Page 28 of The Shadow Path
“Are you the reason the river folk are singing a kingsong and the serpent has risen from the deep?” Branwen chuckled. “Oh, won’t Cian be pleased?”
They were speaking in riddles that Carys couldn’t decipher, so she leaned into her horse’s side and watched carefully, filing every word away to write down later.
“You let me worry about Cian and don’t bother yourself with mortal matters, old one.” Dru glanced at Carys. “Let the girl leave us and we may speak freely.”
“Speak as you will, for she knows nothing.”
“She’s a creature of two worlds, and she’s her own part to play. Speak at your peril, for the Night Queen hears our dreams.”
“Rhiannon is gone from the Shadows and shelters in her own world.”
“And yet her daughters live, as do yours.” Dru leaned closer and seemed to grow taller before her eyes. “Depart from this place and cease your meddling, old one. Your time has passed.”
“My time is reborn as I am.” The Crow Mother leaned forward, her face in shadows from the cooking fire. “As I always will be.”
In the flickering lights, Carys saw Branwen’s face shift from a mature woman with dark hair to a young maiden. In a blink, she was a weathered crone. Then before her face changed again, the cooking fire went out and the hollow of the tree was cloaked in darkness.
What was she?
Mother, maiden, crone. A triple fae? Carys needed her books. She needed a library!
She gasped when a warm hand grasped her arm. “Who?—”
“It’s me.” Dru let her arm go, opened his palm, and a soft blue light illuminated the black. “Relax.”
Carys let out a breath. “What are you doing here?”
Dru ignored the question. “Such odd companions you’ve collected, Carys Morgan.”
“Does that include you?”
“Naturally.” The corner of Dru’s mouth turned up, and he pulled his cloak farther over his face.
“How did you find us?”
“The ward she placed around this tree was weak—I sensed your presence as soon as I entered the forest.”
Carys stared at the empty ground where the Crow Mother had been sitting. “Where did she go?”
“Oh…” Dru sighed. “Where all of them go when they’re finished causing trouble.” He threw his cloak over his shoulder and patted the side of her horse. “This mare is a fine animal. You should stay close to her while you’re here. She carries her mother’s spirit.”
“Her mother?”
Dru took the mare’s reins from Carys. “Most horses in Briton carry a bit of the goddess Epona in them. She’s one of the oldest gods on the islands.” He smiled brightly at the horse as he led her under the hawthorn branches. “Some creatures are closer to the goddess than others.” He patted her neck. “You lovely darling.” Dru glanced at Carys over his shoulder. “Her name is Leuca. It means bright one.”
“Leuca.” Carys put her hand on the mare’s side. “You’re lovely, Leuca.” Her hand remained on the horse’s neck as they walked back into the forest. “I don’t know how, but she was very reassuring when the Crow Mother trapped me in here.”
“You weren’t actually trapped.” Dru leaned down. “That’s important to remember, Carys Morgan. You’re never trapped with them unless youbelieveyou are.”
She heard loud whispers in the forest, and Cadell was yelling in her mind as soon as she emerged from the fog.
Nêrys!
“I’m here.” She waved into the darkness as Dru tossed the glowing fire into the sky. The fog caught it, turning the night into something more like dawn.
“Carys?” Clopping hoofbeats sounded in the night a moment before Duncan and Laura appeared from between the trees.Duncan slid off his mount and walked over. “Good God, you disappeared into thin air. What the hell happened?”
“Where did you go?” Laura’s eyes were the size of saucers. “I swear, I was right behind you, and then just… Poof. Gone.”
