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happy to give you spells as you require them, but I have the feeling you’ll find them lying along your path at just the right moment without any aid from me.” He shot Rùnach a look. “You’d best keep any eye on this one.”
    â€œI intend to.”
    Aisling gestured toward her wheel. “And what am I to do with that?”
    â€œI’ll have to give that some thought,” Soilléir said with a shiver. “Perhaps after supper.”
    â€œWhere I’ll likely be the main course,” Rùnach said grimly.
    Soilléir only laughed. “I wish I could disagree, but I’m afraid that may be the case. Take care of that girl there, Rùnach. We’ll see to the rest during supper, where hopefully you won’t be on the menu.”
    Aisling watched him go, then sighed and leaned her head against Rùnach’s shoulder.
    â€œI’m tired.”
    â€œI would imagine you are,” he agreed. “Those spells are powerful.”
    â€œI didn’t know what I was doing.”
    â€œThe spell seemed to disagree.” He hugged her briefly, then kept his arm around her shoulders and led her toward the door. “A nap, love, then we’ll see what’s left of the world. I’m not sure after that beautiful piece of work that you’ll be able to remain anonymous much longer.”
    Aisling decided she wouldn’t think about that until she absolutely had to. She looked over her shoulder once before they left the chamber. The spinning wheel was still hanging there where it would have been resting if it had had a base. It was painfully beautiful and definitely otherworldly.
    Something she had fashioned out of Soilléir’s dreams.
    She had the feeling her life had just been irrevocably changed.

Four

    R ùnach’s head was spinning.
    He supposed that might have been because he’d just been given a bracing slap by a woman he’d once fancied himself in love with. He rubbed his cheek thoughtfully as he watched Annastashia of Cothromaiche stalk out of the great hall, leaving him standing there in front of the hearth. Perhaps telling her that he was honestly, truly not interested in wedding her might have been better saved for another locale, but he had apparently lost many of his social skills over the past twenty years spent in the company of the king’s grandson.
    It was also quite possible that informing Annastashia in no uncertain terms that he was no longer interested in her whilst in the middle of a dance set had been ill-advised. It had seemed like a reasonable idea at the time given that he was fairly certain if he’d done the same in private, she would have killed him.
    He rubbed his cheek thoughtfully and walked across the great hall to the high table where a rather edible supper had once resided. He found an empty chair, collapsed onto it, then looked about himself to see the lay of the land. Astar was monopolizing Aisling, which didn’t surprise him. She was very lovely, as usual, if not a little pale. Then again, she had lifted a spell of essence changing from Soilléir’s dreams earlier that afternoon and changed sunlight into a spinning wheel, so perhaps she had cause. He sent Astar a warning look, then looked at Soilléir, who was watching him with amusement.
    â€œOne task seen to,” Soilléir said, his eyes twinkling. “I wonder if you’ll fare equally well with the others yet to come?”
    Rùnach wiggled his jaw, and wondered if perhaps Annastashia had done damage to one of his teeth. At least it had been a slap and not a close-fisted blow. Or a spell. He found himself rather glad, all things considered, that he’d already eaten supper. He had the feeling he wouldn’t be able to eat any breakfast.
    â€œI would have liked to have done that better,” he admitted, “though I’m not sure how.”
    â€œI don’t think you could have,” Soilléir said.