The High Druid of Shannara Trilogy

Then a finger of blackness wormed its way under the door, the leading edge of a clutch of ragged tendrils. They twisted and groped as if seeking to snare her, as if the Ard Rhys was not enough, and Shadea stepped back quickly, poised to flee. She did not know what it was—some residue of the liquid night, perhaps—but she wasn’t about to find out. The fingers stretched a bit farther, crooking toward her, then slowly retreated and disappeared back beneath the door.

Shadea a’Ru was sweating heavily, the tunic beneath her Druid robes drenched. Something had happened in the Ard Rhys’ bedchamber, something that was the result of what Shadea had done—of that much, she was certain. But she could not know the particulars right away—not until morning, perhaps. No matter how desperate she was to find them out, she could do nothing but go back the way she had come and wait.

She exhaled heavily, quickly, a fear she had never felt suddenly caressing her in an all-too-familiar fashion. She backed away, still watching the door, retreating cautiously down the steps she had climbed more than an hour earlier, listening, listening.

By the time she reached the landing below and turned into the passageway leading out of the Keep’s stone walls, it was all she could do to keep from running.





SIX


In spite of the chill she experienced even coming near the bedchamber, Shadea a’Ru made certain she was among the first to discover that the leader of the Druid order was missing. She was there, waiting to speak to Grianne, when Tagwen appeared with breakfast. Employing her most subservient manner, she requested an audience at the Ard Rhys’ convenience. Tagwen gave her his patented nod of agreement, the one that said he would act on her request immediately while at the same time wishing she would disappear into the earth, and entered the chamber. As he went inside, Shadea caught a glimpse of the room and saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Maybe, she thought suddenly, nothing had happened after all. Maybe the liquid night had failed.

But a moment later the Dwarf reappeared, looking confused and not a little concerned. Had the Ard Rhys gone out already? he asked the Troll guard. They said she had not, that she had been in her room all night. When Tagwen hesitated, clearly uncertain about what to do next, Shadea stepped into the breach and took over.

“Where is your mistress?” she demanded of the Trolls. “Why isn’t she in her room? Have you let something happen to her?”

Without waiting for the response she knew they couldn’t give, she brushed past Tagwen and went in, glancing around quickly. The bed was unmade, the covers rumpled and tossed. Last night’s sleeping tea was set to one side, the cup empty. Notes for the meeting with Sen Dunsidan lay stacked neatly on her writing table, ready for use. A surreptitious glance at the wall behind which she had hidden and fed the liquid night into the chamber revealed nothing. There was no trace of the potion and none of Grianne Ohmsford, either. There was no indication at all of what had actually happened.

She spun back to face Tagwen, who had entered behind her, a furious look on his rough face. “Where is she, Tagwen?” she snapped, bringing him up short. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong!” he replied defensively, moving at once to the writing table to snatch up Grianne’s notes. “You can’t be in here, Shadea!”

“If nothing is wrong, then where is the Ard Rhys?” she demanded, ignoring his protest. “Why isn’t she in her room?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted, a prickly tone to his words, placing himself squarely in her path. “But I don’t see that it is your concern in any case.”

“It is the concern of all of us, Tagwen. She doesn’t belong to you alone. When did you see her last?”

The Dwarf looked mortified. “Just before midnight. She took her tea and was going to bed.” He looked around doubtfully. “She must have gone out.”

“Without the Troll watch seeing her?” Shadea looked around as if to make sure the Ard Rhys wasn’t somewhere plainly in view, then declared, “We need to make a search at once.”

“You can’t do that!” he exclaimed, appalled. “You don’t know that anything has happened to her! There’s no reason for a search!”

“There is every reason,” she declared firmly. “But we’ll keep it quiet for the moment. You and I are the only ones who need know of this until we make certain nothing is amiss. Or would you prefer we stand around doing nothing?”

Clearly at a loss as to what to do, he made no response to her unspoken accusation. Already she was assuming command of the Keep, and he could do nothing to prevent it. He didn’t fully realize yet what was happening; his concern for the Ard Rhys was clouding his judgment. Had he been thinking clearly, he might have wondered at how quick Shadea was to act. She smiled inwardly at his obvious confusion. He would do better to forget the Ard Rhys and worry about himself. But he would come to that particular realization too late.