touches the earth. There are several of these on the earth, but they have been fading for so long, that Trinity is the last—and strongest—one. Maura thinks it drifted here, like ice flows, that it used to be somewhere else, like Ireland. Who knows? The pull is strong here, that’s for sure.”
I thought of the blind tug that had drawn me here all the way from my farm in Missouri. “The pull is very strong,” I agreed.
“Come on,” Devin shouted. He whirled his moose-horse around in a full spin and jetted off, across the sea of grass.
My mare was all too willing to follow. She bounded forward instantly and the wind roared in my ears and we raced neck-and-neck with Devin across the expansive view. My heart thudded loudly with every single hoof beat. The air was icy and ancient-feeling against my face. It stung, but in a way that was more pleasant than not, like a parent’s cool hand against a feverish forehead.
The wind whipped tears from my eyes. For a moment I was timeless, spaceless, just existing. I could forget everything—my father, the pain of his loss, the shock of learning my mother was some other worldly creature. It all vanished in exhilaration.
I let out a whoop and dug my heels into the mare’s sides. We flew past Devin and his horse and reached the top of the crest. My mare reared. I could feel her own joy at our speed and freedom. I laughed as she came down gently, prancing in place.
“So,” I told her. “Maybe Devin is right. You do have some fire in you, after all.”
She chuffed, arching her neck, obviously proud of herself.
Devin and his moose pulled to a halt next to us. Devin immediately dropped his reins to the buckle and let the gelding crop at the grass.
“I have something to ask you,” I said.
Devin frowned, as I had feared, but something had been bothering me. “The other night, I dreamt about my mother.”
He nodded. “Yes, you told me.”
“But something else happened, too.” I told him about the strange and beautiful man that had appeared to me. The line of concern between his eyebrows deepened as I described what I had seen.
“Yes, it was real,” he said, when I was finished. “And I’m not happy about it. Somehow you have attracted the attention of one of the Sidhe.”
“Sith?” I asked, “Like Star Wars?”
He cracked a grin for about half a nano-second. “No, Sidhe. The High Ones. You would consider him Faerie royalty, I suppose.”
I swallowed. “Why would he be interested in me?”
Devin frowned further. “I don’t know. That’s what concerns me. If you have caught the attention of even one of the Sidhe, you must be careful. He isn’t human, and isn’t motivated by human emotions or anything we as mortals can really understand. The Sidhe are neither evil nor good. They just are.”
“But there’s really nothing to worry about, right? I mean, Faerie is closed. It’s not like I can talk to him—or my mother. Not really.”
Devin absently scratched at his horse’s mane. “Well, it is and it isn’t. With your selkie blood—and how narrow the Gateway is here, they can both reach you—in your dreams. Sleep opens us up in a way and lets the Fae enter. So, they can reach you, and there is cause to worry. Even dreaming can be dangerous.”
Before I could press him for further information he turned his horse around and started trotting back the way we had come.
I shivered, frightened and elated. Perhaps I could have some form of relationship with my mother after all, even if it had to happen in my dreams.
All my life the term ‘in your dreams’ had referred to the impossible. Now, it meant I could have a relationship with my mother. So much of my life had been thrown off kilter, but for some reason this fact struck me as funny. I snorted to myself as I let my mare follow after Devin.
We rode back to the cottage at a much more sedate pace. I
I thought of the blind tug that had drawn me here all the way from my farm in Missouri. “The pull is very strong,” I agreed.
“Come on,” Devin shouted. He whirled his moose-horse around in a full spin and jetted off, across the sea of grass.
My mare was all too willing to follow. She bounded forward instantly and the wind roared in my ears and we raced neck-and-neck with Devin across the expansive view. My heart thudded loudly with every single hoof beat. The air was icy and ancient-feeling against my face. It stung, but in a way that was more pleasant than not, like a parent’s cool hand against a feverish forehead.
The wind whipped tears from my eyes. For a moment I was timeless, spaceless, just existing. I could forget everything—my father, the pain of his loss, the shock of learning my mother was some other worldly creature. It all vanished in exhilaration.
I let out a whoop and dug my heels into the mare’s sides. We flew past Devin and his horse and reached the top of the crest. My mare reared. I could feel her own joy at our speed and freedom. I laughed as she came down gently, prancing in place.
“So,” I told her. “Maybe Devin is right. You do have some fire in you, after all.”
She chuffed, arching her neck, obviously proud of herself.
Devin and his moose pulled to a halt next to us. Devin immediately dropped his reins to the buckle and let the gelding crop at the grass.
“I have something to ask you,” I said.
Devin frowned, as I had feared, but something had been bothering me. “The other night, I dreamt about my mother.”
He nodded. “Yes, you told me.”
“But something else happened, too.” I told him about the strange and beautiful man that had appeared to me. The line of concern between his eyebrows deepened as I described what I had seen.
“Yes, it was real,” he said, when I was finished. “And I’m not happy about it. Somehow you have attracted the attention of one of the Sidhe.”
“Sith?” I asked, “Like Star Wars?”
He cracked a grin for about half a nano-second. “No, Sidhe. The High Ones. You would consider him Faerie royalty, I suppose.”
I swallowed. “Why would he be interested in me?”
Devin frowned further. “I don’t know. That’s what concerns me. If you have caught the attention of even one of the Sidhe, you must be careful. He isn’t human, and isn’t motivated by human emotions or anything we as mortals can really understand. The Sidhe are neither evil nor good. They just are.”
“But there’s really nothing to worry about, right? I mean, Faerie is closed. It’s not like I can talk to him—or my mother. Not really.”
Devin absently scratched at his horse’s mane. “Well, it is and it isn’t. With your selkie blood—and how narrow the Gateway is here, they can both reach you—in your dreams. Sleep opens us up in a way and lets the Fae enter. So, they can reach you, and there is cause to worry. Even dreaming can be dangerous.”
Before I could press him for further information he turned his horse around and started trotting back the way we had come.
I shivered, frightened and elated. Perhaps I could have some form of relationship with my mother after all, even if it had to happen in my dreams.
All my life the term ‘in your dreams’ had referred to the impossible. Now, it meant I could have a relationship with my mother. So much of my life had been thrown off kilter, but for some reason this fact struck me as funny. I snorted to myself as I let my mare follow after Devin.
We rode back to the cottage at a much more sedate pace. I
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