Brighid’s Quest

There was a stirring in the line to Brighid’s right, and Ciara dropped the hands of the children on either side of her. With that grace that was so singular to her, the winged Shaman approached Bregon. He raised his face and stared into her eyes. Brighid saw the jolt that went through his body, and she began to limp forward, but Cuchulai

“Wait,” he whispered.

Slowly Ciara wiped the tears from Bregon’s cheeks and then she offered him her hand. The centaur took it, and lurched up so that he was standing again. Keeping his hand in hers, the winged Shaman turned to face the children.

“This is Brighid’s brother,” she told them. “Let us make him welcome.”

Instantly the little winged dam broke free and small bodies clustered around the singed centaur, jumping about and asking their usual assortment of unending questions.

“Look at him, Cuchulai

The warrior watched his wife’s brother, and then his eyes shifted to hers.

“I see redemption, my beautiful Huntress.”

EPILOGUE

Far to the north, deep in the Trier Mountains, a heavily pregnant Fallon leaned on her mate’s arm as they entered the dark slash under the rocky outcropping through which they had spotted the single trail of smoke.

Inside a small fire burned in the center of the cave. At the sight of the newcomers the wings of the huddled creatures stirred and lifted dangerously. Fangs and claws glinted, even in the weak light of the waning fire.

She’d known it! She’d known that they hadn’t all perished! It hadn’t been possible that beings who were so strong, so filled with the will to live, had all died. No…they’d been here, waiting for her…just as she’d dreamed…just as she’d hoped.

“Who are you?” one of them snarled.

Fallon shook off Keir’s arm and drew herself up to her full height, showing off the living bulge that mounded her abdomen.

“I am your salvation!”

P.C. Cast

P.C. Cast was born in Illinois and grew up being shuttled back and forth between there and Oklahoma, which is where she fell in love with quarter Horses and mythology (at about the same time). She could ride before she could walk, and she read every horse story she could get her hands on until her father introduced her to The Lord of the Rings when she was about ten. She went from that to A

Five days after graduating from high school, she joined the United States Air Force, which is where she began speaking professionally. After her tours with the USAF, Ms. Cast attended college as a literature major with a secondary education minor.

Her first novel, Goddess by Mistake, was published by a small press in 2001. Thoroughly shocking the author, it won The Prism, The Holt Medallion and the Laurel Wreath, as well as being a finalist for the National Readers Choice Award. Since then Ms. Cast has gone on to win numerous writing awards. She is the author of the very popular Goddess Summoning series for Berkley, and is thrilled that with her Partholon series for LUNA Books she has been given the opportunity to continue the world she created in her first book.

P.C. Cast lives and teaches in Oklahoma with her fabulous daughter, her spoiled cat, Patchy Poo the Pud, and her Scotties-better known as the Scottinators. The daughter attends college. The cat has decided against higher education. The Scottinators are as yet undecided about their future.