Part Three - The Moonwell

Their trip to Corwell is not without incident. They had made good time for most of the day with Robyn flying above, Tristan, Bejorn, Herve, Morn and Mira each on their own horses, Rio, as a horse, bearing Glow and Arial, and Elyse keeping up easily thanks to her boots which obviously held some kind of enchantment of speed. Bejorn had offered her the opportunity of riding with him but the bard had declined and walked along at the speed of the trotting horses without even breaking a sweat. That night, during the early morning hours they'd been attacked by a large band of orcs. The creatures were easily routed once the entire group had awoken to join the fight but Herve, who had been one of the ones on watch and partially surprised, had suffered a nasty chest wound.

Then, two days later, there were several tense moments when they had been surrounded by a pack of hungry wolves but Robyn had been able to befriend them and for several days they'd run along with the group acting as an advance guard. She released them with thanks when Castle Corwell came into sight and the pack had returned to the forest.

While neither as grand nor as large as Callidyr, Corwell turned out to be a warm and welcoming place. Rio knew this was partly because of Robyn and Tristan's status but could feel that the inherent hospitality and simple acceptance the Ffolk showed all of them wasn't just reserved for the former High King and Queen.

"They are a good and well balanced people." He'd said to Robyn that evening as they all dined together."

"You will find that to be true of most of the Ffolk." Tristan said between mouthfuls. "Dagdar, King of Moray, is a stout ally but the Ffolk of Moray are a rough and proud people. Because of his size Dagdar may have trouble taking you seriously. If you wish I will give you a marker to identify you as a friend of the throne."

"That will not be necessary." Rio replied. "Moray will come to know me as a servant of the EarthMother. No other credentials will be required."

The High King nodded. "I thought you would decline." He said seriously. "Just take care until you are settled into the grove."

Several days later the small ship had docked and they had said their good-byes to Robin, Tristan, Elyse and also Mira who had decided to stay in Corwell training with Elyse until her father returned. The Archivist had tried to talk her out of it but Mira was adamant, she was staying, and there was nothing he could do to make it otherwise. At last they'd simply embraced with the exchange of promises that she would stay in Corwell and he would return as soon as possible so they could return home to Callidyr.

Their transport to Moray was a small Northern longship manned by a rough crew of seasoned sailors and several of them had whistled and made catcalls as Glow had come aboard. Rio was relieved when the captain had come down hard on them for although he would have defended them easily the druid didn't want anything to ruin their travel together as a family. When they'd landed at Moray several days later the ship had stayed in port just long enough to let them depart. From talking with the captain Rio knew that although the Ffolk and the Northmen were currently at peace, thanks to the alliances Tristan had forged, that the hard feelings between the two peoples, brought about by years of distrust and bloodshed, still existed and were especially strong here on Moray.

Once ashore they selected a place called the Inn of the Sleeping Hound and had a large afternoon meal. Bejorn had wanted to stay at the inn overnight but Rio was not about to spend the first night on his new home within the confines of a city. Before they left Rio asked the innkeeper about the best paths of travel down the Shannyth River.

"The path is plain enough as far as Dynnegall." the innkeeper had told them. "Beyond that it gets pretty rough. A man through here several days ago reported an infestation of giant centipedes a couple of leagues outside of Horst. How far are you going?"

"The Goddess calls me to make my home in the forest among the sacred places." Rio replied. "It is from there that I can best serve the land and the EarthMother."

The innkeeper nodded. "You'd be druids then?"

"I am Rio. The others are my family and companions."

The man surveyed the group as they got ready to depart and then regarded Rio seriously.

"Welcome to Moray. How shall we find you brother in case there is need?"

"I'll not be a stranger." Rio said fixing the man's gaze. "I will be making my home at the grove of the EarthMother. I expect to be back and forth several times for supplies before winter sets in and when I return I will be able to give you more details."

The innkeeper spoke quietly. "I understand. I hope you will return to the Sleeping Hound."

Rio smiled and said with a chuckle. "The food was good and the ale stout. I'll be back."

An hour after they left the Sleeping Hound the three stone towers that were the small town's only defense were lost from view. Glow and Arial had acquired a spirited mare leaving Rio free to roam a short distance ahead as Kikai. Shortly before sunset they'd come to a place where the trail crossed the river at a wide shallow bend. Rio had paused briefly, allowing the others to catch up and had then chosen to forego the trail. Instead he stayed on the west side of the river and led them through the lowland moors until twilight when they'd stopped near a small outcropping of rock to make camp. That night two giant porcupines had been seen emerging from somewhere beneath the jumble of large boulders but the creatures had given them a wide berth.

By dawn the next morning a fog had risen obscuring vision beyond sixty feet and the group traveled on foot leading the horses. By the time the fog had given way to a light rain it was mid-afternoon. Ahead of them in the distance they could see the northern edge of the forest toward which they traveled and several times that afternoon they'd passed along the edges of a well kept field or orchard on the way.

They'd stopped that night at the edge of the forest and Arial had at once set herself to the task of identifying all the types of trees that she could while Rio checked the area carefully for hidden dangers. By the time Glow called them to come eat Arial had found several types of oaks, hickory and aspen and a couple of individual birch and maple. Additionally there was an abundance of undergrowth that held the homes of various small creatures including squirrels, rabbits and foxes.

After dinner Rio and Arial had spent some time examining a small birch tree in great detail. They went over the properties of the wood and the leaves, talked about growth patterns and lifecycles and discovered for themselves the resilient strength of the roots and branches. Arial had wanted to find a larger one to climb but Rio stopped her saying both that it was late and that tomorrow, when they reached the Moonwell, she could climb to her hearts content. He thought of the two towering oaks that he had named Iy and Ix and pictured them both sitting peacefully amid the branches.

"Tomorrow," he said kissing her good night, "we will come to our new home. At first we'll have much work to do for the winters here are colder than anything we're used to and we have to make sure we're ready. Then there will be plenty of time to continue your lessons and go adventuring."

"I'll help, don't worry." She said looking so serious that Rio had to smile.

"I know you will sunshine. I'll see you in the morning." The druid tucked Arial's thick blanket around her and then went to sit beside Glow who, along with Herve, had agreed to take the first watch. She smiled at him and his heart soared as it always did. When she awoke him hours later for his watch Rio had pulled her to him and had a hard time letting go. Now that they were only a day's travel away he felt the excitement and tension building within him and knew that he'd not sleep again until it was beside the Moonwell itself. His eyes were lit with a fierce intensity as he prowled about the campsite and surrounding area and morning had come so quickly that he wondered briefly if he'd really just spent six hours on watch.

When at last the group was awake and ready to go he led them along the edge of the forest for a short distance back to the river which they followed for about an hour. At several points along their journey they'd been forced to delve into the forest where it became extremely slow going because of the thick underbrush. At these places the river had cut it's path into the bedrock and rushed along a nearly vertical rock face making passage there impossible on this side of the river. It was at a point where the rock face had veered away westward because of a long ago change in the rivers course that Rio had stopped and let the group catch up. He took Glow's hand as she came to stand beside him.

"We're almost there." he told her, quite unable to hide his excitement. "It's here we leave the river."

He turned them into the forest and they followed the rivers old course keeping the ledge to their right. By the time they'd gone a mile the land to the west had risen away and they walked along the bottom of a steep cliff face that rose perhaps thirty or forty feet above them. Looking up they could see that the forest above grew right to the edge just as it did on their level and it seemed only natural to Rio that the forest ignored the giant step in the landscape that the river had so long ago carved. On the lower level most of the tall trees reached higher than the cliff wall and Rio had no doubt that it was a simple leap from the upper level into the branches of the trees growing below.

Finally he'd stopped at the edge of a clearing and taken Arial by one hand and Glow by the other. Then the three of them stepped together into the grove that was to be their home for many years to come.

It was just as Rio remembered it, maybe even more beautiful. On the right the clearing was bordered by the cliff wall, which ran almost perfectly straight and plunged back into the forest some 250 feet away on the far side. To the left it extended roughly 100 feet in all directions away from the Moonwell which lay nestled in the center of the clearing against the cliff face. On both the near and far side of the Moonwell giant oak trees stood as if they were great guardians. The canopies of these two trees covered almost half of the clearing leaving only an odd fan shaped area exposed to the open sky. The Moonwell itself was about sixty feet in diameter making the clearing roughly semi-circular in shape.

Arial went straight to the Moonwell and knelt beside it. Rio watched as she cupped her hands, took a long drink and then splashed some water on her face. Her actions spoke volumes for the reverence she already felt for the Circle and the EarthMother and Rio knew that his daughter would one day be a powerful druid.

Glow stood close to him and looked up into the canopy of Iy, which was the large oak on this side of the Moonwell. Compared to the other, Iy was tall and thin. It's straight trunk stretched skyward to a height of almost ninety feet and the large branches offered ample opportunity for climbing and shelter should they decide to make their home within them. Ix, on the far side of the Moonwell, was slightly shorter but had a much larger canopy. It's trunk had a graceful bend in it that bowed slightly away from the cliff wall and then straightened once it reached beyond the height of the forest floor above.

"It's breathtaking." Herve said from somewhere behind him.

Rio turned and for a moment wished that the three men had not accompanied them. It wasn't that he was worried about their behavior or any impact they might have on his work, it was just that this seemed such a private personal moment for he and his family and Bejorn, Herve and Morn were all of a sudden outsiders.

"I'm a bit turned around." Bejorn announced trying to get his bearings. "Which way is north?"

The druid pointed toward the cliff wall back in the direction from which they'd come.

"Hmm." the old man said. "The cliff should afford some protection from the winter wind and storms. I know we've just arrived but have you given any thought as to where you're going to build your home?"

Rio nodded. "Right about here actually." he said indicating the area between Iy's trunk and the edge of the clearing that they'd come from. "It's close to the cliff and sheltered by the tree. Later we can expand upward into the branches but I think a ground based shelter would be best to start."

They spent the afternoon discussing how they would proceed while Arial and Glow investigated the surroundings. Herve was dubious that they'd be able to construct any type of decent building without cutting down a few trees but Rio pointed out that not only did they not have axes, saws or other cutting and chopping implements, but that he would not have allowed them to be used even if they did.

"Don't worry." he told them. "The land will provide all that we need."

That night after they'd eaten a late dinner, Rio held a formal "Ritual of Blessing and Sanctification" for the grove in general and the Moonwell specifically. He was pleased that the men respected the ceremony by remaining quiet and attentive. While none of the three actively worshipped any god they, like the majority of the Ffolk, held a deep respect for all things natural and seemed to inherently recognize that the EarthMother had cared for them and the Moonshae throughout its history. Afterward Bejorn inquired about setting a watch schedule.

"That will not be necessary." Rio told him as the darkness closed in around them. "Tonight we are safe in the arms of the EarthMother." Then before retiring himself Rio had rounded up the horses and told them essentially the same thing.

"We know." The mare had replied in a soft whinny. "Our herd mother is here and tells us not to fear."

Rio smiled and scratched the lady mare gently on the snout before returning to where Glow and Arial lay nestled beneath their thick blankets. He kissed his wife and daughter good night, curled up next to Glow and was soon lost in a dream of flight.

---------------

Over the course of the next few days Rio concentrated mostly on cleaning up the grove and the surrounding area. He'd cleared away what few fallen branches and trees that lay about and had accumulated a decent size pile of wood which he stacked neatly against the cliff wall under a small ledge. He didn't really like the idea of starting a fire but knew it was best to be prepared should they ever need one.

He also made sure to spend time with Arial exploring both above and below the cliff face. She had found an uneven ridge running diagonally in the cliff from top to bottom and they used that to climb carefully up and down. Rio also had noticed a particular branch of Iy that made a splendid bridge from the upper level into the tree itself and they'd used it on several occasions to climb into the canopy. This had gotten them around the fact that the first branches were some 15 feet above the lower level.

Glow spent the majority of the days in quiet meditation and finally announced on the fifth evening that she felt ready to again try and exercise her psionic abilities. It had been several weeks since the event that had temporarily robbed her of her mental disciplines and Rio urged her to be cautious. Despite the fact that he deeply missed their mental joining he didn't want her to do anything to jeopardize her abilities or further injure herself.

"Don't worry." she said smiling. "Being with you is the most effortless thing I know and once the link begins I will be able to draw on your strength and support."

The two sat facing each other and Rio watched as his love closed her eyes and went through the initial relaxation and clearing exercises that preceded all her psionic castings. Then, very gradually and very tentatively, he felt her presence begin to form in his mind. Despite his urge to rush toward her he remained centered and let her take whatever time she needed to solidify the joining. Finally he could stand it no longer and sent gentle messages of love and longing into there shared mind."

"Shhh." she replied. "Just be with me."

It was hard for Rio to keep his thoughts still but somehow he managed to and when Glow finally relinquished the sending he took her in his arms and held her close for a long hug.

"I love you Glowing Forest." He whispered in her ear.

"Mmmm... You feel so good." She replied. "We'll do it again tomorrow and every day afterward until my strength has returned." She looked into his eyes and Rio's heart melted all over again, just as it did every time they were together, and he kissed her with a passion not diminished a whit by the passage of time.

---------------

The next day Rio rested and spent much of the day talking with the Archivist about his memories of the Wood Between Worlds and the companions he had met there. Bejorn was fascinated by the events that had brought Rio to the Forgotten Realms and asked more questions about Eric, and the old man who'd cried out in the name of Tyr, than the druid had been able to answer.

That afternoon, after he and Glow had linked again, Arial persuaded them to go adventuring. She wanted to show them a small clearing on the upper side of the cliff that she had found earlier in the day.

"I want to make a garden like Robyn and Tristan had." She announced when they reached the spot. "Do you think this is a good place?"

Rio scanned the immediate surroundings and scooped up a clump of dirt crumbling it with his fingers. Then, with a well-practiced nose, he smelled it and smiled.

"Here." He said handing the remainder of what he had in his hands to Arial. "Tell me what you see."

Arial studied the dirt seriously stirring it around with her thumb while Glow watched patiently. "It's dirt." she announced finally. "It smells like High Forest after the rains."

"Do you see the little pieces of leaves and twigs. The forest has been here for many long seasons and every year as the leaves fall they make a new layer of nutrients that the weather and insects break down into smaller and smaller pieces until finally all that remains is the fertile mix that the plants thrive on." Rio studies his young daughter for a moment as she looks up at him. "It is part of the great Circle that is Nara's gift to us and it's our job to make sure nothing upsets the delicate balance in which the Circle spins as it binds all things together."

Arial examines the handful of dirt again and then lets it sift though her fingers. "Then this is a good place for a garden." She announces as much to herself as to Rio or Glow. "Good. Will you help me gather seeds?"

"Of course sunshine." Rio replies. "It's too late in the year to plant anything now but when the spring comes we shall have a fine garden."

They return to the grove hand in hand and Rio helps Glow descend the cliff face until they're safely on the bottom.

That evening, after performing the "Ritual of Blessing and Sanctification" as he did every night, he had been sitting against Iy's trunk pondering how best to proceed with making a home for them when inspiration struck him as surely as if an acorn had fallen on his head. Smiling to himself he gave thanks to the EarthMother and went to inform Glow of his idea.

The next morning he had spent nearly an hour in deep communion and the day after that he began construction of the shelter that is to be their home. Rather than try to build a standalone structure or any type of dwelling in the trees he'd realized the safest, most secure and most sheltered spot would be an excavation into the cliff itself. When he'd announced his intention to the Archivist and his companions he'd gotten some strange looks but no one had expressed any doubts in his abilities. They all watched with interest as he called upon Nara's power, lay his hands gently on the cliff face and began to dig out solid rock with his bare hands which he then fashioned into rounded bricks roughly 8" x 4" x 2" on a side.

For five long hours he worked that first day and by mid afternoon when the power of his casting had finally waned he'd dug out almost two cubic yards and had a pile of more than 400 bricks to show for his efforts. The next day and the ten that followed the druid worked methodically through two castings a day and every night Glow had graciously massaged his back and shoulders.

Then he took a day of rest to prepare for the fall equinox, which they celebrated quietly. That night in addition to the "Ritual of Blessing and Sanctification" he performed the solemn "Ceremony of Observance" followed by an "Invocation of Power" and the "Song of Awakening".

Although he was not aware of it himself, as he sang the normal forest sounds grew quiet in anticipation. Creatures of all types and sizes began to gather in the clearing, watching and listening, drawn by the power of the EarthMother as it slowly focused itself in the Moonwell which began to glow brightly as if illuminated from a great depth. Then, as the song drew to a close, that power had filled the clearing binding all within to the moment.

Rio felt strong and alive. His senses reached out beyond their mortal limits and as he sang the final note he felt himself connected to all that surrounded him. He felt the wind in the leaves of Ix and Iy, saw through the eyes of the hawks in the trees, smelled the abundance of life through the noses of the creatures gathered before him and knew in his heart that the EarthMother stood beside and within him. He held the feeling for as long as possible, unwilling to let the moment pass before exhaling slowly.

"The EarthMother has blessed us and welcomed us into the new season. We begin the arc united in our faith, cradled in the arms of the goddess and secure in the knowledge that the Circle thrives in our care."

He reached out to Glow and she came into his arms. Arial had gone immediately to the edge of the Moonwell and knelt at its edge staring into the clear water as if she could see the answers to all her questions. Rio watched her for a moment and then turned to see the animals disbursing back into the forest. As he watched them go his gaze fell upon a small wolfhound that sat unmoving at the edge of the clearing. It remained long after the others had gone and just as he was releasing Glow it turned and disappeared into the night.

The next day, as if on cue with the change of seasons, the weather had turned sharply colder. Rio continued to work ceaselessly on the excavation of their home and after almost three weeks of effort he had enough completed for them all to sleep comfortably sheltered from the wind and rain which had begun to come with increasing regularity. During that time Morn and Herve had volunteered to travel to Moray and gather as much supplies as they could carry back in preparation for the long winter ahead. Their journey had taken them an entire week and Rio knew they were glad for the chance to get away from the boredom of the grove.

Unlike the Archivist who'd been his constant companion during the excavation process, Morn and Herve were reaching to find things to keep them busy and had jumped at the chance to make a supply run. They'd returned loaded down with rope, canvas, oil, dried fish and jerky, salt, several simple outfits for Arial who was rapidly growing out of what little she had, and even a bottle of wine and two flasks of rum. They had been unable to find the parchment or ink that Bejorn had requested and the old man cursed at having come to such a "backward" place that didn't even have the simple things a writer needed to sustain his craft. They'd also reported that the last scheduled ship off Moray had already sailed and that they were now here for the winter whether they liked it or not.

As Glow became more and more pregnant her range of activities decreased and she concentrated on the refinement of her psionic abilities. Once she and Rio had begun linking her mental strength had returned quickly. As the weather continued to grow colder Glow had begun heating their home with boulders heated by Molecular Agitation. Bejorn had been so fascinated by this ability that he'd abandoned Rio for several days and spent the time with Glow learning and writing as much as he could on the subject.

Rio and Arial watched the foliage change from green to yellow and then from red to brown before it fell leaving a stark landscape of barren trees and shrubs that was no match for the howling winds. Several times Rio had seen the wolfhound as they continued to investigate the surrounding area and he got the impression that it was observing them. He was curious more than worried and inwardly hoped the creature would come close enough so that he could try and befriend it.

By the time the first snow fell they had laid out a rough set of trails, both above and below the cliff. They had also discovered a good lookout point halfway between the grove and the river where a jagged mount of rock thrust itself up out the ground at the top of a small rise. From there they could see the river stretching away to the north and south and had a good view of the land running away east on the other side. They'd also found several good spots that overlooked the grove from above and Rio had coaxed the plants gently to the side so that there was a small trail running along the edge of the cliff connecting them.

By the middle Uktar (November) snow had become a regular occurrence and the temperatures were frequently well below freezing at night. Fortunately the grove was spared the worst of the weather thanks to protection the cliff afforded and rarely did the snow pile up more than a few inches. Occasionally the wind would shift and blow along the cliff face rather than diagonally across the top. The first time this had occurred Rio had been forced to modify the entryway into their home to keep the swirls and the chilling cold they carried from coming inside. Additionally, he frequently invoked the power of the grove itself to raise the temperature within its confines. This kept the groups horses out of danger and kept them all from being trapped within the small shelter during the worst of the storms.

Then one night, as Rio and Arial were walking in the moonlight, observing how the forest adapted to the bitter cold, they came across a man who was crumpled face down at the river's edge, frozen and dead from exposure. Knowing this to be the case, Rio had turned him over anyway looking for signs of a fight or other indications of violence but their were none and he had laid the cold body back down gently.

Arial didn't speak as she looked closely at the cold face of death and Rio watched her until she looked up at him.

"We will leave the body here for now. If these people have a preferred way of honoring or preparing the dead Bejorn will know and we can tend to those wishes in the morning."

It was then that he heard, they both heard, that slow, rasping, impossible voice of the corpse beside them. Arial screamed and backed away several steps and Rio had instinctively moved immediately between her and the undead. He was preparing to defend himself when he realized the man had said something he had never heard spoken by the evil undead.

"Please... Help me..."

Stunned, he slowly lowered his guard. The body did not move and there was no indication of threat. As they watched in horror the mouth opened slightly and again the voice of a thousand nightmares spoke, using no breath, no movement of vocal chords or tongue, in a cold and sad tone.

"Help me."

Invoking the forces of nature around him Rio probed the man for an evil aura. Somehow, it didn't surprise him that there was none. Fighting a powerful instinct he knelt down beside the body and placed his hand on the man's chest. It was cold and there was no heartbeat. All of the physical signs of a body freezing slowly to death were present and Rio could tell beyond question that the ravages of cellular destruction had destroyed the tissues within. It took all of his self-control but somehow he managed to remain calm when he saw the man's eyes follow him.

"Can you move?" Rio asked, unsure of whether he'd get a response.

"No." The cold voice said after what seemed like an eternity.

Rio took a deep breath while considering a myriad of possibilities. Finally he turned to his daughter.

"Arial, you must help me get this man on my back. Can you do this?" He looked to his daughter who stood wide-eyed still several yards away.

"I... I think so." She said uncertainly.

"Come here. Do not be afraid. I will teach you how to detect those of evil origin or intent." As she came over slowly he put his hand on the man's chest near the heart. "Put your hand on mine and listen carefully. You must feel the EarthMother in everything around. Remember the energy of her presence when you first entered Robyn's grove? You must call on that and listen through its ears to what it tells you."

He then proceeded carefully through the invocation of Detect Evil. When finished Arial had taken her hand off his and placed it on the man's chest. When she raised it a moment later she looked at Rio and seemed to think about what she wanted to say.

"For a moment I sort of felt nothing. Then, when I started to think about it, it was gone. Then it came back at the very end. I don't understand."

"You did feel nothing." Rio said seriously. "If there was evil within we would have very definitely have felt something. You will learn to master this soon. Remember this simple thing and don't be afraid to use it. Nara is all around you, holding you in her arms. Give yourself to her and she will keep you safe."

He smiled and Arial nodded. "I understand." She said.

"Come on, let's get this man back to the Moonwell." With that he became a small horse and knelt down beside the unusual dead man. He helped as much as he could and between the two of them they managed to get the body balanced across his back. Standing as carefully as he could Rio walked slowly, with Arial ahead of him, back to the grove. He waited as Arial rushed into their cliff side home to alert the others. She and Glow appeared, promptly followed by the others. Glow held a silver dagger in her hands and gasped when Arial rushed over to help get the man off Rio's back as he knelt by the Moonwell.

"It's ok." Rio said, coming to his wife's side after a quick transformation. "There is no danger." As the others gather around in silence Rio cups his hands getting a small amount of water from the Moonwell. He lets a few drops fall in the open mouth but there is no response from the body, which is no longer capable of swallowing. But a moment later the eerie voice comes again from within.

"Thank you."

Glow stared at it, her unspoken question written clearly on her face.

"I don't know how." Rio says. "I can detect no signs of life."

"What has it said?" she asks looking to her husband.

"Only the simple plea, 'Help me' and 'Thank you' just now. It occurred to me you might be able to perceive something I can't."

Glow nods, pulling her thick robe around her against the cold. "Are you sure it's safe?"

"No, so don't do it if you think it's too dangerous."

Looking at the body of the man, blue and unmoving, Glow nods and then closes her eyes as she focuses her thoughts. Opening her eyes to focus on the man's face she studies him for several minutes before looking away.

"There is something there but it is shielded as if by fog or a great distance." She rubs her temples and eyes and then shivers against the cold. "I'll try again after resting. What will you do with him?"

"I was hoping the water from the Moonwell would help." Rio says shaking his head. "But I fear if Nara's magic does not reach him through that then there is little I can do to help. I will call a guardian to keep an eye on it so we don't have to set watches."

Returning his attention to the body Rio asks. "How can I help you?"

"Lost." Comes the eventual reply but nothing else.

Finally the druid sighs. "I will meditate in the morning and ask Nara for guidance." He says as much to Glow and the others as to the deceased. Invoking Nara's power Rio sends out a call into the wild. Shortly after his spell is cast a large mink wanders into the grove and looks curiously at the druid.

"Watch this body and come get me immediately if it moves." The mink sits up on it's back paws and sniffs the air in the direction of the body and Rio can tell his spell has taken hold.

"Come." He says leading the others back to their small home. "There is nothing more we can do tonight."

The next morning the grove was as they left it. Rio found his mink guardian curled up in a tight little ball. At first he thought it was sleeping but when it raised it's head to regard him he knew it had been awake and vigilant as instructed. The dead man had not moved and when he approached it he saw the eyes trained upon him.

"I will ask Nara for her guidance." He said to the man. "I will help you if I can."

Glow watched her husband from the entryway to their small cliff-side home as he said something to the corpse and then knelt beside the Moonwell. She watched him slowly perform the Commune w/Nature and knew as his face softened with rapture, that he stood with his goddess. Sometimes Glow would almost see a shimmering figure hovering above the Moonwell and she secretly wondered if this was because Nara wished it to be so or because of her own increasing awareness. She no longer doubted that her mental capacity and psionic power had increased considerably in the past several months and it she knew she had to find the reason. Two possibilities occurred to her.

The first was that somehow the twins were the reason. She could feel the rapidly forming minds within her but knew instinctively that contact with them at this stage of development wasn't a good idea. So far nothing out of the ordinary had occurred with her pregnancy and although she had not been this aware of Arial when she carried her, it didn't seem unusual to her to be so attuned to her unborn children.

The second was that it was the place, that somehow the sacred grove and nearness to the goddess was responsible. She couldn't deny the ease with which her abilities had come to her and she remembered first noticing it while they had been staying with Robyn & Tristan at the Great Druids grove.

She focused her attention on Rio and the Moonwell for a moment but no flash of inspiration or guidance occurred. Then she turned her thoughts inward toward her own aura and those of the twins but again there were no immediate answers. Finally she found herself looking around the grove and her gaze settled on the grim figure of the man who both was and was not dead. Almost without realizing it she walked over to him and sat a short distance away on a large rock.

Clearing her thoughts, she began the mental exercises that allowed her to achieve such a mastery of her own energies. Probing the man gently with the focus of her thoughts she became aware that his mind and soul were still bound to the dead flesh, in that sense he was still alive. She thought briefly about trying to contact him but decided rather quickly against it, expanded abilities or not.

"I hope my husband can help you." She said quietly staring at the sad figure.

Rio stood in communion with the EarthMother. He had been somewhat shocked when Nara had said there was nothing he could do for the fallen man and now he struggled with the quandary of how to proceed. Then the goddess had put her thoughts, the voice of wisdom, in his head.

"The balance will be restored soon for such a void can not long go unfilled. Do not worry for him my wild one. You have done all you can."

After the communion ends Rio goes over to the man and repeats Nara's words hoping that it will offer some comfort but there is no response. Then later that afternoon, with no one around as witness, the corpse shudders and speaks for the final time. "Thank you." With a convulsion and a sigh the eyes shut and circle is closed. When Rio finds him a short time later it is obvious that whatever cruel twist of fate had caused the strange undeath, it had now passed. Glow confirms later that evening that she can no longer detect the spark she once did and the following morning they carry the body back to the river's edge and make a stone cairn.

The following day Rio heads north toward Dynnegall and Moray to inform the town elders of his grim discovery. No one at either town could tell him anything of who the man was or where he'd come from so he'd then headed south to Horst and the few remaining farming villages along the Shannyth, the last of which was nestled up against the foothills of the OrcSkull mountains.

Everywhere he went people were saddened by the tale of the unknown dead man but were more interested in the barer than the news itself. During the few days his journey lasted he'd met many that were genuinely curious about him and the location of the Sacred Grove. He told every one that asked how to find their way and made sure they understood that it wasn't until springtime that he would begin the formal Rituals at which all were welcome.

A few days after his return to the grove a young man had arrived and called out from the clearing's edge.

"Hello." He said with an accent that matched Erin's so perfectly. "I followed directions my father gave me to get to the druid Rio."

Rio had been aware of him for sometime, thanks to the scolding of a noisy ground squirrel that lived within the grove and the druid had watched as he approached. In truth, he was grateful for the distraction as the effort of moving and removing the stone from his earlier casting wore heavily on his shoulders and back.

"Then you've followed your directions well. I am Rio. Please enter."

As the young man came into the grove Rio guessed he was fourteen at most. He was already taller that Rio by a full eight inches and the druid had no doubt that he'd approach the size of Erin in addition to sounding like him before he was finished growing.

"My name is Lothar, from the village of Kork. Sir, I need your help."

The druid nodded and handed the brick he was carrying to Lothar who accepted it with a surprised look. "Good because I need your help too. But please tell me what I can do for you before I trouble you with my problems."

Lothar set the brick down and spoke in a low voice. "I need... I mean I think I'm... Can you really hear voices in the wind?"

Rio looked seriously at the boy. "The EarthMother speaks in many languages. Why do you ask such a question?"

"Sometimes I hear them." He said. "It frightened me at first but then I realized it was trying to tell me something. Now when I try to listen I always feel like I've just missed it."

"What do hear now?" Rio asked him.

Lothar looked around the grove. Other than the sound of the chill wind as it blew through the bare tree branches the forest was quiet. "Nothing." He said finally.

"Come over here." Rio said indicating for Lothar to follow him as he walked toward the Moonwell. "Cup your hands and drink from the Moonwell. Then gaze at the surface and tell me what you see."

Rio waited while Lothar knelt to drink and watched as the small ripples subsided. Several minutes had gone by when the boy suddenly looked up. "There, I heard it again. It said my name."

Rio nodded and studied the boy. Finally, after a moment of soul searching, he replied. "I will teach you how to listen if it is within you to learn." Lothar rose and started to speak but the druid continued and didn't give him a chance. "Now come, you can help me with something easy."

He set the young man to helping with the removal of the almost 400 bricks of molded stone that were the product of his days casting. After almost four months Rio had completed the first third of what he had mapped out and had begun working on the next section just within the last week. When the last of the bricks had been removed and stacked neatly with the others Rio thanked Lothar for his help.

"Now, I want you to return home and prepare yourself for life here in the grove. When you return you must be ready to face the weather and the changing faces of the seasons. Bring a tent if you have one. If not I will work with you to form a simple shelter at the edge of the clearing." Rio paused for effect before continuing. "Bring only what you can carry so choose your belongings wisely."

Rio smiled. "Are you sure you're ready to do this?"

"I am sir." Came Lothar's immediate reply.

"Then return here on the night of the next full moon and I shall bind you into the Circle of Life. Until then I want you to spend a portion of each day listening. Put your thoughts to the side and just listen quietly to the world around you. It is the first thing you must be able to do and it's where we'll begin on your arrival."

"I'll be ready." The boy assured him.

"Good." Rio said. "I will see you on your return."

After Lothar left Arial called down from her vantage in the branches of Iy. "Who was that papa?"

Rio looked up and saw his daughter sitting on a large branch leaning against the trunk. Her thick white robe made her difficult to see against the pale gray of the afternoon sky and he wondered how long she had been up there.

"His name is Lothar and he is from the nearby village of Kork." He called up to her.

"What did he want?"

The druid smiled. "He wants to learn to speak with the wind."

---------

Rio and Arial had observed the Winter solstice together in a simple ceremony and as MidWinters eve approached Glow became increasingly uncomfortable as the size of her belly grew. She frequently wished that the day would hurry up and arrive and Rio did what he could to keep her comfortable. He enjoyed talking to his unborn children as he rubbed the gooey extract of one of the local plants over her tightly stretched skin. Arial had discovered the strange thick-leafed plant growing nearby and had brought a small sample to Rio hoping he could tell her something about it. The druid had been delighted with his daughter's discovery, as he knew the healing properties of the thick gooey sap to be particularly beneficial in treating skin injuries and burns.

"How much longer until they are born?" Arial asked one evening as they took their simple evening meal.

"Just a few more weeks." He told her smiling and taking Glow's hand.

"I'm ready." both Arial and Glow said simultaneously.

"Me too." Rio said kissing Glow's hand as he winked at Arial. "Me too."

Continued in Part Four - A Family Way