Chapter 24
The Return Policy
Breanna gritted her teeth in pain as images and information attached themselves as if they were her memories from childhood. Brian’s power filled in the holes about Elpis, The Power, and Eversor. Brian dug deep into his own memories to show Bre his training under Eversor and the stories Eversor told him about his personal vendetta with the gods.
Brian swayed unsteadily, almost losing his balance from the weakness in his legs. His power drained as he forced Bre to remember all of her dreams from the Blood-Moon terrors that plagued her birthdays.
Tears formed in Bre’s eyes: not from the pain, but from the strong emotions in the memories. The story, now complete, rolled through her mind like a film sequence.
Bre gasped when Brian let go of her head.
Brian stumbled backwards, his legs buckled unable to support him. Cailean caught his brother and slung Brian’s arm around his neck to support him.
“The dreams…they were real. They are not just nightmares. They’re her memories, aren’t they?” Bre tried to hold back her tears. “Poor Elpis. The gods destroyed her life and then solely blamed her for her actions.”
“Elpis was a furious and powerful woman. She hunted, attacked, and killed many gods. She was good at it. The six pantheons feared her and feared what she could do to the world they sought to protect. She needed to be stopped, Breanna. Do not pity a woman who earned her death,” Cailean coldy responded.
“Do you blame her for being angry?” Eoghan softly interjected.
Bre jerked sideways at the sound of Eoghan’s voice next to her. She had not felt his firm embrace around her waist during the ordeal. She did not realize it was his warmth that supported her. Eoghan’s worried expression and tight grasp made her blush. She quickly wiggled out of his clutch, but fell forward onto all fours. Across from her, kneeling on the ground and rubbing their temples to rid themselves of nasty headaches, were her brothers.
Brian followed Bre’s quizzical stare and answered her unasked question. “You and your brothers are connected psychically. Once you learn to control it, it will become an advantage over your enemies. Until then, you will be invading each other’s privacy.” Brian’s voice was weak as he tried to catch his breath. “Also, I am not sure what limitations it has, as it has already expanded into reading others' minds.”
Brian motioned Cailean to bring him back to the fire. Cailean helped his weak brother walk back to their campsite, where Lysandros still sat anxiously watching the events unfold.
All of a sudden, Bre started uncontrollably sobbing. She pulled her legs to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and buried her face into her knees.
Eoghan inhaled sharply at the sight of her. He stared at her, too afraid to touch her and unsure of what was happening until two words, barely above a whisper, escaped her lips. “He’s gone.”
Bre raised her head. Her tear-reddened eyes locked with her brothers’, imploring them for help. Nikolaos was closest. He immediately slid over to her side. Bre fell into his protective embrace as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap. The images of the dagger in Remus’ chest and The Power drawn out from his heart kept replaying in the four siblings minds.
Leo turned away from the group, his eyes stinging from rising tears. Cole rolled onto his back and ran his fingers through his hair, slightly pulling at the roots. He pursed his lips together to control his jagged breaths.
Bre cried harder as her brothers’ remembered the last time they saw their father: The image of how mad he was when he banished them to live with the Danes. But Breanna saw something in her father’s face that the brothers did not at the time, the concern for his children. The rage in his eyes and voice was fear of losing them. No parent wants to burry a child. She had received that same concerned wrath when as a young girl she rode an unbroken horse and fell, hitting her head on a rock.
Alina reached down and swept Bre’s hair from her damp cheeks. Her mother’s touch jerked Bre out of her brothers’ memories.
Alina sighed, but her breath was jagged as it escaped from her trembling lips. Her voice was weak and sad as she said, “Now do you understand? The Power is beyond anything on earth. It is the soul of life itself, but it is also the soul of your predecessor. The six pantheons of our world created it to end suffering: to give the world new hope. With its rebirth in our timeline, a life had to be taken. Unfortunately, that life was your father’s. Life for a life, Breanna, don’t you ever forget that lesson.”
“But if…if I’m The Queen and you still have half The Power in you, doesn’t that make you part of The Queen as well?” Breanna’s voice was low and soft.
“No. I am nothing more than a vessel. The powers I have are due to my godly parents. The fairies, my mother’s people, were entrusted to hide half of The Power. They decreed it could only be passed down from one god to another through birth. Arawn and Rhiannon, being two Celtic gods, passed it on to me at my birth. It is why your father and I had such a strong connection. The two halves of The Power were drawn each other. I am only keeping it safe until you are ready to receive it,” Alina responded.
“I thought you were a demigod? Your mother was a goddess who gave up her throne to marry a mortal. Pwyll is not a god,” Bre stammered.
“No, Sweetheart. My father, your grandfather, is Arawn, Celtic god of the dead and Lord of Annwyn. I am a Death Goddess in his court. Think of me as the general of a ghost army. As I said before, this makes you and your brother’s demigods, immortal so long as you are not wounded beyond magical repair. Everyone here, with the exception of Eoghan, is a demigod. You being The Queen makes them your council and one of them your guardian,” Alina sighed heavily. “I should have told you this years ago.”
“But…” Bre had other questions, but stopped when Nikolaos’ voice invaded her mind.
Stop, Breanna. You must understand that she must die in order to give you The Power. Just like Father. Bre heard Nikolaos’ voice crack as he said it.
A ball formed in Breanna’s throat as she fought back more tears in her already stinging eyes. I have already lost father, now I have to lose her too? She is a goddess, how could she die?
The brothers remained silent, struggling with their own emotions.
“I don’t want this. Let me give it away. I’ll give it to Eversor, or whoever wants it.” Breanna beseeched her brothers for comfort, but they had none to give.
“This is your destiny, sweetheart. You and your power will transcend history,” Alina said and swept Bre’s her hair behind her ear.
“No,” Bre said quietly, staring at the ground and shaking her head.
“What do you mean no?” Alina asked cautiously, knowing her daughter’s defiant mind all too well.
“No. I will not become The Queen.” Breanna looked Alina directly in the eyes and spoke with authoritative precision.
Alina pushed her shoulders back and held her head high. Her eyes narrowed as she slowly exhaled in an attempt to control her temper. “You are The Noble Queen. Like it or not, Breanna, it is your duty, and you will accept it. That is how I raised you. You have come of age now, the sole heir to the world in which we exist. Now if you would excuse me, I have a dinner to prepare.” Alina spun on her heels and stormed back to the fire. “Lysandros, those rabbits better be skinned by the time I get back there.”
The group heard Lysandros’ distant chuckle and a knife sharpening against a rock.
Breanna started after her mother, wanting to continue the conversation. However, Nikolaos grabbed her arm and gave her a stern look: a look her father wore when cross with her. “There is no need to begin an argument. You now know how her story will end. Do not make it harder for her. Enjoy the time you have left.”
Eoghan cleared his throat behind Bre. Bre furrowed her eyebrows; she had forgotten he was there. Knowing he was there sent her into a blind rage, her powers boiling in her chest. She wheeled around and backhanded him so hard he spun clock
wise, facing the other direction.
“You knew! You knew my mother would die and you kept it from me! You kept everything from me!” Heat radiated from her body as she screamed at Eoghan.
Bre whipped her hand in Eoghan’s direction, sending a gust of wind that flipped him through the air then slammed him into the ground, knocking the wind out of him.
Bre heard Leo’s thoughts, Ha, serves him right. Get him!
“I did not know she would have to die, Breanna,” Eoghan said through coughs and gasps. “That is something only soothsayers and your mother’s family knew.” Eoghan desperately tried to think of something to calm her down. “However, think of this. Her father is Arawn, Celtic Lord of the Underworld. When she does die, she will be comfortable as Princess of the Dead and will be reunited with your father.”
It was the wrong thing to say. Breanna lost all self-control and her powers took over her body. She sent another gust of wind at Eoghan that slammed him backwards into a tree.
The force of Bre’s attack left an Eoghan-sized dent in the tree trunk. Eoghan lay unconscious, bleeding profusely from the back of his head.
Breanna’s brothers sensed no remorse from her as The Power surged through her body, feeding her anger. Cole conjured a ball of water and tossed it at her head, snapping her out of her power-induced trance.
Bre gasped at the sight of Eoghan’s crumpled body at the base of the tree and rushed to Eoghan’s side. “Oh, Gods!”
“Do you understand why you must learn to control your emotions?” Cole asked coolly as he pushed Bre out of the way.
Before Cole fully examined Eoghan’s injuries, a woman appeared out of the tree’s branches. She picked Eoghan up and cradled him, humming softly. She wore a brown and green dress, and her shoes were made of gold leaves. She had long, red curly hair that flowed over her pale white shoulders. a crown of twigs rested on her head, with a few leaves that stuck out, curling elegantly.
“Druantia, what are you doing here?” Brian asked the Queen of the Druids after he and Cailean rushed towards the one-sided fight.
Druantia stood up, and branches formed steps for her to walk down. “This abomination not only damaged my tree, but she damaged a future Druid.” Druantia peered down, disgusted at Bre.
Breanna was more concerned about getting Eoghan back than she was offended. “Abomination? Who in the…”
“Silence!” Druantia cut Breanna off. “You do not get to address me. He belongs to my lands and my religion. You so carelessly fling him about as if he belongs to you!”
Druantia’s anger exploded and a branch from the Elm tree slammed into Bre’s abdomen, tossing her aside.
“I was in favor of creating The Queen. Peace to the lands would protect my nature. But you, you do more harm than good,” Druantia said, glaring at Bre, Her words full of venom.
Another branch swung down and slapped Breanna, leaving a giant welt across her face.
“Druantia!” Alina yelled, “I command you to stop!”
“You command nothing, Fairy Princess. You left our world behind to marry a savage,” Druantia said, appalled with the Etruscan Queen.
The same branch swung around to slam into Alina as it did Breanna. Nikolaos caught the branch with his hands and snapped it in half. The wood fell lifeless in his Herculean grip.
Druantia raised an eyebrow at Nikolaos. Suddenly, roots and vines emerged from the ground and wrapped themselves around the brothers.
Druantia’s lip curled in disgust. “Savages,” she muttered.
Druantia, still cradling Eoghan in her arms, moved a hand towards the back of his blood soaked hair.
Eoghan’s breathing was labored and he winced when the goddess touched his wound.
“Eoghan!” Breanna cried out, but another branch flew towards her head. This time she rolled out of its path.
“I do not deem you worthy to speak to one of my Druids,” Druantia said as she caressed Eoghan’s head.
“She is The Queen, Druantia. She meant no harm to Eoghan or to the Druids. She has only just come into her powers, but she is learning quickly. She will be able to control them soon,” Brian interjected, trying to diffuse the goddess’s anger.
“She has come into half her powers,” Druantia corrected. “Imagine what she could have done if she contained the rest of it!”
Eoghan’s eyes fluttered open to see who cradled him. To his astonishment, he woke up to Druantia, Queen of the Druids. He sat up and took a knee, bowing to the goddess. “Druantia! My queen, forgive me.”
Druantia raised his head so he could look into her golden eyes. “You have nothing to be forgiven for, my sweet.” Druantia lightly kissed the top of his forehead and Eoghan slumped over again, unconscious.
Brian and Cailean moved to grab him, but before they reached him, Druantia scooped Eoghan back up in her arms.
“Where are you taking him?” Cailean asked in an attempt to stop Druantia. He needed to stall the goddess so Brian had time to figure out how to get Eoghan back. To his surprise, Brian remained silent.
“I have been watching you all carefully, especially Eoghan here. You have taught him well, dear Brian, as have you, my sweet Cailean. However, this girl you call the future Queen has abused the blessing that is my loving Eoghan. I provided the Druids as a gift to her cause and she has abused it. Therefore, I am taking my gift back.”
“He is my best friend. I never meant harm to him, I swear,” pleaded Breanna.
“You may not have meant harm, but harm has been done. How many opportunities to prove yourself worthy do you deserve, Princess? How many times will you hurt my precious Eoghan?” She stroked his head lovingly. “He is noble and kind, strong and brave. He is a king in training, and a king he will be!”
In a gust of wind and leaves Druantia disappeared with Eoghan. When she left, the roots and vines released their hold on the brothers.
“Where did they go?” Breanna frantically asked Brian.
“I am afraid to believe that she is taking him to the closest nemeton, which is at Arras,” answered Brian, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Perfect, it’s on the way,” Lysandros replied and then stormed off to gather the horses.
“That may be so, but if Druantia was powerful here, she will be even more powerful on sacred ground. We have to be careful. We were lucky to survive this encounter,” Cailean warned, staring at Nik and his brothers.
“If she hurts him, so help me I will bring the full force of Tartarus down on her,” Breanna said enraged, clenching her fists.
“First of all, you are not the daughter of Death; secondly, Mother may be able to do that; and thirdly, Druantia will not harm him. If she is indeed taking him to a nemeton, she plans on marrying him and making him King of the Druids. She would wait until the next new moon to perform the ceremony. This means we have a week to get there,” said Cole, sounding pessimistic.
“That may be a problem,” Brian worried, trying to calculate how quickly they could get to Arras.
“Do you think Grandfather will help?” Nikolaos asked Alina.
“No. Druantia and Arawn have an intimate past that did not end well,” Alina replied.
“Hold on! What do you mean she plans to marry him? She is a goddess and he is a mortal. I thought it was taboo for goddesses to marry mortals. Mother married a demigod and she was expelled from the fairy world.” A knot formed in Bre’s stomach at the thought of never seeing Eoghan again.
“Druantia is not just a goddess. On top of being the Queen of the Druids and a goddess of nature, she is also a fertility goddess. Fertility goddesses can marry and mate with whomever they please because they make the rules regarding love,” Alina explained.
“We have another problem,” Cailean added. “If Druantia feels he is not solely hers, she will…” Cailean paused and looked at Breanna. “Eoghan may be smart, but she is a love goddess and will see right through his lies.”
“Yes, that does pose a problem,” Brian folded his arms. r />
“Will someone please explain?” Breanna pleaded, restless and sick to her stomach.
“If Druantia becomes aware that he has affections for another, she will kill him,” Cole answered bluntly.
“Affections for whom? He has never had time for affections.” Breanna snapped her fingers and their camp was packed and loaded on to the horses.
“You are young, aren’t you?” Leo situated himself on his horse after Lysandros returned. He smiled and patted Bre patronizingly on the top of her head.
Alina trotted up on Lightning and laughed lightly, “Oh Sweetheart, affections for you.”
The group sped off with Brian and Cailean in the lead, leaving Breanna behind, speechless, trying to process Eoghan having feelings for her.
Whisper huffed and snapped her out of her thoughts. “Alright, let’s go boy. We have a wedding to break up.”