The House Of Gaian

them through, and Aiden wondered if there had ever been a time before this when barons had stood side by side with farmers and Fae Lords, oblivious of the differences that separated them in the day-to-day world.
    Nuala lay on the grass, dressed in a blue gown. No coffin, no shroud. Nothing between her and the earth.
    For a long moment, Aiden stared at the gold pentagram around her neck, then glanced around. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t remember seeing Breanna or Nuala or any of the other witches wearing the pentagram openly. Even Selena hadn’t worn hers openly. But the witches were wearing them now, and as he looked around, he felt a jolt when he saw men—strangers to him—wearing that symbol over shirts or tunics.
    “I didn’t know there were men who were witches,” Lyrra whispered to Rhyann, who had come over to stand beside them.
    Rhyann smiled. “They are the Sons of the House of Gaian. They have the same power that comes from the branches of the Great Mother that the Daughters do. Why wouldn’t they wear the symbol that acknowledges the bond to the Mother?”
    “You don’t usually wear it openly,” Aiden said.
    Rhyann looked puzzled. “Why would we? We don’t wear it to remind anyone but ourselves of who and what we are and what we honor. Earth, air, water, fire”—she looked at Nuala—“and spirit.”
    Seeing two Fae with instruments at the edge of the crowd, Aiden excused himself and made his way over to the minstrels. One carried a small harp; the other had a pipe.
    “We’ve never seen a burial for one of the Mother’s Daughters,” one of the minstrels said. “What should we do?”
    Aiden smiled dryly. “We’ll play it by ear.”
    The quiet conversations around him faded.
    Selena, all in white, wore the split gown over trousers. She moved away from the others until she stood alone, facing Nuala, and turned to look at Gwynith. “Will you dance with me this time?”
    “I don’t know the steps,” Gwynith said.
    Selena smiled. “Just follow me—and follow your heart.”
    “Is this dance only for the Ladies of the Moon?” Ashk asked.
    Selena shook her head. “Anyone who wishes to honor the one who has left us can join this spiral dance.”
    She turned away from the people watching, her arms extended, her palms up.
    Power flowed, as soft as moonlight. Balls of white light filled Selena’s palms. Tendrils of light twined down her arms and over the rest of her body until she glowed with the light of the moon.
    Then she began to dance. Solemn and simple, just a few steps and a turn, over and over again. But as she moved, moonlight followed her, forming a path.
    Rhyann stepped onto the beginning of the path, her steps matching her sister’s.

    He could feel the song of those steps, those solemn turns. “Follow me when you have the tune,” he told the minstrels quietly. Raising his pipe to his lips, he let his music follow moonlight down the spiral path Selena created as she danced. A simple tune, repeated like the steps. When he glanced at the minstrels, they nodded, and harp and pipe joined him, taking up the melody while he let his own pipe’s notes twine around it.
    Ashk stepped onto the shining spiral, followed by Breanna ... and Liam. Gwynith followed them, then Falco. Fiona and Rory. Gwenn and Donovan. Elinore took Kcely’s hand, and the two of them stepped into the dance. Sheridan and Morphia. Clay, Edgar, and Glynis. Varden. Squire Thurston and his wife.
    Kin and neighbors, humans and Fae, Sons and Daughters of the House of Gaian joined the dance. And last... Lyrra, her eyes wet with tears.
    Finally Selena stood at Nuala’s feet. She extended her arms again, palms up. Raising her face to the sky, her voice soared as Aiden let the last notes of the song fade.
    “Great Mother, we give back one of your Daughters. Let earth take her body. Let air remember her voice. Let water remember her laughter. Let fire remember her heart. Let her spirit fly to the Shadowed Veil and pass through to the Summerland. She is no longer with us, but she will be remembered until she is back among us. Merry meet, and merry part, and merry meet again.”
    The ground in front of Selena swelled with moonlight, dazzling the eye. When it faded, there was a gentle mound of bare earth—and Nuala was gone.
    As if hearing an unspoken command, people turned and walked out of the spiral until only Selena remained. Then she too turned and walked out—and moonlight filled in the path of the