As he gunned it back onto the road, Gear flew in through the open passenger window, and landed on Nadine’s lap. She just stroked his feathers like it was no bigdeal.
Keegan looked back at us. “What the hellhappened?”
Logan and Danny looked to me. “Like twenty druids showed up.” It was Danny that spoke. “I thought we were dead, butSloane—”
“I killed them. Including Steven.” My voice washollow.
No one said a word, and I just rested my head on the cool glass window, fallingasleep.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter 8
Isleptthe whole way back to Isaac’s land. At some point we’d dropped off Gear and Nadine at his motorcycle, and they met up with the new skyborn from Mexico, bringing them home too. I wasn’t awake for any ofit.
It was night by the time we got back. Immediately, I went to sit by the waterfall outside our house. I’d asked Logan for some alone time. I needed to think. What I did back there, the wall of fire, so much death, it was destruction on a massive scale and it made me feel sad. I felt sad that the druids who came up against us were all going to have to die in order for us to live. It felt counterproductive. Why couldn’t we all co-exist? I knew I was asking age-old questions, and if there was an easy answer there would never be any war, but still … I longed for a better solution than the annihilation of the druids. It meant we were no better thanthem.
“Your heart is heavy,” Isaac said behind me, and I jumped. With the roaring creek I hadn’t heard him approaching. I looked up and he touched his chest. “I feel it. Through ourconnection.”
I couldn’t hold it in any longer. Tears spilled over my cheeks. “I was amazing. Everything we’ve been training me to be andyet…”
He nodded, seemingly in understanding. “And yet it feelsawful.”
“Yes!” Relief poured through me, heunderstood.
The good druid sat before me and gave me one of his radiant smiles. “That’s because earth druids are about life, beauty, healing … rarely destruction. You’ve had to go against your nature and you’re feeling that now.” I nodded, relieved that someone understood me. “Sometimes the Earth has her moments of destruction too. Quakes, floods, fires. It can’t feel good for her, but it is a necessary cleansingsometimes.”
“I just … I don’t want to be the reason there are no more druids. I don’t want to stoop to their level. Ya know?” I shared my deepest concern withhim.
He nodded, looking out at the edge of the river where the water fell over the ledge. “You know why I bought all this land back in thefifties?”
I shrugged. “You likenature?”
He smiled. “I do like nature, but no. My main reason for ALL of this land, and ALL of these dwellings I’ve built on it is…” He suddenly looked shy then, as if he were embarrassed toshare.
“Is what?” I leanedforward.
He chuckled. “I always thought one day this druid-dragon war would end, and I could … run a school for earth druids. Teach them how to pull energy from the Earth again. And skyborn could be here too. All supernaturals could. A teaching ground for how to use all of our powers together. Not against each other. Great evils have risen up before, and they will rise again. Better we learn to fight together than against oneanother.”
I stood quickly, excitement bursting in my chest. “Yes! It’s a great idea! I could be a teacher for the younger kids. Teach them basics like going barefoot andmeditation.”
Isaac was grinning ear to ear. He stood as well. “And I thought we could teach the tree healings as an advanced level course—even get the sorcerers toassist.”
Pure joy was running through me. “And the skyborn, they could donate scales to help heal. We could even healhumans.”
Isaac’s eyes were lined with tears. “Yes! That’s what I envisioned. Something likethat.”
“Well, what are we going to call it?” I asked my mentor. I needed this, something positive to hold on to, even if it was only an idea. Ideas grew into powerfulthings.
Isaac smiled. “EarthSchool?”
I beamed. “Earth School.” I leaned forward spontaneously and hugged him. As he wrapped his arms around me, I saw that the sacrifices we would have to make would be so that the next generation could learn to live the rightway.
When we pulled back, Isaac looked excited. “And we could get moregoats!”
My face fell. “No way! No moregoats!”
He doubled over in laughter and it was then that I realized he wasjoking.
