Falling Page 16

  “Home,” her mother said.

  “Exactly!” Erin said, smiling at all of them.

  She looked into the cup, but Merlin wasn’t there. She looked up at David. “Did I do anything before he appeared?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t think so.”

  “I didn’t think so either, but he’s not here.”

  “And you’re sure it wasn’t a dream, or—” her father started.

  “Dad!” Erin said, frowning fiercely as him.

  He raised his shoulders. “I don’t know, honey. It just sounds…”

  “Odd?” her mother asked.

  “Unusual,” her father finished.

  “Hard to believe?” another voice offered.

  They all looked down into the cup. Shimmering in the water was Merlin’s face, smiling up at them all.

  “It is rather difficult to believe, I agree with you. But here I am, nonetheless,” the old man said.

  “Oh. My. God!” Erin’s mother whispered.

  “Er, no. Just Merlin.” The old man laughed. “You must be Susan, Bridget’s daughter. The one we missed.”

  “The one you missed?” Erin’s father asked.

  “The seventh daughter who never became a high priestess,” Merlin explained. “And you are?”

  “Oh! I’m Reece Freyn, Susan’s husband. Erin’s father.”

  “Ah. A pleasure to meet you,” Merlin nodded his head.

  “And you,” Erin’s father replied. “An honor, sir.”

  Merlin’s eyes shifted to Erin. “Are you ready, then?”

  Erin took a deep breath, feeling her chest tighten in anticipation. “I am. What do I need to do?”

  “Have no fear, my dear. Just listen to your mother.”

  Erin looked up at her mother, whose eyes had widened. “What am I supposed to do?” she asked.

  “Listen to your heart and recite the words,” Merlin said.

  “To my…” she started, beginning to sound almost scared.

  “Calm yourself, Susan. Take the chalice from Erin,” Merlin directed.

  She did, making eye contact with Erin as she did so. Erin had never seen her mother look so nervous. She’d always been a rock. The strong one. Absolutely certain of her convictions. Of what she did and what she advised her children. But now she was out of her league, walking new ground.

  Her mother gave a small gasp as her fingers closed around the bowl of the cup and the magic within it.

  Erin gave her an understanding smile.

  “Good. Now, close your eyes,” Merlin said, somehow sounding further away. “And recite.”

  Susan did as he said. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Balancing herself on both her feet, Erin could feel her mother’s calm as she centered herself. Slowly, her mother opened her eyes and looked straight at Erin.

  “‘Neath the moon’s warm silvery cloak,” she began,

  “‘We, Thy true coven, Thee do invoke

  On this sanctified night, please give Thy grace

  For our blest rite, in hallowed place.

  Come all to bear witness this night

  As you watch this sacred rite

  Though years have passed, allegiance is still owed

  Time, strength and bloodline have all showed.

  Like the North wind born from frozen floes,

  And lightning torn from stormy throes,

  As green stalks fill then burst with grain

  Let this one child be born again.’”

  Her mother moved forward a step and placed the cup to Erin’s lips. She tilted it forward and Erin’s senses were suffused with the scent of Avalon. Her whole world glowed with the white magic of the chalice, and she was overcome with happiness, a sense of calm, that this was what she’d been waiting for her whole life. She took a sip of the sweet water, knowing she would never taste anything so utterly perfect and delicious.

  Her mother stepped back, revealing her father and David both watching her closely. She smiled at them. And then the burning began.

  She gasped as the heat suffused her, rushing from her head straight to her toes. It seared her, scorching hot like boiling lava, only from the inside out. She tried not to cry.

  The moment she began to wonder if all of her internal organs would melt, the freezing cold began. It set her shivering; her teeth chattered.

  “Erin, are you all right?” David grabbed her arm, supporting her.

  Slowly, the sensations began to fade. She managed to nod and take a deep breath as her temperature returned to normal.

  “Wow. That was intense.” She took a few more deep breaths before she could straighten up and stand on her own.

  Her father put his hand on her shoulder. “Okay?”

  She nodded and even managed a small smile. “Yeah. I feel fine, now. That was really intense.”

  “But now you’re the high priestess? You can do things? More than before?” David asked.

  Erin shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out. But first, I want to start that non-profit and figure out how I’m going to get in touch with any and all Vallen. I’ve got so many ideas of how this might work.”

  “We’ll draw up the papers this weekend, and you can get started on your fund-raising,” David said.

  “So, you’re sure this is what you want to do?” her father asked for the twentieth time since she’d explained her idea to him.

  “Yes, Dad,” Erin sighed, as they moved out of the wood and made their way back to the spot where they’d snuck into the park. “I can help people. Help Vallen come to terms with their magic. Maybe build up networks, answer questions, show people how to use their magic to help others.”

  “First you’ve got to figure out your own magic,” her father cautioned.

  “I’m proud of you, sweetie,” her mother said, putting her arm around Erin’s shoulders.

  Erin stopped walking and turned toward her. Tears pricked at her eyes. “I cannot tell you how much that means to me, Mom. Really!” They hugged, nearly squeezing the breath from each other until they laughed and moved apart.

  “I’ve got a lot of reading to do,” Erin admitted. “All those books in the trunk. And I’ve got to quit my job.”

  “Well, if you need some place to stay, you can always move back home,” her father offered.

  “Thanks, Dad. I’ll try living with Lanie for a bit and then we’ll see. Hopefully, I’ll be able to raise enough money to rent a studio somewhere. Since I’m going to run the non-profit from wherever I live, I think it would be best if I had my own place.”

  David stayed suspiciously quiet, but Erin could feel emotions rolling off of him. He was all at once nervous and hopeful, and perhaps a little scared. Whatever was going through his mind, he kept it to himself.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Erin was beyond exhausted when she returned to her apartment. David still hadn’t said anything, even though they’d driven back to the city together.

  “Are you okay?” Erin asked him when he pulled up to the curb outside of her building.

  “Yeah!” He turned toward her, searching her eyes for a moment. She didn’t know what he was looking for, but finally he said, “It’s just…incredible, that’s all. I guess it’s all just hitting me now, you know?”

  Erin ran her hand down his arm. “I know. It’ll probably hit me later. Right now I’m just going with the flow, accepting things as they come.” She gave a little laugh and opened her door. “I’ll see you later?”

  “Absolutely! I’ll give you a call.”

  Erin dipped back into the car and gave him a peck on the lips. “Great,” she said as she climbed out again. “Later.”

  It was such a relief to be home, Erin thought, as she walked through the door to her apartment. She paused to think about that for a minute. When had this begun to feel like home? How odd! It wasn’t her home. She knew that. And that was going to become all the more clear when she quit her job and had to move out. Just the thought that she was going to quit gave her
a feeling of liberation.

  She was certain Congressman Whitmeyer wouldn’t allow her to live here when she no longer worked for him…unless she could somehow come up with her half of the rent. Maybe he would want her to stay on to keep up the pretense that the apartment was hers, even though he would still kick her out every so often.

  She shook her head. It was too much to think about right now. She was much too tired to consider what the congressman might or might not do. Whether she should see if she could continue to live here or find some place new. Or even what Congressman Whitmeyer was going to say when she quit her job the following day. No, she was not going to think about any of that.

  Erin did little more than shuck off her jeans and take off her bra before dropping into bed. She might have even already been asleep by the time her head hit the pillow.

  ###

  “Erinne, I bring you gifts from your mother,” Daffid said, walking into the room carrying a wooden crate.

  “Daffid! You’re home!” I tried to get up from my chair, but the child within me made moving difficult, and standing up nearly impossible.

  He dropped the crate in his hands and rushed to my side.

  “Easy,” he warned. “My goodness, but look at you.” Warm laughter spilled from his lips.

  “Ugh! I am so large with child it’s unbearable.” I complained but with a smile. I finally felt happy again, now that he was home after so many months away at court.

  “You are looking well, though.”

  “As are you.” I leaned into him. “It is so good to see you again,” I whispered, wanting nothing more than for him to kiss and hold me as he had before Huw sent him away.

  He looked longingly at me as well but his eyes shifted to take in the rest of my private sitting room. “Huw is not here?”

  “No. He’s gone for a few days to see to reports of thieves in the wood on the western border. He fears an invasion from the Welsh.”

  Daffid nodded, and with a broad smile said, “Well, in that case…”

  He’d just bent his head to touch his lips to mine when Richard came in grunting and groaning. “Where do you want these, my lady? There are two more such crates still in the wagon.”

  Daffid and I both froze and then quickly stepped apart, feigning innocence.

  “Place it by the shelves,” I instructed the boy, pointing to the new shelves adorning one whole wall of the room.

  “Your mother sends her greetings,” Daffid said.

  I couldn’t hide my smile at his attempt to behave as if nothing had happened. “Yes,” I said. If he would play this game, I could do no less. “She wrote, telling me to expect both you and the books. You found her well, I assume?”

  “Indeed. It was good fortune that I met your father at court, as your mother had been wanting a way to send you these books for some time, apparently.”

  I nodded. “And very kind of you to bring them yourself.”

  He shrugged. “We had a pleasant journey to Tyne-on-Waye, and your mother fed me well after we arrived.”

  I laughed. “I envy you. What I wouldn’t give for a taste of my mother’s excellent cooking.”

  “She is an accomplished woman. Not only an excellent cook, but…” he looked down at the crate of books at his feet, “apparently an accomplished scholar as well.”

  I nodded. “That she is, and perhaps someday, I will be as well. Now, if you would hand them to me a few at a time, we can fill my new shelves.”

  Daffid pulled out four books and handed them to me, but what he could hold was too much for my smaller hands. I laughed as I had to take them from him with two hands.

  “Perhaps I should hand them to you one at a time,” he said, laughing along.

  “Two should be fine,” I said, as Richard came in with another box.

  Daffid directed him to place it on the floor. The boy disappeared again quickly going back for the last one.

  I examined the books in my hand. I didn’t want to just shove the books haphazardly on the shelves, but to organize them as well, so that I could easily find what I was looking for when needed.

  “Your mother said that these were your books. You’ve read them all?” Daffid asked, awe coloring his question.

  “Not all. I’ve still got a good many yet to read. But I think I’ve at least paged through nearly all of them. Some I don’t know if I’ll ever actually read cover to cover. Like this one.” I shuffled the books in my hands and opened the one I’d placed on top. A picture of a plant was neatly sketched on the page, accompanied by a description of the plant and it’s medicinal values.

  Still Daffid shook his head. “It took my tutor weeks to get me to sit long enough to teach me the alphabet. I wouldn’t have the patience to sit and read through a whole book.”

  I laughed. “Well, it’s a good thing then that I am the one to be the high priestess and not you.”

  “Indeed!” he agreed heartily.

  “Only a few more months,” I said. It was clear Daffid could hear the longing in my voice as he smiled at me before handing me another few books.

  “You are looking forward to taking over your mother’s duties?”

  “Very much so. It’s something I’ve trained for my whole life.” I placed the herbal book on one shelf, the others with histories on another.

  “I’m sure you’ll be…”

  What he said was lost to me as a sharp pain in my abdomen made me catch my breath.

  “Erinne! What is it?” Daffid asked, as he rushed to my side.

  “I…I don’t know. The babe, mayhap?” I answered before another pain, this time in my lower back, shot through me.

  Richard walked in the door just at that moment with the last crate of books.

  Daffid turned to him. “Go fetch Lady Weobley immediately!”

  The boy looked from Daffid to me then dropped the crate in his hands and went running.

  “Oh no!” I cried as I felt a rush of warmth slide down my legs.

  “What?” Daffid asked spinning back to me.

  “My water. It broke.”

  “I…I don’t know what to do,” Daffid stammered, his face turning pink.

  I put my hand into his. “Help me to bed.”

  He nodded, guiding me around the crates toward my bedchamber as if I were a piece of the finest porcelain.

  “I’ve called for the midwife,” Lady Weobley said, bursting through the door to my room just as I was sliding carefully on to my bed.

  “Good.”

  “Huw would have to be away today of all days,” my mother-in-law said in an exasperated tone.

  “Well, he wouldn’t have been able to help, so I don’t believe it will be a problem,” I said. Butterflies were beginning to fill my stomach as my nerves caught up with the situation. I’d been dreading this day for the past nine months. Too many women died in childbirth. Too many babies didn’t see it through the day, either. And I had no idea what to expect. My only consolation was that my mother had survived the ordeal no less than seven times, and all of her children had lived through their first few years, if not longer.

  I would be brave. I would be… Daffid started to head toward the door. “Where are you going?” I called out, stopping him.

  He spun around, his eyes wide. His own feelings of nervousness were pouring off of him in waves. No, it was more than that; he was terrified. “A birthing is no place for a man,” he said.

  “It is! I need you here,” I said, doing my best not to cry or plead. After he’d been away for so long, I didn’t want to let him go. I couldn’t bear it. I needed him at my side.

  “Nonsense,” my mother in law said. “Daffid is absolutely right.”

  “No, please, my lady, let him stay. Let him…let him just hold my hand. Please,” I asked, giving Lady Weobley an imploring look.

  My mother-in-law hesitated and then gave in with a sigh. “Very well, if you insist.”

  Daffid came back into the room, gingerly sitting on my bed next to me, his back to his moth
er and the foot of the bed. He did his best to give me a reassuring smile, but I could tell he was feeling far from comfortable.

  The mid-wife came in then, along with another maid, and explanations as to Daffid’s presence had to be made once again. Both women looked oddly at me but allowed him to stay.

  The pains were beginning to come faster, but it was another three hours or more before I felt the urge to push. Time blurred into a haze of pain and breathing. Only Daffid’s strong hand in mine gave me the strength to carry on. His confidence grew as I clutched his hand, sharing my pain with him.

  “Pain I understand,” he told me when I took a break to breathe. “I am a knight, after all. And you are handling this very well—better than some men I’ve seen.”

  His soothing words helped me, guiding me through the fog of the birth until finally, with one great scream, the child was out. It was then the babe crying with a great lusty voice to everyone’s delight.

  I collapsed against the pillows that had been piled up behind me and gave Daffid a weak smile.

  “You were amazing,” he said quietly so that only I could hear.

  “Tis a girl!” the maid said as she placed the now swaddled infant into my arms.

  My heart contracted with love and pride as I took in the mottled red face of my daughter. My breath caught in my throat, I was trying so hard not to cry right along with my beautiful girl.

  “Thanks be to God that Huw wasn’t here,” my mother-in-law whispered from my side.

  I looked up, questioning her with my eyes.

  “Just look at her,” Lady Weobley said, running a hand gently over the baby’s head. “Those dark curls. Just like…” her eyes lifted straight to Daffid’s brown hair that gently curled about his ears.

  I gasped as the full meaning of my mother-in-law’s words hit me. The babe so very clearly did not look like my husband, with his fair hair and pale green eyes. The child’s eyes were a clear, pale blue and her hair so dark—just like Daffid, her father.

  “What are we to do?” I asked, watching the color drain from Daffid’s face.

  He just shook his head.

  “There is nothing that can be done,” was my mother-in-law’s whispered answer. “Pray.”