- •I brushed a trembling hand through my hair. What was going on? What happened? I was looking at the vases and…
- •I tore my eyes from the box and back to the—
- •I raised my eyebrow like Spock and waited.
- •I looked quickly at Suzanna. She was no damn help; her eyes were squeezed shut and her lips were moving in what looked like some kind of silent prayer. Jeesh.
- •I should have been nominated for some kind of Greco-Celtic Academy Award for Best Voluptuous Ascent to a Throne. God, it felt good to sit down.
- •I could see my door guards (yes, they did appear proportional) snap crisp sword salutes as the horses reached the doorway and entered the ro—
- •I could feel my jaw setting, but before I could respond, Alanna stepped in. Gracefully, she took my hand and helped me to my feet.
- •I had to clear my abused throat before I could squeak out an “I forgive you.”
- •In a formal, stilted voice he said, “Please excuse the interruption, my Lieutenant had matters of great import to discuss with me.”
- •I shut my eyes. Of course Dad wouldn’t want me to get hurt. If only it were that simple.
- •I opened my eyes. Seeing clearly—finally.
- •I looked at those high stirrups. And the tall mare. And considered my thirty-five-year-old body.
- •I mean riding a horse (one that’s actually alive) for several hours. Alternating between trot, canter, walk, back to trot. On a thirty-five-year-old butt. Without breakfast.
- •I reached down and patted her neck fondly. There are some things about this world that were just plain cool.
- •I sighed melodramatically and gave a big pretend sob while I wiped pretend tears from my eyes.
- •I just wanted to pee and then go back to sleep.
- •I closed my eyes and tried to relax, think, forget about my stomach and keep warm.
- •I straightened and took a step closer to Epi, hating the guilt he made me feel.
- •I swallowed a piece of cheese and took a quick drink of wine. “I had to see about my dad.”
- •I looked down at my half-eaten sandwich. “Are you still willing to take me there, knowing the creatures might be there?”
- •I felt a little like a mother whose four-year-old had just toddled happily off to preschool without her.
- •It was midmorning when I spied some lovely brush cover (and some soft-leafed plants) next to another stream that bisected our roadway.
- •I felt suddenly all Marilyn Monroe–like as my eyes went to half-mast and a moan escaped my lips.
- •I managed to moan some semblance of thanks.
- •I had to agree with him on that.
- •I had only taken a couple steps when I heard Dougal’s hooves thud behind me. I spoke over my shoulder to him.
- •In another world, he’s still alive.
- •I heard a snort of laughter from behind me.
- •I sniffed the air.
- •I swear, a rush of electricity shot from his teeth straight to my crotch.
- •I know it was unusual, but I didn’t know what to say.
- •I smiled at Dougal and saw him practically squirm with pleasure. If he had had a puppy’s tail, I’m sure it would’ve wagged vigorously—and he probably would’ve wet himself. He really was cute.
- •I translated that as centaur for “You’re full of crap.” But I acted as if I didn’t speak the lingo.
- •I curled my body around him and snuggled against his warmth.
- •I nodded my yes against his chest.
- •I didn’t see any fish frying. But I still smelled cooking food.
- •It took a moment for me to realize they were waiting for my permission.
- •I even managed to wave. Thank God I’ve watched a lot of pbs specials about The Royal Family.
- •I had to interrupt her. “Alanna, I can’t stand this ‘my Lady’ stuff. Can’t you call me something else?”
- •I squeezed her hands and turned back around. “At least she was a smart slut.”
- •I opened my mouth to interrupt.
- •I tried not to babble incoherently and to remember that I was dressing for my husband, not for a spot on a tv evangelism program.
- •I nodded at her to go on.
- •I shivered, remembering the weird mirror vision of myself I had glimpsed in the pot as it burst into a fiery ball.
- •I rubbed my fingers and took a wary half step away from it.
- •I blinked in surprise. “No, I didn’t know.”
- •I looked at Alanna and sighed. “Alanna, pour yourself some wine and sit here with me.”
- •I’m telling you, this guy could go on a lecture/training circuit and make a fortune teaching the Non-Octopus Technique to semi-bald, divorced, middle-aged men.
- •Intrigued, I nodded.
- •I smiled but felt the definite stirrings of nervousness.
- •I like to think I’ve attracted my share of men, but one hundred guards is just plain gluttonous.
- •I turned and began beating a hasty retreat down the empty hall.
- •I heard a ripple in the crowd. Suddenly, centaurs surrounded us and members of my guard were rushing from the temple to join them.
- •I took all of this in, but I found it hard to stop staring at the doctor. I knew this man, or perhaps I should say I knew this man’s mirror image—very well.
- •I turned back to face ClanFintan and tugged on his arm until he bent for my quick kiss.
- •I frowned at her. “Don’t worry about it. It just means she’s crazy about him, too.” She looked like that explanation helped. “You two aren’t married in this world?”
- •I shrugged. “Whatever, but we might be here for a while, so feel free to sit and pour yourself some wine. After all, grapes are my favorite breakfast fruit.”
- •I looked at Alanna’s worried face and sighed. “I can’t do this anymore,” I said to her. My eyes sought ClanFintan’s. “I don’t want to lie to you anymore.”
- •I returned his smile before looking nervously back at ClanFintan.
- •I wanted to throw my arms around him and bury my face in his heat, but I could feel Alanna’s and Carolan’s eyes boring joyfully into our romantic interlude.
- •I shouldn’t have been surprised. I already knew he was a biter.
- •I kissed him lightly on the cheek.
- •I felt ClanFintan’s startled reaction, which made me remember that the map that zapped me had shown all the land to the east of the river as centaur lands.
- •I remembered their horrible, ground-eating strides and had to agree with him.
- •I tried not to get distracted by the lovely image he was painting, and the thought of what it might look like now.
- •I searched my memory, wishing the biology electives I had taken in college hadn’t been ten-plus years ago.
- •I smiled my thanks at her before turning back to Carolan. “Well, what do we need to do?”
- •I found myself suddenly encompassed within the centaur’s strong arms.
- •I swear, underneath the layer of sweat and yuck he blushed. “Perhaps it has slipped my mind.”
- •It was the assistant who had been sent to get the dead child’s parents. I could see the shadowed forms of two people standing behind her in the hallway. I squared my shoulders and walked toward them.
- •I complied happily, resting my forearms against the ledge on which I had been sitting. He swept my hair out of the way and began rubbing soap all over the back of my body.
- •I remembered his little tкte-а-tкte with my guards and grinned. “You won’t have to.”
- •I rejoined Alanna, pulled the robe over my head and walked down the stone stairs into the warm pool to give myself a quick morning bath.
- •I smiled at his accented pronunciation.
- •I studied her face, thinking I saw a familiar expression.
- •Victoria caught my eye and raised her eyebrows at me. “I know a young centaur who would be happy to be our runner.”
- •I mean, please, I am an English teacher. Some things just aren’t acceptable.
- •I frowned and continued to dry myself.
- •I gulped and tried not to look worried.
- •I snuggled comfortably against him. “Are you sure it was just me? I think you cast some kind of spell or something.”
- •I wriggled around, pressing myself against his hard chest so that I could breathe in his ear, “Why not?”
- •I smiled at him and patted his arm like he was a cross between a teenager and a puppy. “Thank you, Dougal. It’s perfect.”
- •I thought poor Dougal might faint.
- •I laughed, but my eyes gravitated to my husband’s handsome profile. As if he felt my gaze, he turned his head in my direction and smiled warmly from across the fire.
- •It was wide and sturdy, and I didn’t have any trouble balancing on it. I looked at him and grinned happily.
- •I playfully slapped his hand away and smiled through my eggs. “You’re so fresh.”
- •I turned my face into the breeze, shaking out my own hair, liking the way it was lifted off my shoulders. I breathed deeply, stretching my sore muscles, and…
- •I closed my eyes and whispered, “Please don’t make me go down there.”
- •I had the disconcerting feeling that she knew who I was. On impulse I slid off ClanFintan’s back, and took her hand in mine, squeezing it warmly.
- •I leaned over and whispered to ClanFintan, “Isn’t Terpsichore the Muse that danced at our handfast?”
- •I tried more delicious food than I could keep count of, then, satisfied, I leaned back against my husband’s warm chest to enjoy the talent of the Muses, and the delicious quality of their red wine.
- •Vic covered his hand with her own. “Fight the battle with a clear mind, my friend. I will protect Rhea with my life.”
- •I took the small telescope and tried to thank her, but she had already moved away and was speaking to a group of nervous young girls.
- •I heard the Huntress directly behind me, I think her name was Elaine, snort a quick laugh at my response. Nope—they sure didn’t act nervous.
- •I slid off her back, and Vic opened the door. Sila was in the middle of the room, helping patients from their beds and onto thick blanket-like pallets. She looked up as we entered.
- •I almost called her Michelle, but caught myself in time.
- •I saw that Terpsichore was walking purposefully to stand by the dark woman’s side. She looked serene and lovely and spoke in a calm, unhurried voice.
- •In response, Dougal unsheathed his claymore, and Victoria pulled her crossbow and quiver from the sling at her side.
- •I went back to work on his cuts. He stood quietly, and soon I was able to lather in the salve. That done, I reluctantly moved to the rear of his body.
- •I saw Dougal flush in happy surprise. When Vic finally raised her eyes to meet his, I thought I detected an unaccustomed shyness in her gaze.
- •I pulled one foot up, and put it out in front of me, set it down—
- •I brushed some of the clinging sand from his face, then kissed the spot I had cleaned.
- •I jerked upright.
- •I smiled at him, but ClanFintan didn’t hesitate in his pace.
- •I stepped into Alanna’s arms, returning her embrace.
- •I took a long drink, focusing on getting the trembling inside me under control.
- •I looked away, unable to watch their agony.
- •I nodded against his chest and sent up another plea to the Goddess for her to watch after the mare.
- •I could see Alanna was putting on a brave face, and I smiled in response.
- •I shrugged my shoulders in a nonchalant way. “When isn’t it in my way?”
- •I tried to come up with a pithy reply, but in actuality I was relieved when Victoria’s voice cut through the need for any further words.
- •I saw the familiar figure of Victoria firing off arrows quickly, each finding its deadly mark. Between loading and shooting, her attention suddenly wavered, and she met my gaze.
- •I pulled my attention from Alanna and what was happening around me. Instead, I listened to my heart, or maybe, more accurately, my soul.
- •It seemed the mare battled on that small hill for time unending, but my mind knew logically that only minutes had passed before dark, winged shapes completely surrounded us.
- •In the middle of my thought I felt the tremor that passed through my body as it became semivisible. I mentally crossed my fingers that I was doing the right thing.
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I heard a ripple in the crowd. Suddenly, centaurs surrounded us and members of my guard were rushing from the temple to join them.
ClanFintan began shouting orders. He spoke to the first of the temple guards to reach us. “There is something approaching from the woods. Get your mistress to safety, then gather the women and children within the temple walls.”
Something inside me screamed, Don’t leave ClanFintan’s side. Without questioning this inner voice, I spoke.
“I stay with ClanFintan. Get the women and children to safety.” My warriors saluted in acknowledgment and hurried away. Before he could say anything I looked into ClanFintan’s eyes and repeated, “I stay with you.”
“And I stay with Rhiannon.” Alanna’s resolute voice came from the other side of ClanFintan.
ClanFintan sighed, but didn’t argue with either of us. His attention refocused on the distant tree line.
The gentle, seemingly harmless breeze caressed our faces. Dougal joined us on the Tor, and now Epi and I were sandwiched securely between the two centaurs, trying in vain to catch a glimpse of whatever they were scenting.
“It is mixed with centaur.” Dougal’s voice was grim.
ClanFintan’s tight nod was his only answer.
“There!” Connor’s shout shifted our line of vision from the middle of the tree line to an area closer to the river. Staggering, a lone centaur burst from the trees, moving swiftly, but erratically, in our direction.
“Ian!” Dougal’s cry wrenched from his chest at the same moment I saw ClanFintan’s start of recognition.
“Dougal, Connor, come with us. The rest of you position yourselves between the trees and Ian. If he has been followed, you must hold them off long enough for us to get him and ourselves to safety.” He scooped Alanna off her feet and deposited her on his back. “Hold tightly, we will be moving fast.” She nodded. He looked at me. “Stay near me.”
“I will.” I grabbed a handful of reins and Epi’s mane. I was almost too scared to wish for a sports bra.
We exploded off the hill. I felt a thrill of pride at the way Epi moved, which was immediately tempered with dread at what we might be charging into.
Dougal was the first to reach the centaur. He came sliding to a halt in time to catch the centaur’s torso in his arms as he stumbled, then collapsed to the ground.
I heard Alanna’s intake of breath as ClanFintan, Connor, Epi and I reached them. Dougal was on his knees trying to support the centaur’s bloody torso.
“Ian! By the Goddess!” ClanFintan’s voice was anguished and he, too, fell to his knees on the other side of the centaur.
Alanna slipped off his back and stood frozen, staring at the gruesome scene.
“Have you been followed?” ClanFintan asked, and Ian jerked his head from side to side.
“No—not—followed!”
“Breathe, Ian, then tell us what has happened.”
Ian struggled to draw breath into his lungs as Dougal murmured wordless sounds, trying to soothe him. The centaur was covered with a horrible mixture of blood and sweat. He was shaking violently. At first I didn’t see any open wounds on him, and wondered where all the blood had come from. Then his body shifted as he tried to regain his feet, and I noticed an enormous gash running from one side of his horse chest to the other. I watched as his struggles brought a fresh torrent of blood soaking his already darkened coat.
“No,” ClanFintan and Dougal held him down. “Do not try to get up.”
I slid off Epi and tore the cloak off my shoulders. I knew enough about horses and humans to know bleeding can be stopped by pressure. I looked at ClanFintan and he nodded in approval, then I crouched before the centaur and pressed the folded material against the terrible laceration.
“Connor, get a doctor!” I shouted at him. He spun around and ran back toward the temple.
Movement behind the fallen centaur’s body caught my eye, and I glanced up to see a line of warriors positioning themselves between the trees and us. Knowing they were there, standing ready to confront whatever had done this to the young centaur, gave me a moment of calm in the midst of what felt like chaos.
I turned my attention to the bleeding centaur. Up close his wounds were worse than they had first appeared. He was so crusted with blood and foamy sweat that his human body and his coat looked as if they were a dark, dirty color. His body was riddled with slashes and cuts. I peered over his shoulder at the rest of him. Like a grotesque quilt, patches of silver-blond palomino coat were interspersed between pieces of crimsoned flesh laid open and oozing a mixture of blood and bodily fluids. At each new spasm of his muscles, blood seeped from the horrible gouges.
As he began to speak, my eyes flew back to his face, which was a terrible gray color beneath the blood and grime.
“Laragon…is…gone.” He took deep breaths between each word, and his voice trembled. “The people…dead.” He whispered the last word.
“The women, too?” ClanFintan asked.
Ian shook his head painfully. “No, they…did not…kill the women.”
“The other centaurs?” ClanFintan’s question hung in the air between them.
“Dead.” The word fell from his torn lips into the terrible silence of realized fears. Ian’s body began to twitch violently and his eyes started closing.
“Ian! Stay with us!” Dougal’s voice pleaded with him.
Ian forced his eyes to reopen.
“How many of them?”
“Many—too many.” Suddenly, his breathing, which had quieted enough for him to speak, increased again. “Could…not…stop…” The centaur’s quivering became uncontrollable and his words were lost as he strained to breathe.
I could feel the heat of his blood as it seeped through the material of my cloak.
“Dougal! Where are you?” Ian’s eyes were open, but he flailed about like he couldn’t see.
“Here! I am here, my brother.” Dougal pulled the bloody torso closer, wrapping his arms protectively around Ian, trying to still his tremors. “All is well. You are safe now.”
ClanFintan pulled me away from the dying centaur so that I was pressed securely to his side. I watched helplessly as red foam appeared at the corner of Ian’s lips. I heard ClanFintan begin a chant, low and soft. As the sound of the chant reached Dougal’s ears, I saw him look angrily at ClanFintan, who didn’t pause in his litany, but shook his head sadly, affirming to Dougal what he must already know.
“ClanFintan.” Ian’s voice was amazingly clear as he spoke my husband’s name.
“Yes—” ClanFintan worked the words into his prayer “—I am here. I will lead you home.”
Ian’s body relaxed as ClanFintan raised his face and voice to the sky, reciting words that seemed to place a calming spell over the centaur, blocking his pain and suffering.
I watched as Dougal closed his eyes and leaned his head against his brother’s. I could see tears sliding down his face, mixing with Ian’s blood.
“I love you, my brother. We will meet again in Epona’s fragrant meadow.” Dougal’s quiet words carried through the air like a shout.
Ian’s body convulsed once more, and then he sighed gently and was still.
ClanFintan continued his chant. Bowing his head and closing his eyes, he focused within himself. Gradually, his voice became softer and softer, until he, too, was still. Then he stood, pulling me gently to my feet and approached Dougal, who was clutching his brother and weeping openly.
“Dougal…” ClanFintan’s voice was deepened with sorrow. “It is finished. He is gone.”
Dougal opened his eyes and slowly looked up at his Shaman. “He was too young. It should not have happened.” He sounded like a broken old man.
“True.” ClanFintan’s voice mirrored Dougal’s loss.
I felt tears spill over at the corners of my eyes. I remembered how, just yesterday, Dougal had seemed so young and sweet, blushing shyly whenever I smiled at him. I moved from ClanFintan’s side and shook out my bloodied cloak, spreading it softly over the worst of Ian’s chest wound. Movement in the corner of my vision made me look up from the centaur’s ravaged body. Alanna had followed suit. She, too, took her cloak from her shoulders and laid it respectfully over the centaur. Her face was wet with tears.
I touched Dougal’s cheek lightly.
“He was very brave. Like his brother. I wish I could have known him.”
Dougal pried one hand from his brother’s shoulder and clasped my hand. “Would you ask Epona’s blessing upon him, my Lady?”
“Of course.”
Still clasping Dougal’s hand in mine, I reached my other hand to find my husband’s. I felt Ian’s warm blood sticky between our joined palms. Alanna stepped to Dougal’s other side and he reluctantly parted with his brother’s body, taking her hand in his. Bowing my head, I let my eyes rest on the dead centaur.
“Epona, I ask your blessing upon this young centaur, who has died before his time. Touch him with your soft hands and help him never again to feel pain.” I looked at Dougal’s pale, strained face, and a small voice within me whispered the words I added. “And help us to remember that this world is the land of the dying, but the next world we go to will be the land of the living—where our souls will be joined again, never to be parted.”
Dougal squeezed my hand gratefully before releasing it. He stood slowly, never taking his eyes from the body of his brother.
A flurry of hooves announced the arrival of Connor. He had a man astride him who leaped from his back before he had come fully to a halt. The man rushed to the fallen centaur’s side. He carried a huge bag slung over his shoulder, like a leather duffel bag, which he had open and was searching through as he went to his knees in front of Ian.
He touched the centaur’s neck and moved the robe away from his chest wound. I heard the man sigh heavily before he turned to face us.
The doctor spoke to Dougal. “My sympathies on your loss. If you allow, I will have his body cleaned, anointed and prepared for the bier.”
“Yes,” Dougal managed to say. “Yes.” Then he looked at ClanFintan. “Our father and mother should be…” His voice trailed away.
“There will be time for that, son,” ClanFintan said. “Connor, take Dougal back to the temple. I will see Ian is cared for.”
Connor approached Dougal, and gently led him back toward the temple. Until he disappeared from sight, Dougal’s head strained back to look at his brother’s corpse.