by Candace Sams
Afton placed her package beside the axe and pulled his head against her chest. Her hands stroked his hair with infinite tenderness. Then she untied the leather lacings on his jerkin and pushed it off his bare chest and arms. "Change into fairy form, Blain, and know from this moment forward that every time you do, it's a gift from your parents. Draw strength from the earth and elements the way your father would. See the beauty in nature that was your mother's legacy. Every time you do these things, they live in you, and no evil can win."
Blain did as she requested. When he stood in fairy form and pulled her to him, he could feel the future in his arms. A future which was strange and wonderful, full of secrets and magic. The past and the horror that went with it could never be changed. Things ahead might not always be easy, but as long as they were together, there would always be love.
The breeze began to gently blow. In it, he thought he could hear his parents' voices. Afton stooped and carefully unwrapped the package Gawain had brought her. Inside it were the two urns containing Arthur's and Syndra's ashes. He gazed at Afton as she placed one in each of his hands and reverently removed the lids
"Let them come home, Blain. Let it all end. They don't need to run anymore." Afton raised her hands, and the breeze she summoned blew warm upon their backs
Blain upended the urns and let the wind take the ashes where it would "They are home, aren't they7" he murmured.
Afton nodded. "Yes, and no one will ever separate them from here or each other again."
Blain sadly smiled and turned to Afton "I love you more than anything on this earth "
She cupped his cheeks with her hands. "And I love you, too."
***
Shayla and Hugh watched the scene unfold from the castle's parapets.
"We have plans to make, Hugh. There are still those practicing black magic who would do everything within their power to destroy us. I let my guard down and many have suffered horribly for it." She thought of Blain, Afton, Pluck and the injured and dead guards whose families' would suffer forever. And she remembered Syndra and Arthur.
"It isn't your fault, my love." He took one of her hands in his. "What can anyone do when evil takes its course?"
Shayla looked out over the landscape. "What we can do is make sure we're not all in one place when that evil eventually comes again. I believe the Americans have an expression about not putting all your eggs in one basket. We must find other ground, sanctify it and place some of our people there. If the worst should happen here, the Order will go on." Her fist struck the top of the stone wall in front of her. "I will protect our people."
"Aye, love. But who would leave our sacred places in this part of the world? Our kind have been here for thousands of years."
"Whoever is willing. I won't force anyone to move. After this incident, however, there may be those who will want to find another place."
Hugh nodded. "It will be difficult for you to make decisions with us scattered about."
"Not any more so than it is now. And this is a new century, Hugh. Remaining in contact is much easier if we use technology to our advantage instead of living in the dark ages. England, Scotland and Ireland shouldn't be our only sources of sacred land. The world here is closing in. We'll need more room."
"Aye, Shayla. If your plans for the future are to be carried out, we'll need more land indeed.
Epilogue
"Come quickly, lad. It's little Syndra," Hugh gasped as he ran into the barn.
Blain dropped his pitchfork and ran toward the house with Hugh puffing at his heels. For days now there had been signs that his daughter would be getting her first set of wings. It was comparable to a human baby's first steps, and he wasn't about to miss it. Once the little girl fell asleep tonight, those baby wings would disappear forever. She wouldn't get her permanent wings until she was old enough to summon the change, and that wouldn't happen until the day she understood when it was and wasn't appropriate to reveal her true form. At least that's how it worked with other fairies. Of course, little Syndra wasn't like other fairies, Druids or anyone else in the Order. But whatever happened, he and Afton would be there for her.
He ran up the stairs and into the nursery. Afton was holding the baby and crooning to her. Blain remembered the first time he'd changed. The tearing sensation had been excruciating as it had knifed down his back and through him. All he wanted to do was hold his sweet little girl close. To let her know Daddy was there and that he loved her so much.
"Give her to me, Afton." Blain held out his hands.
Afton handed the girl over. "She's been fussy all morning. I should have known this would happen today."
"Aye," Hugh spoke from the doorway, "She's always had such a sweet disposition."
There was the sound of footsteps in the hallway. Pluck burst through the door, panting. "I've told Afton's family. They were all by the small waterfall in the upper pasture. Gawain wasn't with them, but I found him in the barn. Everyone's coming!"
"Thank you, Pluck." Afton smiled at her friend. When the baby had shown signs of producing her first set of wings almost a week ago, her family and friends had all come to America to celebrate the event.
"Where's Shayla?" Blain asked Hugh.
"I'm right here," the older woman spoke from the hallway and pushed her way around Hugh and Pluck.
The baby cried and rubbed her small fists against her eyes. Then she leaned into Blain, unable to tell her father what was wrong. His heart went out to her. She was barely a year old. His baby was in horrible pain, and there wasn't anything he could do to take it from her. He cuddled her close to his chest and murmured soft words. She looked up at him with huge tears in her eyes as though she was begging him to make it go away.
"Soon, little girl. It'll go away soon. Daddy loves you," he crooned.
"Oh, Blain, she's hurting so." Afton stroked the baby's bare back. "Isn't there something we can do?"
"Wait! Maybe I know something that'll help." Hugh quickly left the room and was back again in a moment. He thrust Blain's flute toward him. "Take her to the garden and play for her, Blain. She loves to hear you play."
Blain smiled and took his flute from Hugh's outstretched hand. "You're a genius, Hugh. I know this will help."
Hugh was right. The perfect place for his baby to be right now was in the garden that Afton, Shayla and Hugh had planted for him over eighteen months ago. The same garden where he had first seen . He carried the baby down the stairs and out into that special place. Afton, Shayla, Hugh and Pluck followed. Everyone else who wanted to witness the event would know to follow the flute's music.
Blain handed the baby to Afton, and she sat on a stone bench close to . The baby turned to look at it as she always did when taken into the garden. She was fascinated with its reflective qualities. She soon stopped crying, rubbed her eyes with her fists again and smiled.
"Blain, look. She's feeling a little better now." Afton confirmed this by holding up the baby so he could see her.
He touched Afton's cheek and gazed into her beautiful eyes. When he turned his attention to Syndra, the baby looked up at him and reached out when he showed her the wooden flute. Their beautiful baby had her mother's blue eyes and light brown hair. It curled around her little head like a small halo. There were tiny freckles on her upturned nose, and she promised to be every bit as lovely as Afton. He loved them both with all his heart. There was peace in this place. No evil entered, nor would it as long as he lived
He stayed very close to Afton and Syndra as he lowered himself to the ground. The baby watched every move he made as though she was transfixed. Blain began to softly play his flute. Syndra tilted her small head and listened.
"It's working," Afton whispered as she rocked Syndra in her lap.
Blain was aware of everyone crowding into the garden, but he ignored them and played for his daughter. He put his heart into each note, and the sounds of the flute filtered through the garden. Even the birds ceased their song and listened as he played. The breeze
blew the tops of the flowers. They swayed as though they were doing so in time to the music. Pink fairy roses and brightly colored foxglove dipped m the wind. There was a hint of thyme, sage and rosemary in the air. A large purple-winged dragonfly landed on the baby's head as though it were offering itself up for a decoration. Sulphur butterflies vied for the child's attention with their more colorful cousins, the Monarchs. Somewhere in the surrounding woods, tiny pixies drew near. Blain could sense them watching. He played on.
Suddenly the baby leaned into Afton and cried out. Afton held her close and looked at Blain. "I think it's time," she whispered.
Blain stopped playing and touched the baby's head. Two tiny ridges appeared on her back. The ridges immediately grew outward and two, aqua-colored wings burst forth. They were gilded with silver like her father's. Blain quickly removed his shirt and changed to fairy form. With a tender expression, Afton handed the baby to him. Grinning proudly, he carefully cradled Syndra so as not to damage her tiny wings.
"Isn't she beautiful?" he boasted. "Have you ever seen wings like these?"
"Never. Not in my lifetime," a voice spoke from the woods.
Blain turned when everyone else did and saw Lore and some of the fairy faction emerging from the woods. He extended his hand to Lore.
"I'm glad you made it. I wasn't sure we could get a message to you in time."
Lore clasped Blain's arm. "I wouldn't have missed it. She's the first fairy child to have ever received her wings on new ground."
Without the pain that had plagued her for the last week, the baby began to smile and laugh at all the attention. She looked up at Blain, all the love in the world in her innocent gaze.
And Blain was thoroughly enchanted.
"Come, everyone. See Syndra's new wings and celebrate her life," he invited in the ancient fairy way.
He placed an arm around Afton and drew her near. "I love you, Afton. My sweet flower."
"I love you, Blain," she responded and stood on tiptoe to kiss him and then the baby.
"Syndra is a beautiful baby, just like her namesake." Shayla smiled as she spoke. She and Hugh stood in the background waiting for the baby to be properly presented.
"Aye, and everything has worked out exactly as you planned it. As usual," Hugh added. "Now that the babe has her wings, I was thinking of giving those two young ones time to be alone. They've had little enough privacy since coming back to the States. So many of the Order have decided to move here, and I'm glad of it. As you said, we're safer not living in such great numbers and on such limited space."
Shayla looped her arm through Hugh's and laughed as Pluck hopped around for the baby's amusement. A smiling fairy approached Shayla and handed her a note. "I'm sorry I didn't pass this on to you earlier, Sorceress, but with the little one's wings coming, I got excited and almost forgot about it."
"It's all right, Paris. Join the others." She took the note and began to read.
"Bad news, Shayla?" Hugh asked, concerned.
"No, not bad. Just...strange," Shayla placed the note in the pocket of her robe. "It seems someone has hacked into our new database at the castle."
"Shayla," Hugh gasped, "this could be disastrous. Why we could be in serious..."
She raised her hand and smiled. "Hush, Hugh. No secure information was accessed. Just some legendary bit of tripe from our archives. Our people have taken the computers off line until the matter is cleared up."
He let out a sigh of relief. "For a moment, I thought my old heart would stop."
"It's a matter that can wait until we get home. For now, let's enjoy the moment, the love and the happiness. Look at Pluck's dancing." She laughed. "Isn't he a rascal?"
Hugh turned his attention to Blain, Afton and tiny Syndra. As the warm breeze blew, a wonderful scent wafted through the air. "Sorceress, whatever you're wearing is quite...quite..."
"Alluring isn't it? It's a special blend of aphrodisiac herbs Afton once used on Blain. Do they do anything for you?" Shayla asked with a sense of expectation in her heart.
"Tonight, after everyone disperses, meet me in the woods where the little stream turns into a grotto. You know the place?" Hugh murmured into her ear.
"I know the place," she repeated. "Don't be late. Pleasuring isn't just for the young, you know, and it's been some time since we made love."
Laughing, Afton rushed up to them, grabbed their arms and pulled them forward, saying, "Come on you two. Come see the baby."
Shayla and Hugh held out their hands as Syndra was passed to them. The baby chortled happily.
"She's the best in us all," Shayla pronounced as she fawned over the lovely little girl. "Take care of her always. I charge everyone to take care of all our children. They're our future. Without them, there's no hope and our kind will perish. Teach them to be fair, honest and wise, to be tolerant of one another and their differences. They should learn to harm none except in defense of the Order, and to hold their heads proudly. Most importantly, they should know the meaning of love, harmony and the blessings of family and nature. What they're taught, they'll one day teach. So mote it be."
Afton stepped forward and took the baby back. As she did so, fairies, pixies and elves began to play a variety of instruments.
Blain leaned toward Afton as she cradled the baby. "I want ten more just like her," he declared.
"We can start whenever you're ready, " she replied.
With that, he smiled broadly and lifted her and the baby into his arms. He laughingly sat them upon a nearby bench, picked up his flute and joined in the celebration. He knew who he was and his place within this strange, magical world. And, with Afton by his side, anything—everything—was possible.
He stopped playing for a moment and waved a hand. Midnight blue fairy dust drifted toward his adorable little girl and her lovely mother. They laughed and held their hands up to catch the shimmering, star-like flakes. He'd even discovered his own special powers to share with them, but nothing was more magical than the love they shared. The love each new day brought vanquished all the sadness of the past. Blain felt he was the luckiest man alive, and as he caught his reflection and theirs, he wondered what more could any creature want?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
After having worked as a Police Officer for eleven years, and on the back of an ambulance as a Crew Chief and crew member for about eight years, I got pretty used to things that go 'bump in the night'. Sometimes I was what went 'bump in the night'.
I love paranormal, futuristic, fantasy, time travel, shape shifter, anything out of the ordinary romances. Having read romance since the age of about thirteen, I've seen every conceivable story. But all the romances with the supernatural elements or those involving Celt or ethereal magic are still what's best for me.
I'm currently the senior woman on the U S Kung Fu Team and exhibited in China, at the request of the Chinese Government, in November 2000 I hold an International Martial Arts Competition title from 1997, and was awarded the Medal of Putien and the Statue of Tao from the deceased Grand Master of Nan Shaolin Kung Fu in China, Grand Master Chee Kim Thong. (So, I like the kicky, throw-you-down down stuff).
I live in Alabama with my exceedingly patient husband and seven children in the form of three large dogs and four cats. I love to garden, have an extensive daylily collection and a bird making a nest right outside my writing room window. Autumn is favorite season of the year.
Proofers Note
This e-book was edited from an uncorrected text file. A copy of the original text was unavailable for edits. Any errors are my own. SFG
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