The Druid Queen - Douglas Niles [141]
"I cannot live in the castle, nor in the shelter of the town. My calling is real and true. I am a druid again, and such shall be my destiny until I die. There is only one place I can live."
"Where…?" Tristan began, but of course he knew the answer. He surprised himself by greeting the knowledge with a sense of pastoral calm, almost of relief.
"I must go to Myrloch Vale, return to the grove of the Great Druid."
For a time, no one spoke. Hanrald looked at the queen in wonder, Tristan and Finellen in shrewd appraisal. The king nodded once, with regal dignity, and then again as the idea settled in.
"Will you have room for another there?" Tristan asked. "One who will be a hard worker, although he has only one hand?"
Robyn smiled gently, touching the king's arm. "You'd come to live in the wilderness with me? What about the kingdom? How will you rule?"
"We've ruled together for twenty years-a good, long reign," Tristan replied. "But you don't think I could do it apart from you, do you?"
"But what… how…?" The queen's eyes shone as she looked at her husband. He smiled and took her in his arms without at first replying.
Alicia and Keane came up arm in arm. The princess's eyes were red, but at least her grief-stricken expression had given way to a look of, if not joy, a mixed sense of happiness.
"Our daughter will make a splendid queen," Tristan continued. "She has proven many times over that she's ready to rule. And now, perhaps, she may even be ready to announce her king!"
As if signaling approval, a high, keening voice rolled through the highland, and all the companions grew silent as they listened for several moments to the cry of a proud, lone wolf.
About the Author
The final book of the Druidhome Trilogy, The Druid Queen concludes Douglas Niles's third trilogy in the FORGOTTEN REALMS® world. The others were the best-selling Moonshae and Maztica epics. He has also written the novels The Kinslayer Wars and Flint, the King (with Mary Kirchoff) for the DRAGONLANCE® series. His books have sold more than a million copies.
A former high school teacher, Niles has also designed dozens of games and game accessories for TSR, Inc., including award-winning board games based on Tom Clancy's novels The Hunt for Red October and Red Storm Rising. He lives in Wisconsin with his wife and two children.
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Table of Contents
A Forgotten Realms novel
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About the Author