Anne Bishop - The House of Gaian

"The Fae aren't the only ones who walk away from their children," Selena said flatly.

He gave her a measuring look. "No, they're not. And that's not right, whether they're human or Fae. But you asked about the Fae, so I've told you how it is." He rubbed the back of his neck. "And to be fair, we don't see much of them, and there were a handful of Ladies who rode up the other day to pay their respects. They gave Ella some gifts as thanks for letting them gather in the Old Place. Ella said they seemed . . . embarrassed . . . by the way the other Fae were acting."

As Parker reached the barn door, a high, young voice behind them said, "Papa?"

Chad turned. "Yes, Hayley-girl?"

"Mama wants to know if you're going to keep our guests in the barn all day. She says the food's ready for the table, and Gran's gone back to her cottage to fetch Grandpapa to come eat with us, and the Ladies might like to wash up a bit before we eat."

Chad grinned. "She said all that, did she?"

"She said more, but she told me to fetch you." Hayley looked disapprovingly at her brother. "And Parker has to wash his hands before he touches the bread. He's dirty."

"Am not," Parker said.

"Are too."

"We'll all go in and wash up before we sit at your mother's table," Chad said firmly.

Rhyann slipped her arm through Selena's as they followed Chad and the children back to the cottage. "Younger sisters," she said sweetly. "Aren't they wonderful?"

" Phuuu ," Selena said.

Dianna gazed hungrily at the beautiful gardens and terraces she could see from her window in the Clan house. She took a deep breath and let it out in a luxurious sigh.

She was back in Tir Alainn. Finally, she was back in Tir Alainn after all those weeks of being chained to Brightwood in order to anchor her Clan's piece of the Fair Land, living in that miserable cottage crammed with other Fae, hearing the muttered complaints about where she rode her pale mare, what she ate, where she sat, as if she hadn't been forced to give up everything for their sake. And now there was a challenge to her position as the Lady of the Moon.

She wouldn't have been challenged if she hadn't been chained to Brightwood, if she'd still been free to travel through Tir Alainn and visit the other Clans the same way her twin, Lucian, could do.

Well, it wasn't going to happen. She would meet the challenger and show that upstart she was still the Lady of the Moon, still the Huntress. And after her rival yielded, she would spare the bitch's life in exchange for a small service. Her rival would have to return with her to Brightwood and become the anchor for the Old Place's magic. Her rival would have to live in that cottage and listen to the complaints. Her rival could spend sleepless nights looking out on land that demanded sweat and hard work. Her rival would live in the human worlds—and she would be free to return to Tir Alainn.

Dianna turned away from the window to stare blindly at the tastefully decorated room.

No smells from a chamberpot. No stains on the bedcovers. No chipped vases or cracked mirrors.

If she lost this challenge . . . if her rival was actually strong enough to ascend and steal her place as the Lady of the Moon. . .

She would end up back in Brightwood, back in that cottage, trapped forever as the seasons changed, summer giving way to autumn and autumn yielding to unforgiving winter. Even the thought of having to spend a whole winter in the human world was more than she could bear.

Lyrra did it last year. They aren't even her Clan or kin, but she stayed in the cottage with the cold and the winds driving in storms from the sea .

That was Lyrra, whose refusal to accommodate the Lady of the Moon and remain at Brightwood had forced that duty on her.

No matter. She might even forgive the Muse someday—once her rival was settled into that cottage at Brightwood.

So she had to win. She had to. Because after she returned from the Old Place where the challenge would occur, she had no intention of leaving Tir Alainn.

Selena felt Rhyann shift, pause, then roll over to face her.

"Can't sleep?" Rhyann asked sleepily.

"No," Selena replied. "Too many thoughts, too many feelings."

"Mmm. You always think too much."

"Did you notice how excited Ella and Mildred were about me standing with the Fae for this gathering?"

"You're one of their own. Why shouldn't they be pleased?"

"The way they fussed over the dress to make sure all the creases and wrinkles were out of it, you would think I was preparing for my wedding."

"Oh," Rhyann said, yawning, "they wouldn't have fussed over you half as much if you were just getting married. Hundreds of women get married every year. But there's only one Lady of the Moon at any time."

"Thank you for being so comforting."

"Welcome," Rhyann mumbled.

"Rhyann?"

"Erf?"

"What if I lose?" Selena made a noise that sounded terrifyingly like a laugh changing into a whimper. "Mother's mercy, what if I win?"

"You get to be the Lady of the Moon."

"I'll be expected to give orders to people I know almost nothing about."

"That shouldn't bother you. You're always bossy."

Selena just sighed. Nothing would be gained by pointing out that Rhyann could be equally bossy.

When she thought her sister had fallen back asleep, Selena whispered, "I'm afraid I'll change."

Rhyann stirred. Propped herself up on one elbow. "The moon waxes and wanes. The tides ebb and flow. The seasons turn, each in their own time. Ever changing, never changing. Of course you'll change. The dance of life spirals, remember? Even when you return to a point, you're not in the same place. The dance would have changed you, whether you'd come here or stayed home." She leaned over and kissed Selena's forehead before laying back down. "Don't worry. If you start to act too much like them, I'll still be nearby to help you remember who you are."

Selena smiled in the dark, Rhyann's sleepy reassurance giving her more comfort than anything else could have.

"Good night, little sister," she said softly, feeling love swell inside her.

"Good night, mouse breath."

Aiden sat in the shade of one of the Clan's courtyards and plucked idle notes on the harp, letting his mind wander just as idly, drifting on the sound. He looked up when a boot quietly scuffed the paving stones.

"Are you working on a new song?" Taihg asked. The Clan's bard looked ready to retreat if the Bard wanted privacy—and also looked hopeful that he could sit in the courtyard and listen to a song come into being.

"No, just thinking," Aiden replied, smiling when he noticed the whistle tucked into Taihg's belt. "Why don't you sit down, and we'll see what two bards can do?"

Taihg pulled the whistle from his belt and hurried over.

For the first few minutes, harp and whistle played idle notes that twined around each other. Then Taihg slid into a gentle tune, and Aiden let the harp follow and fill in, absorbing the whole of the tune as easily as he breathed.

When the song ended, Aiden stilled the harp strings. "You wrote that?"

"Yes," Taihg said.

"Did you write a harp accompaniment as well as the whistle melody?"

"No, I think you just did that."

They grinned at each other. Then Aiden looked away.

He'd met Taihg a few weeks ago, when he and Lyrra had stopped at this Clan house while searching for the Hunter. He had threatened to strip the bard of the gift of music when the man refused to tell him what the western Clans knew about witches— and had been stunned when Taihg said he'd prefer to lose his gift rather than his home and Clan.

If I'd been fool enough to strip him of his gift, the loss of his music would have been on my head.