The Pillars Of The World

say.
    “You probably want to start back now while there’s still some daylight left,” Ari said, not looking at any of them.
    “Yes,” Dianna said faintly, “that would be best.”
    “I’ll saddle the horses,” Falco said.
    “I’ll help him, if you’ll pack the harp,” Aiden said, glancing at Lyrra, who nodded.
    Since the saddlebags had already been repacked, it didn’t take much time before they were ready to leave.
    “It was a lovely evening, Ari,” Lyrra said. “Thank you for sharing it with us.”
    “Blessings of the day to you,” Ari replied quietly.
    Dianna reached for Ari’s hand, gave it a light squeeze. “I’ll see you again soon.”
    “Yes.”

    Dianna joined Lyrra, Aiden, and Falco by the horses. She looked back in time to see Lucian kiss Ari’s hand. Was he being that circumspect because he had an audience or because he didn’t dare do more?
    With one hot glance at her, Lucian changed form and galloped across the meadow. Since the rest of them still had to pretend they’d come from somewhere in the human world and had to circle around out of sight in order to reach the shining road, he would be back in Tir Alainn well before the rest of them.
    That was for the best. She might be able to slip by him and avoid any discussions until the morning.
    As they rode away, Lyrra asked quietly, “Did we do harm or good here tonight?”
    “I wish I knew,” Dianna replied.
    * * *
     
    Ari poured the last of the pale-tasting wine Lucian had brought, drank it down in two swallows, then sat on the bench. Hearing a soft whine coming from the open kitchen door, she said, “It’s all right. They’re gone now.” Merle crept out of the cottage. He pressed himself against her leg, shivering.
    Ari picked him up and set him on her lap.
    “They don’t know anything about witches,” she told him. “If they did, they would have known their glamour magic wouldn’t hide them during the dance. They must all know each other, maybe they’re all from the same Clan, and yet they pretended Lucian was a stranger. I may be young, but I’m not blind.”
    She laughed. There was a hint of bitterness in it. “Well, Dianna did tell me she had had dealings with the Fae. She’d just forgotten to mention that she was one herself. I wonder which one.” She rubbed her nose against Merle’s soft fur. “Perhaps that’s a question best left unanswered.” She studied the puppy’s coloring. “You’re a shadow hound, aren’t you? But your mother mated with a less-than-desirable male, and that made you worthless in their eyes. No wonder you’re so afraid of them. No wonder you can recognize them. But if you’re undesirable because you’re not a pure blood, what does that make me? I can’t even claim that much of their world. What do they want? I’m certain now they want something. But they’re keeping it hidden, just as they hide their real faces.”
    Setting Merle down, she walked over to the chopping block.
    “Since you were hiding, you didn’t see how often Falco looked at this chopping block and tried not to smile. I wonder if we’ll be getting any more rabbits after today.”
    She walked over to the brazier and sat down. The kindling had burned quickly, but there were still a few hot embers. They never doused this fire. It always quietly burned out on its own. It had been a dry summer, so she would sit there for a while to make sure no puff of wind blew a spark into the meadow.
    No, the Fae didn’t know about witches, didn’t understand the dance. Strong pockets and pools of magic would form over time. The cottage was one of them because that’s where she lived. But there were other places around Brightwood that drew magic to them, making it harder for Small Folk who didn’t live near one of those pockets or pools to keep their own magic balanced. And sometimes those pools became strong enough to trap a being who didn’t have much magic. So the dance drew all the magic that came from the Mother’s branches into one place so that it could flow through the witches and be sent out again to cover the Old Place.
    It drew magic that came from the Mother’s branches. But no other kind of magic. So the Small Folk always appeared as bright spots of magic standing in a world that looked a little pale. And she’d expected to see Lucian as another bright spot. She hadn’t expected to see the rest of her guests shine as well.
    “In one way, they did me a kindness tonight,” Ari told Merle. “Now