Page 137 of Highland Queen

“Epona, I’m here.”

Epona looked behind me. “Hail, Diana,” she rasped.

“Hail, Great Epona. May the Horse Mother guide your passage into the great beyond.”

“Thank you, sister,” she said then looked back at me. “Cerridwen,” Epona whispered, motioning for me to come close.

I leaned in.

“Cerridwen, I wanted to tell you… I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry. I took from you—”

“You did what you thought was right.”

“No. No. I took from you,” she whispered. “I had no right.”

“Your actions were guided,” I said, casting a glance at Crearwy who was listening intently.

“It was wrong. For you. For her. I am sorry,” Epona said, a tear slipping down her wrinkled cheek.

I choked back a sob. “No, Epona. Please. You have my forgiveness. Please. You were so good to me, like a mother. You did your best. You gave me so much.”

“But I took…” she said then turned to Crearwy. “Forgive your mother. Forgive her. It was me. It was Andraste and me.”

“Epona,” Crearwy said, her voice cracking. She kissed Epona’s hand.

“Forgive your mother,” Epona pleaded of Crearwy once more.

Crearwy looked at me, her face wet with tears. She nodded. “I forgive her.”

“Cerridwen,” Epona whispered. “When the time comes, listen to your heart.”

Epona turned to Uald. She smiled at her old friend.

Uald choked back a sob.

Epona patted Uald’s arm.

She turned and looked at all of us once more, then she closed her eyes. Epona exhaled heavily then became very still.

“Epona?” Crearwy whispered.

Epona didn’t answer.

Uald rose. She rushed past us and out of the house. I heard the front door slam behind her. A few minutes later, I felt others approach. I turned to see Aridmis, Druanne, Juno, Tully, and Flidas standing there.

No Sid.

Flidas looked from Epona to Diana.

“Mother,” she whispered.

Diana bowed her head to the girl the turned to me. “Cerridwen, we must go,” Diana told me.

I looked back at my daughter. “Crearwy?”

She looked up at me. “I love you, Mother.”

“I love you too. Goodbye,” I whispered.

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