The High Druid of Shannara Trilogy

He nodded. “Do you know the story from your uncle?”


“All of it. It is the most famous story of this generation. My family doesn’t much care for it because they hold your aunt responsible for my grandfather’s assassination and Uncle Ahren responsible for helping her escape them and found the new Druid order at Paranor. My brother is the worst. I don’t agree with any of them. That’s why I’m here. I am training with my uncle to be a Druid. In secret.”

“Your family doesn’t know?”

She shook her head. “They think I come here only to visit, so they leave me alone. They don’t know the truth.”

He stepped a little closer, lowering his voice. “My parents don’t know where I am. They think I am still back in Patch Run.”

“What will they do when they find out you’re not?”

He smiled. “Track me down. They can do it, too. But they won’t find out for a while. They’re off in the Anar on an expedition, guiding customers hunting and fishing. They won’t get back for weeks. So they won’t know.”

She smiled back. “Looks like we have something in common.”

They reached Ahren’s cottage, where the Druid provided Pen and Tagwen with fresh clothes, a bucket of water, and cloths with which to wash up. The pair did so, and returned to find that Khyber had prepared the promised black tea and set out some cheese and bread, as well. Since neither had eaten since early morning, when they had set out from somewhere below the Mermidon, they devoured the food hungrily and drank down the entire pot of tea.

When they were finished, Tagwen rocked back in his seat, glanced across the table at Ahren to be certain he was listening, and said, “I’ll tell you why we’ve come now, but it might not be something you want to share with Khyber.” He gave her a pointed look. “No offense is meant, young lady, but the truth is you might be better off not knowing what we have to say. There is some danger involved.”

The girl looked at her uncle, who shrugged. “I am not much good at keeping secrets from Khyber,” he said, smiling. “In any case, she would have it out of me before the sun was down. If you don’t mind, I’ll let her stay to hear your story.”

Tagwen nodded. “She can quit listening when she decides she doesn’t want to hear any more. I’ll leave it at that.”

Leaning forward, arms resting on the tabletop, bearded face scrunched up so that he looked as if he was about to undertake the most difficult task of his life, he began his story. He related the events surrounding the disappearance of the Ard Rhys, the dismissal of Kermadec and his Rock Trolls, his own decision to seek help from Grianne’s brother, his arrival at Patch Run and meeting with Pen, and their subsequent flight from Terek Molt and the crew of the Druid airship Galaphile. He ended with the unexpected appearance of the King of the Silver River, come out of nowhere to save them from Terek Molt and to tell them of what they must do.

The longer Tagwen’s story went on, the more ridiculous it sounded to Pen and the more foolish he felt for coming even that far. What the King of the Silver River expected him to do—even if you accepted that it really was the King of the Silver River and not some malevolent shade—was patently impossible. For a boy with no practical magic to go alone into the Forbidding was so arrogant and pigheaded that no right-thinking person would even consider it. Pen didn’t have to know the particulars of what lay behind the Faerie magic that closed away the creatures of the Forbidding to know that he had virtually no chance of surviving a journey inside. He might be able to find and secure the darkwand from the tanequil—though that was debatable, as well—but he saw no way he could reasonably expect to rescue the Ard Rhys once he had done so.

By the time Tagwen had concluded, Pen could not bring himself to look at Ahren Elessedil. He imagined himself in the other’s shoes, thinking that he would dismiss this whole business in a heartbeat. The Dwarf had been so certain Ahren would help them, but looking at it now, Pen couldn’t see any reason why.

He glanced over at the Druid in spite of himself and found the other staring back.

“This is a terrible responsibility you have been given, Penderrin,” Ahren Elessedil said quietly. “I am surprised you found the courage to accept it.”

Pen stared. It was not what he had expected the Druid to say. “I was just thinking that it might have been a good idea to think it through a little more.”