If he had paid attention, he would have seen the light leave the brave young mans eyes before he reacted. He would have seen the last breath leave his body long before Ossian raised the blade. If he had paid any damn attention he would have realized that this was willing and a means of honor. But all he could see was the knife, and the dark firelight casting a shadow on the brave youth.
No one knew how to react when Mozenrath burst from the bushes to stop the knife from falling. There was not enough time to stop him, nor enough to speak when he suddenly grabbed hold of the young mans hand and the whole world crawled to a stand still.
When Mozenrath's hand touched his, a great breath erupted from the young mans chest. His eyes flew open and he began to breath with steady confidence. Mozenrath's mouth dropped open and he tried to jerk away, only to be grabbed with ferocity and pulled in close to the alter. He tried to scream, to ask for help, but there was no opportunity, all of the druids stood back, waiting, wanting to see the outcome.
The sacrificial man looked Mozenrath straight in the eyes, clasping onto his cheeks with a mighty grip when he tried to pull away. "The boar had begun his charge." He said with a voice barely human. He gave another great breath and lifted his head aloft, screaming to the heavens. "The boar has begun his charge!"
Mozenrath screamed and slammed his hands into the mans chest, falling back to the ground and staggering away. Hands fell upon his shoulders, holding him in place as the youth suddenly became very still and sunk in an almost dreamy way back to the cold stone.
Mozenrath looked up into Iaine's magnificent eyes, and fainted.
"Well this certainly simplifies things." Tristan said with a secretive smile on his face as the other druids talked amongst themselves. The ritual had been completed as soon as Mozenrath had been brought back to the village and tended to by some of the unmarried maidens. Ossian felt somewhat awkward as the sacrifice, dispatching a body which had just recently woken from a very power( but painless) poison to give a stunningly well timed prophesy. But still, there were other things to consider here, promises had been made and despite a little interference the ritual had gone on as planned. Now there was one question left.
What to do with the interloper?
"Simplifies things!" Essus roared, raising from his place on the bench. "Are you joking Tristan? This necromancer walked into the middle of a privet ritual and botched the entire thing! And we all just stood there like a bunch of deer caught in the torch light and…"
Ossian reached up and cuffed Essus on the back of the head. "Sit down and shut your yap. We can all hear ya without having to scream." He snorted and drew back his hood to ignore the insulted glare from Essus. "What I'm more interested in is the fact that he awoke a prophesy without the use of his magical glove. I thought for sure all his powers were tied up in that dark thing."
"But this could show potential." Cigfa, a woman of at least as many years as Tristan spoke up. "We all know the signs, they were spotted in us as children before we were asked…"
"As children." Another druid by name of Kilydd spoke up. "We were identified as child and trained from then on. Someone, someone warped and twisted, taught this boy magic from a very young age, or there is no way he would have sensed the pulse from the Otherworld that drew him to our ritual grove."
"Exactly what worries me." Ossian said. "He may not remember it, but the magic he was taught is filthy, unbalanced stuff. It's ingrained in his blood now. To the point of where he's not even aware he's being called to it." He drew the brown leather glove from his hip pocket, showing it to the others gathered. "I tell you now, no matter what is decided, this thing must be hidden or destroyed. It longs for a master, and will take back Mozenrath if it can." He threw it down in the middle of the ground, spitting on the fine leather angrily. To everyone's disgust the liquid hissed and gurgled back at him from the fabric.
"But if he can be taught a new way." Iaine said cautiously. "Darkness and light must exist together, this is one of the first lessons we learn as druids. We use the balance of nature in cooperation with our own powers. Once we learn this, it becomes almost second nature to care for our actions as we do for the green beneath us." She insisted. "I believe he could be taught this."
Tristan looked her up and down. "And…what makes you think him able to learn these new ways, our ways?"
"Did he not jump to defend that man? We think of this in the light of a willing sacrifice, going to the Otherworld in lee of his brothers in arms. To us it is a honorable and glorious death, a warriors right to chose how he passes. But to him it is a victim and a helpless person. He did not know that had he rescued that man, he only would have returned to the alter later to accept his honors."
"You are saying he has light, though he is unaware of it." Cigfa said.
"As unaware as he is of his darkness. Or so I think." Iaine closed her mouth and sat back, taking a sip of mead. She had said her peace, now it was time to let the words sink in.
"Not a choice to be made lightly Tristan." A druidess passing through from Connacht named Varia looked at the chief druid. There was something of a rivalry between Connacht and Ulster, seemed there always had been. And though druids passed through the deepest of enemy territories unharmed by tradition, there was always something of a game between rival groves to see how one another handled stress and unexpected complications. No doubt word would be carried back to the other druids of their respective kingdoms.
Tristan sighed and looked at the moon above. "Nor one to be made without a good nights sleep." He said smoothly. "My friends, Beltane has taken a toll on us, and it has been a doubly tiring night. May I suggest a good nights rest and a nice meal in the morning before we confer." There were weary nods all around, the kind that only hours of dancing, drinking, and singing can bring about. Even Varia gave a nod and stood up. "Very well. Ossian, where did you put our guest for the night?"
"He's over on the bachelors hut under the most powerful sleeping spell I could lay on him." Ossian gave a gruff nod. "I asked Fergus's daughter Savern to make sure he stays in bed and asleep." He gave an earthy chuckle. "Even if he does wake up, she'll make sure he doesn't go anywhere."