“Adhna collected us from the abbey. He explained he’s been teaching you, just like the monks have been teaching us.”
Not everything, then. She breathed more easily.
Adhna put a hand out to help her rise. “I wish I could allow you more rest. Your body still needs physical recovery. But today is Bealtaine, so I must take you back up to the hill. Tonight is too special to squander. Besides, I have some information for you.”
“Information? About what?”
“Several things, but they must all wait until we are safe in the circle. Come.”
Clíodhna relieved herself in the sand basket near the door before she allowed Adhna to lead her outside. She glanced back. “Etromma? Will you and Donn look after Aileran?”
Her daughter didn’t look up from her task. “Of course, Ma. Do what you need to do. We’ll be fine.”
Clíodhna swallowed. Only sixteen winters old and ready to run her own household. She’d continued her pursuit of Tirechan, the blacksmith’s boy, although his father still resisted the match. Soon her daughter would leave home and start a family of her own. Clíodhna’s throat caught with impending loss. She left her eldest in charge of her other children with both pride and trepidation.
In silence, Clíodhna and Adhna trekked back up the mysterious path and through the stones. They didn’t seem so sinister now, in the fading twilight. The stone circle looked almost bright and cheerful in the setting sun. The golden light bathed the inside surface of the large stone. It must stand on the eastern edge of the ring. The glow seemed too strong for mere sunlight, though.
Adhna held her outside the stones, not letting her walk inside. He drew her around the circle one time, twice, thrice, all while chanting in some ancient language, words too slippery for her to grasp their meaning. His voice echoed across the space, swirling around her like playful mist.
With each march around the perimeter, the glowing stone grew brighter. Even the smaller stones pulsed with faint light. By the time they completed the third circuit, the main stone shone almost as strong as the sun, now just touching the horizon in the west.
The world turned orange, red, and yellow. It pulsed with the earth’s heartbeat, slow and steady, strong and stolid. They entered the stones, hand in hand, with deliberate steps. Clíodhna’s pulse quickened as the energy slammed against her.
This was no gentle earth energy, the tendrils of blue-white light she’d become so familiar with. This energy surged with seasonal strength, the power of the sun, far more strident than the placid land. Clíodhna fell to her knees with the force of it.
Adhna knelt next to her and pulled her into an embrace. He still spoke in that ancient chant, his voice encircling her with comfort. She clung to him as the power swirled around them.
He bent his lips to hers and kissed her.
Clíodhna couldn’t handle all this, not so soon after Odhrán and the storm magic. Clíodhna wiggled to escape his grasp, and he let her go. She pulled back and stared at him. Yes, she wanted him, and had wanted him for many moons now. But her poor body balked at the effort.
“I can’t, Adhna. Not after all I’ve gone through today.”
“You can, if you wish it. I will lend you strength. You can say no, and I won’t be upset in the slightest, but another opportunity like this won’t come for another six moons.”
“Must it be right now?” She glanced at the sun, knowing the answer.
He followed her gaze and sighed. “We might hold off for a little while, but not much. We must complete the ritual before the last sliver of sun disappears behind the hills, as I’m sure you know. Would you like to wait? Or will you allow me to help? I can give you the energy now, and you can decide afterward. The ritual will be flawed if you participate under duress. I need your full willingness.”
Clíodhna swallowed, staring toward the descending sun. She needed something. Someone to lean on, someone to lend her stability. This day had been far too chaotic for her to make sense of what she ought to do, but in the end, it seemed right to her soul to at least attempt what Adhna asked.
She spread her arms and bowed her head. “Lend your energy. I’ll try.”
Adhna hesitated. “Are you certain? I don’t wish to press you into this against your desires.”
She straightened her spine, determined to be part of his ritual. “Yes. I want this. Please.”
He placed his hands on her forehead. The warmth and strength flowed into her head, out through her torso, and into each limb. Clíodhna quivered with the energy, unable to stop her arms and legs from twitching. The pleasure rushed so strong it hurt, both worse and better than any pleasure she’d experienced with lovemaking. Unable to stop the flow, she arched her back with a soundless scream.
When the rush of energy dwindled, she glowed. Clíodhna sprang to her feet and shook out her arms, rubbing the skin to remove the intense prickling sensation, like thousands of tiny ants biting her skin. Adhna didn’t need to assist her this time.
“You took that well, Clíodhna. I’m proud of your ability. You’ve learned much since I first met you.”
Flushing at the praise, she paced. Now the energy rose too fast, too strong. She wanted to run up and down the hill at full speed, bare feet gripping the soft grass. After assessing the gate rocks, she wondered how long it would take to climb to the top.
“I told you I have information for you. Now is the time to tell you.”
Clíodhna halted, her hand pressed against her breast, sensing her rapid heartbeat. “What information?”
“I know something of your ancestry. Something you need to know now.”
While forcing herself
