The Pillars Of The World

watching her from a nearby tree. She felt her mood shift, as it always did when she saw one of the Mother’s wild children, and she smiled for the first time that day. Raising her hand in greeting, she called out, “Blessings of the day to you, brother hawk.”
    The hawk chose not to answer. But she noticed that, every time she looked back, it was still watching her.
    It’s only a hawk , she thought as that feel in the air began to press in on her again. Of course it was only a hawk. Then again, it could have been a Fae Lord or Lady from Tir Alainn. It was said that each of them had another form that could be taken at will.
    Tir Alainn. The Fair Land. The Otherland. The land of magic—and the home of the Fae, who were the Mother’s most powerful children.
    It was better to believe the hawk was only a hawk. Despite what Odella and the other girls might think about a romantic encounter with a Fae Lord on a moonlit road, the Fae were not always kind when they dealt with humans.
    Suddenly shivering, Ari hurried toward the safety of her home.
    She had two days to understand the magic Granny Gwynn had set into the fancy, two days to see if there was some way to safely counter the spell. If she couldn’t she would have to abide by that spell and swear a promise that invoked the two most powerful Fae—the Lady of the Moon and the Lord of the Sun, the Lord of Fire. The Huntress . . . and the Lightbringer.
     

 

     
     

Chapter Four

 

     
     

     
    Dianna stood on one of the terraces overlooking the gardens of the Clan house, watching her brother until the path took him out of sight.
    “He’s has been prowling the gardens all morning,” Lyrra said, settling herself on the low terrace wall. “
    And he’s got that look in his eyes that bodes ill for anyone offering him company.”
    “You mean for anyone offering him a romp,” Dianna replied defensively. “Lucian accepts invitations when he chooses and takes his pleasure where he wills.” Her voice ripened with impatience. “Besides, men don’t always think about that .”
    “Really?” Lyrra said dryly. “Even on this day, when the first moon of summer rises?” She made a rude noise that expressed her opinion quite adequately.
    Turning her back on the garden, Dianna sat on the terrace wall near Lyrra. She sighed. As much as she’d tried to pretend she didn’t know why the Fae men were acting so restless, Lyrra was right. They viewed the night of the Summer Moon as other men might view a banquet table filled with a variety of dishes to be sampled. And the dishes that were the most familiar had the least appeal.
    Which is neither here nor there to me , Dianna thought. The Wild Hunt also rides tonight, and anyone crossing our path is fair game .

    “Will Aiden be among those traveling the road through the Veil tonight?” Dianna asked.
    “I wouldn’t know,” Lyrra said too casually.
    Oh, you know , Dianna thought, seeing the way Lyrra’s eyes fixed on the gardens without seeing them.
    You know, and the casual way he seeks other lovers hurts you . “If our paths cross tonight, shall I bring you back his heart?” She said the words lightly, but there was nothing light about the question.
    “Haven’t you realized it yet, Huntress?” Lyrra said with equal lightness. “Fae men have no hearts.”
    Not knowing what to say, Dianna remained silent until Lyrra retreated inside the Clan house.
    That wasn’t true, Dianna thought as she left the terrace and meandered the garden paths. Not exactly. It wasn’t in the Fae’s nature to be ... warm . . . with each other. Not that way. Physical coupling was pleasant, but it wasn’t supposed to involve the heart. Why should it?
    And since it didn’t, there was no reason why the males shouldn’t enjoy females from the human world. It required little of them and meant even less. Besides, it was the women from a handful of extended families who made up each Clan. The woman and their offspring. Fae males tended to make lengthy visits to other Clans to avoid sowing their own meadow. It was a woman’s male relatives, her brothers and cousins, who helped raise the child, not its sire. Fae women seldom found a human interesting enough to take as a lover, but if the males took their ease in a human’s bed, what difference did it make?
    A whine made her look to her left. Her lips softened in the beginning of a smile.
    The shadow hounds were her joy—sleek and lethal, with beautiful gray coats streaked with