Page 32 of May Queen: May Day

Chapter 9

Flora looked over her shoulder as she rode away from Black Creek Castle, glad that no one had noticed her sneaking out. Only the stable boy had asked where she was headed, and she’d told him out to pick herbs. He was young and hadn’t questioned her further. Instead, he helped her to saddle her horse and even led her to the front gate. That helped to throw off suspicion.

Riding quickly toward the oak forest, Flora hoped to find her father. With the missive tucked securely in her pouch, she planned on showing her father and the Druids the words written by Lord Ricard, threatening their lives. It was stamped with Ricard’s seal so there would be no doubt about his intent.

She rode through the forest, not sure where to look. But then someone stepped out from behind a tree. She stopped, not sure it wasn’t a bandit until the man lowered his hood. It was the same man who had saved her from the wild boar.

“Flora. Daughter,” said the man, making her heart swell.

“Father?” she asked, barely above a whisper. The sound of thundering hooves against the earth came from somewhere behind her.

“Quickly, come with me,” said the man. “You are being followed.”

“I am?” She turned to look back over her shoulder, surprised to find her father hoisting himself upon her horse. He put his arms around her in a protective hold and directed the horse down a path that was filled with weeds, tangles, and brambles.

“Where are we going?” she asked, feeling very nervous. She didn’t know him, and he was taking her into a part of the woods that was very dark and frightening.

“Shhh, don’t speak. They might hear you.”

“Who? I don’t know who you mean.”

“Lord Ricard and his squire are following you.”

“They are?” This made her furious. Ricard was the last person she wanted to discover out here in the woods. “He plans on killing you as well as the rest of the Druids,” she blurted out.

“We know.”

“You do? How could you?”

“Our people are infiltrated within the castle walls. We know what’s going to happen before it happens.”

“Oh, you mean like with your wife, Rosemunda?”

“Aye, except she refuses to return to the castle. It doesn’t matter. We have others there.”

“Are you really my father?”

“Stay quiet until we get to the grove. Then I will answer any questions you have.”

To her surprise, they rode up to a thick grove of trees, and two large bushes moved to the sides, making an entranceway for them. When she looked back over her shoulder, she saw several people in long cloaks moving foliage with robes attached to the trees. They enclosed them into a private sector.

Flora looked around to see earth huts built half-hidden into hills, their wooden doors camouflaged with branches and leaves. Several campfires rose up to the sky, and next to them she saw hollowed out stumps that looked like snuffers to cover the fires.

“How many of you are there here?” she asked.

“We have only about four dozen or so here.”

“Really?” She looked around at the empty surroundings. “I only see a few people. Where are the rest of them?”

“They are hiding in the caves. We live in the caves most of the time. There are passageways that lead to several other glens. That is how we stay unseen by Lord Ricard and his men.”

“Why are you even here?”

“This is our home, for now. However, as soon as I find what I’m searching for, we will be leaving for Ireland.”

“What is it you’re searching for?”

“It is a sacred emblem of our people. It is ancient and one of the Druid’s most sacred possessions. It has been made into a necklace.”