Page 34 of May Queen: May Day

“When I find the necklace and we return to our homeland, I’d like you to come with us, Flora.” Her father’s words held kindness and sincerity.

“Nay,” shouted Mug. “She is one of them!” He held out an accusing finger. “She is going to get us all killed.”

“Nay, that is not my intention,” Flora tried to convince him. “Father, I cannot call you Belenus when I know your Christian name is Oren.”

“Belenus is who I am now,” he told her. “However, Flora, you can call me Oren if you’d like.”

“Mayhap she knows where to find the sacred necklace,” said Rosemunda. “I won’t go back to the castle now, since she is there, so I won’t be able to look for it.”

“Why would you be looking for it at the castle?” asked Flora.

“I might have dropped it in the woods,” her father relayed. “If so, Lord Ricard or one of his knights might have found it and brought it back to the castle.”

“Her mother stole it, I tell you,” said Mug. “They’re thieves. All of them.”

Flora didn’t answer. Her mother had said she’d stolen the necklace from her father, but only to keep him from going back to Ireland. She also told Flora that she had decided to live with Oren and the Druids, but she came down with an illness that ended up killing her.

“Flora,” said her father. “Did Edith happen to mention anything about a sacred necklace to you?”

“What did it look like?” Flora glanced back and forth from one to another of the Druids. She didn’t like the fact that her father had stayed with these pagans, even if he hadn’t known her mother was pregnant. Her mother never married, and had to raise a child by herself. Because of it, everyone knew she’d coupled with Oren before they were married. No nobleman wanted her, even though they believed Oren was dead.

If her uncle hadn’t been guilty of spending time at the Beltane festival as well, things would have been different. Her mother threatened to tell everyone if he sent her and Flora to live at a convent. Therefore, they’d stayed in Wiltshire with the baron to live.

Flora’s father’s words kept going through her head. He wanted the sacred necklace and then he was going to leave for Ireland. He’d asked her to go with them, but something about joining the descendants of the Druids didn’t feel right to her. Confusion filled her head and she didn’t know what to do. The only thing she knew for sure was that she had to keep her father from leaving because she didn’t want to live the rest of her life without him.

“Nay, I don’t know anything about a sacred necklace.” She removed her hands from her pocket and wrung them together, not able to look at her father when she lied.

“What’s this?” Her father stepped forward and took her hand in his, perusing the ring with the Druid symbols that she wore. “This is the ring I gave your mother the last time I saw her. It was meant as a symbol of my love for her.”

“If you loved my mother, then why did you marry her?” asked Flora, glaring at Rosemunda.

“I didn’t,” said her father softly. “I call Rosemunda my wife and we have children together, but we are not married.”

“That’s even worse than I thought,” she told her father, starting to wonder just what kind of man he was.

“You don’t understand, Flora. Druid blood runs through my veins, as well as yours. This is our home. These are our people. I had to make a new life with them.”

“Belenus, she’s been followed,” called out a man running from the makeshift gate.

“There are two riders coming in this direction,” said another of the men. “It looks like Lord Ricard and his squire.”

“I told you she was no good!” snapped Mug. “She is going to lead us all to our deaths.”

“She brought them here,” said Rosemunda with an accusing finger. “She led them right to us.”

“Nay,” cried Flora. “I swear I didn’t know anyone was following me.”

“Get to the caves. Quickly,” called out Oren. “Douse the fires and hide any evidence that we were here at all.”

In a matter of seconds, things were cleaned up, the fires extinguished and hidden, and everyone started disappearing into a nearby cave.

“Come, Flora. This way, quickly.” Her father reached out for her, but she took a step back and shook her head.

“Nay. I am the reason you are in danger, Father. If I show myself, Lord Ricard will leave. He is looking for me.” If she rode out and made her presence known, she might be able to give the Druids more time to hide, and also to convince Ricard to take her back to the castle.

“Daughter, don’t leave me,” said Oren. “I want to get to know you.”

“Nay, Father. Not now. It is better if I leave.”