The Pillars Of The World

attacked her when she was alone, throwing her into the pond to drown.”
    Ari shuddered. “Anyone else, weighed down by heavy winter clothes, would have drowned. But the water obeyed. And she got out of the pond and made it home. But the lung sickness took hold, and there was nothing I could do for her.”
    “Did she tell you who pushed her in?”
    Ari shook her head. “She kept mumbling ‘Ridgeley,’ but that’s the name of the village. She had a fever, so it’s not surprising that she made no sense.”
    “What else did she say?”
    Ari shrugged. “She talked about daughters, about how Gran was right—the daughters needed to go away.”
    Morag stared at the pond. “Why didn’t she fight? She had magic. She had power. Why didn’t she fight?”
    The depth of her anger surprised her. She had no right to aim it at Ari, who had shown her nothing but courtesy. But there are things you do not ask of the dead that can be asked of the living .
    Ari looked at her wanly. “It is our creed to do no harm with our magic. Besides,” she added with a bit of temper, “what could she have done? Her gifts were water and a little earth.”
    “She could have broken the ice beneath the feet of whoever attacked her and drowned the bastards,”
    Morag said fiercely.
    Ari’s eyes widened.
    Struggling not to let the rage inside her escape, Morag took a deep breath, let it out slowly. “Ari, on most days your creed is a commendable way to live. But there is a great difference between doing no harm and defending yourself. I have shown too many young women the road to the Shadowed Veil because they followed your creed. For them, it was already too late to say anything. But you ...”
    “I—I’m not sure I could do that. I’m not sure I could use magic to harm someone, even if—”
    “Do you love Neall?” Morag demanded.
    “Y-yes.”
    “If someone was trying to hurt him, would you just stand by and let him suffer or would you do something?”
    Ari didn’t answer.
    Morag sighed. “Where is your grandmother?”
    “This way,” Ari said in a subdued voice.
    They didn’t speak on the way to the hill. Even the animals were subdued, picking up the changed mood.
    The moment Morag set foot on the bottom of the hill, she knew. But she said nothing.
    When she reached the top of the hill, a light breeze played with her hair and made the wildflowers dance.
    “Even on the stillest day, there’s always a little wind on this hill. This was Gran’s favorite spot.”
    “Her gift was air?” Morag asked.
    Ari nodded, then looked at Morag anxiously.
    The ghost of an older woman smiled at them, then pressed one finger against her lips.
    “There is no one here,” Morag lied.
    “Thank you.” Ari sighed in relief. Then she smiled. “We should get back to the cottage. I left the stew on the back of the stove where it would just simmer, but it will be done by now.”
    Morag followed Ari. Before leaving the crest of the hill, she looked back and whispered, “I will return.”
    Yes , the ghost replied. There are things to be said .
     

 

     
     

Chapter Twenty-nine

 

     
     

     
    “That’s all the messages said?” Dianna asked impatiently, her eyes raking Lyrra and Aiden, then skipping past Lucian. Ever since he’d learned of Ari’s intended marriage, his brooding had taken on a surly quality.
    “The bards from several Clans have all basically sent the same thing,” Aiden replied, his own patience sounding strained. “Which makes sense since the Sleep Sister is the source of all of the messages. ‘The witches know the key to keeping the roads through the Veil open, and they need to be protected. ”
    “Well, it’s a little hard to protect them when they blithely decide to run off with some . . . human .”
    “They aren’t Fae,” Lyrra said carefully. “They can’t be expected to think like we do. Or care about the same things we do.”
    Dianna whirled around to face Lyrra. “But it’s not too much to expect them to show a little heart. If Ari leaves, this part of Tir Alainn will be lost—and the Clan with it. He doesn’t need her. We do. And one way or another, she’s going to stay here.”
    “That explains what’s threatening our part of Tir Alainn,” Aiden said. “But that doesn’t explain the rest.
    We need to find out why the witches are leaving the Old Places, and we need to find out how they’re connected to the Pillars of the World. Because I’m sure there is some connection.”
    “I