Authors: Scott V. Duff
Ryan grinned again at Brian and took the single step to the wall of solid energy. Blurry, vague images could be seen from outside the barrier, but inside was perfectly transparent. He touched it, causing a doorway to open. Then grinning at the ground in embarrassment, he gathered his courage to bring the barrier down completely and bring the rest of the druids running. Brian slowly looked between us as I kept breaking their spell apart.
Finally, I finished and Ryan was still hemming and hawing. “Do ya want me to do it, ya coward?” I asked, laughing.
With a final chuckle, Ryan activated the focus and linked to the force of the barrier. Then he leaned out the door, drew a deep breath and in the highest falsetto he could manage, with one hand high in the air waving, he called out to all the druids, “Yoooo—hooo, wee’rreee heeeerrreeeee…” To us, the barrier simply fell away, but to everyone else a tornado had dropped among them. Except it hadn’t, but it felt like it with the air magic tearing at them. Ryan had their attention.
And they came running.
Even Brian was laughing with us by the time the eighteen druids stopped just in front of Nil and Naught. He needed that to clear his head somewhat. As a fighter pilot he’d long ago let his magic grow fallow over time. He could still see and feel his druidic heritage, but his control and ability were virtually nonexistent. The group on the other side of the
huri
was a very different story, including his uncle. They were all quite experienced, mostly at ceremonial magics. Comparing druids and wizards was actually a fairly difficult task, though. Druids are at best sensitives, not magic users like wizards. It’s like comparing apples and bolt cutters. Kieran and Ethan discussed ceremonial magic with us earlier in their teaching, mostly me since Pete had experience there, but they glossed over it in favor of self-defense and invocations.
A druid’s aura looks completely human normal until he binds with a circle or an elemental energy of some kind, then he’ll appear layered in magic. Unless, of course, the druid is like Ryan and imbued with power in some way, in his case, through his tattoos. The only power they might hold were standard latent spells in fetishes or stones, something solid. The druid guards each had many such tiny points of power in small, tear-away pockets on their shirts and pants.
We finally choked off the laughter and Ryan and I stood up straight. Drawing on my aspect enough to be threatening, I glared at each of them in turn for a few seconds to make certain I had each person’s measure. Not for my sake, I didn’t care. They needed to know I knew.
“Y’all wanna watch while we discuss this?” I called out, pointing at the spell. “You might learn something important. Nil, Naught.” Then I turned around and went back to the “tower of power” with Ryan beside me with Brian close behind. “First of all, everyone was quite correct in your assessments, so no recriminations. This is a vicious trap.”
“Damn, Seth, I’m sorry,” Brian muttered.
“Not you’re doing, Col. White,” I said, keeping my voice loud enough to be heard by all. “I’m well aware of who is responsible.” Reaching out, I caught Nil lightly on the shoulder as he passed and walked with him. “Nil, you were right about the spell being druidic and elementally based. Outside of being in the middle of a village, do you see how the bindings differ from a wizard’s spell?”
“Well, no, sir,” Nil answered, glancing up at me timidly. “I haven’t seen enough wizard’s spells to see their bindings.”
“Oh!” I exclaimed, chuckling. “Right, silly me. I’ll give you a comparison when Mike or one of the others is around, then. Can you tell which elements are used?”
“Earth, air, and fire, sir,” Nil said happily.
“Good,” I nodded and turned to Naught beside me. “Naught, Ryan has said this is a jail and I concur. You mentioned that the sides of the container react poorly with certain kinds of energy. From what you see here, can you tell what energies?”
“I’m sorry, Seth,” Naught said, shaking her head. “I’m not sufficiently experienced to say.”
“Quite all right, Naught,” I said cheerfully. Humming a minor tone brought the trigger into a highlight. “Let’s start at the top. Can everyone read this?” Considering the swirls of energy in front of us, I expected the chorus of ‘no’ and was already drawing the translation displays. “Better? Good.
“We were expected to come by either portal or the Weird,” I lectured now, humming magically to save time highlighting sections. “That way, a simple presence within the trigger will cause it to fire the containment unit. It would fill the entire protective circle and hold everyone within it. The walls of the cell actively attack most forms of magic except those bound to druidism, though I appreciate the diminutive ‘react badly’.” I leaned in between the
huri
and spoke more softly, “So you might want to remember that part of the spell there, guys. They’ve defined themselves against other men as they see themselves, to exclude that magic. Might be useful in the future, yeah?” They both giggled as I stood up and grinned at Ryan. He was staring at the exclusion now and wasn’t likely to forget it either.
“Ryan, do you remember me asking how long you think it would last?” I asked, circling around the two druids. “Do you have an opinion now?”
“A better one, yes,” he answered. “As it is powered from a cell, it would depend on the output necessary in the containment, so it depends on who it is.”
“Yeah, makes it hard to judge,” I said. “Still, Brian was told to expect a high level dignitary, a head of state, when he talked with Cpt. Thorn. He relayed that information, so why do you suppose they would put such an offensive spell right where they wanted me to put us?”
“This is a bit like watching a train wreck, isn’t it?” Ryan asked. “You’re just standing here, pointing out their obvious mistakes, not explaining how you managed to skirt around their mauling of Hospitality, and we’re just waiting for one of them to crack.”
“True, but short of jumping up and down on their heads, I’m not sure what else I can do,” I said with a shrug. “Any of y’all wanna own up to this, or do I hold ya all accountable?”
That startled them into action. A group of three elders rushed forward, objecting to any wrongdoing. The rest of the group eased forward with them, but everyone stayed well outside their spell’s range, even held inactive above their heads. Color me surprised. I gave them about twenty seconds to rant.
“Shut… up!” I snarled, amping up my aspect briefly and not yelling. They’d come in ranks, three in front and six spread out behind them. The rest of them meandered at a safe distance and watched. “I am Seth McClure, Daybreak, Lord of Gilán, Liege-killer, and Archdruid as declared by the Hilliard clan of the British Isles. My companions are my courtiers, Nil and Naught, and our friend and London solicitor, Ryan Davis. I brought Ryan because I thought he might be interested in visiting with another druid clan.” I drew in a slow, deep breath before continuing.
“If there is one more aggressive move toward us, I will consider it an act of war,” I said, calmly.
“No! Please, Mr. McClure!” cried the middle of the first three. “We were only trying to protect ourselves…”
“From what? Me?” I asked indignantly. “You invited me here, and frankly our conduct has been exemplary while you offer
this
as a preferred landing site. No, do better than that.” I looked to the next one. He stepped forward, breaking the line of contact he had with the others. Their circle still functioned, but at an ever-so-slightly less strength and speed. He meant it both as a compromise and a test. If I recognized it lowered their position and accepted it, then I was the hot shit they thought I was. All I cared about was the direction of aggression. He made the right choice.
“What happened to Sara White scared us,” the man said, his voice raspy for use and worry. “Brian and the government gave us no information about the situation, but from what we could see, she was tortured in a way we can’t imagine. From our perspective, Col. White invited the possible perpetrator of that heinous act onto our doorstep.”
“And we have kept hidden here,” the third man added, stepping forward and right, more out of line. “Ohio is heavily populated, after all. Hiding in plain sight is a difficult maneuver. You, an outsider, suddenly know us. Our secret is out and we don’t even know the ramifications or how widespread. Yes, Mr. McClure, we’re panicked. We apologize.”
“And that also gave you the right to ostracize one of your own families?” I asked with a glare and accepted the Crossbow’s positions for the sniper hides. “Bit cold but it’s your society. I can accept the panicked excuse, taken with a grain of salt.” Turning to make sure everyone was out of the way, I said a word that sounded like two rocks grinding into dust which was what I did to their complex jail. The spell fell to dust in the circle, then the circle collapsed in a whimper. Then I locked onto their three snipers with their rifles and equipment in their hides and dropped them in front of us. “But if you ever point another gun at me again, all bets are off. Do not even think to call this a protective overwatch. ‘Don’t point unless you plan to shoot.’ That was drilled and hammered into them at Camp Pendleton.” I’ve seen enough commandos to recognize SEALs and Rangers when I see them, one of the first and two of the latter, civvies or not. Echols had more than a few of both when he tried to “detain” us awhile ago.
“This is a Breach in Hospitality, druids,” I said, almost casually calling the Authority of Hospitality into place, startling everyone but Ryan. “I thought I was clever, sliding in through the front door and evading your snare. That was where we were originally invited, after all. We were greeted there and invited inside by name and avoided a violent situation. You again pressed an attack when I came to discuss the first. Now, have you figured out just how much trouble you’re in?”
All the druids stared in rapt attention, unmoving. The Authority had that effect on its audiences. With their primary circle broken, the three heads finally managed to say something. “Not exactly, Mr. McClure,” the center man said uncomfortably. “I’m Franklin Noonan and I speak for the council of Clans of Ohio Territory. This magic you wear now, it appears to be Faery, but not. What is it?”
The question made me suspicious but I played his game the short way and drew the Accords from its hiding place. “This magic predates the Faery by a little. I mean, real Faery, not the nice and sophisticated kind we know now. Druids are bound in their art and religion, from master to apprentice in some form, correct?”
“Yes, Mr. McClure,” Noonan answered without hesitating. “Slightly different words but essentially the same process. Can I ask what this ancient magic has to do with us? I understand we haven’t exactly been hospitable, but…”
I interrupted him. “You’re claiming ignorance? Really?” I asked incredulous. Unfurling the scroll to the Queens’ signatures, I searched the hidden signatures for the one I wanted and pulled it to visibility. “Do you recognize this name?” I asked as I turned the Accords to face Noonan. He stared at me instead of the scroll. “Read it. Read the name written on the Unseelie Accords.”
Noonan’s eyes scanned down where I held the vellum-like material out. Then he locked onto it and began to squirm slowly in place, as if uncomfortable seeing the word itself. “Mrrdwn,” he finally said weakly.
“Mrrdwn,” I repeated through the Power of the Authority, echoing the name throughout the dale. “A man of legend and myth, though I suppose that some of the civilizations that existed kept histories that might have better records of him. His name there, though, makes you accountable here and now. Master to apprentice as it goes, so goes accountability. Your claim of ignorance is out of order.”
Dark clouds began to form in the sky around us and thunder tolled across the dale as I spoke. It was eerie, the effect the Authority has on the atmosphere. I imagine it’s even more dramatic in Faery itself.
“Further if you think to exclude yourselves because of your secession with the European clans,” I started and stepped through the walls of the turbulent Authority, stalking up to Noonan, “don’t even try that one. It’s amazingly degrading, really, to be stripped of the knowledge and abilities you’ve had since you were born. You think you can cope. Seven billion other people do, after all, so surely you can. But…
“If you continue with this kind of argument, I will agree with your demand and remove you from the Accords, but in doing so you will also be stripped of all knowledge and abilities derived from the teachings of Mrrdwn. Not just you and not just the Ohio Territories clans, but all three of your clans, at once. That includes the Kentucky Territory and the Oregon Territory. Would you care for a taste of that, Mr. Noonan? Are the three of you men enough to take for, say, five minutes, what you’re expecting all of your people to accept for the rest of their lives?”
“Why is the penalty so great?” Noonan asked, terrified and trying to look smaller.
“Merlin was Accorded,” I answered more calmly at the reasonable question and using Mrrdwn’s common name. “This puts the matter of Hospitality among equals. The Authority rigidly enforces a claim of ignorance, once agreed.” Noonan glanced anxiously at his companions in crime for support and the three of them started the mental bridgework for a circle of protection.
“Mr. McClure, I don’t think I’ll be feigning ignorance of anything again,” Noonan said, fidgeting and still anxious. “However, we have agreed between ourselves that to avoid the temptation, perhaps we should take your advice and sample the feeling.”