Page 11 of Time of the Druid (Stones of Scotland #7)

Chapter 11

W hat a disaster. What an utter disaster . Matthew’s pulse pounded in his ears as the reality set in. He sat heavily, slumped on the damp forest floor with his back pressed to the gnarled trunk of a tree. His legs felt like water, too loose to hold him upright.

He’d been working on this for years —sacrificing everything for a sliver of trust, for a shot at the stones, at justice, at change. He’d dedicated the best part of his teens and twenties to this place, to these people. The marks of their magic curled over almost every inch of his skin, each one a brand of allegiance. And now, it meant nothing. Less than nothing.

A single slip—a single name—and the whole thing had shattered.

The druids of Roman Scotland had believed in him. They had seen what he was fighting for, had understood why he needed to act. But these? Their distant ancestors? Suspicion in their bones, mistrust in their blood. How could they be so blind?

Fury rose in his throat, hot and bitter. He’d earned this. He’d bled for this. And they’d thrown him out like he was nothing.

Well, none of that mattered. In a matter of moments, everything had fallen apart—everything he’d worked for, blown away like dust. He wanted to blame Norah, but she hadn’t known what she was doing when she said his name. This was all so, so much bigger than one woman.

“Are you seriously just going to stand there and do nothing?” Norah demanded, yanking her language chip out to shout in English. “You’re the one who knows this time period! Where can we go?”

Matthew shook his head helplessly. Ten years. Ten damn years. He’d sacrificed everything for this life—his future, his identity, his place in the world. The druid nemeton had become more than a base of operations; it had been the closest thing he had to a home, a haven carved out of ancient woods and hard-won ritual. For all the erratic jumps through time, this had been his constant, the place where he thought he belonged.

He’d believed—truly believed—that this was the path to stopping his father, to ending the cruelty that rippled through every dark corner of Edmondson’s legacy. He’d played the long game, piece by piece, until it all felt within reach.

Now it was gone.

His chest tightened. There was no plan for this. No next step. The path had been yanked out from beneath his feet, leaving him flailing in free-fall, every instinct screaming that he was falling, falling, with nothing solid left to land on. Panic scraped the edge of his mind, cold and bright and sharp.

How was he supposed to go forward when he didn’t even know where the ground was anymore?

“We do need to go somewhere,” Jack said, his voice steady but betraying a hint of tenseness. “Living in this forest won’t get us anywhere.”

Norah looked around wildly, as if she expected to see something that would help her.

“I know that we can’t stay here,” Matthew said, as placatingly as he could manage. “I just need a moment to think about this.”

“What the hell just happened back there?” Norah demanded. “Couldn’t you think of a better way to back us up? And who was that man? An old enemy of yours? It felt personal.”

Matthew shook his head wearily, fingers curling into the damp earth beneath him. The moss was cold and clinging, the scent of wet leaves sharp in his nose, but none of it helped him think. None of it helped him breathe. He wanted to be angry with Norah—furious, even. She’d said his name, shattered everything in an instant. But deep down, he knew the anger wouldn’t stick. None of her lies were his fault. None of this was.

Still, rage simmered under the surface, mingling with grief, with fear. The druids had turned on him like wolves. His work, his place, his future—torn out from under him in seconds. He pressed a palm to the mossy ground, as if he could still feel echoes of what he'd built there, but there was nothing. No warmth. No welcome.

How could he ever rebuild this? How could he claw his way back to the sacred stones now that the druids had cast him aside like a traitor?

“We should get as far away from here as possible,” Jack said. “I don’t trust those druids to leave us be. Let’s head south, get a good few miles between us and them. Then we can think about heading home safely.”

Matthew shook his head.

“You go south if you want. But I have to stay here.”

“What?” Norah and Jack both exclaimed at once.

Matthew sighed heavily and scrubbed both hands down his face, then pushed his fingers into his hair, gripping hard at his scalp. The damp chill of the air clung to his skin, and the ache in his shoulders deepened with every breath. He let his head fall back against the tree trunk behind him, staring up at the fragmented sky through swaying branches, as if it might offer answers he couldn't find on the ground.

“Do you think I was living with those druids just for fun? I have a reason for being here, and that reason hasn’t gone away just because they chased me out of the nemeton. I have to stay.”

“That’s madness,” Norah said baldly. “Surely nothing is important enough to face that again.”

“It’s important,” Matthew said grimly. “They have deep, powerful magic there, and I need to destroy it.”

There was a second of silence.

“Then I suppose we have to stay as well,” Norah said heavily. “Unless you can send us back home with your magic. I remember you could do that before.”

Matthew thought about it for a second. He did have the strength, that was true enough. It was a long time period to cross, especially to send two people, but he could do it. That would leave him alone, though—one man against two dozen druids. And vulnerable, if the effort left him weak.

“I’ll make you a deal,” he said at last. “You help me destroy that magic, and I’ll send you home.”

“That’s a bullshit deal,” Jack said. “Leave him to his own battle, Norah. We can travel home on our own.”

“But we can’t,” she pointed out. “That compass is still in the guesthouse, remember?”

Jack swore colourfully, his hands slicing through the air as he paced the edge of the clearing, boots kicking up wet leaves with each step. Norah stood motionless nearby, arms crossed tight over her chest, her weight shifting restlessly from one foot to the other as if ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble.

Matthew was intrigued—what sort of compass could help people travel through time? He’d never heard of such a thing. And now that he thought about it, the fact that they had a compass was worrying… But that was not his main concern right now.

“That’s my offer,” he said firmly. “Help me out and I’ll send you home. Or I’ll help you retrieve the compass. Whichever is easier.”

Of course, if his plan went as he hoped, they wouldn’t have any need to return home. But he thought it best not to tell them that. The less they knew, the better. He stared at Norah, watching as she scowled down at the ground, her thoughts practically flashing across her face.

“Very well,” she said at last. “We’ll work with you.”

Jack opened his mouth to speak, but Norah sent him a warning look and he fell silent. Interesting. Norah was clearly in charge of this mission, but why? Jack was the more senior time traveler, or at least he had been when Matthew worked for Edmondson Laboratories.

“Then we have a deal,” Matthew said. “The two of you watch my back and keep me safe while I work to destroy this magic. Then I’ll help you with whatever you’re really here for and send you home. Is that acceptable?”

Another white lie, but it wouldn’t matter. They’d never know.

Norah hesitated for a second, her eyes searching his face. What was she here for? She didn’t want to reveal her true purpose, that was clear.

“Acceptable,” she said at last. “So, we can’t go far from the druids. But we still can’t just stay in this forest. What suggestions do you have?”

Matthew had taken the chance to think this through over the past few minutes.

“I do know a few other people in this time period,” he said. “Not everyone who comes to train in the nemetons stays to become a druid. Many are the sons of warriors or political leaders, just hoping to acquire a little education. One of the boys who was educated alongside me is now the lord of the lands to the north. We could stay with him.”

“That sounds promising,” Jack said. “Is he a friend?”

Matthew grimaced.

“Not exactly,” he said. “More of an old acquaintance. But he’ll take us in. And he’s not the closest friend to the druids, although he wouldn’t outright defy them. We should be safe enough in his hall, at least for a few weeks.”

“No other ideas?” Norah asked.

He shook his head.

“Fine,” Jack said with a sigh. “We’ll go and stay with this old acquaintance of yours. I just hope you’re not leading us into even more danger.”