Page 63 of Raven in Midwinter

“The gift of flight was bestowed on the child of Branwenn by Nemain. This was the first blessing of the line.”

Knowing then precisely who I was looking at, I huffed out a breath and bent over, face down in the dirt. The trembling was no surprise.

“The gift of the boundary of the land, of the marking, of the creation of Corvus, was bestowed on Bryan Corey by the Morrighan. This was the second blessing of the line.”

Her voice was deep and resonant, beautiful and scary, steeped in blood and memory.

“We are the one who branded Bryan, marking him as ours, and woke the earth magic that formed Corvus.”

“This cannot be,” Giles said shakily, his breath catching.

He knew who she was then.

“You altered what was never to be altered, what was only to be protected and cherished and loved. And though what you broke, we will mend… the trespass you committed against the land and its guardian is grave.”

“You come now solely for your precious rift,” he railed at her. “Because the gods travel through it, you’ve subjugated an entire line of people to keep it safe. That’s the height of selfishness.”

“You don’t understand,” I told him, crying now, my lips in the dirt. “The rift is a rip in the world that must be guarded so no evil may enter. That is our sacred charge. In exchange for that service, we were given the gift of our beloved Corvus, which provides for us and shelters us and was made powerful by the Morrighan.”

“Your line made it powerful, child, with blood, devotion, and sacrifice. The guardians have given all. We would ask if you would step away from Corvus for another life, but we have already been given an answer in this…you, here, pleading with the land to remember all that it was and is.”

“Please restore your blessing on the boundary.”

“You have been afraid for your neighbors.”

“Yes.”

“And for William, who should be here instead of you.”

“Yes.”

“And more than all is your fear for your love and for your…oh…daemon.”

“Yes,” I sobbed into the dirt.

“Rise and be well.”

I did as I was told, sighing deeply at the absence of pain. When I checked on Giles, he was almost transparent, but still defiant as he reached under the collar of his shirt, and pulled out what appeared to be a gold coin attached to a heavy gold chain.

“Ah, a nummus profugere, a trinket you have placed far too much faith in,” she stated dismissively, her head tilting merely a fraction.

As I watched, the coin melted, and the molten metal on his skin caused him to howl in pain. His screams were overlapping, growing louder with every passing second, and it was hard to listen to, and even more painful to watch. The sudden silence was both abrupt and confusing, but I could tell from the contortions on his face that he hadn’t stopped suffering. I suspected he was raging, and now entreating, the goddess at the same time.

“My lady, I have never heard of a nummus profugere.”

“It is a powerful talisman of evasion, one that many have used to flee certain death.”

I knew then that all the fear he’d ever shown me was a lie. He could have escaped from Corvus, the cottage, or any trap Lorne and I could have ever come up with. The thing was, he was not expecting to be confronted by a goddess in my little corner of the world.

“Even now, he promises to change,” she said softly. “But we are not deceived. His heart is evil and cannot be saved. We will not be moved to forgiveness.”

“Yes, my lady,” I said, and as I watched, he dissolved into nothing, gone from my sight.

“Your land, your mate, and your servant are restored.”

I didn’t see or hear anything, but I would never doubt her. She was the Morrighan, who knew all things. “Thank you, my lady, and please thank my lady Sionna for sending her messengers to you.”

“It was her thanking you for your care of her kin and the sanctuary you provide.”