Breath of Heaven (25 page)

W
e must walk from here,” Eliane said. They dismounted in a small glade that was barely big enough for their horses. The small game trail they’d followed had gone up and down and twisted upon itself until he had no clue at to where he was within the forest of Aubregate. It seemed much bigger once one was in it than it did when one rode around it.

It came to him as they rode that he had now seen Eliane in every season. He’d met her in the dead of winter, within the forest. He’d lusted after her through the spring, missed her during the heat of summer, and realized he could not live a day without her when the leaves blazed bright as her hair. Love, once discovered, was something he desired more than anything.

Eliane was sad and his heart ached for her. He could tell her mood by the way her fingers twisted in the hair at Llyr’s neck. It was the first time they had left Duncan for more than a few hours, but it was not missing the child that caused her mood. Duncan was well cared for by Khati and Jodhi. It was Madwyn’s imminent departure that caused her sadness.

As they followed the nearly invisible trail deeper into the forest, Madwyn carried her basket and Han carried a blanket wrapped with her other things. Her snowy owl landed in a branch overhead and watched
them with its golden eyes before taking off again to lead the way.

A heavy frost had come the night before and the air was thick with cold; his lungs hurt with the effort to breathe, and the air fogged with each exhalation. The thick carpet of leaves crunched heavily under his boots as he followed Madwyn, Han, and Eliane down the trail between the twisting roots of the oaks.

They walked in silence, Llyr, Han, Madwyn, and Eliane before him. They knew they were safe here. There was none from the outside world who could survive coming in this deep. Rhys felt as if he’d gone into another world. They walked on, the only sounds the chirping of the birds and the occasional flutter of wings, and the crunch of the frozen leaves.

The air felt suddenly warmer. The sharp bite of the frost was gone. A breeze that felt like summer touched his cheek and Eliane turned and graced him with a smile. The smells changed also. No longer was there the forest smell of decay and rotten wood. Instead he smelled something fresh and clean, like newly cut grass.

The trail spiraled downward again. Through the trees he saw a glimmer of water. The leaves that still hung on the trees overhead sighed with the breeze and he looked up. He saw the owl again, a flash of white against the bronzes, reds, and golds of autumn.

The trail widened and thick grass edged the trail. They moved into a glade bisected by a wide stream. Llyr bounded down to the water’s edge and drank. The glade was so large that it was hard to see into the trees opposite. Even though it was fall, flowers bloomed
brightly in patches and butterflies skimmed over their tops. It was so warm that he could remove his cloak.

Rhys stepped out into the open and turned in a circle with his eyes on the sky. It was the same bright blue as before and scattered with a few fluffy clouds. He could not count the miles they had ridden, or walked.

“What is this place?” he asked Eliane.

“This way,” she said with a mysterious smile.

They followed after Han and Madwyn, who had disappeared around a huge pine with branches that swept the ground. When he came round it, he stopped in his tracks. Two stone columns stood before him. The warm breeze he felt upon his face came from between, yet the grass beyond did not move.

Madwyn dropped her basket next to the things Han had carried. Her son bent to her, took her in his arms, and hugged her tight.

“I will miss you, Mother,” he said.

“It is time for me to go,” she said as Eliane went to her.

“You can stay,” she said. A tear rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away. “I don’t know if I can do this without you.”

Madwyn took Eliane’s hands into hers. “Nonsense. My duty was to show you the way and help you raise your daughter.” She ran a hand through Eliane’s curls and smiled her approval. “But you have a
son.
It is up to Han to show him the way.”

“But what if we have a daughter someday? What then?” Eliane asked tearfully.

“Then there will be someone for her as I was there for you, your mother, and her mother before her.” She hugged Eliane to her breast. “More of your mothers
than you will know, Eliane. They wait for me inside. As I will wait for you.” She looked at Rhys and she suddenly seemed younger and more beautiful than ever. “And you.”

“What is this place?” Rhys asked. “Where are you going?”

“It is the passageway to our world,” Han said. “We are the guardians of this gate.”

“Your world?” Rhys asked.

“You know of Merlin and Arthur?” Madwyn asked.

“Yes. Camelot.” Rhys knew the legend.

“Merlin was one of us. We are the fey. Long ago this land was ours, but men and their wars drove us from it. This is the only place that remains where our kind can cross over into our paradise. We leave it open for those who are still lost.”

“It is my duty to protect it,” Eliane said. “As long as the portal remains open, Aubregate will prosper. This is the treasure.”

“If a mortal passes through, it will be destroyed,” Han said.

“But you said you will wait for Eliane…and me.”

“Eliane may come when it is her time. She may bring you if her heart desires it.”

Eliane took his hand. “My heart will always desire it.”

“But what of your mother? And Edward?”

“We may only die in battle,” Han said. “Arden died fighting to protect the keep.”

“Therefore Edward could not go with her,” Rhys surmised.

“A good reason to keep me safe,” Eliane teased.

“Always,” he promised. “No matter the cost.”

They stood hand in hand as Madwyn waved good-bye
and stepped through the portal. The breeze quickened, and blew across them, throwing Eliane’s curls into wild disarray around her. Rhys watched Madwyn fade into the distance and heard a soft whinny. A white horse, nay, not a horse, for it had a horn upon its forehead…Eliane squeezed his hand.

“Yes. ’Tis what you think,” she said. “Someday I will show you.”

“I can wait,” he said. “For my heaven is right here, beside you.”

FALLEN

RISING WIND

WHIRLWIND

FORGIVE THE WIND

WINDFALL

CROSSWINDS

WIND OF THE WOLF

CHASE THE WIND

Writing as Colby Hodge:

TWIST

STAR SHADOWS

SHOOTING STAR

STARGAZER