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With renewed appreciation for his companions, Brecc gave each of them the king’s message and specific assignments. They separated, and Brecc headed outside. If he had to take a guess on where to find his wife at this time of day, he would choose the garden.

He spotted Aisley straightway. Wearing a pale-blue gown beneath her new cloak, she was standing beside a tree, gazing up between the branches, a look of pure delight upon her face. His heart contracted at the sight. Dear heavens, how he loved her. And how torturous it would be to leave her.

He moved closer. She must have heard his footsteps, for she looked around, and upon catching sight of him, her face lit up with a warm smile.

“Good morning,” he said. “I heard tell there was something fascinating in that tree, and so I determined to discover what it was for myself.”

She laughed, and taking his hand, she dragged him closer to the trunk. “Look,” she said, pointing upward. “A yellow wagtail has made a nest up there.”

He looked at her curiously. “I thought you knew nothing of birds.”

“Almost nothing. We had a family of yellow wagtails that made their home in our eaves every autumn. Their distinctive color and tendency to nest late in the year make them easy to remember.”

His gaze followed the direction of her finger, and sure enough, a small round nest was just visible in the fork of one of the upper branches.

“I am impressed that you saw it at all,” he said.

“I likely would not have had I not been trying to determine why the branches’ shadows appear so odd.” She did not wait for him to question her, but instead, she pointed to the flagstone path. “Do you see?”

Brecc studied the flagstones. The shadows were moving. Shimmering, even. It was as though they had become snakes and were writhing their way across the ground.

Just as Aisley had done, he looked up to the branches. They were completely still. In fact, now that he paused to take note, everything was still. The birds in the nest were silent. There was no birdsong in the nearby trees. No cow lowing from the nearby fields, no dog barking in the courtyard.

“Something is not right,” he said.

“It feels like we are within Aller church,” she said, looking around. “Do you sense it? That same aura of wonder? Of participating in something greater than us?”

“Aye.”

“Brecc.” He heard the uncertainty in her voice. “It is noonday. I am sure of it. But it is becoming dark.”

All around them, the darkness was deepening. He looked up. One brilliant burst of light and a thin circle of white was all that remained of the sun, and suddenly that, too, was gone, and the sky was filled with stars.

“What is happening?”

At Aisley’s hushed exclamation, he stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. From the courtyard, cries of fear mingled with exclamations of awe. Brecc tightened his hold on Aisley, his gaze fixed on the sky. He did not know what this was, but it was assuredly some form of heavenly sign.

They stood together, distant voices connecting them to the real world even as they participated in something that seemed to be of another. The darkness stayed for only a short time, and then the sky turned a new shade of dark blue, and a brilliant ray of light appeared.

“The sun is returning,” he said.

Aisley leaned her head against his chest, and silently, they watched the world reawaken. Slowly, the shadows disappeared, and the colors brightened. Above their heads, a yellow wagtail sang, and a chorus of baby birds cheeped. As quickly as it had come, the astonishing feeling of wonderment fled.

Reluctantly, Brecc loosened his hold on Aisley and took her hand once more. “Come,” he said. “There will be others wanting to speak of this.”

Rheged met them in the courtyard. “Did you see? Of course you did.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “The sun was gone! It was full dark at noonday. But what could it mean?”

“I cannot say,” Brecc said. “I’ve never seen the like.”

“Look around you.” Aisley directed their attention to the many people who had joined them in the courtyard. They were gathering in small clusters. Some appeared fearful. Others were conversing rapidly, their excitement and amazement palpable. “We witnessed something miraculous, and for that reason, the answer to your question will likely be different for each person who experienced it.”

Rheged watched a maid wipe tears from her cheeks. “We may never know what it means.”

“Aye.” Brecc’s mind raced as he contemplated what impact the disappearing of the sun might have upon the mind-set of the Vikings. “And as Aethelstan and his chieftains are wont to be overly superstitious and are currently poised to make a dangerous decision, I would give a great deal to know what they will make of it.”

“Aethelstan could see the heavenly sign as a portent for good or ill,” Rheged said.

“Just so.” Brecc gazed up at the remarkably normal afternoon sky and tightened his jaw. “And I daresay we shall all know which he chooses within a matter of days.”