Page 69 of Woods of the Raven

“No. A sorceress.”

“And what is a sorceress?” He straightened up, returned to Gwyn, and continued the process of drying her.

“Basically a bruane. A made witch. They normally study and apprentice under another sorceress and learn spells, potions, and everything else.”

“Why not call herself a witch?”

“Because sorceress sounds better? Scarier, anyway. Plus, sorceresses—that’s hard to say—they’re usually from somewhere specific, and they put that with their title.”

“You were stronger than her.”

“Yes, but I’m only strong here, at home. If she’d caught me in the slip today…”

“Right,” he said solemnly. “Is there a way for your power to travel with you?”

“Not that I know of.”

“What about when you make that flame in your hand that scared the crap out of my brother? That seems to stay with you.”

“That’s elemental magic.”

“And what does that mean?” he asked as he used a brush I’d never seen before in my life, like one for a horse, to untangle the dog’s hair.

I had to think a moment. “Helping magic, I guess is the way to phrase it. The elements are always with you in whatever realm. Earth and water, fire and air are universal. Whatever power can be drawn from them aids the witch, so that I can use.”

“So you’re saying that only the ground around here, on Corvus, is useful to you to protect yourself,” he asked, straightening, ceasing with his brushing of the dog to meet my gaze.

“Or kill with,” I said flatly. “You can say ‘kill with’ because the land will only grant the power if it’s just and righteous. If I invited over some hot guy who was hitting on you and tried to feed him to the trees, that wouldn’t be allowed.”

“Noted,” he replied, smiling for a moment before he got serious again. “That’s why you left my house, isn’t it? Because you couldn’t protect me there.”

“Yes.”

“You led the sorceress and her wolves here to fight them because you had no chance of defeating them at mine.”

“Well, yes, but mostly, I had to draw them away from you and your family.”

“I know.” He crossed the room to me again, and kissed me longer this time, leaving me warm and muzzy when he pulled away. “I can tell you care.”

I took a breath. “Lorne, I’m so sorry you got caught up in this, and I’m even more sorry that the rift on my land is—”

“Stop,” he said firmly, his gaze heavy as he met mine. He then went back to the waiting Gwyn, resuming his brushing. “I know without you here, we’d all be vulnerable, like lambs to the slaughter.”

“Yes, but you—”

“It’s true. We would have no warning, no protection, and one moment we’d be here and the next we’d be gone like Roanoke or some—wait. Is that what happened?”

“I don’t know. I would have to go and see if there’s a rift there. It would explain so much, though.”

“But…it could be like that?”

“It could.”

Returning his attention to the dog, he smiled at her, noting, I was sure, just as I did, that her coat glowed like it was touched by moonlight.

“Your dogs are so pretty. What kind are they?”

“Cŵn Annwn,” I answered truthfully.