I took a deep breath and picked up a piece of toast. After a sniff I started to nibble. My stomach stayed inside my body, which I took to be a good sign.
“Actually, the muffins are from a centaur recipe,” Vic said as she grabbed one off the platter and broke it open.
“Do centaurs go through this sickness thing when they get pregnant?” I asked Vic. As always my curiosity was piqued by these incredibly interesting beings.
“No.” She smiled at me apologetically. “But we carry our young within us through four full seasons.”
My eyes flew to Alanna. “That doesn’t mean I’ll have to—does it?” I sounded panicky (because I felt decidedly panicky).
“No,” Alanna reassured me, and I let myself breathe again. “ClanFintan only mates with you while he is in his human form.”
“Your gestation and birth will follow the same rules as any other human female’s would,” Vic added.
Her words reminded me of last night’s spirit journey and I felt a smile spread over my face.
“Epona let me witness a birth last night during the Magic Sleep.” I explained to my friends. “It was amazing.”
“It is truly a blessing.” Alanna beamed at me.
“A wondrous miracle,” Vic said through a mouthful of centaur muffin.
“I really am hap—”
Without warning my stomach revolted. I turned my head in time to miss my friends and spew semi-chewed toast and herbal tea all over the floor.
“Oh, yuck.” I wiped my mouth with a shaky hand, looking desperately at Alanna as she hurried to my side. “Are you sure I’m not dying?”
“I am sure,” she said as she poured some water from a pitcher into a goblet and offered it to me.
I drank gratefully, rinsing the nasty taste from my mouth.
“Come along.” Alanna pulled me to my feet. “You will feel better when you have bathed and dressed.” She handed me a muffin and my mug of tea. “ClanFintan told me that he could be found around the temple grounds overseeing the building of the new centaur quarters, and checking the winter supplies.”
“I have business near the new quarters, too.” Vic gave me a quick hug, then she wrinkled her nose. “You smell, Rhea.”
“Thanks for mentioning it.” I purposely breathed heavily in her direction, and she retreated hastily to the door. “I will see you after have recovered and returned to your goddess-like self,” she threw over her shoulder.
“You may have to wait till spring for that!” I yelled at her hind end.
I turned back to catch the surreptitious smile Alanna was trying to cover with a cough. “You know,” she said, “the ill feeling usually only lasts for a small part of a pregnancy. And,” she continued, ignoring my malevolent look, “I have noticed that women who are very ill in the beginning have the healthiest, happiest of babies.”
“Well, I suppose that’s something.” I was still grumping, but it did make me feel better. I sniffed at the muffin in my hand, and realized I suddenly felt hungry. Taking a bite, I was happily surprised by the wonderful, nutty taste that suffused my mouth. “Do you think there’s a limit on how often a pregnant woman can puke in one day?” I asked hopefully as we headed down my hall to the bathing chamber.
“No,” Alanna replied brightly.
5
“Brr!” I pulled the folds of my ermine-lined cloak closer, glad I had chosen to dress in my riding clothes—butter-smooth leather breeches, lace-up leather shirt and knee-high boots, complete with stars carved into their soles, so that wherever I walked I left behind beautiful footprints. It’s seriously good to be Goddess Incarnate. “It’s really getting cold.” Alanna and I walked side by side through the rear courtyard, which was situated between the stables and the temple proper. The day was misty and damp, which only added to the chill in the air (and the frizz in my hair).
“Congratulations to you, Lady Rhiannon!”
“Blessings upon you and your daughter, my Lady!”
Everyone who passed us shouted well wishes. It was like being wrapped in a thick blanket of care and warmth and love…
…It was suffocating, and it was making my headache return. Although Alanna had been right, I did feel better after bathing and dressing (and eating three delicious muffins).
The new centaur quarters would be situated on the northern side of the temple, just to the east of the stables, but still well within the temple walls. As I had learned months ago, Epona was a warrior goddess, so her temple was built in a fashion that reflected the priorities of protection and defense. The temple walls were beautiful, but they were also thick and high. The grounds around Epona’s Temple were well manicured and maintained, but they were also kept clear of any obstruction that could aid an attacking army—as was evidenced when the Fomorian army attempted unsuccessfully to overrun the temple, and we had to battle for our lives on the cleared grounds surrounding it.
I shook off the unpleasant memory, and looked around at the focused energy before us. Centaurs and humans were hard at work cutting and fitting stone. The skeleton of the new building was already clearly visible, even through the maze of bamboo-rigged scaffolding that seemed to be everywhere. It gave me a feeling of timelessness to watch the construction of this marble edifice, like I was being afforded a glimpse into Caesar’s Rome and the building of the Forum.
“It’s amazing how quickly it is taking shape.” I confided to Alanna in a whisper. “Without the help of technology, I would have thought that a structure like this would take decades to build.”
“We do not have your old world’s technology—” she struggled over the pronunciation of the alien word “—but we do have those who are linked with stone, as well as the Sidetha.”
I gave her a startled look. “What do you mean by linked? And what the hell is a Sidetha?”
Alanna laughed. “The Sidetha are a race of miners. They live in the far northeastern part of the Tier Mountains, which is where the most exquisite marble can be found. Epona’s Temple is made of marble that comes from the mines of Sidetha.”
“Huh. I had no idea.”
“They are a shy, secretive people who rarely leave their caves.”
“Huh,” I said again, thinking that except for being shy they sounded a lot like Tolkien’s dwarves. “What did you mean the linked with stone thing? Is that why the Sidetha are such good miners?”
“Well, I suppose some of the Sidetha could be linked with stone, but in general I think they are just experienced miners—it’s their life. No, I mean that some people in our world have an affinity for certain animals or spirits or elements. For instance, you have an affinity for horses—especially the mare chosen by Epona as her equine incarnation.”
“Okay, I understand that.” Epi and I shared a bond that went beyond normal human–horse relationships. I nodded at her to continue.
“It can be the same for spirits. ClanFintan is a great Shaman, which means he has a special link with the spirit world. He can touch the spirit world in a much more intimate fashion than you or I can. It also enables him to transform his physical shape—as you know only too well.”
My hand lifted to caress my (relatively) flat stomach, and we shared a knowing girlfriend smile.
“Sometimes people are gifted with an affinity for