The Pillars Of The World

plant moonflowers along half the wall and the morning glories along the other half or mix them, she decided to alternate. That way the whole wall would be filled with flowers morning and evening. And it would be a truthful representation of the way she and Lucian were with each other. One claimed the day, the other the night, but their lives were intertwined because they were twins.
    “Is there a problem?” Ari called out.
    “Just planning,” Dianna said.
    Ari smiled and returned to her work.
    After carefully planting the moonflower and morning glory seeds, Dianna spent several minutes frowning at the rest of the flower bed, trying to picture how it should look. She’d been frustrated to discover the seeds in the other bundles didn’t give her a clue about what the flowers would be, and Ari, who probably knew each one, hadn’t labeled any of the bundles.
    Clusters, she finally decided, then went to work.
    She was finishing the row of marigolds in the front of the bed when she noticed Ari leaning against the garden wall, smiling at her.
    “I’m going to move the mare so she can graze in a fresh piece of the meadow. Then I’ll see what I can find for us to eat. I’m afraid it will be simple fare. I haven’t spent time cooking these past few days.”
    “Simple sounds wonderful,” Dianna said, getting to her feet. Noticing a gold chain around Ari’s neck that disappeared under the tunic, she realized this was a good way to ask a few questions.
    “‘Has your Fae Lord returned?” she asked.
    Ari blushed. “Yes, he’s been back to visit.”
    “Since he’s Fae, they must be interesting visits.”
    “Y-yes. Yes, they are. I’ll see to the mare.”
    The blushes and stammers were amusing, but the unhappiness in Ari’s eyes was too much like the troubled look she’d seen in Lucian’s for Dianna to let it go. Was the girl still fretting about the custom of gifting? If that was all, she might be able to do something about that.
    As Ari turned away, Dianna reached out and hooked a finger under the gold chain just above where it disappeared under the tunic. “Are you wearing one of his gifts? May I see it?” Before Ari could answer, Dianna ran her finger along the chain to draw the pendant out.
    It was a five-pointed star within a circle. Never having seen anything like it, Dianna was certain that this wasn’t a gift from Lucian. Why was Ari wearing this instead of one of her lover’s gifts? “What is it?”
    “It’s a pentagram,” Ari said quietly.
    Dianna felt a tremor go through the girl. She glanced at Ari’s face. The girl was almost as pale as when she’d seen the cloud dragon.
    Dianna waited.
    “It’s a witch’s symbol.”
    Dianna dropped the pendant and took a step back without being conscious of doing either of those things. “You— You’re a witch?”
    “Yes.”
    Dianna felt dizzy, but she wasn’t sure if the cause was fear or rage. “You’re one of the wiccanfae?”
    “That was an old name for us. It hasn’t been used for a long time.”
    It’s being used now , Dianna thought bitterly. But...
    Ari was a witch. Ari . How could this girl be one of the creatures who were destroying Tir Alainn?
    Dianna licked her lips, which were suddenly painfully dry. “You have magic.”
    “I have magic.”
    Dianna studied her opponent. Ari was no longer a blushing, stammering girl. She was a young woman wrapping herself in a cloak of quiet pride and dignity.
    “Would you like me to saddle your horse now?” Ari asked.
    She expects me to leave, expects me to run. Which means I can do neither right now . “What does it mean?” She tipped her head to indicate the pentagram.
    “The lower four points stand for the four branches of the Mother—earth, air, water, and fire. The fifth point is for the spirit.” Ari paused. “My gifts come from the branches of earth and fire.”
    “Your gifts?” Dianna said slowly.
    “My . . . magic.”
    “What can you do with it?”
    “Well, I can light a fire without using flint and steel, and I can ready the land for planting without needing a plow.”
    Dianna moved away so that she could lean against the garden wall. “If you’ll pardon me for saying it, it doesn’t sound like much.”
    A small smile curved Ari’s lips. “It is if you don’t have flint and steel handy—or own a plow.”
    True enough, but that didn’t explain what was happening to Tir Alainn. Since she was facing the cottage, Dianna frowned at the seeds she’d just planted.