Druidess Found (Druidess Trilogy Book 1) Machelle Hanleigh (best ebook reader under 100 .TXT) 📖

would do or how she would react. Her world remained isolated from the rest of the Universe. Most of the other worlds he visited on his travels for answers held Inhabitants who knew they were not alone in the Universe. Many of those Inhabitants remained on their worlds without traveling between any of the other worlds in the Universe. Still, they knew of the existence of other Inhabitants and worlds. The Inhabitants of her world did not. Something about her kept drawing him to her. Something which kept him going back to her anyway he could. Anyway, he could and remain unknown to her.

"Lovely girl."

Moto dumped the water in the bowl and sent it back to his hut as he glared at Shimani. His unawareness of Shimani's approach indicated just how distracted she kept him. He, a trained Kahoali warrior, distracted by a slip of a girl! No one, not even his protege, should be able to sneak up on him without him knowing it!

Shimani sat down next to Moto and smiled despite the glare that would send others scrambling for cover. "What do you want?" Moto asked.

"Thought you might like some company," Shimani said.

"You mean the Queen sent you to check up on me."

Shimani shrugged, "that too."

Moto shook his head and looked out over Crystal Lake. This place often provided him peace, and usually without interruption. The early morning light gleamed off the mist of the waterfall and brushed the surface of the glass smooth water. Much of Crystal Lake and meadow were illusion like, not exactly an illusion, but close to the untrained eye. A path led from each of the six original Kahoali villages to Crystal Lake. Not directly, the paths were portals from and to each of the villages. Moto turned his attention back to Shimani. "Tell the Queen I'm fine."

Shimani's smile faded and his features took on a serious demeanor.

Moto shook his head, "Don't."

One of Shimani's eyebrows rose, "Queen Shakti has every reason to be concerned about you."

"You agree with her?" Moto knew his tone bordered on hostile. Normally, he tried to be more patient with Shimani, but this time, he didn't bother. He didn't like being checked up on, and he didn't like that Shimani caught him in a weak moment.

Shimani shook his head, "I didn't say that."

"Then what are you saying?" Moto couldn't keep the bite out of his tone. He knew Shimani didn't side with the rest of them, but he felt out of sorts and not in the mood for politeness.

"Who's the girl?" Shimani asked instead.

"No one," Moto hoped his tone communicated to Shimani he intended not to talk about the girl.

"I see."

"No, you don't see. No one sees." Moto stood and walked back and forth. The movement did nothing to dispel his agitation.

Shimani remained seated. Moto credited it to Shimani's occasional good sense. "I do see, Moto. I see what the night terrors are doing to you. How you are not sleeping. How your travels are taking you away from the village, and your responsibilities for longer and longer periods of time. How you stopped taking me with you on those travels. How you lack basic control over your emotions."

So much for good sense, Moto thought to himself. He held up his hand. "Enough!"

Shimani stood and waited.

Moto impatiently tied his long, dark braids back at the nape of his neck. "My apologies," he said with a slight nod of his head. Shimani didn't deserve his anger or his frustration. The girl maybe, not Shimani, for the most part.

Shimani acknowledged Moto's apology with a nod of his head and waited.

"What?" Moto demanded. Shimani could be almost as irritating as he himself. Serves him right, he thought to himself, for taking Shimani under his tutelage.

"What's changed?" Shimani asked.

Moto shook his head, "I don't know." He started pacing by the water's edge while staring down into the depths. The soft meadow carpet gave way to the water's edge. He didn't step on to the edge as he knew it dropped off despite the illusion that the edge of the lake gradually grew deeper. Moto shook his head again. He felt irritated. As the night terrors continued and time passed, he noticed himself growing more and more agitated, and he couldn't explain or understand why. He forced himself to stop pacing and faced Shimani, "I don't know," he said. "The night terror is the same. The outer villages abandoned and the inner villages under attack. I can't see who's attacking us, ever. I feel the heat of the fire as the huts burn around me. I hear the screams of pain. I feel the death and destruction of our people, of all our people, Shimani. I stand in the middle of the destruction, helpless to stop it. I stand there, doing nothing!" Moto ran his hand through his dark, tiny braids untying them in the process.

Shimani didn't reply. He stood there and waited for Moto to continue.

Moto looked out over the meadow to the forest edge behind Shimani. "I sense we are running out of time, and I am no closer to finding anyone who can help me understand the night terrors. No one to tell me if they are just night terrors or a vision of what's to come." He focused his attention on Shimani. "If they are not visions, I can rest in peace and endure the night terrors, but if they are visions of future events," Moto left the rest unspoken. Both he and Shimani knew the potential consequences if they were visions and not night terrors. "I am no closer to finding answers. How am I supposed to make Queen Shakti understand the danger when I can't tell her with certainty, they are visions?" Moto not only felt helpless, he was helpless. He couldn't answer the questions Queen Shakti and the Shanees posed to him.

Shimani opened his mouth as if to reply but closed it without saying anything.

Moto knew there was nothing left to be said. Out of anyone in