Book 1. Sacred Hills. The Runaway Bride. (The Magic of the Druids, #1) / The Magic of the Druids (ePub)

Ancient Ireland. Dark Ages. Naisi and his brother Ainle left the war-torn hometown of Uisneach in the kingdom of Ui Neill. They headed to the walled city of Dundalk to enlist in the service of Laird Fergus. The brothers were moving across the wide plain when they heard Banshee crying. Hence, one of them must die. However, the brothers made it to Dundalk and entered the service. Soon, together with a detachment of warriors, they headed to Emain-Macha, the capital of the kingdom of Ulster-Ulaid.
In the city, they meet their grandfather, the druid Cathbad. Cathbad occupies a prominent position in the royal court and is the arch druid. However, the druid does not feel love for their grandchildren. Meanwhile, King Conchobar intends to marry. He chooses as his wife a very young girl Deirdre, the daughter of one of the noble lairds. However, Cathbad does not approve of this marriage. Cathbad believes that the king should marry his niece. Through a cunning intrigue, Cathbad manages to convince the king to send Deirdre to a distant castle surrounded by many lakes. Laird Fergus ordered Ainle and Naisi to guard the girl, since she is still considered the king's bride.
Upon arrival at the castle, the brothers are faced with a manifestation of magical powers. Naisi falls in love with Deirdre and the girl loves him. Soon Ainle ends up on an island located on one of the lake islands near the castle. He meets the female druid Moyriot.
The woman is a helper Cathbad and she is also interested that the king did not marry Deirdre. Moyriot performs an ancient magic ritual and becomes invulnerable. Moyriot deceives the forces of the Otherworld. And now Ainle is in both the World of the Living and the World of the Dead. After all, it was his death that Banshee mourned in the wide valley. Moyriot on the orders of Cathbad helps the brothers and the bride of the king escape from the castle. At parting, Moyriot gave Ainle a magic amulet to protect the young man from evil forces. What awaits them in the future? To be continued.