Page 64 of May Queen: May Day

Hearing the sound of hoofbeats in the woods, he drew his sword, staggering and catching himself against a tree. He never should have come after Flora while he was in this condition.

“Lord Ricard? Is that you?” Nash appeared in front of him, seated atop his horse. Ricard released a breath of relief.

“Aye, it’s me, Nash. What are you doing following me?”

“I went to your room to bring you food. When I found you were missing but the door was still locked, I figured you left through the window.”

“Well, now that you’re here, you might as well stay. I hope you didn’t tell anyone else about this. I am only here to protect Flora and don’t want any trouble with the Druids while I’m in this condition.”

“Nay, I didn’t tell anyone,” said Nash, dismounting.

“Good.” Ricard started to sheath his sword, but his head snapped up when he heard more hoofbeats headed in their direction.

“Well, I might have mentioned it to your brothers, but no one else,” said Nash sheepishly.

“Oh, that’s just great!” Ricard already felt as if this were going to turn out horribly.

Dayton rode up with Lang right next to him, holding a lit torch. “Brother? Is that you?” asked Dayton.

“Douse the light, you fools,” snapped Ricard, walking up and snatching the torch from Lang. He threw it to the ground and kicked dirt on it to extinguish it.

“What are you doing?” cried Lang. “We’ll never find our way back in the dark.”

“You might not live long enough to worry about that if the Druids are alerted that we are here,” Ricard ground out.

“What’s that?” Dayton dismounted, peering off through the trees. “It looks like fire.”

“It’s the Druid’s bonfire,” Ricard told them.

“That’s right,” said Nash. “Tonight is their big night when they celebrate the pagan festival of Beltane.”

“Really?” Lang pushed his way forward to get a look. “What are they doing?”

“I’m not sure,” said Ricard. “The wind is blowing in the wrong direction to hear anything. If we move closer they’ll spot us.”

“Beltane is the celebration of spring and new growth,” said Nash, looking through the trees. “It is the midpoint between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. It’s a very sacred time for them.”

“How do you know that?” asked Dayton.

“Aye, are you a Druid?” Lang pulled out a flask and took a swig.

“Nay.” Nash stood up straight with the smile plastered across his face. “I read their lips.”

“I thought Ricard told you not to do that anymore,” said Lang.

“On the contrary, it’ll come in handy tonight,” Ricard told them. “I want to learn as much about the Druids and their traditions as possible. It will help me understand Flora and her father.”

“Why don’t you just go out there and ask them what you want to know?” asked Dayton.

“It’s too risky.” Ricard hunkered down and pulled the bushes aside to get a better view. “They think we want to kill them and they’ll be on defense.”

“We do want them dead. Don’t we?” asked Lang, sounding confused.

“Just Mug,” said Ricard in a low voice. “He’s the one who killed our parents, not the rest of them.”

“Isn’t that Flora over there?” asked Dayton, spying her through the bushes.

“Let me see,” said Lang, pushing Nash out of the way.