The House Of Gaian

into the world. It would take longer for the transformation to be complete.
    Adolfo looked up at the patch of sky visible between the trees. He would wait an hour or two before checking on the progress of his new creations. The guards who had been selected for the next step would need the cover of darkness to ride through enemy territory to deliver his gifts to Baron Liam and the witches in the Old Place, so there was no hurry. There was time for a meal and a glass or two of wine.
    After one dismissive glance at the witch, still bound and blindfolded, he walked away from the clearing.
    Wanting a few minutes of solitude, Liam almost retreated back to the house when he saw Aiden sitting on a stone bench in the garden, the Bard’s fingers gently plucking the strings of a small harp. Then Aiden looked up, and Liam, cursing gentry manners, walked over and sat on the other end of the bench.
    After listening for a minute, Liam asked, “Is that a new tune?”
    Aiden smiled. “No, it’s just a way of letting my mind wander while my fingers regain some of their skill.”
    Since Aiden didn’t seem to expect conversation, Liam slowly relaxed, letting the drift of notes melt into the softening light and the scents of the flowers his mother fussed over.
    There was nothing to do but wait now. The enemy had been sighted, but Falco, Sheridan, and the other winged Fae hadn’t been able to get close enough to get an idea of how vast the army moving toward Willowsbrook might be because archers were shooting any birds that came within range. Falco had a couple of wing feathers tattered by an arrow, and Sheridan had barely avoided being hit. If there were Fae who hadn’t made it back to the camps, neither Ashk nor Selena had mentioned it. Maybe because there had been no losses—or maybe because the weight of grieving for Nuala still hung over all of them, and the Hunter and Huntress had made the decision not to add to the grief, knowing there would be more to come in the days ahead.
    Think of something else , Liam scolded himself. “Do you think I’m being an ass about Breanna and Falco?”
    “I don’t think it’s my place to have an opinion, one way or the other,” Aiden said mildly.
    Liam turned on the bench to look at Aiden directly. “You’re the Bard. I had the impression you have opinions about most things.”
    Aiden chuckled. “Is that your impression? Well, you might be right.”
    “So?” Liam prodded when Aiden didn’t say anything more.
    “So, yes, I think you’re being an ass.” Aiden glanced over and smiled before turning his attention back to his harp.
    Liam waited. “That’s it?”
    Aiden stilled the harp strings, then cradled the instrument in his arms. “Love is precious, no matter how long it lasts. We sing the songs, we tell the stories, we glory in those moments when love begins. We sing the songs and tell the stories of love lost, of love offered and refused, of love betrayed. I suspect you’re a man who feels deeply for the people he cares about, a man who wouldn’t make a commitment he didn’t intend to keep. You look at Breanna and see a woman who also has deep feelings, a woman who would honor her commitments in the same way you do. You look at Falco and remember stories about the Fae
    —and of love betrayed. You doubt his feelings because he’s Fae and because you’re afraid for Breanna’
    s sake. But Falco isn’t the brash Fae Lord he was a year ago, and Breanna is a strong woman, not a girl who would be swayed by a bit of romance. I see two people working toward a partnership rather than temporary lovers whose only interest in each other is what they find in bed.”
    “I’ve only known her a few months,” Liam said softly. “It feels like I’ve known her all my life, that she’s always been a part of my life, but, in truth, I met Breanna at the beginning of this summer. Maybe I’m
    ...jealous?”
    “Maybe.”
    He sighed. “Selena thinks I’m an ass.”
    Aiden laughed. “Then maybe you should spend less time thinking about Breanna and Falco and more time giving Selena a chance to change her opinion of you.”
    “Maybe.” Liam smiled reluctantly and rose. “I have a few things to do. I’m taking the early watch at Nuala’s grave so that I can get some sleep tonight.” He hesitated. “It’s rather extraordinary, the way the grave still glows with moonlight. It’s a beacon in the dark, but it also feels like a barrier against the dark things in the