Filip nodded slowly. “Aye.”
“So, we help her.”
“It’s been a while since I did that kind of work,” Filip said with a sigh.
Scott grinned. “Our mission is to convince Elodie to join us. That means we do whatever we have to in order to make that possible. Admit it. It’s a great way in.”
Filip chuckled as he shook his head. “It is that.”
Scott didn’t hold back his grin as they walked to Filip’s SUV. He glanced up at the sky, wondering which constellation Elodie had been looking at or if it was just the moon in general. There was a lot more to Elodie MacLean than most realized. He planned to peel back each layer until he knew her better than she did. It’s what Scott did. It was why George had sent him.
He wasn’t exactly proud of his ability, but the magic came in handy. Usually, his charm and smooth words were enough, but his magic was always at the ready when they weren’t. Things were at a crossroads for their organization. George had taken him aside and let him know just how dire things were. They needed Elodie. She was the answer.
Scott had asked Georgina what kind of magic Elodie had, but George hadn’t elaborated. She’d simply said, “She’s the answer.”
That’s all Scott needed to hear. He trusted Georgina completely. His companion, however, was another matter. Filip wanted to help, but it was evident that misery tore him in two. Scott glanced at Filip as they drove. “Saw you with your friends tonight.”
“Aye,” Filip said nonchalantly. “Have no’ seen them in some time.”
Scott nodded. “Good work. You learn anything else?”
“After Rhona and Balladyn’s display, the Druids wanting a change are wavering.”
“Let’s no’ worry about them for now. We need to keep our focus on Elodie.”
Filip shifted nervously in his seat, switching hands on the steering wheel. “If someone finds out what we’re doing—”
“Let’s make sure that doesna happen.”
“But if they do,” Filip said as he glanced at Scott.
Scott slid his gaze out the windshield. “We need to be careful. You’ve returned to settle your brother’s affairs, which is the truth. I’m a friend, tagging along. It’s a solid cover story.”
“Things are different on Skye since I left. Corann knew everything about everyone. I never would’ve agreed to this if he were still alive.”
“He isna, though,” Scott pointed out.
Filip shot him a dark look. “The rumor was that Rhona hadna yet stepped into Corann’s position. So many Druids were speaking up about wanting a change to stop the decline in our numbers. All that changed a few weeks ago with the battle on Skye.”
The battle had given Scott pause. It was all Druids anywhere could talk about. Fae Others who had used Skye Druids to ensnare Reapers. The Six, those who led the Fae Others, hadn’t counted on all the Skye Druids or the Dragon Kings joining the Reapers to make a stand.
Scott would’ve loved to have seen the battle for himself. There had always been rumors about Reapers, but nothing to ever substantiate their existence until a few months ago when it was suddenly a fact. For whatever reason, the Reapers had kept themselves hidden from everyone, but especially the Fae. Now, it seemed the Reapers didn’t care who knew about them.
Based on what George had told him, the Reapers were faster and more deadly than a regular Fae because the goddess Death had imbued them with her magic. Not to be outdone, the Six had created soldiers to mimic the Reapers. Scott couldn’t imagine what Skye had looked like with the Dragon Kings, Reapers, Death, and the Skye Druids facing off against the Six and their soldiers. The sheer amount of magic that had been flowing around Skye must have been epic.
Dragon Kings. That was a new one for Scott. When George had shared details about the immortal beings, Scott had been stunned. He’d thought that George had kept them a secret, but it turned out she had learned of them in a vision and did some digging on her own. With the Kings coming to aid the Skye Druids during battle, those on the island must know about them. Did other Druids around the world? It seemed that those in Scotland should have known, at least. He wondered what the Kings looked like in their true forms. Hell, he wanted to see one as a human. As for the Fae, Druids in some groups usually knew about them. The Fae were everywhere, so it was hard to miss them. Though most mortals had no idea they were even there.
Filip turned off the road onto a bumpy drive to the house. They bounced along as Scott’s thoughts shifted to the Skye Druids. They were legendary. They weren’t beings he wanted to tangle with—no one did.
The same could be said for Rhona now. Even Scott had heard the murmurs of dissent, especially in Edinburgh when Corann had named Rhona as his successor. Apparently, she had nothing that set her apart from other Druids. At least that’s what everyone thought until Balladyn came into the picture. From the way it had been described to George by someone she wouldn’t divulge, Rhona and Balladyn shared each other’s magic in a way it had never been done before. His Reaper magic was hers to use, just as her Druid magic was his to use. It dated back to a prophecy that, apparently, few on Skye even knew about.
But Corann had.
Filip had said the old Druid had kept it to himself. Corann did few things without reason. It was almost as if he had known what needed to happen for Rhona and Balladyn to find their connection and use it to beat back the Fae Others.
Scott understood Filip’s hesitation about things. Rhona had made her stance clear on all things pertaining to the Others. If she learned what they were about, she wouldn’t hesitate to stop them. And Scott knew it wouldn’t be done quietly or politely. She and Balladyn would show their force once more.
And that would be it for their organization.
Filip parked the SUV and turned off the ignition. He sat there for a moment before looking at Scott. “Will George send backup for us?”
“We’re all there is,” he answered, meeting Filip’s gaze.
“Bloody hell.”
Scott watched fat raindrops land on the windshield. “It’s why I’m no’ going to let anything stop us from reaching our goal.”
“What if we go to Rhona and tell her everything? What if we laid it out for her?”
“She’s made her decision clear. We can no’ take the chance that she’ll refuse.”
Filip blew out a breath. “Aye. It’s just that a lot is riding on us.”
Scott studied him carefully. As long as Filip and he were on the same page, they could succeed. Scott didn’t know the meaning of failure. He would do whatever he had to for him, and for all the Druids around the globe.
“I’ll do whatever you want me to do,” Filip said. “I know how important this is.”
Scott grinned. “Thanks. George thought we’d make a good team. Let’s show her that she was right.”
Filip rolled his eyes. “That’s the last thing she needs to hear. She already rubs it in that she’s always right.”
“Tends to happen when one is a seer.”
“Bloody arrogant woman,” Filip said with a chuckle. His smile died swiftly. “Has she ever been wrong?”
Scott shrugged. “No’ that I’m aware of. I’m no’ sure she’d tell us if she had. She leads because she’s a seer. Everyone trusts her.”