Druidess Found (Druidess Trilogy Book 1) Read online

  Through Moto's travels to other worlds he experienced different ways of life, and different types of Inhabitants. He didn't interact with many of them. He observed from a distance to first determine if the Inhabitants could touch the energy of their world. If they could, he made contact. Although, at first the language barriers posed a tricky problem, fortunately, Shimani figured out how to overcome the language barriers on one of their excursions together. Shimani then showed Moto how to 'learn' the language in a blink of an eye.

  At times Moto wondered who mentored who when it came to Shimani, although he would never admit it to him. In his travels, he came across a variety of Inhabitants and most possessed some kind of written language. Even those Inhabitants he considered behind development and understanding of the Kahoali people. It didn't make sense to him that his people understood so much about the energies and living within their environment in harmony yet lacked in other areas. The same areas that lessor developed Inhabitants did not lack.

  He stepped up to the arch of the Ancestral Gateway and touched the smooth stone with reverence. A piece of their ancestral heritage lay beneath touch. Maybe the only piece left of their ancestral history and heritage. The Ancestral Gateway, a prime example of what knowledge the Kahoali people lost. His people knew it existed, but no one knew where to find it and no one bothered to look, except himself. Finding it took Moto years and even then, he found it by accident as he stumbled upon it some time ago. As it turned out, he happened upon it by chance when he and Shimani scouted a part of the forest no one explored or cultivated for food and clothing. Now, thinking back on it, he couldn't remember why Shimani and he walked that part of the forest.

  He shook his head.

  It didn't matter now. They found it and from that point on Moto made it a priority to learn how to use the Gateway. In the beginning, learning how to use the Ancestral Gateway started out as academic and a way to touch knowledge that his ancestors possessed. After the night terrors started, learning how to use it became paramount. Once he learned how the Gateway functioned and its purpose, he explored every possible world he could to find to explore. He asked questions and sought answers about his night terrors. None of those Inhabitants gave him answers, none which made sense, anyway. Today, however, his purpose didn't revolve around finding answers to his dilemma of the night terrors. He sought answers to another dilemma which recently became far more important.

  He admired the Gateway as he often did each time, he stepped up to it. The Ancestral Gateway, an impressive stone arch, smooth to the touch. The stone gleamed as if polished in the recent present, although Moto knew otherwise. The Gateway's size stood tall and wide. Even with Moto's impressive stature he couldn't stretch enough to touch the inside edges or the top of the arched stone, not even with his fingertips.

  The stone gleamed a bleached tan, like sand. At times Moto noticed a silver gleam running through the inside of the arched stone of the Gateway. That same gleam did not exist when he and Shimani first found the Ancestral Gateway. Moto first noticed the silver gleam after his first activation of the Gateway. Now, he noticed both during activation and other times before activation. The gleam didn't follow a consistent pattern for him to discern. He felt mildly irritated by the lack of logic in that regard but ignored his irritation. He would solve this mystery another day.

  Moto ran his hand over one of the runes. Various runes lined both sides of the arched stone. Shimani and he spent many nights recalling all the stories they could remember about the Ancestral Gateway searching for answers to unlock its secrets. Much as Moto hated to admit it, Shimani first discovered the secret of the runes, and that the Ancestral Gateway was a stationary portal. As far as Moto could tell the destinations connect different worlds to Ki and not between destinations on Ki. He tried a variety of ways to use it like a portal from one destination to another on Ki, but to no avail.

  He dragged his wandering thoughts back to the present and placed the palm of his hand on the rune which would open the Ancestral Gateway to his destination. He closed his eyes and concentrated. He felt the heat of the rune penetrate the center of his palm. It didn't hurt, but neither did he find it comfortable. He forced himself to keep his hand firmly connected to the rune while the energy of Ki flowed through him into the rune and stone arch of the Ancestral Gateway. He knew he poured enough of Ki's energy into the stone when he felt the energy flow back into his palm. He stopped pulling energy from Ki and concentrated on his end goal. He felt the moment the Ancestral Gateway created the portal within the confines of the arched stone.

  He felt the opening of the portal whether than saw it with his eyes. If he looked closely, he could see the slight shimmer within the space of the arched stone, creating a shimmering doorway. When he pulled his palm away, he saw the silver glow of the rune dissipate and flow along the inside edges of the Ancestral Gateway. He took a deep breath to calm his mind and stepped through the shimmering doorway, the Gateway's portal.

  When he emerged on the other side, he closed the doorway portal, and hid behind a partial standing stone wall. The swiftness of his actions came with practiced repetition indicated he traveled to this particular world far too many times. The Inhabitants couldn't touch the energy if it even existed on this world. He found it difficult to sense the energy, but the energy existed to some degree else the Gateway wouldn't function. From what he could see the Gateway on this side stood as part of a now crumbling building. At one time it must have been a doorway within that stone structure, which perplexed him. The existence of the Gateways perplexed him, in truth. Kahoali didn't venture beyond their own borders or their own world. Even the ancestral stories supported the solitary, reclusive existence of the Kahoali people, and yet the Gateways existed. The stories also supported the Ancestral Kahoali built the Gateways. How could both be true? One of many contradictions Moto couldn't accept. Either the Ancestral Kahoali were isolated from the other Inhabitants of the Universe or they were explorers. He chose to believe the latter. The existence of the Ancestral Gateway gave tangible evidence the Ancestral Kahoali once explored and traveled beyond their own world.

  He again put aside his wandering thoughts and inched his way to the edge of the wall. It stood tall, but not tall enough to hide him if he stood at his full height. He thanked the crumbling wall for at least some covering. He knelt on one knee near the edge and peeked around. A part of him felt silly for sneaking about just to catch sight of his prey. Warriors faced their foes! They did not hide behind crumbling walls to get a glimpse of a girl he shouldn't be glimpsing! He ignored that part. Instead he took in his fill of the sight of his prey. She stood at an angle to his position so she would not see him unless she turned her head in his direction.

  It helped that she talked to an elderly man. It gave him time to study her before she felt his presence. At least, Moto thought she felt his presence. From past visits, he learned he couldn't stay long before she turned towards the exact spot he occupied and made her way towards him. Because of that lesson, he mastered the art of fleeing. A warrior such as he should not flee. However, he didn't want to converse with her, not yet. Not that he would ever talk to her, if he possessed any good sense at all. Conversing with her required knowing what he wanted to do about her. He shoved those thoughts to the deepest reaches of his mind. No place in his world existed for her, and from what he could tell, none existed in hers for him. Not that leaving his world would ever be an option. He, a protector of his people, a Chosen of his Queen. His place resided with his Queen and people, not with a distraction, and not with one who shouldn't exist for him.

  He didn't budge.

  Something in her called to something in him. The draw to her went beyond her physical beauty. Her hair shone a dark auburn and fell just below the line of her jaw. When the sunlight hit her hair just right it shone a reddish bronze, silky, shining. Moto longed to run his fingers through her hair, and her eyes. Her eyes resembled the same deep-sea green as the oceans of Ki. The same eyes locked with his.

  He felt a jolt go through him, and not for the first time. He ducked behind the wall and cursed her for distracting him. He chided himself for not paying attention to her actions instead of admiring her features. He would have noticed her turning in his direction. He thought about taking another glimpse of her, and then dismissed the idea. He needed to be gone. He opened the Gateway doorway portal and stepped through. She distracted him. He didn't need that kind of distraction. He would resist, for as long as possible.

  Once on the other side and safely back on Ki, he sank to the forest floor. He leaned his head against the arched stone of the Ancestral Gateway, and not for the first time. He often sat like this after returning from her world. "Fool," he said to himself. He didn't know her name. He didn't know what drew him to her. Every time after his visit to her world ,to her, he felt her take a piece of him. He took a piece of her as well.

  He closed his eyes and savored the feel of her. He may not know her name, but he knew her. He felt a longing inside of her for something she herself felt no awareness of, and a sadness that she kept buried so deep he didn't know if she knew it existed inside of her. If he focused too much on that part of her, it felt strong enough to bring him to tears. If he didn't know better, he would think the bonding process began between the two of them.

  He shook his head against the thought. Impossible! Kahoali bonded with other Kahoali, and she was not Kahoali. Aside from that fact, she complicated things. Moto pushed off the ground and stood. He glanced at the darkening sky and cursed. Too much time passed. The evening repast began just after dark fell, and the light of day faded. Another example of just how much she distracted him. He couldn't afford the distraction. He would vow to never seek her out again, but he discovered he couldn't keep that vow. Somehow, he
would resist her pull. He would break this pattern and remove her from his thoughts. He decided to take back control over himself. He would focus on duty. He would stop focusing on the girl. He had a duty to his people, his Queen, a duty that left no room for complications or distractions, and certainly no room for a sea-green eyed slip of a girl!

  Chapter Two

  A shiver prickled the back of Kaily's neck. The same sensation she felt daily over the past few weeks. Ever since the first dream of him. She didn't turn to see the source of the sensation. She knew her dark warrior with strange hazel eyes sparked that shiver. The strange, intense hazel eyes with silver like webbing covering his irises, eyes she saw awake or asleep, they haunted her. She thought of him as a warrior, because of his stature. She glimpsed him in passing, with exception of her dreams. In her dreams she studied details about him she couldn't in person, assuming he was not an illusion, an imagined figure from her dreams. He stood tall and proud. She suspected she would be lucky if the top of her head touched his chin, and she was not a short person. Height alone did not feed her suspicion of his warrior status. His build and dress reminded her of a warrior from a time long past or imagined. She didn't know.

  "Dammit!" Kaily said under her breath. The shiver traveled past her neck down her back. She found her eyes drawn in his direction. She turned her head ever so slightly to get a better look. She couldn't help it. She felt drawn to him and she needed to know if he existed in reality or her mind. How could he be real? No one looked like him in reality. The hair on the back of her neck rose as her eyes locked with his. For one brief moment, she felt the ground shift beneath her feet. She felt the same shift before, each and every time their eyes met, and then in the next instance he disappeared, each and every time. Like an illusion which cleared the moment her eyes focused on it. This time was the longest her illusion remained before her eyes.

  It didn't to last. The moment she blinked he disappeared, like all the other times. Whether illusion or reality, she decided to figure it out right then and there. Kaily lifted her foot to take a step towards her dark warrior's previously occupied spot.

  "Are you listening to me, lassie?"

  "Aye," Kaily said with a silent sigh. She didn't fault Mr. Ferguson for disturbing her peace at the wrong moment. She knew he only did it because he cared about her, and both he and his wife were worried. "Aye," she said, "I am listening to you." She linked her arm in his and guided him towards the path that led home. The sooner she got him to go away, the sooner she could investigate.

  "Humph!"

  Kaily new Mr. Ferguson didn't believe her, but he let her guide him to the path. "Truly, I am." Kaily said. "I just came here to think." Not that thinking mattered now. She intended to get to investigating, just as soon as Mr. Ferguson took the hint and left her to her own peace.

  Mr. Ferguson patted her hand. "You spend too much time here thinking, lassie, and don't think I don't know about the other night you spent out here until the wee morning hours."

  Kaily smiled at him without reply. How well she remembered that night! She didn't intend to be out there all night, it just happened. It'd been the first time she saw her illusive dark warrior. He came and went so fast she thought she imagined him. A part of her still thought she imagined him. That night she didn't intended to stay, but once she started waiting for his return, she lost track of time. She thought that maybe if she concentrated hard enough, she might conjure him up again. She reasoned if he were imaginary, she could imagine him a second time. She couldn't. By the time she gave up night fell. She didn't want to risk trudging back to her cottage on the rocky path in the middle of the night. Even knowing the path as she did, only a fool walked it at night. So, that night she laid back, and lost her thoughts in the sprinkling starlight. She loved the lack of people, the wide-open spaces, and the splattering of stars not visible near cities due to light pollution. Of course, she froze her butt off. Her toes and fingers were numb by the time she stumbled back to her cottage in the wee morning hours. She soaked a long time in a hot bath the next morning.

  Mr. Ferguson stopped at the mouth of the path and turned to Kaily. "I know today is especially hard on you, lassie, but you've got family who care about you, you know."

  Kaily nodded. "I know. You and Mrs. Ferguson are wonderful, especially after, well you know, and I don't know what I'd do without you both. I just need to be alone today. Please understand."

  "I do, lassie." Mr. Ferguson patted her hand again. "Don't stay out here all night. We be besides ourselves if we lost you too." He gave her a pointed look.

  Kaily suppressed a sad smile. "I promise to be back before dinner." She said and waved him on.

  Kaily watched him go with sadness in her heart. She felt a moment of shame for sending him away, but this day she always spent alone, and he knew it. This year was exceptionally harder than the other four. The fifth-year anniversary of her parents' death, foster parents in reality, but the only parents she ever knew. Since they found her huddled in these very ruins those many years ago. They found a freezing, hungry and confused child that day. A child they couldn't communicate with.

  Her childhood language was unfamiliar to her foster mum, a linguist. Kaily could only imagine how hard for them to have this lost child who couldn't tell them anything about who she was or where she came from because of the language barrier. Especially frustrating for a linguist. Kaily often talked to herself in those days which was how they realized she spoke an unusual form of Gaelic. They learned to communicate with her by teaching her old Gaelic which was close enough to her language she picked it up fast. Later they taught her modern day English which she also picked up fast. They said she had a gift for languages. It helped that her foster father, an archaeologist, often took her on his outings to these very ruins while he excavated and chattered at her while he worked. Having that combination of foster parents made her life interesting, and they loved her deeply and she them. It didn't take long before she thought of them as her real parents. The past before them seemed nothing more than a dream until no past existed other than her parents and her.

  When they found her, she knew her name and age, seven years old, nothing more. Her parents didn't officially adopt her for reasons she didn't know, nor ever asked. They raised her as their own and all felt happy and blessed with each other. They couldn't conceive a child of their own much to Kaily's disappointment. She wanted a sibling. When she turned eighteen years old, they made her their sole heir to their estate, which included a large main house, cottage, laboratory and the castle ruins her parents discovered on their lands after they bought their estate. They kept it quiet. 'No need having anyone noising around,' her father said. They came from the Americas and were fortunate enough to be able to set up shop in Scotland.

  Right after her nineteenth birthday they died in a freak accident in their lab. Kaily to this day didn't understand how a linguist and archaeologist could die in a lab explosion. Their work in the lab didn't involve anything that could cause the kind of explosion to kill them. The authorities ruled their deaths an accident. She knew it couldn't be an accident, but she couldn't prove it. Their careers were not dangerous, and they were well liked. It didn't make sense.

  The first year after her parents' deaths, she hired a crew to pack up the artifacts and research that survived and donated it all to the University of Edinburgh. After, she demolished the entire laboratory against the advice of many including the Fergusons. She couldn't face the daily reminder of that dreadful day and what it cost her. She found it hard enough to live on their estate. She couldn't leave. She stayed in the cottage instead of the main house. She gave the main house to Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson to live in on the guise of it being too large for just her. She told them it would be easier for them to keep it up if they lived there. Even now, five years later, it felt too difficult for her to think about that fateful day. She didn't bother talking about it. It wouldn't change anything. She lost her parents, end of story.