Chapter 13
The storm was perfect. It lashed the island with such fierceness that Kerry couldn’t stop smiling. She had never delved into her magic in such a way before.
And it felt good.
Really good.
Her entire life had been that of the dutiful Druid, doing what her parents wanted.
Making sure she excelled with her magic to catch Corann’s attention.
Her parents had had such high hopes for her.
They had been devastated when she couldn’t catch a man’s eye to keep her family’s line going.
No child should hear from their parents the things they had said to her.
Her mother had blamed it on the fact that Kerry liked food.
But she hadn’t realized that with every verbal insult and emotional sting, Kerry had found solace in food.
And the more weight she gained, the more her mother berated her.
That didn’t stop until her mother’s memory began to fade with dementia.
And still, Kerry took care of her.
If Kerry couldn’t find love, she found enjoyment in magic. She sought comfort in the Druid community on Skye. She was friendly with everyone, but she rarely had close friends. That was because she had trust issues. Corann had been working on that with her for decades—without much success.
But no one in her quadrant seemed to know or care. They came to her often with their problems and whatever crises arose. Knowing that they trusted her with such private information healed the many wounds of Kerry’s soul.
Then Rhona had upended her world without a second’s hesitation.
“She’s not worthy of ruling the Druids of Skye.”
Kerry closed her eyes as the Ancient’s voice filled her head.
There were no drums, but that didn’t matter.
The Ancient had told her that she was special because she could hear only one voice.
No one had ever told Kerry that before. It was a peculiar feeling that she never wanted to end—and feared it would any second.
She walked to the door and opened it to look out at the storm. The roar of the rain was music to her ears, the lightning a visual show that sent chills over her skin.
“Rhona would never dare do this.”
“Never. Feel the power running through you!”
Kerry closed her eyes. The magic charged through her at an alarming rate. No more being the good Druid. No more doing what was expected. She was finally throwing off that mantle and being who she was meant to be.
“Yes!” the Ancient shouted. “Take the power you’ve always had. Let it consume you.”
Kerry’s body shook with the force of the magic.
She swayed but stayed on her feet. Thunder rumbled, and the ground quivered in reply.
She thought about being stripped of her title as deputy because of the emails to the Fae Others.
Though she’d sworn to Rhona that the emails had all been lies, in her heart, she finally accepted that she had believed every word.
If the Skye Druids were to remain relevant and powerful, they needed to take command of all Druids and put things back in order.
Their numbers were fading at an alarming rate.
Not to mention those born with magic that had no idea they were Druids because the family had turned away from their communities long ago.
Druids—all Druids, be they mie or drough—needed somewhere to live safely and peacefully. A place that no one, not even the Dragon Kings, would dare disrupt. That was what Skye had originally been. It was what it needed to return to.
And she would be the one to bring that about.
“Your name will be immortalized for thousands of generations to come,” the Ancient said. “This mission falls to you. None other has listened to us. It’s why we’ve come to you.”
Kerry opened her eyes and smiled. “I won’t fail you or the Druids. I see now that everything has led me to this moment. I know what I must do.”
“We’ve shown you how to grow your magic. Use it.”
The road ahead of Kerry would be hard, but there was no other choice.
The future of the Druids rested on her shoulders.
Maybe it was good that she wasn’t a deputy any longer.
This way, no one would be scrutinizing every move she made.
Oh, she wasn’t foolish enough to think that she wasn’t being watched, but she knew how to be careful.
Besides, if Rhona or Balladyn had even a hint she was responsible for the storm, they would have her back in the Druid prison in the Red Hills. The fact that she was still walking around proved that they didn’t suspect her. Then again, they had other worries, like the Druid’s death.
Kerry smiled as she poured more magic into the storm.
“By all that’s magical,” Rhona whispered as she stared at the Druid lying unmoving on her bed.
The woman was on her back with her head at an odd angle, and her arms to the sides.
Her mouth was open as if something had been stuffed down it.
But the worst part was her throat. It had been torn open, seemingly from the inside.
Balladyn stood beside her, his fury rolling off him. “This wasn’t natural,” he murmured in his Irish accent.
“This was magic.” Bloody hell. Rhona briefly closed her eyes. After their victory against the Fae Others, she’d thought she would have a few months of peace. The dead Druid said otherwise.
“Aye.” Balladyn drew in a breath and slowly released it. “We don’t have much time before the authorities return.”
She glanced at him. “The Detective Inspector is one of us. Theo will give us whatever time we need.”
“Rhona?”
She turned at the sound of Theo’s voice. A moment later, he appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. He glanced at the bed, and his face tightened with anger. “DI Theo Frasier, this is Balladyn. Balladyn, Theo.”
Theo inclined his head of short dark hair to Balladyn. “Wished we could’ve met under different circumstances.”
“Agreed,” Balladyn said as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you have any suspects?”
Theo’s brown eyes cut to the Druid once again. “Nothing. No forced entry. No fingerprints anywhere. If it were no’ for that, I would say she knew her attacker. The death was violent. Whatever happened to her, it didna just suffocate her. It ravaged her.”
“Just her throat?” Balladyn asked.
Theo walked to the bed and threw back the covers to show the body otherwise unharmed. “Until there’s a full autopsy, we will no’ know for sure.”
Rhona was once again thankful there were Druids in all positions on the isle.
There had to be. Otherwise, it would be damn difficult to keep who they were a secret.
Not many of those without magic who called Skye home didn’t already know.
There had always been rumors about them, but most had no idea what being a Druid really meant.
It wasn’t about sacrifices or any of the other wrong things posted on the internet.
“Someone wanted her to suffer,” Rhona said.
Balladyn grunted. “That much is obvious. What isn’t, is why she was killed.”
“I’m working on that,” Theo said. “Hopefully, we’ll know soon if she had an ex-lover or someone who held a grudge.”
Rhona shook her head. “This wasn’t about just a grudge.”
“What do you mean?” Balladyn asked.
Rhona pointed at the victim. “Someone wanted to make a statement. Knowing we’d figure it out, they went after a Druid with magic.”
“You think this is about the previous issue?” Theo asked.
The previous issue being that half the Druids on Skye wanted things to stay as they were, and the other half wanted to carve a new path, which included forming a group of Druid Others.
“Maybe. I recognize her, but I can’t place her or think of her name.
I need to speak to my deputy in this region, Roy.
He’ll be able to tell me which side she fell on. ”
“I thought that was settled,” Theo said with a frown.
Balladyn raised a brow as he looked at the DI. “We’d hoped there would be a lull and some peace, but apparently that isn’t going to happen.”
A chill consumed Rhona as she listened to the raging storm outside.
She might have worried about Corann naming her to replace him, but she’d not only accepted her position, she believed in it now.
Balladyn was the Warden, and she was the leader of the Skye Druids.
Together, their magic flowed freely from one to the other in an unprecedented fusing of power. A Reaper and a Druid.
They had shown the Fae Others that Skye couldn’t be taken. That hadn’t been enough to stave off whoever was causing trouble now, though.
“Will there be more deaths?” Theo asked, his tone troubled.
Rhona swung her gaze to the DI. “Not if I have any say in it.”
Balladyn looked at the window as lightning flashed behind the closed curtains. “Is anyone on Skye powerful enough to create such a storm?”
“No’ that I’m aware,” Theo said.
Her mind raced through the Druids who had the potential. “Some of us like to tout our strengths and magic, while others are more subdued.”
“Meaning, you’ve no idea.” Balladyn’s frown deepened.
The house rattled with a boom of thunder. Rhona didn’t like the feel of it. “What makes you think this storm is magical?”
“Can you not feel it?” Balladyn turned from her and walked to the window. He threw open the curtains so he could see through the glass. “It has been going for a few hours now. No lull, no movement.”
“As if it’s parked over us,” Theo said, his lips flattening.
Rhona fisted her hands. “Bloody hell. What is happening on Skye?”
“We’d better find out quickly,” Balladyn said as he looked at her over his shoulder.
Rhona looked at the dead woman once again. “Theo, I usually let you do what you do. But this time, I’d like to work concurrent investigations.”
“Corann did that all the time. Do what you need. I’d rather no’ have more of us killed,” Theo told her.
Balladyn snapped the curtains closed again. He walked to Rhona and held out his hand. She took it, and they were back at her cottage in the next instant. With no eyes watching her, she sank onto the sofa and dropped her head into her hands.
“Did we do this?” she asked. “Did us standing up against the Fae Others cause this?”
The cushion dipped as Balladyn sat beside her. He rested a hand on her back and played with the ends of her hair. “The Reapers had known a shift was happening within the Fae for some time. Erith wanted to find the answer. Sadly, we did.”
“The Fae Others.”
“Aye. I feel another shift.”
Rhona lifted her head and turned toward Balladyn. “You think this is the Fae messing with us again?”
“It could be,” he said, his red-ringed silver eyes watching her carefully.
Her stomach clenched. “But you think it’s Druids.”
Balladyn shrugged. “I’m not saying a Fae wouldn’t go to such extremes to harm a Druid, but that really isn’t our style.”
“It is, however, something a human would do.” She sat back and sighed. “I’d hoped I’d never have to investigate anyone on Skye again. What happened with Kerry was…”
Balladyn nodded as he rested his hand atop hers. “I know.”
“It was only with the help of the Warriors and Druids from MacLeod Castle that we even discovered what Kerry had done. The others’ reaction to her hasn’t exactly been…kind.”
“She did it to herself.”
“I know. It’s difficult to wrap my head around the fact that someone I trusted so deeply betrayed me and our people. Now, we have to hunt someone else on Skye. I have a feeling this will be worse. It won’t just be removing someone from their position this time.”
Balladyn drew her to his side and pressed a kiss to her temple. “You’re not doing it alone.”
She leaned against him fully. What was happening to her island? To her people? The more pressing question was: Could they return to who the Druids had always been?
Rhona pulled out her mobile and dialed Roy. She would rather see him in person, and while he would never turn her away, he liked his solitude. Rhona only went to see him when she had to.
“Hello?” he answered on the second ring.
“Hi, Roy. I have a question.”
“Her name was Rebecca Miller,” he said.
Rhona closed her eyes. Of course, Roy would know why she’d called.
“If you’re calling, that means she was killed with magic.”
“Tell me about her,” Rhona urged.
“Rebecca was all about our traditions,” he said after a brief pause. “Her family has been on Skye for several generations.”
“What about any enemies?”
Roy made an indiscernible sound. “No one I can point to who might wish to take her life.”
“I still need any names you have.”
“I’ll get them to you immediately.”
Rhona sat up and opened her eyes. “Thank you. And send them to Theo, as well.”
“Will do. Do we need to be concerned?”
She wanted to tell him no but she couldn’t. “Every Druid needs to be on alert. Please get the word out to your people. I’m alerting the other deputies as soon as we finish.”
“Is there any indication that this was an isolated event?”
“We’re not taking any chances,” she said and met Balladyn’s gaze.