Page 36 of Strength of Desire

“Oh, pardon me.” Min snickered. “He doesn’t want to bang her. He’sin love. It’s much purer.”

“You can still want to bang someone you’re in love with,” Ash said, wiggling his eyebrows. “In fact, I’d venture to say most people do.”

Keelan looked like he wished he could sink through the floor.

“What’s Imbolc?” I asked, trying to change the subject. “I’ve never heard of it before.”

I was getting tired of saying that. But Keelan sent me a grateful look, and I decided it was worth it. Besides, Iwascurious.

“Some holiday.” Ash said, waving his hand. “Fires. Crosses. Wandering around outside in robes.”

My brow furrowed. “Uh. That doesn’t sound great.”

Ash looked at me, confused, and then his eyebrows shot up. “Oh, God no, not like that. It’s women in robes, mostly. And the crosses are a Celtic thing. Or maybe Catholic. I’ve never been sure. Sometimes there are dolls.”

I looked at Keelan, as much at sea as ever.

“It’s an old pagan holiday, co-opted by the Christian church,” he said. “Some Wiccans celebrate it as one of the eight sabbats of the year. It marks the return of spring, when lambing season begins. It honors the goddess Brigid, or St. Brigid, depending on your point of view.”

“The return of spring? But it’s February.”

“It was originally celebrated in Ireland and places like that,” Keelan said. “I think it’s warmer there, this time of year.”

“The Gulf Stream,” Erika said. “Even though they’re farther north than we are, the Gulf Stream ensures they have a much milder climate.”

“Is Vesperwood a Wiccan university? Or Celtic?” I asked.

“No,” Felix said. “That would be pretty difficult, if only from a logistical perspective. There isn’t a single Wiccan or pagan authority to affiliatewith, and Celtic Reconstructionists usually avoid the syncretism that one finds in neo-pagan rituals. Their goal is to stick to what can be known from historical sources, but what we have for Imbolc can be maddeningly unclear. We don’t even know where the name comes from, or how far back it dates. It’s actually possible that it underlies the tradition of Groundhog’s Day in the U.S. But in any case, some of the faculty and students mark the day, and the celebrations are open to everyone.”

I nodded slowly, trying to take that all in. “What’s included in the celebrations?”

“A bunch of stuff,” Keelan said. “Some of the women who celebrate will get up early and do a ceremony to welcome the day. There’s ritual cleansing, then ceremonial robes, then a parade and a spell to invoke Brigid’s blessing. Some people make dolls, and leave things out for her to bless. And then there’s a big bonfire at night, and a feast.”

“Oh. Cool.”

“My family celebrates it back home,” Keelan said with a shrug. “So I wanted to help out here at school too.”

“Most people skip the dawn ceremony,” Erika said, “and just go to the feast. That’s what my sister says, anyway.”

“I hear it’s mostly an excuse for people to get drunk,” Min said with a grin.

“Well if getting drunk will help honor the gods—or goddesses, in this case—then I am more than happy to oblige,” Ash said.

Felix sighed. “Why did I know you were going to say that?”

“Because you’re just so smart.”

Ash reached over and pinched his cheek. Felix batted his hand away.

“Love you,” Ash said with a big smile. Felix glared, but he couldn’t keep it up in the face of Ash’s outrageousness. He rubbed at his cheek and smiled back.

“Don’t worry, Felix,” Min said. “You can bring your books and ask Brigid to bless those too.”

Felix stared at her in horror. “Bring books to a bonfire? I would never. What if there were sparks?”

“I didn’t mean you had to put themin the fire,” Min said, rolling her eyes.

“Still.” Felix hugged his books to his chest, looking horrified.

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