Something brushed against the back of her hand, and she looked down to see flowers had sprung up between her fingers and all around her palms that were still flat on the ground.
Laura jumped to her feet as she stared at the two patches of wildflowers that hadn’t been there when she stopped the night before.
She glanced at her hands. “What the bloody hell is going on?”
The sound of a twig breaking had her swinging her head in that direction. The sound came from the same path she’d traveled yesterday.
She wanted to think it might be Phelan, but Phelan wouldn’t be sneaking around. He would be looking for her, possibly calling her name.
Unless he knew she was being tracked by Jason and the others.
“Bugger it,” she whispered.
Did she stay and see who it was? Did she chance being found by Wallace? Or did she run again?
Fear won out.
Laura moved as silently and quickly as she could through the woods. Sunlight broke through the branches of the trees, leaving many shady spots where someone could hide.
She was passing just such a spot when someone stepped in front of her.
“Ow,” she said as she barreled into them.
Huge hands wrapped around her arms and she found herself staring up at the face of the man who had battled Charon. The same man whose skin had been a pale green. Her mouth gaped open, and she struggled to get away but he held her easily.
There was no excitement in his gaze at capturing her, only cold acceptance of how things were. Which made Laura’s stomach plummet to her feet.
Because where this brute was, Jason wasn’t far behind.
“Well, well, well,” Jason Wallace said as he stepped out from behind the man holding her. “Did you snare something, Dale?”
Laura struggled again to get loose, but Dale’s hold didn’t relent. He kept a firm grip on her, not too tight to hurt her, but not loose enough that she could break free.
“Did Charon tell you that you were a Druid?”
Jason’s question stilled her. Laura looked into his chilly blue eyes. What had he just said? Surely he was wrong. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re a Druid, Laura. Charon knew all along, but he used his power to tamp down your magic.”
She frowned, not believing a word he was saying. “You’re lying.”
“Do you deny that you were the one who blew up the cabin?”
“I don’t have magic,” she repeated, hoping it was true, because she couldn’t add that to her growing list of problems. And neither denying nor admitting to blowing up the cabin was her best bet.
Jason laughed. “Oh, but you do. You doona seemed shocked at hearing about Druids. I’m guessing because Charon told you about us, right?”
She refused to answer, which only made Jason smile. Laura wanted to slap that smirk off his face. He’d hurt Charon—twice—hunted her, and did only God knew what else.
“I see I’m correct about him telling you of Druids,” Jason said with a grin. “Did he tell you what he is? Did he tell you he’s a Warrior with a primeval god inside him? Did he tell you he was evil?”
Laura numbly moved her head side to side.
“Ah, then I suppose he didna bother to tell you he’s the bad guy in all of this? I had Ben find you, dear Laura, to save you from Charon.”
She wanted to scream for him to stop, to claw out his eyes. But mostly she wanted Charon to come for her.
“Ben wasn’t there to help me. He hurt me,” she said, and showed him the bruise on her cheek.
Jason shrugged and rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt. “Ben, unfortunately, got passionate in his zeal to get you away from Charon. But regardless. You are a Druid.”
“I’d know if I was a Druid.” She didn’t want to listen to him. His words were like poison infecting her brain.
Or were they?
“You’ve heard the chanting and drums, have you no’?” Jason asked.
Laura squeezed her eyes closed.
“That’s the ancients calling to you, Laura. Let them in. Let them show you what your magic can do.”
“You’re evil,” she said as her eyes flew open. “You wanted to kill me. I heard what you told Charon.”
Jason scratched his chin. “When you’re dealing with evil, a person will say anything to get a rise out of them. Charon and the other Warriors from MacLeod Castle are a bane upon this earth. They’re immortal creatures, but they can be killed. By drough blood.”
“Droughs are evil. They use black magic,” Laura repeated Charon’s words.
Jason tsked softly. “Sweet Laura, I see Charon has told you wrong once more. It’s the mies who are evil. They are the ones who use black magic. The droughs are the good ones in this war we’ve been fighting for centuries. I’m no’ the first to fight the Warriors, but I’ll be the last. I’ll be the one who kills them once and for all.”