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  The Druids knew the Romans were at hand. Christianity would soon follow, and they would be forever in hiding, known only to one another. Without this gift from the Fae they would have been lost.

  The Romans came.

  The Druids were unable to hold their own, and they were slaughtered without pity.

  However, many Druids, a member or two of each family unit, had already been chosen to escape to places unseen, unknown by all save the Fae and the Druids. Secret places. Those who remained in their villages had elected to do so to keep their brethren safe. They stayed behind because the good of the whole outweighed the tragedies of the few. They sacrificed their bodies, their time, but not their souls.

  They were Druids. They believed that the soul moves on and is reunited with its true mate. And they would be whole with the Realm.

  Maxine and Danny watched Jehu as he left the Council of the Priests. They saw him holding the sacred object the priests had given him. They watched him make his way through the war-torn streets as though invisible to the Romans—as, indeed, for a short while he was. They watched him wince as he saw his people slaughtered all around him. They saw his silent rage and then saw him rushing home to his wife.

  Madelyn—Maxine’s ancestor—sat alone in her bed, heavy with child. She heard the Romans at her door and knew they would rape her before taking her life. She would not, could not allow that to happen.

  She took up the bottle of poison she had prepared. She and Jehu had already said their farewells.

  Maxie took a step forward. A scream caught in her throat, but she was in a bubble of time and helpless to do anything.

  “No…oh, no…” Maxie cried for her ancestor.

  “Hush, child, thou must listen. Thy parents should have taught thee the things thou need to know. They did not. Listen to Madelyn’s last words,” said the Keeper.

  Madelyn recited a prayer, a Druid prayer, and then her promise to meet her beloved husband in their hereafter. A moment later, the poison did its work.

  The Romans did not see Jehu as he rushed to his wife’s side. He was cloaked with invisibility, as he had used the magic of the Féth Fiada.

  His wife was gone. Their brothers and sisters were safe, however, and he would go with his wife into eternity.

  He cried out before he put her hands on the Sacred Hallow. He held her hands there while he recited the prayer. He watched the Hallow vanish and knew it had been recalled by the Council. And then as he allowed himself to become visible, a Roman sword found its mark…

  Maxie screeched and sobbed, “Why? With all that power…why let them die? Why let all of them die so brutally?”

  “We cannot change what fate has written. The great threads of life must not be altered. Some of us had to die to save the whole. They would have hunted us had they not thought they killed us all in our small village. We are human—we are limited to what the Fae were able to give us. They will only bend a strand of life…the Fae dare not do more for fear of destroying the Earth. It is what happened to their own treasured Danu. They played with destiny there and lost all.” The voice became a whisper. “Remember Madelyn’s oath. Remember the words…”

  Danny was horrified. Druids? His father had hinted at it. He had told him a sketchy story about Druids and the Fae. He had said something about the magical Fae coming to Earth before the beginning of history, and at some point they had chosen select humans to perform certain rituals. He wasn’t able, or did not wish, to answer the many questions Danny had flung at him, and he had never quite said that they were Druids. Eventually Danny had just put the whole story aside. It had little to do with his youthful existence, with his normal, everyday life, and in truth, he didn’t really care…at the time.

  He took his sister’s hand, for she was still teary-eyed, and he heard her choking back a sob. Then the Realm transported them once again.

  “The elders transported Jehu and Madelyn’s bodies…and took charge of the orb. The Keeper took charge of the eternal spirit…to make certain they would be reunited in time,” the voice said softly.

  “But…what are you saying?” Maxie could hardly breathe.

  “Thou must have patience. Thou must listen. ’Tis necessary, for thy time is now, Maxine Reigate. Thou must know the past that thou may shield thyself in the present. It is all so very important, urgent that thou learn. Our numbers were less on earth. Our time taken from us. Still we survived. When it was safe we re-emerged and took up residence in villages throughout Scotland, Ireland, and England. Our numbers were scattered, but we Druids have a connection, recognition of one another. In the end, Christianity would not tolerate our beliefs, and so much was lost to most of the Druids.” The guardian voice sighed deeply. “Jehu and Madelyn’s time was over, and their spirits have not yet united again on earth as promised. Another terrible catastrophe. A Druid secret that caused much harm then and continues to harm so many…a secret stolen and misused…”

  “What secret?” Maxine demanded.

  “No, not yet. Thou must learn patience, child.”

  “How can I? This apparently directly involves me.”

  “What thou need to know is simple. Jehu and Madelyn never failed their kind. They were beloved by Druid and Fae alike. They were the chosen ones. Julian Talbot’s ancestors were high priests, as was his father…as he is, my child, as he is.”

  “Faith!” Maxie screeched.

  The voice sighed, and then continued, “Thy parents, Maxine Reigate, are both Druids, but they have never given themselves to their heritage and lack knowledge and skills. Because of that, thou, Maxine, must do what is expected of thee to insure continuation.”

  “What?” Maxie breathed. She was trying to absorb all of this and clicking things into place in her head. She needed sequence. “How am I supposed to do that?”

  “We look to thee to stop the cycle of evil. Thou are a dear Druid child. Thou must do whatever is necessary to insure thy future.”

  “Tell me how, for gracious sake?”

  “And me…what is expected of me.” Danny put in.

  “We must not say. We have the power to show you both the past. We have the power to help you develop the abilities you already have and to aid you in discovering powers within yourselves. All demons must answer to the Greater Power in the end. If they are Druid, then they must adhere to the vital Druid laws. Daniel Reigate has the blood of Druid Priests. His has the power to protect. When the time comes, Daniel will know what to do.”

  “Right, wonderful. Could you be a bit more clear about this demon situation?” Maxie liked to get to the point. She didn’t like riddles.

  “Maxine, thy power is absolute, but thou have not tapped it yet. Thy strength lies in the Realm. Know the demon nearest thee. Feel its vibrations. Druid blood will out even if it is tainted by a demon soul. By now thou know the demon in thy midst. Thou have seen it, thou have smelled it, and thou know its name. The rest thou must manage on thy own. Thou are strongest now, before it knows thee for who thou are. Thou are a treasured Druid child, but make no mistake, thou are in grave danger…”

  “Then let me tell you, Keeper…I know the demon is the DuLaine. Tell me how she means to hurt us.”

  “I may not look into the future, and so I do not have that answer. Now, remember, Druids are mortal, but the Druid soul does not die.”

  “And that is supposed to somehow comfort me?” Maxine was exasperated.

  “The Law of the Realm demands that thou be taught to protect the future from the past. ’Tis all I may do…I have shown thee some of the past. Julian of Talbot is a Druid priest. Thou are a connection to me. I am the Guardian Voice, the Keeper of the Realm. From the past, comes the future. It is written.”

  “Yes, but—”

  Then all at once brother and sister were hurtling through space, clinging to one another through the confusion of a destiny shoved upon them suddenly and without warning.

  They were returned to the present and found themselves standing beneath the sacred oak.
/>
  They couldn’t speak as they attempted to focus on their reality.

  Maxie reached out and touched her brother’s arm. He was real. He was still with her.

  “Max…” Danny was shaking his head. “I am at a loss to understand how I am to protect you—and from what? Both of us don’t know what is coming…how it is coming.”

  The voice had not left them yet, and it came through with an authoritative, affectionate tone. “Come then, Daniel Reigate, take the oath of allegiance to thy blood, to thy Druid sister, to the Realm. Thou will swear with the power of thy blood…”

  “Done! I take the oath with all my heart. Whatever I am empowered to do, I shall do,” Daniel answered vehemently. Just before he was whisked away he felt a branch brush against his face and then his heart. He saw it land in his sister’s hands. It was mistletoe. This was the Druids’ sacred branch of allegiance. His oath had been accepted. He did not know how he knew this, but he did.

  And then Maxine, England, all of it was fading away. He blinked and found himself back at his desk, as though he had never left. However, he knew better. Oh yes, he knew much better!

  ~ Sixteen ~

  JULIAN TALBOT SAT at his serviceable, gothic-styled desk in the study of his London town house. His estate agent had just left him with a stack of documents that needed review and signing.

  He smiled at the mess of papers scattered across his enormous and outdated desk. His agent was always trying to get him to update the room with Regency-styled furniture, but he liked his old, familiar heirlooms around him.

  Julian treasured the traditional; he treasured the knowledge of history, especially his family’s history, and his secretive heritage. One needed to respect one’s ancestors and their achievements. One needed to know who those ancestors were and what they had done in their lifetimes. It was a matter of honor.

  Yes, he thought with a sigh, but just now tradition and duty had him severely impaired and in conflict with himself. All he wanted to do was be gone, be married, and be off on his honeymoon with his Max. He smiled to himself at the thought of her in his arms in his bed the other night when she was so wantonly touching him…

  And then without warning, for the second time that morning the mist of light descended and surrounded him, taking him into a bubble he could not, did not, wish to escape!

  Julian Talbot was completely aware of who he was, what he was, and from whence he came. He had been trained in the Druid arts for nearly twenty years. He knew that he was descended from a direct line of Berwick Druids. He knew that not only had his father been a Druid priest, but that his mother was pure Druid as well. He knew all that. He knew and understood some of his abilities in that regard, but it was not until recently that he had learned his beloved Maxine was a Druid as well. He found this fact astonishing. Druids were few and far between. How then did this happen?

  Were they drawn to one another?

  He also was confused by all the warnings, the mist of light forever intruding on his days and nights. What did it all mean?

  Something deep inside his subconscious recoiled from the answer.

  He was being directed wildly, vividly into a past he had always been told belonged rightly to him and to what he was as a man. He embraced it with pride.

  Now, there was a sensation of something…no, someone … touching his cheek as though he were no more than a boy, and he was filled with sadness. Why?

  A sure fear gripped at his heart. The air felt wet, yet welcomed him with gentle warmth. He was guided along what seemed like a long corridor filled with the scent of lavender. The elders had come, just as his father had told him they would. The story had been passed down from Druid high priest to Druid high priest for centuries. His father had been a Berwick Druid high priest.

  He had been trained to maintain the rituals to the Fae that his ancestors had honored for over a thousand years. He was honor-bound to keep the Orb, the Seelie Fae’s Relic, safely hidden.

  All these things were a part of who he was, and even still he had not realized, not with all his abilities did he realize, that Maxine was a Druid until he had been told. Now he knew their pasts were linked to one another. He knew they were about to fulfill destiny. Even as these thoughts bombarded his mind, a breath of cold air harshly enveloped him and a voice gravely whispered in his ear, “The demon will attempt to profane who you are. There is naught we may do. Woe to the allegiance we owe your father. Woe to our Fae Queen. Woe to what we owe you, our Druid son.”

  “What does all this mean?” Julian found himself standing before a round table where he sensed the presence of the elders but could not quite see them. They were shadowy forms.

  “Time will tell,” they answered as one voice. “We may not see the future.”

  Hell and fire! Time wasn’t telling him a damn thing. He was taking control. He was headed for Reigate and Maxine, and nothing was getting between him and Maxine!

  He would talk to her parents, speed up the wedding so he could have her at his side and keep her safe. He strode hard and fast to his study doors and called to have his coach be brought round. Damn. Nothing—not the devil itself—was getting through him to her!

  This time on earth was theirs!

  * * *

  The Realm held Lamia DuLaine hostage to a scene from her past. She was helpless in the grip of its power. She looked out on a time long ago from a glimmer of memories. It was long after the Romans had come. Long after Jehu and Madelyn were united in life, parted in violent death. Lamia had never known their world. She had been born into a world where Druids had to hide from Christianity. They had to fit in with the Christian world around them if they were to survive.

  Druids lived in harmony with the earth. It was their way, the only way as they saw things. They knew that even though they had a special place, awarded to them by an ancient race that was far superior, they were mortal beings.

  They had a deep understanding of the stars, of herbal potions, of sorcery. Light Magic was used sparingly, and Dark Magic became strictly forbidden. Long ago they had discovered that Dark Magic was potent, dangerous, and exacted a toll. The elders understood this and kept the dark spells of the ancient race well hidden.

  Things became increasingly difficult for Druids living in a world where Christianity was spreading fast and furiously. The Christians looked at the Druids with wary suspicious eyes and called them Heathens.

  Druids used magic, and magic made Druids a feared lot. Christians shunned them. They would if they were able banish them from their communities. This angered the average Druid. After all, they were subject to human frailties. The more danger they found themselves facing at the hands of the Christians, the more the Druids used magic. It was inevitable.

  Thus it was that magic reared its hoary head and drew attention, too much attention to itself. Druids were taken by the Christians and burned as witches. Druid priests were slaughtered as warlocks.

  The Druid elders showed themselves to their brethren and banned the use of all sorcery. Even magic’s slightest interpretation had become forbidden amongst them. The wisest of the Druid ancients deemed it prudent that Druids should appear to conform to the new Christian world.

  Even so, even before this time, one piece of sorcery, dark sorcery, had been called the blackest, most barbaric ritual known to Druids, and that ritual had been outlawed. The Fae had decreed the breaking of this law should be punishable by death. The Fae no longer killed humans, but they expected that if a Druid broke this particular law, the Druid Council must carry out its punishment. It was in fact the only crime the Druids deemed punishable by death.

  Druids were reluctant to dole out a death punishment against one of their own. It was repugnant to their mainstream philosophy. Not since the barbaric lifestyles long left behind had this course of action been implemented.

  One Druid priest, however, thought the risk acceptable. His wife was dying. He could not bear to lose her, and he knew of only one way to return her to health: Dark Magic.
/>   So it was when High Priest Arklow DuLaine took the life of a young peasant girl on the sacred holy altar and then used her blood with the sacred stones, he broke the most sacred law.

  He endangered the entire community with his barbaric, selfish act and broke the hearts of all his Druid friends.

  Lamia was made to look into the past at her father’s face as he drugged the young girl. The elders made Lamia DuLaine watch him lift the child to the slab of sarsen, which Druids held in reverence. They made Lamia watch as he took the Holy Thorn and opened the girl’s jugular vein. She watched him collect the blood in the golden urn, and commit the first of his barbaric crimes…

  That was how it all started one thousand years ago …

  ~ Seventeen ~

  IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL spring day. Maxie’s parents had taken the short ride to their neighbors for afternoon tea, but Max was out in the rose garden she loved, tending and cutting special blooms.

  It was a beautiful spot with a stone bench neatly set in the center of the large, rectangular fenced-in area. At its length near a wooded trail was the quaint tool shed she and Danny had turned into their very own ‘clubhouse’ years ago. She moved to it now, as she needed a pair of larger, sharper cutters for trimming. Inside she smiled as she looked around. She hadn’t been here all winter.

  Something made her stop and listen. Someone was coming…fast and hard. Her mind told her whatever was coming…whoever it was, was coming for her! Before she could think, before she could turn, she found herself forcefully embraced from behind, spun round. With delicious surprise she whispered, “Julian …?”

  He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t think. He had been frenzied with the need to reach her, to get her into his arms and hold her against all harm. He had scarcely slowed as he threw together a collection of clothing and toiletries and hurried to his waiting coach. The two hours it had taken to arrive at Reigate had him boiling over with worry. Then he was there, and Kettles could not say for sure where Maxine was, though he thought she might be out for a walk somewhere on the grounds.