The Heart of Winter by Shona Kinsella

Author:Shona Kinsella
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: New Adult; fantasy fiction; flame tree press; magic; epic fantasy; dragons; wizards; folklore
Publisher: Flame Tree Publishing
Published: 2024-02-22T11:21:04+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Their days settled into an easy rhythm. When she awoke each morning – she still thought of it as morning, although the sky outside showed only twilight, whatever the hour – Brigit broke her fast, usually in the Cailleach’s company, although the goddess did not eat at this time. Then they went about separate tasks for a few hours. Brigit would often prepare food for later in the day, starting a stew or soup cooking over the fire, then do some chores around the house.

Some days, she would wrap up warm and take a walk in the gardens, often accompanied by Talorcan and Friseal. She was constantly awed by the lights dancing across the sky and by the ice sculptures dotting the grounds. Animals, spirits, creatures of myth, all gamboled in the Cailleach’s garden. Talorcan and Friseal often played in the snow, rolling around in it and kicking it up into the air. Brigit found it hard to remember how terrified she had been when she first encountered them at the doorway on Ben Nevis. She had discovered several stone doorways and standing circles throughout the grounds and wondered if they all connected with places in the mortal realm, like the one she came through.

Later in the day, Brigit and the Cailleach would share a meal and then work on their tapestries side by side, sometimes chatting as they worked, more often in comfortable silence. One such evening, Brigit was humming softly as she worked.

“What is that tune?” the Cailleach asked.

“Just a song my friend Mary used to sing,” Brigit answered. “I’m sorry if it was disturbing you.”

“There is something familiar about it,” the goddess said.

“It’s about a young woman who sees a handsome stranger at the market one day. She falls in love at first sight. When he leaves the market, he beckons her and she follows him into the woods, only to discover that he’s one of the fae. But it’s too late, she’s bewitched, and she follows him through a faery ring and is never seen again.”

The Cailleach stopped work and looked at Brigit. “And did your friend Mary long to fall in love with a fae and be carried off to a different life?”

Brigit thought about it, her fingers moving deftly among the threads. “I don’t think she wanted a different life. She was always quite content in the village, never talked of wanting to see the wider world or anything like that. I think she wanted to fall in love though, to be swept away by it, the way the girl in the song was.” Her hands stilled and she sighed. “Life doesn’t always give us what we want though.”

“Are we still talking about Mary?” the Cailleach asked, her voice soft.

“Yes.” Brigit tied off the row she was working on and turned to face the goddess. “Her father married her off to a man from the village without even discussing it with her. The man, Hamish, is nice enough, but he’s a fair bit older than us and a widower with three bairns.

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