The Pillars Of The World

summer nights. Tonight it would provide shelter from the wind and, even more important, hide her from anyone who might look down from the cliff.
    Clouds drifted across the moon, cutting the light, at the same moment Ari sensed that she was no longer alone.
    Her heart raced as she spun around, straining to see down the road. Great Mother, had Royce been to the cottage already? Had he guessed her intention? Was he riding after her?
    The road remained empty, but something came closer. She could feel it, even though she heard nothing.
    The clouds drifted past.
    The moon returned, bright enough to cast a shadow.
    An forgot to breathe when she saw the black horse racing over the land. This was grace married to strength, an animal so beautiful it made Royce’s finest hunter look like a plow horse.
    It wasn’t running away from anything, she decided as she watched it turn toward the old sea road that followed the coast. Just running for the sheer joy of it, as a celebration of life.
    She stood there until it was out of sight.

    Where had it come from? she wondered as she continued toward the sea. Old Ahern’s farm? He did raise magnificent horses, but even he didn’t have anything in his stables that could compare with this one.
    Unless this was one of his “special” horses that she hadn’t seen before.
    Or perhaps it had slipped away from Tir Alainn itself. She could imagine the Huntress mounted on such a fine animal.
    Remembering that she could well be the hunted one spurred her forward until she reached the cliffs that overlooked the sea. Even knowing what to look for, it took her several minutes to find the break in the cliff. She clattered down the rough path as quickly as she could, slipping a couple of times in her haste, until she reached the empty beach.
    Over the years, her mother had gathered small boulders and pieces of driftwood that she’d used to build two low walls, using the cliff itself to form the third side of an open-air room. A few times, as a special treat, Meredith had invited An to stay with her overnight, but, for the most part, this had been her mother
    ’s private place.
    She had never been on this beach without her mother, hadn’t been here at all since Meredith’s death.
    Because of that, she could almost pretend that Meredith had simply gone for a walk along the beach and would be back soon. Then, as her hand brushed against the pocket that held the fancy, even that much pretense faded, giving loneliness a keener edge and reminding her that she was here to hide, not enjoy a summer evening by the sea.
    After making sure the shallow cave wasn’t occupied by anything else, Ari tucked her pack inside. There was a small stack of dried wood at the back of the cave. If she’d dared, she could have made a fire.
    No matter. The low wall would block a fair amount of wind, and the night was fairly warm for early summer. Tucked in the cave with her cloak, she would be comfortable enough.
    Ari closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths, letting the rhythm of the sea and the roll of quiet waves settle her pounding heart.
    No one had seen her come here. No one would find her here.
    She opened her eyes and saw the black horse galloping along the water’s edge.
    It must have found another path down to the beach, she thought as she watched it. But wasn’t it odd that the horse would even try to find its way down the cliff on its own? It couldn’t drink the water, and there was nothing on the beach for it to eat. Maybe it just liked the feel of sand beneath its hooves and sea foam around its legs? She’d have to ask Ahern the next time she saw him. His “special” horses tended to act a bit differently from other animals.
    She didn’t know if the horse had seen her or had caught her scent in some shift of the wind, but one moment it was galloping in the foam and the next it was charging up the beach straight at her.
    Ari took a step back, ready to duck into the cave.
    The horse stopped a length away from the wall and reared.
    A wave of heat went through Ari’s body, leaving behind the strange sensation of a heavy lushness combined with the ability to float.
    The horse laid its ears back and pawed the sand.

    “I have as much right to be here as you do,” Ari said.
    Rearing again, the horse trumpeted a challenge.
    Obviously, it didn’t like sharing the beach. Well that was just too bad. It could just go galloping back to Ahern’s farm—or wherever it came from. Besides, it was