Episode 19: Part 2

Early that morning Kristen Bloom gave a tired yawn and shuffled back into her apartment's living room holding a teapot and some cups. After having been awakened at four in the morning by Noelle's emergency phone call, the young Druid was too tired to care about her appearance as her visitors sat waiting. If anyone was going to complain about her messily tied up hair, her old green night robe and the bags under her eyes, then they could just sit outside instead. In a way, it was also blessing that this was a Saturday and that her shop was closed today too.

As she served the tea, Kristen watched in dismay as Noelle hustled around the room trying to keep several animals... or rather, the other knights under control. On the couch, Aaron took a cup of tea gratefully and gave a contrite look, "I'm terribly sorry about all this Miss Bloom. I'm sure the last thing you need right now is a bunch of strangers and animals intruding on your home this early in the morning.

"Well... no use in complaining," Kristen sighed as she poured herself a cup, "When you're helping to guard the valley, you're kind of on call twenty four-seven anyway."

"I'm still getting over the fact that you're an actual ranked Druid with an official Order and everything," Artemis remarked as she studied some of the Celtic decor of Kristen's apartment and the Druid staff propped up in a corner by a bookshelf, "I mean... that's so cool!"

"Missy here's had some exposure to Druidic magic, but she's never really met any official ones or gotten formal instruction," Aaron pointed out as he took a sip.

"Ah geez! Do you really have to use that silly nickname around others?" Artemis mumbled in mild annoyance toward her brother as she came to sit down with him, "It's bad enough you dragged me all the way out here from Castelan to look at colleges for next year."

Kristen cleared her throat and tried to cut off any further sibling squabbles, "But I doubt touring Somerset University is the least of everyone's concerns now, am I right?"

Everyone stopped to see the rabbit form of Quinton hop over curiously and snuffle around near Artemis. Noelle came over and handed the younger girl a carrot from the fridge to feed him with and give him something to nibble on. Meanwhile, Stephen the falcon had perched on the top of a tall bookshelf to take a nap while the dog and cat forms of Connor and Laura began to squabble and tussle on the rug.

"Hey! Break it up you two!" Noelle called as she separated them. Laura gave a sniff and skulked off to a corner to lick herself clean while Noelle carried Connor over to her chair and placed him on her lap while she sat. The corgi stopped squirming and simply curled up contentedly while she started petting him and listened in on the conversation.

"From what you told me, it sounds like this Morgana has somehow possessed the Faerie Leanansidhe and is using her as a vessel to carry out her plans. This wouldn't be The Morgana Le Fay of ancient Arthurian lore... is it? Many younger Druids still speak about her with fear."

"The very one Miss Bloom," Aaron nodded gravely, "My fellow Rangers and I have battled her on numerous occasions and she's even possessed my sister in the same way once before."

Artemis momentarily shivered at the memories before sighing, "It's too bad Merlin or Lancelot aren't around to help us stop her. I thought she was going to be sealed for good when that John Constantine guy bottled her up last."

"Merlin? Lancelot? And Constantine?" Kristen and Noelle exclaimed together incredulously.

The Autumn Knight shook her head, "What the... I thought he was just some comic book television character."

"Oh, in a way... he's a bit of a myth himself," Aaron explained, "Trust me... whatever you think you know about him from the media is a load of rubbish."

Kristen rubbed her eyes tiredly, "Okay... so let me get this straight. We've got a fey witch who is now superpowered by an ancient evil entity, an eight foot tall wendigo on the rampage, and our entire team has been turned into a petting zoo."

"Yup. Sounds about right," Artemis said as she continued to feed Quinton a carrot and stroke his rabbit ears.

Noelle cast a worried glance to their mentor, "Kristen, what are we going to do? What if the Fomorians regroup and attack again?"

The Druid stood up and paced the room thoughtfully, "First thing's first. To start, we'll have to find a way to undo Morgana's curse."

"Piece of cake. You're a master Druid right?" Artemis said hopefully, "I'm sure you know a spell to fix everything in a snap."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Kristen sighed, "Morgana is an ancient evil and her magic is far more powerful than most of us. If I'm going to hope to try and reverse it, I'm going to need something that will help inhibit the power of witches."

Aaron raised a curious eyebrow, "That something being?"

"I was thinking of using ingredients from a Rowan tree," Kristen answered, "Throughout much of early history, people believed that the tree had powers to help ward off evil and counter witchcraft. Many people in England and the Druids of Europe thought that to be true."

Connor started to stir restlessly but calmed down when Noelle began scratching behind his ears, "All right... so we just find a Rowan tree in the woods and that's it, right?"

"Again... not that simple," Kristen sighed, "If we were going head to head with a vanilla mortal witch, then yes. But we're going to need something far more potent. We're going to need some Rowan from the Faerie Realm. I know of a grove in the region of Summer, but it's protected by fierce guardians. I can't do this alone."

"I'll go," Aaron volunteered but the Druid shook her head.

"No. We're going to need people here to help slow down the Fomorians if they attack again. Noelle, this is your hometown so you're going to be needed here too."

The Autumn Knight nodded, "I understand. I'll help take care of the others here too until you return."

"I guess that leaves just me then, huh?" Artemis said hesitantly.

"Well, you did say you were kind of a Druid too, weren't you?"

Artemis gave a reluctant groan, "Yeah, but this whole thing isn't going to involve any more studying or learning new spells... will it?"

The older Druid magically called her own staff from the corner and caught it in her hand, "Get your things ready kiddo. We'll leave in an hour."

Deep in the underground caverns where the Fomorians called home, Leanansidhe made her way into the Great Hall of Lord Balor. Upon entering, she saw several warriors standing guard while the warlord sat upon his iron chair. At the foot of the throne, the redcap Seamus Killarny waited with a bored look while he filed his nails. The murderous faerie disguised in fine blood red clothes had recovered from his injuries and took on his glamored Elvish form once again.

Upon the throne, Balor regarded his other general with irritation as she entered, "Leanansidhe, where have you been? I do not retain you to sit idle and waste time."

Seamus snorted in amusement but kept his mouth shut while the witch eyed him threateningly before turning to her master. "Lord Balor, I've been busy tending to the injuries of a new creature I had summoned. I had called forth a wendigo and wanted to surprise you, but those meddling knights got in the way."

Seamus stopped in surprise while Balor sat back in his chair with a lighter expression. "A wendigo... that is impressive. You must be getting stronger then?"

"I had been devoting some extra time to practice and grow stronger in order to serve," Leanansidhe replied with an ingratiating smile.

Balor mumbled to himself a moment and scratched his chin, "Very well. Once your beast has fully recovered, I want you to go level that town and bring me the rings of those knights. Do I make myself clear?"

"Of course Lord Balor. I will do as you ask."

Upon exiting the portal space, Artemis blinked her eyes and looked around to examine her surroundings. She was standing in a lush sunny orchard with all sorts of colorful flowers and unique trees growing all over the place. The air was warm and balmy with a faint hint of the flowers' perfume hanging in the air. For a moment, it was like she was standing in a beautifully maintained botanical garden during a perfect summer day. Alongside her, Kristen stood holding her own staff and wearing her green Druid robes of the Juniper Order.

"Wow! That was very cool!" Artemis grinned as she stopped to admire some colorful pixies flit by in the air, "I had no idea the Faerie Realm would be so pretty!"

Kristen kept her eyes on their surroundings to scan for signs of danger, "It's a double edged sword here Artemis, just like nature. This realm is pristine and beautiful, but it's also very primal and dangerous."

"So... where are we exactly?"

The older Druid began to walk down a lane in the orchard, "This is an orchard belonging to the noble Faeries of the Summer Court. While the fey of this region are generally more friendly toward humans, the guardians who protect their holdings will probably be much less understanding so we have to tread carefully."

The younger girl nodded and walked close beside Kristen as they made their way deeper into the wooded area. "Um... how are we going to find these Rowan trees? It's not like there are signs or arrows posted around here."

"We do what all Druids are trained to do. We open our senses, concentrate, and then become one with our surroundings."

Artemis tilted her head curiously and gave a skeptical look, "You guys can really do that? You can really do the whole commune with the nature spirits and stuff?"

"Not if you keep talking," Kristen sighed patiently while closing her eyes and clearing her mind. The girl watched quietly as Kristen stood in what looked to be some sort of meditative trance and glow with a gentle green aura. The older Druid used her training to extend her senses outward while attuning herself to the realm of Summer and the vibrant life energy which flowed through the place. After a minute, Kristen opened her eyes and smiled, "I found them. Follow me."

Artemis followed and continued to look around the beautiful orchard lands in awe, "That's pretty amazing. Do you think I'd be able to do that one day?"

"If you're willing to put in the time and commitment, I'm sure you could."

Artemis wrinkled her nose, "I dunno. Studying and training has never really been my thing. Part of the reason my brother and I came all the way up to Somerset Valley from Pennsylvania was because he wanted me to get serious about school and the idea of college. Sometimes I think the whole thing is a big waste."

"Maybe... but doesn't mean we shouldn't keep learning and trying to improve ourselves," Kristen mused thoughtfully, "We could all stand to do that. I've been teaching the other knights quite a bit... maybe I could show you a thing or two as well."

Artemis mumbled quietly as Kristen grinned, "You know... in a way, I was a little like you when I was a bit younger. In addition to going to school and learning everything I needed to, my family insisted that I follow tradition and master the Druid arts too. I thought learning it was a waste of time early on too."

"What made you change your mind?" Artemis asked curiously.

"Well... one of the things Druids learn is how connected and interdependent all beings of the earth are with each other. When you put that in perspective, you realize that you've got a role to fulfill and a lot of people depend on you... especially when it comes to stopping the Fomorians and helping support the other Hibernian Knights."

Artemis smiled faintly at the wise words and nodded quietly, "Those are some wise words Miss Bloom. I think I'd like to be as smart and cool when I'm as old as you. I'll bet being one with nature and all help keeps you just as pretty, right?"

"Oh for Christ's sake, I'm not that old!" Kristen grumbled while throwing her hands up in exasperation.

After a short walk, the two women finally came upon a clearing where a few large boulders sat in the grove. Growing atop them where thick hardy looking trees with somewhat knarled branches bearing distinct red berries. The Druid stopped and pointed forward with her staff, "There it is! Those are flying Rowan trees. If lore holds correctly, we should be able to use the wood and berries of those trees to create powerful counter charms against Morgana's sorcery."

"Fair point... except there's a little bit of a problem," Artemis gulped. She pointed forward toward an edge of the glade where two large guardians spotted them and lumbered closer. The guardians of the orchard were large broadly built warriors who resembled humanoid elephants. Each wore heavy steel body armor over the red robes of Summer and they carried intimidating looking mauls. "What do we do now?"

Kristen swallowed hard and stood tall while gripping her staff tightly, "First we try not to pick a fight with the Summer Court... but if all else fails... we do whatever it takes to get at those trees and escape."

Artemis swallowed some fear as she watched the elephant warriors approach and she gripped her own staff. If push came to shove, she was hoping she could learn some handy new combat spells or moves from Kristen... and learn them really fast.

Back at Kristen's apartment, Noelle went about doing an afternoon round of zoo-keeping duty to make sure the other knights were safe and cared for. Both she and Aaron had taken naps earlier in the day and now played the waiting game, either for the Druids to return or for the enemy to attack. While Noelle worked, Aaron busied himself in the kitchen, using his own talent at cooking to make some homemade chicken stew from scratch.

While Noelle felt bad for her transformed friends, it was also kinda fun getting a little practice at some things that a veterinarian might have to deal with. She had used a wire wastebasket as a birdcage for Stephen and changed the newspaper lining underneath before going to set down Quinton in a cardboard box with a blanket to keep him safe. As she did, she heard Laura whine and paw at her leg until the Autumn Knight fetched her some water and put it in a little dish on the floor, "Relax girl. I didn't forget about you."

After giving the cat a light pet on the head, she turned and heard a small ruckus in the other side of the apartment near the bedroom door. The Autumn Knight hurried over and found Connor shaking one of Kristen's slippers in his mouth before trying to scurry away. She immediately picked the little dog up and pulled the slipper away, "Oh no you don't. You're a lot of trouble, you know that?"

The corgi tiled his head and licked her cheek before giving a bark. She sighed and affectionately snuggled with the dog while carrying him back into the living room, "Yeah... you're just lucky I think you're cute."

"Ah, were you talking about the dog or your friend inside?" Aaron gently teased as he walked in carrying some bowls of soup.

"Oh... well the dog of course," Noelle sheepishly answered as she set Connor down and he darted off to play some more. "Uh... you don't think my friends know what's going on right now, do you?"

Aaron glanced at the little menagerie in the room and gave a non-committal shrug while handing her some soup, "Who knows?"

Noelle grimaced and began to eat, "I hope Kristen and Artemis get back soon."

Aaron gave a thoughtful look and chuckled, "Don't worry. I know my sister can seem like a little bit of a ditz, but when things get tough you can always rely on her to pull through."

Before they could talk more, they heard Kristen's cell phone ring from a nearby countertop. Noelle sprung to her feet to retrieve it while Aaron frowned, "Miss Bloom didn't take her phone?"

"It's not like it'd do her any good in the Faerie Realm, right?" Noelle replied as she answered the call, "Hello? Mr. O'Doyle? Yes... it's Noelle."

Aaron stopped eating and listened while the Autumn Knight spoke on the phone to some Mr. O'Doyle and briefly explained the situation.

"Okay... got it. We're on the way," Noelle finished as she turned to her new ally, "That was a local friend of ours, an elder Druid. He says there's trouble. It looks like the monsters might be back."

Aaron rose quickly and headed for the door, "All right then. There's no time to waste. Let's go!"

Noelle moved to follow him before stopping to address her animal friends one more time, "I promise we'll be back soon. Please... just behave, okay?"

She closed the door behind her and hurried off hoping that for the time being, this would all be enough.

A/N:
Happy New Years everyone! It's been a good past year and I want to say thanks again to all the people who read and enjoy my work. You're all awesome and I appreciate the support. I look forward to another great year of adventures and fun talking with you guys too. Take care and here's wishing everyone a wonderful new start!