“Yet Saffron still seeks his company, craves it in fact,” Raile observed, testing his resolve. Geddison was losing his patience.

“Do not call her Saffron. Saffron is gone. She is Ever Rose now, a devotee of Blackstone,” Geddison replied, his voice sharp.

“And as Blackstone encroaches on our lands, will we continue to quarrel about it? Render ourselves useless? Remember, we still have Woodhame on our side,” Corbin reminded them.

He was a druid tasked with an important objective. He was learning how to use magic to create a stronger, tamer hybrid dragon.

“If I am to face her in the present and in the future, I must do the ceremony,” Geddison told them. Raile scoffed, and Corbin and Eron gasped in surprise. The triplets, Gilos, Jiles and Kit were silent. Their psychic gifts kept them quiet.

They were born to a couple in Burnleaf, and they grew up farming their family’s land. When they grew to young men, their father hated the fact they would never be normal. The witches of Woodhame convinced their parents to let them go to Everloch in exchange for a spell that would bring them wealth.

Raile thought Geddison’s idea was outrageous. He knew of no druid choosing immortality before.

“Why would you suggest this? Your actions have not proven your worth for such an honor,” Raile replied.

“It’s not about worth and you know it. If that were the case, Linden would still be sitting at this table with us,” Geddison replied. When the others remained silent at the mention of their previous leader, Geddison continued to persuade them.

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“I am flawed and unworthy, but I’m choosing immortality to clean up the mess I’ve made. I’ve seen the length of her life, and it is long. Her venom will outlast us,” he replied.

“Glynn will consult the runes,” Eron suggested. Raile protested.

“Glynn is not proven yet. He has only shown a glimmer of the gift,” he said.

“Glynn may be new to the council, but runes are his strength,” Geddison reminded them. Raile didn’t respond. His non-answer was permission.

When Raile didn’t argue, the others considered his non-reaction a sign they should proceed. Though disagreeable, Raile never openly accepted anything. Geddison found Raile frustrating.

I’ll grow old waiting for his approval, he thought.

His minor gift for predicting the future complicated his life in the present. His visions were never clear, and the outcomes clouded. Geddison refused to offer any clarity, claiming he couldn’t fill him in on what was missing.

Glynn reached for the runes at the center of the table. He had narrow features, his black hair and clear green eyes mesmerized by the movement of the runes. He pushed his long hair behind his ears. He had the beginning of a beard coming in.

Geddison had never seen anyone so connected to their magic. No matter what Raile believed, he still didn’t know the significance. He only knew that he trusted Glynn.

Though he was younger than the others, Glynn was gifted, old beyond his years. Raile was skeptical of him, sensing Glynn would leave their order one day. As usual, Geddison would reveal nothing.

“Glynn’s future isn’t written yet,” Geddison kept telling him in his cryptic tone.

The stones jumped from Glynn’s palm. His spatulate hand rested on the table palm up like he was waiting for them to return. The runes moved across the smooth wooden table.

The druids watched the stones rattle and vibrate. They gathered together, forming a message they could read. Everyone waited, hoping the future

would be revealed. Glynn began to explain the prediction.

would be revealed. Glynn began to explain the prediction.