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

him to keep him obedient. There was nothing better at keeping trapped fanatical soldiers loyal than blind faith.

“Elspeth?”

I must have been silent for a long time. I blinked and knew what I had to do. I’d been doing it all my life, so it wouldn’t be much of a stretch.

I stood before Rory. “Do you understand what I am?”

“You’re not ascending, are you?” he murmured.

I shook my head. “No, I’m not.”

“It’s astral projection,” Jaimie said. “You projected your soul, lass.”

“That’s a kind way of putting it, I suppose.”

“You projected your soul inside the Chimera?” Rory asked, his brow furrowing.

“I possessed him, Rory. I controlled him, took his truth, and broke everything he was.” I shook my head. “You know Delilah’s shattered souls? What I did to Owen was worse…and it was easy.” I swept my arm around, gesturing to the fallen Chimera. “And then I pulled his friends into death and turned them inside out. Cutting off that guy’s head was kinder.” The Druids stared at me in shock. They didn’t understand, but neither did I. “Whatever kind of Fae I truly am, I can’t say for sure, but mixed with my ability to Spirit Walk… All I have to do is will it and I could enslave you all by accident. I can’t go back.”

“Of course, you can come back,” Rory said. “The Warren is your home.”

“You don’t understand. I had no control. None. Once the Darkness took hold, I had to let it run its course. If I did that in the Warren?” I shook my head and sighed. “They were right to try to kill me.”

“No,” he snarled, grabbing my arm. “Don’t say that, Elspeth. Let me help you control it. I—”

“She’s right, Rory,” Jaimie said, placing a big hand on the Druid’s shoulder. “I don’t like it either, but her power is unstable. Until she can handle it, going back to the Warren isn’t the best idea.”

“But you can’t go alone,” Rory argued.

“This power…it makes me Dark, Rory. I can feel it. It’s like…” I pressed my fist against my heart. “It’s like someone else is living inside me and I just let them out of their cage.”

“Your power is not who you are, Elspeth,” he murmured. “You have a good heart. You’re kind, funny, sweet, caring—”

“Maybe,” I said, “but it isn’t enough. I need to go, and it has to be on my own. This won’t be the last we see of the Chimera and they have to follow me if the Warren is to remain hidden.” I felt Ignis’ paw tap on my shoulder and I looked up at the cat. “Stay with the Druids…and please listen this time.”

Picking up my beanie, I dusted the dirt off and put it back on my head.

Rory was watching me with a forlorn expression that tugged at my heartstrings. He truly cared about me. I’d wanted someone to look at me like that my entire life, but now that someone was, I had to turn them away. The world was a cruel place for people like me—people wrapped up in a prophecy of extinction.

“Don’t worry,” I told them, “I’ll figure it out.”

“I know you probably won’t need it, but…” Rory pulled the knife and matching scabbard from his belt and handed them to me, “best not go unprepared.”

“Are you sure?”

“Where will you go?” Rory asked, pressing the knife towards me.

I shrugged. “Who knows? I have a cool teleporting power. Maybe I’ll go to the Bahamas.”

“Lass,” Jaimie stepped forwards and put his hands on my shoulders, “if you ever need help, all you need to do is call.”

“Thank you.” I glanced at Rory. “For everything.”

20

Waverley Station was buzzing.

The early morning rush hour was well underway. Overhead, automated announcements blared out of speakers. The next train to depart from platform four, is the eight-forty-five ScotRail service to Glasgow Central, stopping at Haymarket, Linlithgow…

Ticket barriers squealed as they opened and banged as they shut. People lingered at the departure displays, waiting for their trains to be announced while others circled the WH Smith looking at magazines and purchasing sweets.

I nursed a can of energy drink between my knees and looked up at the display and checked my ticket. The 9:08 Virgin Trains service to London Euston was twenty-four minutes away and the platform wasn’t ready yet. It was less than half an hour, but the time was dragging after the night I’d had.

I sighed at the cost, which was quite a blow to my wallet, but I didn’t think I’d get away with fare evading with my Druid illusion in a tightly packed train carriage. I was on the run now, and that meant I had to be careful.

The Chimera were ingrained in the police and most likely other government institutions, so if I used my credit card, they’d be on me like moths to a flame. A cashless society wasn’t for me.

Besides, the Darkness was back in its box and I wasn’t going to let it out any time soon. For now, I was just a plain Druid with meagre fighting skills.

I watched the humans do as their namesake and sighed. Everyone had someplace to be, and I felt like the only person in the world who didn’t know where she was going.

Someone sat next to me and I looked up at Delilah.

“You can’t change my mind,” I told her.

“Humour an old woman.”

“You don’t look a day over fifty.”

“Fifty?” She raised a hand and prodded at the fine wrinkles around her eyes. “I’m losing my touch.”

We sat and watched people walk across the overpass above the concourse for a few minutes. There wasn’t a Fae amongst them.

“The Warren is safe,” Delilah said. “The Chimera who knew of its existence have perished.”

“It’s still not safe. Not while I’m around.”

“The Druids know what you did for them. Raurich and Jaimie made sure of it. You will be welcomed back, granddaughter.”

“Perhaps, but there will always be an underlying prejudice towards me,” I said. “I’ll never belong. Not really. My dad hid