Darkwell - Douglas Niles [125]
Suddenly a searing blast of heat struck Robyn's face, and she instinctively slapped her hands over her eyes. A warmth like the inside of an oven surrounded her, and she felt the wind die away in that same instant. The snow on her cloak turned rapidly to water, and a fine drizzle began to fall from the trees, where the accumulated snow of the blizzard quickly melted.
"What – what happened?" Tristan stuck his head from beneath the fur, gasping for breath in the heat.
One by one, the others emerged from their sleeping shelters. "Am I dreaming?" Tavish demanded when confronted by the oppressive heat.
"It's a miracle!" Newt cried, buzzing happily among the trees. "Genna made it summertime again!"
"I don't remember any summer as warm as this!" Pawldo groaned, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Too hot!" grunted Yak.
Robyn stood amazed at this evidence of the Great Druid's vitality, and thus obviously the goddess's as well. The control weather spell that Robyn remembered had always changed the weather only to a degree, bringing rain from heavy clouds or slowing gale winds to a strong breeze. Yet here Genna had altered their entire environment from one extreme to the other.
Indeed, steam rose from the rapidly melting snow all around them. Genna returned to the group and stood calmly as they gathered their wet belongings. She offered no reaction to the continuing stream of remarks about the sudden dramatic change in weather.
"How is it that you can work such strong magic?" Robyn inquired wonderingly.
"Perhaps it is augmented by the changes in the vale. You see that my magic still works; that should be enough. Let's go now. It is time we were off."
Genna, Robyn, and the three sisters led the way as the companions broke camp and started back toward the fissure that blocked their way. Their camp, by now, had been reduced to a steamy patch of mud. All the snow had melted, pooling into water that soaked quickly into the barren ground.
"I don't know why I bothered making these!" Pawldo disgustedly threw his skis across his shoulder and started walking behind Tristan.
"Psst! Hey, Tristan!" Newt, in obvious agitation, popped into sight beside the king. His voice was an exaggerated whisper that certainly wouldn't carry more than a few hundred feet.
"What is it?"
"It's Genna. Something's different about her! I don't like this one bit. You've got to tell Robyn!"
"What's different?" Tristan had never met the Great Druid before, but he had heard her described many times by Robyn. The young woman had portrayed her teacher as a warm, caring, and tender woman. "I had pictured somebody rather unlike her, I have to admit."
"I don't know what's different about her! I just know she's different. She's… wrong" somehow, and we've got to warn Robyn!"
"I'll try to find a chance to. In the meantime, let's keep an eye on her. I'm sure Robyn would notice if something was really wrong."
Robyn marched steadily behind her teacher, who in turn followed Brigit, Colleen, and Maura. They walked silently, and the young druid felt the presence of Genna pushing the others along. The Great Druid seemed anxious to reach the well.
And indeed, why shouldn't she feel a powerful urgency? Had not Robyn herself been propelled by a similar urgency and tried to move her friends with the same compulsion? But still, the strange behavior of the Great Druid concerned her.
Then she thought of a possible explanation. She remembered the appearance of the druid Trahern at the grove some months earlier. He had borne with him an artifact of great evil, the Heart of Kazgoroth. The presence of that artifact in the grove had caused Genna's health to suffer and had altered the Great Druid's temperament to one of irascibility and anger.
Certainly she must be suffering