The Druid's Spear (Ascent of the Gem Bearers Book 1) (24 page)

Time had lent kindness to the Druman. His skin had retained its golden hue, although it was darker now. Random bands of burnished red graced the top of his head. A large patch covered the left pupil-less eye, giving him the look of a pirate. The air of menace surrounding him had yet to change, but the Elder figured nothing would change that aspect of Dericote.

“So the Druid’s Spear is forming?”

“Surely you must have felt the effects of it yourself,” the Elder told him. Then he squinted. “Especially with controlling the wolf pack that killed one of my people.”

“You were warned, old man, not to come here.”

They leveled a stare at each other, Dericote’s eyes hard like bricks of gold. The past was between them as well, but the Elder could not allow it a foothold.

“And I am asking you to save my son.”

Rin might as well have been a rock on the ground for all the attention her father paid to her. Protecting her men and the Elder were her priorities, though, as well as ensuring the help of this creature to save Alderic. Not with one glance did he acknowledge her as his scion.

The wind blew her hair about her head but she ignored it. Her eyes were the same color as his, the deep amber gold she beheld every day when she happened to look at her reflection. The color of her hair was mirrored by the bands of the color along his head.

To think this creature, this hybrid of species, was her father seemed incredible, and yet, it was true. But after the attack he launched on them last night, she would not give him the title of her parent.

“What makes you think I can help you?” Dericote took another step closer to the group.

“Stay where you are,” she warned him.

He barely flicked a glance at her and took one more step closer. Without having to say a word, her men closed ranks, alert and ready to use force to keep the Druman away if need be. “I am not some sort of sorcerer to cast a spell on your son and heal him.”

“You know very well why I brought him. The Great Druid passed down his knowledge of healing arts to you.”

A scornful sound escaped Dericote’s lips. “The modern world has sufficiently surpassed my knowledge of the human body.”

“If I were to take him to them, your obscurity would cease to be. I know how much you long for privacy.”

The Elder’s words had a hidden taunt to them. Dericote glared at him and then let out an exasperated breath. “Tell these children of yours to bring him in. I’ll see what I can do. It won’t be much.”

With that said, he pivoted and walked back to the shack. Rin gave the orders for Odin and Luke to bring Alderic while Donvar and Ken took hold of the Elder and escorted him. Although he had stood well before, she could tell from the pallor of his face it was an effort to remain emotionally stable.

She was the last to enter the shack. Sparsely finished, it had a set of crude wooden chairs along a wall and a table. A fire place, unlit, dominated a wall while skins of animals took residence on the opposite side. A small hallway led to what would be living quarters, but she had no wish to gain any insight into this Druman’s world.

He obviously had no thoughts about her whatsoever.

Despite her resolve to remain aloof, Rin nonetheless stole a glance at him. Dericote meandered about the kitchen area lined with plain, unadorned cabinets. Instead of foodstuffs, he pulled out ancients texts of some sort and slapped them on the table. He had wide, expansive hands, the talons clear and curved slightly inward.

Abruptly he looked up and caught her eye. For a swift moment, she wondered if he would say something, anything, to acknowledge her. Yet, a mere second later, Dericote sent his gaze toward the Elder. “Tell them to bring your son and place him in the center of the floor.”

With a nod, the men gently carried Alderic in the midst and set him down. Rin tried to push away the morbid thoughts. Despite all that had occurred in the last three days, her friend still had not awakened.

It did not bode well.

Her thoughts were mirrored when Dericote asked the question as to the length of time Alderic had been unconscious. “Three days and he hasn’t stirred.” Her father shook his head.

“He’s been having seizures,” Ken offered.

Rin saw Dericote send a lightning gaze to Ken before addressing the Elder. “This doesn’t sound good at all, old man.”

“Please see what you can do. He is my only son.”

Expecting to see Dericote give a dismissive and uninterested nod, it came as shock to see a violent expression cross his face. The patches of red had deepened as if seeped with blood. “Get out, all of you!” he yelled.

“Dericote,” the Elder started.

In a blink, the Elder was lifted in the air by his collar, strong talon hands clutching snuggly around the frail throat. Dericote moved so fast it had been a blur. Her men went to attack but at a call from the Elder, they all stood down. “Leave now. I will be fine.”

“You really think you should stay alone with me?” Dericote drew the Elder closer until they were nose to nose.

“Leave him be!” Rin shouted. She rushed came to stand beside him. “You will release
Senpai
at once.”

A chill went down her spine at the softly spoken words, directed at the Elder. “I didn’t kill her last night. I will kill her today and the rest of your children if they don’t leave. And then your son will die without my help. Although it may be too late, despite what I do to him.”

Even in his threat, Dericote refused to look at her. Rin bit back a retort. If he wanted to pretend she didn’t exist unless as on object to threaten and intimidate the Elder, so be it.

“Uchida—
chan
, please leave. I will be fine.” With a difficult twist of his head, the old man sent a kind look from moistened eyes. Rin’s heart leapt at the sight of such vulnerability. She’d never seen the man like this in her life. “I’ll be fine.”

They left, leaving the Elder suspended in the air by the Dericote, who didn’t spare them another glance.

“What is going on between Dericote and the Elder?” Donvar asked no one in particular as they all stood outside.

“There’s a history here we know nothing of,” Odin answered, his eyes brooding into the distance. “For some reason, this Druman is furious with our
Senpai
.”

Rin impatiently gave orders for the men to guard the perimeter, although she suspected there was no need to do this. It gave her something to focus on and stopped all train of thought from the others. When they were sufficiently distracted, she wandered down the slope from the shack on some pretense or other, but it was really for an opportunity to think.

The level of rage Dericote exhibited was reserved for someone who had been treated badly. But the Elder, despite his lack of openness about her father’s existence, was an honorable man. What had happened in the past to allow this sort of animosity?

Even more so, what did this animosity have to do with her?

“
Sensei
?”

She turned around to see Ken coming toward her. “
Hai
?”

“I came to keep you company,” he responded simply.

For a moment she opened her mouth to rebuff his attentions but then she closed it. Perhaps she needed the distraction. The way her sire treated her, she might as well have been an insect to be brushed away. Although it should not bother her, it did. Despite the attack last night, part of her wanted to try to see exactly what type of being was her father. The Elder had told them all about some of his philosophy from the time before, but what did that mean to an orphan discovering her parent was alive?

“I’ve been doing some thinking,” Ken began.

“About what?”

“Callen and Kaluwa—
no kimi
.”

Rin shook off the unexpected melancholy and focused on what Ken had to say. “What about them?”

“Why did they come back?” Ken stared off into the distance. “They already had the blood gem in their possession. Callen had been gone for almost a week while we searched for him in the recesses of the cave. Why the subterfuge?”

Rin frowned. “I was suspicious of that as well.” For the time being she let her thoughts wander away from the topic of the Elder and Dericote. “There’s nothing else be had.”

“But there must have been something,” Ken insisted. He turned his dark eyes on her. “When
Okasan
died, I was given two artifacts – that geode thing which I now know is the blood gem and another.”

“What else were you given?” She had an awful idea what that other artifact was.

“I don’t know. It was leathery and dark green. It looked like half the shell of something or other.”

“Half a shell?” Dread tinged the question and his next words proved it.

He nodded. “It had a strange form of demarcations on it, like veins.”

A bolt of lightning struck her spine. “Tell me, Ken,” she said slowly, tasting the words as the growing horror cascaded over her from head to toe, “was there a tube-like appendage sticking up from it?”

“
Hai
!” Ken said enthusiastically.

“Why didn’t you mention this earlier?” Venom had entered her voice as she took a step closer to him.

Ken’s brow rose. “I just remembered it. Everyone had been focused on the blood gem and how important it was that it slipped my mind.” One of his eyes narrowed at her. “After all, I did wake up after being electrocuted after being attacked by a Druman who murdered my brother four days after my mother died.” Acid dripped from his lips.

“All right, all right.” She waved him silent. “I understand.” A little moan of distress escaped her lips even though she tried to push it back.

“What is it?”

Dragging her hand through her hair, she started to walk back to the shack. “It’s the Vessel. The blood gem is extremely important but the Vessel is equal to it, if not greater. It’s the means by which Ludovicus will be able to achieve his goal.”

“Achieve his goal,” Ken repeated slowly. “What goal is that?”

“To become a dragon again.” Rin quieted as she took mental pieces of the puzzle and put them together. The Druid’s Spear forming lent power to the Drumans. The Sun’s Children attacked with each alignment, lending their strength to them. This was also the opportunity for any Druman to become a dragon again. With both the blood gem and the Vessel, it would be possible to perform the ceremony.

What kind of danger would Ludovicus be when he was a dragon? He was already powerful in his current state. Regaining his original form would make him more than a force to reckon with.

“You said Kaluwa gave you visions and memories of what it was like to be a dragon?”

“
Hai
.”

“Callen must have given them the blood gem and told her about Vessel. They came to distract us while they searched for the Vessel.”

An errant memory reared its head. Alderic had retrieved the Vessel when they first encountered Ken.

They’d been so caught up in finding the Descendant and the blood gem that the very important, vital Vessel had fallen to the back of consideration.

That must have been what Callen had found when he attacked Alderic.

Rin shivered in a sudden chill as a dark cloud covered the brightness of the sun. A bad omen if there ever was one. The Elder had to be told, and then plans made to retrieve it from Ludovicus’s hands soon.

Wondering about the Elder brought to mind once more Dericote and his complete disregard for her. Despite that, she hoped he could do something to save Alderic.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Rin glanced back at Ken to see his inquisitive look. “Am I so easy to read then, Ken?”

He swallowed and darted his gaze away. “Not necessarily, but if I just found out the father I thought was dead was alive, had sent a bunch of wolves to attack me, and then hates me to boot, I’d be a little upset.”

Reluctantly she laughed. “Ken,” she said softly.

His head whipped back to her, his eyes intent all of a sudden. A tick pulsed along his cheek. The air became charged around them, latent with an emotion she couldn’t name. It confused her.