The House Of Gaian

wobbling as the curtsy she tried to perform. “Blessings of the day, Selena.”
    After a painful moment of silence, the woman said, “Blessings of the day, Gwenn.”
    Breanna stared at the tea and thin sandwiches on the table in front of her. She wasn’t sure if she was queasy because she was hungry or because it didn’t seem right to be hungry after what she’d seen. At least her hands had stopped shaking. Sneaking a healthy nip of whiskey before Sloane brought in the tea things had coated her nerves with the illusion of calm.
    There was no reason not to be calm. It was over. They’d won this battle. Liam and Donovan were questioning the prisoners. And the guest she was waiting to offer tea and sandwiches to was just a witch, just another Daughter of the House of Gaian.
    She lowered her face into her hands. Felt her breathing hitch as she struggled to remain calm. It would be ill-mannered to show fear, but...
    Selena wasn’t just another witch, wasn’t just another Daughter of the House of Gaian. Mother’s mercy.
    How was she supposed to act around a woman who could create a funnel of wind so powerful it could have ripped grown trees out of the ground and flung them aside like a child throwing a toy with gleeful abandon. And the speed of it, racing down the drive at a fast gallop. A few seconds, a few ticks of the clock. That’s all it had taken for that twisting fury to destroy three hundred men.
    Feeling her hands tremble, Breanna sat up and pushed her hair back. Offering Selena a guest room and a chance to wash off the dust had been the polite thing to do. And it gave them all a chance to let their nerves settle a bit before facing her again. Gwenn’s doing. If she hadn’t played lady of the manor, they might all still be standing out there, uncertain of what to say or do.
    Mother’s tits. Where was Gwenn? She promised to be down as soon as she washed up a bit and changed into something borrowed from Elinore’s wardrobe.
    Breanna brushed her fingers over the skirt and tunic she’d borrowed, certain Elinore would have been more offended if she’d sat in the parlor looking dusty and bedraggled while offering tea to an important guest than helping herself to the other woman’s clothes.
    Sloane opened the door. As Selena walked into the room, Breanna decided a false, sick smile would be more insulting than a serious expression. Besides, she didn’t think her parlor skills were sufficient under these circumstances to produce even a sick smile.
    Where was Gwenn?
    “There’s tea and sandwiches,“ Breanna said.
    Selena barely glanced at the tray on the table. “It looks lovely.” She walked over to the windows half-covered by the heavy draperies that were usually pulled closed over the sheers at night. She stared out the window but didn’t push aside the sheers to get a clear view.
    “Do no harm,” Selena said quietly. “That’s the creed. That’s the scale on which we balance all we do when we channel the power from the Great Mother. The Lady of the Moon is a wonderful dance, a celebration of the Mother’s sister. But I’m also the Huntress, the protector of witches. I am justice ... and I am vengeance. Because of that, I can no longer balance what I do on the scale of our creed.”
    And it hurts you , Breanna thought, studying the lovely woman who now wore a simple green gown. It hurts you that you can’t live by the creed . The quiet pain under Selena’s words tugged at her and she said the first thing that popped into her head. “You made a mess of Liam’s drive. It will take his men days to rake it smooth again.” She didn’t mention the men who were out there now, searching for any wounded, gathering up the dead.
    Selena turned away from the window, her expression slightly puzzled.
    Good. That was good.
    “I thought Gwenn said Baron Liam was your brother. Isn’t it your drive, too?”
    Breanna shook her head and poured tea into two cups. “Oh, no. This is Liam’s house. I don’t live here.”
    “I see.”
    It was like feeling the sharp blade of a winter wind cutting through a summer day.
    “No,” Breanna said firmly, “I don’t think you do.” Since her hands were trembling again, she didn’t try to pick up her tea. “I live in the Old Place with my family. Liam and I only got to know each other a few weeks ago. His mother, Elinore, is kin to us, and his gift from the Mother comes down through her. He didn’t know it was in him until the need to save me from the