Page 64 of Pure Magic
“Your people are the problem. You might just kill these witches and be done.” Midhir leans on the tree and studies his fingernails.
“That is not our way. Goddess commands we do no harm.” I make a small bow in deference to his rank and power.
He laughs at this. “That is exactly what your goddess told me. She said that the easy way is not always the right way. I think she believes if the problem is not dispatched as we promised so many years ago, another will rise to take their place.”
If magic is always right and never makes mistakes, Goddess is right. However, whoever rose would not be our problem. I only have two siblings. My gut is in a knot. Will they die on the third of March? As evil as Ariana is, and as misguided as Kaden might be, they are my only family.
Sara Beth takes my hand and squeezes it. “Where will we find your sacred hart, King Midhir?”
Pushing away from the tree, he waves his hand and a path glows in the underbrush. “I will see to your beasts.”
We tie the reins to a limb, and leaving the horses behind, follow the winding route deeper into the woods.
Looking back, I find no sign of Midhir. “We have seen some remarkable things on this journey, Beth.”
She chuckles. “That is an understatement. If this path is true, we are about to see something no living man or woman has ever laid eyes on.”
Still hand in hand, we wind around various trees, never straying from the glowing way set before us. For all we know, he’s toying with us. “I thought all those stories my mother and gran told us as children were fiction. Part of me even doubted the existence of Goddess, though at least I felt connected to her. The stories of the Tuatha De Danann were amusing, but never did I think them real.”
“It’s far better for them if we don’t go hunting for them. Our host here probably prefers if our kind thinks him fictional.” Sara Beth stops.
“What is it?” Scanning the woods, I search for danger but see only tree after tree and our glowing path.
She closes her eyes and breathes deep. “I feel strong magic.”
Gathering my power, I let go of her hand. “Ariana?”
“No. I’ve never felt this kind of magic before.” Threading her fingers through mine, she walks quickly.
“What do you feel?” If this goes wrong, I’m ready to cast enough fire to burn these woods to ash.
“I can’t explain it, but it’s the purest magic I’ve ever felt. You’ll not need to defend us, Adam.”
In moonlight, we step into a clearing. A stream runs through the middle, and the water shimmers with light. Grass and moss are so green there’s no doubt we’ve stepped into the fairy world.
Even I can feel magic in the air.
Fireflies swirl around joyfully.
A frog jumps from the bank and splashes in the stream.
Hand in hand, we step closer to the bank. On the other side, an oak that must be five hundred years old has limbs that spread across the width of the clearing and almost to where we entered. It would take ten men with arms outstretched to complete the circumference of its trunk.
The breeze stills. Animals rustling brush quiet.
A huffing sound comes from the tree, and a hart as white as snow and as tall as a man steps around the giant oak. He looks at me and then at Sara Beth. Lifting his massive rack high, he grunts, crosses the water and stops directly in front of her.
Letting go of my hand, she takes half a step forward and makes a low curtsy.
The hart moves one leg forward and lowers his head.
Sara Beth reaches out and touches him between his keen eyes.
Nothing in my life has ever been as beautiful and pure as witnessing this sacred animal approving of the woman I love. I have not purpose here, but I bow from the waist and pray my family tree does not impede our quest.
A grunt forces my head up.
The hart looks me in the eye before lowering his multi-pointed antlers. Each dark-brown point is tipped bright white. He turns and crosses back to the oak.
