The wolf licked her hand, his tail thumping against the ground.
“Dare we go for a walk?” she asked.
The wolf stood, his tail wagging. Thrusting her hand into the thick ruff at its neck, she walked away from the fire and into the darkness. The grass beneath her feet was a thick deep green.
“I wonder where he is,” she mused again. “Do ye know him? I should very much like to know what he looks like. I can tell he is a tall man, for when he speaks to me, his voice is above my head. His voice is rich and deep, but not unkind, though I sense a great sadness there. Perhaps because he lives alone?” She walked a few moments in silence. “I wonder why he lives alone. He seems of an age to have a wife.”
She gasped with pleasure when she came to a small moonlit pool. Kneeling, she put her hand in the water. “A hot spring,” she said. “It feels heavenly.” She glanced around. “Do I dare…? Will ye guard me if I slip into the water?”
The wolf barked, its eyes bright as she removed her shoes and stockings, unbraided her hair, undressed quickly and slid into the warm water.
“Magick? Are ye there?”
The wolf moved to the edge of the water, stretched out on his belly, and pushed his head against her shoulder. Her fingers immediately delved into his fur. She sighed with pleasure as she relaxed in the effervescent water. Leaning her head back, she gazed up at the stars.
“Aren’t they beautiful? They shine so. Do ye see?”
The wolf whined softly.
“I was to wed Ronin next year,” she said with a sigh. “And though I did not love him, he was my only hope for marriage. Ah, well, perhaps someday another will want me. I hope so, for I should dearly love to have a child of my own.” Tears thickened her voice. “Will ye come to me, then, Magick? Will ye be my eyes so I can see my child’s face?”
The wolf licked her cheek.
“I shall take that for a yes.”
She lingered there a moment more, until the wolf took her hand in his mouth and gave a gentle tug.
“Right ye are,” she said. “Sure and we’d best go back.”
The wolf watched her as she rose from the pool, the water dripping down her skin like dewdrops. The moonlight danced in her hair, making silver highlights in the thick golden mass that fell past her hips. Her body was slender and perfect, her buttocks gently rounded, her legs long and coltish, her breasts small, the tips a dusky rose.
She stood there a moment, letting the warm breeze dry her skin, and then quickly dressed. Sitting down, she put on her stockings and her shoes, then stood once more.
“Magick?”
The wolf moved up beside her and she took hold of his fur. Moments later, they returned to the site of their camp.
Sitting down on her bedroll, Channa Leigh removed her shoes, then slid under the covers.
“Come,” she said to the wolf, patting the ground beside her.
The wolf stretched out beside her. With a sigh, Channa Leigh draped her arm over his neck. Stroking his soft fur, she stared up at the stars. How beautiful they were, sparkling like bright jewels against the dark sky. A butter-yellow sickle moon hung low in the heavens. Smiling faintly, she began to count the stars.
A short time later, her soft even breathing told the wolf she was asleep.
Easing out from under her arm, Darkfest took on his own shape. “Sweet dreams to ye, my sweet Channa Leigh,” he whispered. Seeking out his lonely bed, he stared up at the dark sky, but it was Channa Leigh’s image rising from the waters of the hot spring that followed him to sleep.
~ * ~
The next day they traveled through a deep valley. As they rode on, Darkfest was overwhelmed with a sense of evil. The horses and the mule felt it, too. It could be seen in the way their ears twitched, in the cautious way they picked up their feet, the way they sidled close together.
As they moved deeper into the valley, Darkfest reached inside his shirt and withdrew a small leather pouch. Inside were bits of birch, hazel, rowan, ash, and willow. And a large piece of alder. He also wore a bracelet of carved alder on his left wrist.
He saw Channa Leigh lift her head. “Where are we?” she asked.
“The valley of Madrigale.”
“Something is amiss.”
