Cill Darae Read online

  Cill Darae

  Titles by Donald D. Allan

  The New Druids Series

  Duilleog, Volume One

  Craobh, Volume Two

  Stoc, Volume Three

  Freamhaigh, Volume Four

  Cill Darae, Volume Five

  Gaea, Volume Six (coming in 2020)

  Leaf and Branch (The New Druids Vols One & Two)

  Stalk and Root (The New Druids Vols Three & Four)

  Priestess and Gaea (The New Druids Vols Five and Six – coming 2020)

  The New Druids Compendium (Volumes One to Six - coming 2020)

  DONALD D. ALLAN

  Cill Darae

  A New Druids Novel

  Volume Five

  CILL DARAE: A New Druids Novel, Volume Five

  Donald D. Allan

  Copyright © 2019 Published by Copper Penny Publishing.

  First Edition 2019 (Kindle)

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or in any means—by electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise—without prior written permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorised editions.

  All inquiries should be addressed to:

  Copper Penny Publishing

  E-Mail: [email protected]

  Web page: donalddallan.com

  National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9958490-8-2

  Cover Design—Donald D. Allan

  Cover Credits—Images and art: Copyrights: https://www.123rf.com/profile_designwest, https://www.123rf.com/profile_1enchik, and http://www.123rf.com/profile_epantha. Use of the triskelion within this novel from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Triskel_type_Amfreville.svg. The image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license and is attributed to the author Cétautomatix (artéfact), Ec.Domnowall.

  Interior Credits— Images and art: Copyrights: http://www.123rf.com/profile_martm, http://www.123rf.com/profile_olivier26, and https://www.123rf.com/profile_varunalight

  Maps Credit—Stephen Chase

  To my father: Hector McLean Allan.

  September 9, 1932 - December 7, 2018

  Scottish to a fault, but always a father, grandfather, naval architect, and a professional engineer.

  I miss you, dad.

  Cill Darae

  A New Druids Novel

  Volume Five

  Map of North Belkin: Munsten and Cala Counties

  Map of South Belkin: Turgany County

  What Came Before

  THE FIRST FOUR novels of the New Druids series follow Will Arbor through his eyes. The next two novels, including this one, no longer follow Will Arbor. Readers may find the events leading up to this point confusing, especially after coming back to the story after an absence. I present a quick summary to better situate the reader in what came before:

  The Realm of Belkin is a large island nation that has been under the rule of a monarchy for many, many generations. Beloved, or at least respected, by its subjects, the Monarchy is supported by an Army, Navy and a Constabulary to keep the peace in all the towns and villages. Within Belkin, there are three competing schools of thought: The Word, The Church, and the Druids (or draoi). The Word is a community of wordsmiths within Belkin that examine the world around them through reason, analysis, and logic; the scientist of the modern world. The Church of the New Order is a faith-based religion that subscribes to Seven Tenants of Morality. The Church strives to serve the spiritual needs of the people of Belkin, through faith in, and worship or, one true God. Over time, the Church has gained significant prominence in the world under the Kings and Queens of Belkin. Many people in the land prefer the comfort of their faith, and the tenets of morality that the Church preaches, over that of The Word and the teachings of the wordsmiths. Lastly, there are the draoi. Though few in number, these gifted and secretive people follow the teachings of Gaea, who reveals her intentions and desire for harmony through the male and female leaders of the draoi, the Freamhaigh and the Cill Darae.

  The last legitimate king of Belkin, King Hietower, began a slow and gradual descent into insanity, and the Kingdom of Belkin began to suffer for it. Brother betrayed brother, and soon the lust for wealth and power prevailed throughout the land. King Hietower orders a “Great Debate” between The Word and The Church to settle the main source of discord within the Realm. When Gaea forces the Word as the winner of the “Great Debate,” it ignited a Revolution, which further fed the chaos and suffering of the people of Belkin.

  The leaders of the Revolution imprisoned King Hietower, John Healy, a corrupt and power-hungry individual, came forward from the Belkin Council to create the position of Lord Protector, a pretext for ruling the land. As his desire for wealth and power grew ever larger, Brent Bairstow, the General of the Lord Protector’s Guard, began an investigation into Healy‘s nefarious dealings. Over the years, Brent exposed a complex web of corruption from the highest levels that spread across the northern counties of Cala and Munsten.

  The Church was not exempt from the temptations of worldly power and mammon. Unbeknownst to everyone, the Church exposed the druids during an attempted Church coup against Healy. These peaceful people had been quietly and secretly working in the Realm against an unknown threat aimed at destroying Belkin and the rest of the world around them. The Church worked fanatically to destroy what they believed to be demons using a secret Church sect with ancient arcane powers. They purged the druids, all save one small child of the Cill Darae. The boy, Will Arbor, raised himself alone in the wild, protected and hidden by Gaea. Unknowingly, the Church sets into motion events that waken the druid powers in Will Arbor. Over time, Will’s powers grow, and the truth and purpose of the druids becomes clear: they fight an ancient enemy named Erebus who seeks to destroy Gaea and change the world to a time long ago destroyed and forgotten.

  In his search for truth, Will meets Nadine Opal, an aging druid, with no powers. For reasons of her own, Gaea returns Nadine to her youth, gives her powers matching those of Will, and declares her the new Cill Darae, the high priestess of the draoi. Will finds love with Nadine and together, at Gaea’s urging, travel to Rigby Farm, outside Jergen, where they meet up with Steve Comlin and his now disbanded highwaymen, who have adopted a quiet farm life. But Rigby Farm, and its inhabitants, are destined to be the eye of many a storm as men and deities battle for supremacy in Belkin.

  Erebus, using the Sect (the secret Army of the Church) as his puppets, attacks the farm, the highwaymen and the draoi. Many are slaughtered on each side. Using arcane powers, the dead are reanimated to fight for Erebus. Young Katherine Rigby watches her parents die in the attack, only to become reanimated living dead. From this experience, she is shattered; it is only her bond to Dog that keeps her sane. Erebus comes close to victory before General Brent Bairstow, using the powers of God, strikes the evil creature and turns the tide.

  In the days and weeks after the attack, Will and Nadine decide to form a school for draoi at the farm and await the arrival of new draoi. Men, women, boys and girls, people from all walks of life, are summoned by Gaea to the Farm. Will is made the Freamhaigh, or leader, of the draoi. The school soon fills, and Will and Nadine begin the laborious and lengthy process to teach a new generation of draoi the craft and love of the land.

  In a desperate bid to gain control of Belkin, Lord Protecto
r Healy invites a foreign enemy force, who are themselves other puppets of Erebus, to assist him to win the county of Turgany and destroy the draoi. Will is torn. Should he answer his calling as Freamhaigh, (a calling to restore harmony in the realm) and eradicate Erebus? Or, should he join the fight against Healy and the invading army? Healy sends his joint army south against the army of Turgany, trained in Jergen under the tutelage of General Bairstow. The armies of Healy and Turgany clash at the Crossroads. When all seems lost for Turgany, Will arrives with the draoi and creatures of the land. Together, with the Turgany Army, they come close to winning the day. However, Erebus, the ancient enemy, reappears and again reanimates the dead of both sides to fight for him. Horrified, the Turgany Army is forced to flee, but not before Will and Brent join their powers, the power of God and the power of the draoi, to once again banish Erebus. Both sides retreat to their strongholds to lick their wounds, rebuild and plan for another day.

  During this pause, Katherine and Dog leave Rigby Farm on a pilgrimage. Outside the northern city of Cala, they are asked by Gaea to sever themselves from her power and the rest of the draoi. Gaea believes that this action is the path to finally destroying Erebus for good. Once severed, Katherine and Dog discover another source of draoi power and in absorbing this new power, gain something of one another. The new power overwhelms them, and they nearly destroy the city of Cala before sanity returns. Gaea directs them to Munsten to confront Erebus. Erebus recognises the threat, and the reformed church sect is tasked to destroy Katherine and Dog, but they are no match for their new draoi powers, and the Sect is eradicated.

  In his bid for ultimate rule in Belkin, John Healy declares himself the President of the Republic of Belkin, with the secret backing of Erebus. General Bairstow and select group of warriors from the Turgany Army, infiltrate the castle of Munsten and do away with John Healy. At the same time, Will and Nadine arrive in Munsten and join forces with Katherine and Dog to ensure the final destruction of Erebus. As Gaea’s plan draws to a close, she appears and begs to be removed from the world, now that her ancient purpose is fulfilled. The draoi are split on whether to allow this, but as Freamhaigh, Will decides and allows Gaea to be removed from the world. With Gaea gone, the draoi turn to the new power that Katherine and Dog discovered, a power living throughout the land through Life Salt.

  There can be no crowning of the new monarch, Edward Hitchens, until his bloodline can be validated. General Bairstow declares himself the Regent of Belkin, holding the throne until the new monarch can be confirmed as the rightful heir of King Hietower. He commissions a small, but able, team of draoi and a trusted senior Army officer embark on a search for the remains of King Hietower, against which the draoi can confirm with Edward’s blood, that he is the true heir to the throne. Will and Nadine retreat to Rigby Farm and resume their teaching of the draoi; however, the draoi are now on their own, without the guidance and controls Gaea once enforced. The future looks bright, but a political power vacuum has formed in Munsten. In this political vacuum, a new and sinister hidden power reveals itself and risks destroying everything the draoi have fought so tenaciously to overcome.

  Prologue

  Munsten Court Room, June 902 A.C.

  REGENT BRENT BAIRSTOW winced and shifted his backside on the hard seat of the chair. After hours of sitting in the unforgiving seat, his bottom ached and his legs were cramped. Sitting where he was, to the right of the empty throne of Belkin, he was more than aware that all the Council members, plaintiffs and legal representatives could see him plain as day. Every movement he made was being scrutinised. He knew that his position as Regent was gossiped. Whispers occurred in backrooms discussing his suitability to hold his position. Every decision he made was questioned and debated. He was sick of it.

  He had changed his title from Lord Protector to Regent once he had learned it was a more appropriate title. I am holding the throne for Edward after all, not ruling the country. It also distances me from Healy. The change of title had rippled across the city and caused more concern than good. Many complained about a loss of Revolutionary values and they were certain the realm would revert to the times of terror during the reign of the mad King Hietower.

  With only months of being the Regent behind him, Brent was tired of politics. He had thought taking the mantle and asserting authority would be enough. I was wrong, he admitted to himself. Wrong to think a man with a military background could run a country. The Privy Council and Judicial Council fought him over every decision. He scraped and clawed for every advancement he felt he needed to make. Everything he touched was tainted by the years of corruption by President Healy. Brent’s own investigation into Healy years ago had shown him just how bad the corruption was. As soon as he had taken power as Regent, he removed many of the people who had worked for Healy. The Council Chamber had been reduced by half and now looked empty. Thankfully, many of Healy's cronies had fled when Brent had assassinated him; making Brent’s job easier, but Brent was certain there were more rats hidden in the ranks of government he didn’t know about. He trusted no one. And no one trusted him.

  With his military background he found the state matters regarding the army, navy, and guard much easier to deal with. Healy had removed, or had killed, all the senior leadership and replaced them with people loyal to him. All were suspect and Brent had asked Admiral Kingsmill to be Belkin’s Knight General and weed out the bad ones. Cleaning up decades of Healy’s influence would take a generation. Stripping the upper ranks was not the answer either. It took time to train officers for more senior positions and there was a vacuum that needed filling if the military was to rise strong again. Surprisingly, the Church came forward with a solution and offered to create a Church Guard to help keep the peace. Brent had accepted the help immediately and declared their authority. The Judicial Council had been furious over that decision.

  Brent regretted becoming Regent. It had seemed a smart idea at the time, but now, more than ever, he needed Edward Hitchens to take his throne. Brent’s thoughts drifted to Katherine, Dog, James, and Heather, who would soon be off on a quest to find proof that Edward is the rightful heir to the throne, and he prayed for their quick and safe return. The sooner Edward sits here instead of me, the better for everyone.

  Brent shifted in his seat again and favoured his left cheek. He looked out at the long queue of people waiting to plead their case before him at the Regent’s Bench. The room used to be the King’s Bench, then it became the Lord Protector’s Bench, and now it was his. Here his word was law, and despite his knowledge of legalities, it seemed every legal representative wanted to twist or bend those laws to suit their clients. It was enough for Brent to want to hang the lot. The legal representatives at least, he chuckled to himself. He changed his grin to a grimace when he noted two councillors now discussing his sudden smile. God give me strength.

  He felt sorry for those in the line. The line disappeared out into the hallway. They were about to find out they would need to return the next morning to line up again, plead their case, and be given a priority to see him. Brent had asked for the line to be shortened today, but as usual his orders never made it to where they needed to go. Many of those in line had lined pockets with money to gain access to the hall. They would be angry to find out that all the remaining cases were being set aside to deal with the remnants of the Eastern army. Brent was eager to deal with them. Without their leader Mushir Adham, the Cian-Oirthear army had become a threat to security. They caused fights for the sheer pleasure of fighting. They caused disturbances for the sheer pleasure of disturbing people. They refused to assimilate to the culture of Belkin. They refused to learn the language of the land. Brent had had enough and ordered his staff to have them presented to him this afternoon for sentencing.

  He pushed those thoughts aside and tried to focus on the barrister before him. She was addressing the audience who gathered to watch and was trying to sway his decision based on peer acceptance. Brent smiled to himself. The woman drones on and on and yet I have
already decided. He watched the reactions of the public. They enjoyed the arguments. Since Brent had taken the position of Regent, the people of Munsten seemed to enjoy coming to watch him preside over the court. They would cheer and clap when he handed out punishments to those he found guilty of having aided and abetted President John Healy. The people were always looking for blood and it sickened Brent.

  Since seizing power, Brent often regretted it. The manner in which he had enabled it gave him nightmares. It had only been three months ago when he had assassinated John Healy in his sleep; without a judge or jury and in front of God. He knew it had been the right thing to do and the best option to save lives, but now Brent lived with the repercussions. The act had been dishonourable. Admiral Kingsmill, who he had promoted to Knight General Kingsmill, had been against the act and kept his distance from Brent.

  Once Brent had forced the Council to accept him as Regent, it had still taken two months to just settle the dust of having removed a tyrant who had ruled for decades. The entire politics and economies of the Realm were very much in turmoil. The cities and villages were suffering from upheaval. Mayors and leaders once in league with Healy were being hunted down and sometimes lynched. It was chaos across Belkin with the exception being Turgany County. The county had led the rebellion and now celebrated its victory. But the North was another matter. The Munsten and Cala counties were rapidly falling apart despite Brent’s best efforts.

  He needed men and women he could trust surrounding him. And he had no one, other than Martin. And tomorrow, James would leave with Katherine, Heather and Dog for Foula Island to follow a slim lead to find the remains of the late King Hietower. He had asked Will for a draoi advisor, but Will had declined the request except to identify a draoi stoc named Lana Turner who would always remain in Munsten, but not in the role of advisor. Brent was disappointed and more than a little angry at Will. He had wanted nothing more than to have someone next to him that could sort through the lies and find the truth. Will had said he understood but would not help in that manner. Nadine had seen the need and the two of them had argued for a time. As Freamhaigh, Will had decided and shut down the argument and they had departed back to Rigby Farm. Nadine had been furious, and Brent worried for the two.