?” That was the last thing I expected him to say.

“And you can take her place, Elspeth.”

I made a face. “But I’m half Druid. My father was the man who stole her from your king. Wouldn’t that be an insult?” Just like the reverse is true with the Druids.

“You carry her blood. You alone, Elspeth. You can choose.”

“Choose?”

“Fae or Druid. It’s more than just picking a side.”

Now I understood why I’d taken so well to my Colours. Through the influence of my father’s love, I’d chosen him—and his heritage—without even knowing it. If what Owen was saying was true, then I could allow my Fae blood to dominate. But something in the way he spoke told me it would probably be a mistake.

“What’s so special about my mother’s blood?” I demanded.

He chuckled. “My, aren’t you clever.”

“I’m a grown arse woman, Owen,” I snapped, “not some weak-willed child ripe for manipulation. Don’t you dare patronise me.”

“Finally, some fire underneath all that pathetic Druid passiveness.”

“Why do you hate the Druids so much? Did my mother hurt your feelings when she decided to choose love?”

“You have no idea,” he snarled. “I don’t care about love. I’ve been trapped here for a thousand years. Don’t you think I want to go home?” A thousand years?

“Is that what this is all about?” I asked. “You want to use my Druid abilities to open a portal to your world so you can bypass the Witches and return me to your king in place of my mother?” It couldn’t be that simple. “What will you do once you’re there? Who are you fighting?”

“Like I said, come with me and you’ll have all the answers you desire.” Owen’s lip curled into a wicked smile and his illusion flickered. For a split-second, I was treated to his natural form, pointed teeth and all.

Rory said the Chimera were Dark Fae. Evil. What would I be unleashing if I allowed them to reunite their forces? Not to mention the prophecy that involved the Druids. There was so much I didn’t understand. Not a good place to be negotiating from.

The only thing I did know was that I wasn’t going to be a pawn in a war between the Fae, just as I was in the fight between the Chimera and the Druids.

The more I learned, the more I wondered if it was a case of choosing the lesser evil. Honestly, if that was the case, I’d rather not choose at all.

“And what about the Warren?” I asked. “How many Chimera know of it?”

“Now who’s patronising,” Owen said with a sneer.

“Not at all,” I drawled. “It’s a straight-forward question. It’s been twenty-five years and you still haven’t captured a Druid. When you finally go home and kneel before your king, he’ll probably be looking to put your head on a pike as punishment for your continued failure.” I shrugged, keeping up the pretence of nonchalance. “I thought a Fae as clever as you would have a bargaining chip at his disposal. It would be a pity to put in all that work and be rewarded with death.”

Owen’s eyebrows rose.

“Come now. Isn’t this what you want?” I stepped towards him. “My Fae blood is just below the surface, waiting for me to grasp it.” I opened my palm and allowed a thread of Druidic Colour to pool. “I don’t need much more to turn this into a portal.” I smirked and closed my fist around the threads. “The Druids taught me a lot of things, hoping I’d side with them, but as you can see…” I shoved the sleeve of my jacket up, “they weren’t as wise as they made themselves out to be.”

Owen’s gaze fell onto the prism burns and his jaw tensed. He was angry. Truly angry. Curious.

“Perhaps I’ll find a more welcoming home amongst my mother’s people,” I continued. “Apparently, I have a king waiting for me.”

“Elspeth,” he murmured, swallowing my ‘confession’ hook, line, and sinker, “you have no idea what your return