Downtown Druid

Book 2 Chapter 33: I Was Aiming For Her Head

Coal rode his warthog into the clearing in the middle of a hearty laugh.

“And the man chased you right into the swamp?” he asked Lorna, who was walking next to him, her gator, Beast, bolting ahead of them with surprising speed so that he could leap into the water.

“Yes. He thought I was some kind of nymph.”

“Flattering.”

She nodded. “Yes, particularly when he was focused on me he didn’t notice the quicksand.”

Coal shrugged. “Oh well, there’s worse things to die over. He’ll be good for the soil too.”

She nodded. “It was a pure death.”

Fern and Ivey were behind them, flying through the branches as falcons that matched their own pair. They landed and shifted back into their elven forms. As they did so, their falcons dropped small bags from which they pulled clothes and got dressed.

Traizen moved to greet them. “Brother, sisters, welcome.”

They all gave a respectful nod to him.

“Ah, I see our newest brother has decided to return. I expected him to avoid these meetings if possible,” said Lorna.

Dantes shook his head. “I may not be here every time, but I said I’d bring some samples of what I could provide everyone...” He reached into his pack and began pulling out each of the small samples that he had. Guns, wands, and gunpowder were all arrayed in a small square in front of him. Coal, Lorna, and the twins looked over it closely.

Coal smiled as he opened one of the pouches of gunpowder, he took some between his fingers and rubbed them together. “Gunpowder and I are already very familiar with one another. While I appreciate what you’re trying to do here lad, I don’t think anything you have could be much use to me.”

Dantes smiled. “I don’t just want to make a trade of goods, information can be just as valuable. Where is your locus?”

“A valley near the endless mountain. A beautiful and muddy place hidden from the sun by the mighty peaks rising above it.”

“And has anyone been encroaching on it? Making your locus a more difficult place to maintain?”

“Well, some kobolds have been edging close to it. And my own people seem to think there’s some gold nearby in the caves that are part of my domain.”

Dantes smiled. “Is there gold in those caves?”

“Aye, tons of it.”Alll latest novels at novelhall.com

“But the nearby dwarves aren’t aware of it?”

“No. They only suspect it’s there. I sometimes crawl around the nearest underground town as a cave lizard and watch them. They seem to be preparing a larger expedition.” He stroked his beard. “You think I should kill them?”

“No... I don’t think that would discourage them. Danger with the possibility of reward isn’t enough I think. You need to make the expedition miserable, and a failure.”

“Oh?”

Traizen crossed his arms. “We did not choose him. The Mother did.”

“The mother’s judgment is faulty.”

Beast and Lorna let out a kind of hissing roar from their throats. “Do not speak of a greater god this way.”

“You do not know her as I do. Only when you are yourself a source of life can you truly understand her will.”

“Odd thing for-”

“-someone who abandoned her-”

“To say.” said the twins in their odd alternating speech.

“I did not abandon her. I simply had to gain distance from her to see things from a wider perspective.”

“All of this is moot,” said Traizen, his voice projecting across the clearing. “We have already accepted Dantes as a brother, and while we will always hold you with us,” he showed his forearm where her leaf shone red, “he has council of his own that many of us have accepted. Perhaps if you could speak with us outside of riddles and grand claims we could welcome you back to us, but not at the expense of a new brother.”

“Speak for yourself,” said Murk.

Dantes expected him to begin taking the strange woman’s side, but was surprised when he continued.

“I hated her from the start. Always makes any life near her shudder.”

Serpica shook her head. “Whether you welcome me back or not is immaterial. I am going to solve the problem. I simply wanted to see this thing you’ve brought into your midst for myself.”

Dantes stepped forward, he’d been keeping quiet to observe things before making any moves, but had heard enough. He pulled a pistol from the back of his belt and aimed it at her. “I don’t appreciate threats.” he pulled back the hammer, “Especially from someone that makes Jacopo uncomfortable.” Serpica radiated discomfort and danger and Dantes wanted her to know he could do the same.

Before anyone could speak anymore, the full attention of the forest itself seemed to focus on all of them. The pressure of that focus almost made Dantes’s knees buckle, but he stayed on his feet.

“LEAVE,” said Berkilak, his words meant for Serpica who, despite clearly trying not to, shuddered under the force of his ire.

She turned and moved toward the nearest tree, placing her foot inside of it, and looked back at Dantes. “I’ll see you soon. When the rest of you see me, you’ll be thanking me for what I’ve-”

Dantes pulled the trigger on the pistol and the bullet skirted Serpica’s waist. She fell into the tree, and was gone.

The rest of the druids looked at him.

He shrugged. “Murks threats we’re annoying enough to stomach. Hers were a step too far.”

“I’m impressed you could aim well enough to clip her like that,” said Coal.

“I was aiming for her head.”