Druid

A glowing spear flew through the air before being caught and held. A sword cut the spear’s head off.

The metal point rolled and tumbled, bouncing until it landed in front of a glowing figure as bright as a star in the shape of a woman.

The figure turned sharply rushing towards the cursed blue glow of a great river.

Druid opened his eyes and sat up as the vision began to fade from his mind. He had been granted a new vision by the Supreme One. What it implied he did not know yet, only that he needed to visit that river now. The Tara River.

Carefully, he slipped into his shoes and left the little cave he’d taken residence in for the night. The forest felt alive around him, whispering with intentions and directions. The winds pushed and pulled him gently down the right path towards the Tara River. When he reached the bank, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. The glowing blue waters seemed to be rushing yet still just like always.

He reached his hand out and felt the burning heat, letting it warm his hands in the cool night. The wind blew south, blowing leaves and loose foliage into the air. He followed the path of the leaves with his eyes until he saw what his vision had been directing him towards.

A young woman lay on the bank of the river unconscious. Her body jerked with a loud sputtering cough and he drew back sharply, giving her space as she turned herself over with a soft groan and sputter. She moaned and tilted her head up as she faced the river.

She couldn’t have come out of the Tara River. No mortal being, human or animal, was able to cross it. He’d seen people jump into it from unknown lands and be consumed in blue fire. He knew it was impossible, but there was no other explanation for her soaked state on the bank. Her clothes were almost glowing the same blue as if the curse had latched on to her clothing but had not burned them.

“Are you alright, miss?” Druid asked.

The woman shot up from her prone position and looked at him. This close, he could see her face clearly. She was afraid and bewildered, but she was beautiful with dark hair plastered to her face and neck. Her eyes were bright with the light of the river, but he supposed they were a shade of blue. She looked to be at least of age, but not much older than that.

“Miss?”

Her head jerked aside and she screamed, rolling and scrambling away from him as he felt a presence coming up behind him.

He turned as a large phoenix bear came out of its cave and turned to look at them. Its eyes flashed red and it roared, spitting a burst of fire towards him. He waved his hand, conjuring a wave of white light between him and the bear. The air warmed around them as the fire met the wave of light. The white light tumbled and danced with the fire in the air before they both died out.

“Honestly, is that how you treat a woman?” Druid asked, “I’m sure she’s sorry she woke you. Go back to sleep.”

The bear growled at him and blew out a plume of thick, black smoke before turning and ambling back to its cave. Druid sighed and looked back at the young woman who stared up at him with her mouth slightly open in shock.

Sirona’s heart pounded almost painfully in her chest. The man who had waved a burst of fire out of the air and told a giant, fire-breathing bear to go back to sleep drew closer to her.

His hand glowed with soft, golden light and she felt a little warmer as he hummed. His face was shrouded in the darkness of his hood, but she could tell he was a broad man with the muscles of a farmhand. His clothes were not of Conna origin, but they didn’t seem to be of any specific origin. He didn’t seem armed except for the hunting dagger in his boots.

“You don’t seem hurt.” The golden light vanished and he withdrew his hand. “Blessings be upon you.”

The wind blew, chilling her wet skin and making her shiver.

“W-Who are you? How did you do that?”

Druid hesitated for a moment, staring at her.

“You can call me Druid,” he said. “It is what everyone else calls me.”

In truth, it had been so long that his name had been lost to time. His visions had taken up years of his life and scrubbed any sense of who he had been before them from his mind. He was, as they called him, Druid, a servant of the Supreme One who traveled in search of peace and giving wisdom.

“Druid… is an odd name.” Her cheeks darkened, “F-Forgive me. That was incredibly rude of me…”

He smiled, “I am not offended. It is… more a title than a name. As for your other question, I am a mage in my own right.”

She frowned. What was a mage? She was certain no one in Conna could do something like that.

“W-Where am I?”

“Just north of Berth.”

Where was Berth? Sirona had never heard of such a place.

She looked at the glowing Tara River in confusion. She remembered running from the estate and the arrow that nearly hit her. She remembered the knights finding her, but hadn’t she run into the river?

How was she even still alive?

“… That’s impossible.”

Druid hummed, “Many seemingly impossible things are possible if the right entity wishes it so.”

Sirona glanced at him warily before the wind blew again and she shivered.

Druid stood, “I do not have much to offer, but I do have shelter, a fire, and food. Perhaps you would want to get dry?”

Sirona swallowed, glancing at the river before nodding, “That would be… very kind of you, but I have nothing to give you in return.”

She had survived jumping into the Tara River somehow, but she had not fled with money or jewels. She was no longer the daughter of a duke of Conna, but Sirona Daran, a criminal of Conna on the run.

“Your name would be enough,” Druid said, offering her his hand. “I am not a man who covets mundane payment.”

She flinched, thinking of the priests and withheld her hand, “And… what sort of payment do you covet?”

“None,” He chuckled. “Though I would appreciate some assistance with breakfast.”

Sirona frowned at him, trying to look into his eyes through the darkness, but she could not make out his face. He could be lying and planning to attack her in the night, but for now, she had no choice.

She took Druid’s hand and felt a sense of peace wash over her. She smiled and allowed him to help her off the ground.

“My camp isn’t far. Are you okay to walk?” Druid asked, lowering his head to the tattered hem of her gown as if he was trying to make out the state of her shoes. “I could carry you if you needed.”

She nodded, wiggling her feet in her boots, “I’m fine, and my name is Sirona.”

Druid hummed. Sirona was an old name related to the stars. She was the figure in his vision, but what was he meant to do? What sort of path had the Supreme One set before him now?

“A pleasure, Sirona. This way.”

She nodded and followed behind him as the wind stirred around them, warming the night as they walked.

Druid hummed softly into the night. The sounds of nearby birds went quiet before they joined in his song.