Page 61 of Highland Queen

Chapter 18

I spent the rest of the morning with Crearwy, indulging her whim to ride my horse.

“What do you mean he doesn’t have a name?” Crearwy asked as she rode him in circles around the coven square.

“I never thought of one.”

“It feels like he wants to jump into the heavens and run. He’s very swift.”

“How about Swift?”

“Swift,” Crearwy said with a laugh. “That’s perfect. You should have just called him that from the beginning.”

I chuckled.

Horseback riding was followed by hunting the woods for mistletoe, which mostly consisted of Crearwy chasing Beauty through the forest, digging for truffles, unsuccessfully tracking deer, and all manner of other curious but exhausting things. When we returned to the coven, Crearwy decided she wanted to work at weaving.

“I’ll take some rest,” I told my daughter.

“All right. I have to help Epona with the lunch soon anyway,” she said. Jumping up, she gave me a peck on the cheek then ran off.

My heart was filled with joy, but my body felt weary. I returned to Sid’s house. The fire was burning nicely. After our work that morning, the house was bright and clean. I lay down on the bed, promising myself I would only close my eyes for a few minutes. But sleep came quickly upon me. I was deep in my dreams when I felt someone sit down on the bed beside me.

“Crearwy? I’m sorry. Is it time to eat?”

“Almost time for supper,” a snippy voice replied.

I opened my eyes to find Sid sitting there. She was grinning at me.

“Sid.”

“Slept the whole day, did you? That’s what they told me. What, crown too heavy?”

“Something’s too heavy.”

“Oh, yes, Epona was whispering. Finally caught our man’s lightning seed, did you?”

I chuckled. “Apparently.”

“Well, that won’t complicate anything.”

I huffed a laugh. “You’re right about that, old friend.”

After I sat up, Sid handed me a package wrapped in parchment that looked more like leaves than paper.

“What is it?” I asked.

“A gift.”

“You brought me a gift?”

“Not I.”

“What is it?”

Sid chuckled. “That’s not how a gift works. Open it.”

I moved aside the brittle wrapping. Within, I found a pair of gloves. “What are these?”

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