Chapter 27
Elodie couldn’t explain the sudden anxiety that gripped her firmly, squeezing until she thought she might pass out.
“I’m a friend,” Rhona assured her.
Elodie nodded because she wasn’t sure she was capable of words. Every fiber of her body screamed at her to run—as far and as fast as she could go.
“Do you want your magic to return?”
The question was like a surprise punch to the kidneys. Elodie blinked at Rhona. “Yes.” She hated how wobbly and frightened her voice sounded.
“I remember how powerful your magic was.”
Elodie wasn’t sure what to say to that. So, she simply stared at Rhona.
The Druid leader returned her look. After a second, Rhona sat back in her chair.
“Do you know what I remember most about your mum? It isn’t her kindness, though she was known for that.
It was her command of magic. Some Druids like to show off, make sure others know just how powerful they are.
Your mother never felt that need. She was confident in herself and her abilities.
Her quiet strength resonated each time she did magic. ”
Tears blurred Elodie’s vision. When she thought about her mother, all she could recall was the murder.
“Emily passed that on to her children. I used to be so jealous of you, Edie, and Elias. It took me months to master some spells, but not you three. It came so easily.”
Elodie looked down at her hands. “Funny hearing you say that because I was jealous of you and how easy spells came to you. No one doubted your abilities since both your parents were Druids.”
“Many think our magic is waning because we mix our blood with those that don’t have magic. For a long time, I believed that, too. Then you came back to Skye. I’ve been thinking about the past.”
“That isn’t always a good thing.”
Rhona shrugged one shoulder. “The past defines us. It makes us who we are now. Running from it or ignoring it is like pretending we don’t see ourselves in the mirror.”
Elodie finally lifted her gaze to the Druid. “Easy for someone who hasn’t stood in my shoes to say.”
“I’m not making light of what happened to your family. Quite the opposite, actually. Look at you and your siblings. All of you continued on. You kept living. That’s because of the strength in all of you.”
Elodie laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. “Living? I’ve not been living. I’ve been existing. And barely, at that. I’m only on Skye because I had nowhere else to go.”
“What happened in Edinburgh?”
Elodie turned her head away. She didn’t want to talk about it.
“You need to talk to someone,” Rhona said. “You have people who care about you. Edie. Scott.”
At the mention of Scott, warmth infused Elodie. She didn’t want to care about him. But she did.
There was a rustle as Rhona scooted to the edge of the chair once more. “I’d like to try something.”
Elodie looked over to see that the Druid had her hands out, palms up. Elodie looked at them, then at Rhona. “What?”
“I want to see if I can sense your magic.”
What did she have to lose? Elodie placed her palms atop Rhona’s.
The Druid’s fingers lightly closed around her hands.
Elodie jerked slightly. Not because there was any pain or discomfort, but out of fear.
Which didn’t make sense. She knew Rhona wouldn’t harm her.
Why then did that urge to flee return with a vengeance?
“You’re afraid of me,” Rhona stated.
Elodie refused to look away this time. “No. Yes.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.” The truth seemed to be the only answer Elodie could give.
Rhona’s look was grave. “You have nothing to fear from me. I’m here to help.”
“I know.”
“You need to believe those words.”
Elodie swallowed. She had to believe the words.
How could she when the fear was so strong?
But she tried because she wanted her magic back.
Again and again, she told herself that she knew Rhona was here to help, and that the Druid leader was a friend and wouldn’t hurt her.
At first, nothing happened, but eventually she felt the ball of fear begin to loosen.
Then, a sudden calmness stole over her. She was able to breathe easier, which also relaxed her.
Her eyelids became so heavy that she lost the fight to keep them open.
“Stay with my voice.” Rhona’s words were soft, gentle. Like the soft kiss of a summer breeze.
Elodie found herself on the beach. The sun was bright. The day warm. Big, fluffy clouds drifted lazily past. Waves rolled soothingly to the shore. Her body hummed with magic. She felt it in every pore. It waited patiently for her, formidable and abundant.
She wiggled her fingers as they sparked. How she loved the feel of it, the rush as it charged through her body. Dozens of spells ran through her head. She had already learned those. She wanted something trickier. Her magic was ready for the tougher spells—just as she was.
Elodie leaned her head back to let the sun bathe her face in its glow.
She called to her magic. It answered immediately.
It was a seductive feeling. One that she had experienced from a young age.
So young that she hadn’t told her mother.
Nor had she shared with her siblings the spells she’d overheard them learning that she’d copied when no one was around.
No one needed to know the strength within her.
A smile formed when the drums of the Ancients filled her ears.
She hadn’t spoken to them, and they hadn’t conversed with her.
But that was fine. It was enough that she knew they were there, and that they were aware of her.
She kept the drums of the Ancients a secret, also.
Not because she was afraid but because she knew it was something between her and them.
The drums started to fade. The waves became harder and harder to hear. The sun dimmed, and the warmth withered.
“Elodie.”
Her eyes opened to look into Rhona’s green ones. Elodie then glanced at her hands. How could she have forgotten the vibration of her magic just beneath her skin?
“I had no idea,” Rhona said softly.
Elodie pulled her hands from Rhona’s and clasped them together in her lap. “No idea of what?”
“That you had that kind of magic within you. And the Ancients. Did you really hear them when you were just three?”
The reminder of what she had lost was like a dagger twisting in her gut. “Yes.”
“I didn’t feel a curse or spell on you.”
Elodie swallowed, trying to draw liquid into her mouth. “So, the Ancients took it?”
“I don’t think so.”
“What?” Elodie frowned. “But I can’t do magic. How do you explain that?”
Rhona shrugged and sat back once again. “I can’t.”
“In other words, you can’t help me.”
“I didn’t say that.”
Elodie shook her head, frustration and resentment mixing into a volatile combination. “None of this makes any sense. None of it ever has. First my sister, now this.”
“What about Edie?” Rhona asked, her gaze intense.
Elodie glanced away. Why did she have to bring it up? She didn’t want to talk to anyone about it. “It’s nothing.”
“It’s something. And I’m guessing it’s about your magic.”
Elodie jumped to her feet, needing to move to dispel the energy bubbling within her.
She paced several times before the hearth, seeking its heat.
“Before I told her I didn’t have magic, she knew.
She said I lost it before I left Skye, but I know that isn’t right.
It’s my magic. My life. I know exactly when I lost it. ”
“And that was?”
“After I left. When I was using magic for every little thing.”
Rhona rubbed her palms on her thighs. “Interesting that Edie would think it happened differently. Then again, Elias had already left, and you two were staying with your grandparents. Not to mention dealing with everything with your parents.”
Elodie halted and faced Rhona. “I don’t want to be here. I never wanted to return to Skye. I don’t belong.”
“You are a child of Skye. You do belong.”
“Then where’s my magic?”
Rhona blew out a breath and stood. “We’ll figure it out.”
“And if it never returns?”
“What if it does?”
“Do you have any idea how many times I’ve tried?”
Rhona walked to her and held her gaze. “I felt your magic. When I took you to the past, I felt it, Elodie. The sheer power of it is staggering. You have no idea how much you have.”
“Had,” Elodie corrected.
But Rhona kept talking. “I don’t think Corann knew either. I’m not sure anyone but the Ancients did. Why do you think you heard the drums at such an early age? You even knew it wasn’t something that everyone experienced.”
Elodie shrugged, unable to find an answer.
“Few Druids have the kind of magic you do.”
“The kind I had,” Elodie corrected again.
Rhona issued a chuckle. “I hate to break it to you, but I think it’s still there.”
“If you tell me it’s all in my head, I might scream.”
Rhona’s lips twisted. “Maybe it is. You suffered a trauma.”
Elodie fisted her hands and fought for control. “I lost my magic after all of that.”
“Who’s to say that it didn’t take it that long to manifest? We might have magic, but we don’t always have the answers or the understanding. Why do you think we seek out the Ancients?”
“I suppose you also have an explanation for the attacks?”
Rhona’s face fell. “Unfortunately, I don’t.
” She spun and returned to her chair. There, she dropped her head into her hands before taking a deep breath and sitting up straight.
“Druids are being killed. That much is fact. I wish what Scott and Filip told us was an exaggeration, but it isn’t.
The murders have come here now. Right about the time of—”
“Scott and Filip’s arrival. You can’t really be serious,” Elodie demanded.
“I was going to say when you returned.”
Elodie was taken aback. Her hands relaxed as shock went through her. “Oh. But I’m not the killer.”
“I know. I don’t think a murderer would bring attention on them by attacking themselves. Not to mention, you’d have to know when someone would be near to save you. No, it’s someone else on the island.”
That didn’t make Elodie feel any better. “Is this because of my past? The things that I…did…before I left?”
Rhona rolled her eyes. “People can be petty and hold grudges, but to resort to murder?” She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think so. Then again, I’ve been wrong about people before. It nearly cost me my life.”
There was a story there. Elodie wanted to ask, but it wasn’t the time. Maybe Edie would know the details. “What now?”
“The police are trying to find a suspect. Balladyn and I are also helping since this involves Druids. We’re getting the word out today for everyone to stay vigilant.”
“Against mist?”
Rhona glanced at the fire. “Scott stopped it.”
“Because it couldn’t get in anywhere else in the cottage. Not after we put up the wards. Reaper wards.”
Rhona nodded absently. “We’ve already thought of that. It would take days for Balladyn to get to every Druid house and put up wards, but if that’s what it takes, that’s what we’ll do. Meanwhile, don’t hesitate to call for Balladyn if you’re attacked again. We’ll be there in seconds.”
Elodie smiled, knowing that Rhona meant every word.
She wasn’t sure why she had felt such fear earlier, but Elodie was glad it had dissipated.
Rhona was one of the few she could trust. Maybe it was just the grip of the past that wouldn’t loosen its hold on Elodie.
Scott had told her to face the past so it couldn’t control her anymore. Perhaps it was time she did just that.