It was eerie seeing the light flickering through the trees. Dante and Circe stood in front of Aunt Faye’s home watching the glow in the distance. She shook her head and sighed. “How many more settlements will they burn?”

“Four nights in a row now,” Dante replied.

“I wish we could have stopped Cedric before he told Duncan all the locations.”

“I heard today that Cedric was seen in Gloucester boarding a ship for England.”

“That is good news.”

“Word of his exploits will follow him wherever he goes. He is a ruined man.”

“He is responsible for so much pain and so much loss of life,” and Circe sighed. “I said goodbye to Wren and Mercy today.”

“Where will they go?”

“To the colony of Pennsylvania. There are followers of the Goddess there that will help them find homes.”

“Levi too?”

She shook her head. “He wants no part of town life. He accompanied a group going to the interior yesterday. They are determined to settle there, in spite of the raids.

“Who is left?”

“Just those who have decided to stay in the Great Marsh.”

Dante turned toward the cottage. “The day of the Celtic settlement is over.”

“Perhaps it is better left in the past,” she replied.

They walked inside. Dante banked the fire as Circe turned back the covers on their pallet. She still could not sleep in her aunt and uncle’s bed. It would give her nightmares; she did not need more visits from the spirits. Their whispers were plaguing her again. She thought after everything that had happened; they would be at rest. But on the contrary, they were stronger and more agitated than ever.

She crawled into bed and Dante pulled her close. “It seems strange not to have the cottage full of people,” he said with a sigh. “Our last night here. Tomorrow your family moves in.”

“I think Aunt Faye would approve. It truly benefits everyone. Bullfrog’s house is less than five minutes away.”

“And what of us, little one? After your father performs our handfasting ceremony, shall we start building our cottage?”

“Yes, and we must build a loom. I’m anxious to be weaving again. And maybe there will be a child.”

He smiled and kissed her forehead.

“How soon will you put your shop together?” she asked.

“I will need to travel the colonies to purchase supplies. Money is not the problem. Father left me a great deal of it, but I will need discreet contacts. And I’ll need to find a suitable doctor to live here as well. Until then it will just be me ministering to the sick with my limited skills.”

“Just thinking about everything makes me tired,” Circe said with a yawn.

They drifted off to sleep, but gradually she became restless. She kept hearing Ruith calling for her. At last, she opened her eyes and looked around the room. She was no longer in bed with Dante but back at the family home in Glendower on her pallet. As usual, Ruith’s bed was across from her but it was empty.

“Circe,” she heard Ruith whisper.

She bolted upright. Her sister was standing over her, dressed in one of her work gowns. “Ruith, you’re back! How I’ve missed you!”

“I never left,” she said. Her voice seemed to echo as if far away. “I will never leave you.”

“Nor I,” Circe heard Aunt Faye say.

She looked around the room. “Aunt, where are you?”

“The vision of your aunt has faded,” Ruith said. “That’s why I am here, before your memory of my earthly form fades too.”

“That will never happen,” she argued, but when she looked closely at Ruith, her image was sometimes clear and sometimes indistinct.

“Circe,” Aunt Faye said, “The answer is with you. It has been with you all along.”

“Why must you keep repeating those words, Aunt?” she replied. “I thought Dante was the answer.”

“No,” Ruith replied. “But he is the most essential piece of the puzzle. Follow me, my sister.” Her earthly form disappeared and in its place was a tiny blue firefly.

Light as a feather, Circe followed her out into the night sky. They flew over the treetops until Ruith swooped down to a familiar place. It was her home with Bullfrog. They hovered outside the window and looked inside the cottage. Bullfrog was sitting in front of the hearth dozing. Occasionally he would wake and rock the cradle with his foot. The firelight illuminated his unusual face.

The scene brought tears to Circe’s eyes. She murmured, “That face is very dear to me.”

When she turned, Ruith was gone.

Circe looked back at Bullfrog and her eyes grew wide. “That’s it!” she cried. “Bullfrog is the answer. He has been with me all along and so has the Great Marsh. He is a product of the Grand Portal which is the Great Marsh!”

A feeling of elation swept over her and she laughed. “Why didn’t I see it? What a fool I’ve been. And Aunt Faye,” she said looking up at the stars. “You always had one foot in the other world, didn’t you? We were all bewitched by the Great Marsh.”

Circe sat up with a gasp. She was back in bed with Dante.

He raised up on one elbow and asked, “Another vivid dream?”

She sighed. “Yes, but I think it is the last.”

*                  *                    *

The next evening at twilight, Dante and Circe walked through the remains of the hamlet where Bullfrog was born. Most of the chimney stones were gone, taken by others to build new dwellings. The wood was black and decaying. It was dark and overgrown; the vegetation of the marsh was slowly taking over everything.

“Do you think the Goddess had something to do with the fate of these people?” Dante asked.

The words of her aunt echoed in her ears from years earlier. “Her wrath came upon them for their evil.” Circe shrugged and stepped over some rotting timber. “We will never know.”

“So much makes sense now, doesn’t it?” he said. “Even that old riddle, ‘Search for a place where old meets new and fire meets shadow.’ You realize they were talking about us.”

“Yes, you come from the old world and I am from the new.”

“And fire and shadow are metaphors for our looks and our temperaments.”

Circe laughed. “Indeed, they are.”

Night had fallen as they walked to the shoreline and looked across the marsh. The full moon illuminated the islands and mud flats, and cordgrass. Crickets were chirping loudly; the air was thick with moisture.

“Why do you suppose the Goddess wanted us to find the Grand Portal?” Circe asked.

“Perhaps so we can protect it and be its proper guardians. We must tell no one of its existence in order to safeguard it.”

She nodded. “We will let her decide who is worthy of the truth.”

A breeze carrying the scent of the ocean gently moved Circe’s hair and Dante put his arm around her. Together they watched the fireflies blink and soar over the Great Marsh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for reading The Firefly Witch. I hope you enjoyed it.

 

 

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