Báirseach- the Midding Gate Read online

  Drying my hands with a towel Mam keeps on hand especially for me, I approach Ciaran. His dark looks are complemented tonight by the grey of his linen shirt and black trousers. He steps close for a kiss, and I offer him my cheek.

  Washing dishes always gives me time to think — and I’ve made a decision. I need to break up with Ciaran. What kind of relationship is it without mutual respect or love?

  He barely brushes his lips along the side of my mouth before he hands me a small, silver bag.

  “Happy Samhain, darling. This is just a little something for tonight’s bonfire.”

  A long ribbon of the softest black velvet is pooled at the bottom of the bag. Pulling it out, I notice the silver charms on the ends. At first glance, they look like flowing swirls, but on closer inspection, the shapes of dragons emerge.

  “Thank you, Ciaran. It’s lovely.” Carefully, I run it through my hands, enjoying the plush feel of the velvet against my fingertips.“But I can’t accept this.”

  Ciaran’s mouth pulls down into a frown at my words.“Whyever not?”

  Lifting my eyes to meet Ciaran’s, I motion to the parlor. “Let’s sit a moment.”

  Once we arrange ourselves on the loveseat, I place a firm hand on my boyfriend’s arm.

  “I’ve thought a lot the last couple of weeks about our relationship. I don’t. . . . Ciaran, I don’t see it going anywhere lasting.” Trying to infuse confidence in my words, I continue, “I feel like you are only with me because I am a dragon tender. Do you even see me?

  “We always socialize with your friends or attend your functions. If I invite you out with my friends, or even like tonight, with my parents; you are late or miss the outing entirely.” Glancing at Ciaran to gauge his reaction, I notice that he’s crushing the velvet ribbon in his hand and is staring fixedly at the fire. “I don’t mean to hurt you. But I think it’s best we break up.”

  Ciaran takes a deep breath and loosens his hold on the ribbon. Through gritted teeth he speaks, “Sage, I need you in my life. Can we . . . can we take a break instead? There’s five weeks until Rosemary’s wedding. Let’s see each other as friends then revisit this before the wedding. I can’t lose you.”

  While I’m touched Ciaran wants to remain friends, I’m confused about ‘seeing’ him the next five weeks. “I’m more than willing to be your friend, but Ciaran, I’ll be in Firehaven until the Winter Solstice.”

  “I thought with Rosemary’s wedding approaching that you would delay your departure. As her best friend, are you not expected to help her with wedding-type things?”

  Delay? Why would I delay my departure?

  Biting the corner of my lip, I search for the correct words to say. I generally try to be very even-tempered, but at the moment, I’m appalled that he thinks I could just not go to work for five weeks.

  “Ciaran, I can’t stay at home for five weeks. I have a job — a duty — to tend to the hatchlings. Master Riordan is preparing me to take over for him. And this year, Renny will begin his internship.”

  “Yes, he’ll have a new intern. You won’t be leaving him in the lurch,” Ciaran says as he overrides my next words.

  I have to restrain myself from speaking rudely.

  “Renny is having a rough time. The first year is the hardest, Ciaran. Learning the trade and also dealing with the fact that he will never have magic — he needs my support.”

  I play on Ciaran’s empathy, even though I know it’s a futile effort. He does not want to understand nor is he willing to try to understand the life of a Mundane.

  Ciaran stands and straightens the sharp lines of his trousers before offering me a hand. “If you won’t delay, you will be back at Winter Solstice. Missing this year will not do, Sage.”

  “Um . . . I will try to be back. Not because you are demanding it, but because I promised Rosemary.”

  I begin to gather my things for tonight — a bag of caramels, my cloak — and pause in the midst of pulling on my boots.

  “What is going on with you, Ciaran? This overbearing behavior is not you.”

  Some emotion passes behind his eyes too quickly for me to decipher before he bestows a charming grin on me.

  “I’ll just miss you, darling. The five weeks before you return is a long time for you to be gone. No worries. I thought you were staying home, and I was mistaken.”

  Ushering me out the front door, he places my hand in the crook of his elbow. “Come. Let’s not be late for the festivities.”

  Samhain has always been my favorite time of year. As Ciaran and I approach the practice grounds, I delight in the decorations. Torches line the path and outer perimeter of the field. The trees have fairy lights hanging from their branches, and, of course, the bonfire dominates the central meeting area.

  A brisk wind has the flames flickering and jumping. I gather the edges of my cloak close and pop the hood up, greeting friends as we pass food stands and game areas. The children pounce on me when they see my purple bag, threatening hexes and jinxes if I don’t give them a treat.

  Laughing at their antics, I pretend to be afraid before handing out caramels to each trickster.

  It’s while I’m kneeling in front of my cousin’s youngest girl, Lavender, that I notice Ciaran has continued on without me. I’ve lost sight of him. Not overly concerned, I continue on my own; I enjoy looking at all the various ways the festival-goers have individualized their traditional black garb.

  Some, like me, have a bright-colored bag. A few of the men have worn colorful ties or bright-tone accent pieces. The children all seem to have focused their spot of color on striped socks and colorful shoes.

  “Sage! Sage! Over here!” Rosemary’s voice rivals the hum of the crowd.

  I catch sight of her at her mother’s fabric stand. Rushing over, I give her a hug then hold her arms as I admire her off-the-shoulder dress. Her long, brown locks are swept into a bun. Yellow bows give her a pop of brightness against her hair, wrists, and neck.

  “You look gorgeous as ever, Rose. Where’s that man of yours?”

  I stow my cloak under the counter of her booth, and I peek around her shoulder into the stall, looking for Aidan, but only see spools of ribbon and bolts of fabric.

  “Aidan and his new partner, Egan, are doing a demonstration at the forge. They’ll be here soon. Where’s Ciaran?”

  She pulls two lengths of thin, purple ribbon then forces me to sit at her stool and expertly gathers my straight, black hair into a high ponytail. With a gentle hand, she weaves the thin ribbon into my hair as she braids it.

  With a sigh, I look out into the crowd. Still no Ciaran. “We have decided to take a break. I tried to break up with him — I’ve told you how he’s been acting strange lately. He wants to try as friends. So, I agreed to still come to the festival with him, but I’ve lost him, as usual. I’m sure he’s networking with the other teachers. He hopes to get elected Headmaster next year.”

  Tying my braid off with a bow, Rosemary gives it a tug. “How do you think it will be as friends?”

  Spinning on the stool, I look up at my best friend. “I don’t think it will end well. He’s stubborn and insistent he needs me in his life. But enough about Ciaran, I came out to enjoy the evening, and I don’t want to dwell on him anymore.” Standing, I give my best friend a hug, “Someday, I’ll find a good man like Aidan. Someone who will respect me, treat me well, and not care that I’m a Mundane. Tonight, however, I just want to dance.”

  A tinkling of bells starts up. It’s the signal that the dancing and the Spell of Light and Renewal are beginning.

  With broad grins, we secure her stand and run to take our places with the others encircling the bonfire. As we jostle for position, Aidan and a large, raven-haired man end up beside us, and I find myself between the two men.

  I strain to see if I can catch a glimpse of Ciaran, since I did come with him, but it’s too crowded. Before I can decide if I should walk around to find him, the elders call for everyone to settle down.

  Elder Thy
me — no really, that’s her name — instructs us to pair off. Rosemary, of course, grabs her fiancé, Aidan. The man to my right introduces himself as Aidan’s coworker, Egan. He gives me a shy grin and a raised brow.

  “Would you do me the honor, Miss Sage?” Expectantly, he holds out one hand towards me.

  “I’d be honored, Egan. But I’m Mundane. You realize I might hinder your spell?” I feel it’s my duty to warn him. I know the words and the steps, but with no magic, I often dampen a partner’s spell casting.

  “I'm willing to chance it if you are.” He places our arms so that they are intertwined in front of us. Left hand to left hand, right hand to right, forming an infinity symbol across our torsos.

  Excited, I bounce on the balls of my feet. I am always humbled that the coven allows me to participate.

  Egan chuckles beside me. When I glance up at him, I notice how the flames heighten the amber color of his eyes, making them look like warm sparks. With a squeeze of his hands, he leads me through the steps.

  We dip and twirl, never breaking contact as the spell requires.

  Harvest is done

  And winter comes

  The festival fire is burning bright

  Chasing off evil with its light

  By Goddess grace

  We inhabit this place

  Giving as much as we receive

  All that we do, by her leave

  Egan and I twirl faster and faster as the chant continues. Pulse pounding in rhythm to our steps, each turn flashes bright with the fire then dimmer as we turn away. On and on until. . . .

  So mote it be!

  The fire flares in the Samhain wind, sparks floating up to mix with the twinkling starlight above.

  A moment of silence stretches out before it’s shattered by laughter and gasping breaths of the coven. Another successful Samhain Eve.

  Tingling in my hands reminds me that Egan and I are still connected.

  He holds on a beat longer when I move to pull away, then bows deeply to me. "Thank you for the dance, Miss Sage.” Moving closer, he tugs on my braid before whispering in my ear. “You aren’t without magic. That was the most spellbinding dance I’ve had in ages.”

  With those parting words, he disappears into the crowd.

  I’m still standing speechless when Ciaran finds me.

  “Where have you been? I’ve been looking all over for you. I had to dance with Thistle. You know she’s been competing with me for the Headmaster position.” He continues to gripe, and it’s putting a damper on my joy of the evening.

  “No, Ciaran, you walked off and left me — as usual. This is one of many reasons why you and I are not working out.” He continues to gripe and tries to put a damper on my joy of the evening. “You will not ruin my good mood. Go on. Go do your networking and socializing. I’m going to enjoy the rest of my night.”

  I wave my hands at him, shooing him away.

  “Sage! What has come over you?” The disapproval rings clear in Ciaran’s words, but I ignore him.

  Smiling, I wave at Rosemary and turn to join her. As I pass Ciaran, I reply to his question. “A spell. A spell has come over me.”

  3

  I find Rosemary, Aidan, and Egan sitting on hay bales beside the stone wall that marks the border into the dragon grounds. I hurry to join them, only stopping once to grab a bottle of lavender lemonade and a large bag of roasted nuts.

  “We meet again, my little spellbinder.” Egan offers me the space beside Rosemary before taking a seat behind me on a two-bale-high stack. If I lean back at all, I will be bracketed by his legs.

  “Miss Sage, how long have you and Rosemary been friends?” Egan leans forward and peers around my right shoulder to ask his question. His long bangs fall across his forehead as his eyes play hide-and-seek behind the ebony strands.

  I fill the cups that Egan conjures with lemonade before answering. “Oh, we were very young. We were neighbors and our parents have side-by-side shops. We played in the garden while they worked. I would trade small crystal shards for some of Rosemary’s ribbon trimmings. We were like little crows, hoarding tidbits of castoffs and remnants from the various shops.” Glancing at Rosemary, I reminisce, “Do you remember how Murphy used to tease us about our ‘treasures’?”

  Eagerly, Rosemary nods her head. “Aye, he’s a good friend, but he teased us mercilessly as children.” Leaning her head on her fiancé’s arm she continues. “Aidan, you remember the mosaic on the back of the garden bench? That was Sage’s doing. When she was twelve and given the job of dragon intern, she took all our treasures and made that beautiful dragon image for me.”

  “I didn’t want you to forget me while you were at school and I was learning my trade.” I passed around the bag of nuts, giggling. “Which was silly, since we still saw each other in the evenings and on the weekends.”

  Placing my cup on the grass at my seat, I sit back up to find myself within the circle of Egan’s arms. He has leaned forward and is resting his elbows on his knees, hands dangling by my upper arms.

  I’m not uncomfortable, but I shift sideways in order to meet his gaze as I inquire, “And you, Egan? Where do you hail from? Are you a blacksmith as well? Rosemary told me that you and Aidan were hosting a demonstration at the forge earlier.”

  “My coven reside in Farraige. Aidan sent word he needed help last month, so here I am. I am a trained blacksmith, but I specialize in metalwork and jewelry making.”

  I feel a tug on my scalp as he’s speaking. Egan has my braid in hand and is deftly unbraiding it.

  Startled, I grab at his hands, but I'm too late. The heavy weight of my hair falls on my shoulders. Gathering the ends, I hold them at my left shoulder and stare incredulously at this bold man. “Whyever did you do that?”

  “In my coven, only the women wed or widowed wear their hair completely bound. You, Miss Sage, are neither. Turn back around, and I’ll make you a loose ponytail, so the wind doesn’t knot it.” With a gentle grip on my shoulder, Egan turns me, so I am facing the bonfire again.

  From the corner of my eye, I can see my best friend giving me the look. The one that seems to communicate, ‘He likes you, he likes you.’ It stops me from fighting Egan’s hair styling.

  I scrunch my nose at Rosemary and open my mouth to talk to her, but she jumps up suddenly, pulling Aidan with her. “Let’s dance, Mo Chroí. Join us when you’re done, you two.”

  As they run off, I feel calloused fingertips skim the back of my neck as Egan gathers my hair. He bands it close to the base of my head, and my scalp gets a prickly feeling while he knots the ribbon.

  Once he’s done, he swings around me and steps down to the grass. He halts my hand when I reach back to feel the ponytail and instead wraps the second ribbon around my wrist, making an intricate knot of the ends.

  “Are you ready to dance, Miss Sage? I want to enjoy as much time as possible with you tonight.”

  After I take his hand, we join in the revelry, dancing and laughing — and not once do I miss Ciaran.

  Mam would probably say to be careful about appearances. But I don’t believe I’m alone in thinking my relationship with Ciaran has run its course. I see no issues with making a new friend. I spend equal time dancing with other friends, like the son of my parents’ neighbors, Murphy.

  When the fire burns down to embers and the moon slides behind the horizon, Egan, Aidan, and Rosemary walk me through the Midding Gate. We are all tired as we walk the well-beaten path to my thatch-roofed bungalow, situated to the right of the incubation room.

  I make a mental list of the things still left to do before the trip to Firehaven tomorrow. Most important is retrieving the eggs from the embers they lay in at night and transferring them into the special metal cages made for transport.

  Rosemary hugs me at the door, and Aidan squeezes my hands before they bid me farewell, “Slán go fóil, Sage.”

  “Dia duit.” I’m aware of Egan’s large frame standing beside me as Rosemary and Aidan stroll arm in arm and lin
ger at my front garden gate.

  Slowly, Egan moves to stand in front of me. We’ve been talking and dancing all night, but now I feel awkward. I run my fingertips along the top of the knot at my wrist, avoiding Egan’s eyes.

  With one finger, he tips my chin up and bestows a sweet smile upon me.

  “May I visit you in Firehaven? I wasn’t kidding when I said I felt like you have me spellbound.”

  Bewildered, my gaze flits across his face before I look down and frown. No one has ever offered to visit me in Firehaven. Mam and Da won’t brave the pass in winter, and Ciaran never even brought it up as an option.

  Picking at the end of the ribbon at my wrist, I realize that my relationship with Ciaran is truly over. Whatever was there before, has withered and died from inattention. The fact that Egan is here with me at the end of the night and not Ciaran, speaks volumes.

  The tips of Egan’s black boots retreat from my vision, and I realize I’ve taken too long to answer.

  I reach out and grab the sleeve of his leather cloak before he can back away. “I would love for you to come visit. No one has ever come to see me before. It could be an adventure.”

  A broad smile takes over Egan’s face at my response. “I like adventures. Perhaps I can travel there to escort you back for the wedding?”

  “Yes.” I nod my head, “I would love for you to visit. And we could see where this,” I wave my hand between us, “might go? We need to go slow, I just ended a relationship, and while I am drawn to you, I think it best we take our time.”

  Egan gently picks up my hands and kisses my knuckles. “Slow. We’ll take it slow. I can do that. May I have the ribbon from your hair? A memento of our evening together?”

  “Yes.” I hastily pull the end of the ribbon and hold it by either end. But when Egan goes to take it, I pull it back. “Let me tie it on your wrist as you did mine.”