Read Irish Moon for Free Online

work
bearing fruit.
    Heremon sighed and rubbed
his eyes. He dipped the quill tip into the inkwell. He blotted and
wrote the words that designed what seemed a lifetime past. In a sense, they were
exactly that: a lifetime.
    He had thought it would be harder than it
was, to proceed with the necessary arrangements as he now did. But,
perhaps the years of preparing for this end caused some
desensitization. He was appreciative for it. He had never
considered himself a courageous soul and the numbness prevented him
from running in fear from obligation.
    He lifted the parchment and gently blew on
it. Once the ink dried to satisfaction, Heremon rolled it, tied it
and returned to Ashlon’s meager temporary quarters where he hid it
among the items Breanne would take. Ashlon slept soundly thanks to
the herbs and his body’s desperate need to strengthen itself. He
would need it.
    Mouse quiet, Heremon closed the door and
locked it. He trusted Breanne to be resourceful enough to find the
key, and the man, in that order, just as the ancestors had shown
him. Nostalgia crept into his heart. He would miss her. The
knowledge that they would meet again when the veil between his new
world and hers became thin didn’t console him. But, he couldn’t
change the course of destiny and fighting its will only made the
course of things more difficult to survive in the end.
    The knock came, loud and abrupt, right on
time. Heremon opened the door without delay. He saw this final act
of answering straight away, his last act of courage. The man on the
other side was the only surprise amid the events that had been
foretold nearly forty years before.
    Wordlessly, Heremon gestured the man to enter
and met the eyes of his fate unwaveringly.
     
     

Chapter Three
     
    Two bards arrived that day and joined the
chieftain at his table as welcome. The night promised to be full of
new songs and poems, a preview of the performance they came to give
at Niall and Ula’s wedding feast.
    The large hall was overwrought with guests
and residents dining, laughing and sharing. Excitement and welcome
permeated the room Breanne forced herself to enter gracefully into.
Not many noticed her entrance, a good sign. She released her held
breath after walking a few rods when she got no snicker or stare.
The room full of pointing, laughing family and friends she’d
envisioned gave way to an average, perhaps somewhat special
evening.
    Rose’s waving hand caught her attention.
Breanne smiled. She gladly joined her best friend at the long
table. Ula and Niall weren’t likely waiting on her to join them
after this afternoon’s exchange.
    “You’re just in time,
Bree,” Rose said. “Ryan has returned and will join
us , as well as
Quinlan.” She wiggled her eyebrows up and down.
    Already seated, Breanne forced herself to
smile. She chose unpleasantness here over mortified there, readily.
Besides, what could Quinlan do with so many surrounding them? It
wasn’t as though he could kiss her right there, paw away for all to
see. And he’d already given her the flowers. Oh damn and double
damn it. She’d left the flowers by the stream, hadn’t she?
    The bump on her shoulder made her look up.
Quinlan grinned down at her sheepishly and gestured to the seat
next to her. Before she could protest, he took it.
    “Good evening, ladies. You both look
beautiful this fine eve,” he said cordially, his gaze steady on her
face.
    They thanked him and he
nodded and took the opportunity to absorb every visible inch of her with his
eyes, leaving her feeling bare and doubtless of his interest. When
his gaze flew back to hers she glared fiercely back. He blinked.
Interest fell away to blushing red cheeks and Breanne cursed
herself under her breath.
    She didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Truly,
she didn’t. She simply wanted him to stop. It had been a reflexive
reaction. Damned guilt plagued her and Breanne found herself making
more than necessary friendly attempts to engage Quinlan