Returned

Sirona stepped into the air with Arawn and they drifted over the treetops. How long had it been since she set off with Arawn? It felt as though it had been too quick but also too long. She hadn’t been keeping track of the days. Could it have been weeks? Months?
“How long have we been gone?” she asked, twirling slowly in a bit of turbulence.
“A few weeks,” Arawn said.
It was somehow longer than she imagined. It seemed like a lifetime ago she was escaping the Herald. It was hard to believe that it had been only two or so weeks since she had fallen from the sky.
She looked down at the forest as they flew over it. The height should be making her heart race in terror, but she felt nothing about it. Flight felt almost as familiar as walking now as if she was finding something she should have always known how to do.
For a moment, she wondered if she had come so far in such a short amount of time, how much farther would she have to go to be ready to attack Conna?
Power coursed through her like a rive, but she still hadn’t managed to best Arawn in a duel. She could defend herself, but he’d broken her metal sword and had started forcing her to conjure blades out of the air the way he did just a few days prior.
She could conjure a simple rapier now, but she looked forward to the day she could conjure a better sword and not feel like Arawn was just holding back while fighting her.
Sirona felt stronger in every way possible. She didn’t tire as easily. She wasn’t even sure when the last time she’d eaten was, but she didn’t feel hungry.
“I think you’ve come far in your training,” Arawn said lightly. “You need more practice.”
It was an understatement in some ways. She’d progressed by leaps and bounds in a very short amount of time, but he could tell that there was still a great deal more she had to learn. He felt more of her deeper, more powerful abilities slowly starting to surface while they trained, but there was something still holding her back.
He had originally planned to keep her out in the world training until he’d plumbed those depths and made her into a truly fearsome existence, but whispers about the war meant it was better to head back and check on things. Fedelm would get antsy and distracted if he didn’t check in often enough and he hadn’t checked in on Anu’s activities lately.
To be fair, she hadn’t peered at him lately either. He didn’t think she was still gloating about their little confrontation. It was more likely that she was rampaging across the northern continent and thus too busy to peek across the river at him.
Sirona smiled, “I promise to practice while you’re away.”
Arawn smirked at her, “Of that, I have no doubt.”
She wasn’t sure how, but she figured hunting would be a good place to start. Druid had to like meat. She didn’t know if his divine sight helped him hunt or if he just bought meat at the market. As they flew through the air towards Druid’s town, she realized exactly how little she knew about Druid.
“How long will you be away?”
He lifted a shoulder, “Not long. I will see you sooner than you think.”
He trailed his fingers across her hand until he could twine their fingers together. She smiled a little at the giddy feeling of their powers mingling between their palms. Arawn squeezed her hand gently.
“So, I’ll know sooner if you haven’t been heading my instructions.”
She chuckled.
“Spend a few days with Druid,” he said, “Then come to the capital.”
Her eyes widened, “The capital?”
He nodded, “That is where I stay most days. In the palace. Let’s say in four days I should expect you in the capital?”
“How will I find you?”
He chuckled, “I will know when you arrive, but you can simply head to the palace. It’s in the center of the city.”
Sirona’s presence felt like a beacon in the night even this close. He’d be able to feel her approach easily. That ability was one he wasn’t sure if he shared with Anu, but he hadn’t chanced crossing the river since their deal was struck. If it was something she could do, he wasn’t sure how effective Sirona’s attack on the capital would be in the long run, but it didn’t matter.
He’d just have to make sure that when she went, she’d have the opportunity to kill Anu and every advantage on her side.
“Will I be able to feel your presence one day?”
Arawn licked his lips, “Yes, with a bit of practice.”
Sirona nodded, “It would make it hard to sneak up on me if I could.”
He chuckled, “There are other means of surprising you.”
They drifted over the town towards the garden behind Druid’s home. She drifted down into the garden as Druid opened the back door carrying his harvesting basket. Joy filled her as she landed gently.
“Druid!” Sirona called, her voice bright and happy.
Druid watched her come towards her, almost blinded by how much brighter her inner light was and how much darker the edges of her aura were. He thought back to the vision he’d had several nights ago and the shockwave of power that had drawn him from bed. There was doubt that she had changed, but he had never imagined it would be so profound. She threw her arms around him in a tight embrace and he was a bit dazed as her power enveloped him.
He heard screams of agony and flashes of light. It wasn’t quite a vision but an impression that was still seated in her aura. He felt a foreign, all-consuming fury and bloodlust that he let roll through him as he embraced her gently.
“Welcome back, Sirona.”
The changes were more profound. He looked over to Arawn who had changed as well. His inner light had lost some of its darkness. Druid didn’t know what that change meant, but he knew it was related to Sirona. He’d have to pray for clarity later.
“He said that every deity started as a mage,” she said. “They increased their importance in the minds of the people and developed a following that way.”
A little twinge of annoyance went through him. Of course, Arawn didn’t tell her the full truth. Idols and deities were related. Some mages had been deified after their deaths, but they weren’t true deities like Arawn and Sirona. Druid considered correcting her, but his instincts and the little whisper of the Supreme One that was always at the back of his mind told him that it wasn’t time for Sirona to know the full truth.
Besides, telling her something contradictory to Arawn’s teachings might just turn her against him. It would be better to gently nudge her into critically thinking about Arawn’s teachings and learning to discern for herself what was the truth and what wasn’t.
It would be a long road as it was clear that she was smitten with Arawn, but he wouldn’t turn away from it, despite the sting of knowing that it would end badly and he would have to put the pieces back together.
“While there is some truth to it,” Druid said slowly. “Being a mage and being a deity is not the same thing.”
Sirona frowned, “Is it just a matter of power?”
“I think you would be better off finding that out for yourself,” he smiled. “Though if you can believe it, I do not have a following.”
Sirona laughed, “I don’t believe that at all.”
He lifted a shoulder, “It is not one that I have cultivated if it exists at the least.”
Druid wasn’t the kind of man to start a following or proclaim his name in the streets. He didn’t even have a name of his own. Sirona crouched beside him.
“I’ve been tasked with practicing using my powers… I thought maybe hunting would be of some help.”
Druid’s lips twitched, “Are you hunting something to eat or for sport?”
Sirona frowned, “Well, I’ll admit I’m not sure what’s eatable other than rabbits.”
He chuckled, “We’ll have to expand your palette. Maybe instead of hunting, you could try something less destructive.”
Sirona considered it, “Like what? Your garden is already so lush.”
“Healing? Maybe attempt to have a vision. Fortune-telling.”
She thought of the priests of Anu who would read people’s fortunes, though it was obvious to her now that the more coin they offered to the temple, the better their fortune turned.
“How do I do that?”
Druid stood, dusting off his hands, “I’ll teach you, but let’s eat first. I’m sure you’re pretty hungry from traveling.”
“Actually, I’m not hungry at all,” she said thoughtfully, “But I would never say no to some of that delicious stew you make.”