The Pillars of the World

Chapter Twenty-eight

The dark horse stopped walking, snorted in surprise. Morag snapped out of a light doze. Seeing no obvious reason for the horse’s reaction, she pushed her tangled hair away from her face and grimaced as she forced her body to straighten up in the saddle.

Something had been pushing her for the past two days, a feeling that if she didn’t keep moving, she would be too late. For what, she couldn’t say. But the feeling had been strong enough to keep her on the road, only stopping for a few hours each night to let the horses rest.

Those hours had held no rest for her. The same dream washed through her uneasy sleep, over and over again. She was standing as the Gatherer in front of someone. She couldn’t see who it was because mist surrounded both of them. She held out her hand— and kept hoping the other person wouldn’t take it. She didn’t want to gather this spirit, but that decision wasn’t hers. The person standing before her would make that choice. Then a hand slowly came out of the mist, reaching for hers . . . and she would wake up, shivering.

Driven out of sleep once again—and briefly wondering if Morphia was trying to send her a message through this dream—she had saddled the dark horse and continued the journey, traveling through the early hours of the morning. The sun was barely up now, and she had no idea where she was or how much farther she had to travel. She only knew she had to keep going until . . .

There was a cottage up ahead. She’d been looking at it without really seeing it. But all the horses’ attention was focused on that place, even the wounded mare.

She took a deep breath, breathed out slowly. A sweetness in the air. A richness.

She had come to an Old Place.

“Let’s see if there’s anyone home,” she said.

The dark horse pricked his ears and moved forward at a fast walk.

She turned him off the road before they reached a low-walled garden, going through the meadow to circle around to the back of the cottage.

A young woman stood at the well, warily watching her approach.

I should have used the glamour so she wouldn’t be afraid of being approached by one of the Fae. Since the woman had already seen her, Morag dismissed the thought. Besides, she wasn’t in the habit of hiding what she was.

“Blessings of the day to you,” the woman said.

“And to you,” Morag replied. So tired. So desperately tired. “Could you spare some water for the horses?”

“Yes, of course.” The woman turned to fill the buckets on the ground beside the well. She paused. “Who are you?”

Morag grunted softly as she dismounted. “I’m Morag.” Then she realized that wasn’t actually the question. “I’m the Gatherer.”

“Oh.” The woman filled the buckets, then set them a couple of paces away from the well. Two mares hurried forward to drink. “I’m Ari.”

No longer compelled to keep moving, Morag wanted nothing more than to be down in the meadow and let the strength in the land flow into her weary body.

She no longer felt compelled to keep moving. She looked at the cottage, at the meadow, and, finally, at Ari. “You’re a witch.”

“Yes, I am.”

“I’ve—” —never met one of your kind alive. Morag shivered, clutched the saddle to stay on her feet.

Ari hurried over to her. “Why don’t you sit on the bench and rest.” She wrapped one arm around Morag’s waist and led her over to the bench. “Would you like some water?”

“Please.” Morag leaned back against the cottage wall and closed her eyes. Some time later—seconds, minutes, hours, she couldn’t tell—Ari said, “Here,” and pressed a mug into her hands. With her eyes still closed, Morag raised the cup to her lips and drank. There was strength in the water, strength in the air, strength in the land. Strength that was still vibrant. Mother’s mercy, it had been so long since she’d felt this.

After refilling the buckets for the next two horses, Ari stood in front of the bench, twisting interlocked fingers. “Will I have time to say goodbye to some people and find someone to take care of Merle?”

Morag opened her eyes and studied the woman in front of her. “I see no shadows in your face,” she said quietly. When Ari only looked puzzled, she added, “I didn’t come here to gather. I stopped to ask for water—and directions.”

Ari’s puzzlement took on a different quality. “I didn’t think the Gatherer would need directions in order to . . . gather.”

Morag smiled. “I have a guide for my work, and I hear the call quite well. When that’s not the reason I’m looking for someone, I depend on a map or directions just like anyone else.”

“Oh.” Ari returned the smile. When the sun stallion bugled a demand for water, she rolled her eyes. “I’m coming.” She hurried to refill the bucket for the sun stallion and the dark horse. Then her eyes lingered for a long time on the wounded mare. “What happened to her?” she asked when she returned to the bench.

“Nighthunters,” Morag replied wearily. “They devour life.”

Ari studied the mare a while longer. “Poor thing. Is there nothing that can be done for her?”

“I don’t know. That’s one of the things I want to find out once I find Ahern. And I have to find the Bard.”

“Well,” Ari said with a tartness that focused Morag’s drifting attention, “neither will be difficult to find. You can reach Ahern’s farm by crossing the road and going over the fields. And the road through the Veil is in the woods beyond the meadow.”

“How do you know the Bard will be there?” Morag asked slowly.

“I don’t know if he’s still there, but he came to Brightwood with some . . . friends . . . for the Solstice.”

“Brightwood? Yes, the name fits this place.”

Ari went back to the well and filled the buckets again. Looking at the wounded mare, she picked up the buckets and walked over to the privy house. The wounded mare followed, each step an effort.

Her own muscles protesting, Morag rose from the bench and also followed.

Ari set one bucket down for the mare to drink. She crouched, placed her right hand in the other bucket, and closed her eyes.

Morag tensed as she felt power gather and flow. She could almost see it shining through Ari’s skin.

“The cleansing heat of fire to burn out what is not welcome,” Ari said quietly. “The strength of earth to heal.” Rising, she picked up the bucket and poured some of the water over each of the mare’s wounds.

Morag wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but she felt a stab of disappointment when nothing happened. Ari, on the other hand, studied the wounds and nodded. Then she sighed. “That might help her enough until Ahern takes a look at her. Although I’m not sure there’s anything even he can do.”

Morag kept her eyes on the mare. You know the Bard but don’t recognize the Lord of the Horse? Yet you know him, too.

“May I leave the horses here while I go to Ahern’s?” Morag asked.

Ari hesitated. “You’re tired. Why don’t you rest for a while? I can walk over to Ahern’s and ask him to come over here to see the horses.”

Morag almost agreed, then decided against it. She wanted to talk to the Lord of the Horse on his own ground, where she wouldn’t have to worry about revealing who he was. She shook her head. “Rest would be welcome, but there’s no need for you to interrupt your own work.” She tipped her head toward the horses, who were now eagerly grazing in the meadow. The dark horse looked at her longingly, waiting to be free of saddle and bridle before joining the others. “Talking to Ahern can wait for a few hours.”

Ari picked up the buckets and smiled ruefully. “I do have plenty of work, especially since I have to decide what to pack and what needs to stay here.”

Alarm surged through Morag. “Pack? You’re leaving the Old Place?”

Ari’s friendly expression turned wary. “I’m getting married. Neall and I are going to live in the west.”

“But—”

Death whispered, I’m coming to this place.

Morag shivered and bit her tongue lightly to hold back the words. Death was coming to Brightwood. Not today. Perhaps not tomorrow. But Death was coming.

“In that case,” she said, “that’s all the more reason for you not to take time out of your day.” No matter what it means to the Clan who lives here, the sooner you’re gone, the better. Although even the west of Sylvalan won’t be far enough away if we don’t do something to stop the Black Coats.

She walked back to the well with Ari, who again refilled the buckets and left them for the horses.

“Would you like a bath?” Ari asked.

Morag groaned. “A bath. I could kill for a bath.” Seeing the way Ari’s eyes widened, she smiled. “I should phrase that differently, shouldn’t I?”

“Definitely.”

Morag laughed. “A bath would be most welcome. But let me get my horse settled first.”

After the dark horse was unsaddled and the gear stored in the cow shed, Ari led Morag into the cottage.

“Come in and be welcome,” Ari said.

Morag wasn’t sure how Ari managed to heat so much water so quickly, nor did she care. The bathing tub was big enough for her to sink down and soak her torso in the well-heated water as long as she kept her knees bent. When the water began to cool, she washed herself, then used the two pitchers of water Ari had left beside the tub to wash and rinse her hair.

She hadn’t been this clean since she and Morphia had fled down the road through the Veil. After drying off, she wrapped the towel around herself and grimaced at her clothes, not eager to put them back on.

A knock on the door was followed by Ari cautiously poking her head into the room. She held out some clothes. “These may not fit well, but they’re clean.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll fill a washtub, and you can let your clothes soak for a bit.”

Morag smiled. “There isn’t anything I own that I would want to put on a clean body right now.”

Ari returned the smile. “I have the same feeling after working in the garden all day.”

Morag dressed quickly, then followed her nose to the kitchen.

“Would you like some soup? Or would you like to sleep for a while?” Ari asked.

Morag’s stomach rumbled, answering the question.

Ari dished out two bowls of soup. Before she could take them to the table in the main room, Morag said, “May we eat outside? I’d like to keep an eye on the horses to make sure they’re settled.”

Ari folded some small towels into pads so they could hold the soup bowls without burning their hands. She brought out some cheese and lightly buttered bread and set the plate between them on the bench.

They ate in silence while they watched the horses graze.

Contentment seeped into Morag. The horses were relaxed, even the dark horse and the sun stallion. That was a good sign that there was nothing here that would harm them. They’d both been uneasy since the first meeting with the nighthunters.

“May I ask a favor?” Ari said.

“You may ask,” Morag replied cautiously.

“You can see the spirits of the dead.” Ari waited for Morag’s nod before continuing. “I was wondering . . . I’d like to know before I leave Brightwood that my mother and grandmother have gone on to the Summerland.”

“That I can do,” Morag said. She started to set her bowl of soup aside, then stopped when Ari touched her arm lightly.

“There’s time,” Ari said.

When they finished the meal, Ari led her to a bedroom off the main room. “I’ll make up a bed in one of the upstairs rooms for you, but for now, you can sleep here.”

Unsettled by the strength of the relief she felt that Ari would allow her to stay for a day or two, Morag just nodded and sat down on the bed. She waited until Ari closed the door before stretching out on top of the covers.

Sleep didn’t follow exhaustion. She lay awake for some time, listening to the quiet sounds of living. She was just starting to drift off when she heard a nervous snort followed by the sound of the window being pushed up by someone outside.

Opening her eyes just enough to see, she watched the window, tensed.

The dark horse’s head poked into the room.

“See?” Morag heard Ari say in a low voice. “She’s fine. She didn’t leave you. She’s just sleeping. Now get your hooves out of my flower bed, you big oaf.”

The dark horse withdrew his head. Morag heard Ari scolding him to watch where he put his feet if he was going to keep poking his head through the window.

The dark horse snorted. Ari huffed.

Picturing the standoff made Morag smile. And smiling, she fell asleep.

The daylight had already softened by the time Morag woke up. At first, the silence was peaceful, soothing. Then she sat up and listened hard.

Should it be so silent? What if something terrible had happened and she’d slept so deeply she hadn’t been aware of it? No. Surely if something had happened, she would have heard the dark horse. Surely.

Yap yap yap.

Turning toward the sound, she got out of bed, went through the arch that led to the adjoining dressing room, and looked out the window. What was a shadow hound puppy doing here?

Then she saw the tan front legs, which explained well enough why the pup had been abandoned in the human world. Not a responsible thing to do—and not a safe one. The shadow hounds had been bred to run with the Wild Hunt, and even an animal that wasn’t a purebred shadow hound would grow into a large, fierce hunter.

Wondering if she should talk to Ari about the pup, she watched from the window for a minute before she realized the dark horse and the sun stallion were playing “tease the puppy.”

The sun stallion pranced in front of the puppy, catching its attention. Yapping, the puppy did its own less-than-graceful prancing, daring the stallion to come closer. While the pup yapped at the sun stallion, the dark horse silently came up behind it, his head low to the ground. When his muzzle almost touched the puppy’s hindquarters, he snorted. Loudly. Yipping, the pup dashed away.

“Stop it, both of you,” Morag heard Ari say sternly. “You shouldn’t be teasing him. You’re both so much bigger.”

Smiling, Morag turned away from the window to join Ari outside. As she left the room, she noticed the glass-doored bookcase, but didn’t stop to look at what was inside.

When Morag appeared at the open kitchen door, the dark horse trotted over, looking very pleased with himself.

“If he nips your nose, it’s no less than you deserve,” Morag said quietly. But she smiled and petted him to soften the scold. She knew he had a playful side—it was part of his breed—but he seldom had a chance to play.

Seeing Morag, Ari walked over to the kitchen door, the puppy sheltered in her arms.

“This is Merle?” Morag asked, remembering that Ari had been concerned about finding someone to take care of Merle when she’d thought Morag had come to gather her.

“Yes, this is Merle.” Ari looked at the dark horse and huffed. “What is it about horses that color that they enjoy teasing puppies?”

Morag’s hand froze against the dark horse’s cheek. “Horses that color?”

“Dark, like yours. Neall’s gelding does the same thing. He thinks it’s funny. The gelding, that is.” Ari frowned. “Neall probably thinks it’s funny, too, but he’s smart enough not to say so.”

Morag stared at Ari. “Neall. The man you’re going to marry. He rides a dark horse?”

“Well, his gelding is the same color as your horse, so I guess it could be called a dark horse,” Ari said. She looked puzzled. “He bought it from Ahern, and Ahern told me the gelding was sired by a dark horse. One of his special horses.”

One of Ahern’s special horses? Oh, yes, they were special. So who—and what—was this Neall that Ahern would sell him an animal sired by a dark horse?

“There’s still plenty of light left,” Ari said. “Did you want to ride over to Ahern’s?”

Morag stepped out of the kitchen. She didn’t want to ride anywhere at the moment, didn’t want to pass the borders of this place. She focused on the wounded mare, and her eyes widened in surprise.

“She looks a little better.”

“Yes,” Ari said thoughtfully. “I think, in her own way, she’s been undoing the harm done to her so that she can heal.” She pointed to a spot in the meadow that, to Morag’s eyes, looked no different than the rest. “I’ve watched her today. She’s stayed near that spot where I did the Solstice dance. And as she’s grazing, she keeps moving widdershins to undo what has been done.”

“She can’t undo what the nighthunters’ bites did just by moving in a certain direction,” Morag protested. “If it were that simple, she would have done it before.” Even as she said it, she knew why the mare hadn’t done it before. “It’s not that she knows. She’s just instinctively following something that’s here.”

Ari looked uncomfortable. Rubbing her cheek against Merle’s head and giving him one last pat, she set him down. He sat on her foot and stared at Morag. “Yes, I think so. My family has done a lot of dances in that meadow over the years. Even when it’s quiet, the magic is strong there.”

“If you’re willing, I’d like to let the horses stay here tonight.”

“Of course.” Ari paused. “Is there something you would like to do? I have some stew cooking. It should be ready soon.”

“I’d like to answer your question about your mother and grandmother.” Morag looked at the dark horse and added a bit plaintively, “Do we have to ride?”

Ari chuckled. “No. It’s a pleasant walk. This way.”

When they reached the edge of the meadow, Morag looked back. The dark horse trotted up to her. The sun stallion was watching her, as if uncertain if he should round up his mares and follow.

Morag sighed. “We’re just going for a walk,” she said, raising her voice enough for the sun stallion to hear. “You can all stay in the meadow. You too,” she added quietly.

The dark horse shook his head. He knew why she was taking this walk.

Merle yapped once at the dark horse, then trotted ahead of Ari to see what interesting messages his nose might pick up.

Ari led the little procession to a pond. A large oak tree grew near it.

“My mother used to sit under that oak tree and watch the pond,” Ari said. “Her body is there.”

Morag looked at the tree and all the surrounding land. She shook her head. “She isn’t here. I didn’t show her the road to the Shadowed Veil, but one of the others who are Death’s Servants must have done so.”

There was something about Ari’s sigh of relief that Morag found disturbing. “How did your mother die?”

Ari stared at the pond. “Lung sickness. We have a small ice cellar to keep food cold and fresh. I had a chill that day. She told me to stay home and keep warm, and she went out to cut the ice by herself. She fell into the pond, and—” Ari stopped. Closed her eyes. “She didn’t fall in. Water was her branch of the Mother. When she commanded, water obeyed. She could walk across that pond when there was only a skin of ice and come to no harm.”

Morag felt something wash through her. Something dangerous and feral. “Do you know who pushed her in? That is what happened, isn’t it? Someone wanted the witches gone from this place and attacked her when she was alone, throwing her into the pond to drown.”

Ari shuddered. “Anyone else, weighed down by heavy winter clothes, would have drowned. But the water obeyed. And she got out of the pond and made it home. But the lung sickness took hold, and there was nothing I could do for her.”

“Did she tell you who pushed her in?”

Ari shook her head. “She kept mumbling ‘Ridgeley,’ but that’s the name of the village. She had a fever, so it’s not surprising that she made no sense.”

“What else did she say?”

Ari shrugged. “She talked about daughters, about how Gran was right—the daughters needed to go away.”

Morag stared at the pond. “Why didn’t she fight? She had magic. She had power. Why didn’t she fight?” The depth of her anger surprised her. She had no right to aim it at Ari, who had shown her nothing but courtesy. But there are things you do not ask of the dead that can be asked of the living.

Ari looked at her wanly. “It is our creed to do no harm with our magic. Besides,” she added with a bit of temper, “what could she have done? Her gifts were water and a little earth.”

“She could have broken the ice beneath the feet of whoever attacked her and drowned the bastards,” Morag said fiercely.

Ari’s eyes widened.

Struggling not to let the rage inside her escape, Morag took a deep breath, let it out slowly. “Ari, on most days your creed is a commendable way to live. But there is a great difference between doing no harm and defending yourself. I have shown too many young women the road to the Shadowed Veil because they followed your creed. For them, it was already too late to say anything. But you . . .”

“I—I’m not sure I could do that. I’m not sure I could use magic to harm someone, even if—”

“Do you love Neall?” Morag demanded.

“Y-yes.”

“If someone was trying to hurt him, would you just stand by and let him suffer or would you do something?”

Ari didn’t answer.

Morag sighed. “Where is your grandmother?”

“This way,” Ari said in a subdued voice.

They didn’t speak on the way to the hill. Even the animals were subdued, picking up the changed mood.

The moment Morag set foot on the bottom of the hill, she knew. But she said nothing.

When she reached the top of the hill, a light breeze played with her hair and made the wildflowers dance.

“Even on the stillest day, there’s always a little wind on this hill. This was Gran’s favorite spot.”

“Her gift was air?” Morag asked.

Ari nodded, then looked at Morag anxiously.

The ghost of an older woman smiled at them, then pressed one finger against her lips.

“There is no one here,” Morag lied.

“Thank you.” Ari sighed in relief. Then she smiled. “We should get back to the cottage. I left the stew on the back of the stove where it would just simmer, but it will be done by now.”

Morag followed Ari. Before leaving the crest of the hill, she looked back and whispered, “I will return.”

Yes, the ghost replied. There are things to be said.