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“What did Mom say?”
Alana swallowed the last of her sandwich and grabbed another one. “She was surprised.”
“That’s all?” Mara insisted.
Alana took a sip of her tea. “She was happy that the druids were on the cusp of emerging. She felt like her family had been successful in protecting the book, so it could be passed to the next generation of druids, but she didn’t believe it would be right away. I guess there is something in the book about needing certain events to pass before the temple can be restored.”
“There were preordained occurrences? Do you know what they were or if they have happened now?” Mara asked.
“No. I can’t read the book. Mom could only read a couple of the spells and she taught them to me. As far as I know, there were no other signs the druids were emerging except me.”
Mara nodded. “But she knew about us. So, the druids are mentioned in this book?”
Alana took a bite of her second sandwich. “I don’t know. Mom told me about the druids, but not where she learned about them. I was told to hold on to it and pass it down to a daughter who showed promise.”
Mara flinched, and they all felt her pain. The seer was the most powerful of all the druids and mated to the dragon leader, yet her own mother had missed the signs.
Kell leaned toward Alana. “You have had this sacred book since you were fifteen?”
Alana swallowed hard. “No. She gave it to me later.”
“It is a druid artifact. One intended for the gatekeeper. When did she give it to you?” Kell asked.
He felt her retreat into herself. She was so secluded he wondered how he would ever gain her trust. “Mom gave it to me after my graduation. I got it the day I left.”
Mara huffed. “That’s ironic. Did you know it was for Tempest?”
Alana shook her head. “Mom’s understanding of the druids and their connection to the temple was limited. She knew the book was important and that it belonged to a specific druid. Some spells, like testing for magic or if there is a magical artifact nearby, are universal to druids and were included in the book. Any druid can perform those spells, but I can’t read the Celtic script. Mom was always adept at foreign languages.”
Mara nodded. “That’s true. She spoke several and was offered a few jobs as an interpreter. I always wondered how she picked them up so easily.”
Kell rubbed his chin. “Your mother’s specialty was foreign language. There have been interpreters in the druid council. They could create and understand foreign spells as well as languages.”
Alana finished off her second sandwich. “Mom would have been a lot of fun to work with if she hadn’t...” her voice trailed off, but not before they heard the crack in her voice.
Mara stared at her sister, frowning when Alana grabbed a third sandwich. “Where is the book now?”
Alana chewed for a few moments. “I hid it at your store.”
Mara’s eyes widened. “It was destroyed in the fire?”
“No. It can’t be destroyed. It was under the rubble. I retrieved it a couple of days later.”
“It’s protected by magic?” Legion asked.
“Yup.”
“Where is it now?”
Alana shrugged. “Back at the store. Mom had wards on the store. I didn’t realize they fell with her. After you rebuilt it, you put them back, so I did the same. It’s in a hole in your garden. I didn’t want to have to remove debris if there was a similar incident.”
Legion growled. “I will never allow such a travesty to occur again.”
Alana nodded. “That’s what I thought, so I put it back. I travel too much and it’s heavier than it looks.”
Mara was quiet for some time. “You decided to leave me out of the most important part of your life. We were so close once. I know Mom told you to do it, but why did you continue once you knew she was dying?”
Alana drained the rest of her tea. “I thought about telling you at the funeral. I was pretty messed up; Mom was the only person I talked to after I left.” She glanced at Kell. “Anyone human, anyway.”
