That made sense. “In our clan, do all Druids with magic hold similar powers?” Were we all like Gage?
Ian shook his head. “No. Nature dictates that there must be a balance. There’s no one person or family that holds a number of abilities.”
“But what about Gage? Is he an exception?” He appeared to have numerous abilities, not just magical but physical too. He’d moved impossibly fast when I’d tried to jump out of the window of my villa a few days ago. That incident felt like it had happened years ago, not a few days past.
Ian cocked his head to the side. “Aye, Gage is certainly one of those; he carries many gifts. He is one of a few, either touched by prophecy or touched by the gods.”
“I’ve seen him do...things,” I admitted quietly to Ian. “Things I didn’t think possible.”
He nodded, eyes on mine as he added softly, “You’re meant to hold such abilities as well, Brydie. After all, you also serve the prophecy, and nature will have delivered you power accordingly.”
I swallowed at the reminder of what the prophecy ordained I was to undertake. To kill an immortal—one who had sided with a dark god. To do that, I needed to awaken my magic and train for battle. My heart clamored at the thought. How was I meant to accomplish that destiny?
I voiced my fears. “There’s one problem, though—I don’t have any magic.”
“You’re wrong,” Ian denied firmly. “The females in your family have held Druidic power for many years. Not once have they faltered. Your magic is there, it’s just waiting to be released, and I’m sure that when we reach the Estate, you’ll come into your own.”
I searched his face for a hint of doubt. “You really believe my magic will appear?”
Ian didn’t hesitate. “Yes. You’re where you’re meant to be, at the time required. Prophecy would dictate no less.” He reached out and squeezed my hand. “Give it time, lass. Settle into your new life first. You have just under twelve months until Samhain. A lot can be achieved in a year.”
Samhain. The one time the veils between the worlds were at their thinnest. The one time we’d have a chance to take out Talorgan. Except, he had that same chance and had recently won the last confrontation with my grandmother, for he’d murdered Nora as he had all the previous Daughters of Winter. And now, I was the last one.
I ducked my head, struggling to retain my composure. “If you’re not Dormant, then what’s your strength in all of this? How have you survived in this world without magic?”
Ian gave a short laugh. “I never said I was powerless. Magic doesn’t just come in the form of wielding the elements. For Druids, knowledge is power, just as much as magic.” He headed back to the coffee pot to pour another cup. Returning to the table, he continued, “When we fail to illustrate a natural affinity with the elements in our clan, we are transferred to the Lore Masters where we are tested to determine if we can conduct other roles that are needed in the community. I was suited to become a Lore Keeper.”
Ian was referring to The Oaken Tree, the Druidic clan I belonged to. “A Lore Keeper?” The term was unfamiliar.
He smiled faintly. “It’s another fancy word for a historian. Basically, I specialize in Celtic history—our history. It’s an important role because, in order to wield magic, Druids need to learn the lore of all the enchantments and runes contained in the Lore Books. But only a few of us can interpret the text. And just like the Druids who wield magic, we must also pass tests to earn the position and illustrate we are worthy of the role.”
“The Lore Keepers teach others how to perform magic?”
Ian nodded. “We interpret the text when they reach the appropriate level of their studies. Like I said before, nature dictates a balance, so this is a check that maintains balance in the clan and ensures no one person holds the majority of power.”
“That makes sense.”
He raised a brow. “That’s a start, at least, because I suspect a lot doesn’t make sense at this point in time.”
I smiled faintly and asked him, “Do you also keep records of our ancestral lines?”
Ian nodded. “And prominent events in our history.” He reached out and laid one hand on a non-descript, black leather-bound volume in the middle of the table. The book was old and worn, the cover lacking a title. “Everything is recorded in our books, cataloged under each of the gods. This is one of them. They’re our finest treasures.”
I jerked my chin at the book as a thought struck me. “And one of those books is about the lineage I’ve inherited from Cailleach?”
“Yes.” Ian tapped the cover of the book. “It just so happens, this is hers.”
My eyes dropped to that innocent item on the table. Aside from the fact that it had no title on the cover, the book looked like any other old, leather-bound book. “This book contains my history?”
“Yes, although it doesn’t contain your existence. The family line currently ends with your father.”
I hesitantly reached out a hand, only to be stopped by Ian’s firm grasp on my wrist. He gave me an apologetic smile. “You will not be able to read it, I’m afraid—let alone touch it. It’s warded. Only those with the appropriate training can master the Lore Books.”
As Ian had. “How long did it take you to master?”
Ian shook his head. “I began studying when I was ten and became a Lore Keeper at twenty-three. I held the position for six years.”
I did the math. “Thirteen years of study?”
His lips lifted. “The number has a certain significance to Druids.”
Something about his previous reply struck a note. “You said you held the position for six years? That sounded like past tense. Are you no longer a Lore Keeper?”
He shifted in his chair. “Not formally, no.” He lowered his gaze to the book. “I broke my vows.”
I bit my lip. I was dying to ask what he’d done to be exiled from the clan, but his voice was brittle. Given that Ian’s was the only friendly face I’d seen since my life had turned upside down, I didn’t want to lose him to selfish curiosity. So, I held my tongue and murmured, “I’m sorry.”
Ian raised a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Not your fault. What happened was my decision.”
I dropped my gaze to the book on the table. “And they allowed you to take the book when you left?”
A flash of emotion crossed his features. “It’s a copy. The originals don’t leave the Institute.”
“The Institute?”
“Where our clan lives. It’s also our place of study.”
I had countless questions. This world I’d been drawn into was full of tales, dark and magical, stories I’d been raised to believe had no substance to them. Celtic gods were laundered in the history books as natural essences that the Celts gave life to, not real people who were skin and bone.
I was thankful that Gage slept, for I’d learned more in the past ten minutes with Ian than I’d learned in the seven days since I’d been thrown into this world.
“Do you have any other abilities?” I asked Ian.
He shrugged. “Sometimes, if needed, I am touched by the eye, and sometimes it eludes me. It’s unreliable.”
“The eye?”
“Foretelling, if you will. But McKenzie is the one who can tell you more; she’s adept at it. You’ll meet her soon enough anyway; she lives at the Estate.”
Noting my raised brows, Ian asked, “Gage hasn’t mentioned her, has he?”
At my denial, Ian clarified, “She lives at the Estate. She is—was—Nora’s housekeeper. But don’t be fooled; she’s more than that.”