Druidess Found (Druidess Trilogy Book 1) by Machelle Hanleigh (interesting novels to read txt) 📕

couldn't push the fear aside. He, a disciplined warrior. He was a strong empath even for a Kahoali. It didn't make sense that he couldn't determine the source.

He let the warm water fall on his head and run down the length of his body for a moment before he shut it off. He scooped out a portion of the cleansing paste and replaced the lid on the jar. He lathered it over his body, relishing the clean scent which permeated the surrounding air. Nothing like a good clean scrub to wash away the remnants of an unpleasant night. He focused on clearing away the fear and not on the desire coursing through his body. Curse the cruel Universe anyway. Moto thought.

He turned on the water to rinse off. Blinding terror slammed into him so hard he grabbed the sides of the shower stall to keep from dropping to his knees. He never felt such heart pounding terror in all his life. Not even during the few skirmishes against the Zaltys defending the outer villages. He concentrated on slowing his frantically beating heart. He forced air into his starved lungs at a slow, steady pace of deep even inhale and exhale breaths. When he regained control, he finished rinsing and turned off the water. He dried and dressed in one fluid motion. He stood in the middle of the main room of his hut and drew the energy of Ki through his talisman. He could feel the terror threatening to rob him of his control. His training as a Kahoali warrior took over and he separated his mind from the emotions coursing through him. Emotion wouldn't serve him. He required focus to pinpoint the source of the terror.

Moto closed his eyes and focused on drawing in enough energy. When the very air surrounding him pulsed with the energy of Ki, he focused his thoughts and reached out for the source of the terror. Almost at once, the image of the girl became a sharp pain in his mind. He knew then the terror was hers. Something went wrong. In the small recesses of his mind it troubled him that he could feel her terror. The Kahoali were empathic, some stronger than others, and he one of the strongest, but never did he feel another's emotions so far way. He forced his unease over feeling her emotions at such a distance aside. She was in trouble and he needed to help her. If anything happened to her, it would be his fault for leaving her there in the first place. He pushed the guilt which surfaced aside.

He focused his thoughts to pinpoint her precise location. He didn't know if he would be able to, but he hoped he would be close enough to help her. He found it more difficult to focus pinpointing someone's location in his mind than in the looking bowl. He didn't have a choice. He didn't have his looking bowl and borrowing Shimani's would take too long. He feared he wouldn't get to her in time. Something went very wrong for her to feel that depth of terror. He knew she needed him. He needed to get to her now! Whatever went wrong, and he didn't know what, he knew she feared for her very life. He didn't know how he knew it; he just did.

When he felt confident, he could locate her exact spot, he reached out his hand and opened a portal. Pushing caution aside he stepped through. Opening a portal to a location before having actually been there was dangerous at best. He didn't have a choice. Even though he felt positive he located her spot or a close proximity, it surprised at how close his portal opened to where she stood. He scanned the surrounding area. They were outside, but within the confines of a stone wall similar to the buildings nearby. Armed men, swords drawn surrounded her. They were not yet within striking distance, but they closed the gap between them fast. Moto grabbed the girl and pulled her tight against him to protect her within the shield he erected.

She shrieked and struggled.

"Be still," Moto commanded, "you're safe." He said the last part as an afterthought.

She turned around to face him. Her eyes mirrored the terror within her. He felt stunned when he saw and felt relief pass through her. She laid her forehead against his chest and cupped the side of her face as if to hide from the scene playing out in front of them. That she showed him such trust warmed his heart more than he cared to admit. He lowered his shield and opened a portal. Before he stepped though his attention drifted to a woman running towards them. She looked like the girl in his arms. They were practically identical with only a few differences that he could discern. The sight of her sent a shiver down his spine. He felt no desire towards her. There was darkness within her.

"STOP THEM!" She shrieked.

Moto lifted the unyielding girl to cradle her safely in his arms and stepped through his portal. He didn't care to stick around despite his curiosity about the woman. Why did she look so much like the girl in his arms? He didn't like the dark emotions he felt from the woman, and he didn't like the girl in his arms feeling the kind of terror he felt pouring off her.

He let out a sigh of relief when he stepped from his portal into his hut. "You're safe." He poured as much comfort into those two words as he could.

His heart skipped several beats thinking just how close he came to lose her. A few moments later, she might not be alive. He cursed himself for leaving her there in the first place. If anything happened to her, it would have been his fault. He stamped down his feelings of guilt. She was safe, that's what mattered. He looked down at the girl and frowned. She