Page 83 of Queen of the Hollow Hills

I looked up at Cormag, who had also noticed his mother’s presence, but he said nothing.

When our party arrived, Onnen and two other white-robed priestesses of Brigantia made their way through the crowd to join us.

“My queen,” Onnen said, bowing deeply. “King Consort Cormag. The sun will rise soon, opening the gateway between this world and the next. Come. We shall call upon the ancestors to help your daughters make their way to the next life.”

Ignoring the pain in my hands, I took Cormag’s hand, and we followed behind the priestess.

When we passed Queen Mael Muire, she stepped forward, embracing Cormag. She whispered something in his ear andthen bent his head so she could kiss him on the forehead. She then did the same to me.

“May all the gods bring you comfort, Daughter,” she whispered to me, then stepped back.

Swallowing hard, I made my way behind Onnen once more.

We walked forward to the open mound.

As I looked at the gaping edifice, I felt like I was looking into a wound in my own heart. How could my tiny daughters, with their bright smiles and warm, soft bodies, be in the cold ground? The idea that they lay there in the earth, their bodies chilled, made me ache. There was nothing I could do to bring them warmth. Nothing I could do to make them smile again, to feel their soft breath on my cheek, the press of their cheeks against my chest. They were gone.

No.

Taken.

A bed of flowers had been made for my daughters. Beautiful ornaments had been laid beside them: goblets, platters, jewels, rich fabrics, and even the tiny rattles and other toys they had played with.

As we neared the front of the crowd, I spotted Greer for the first time. Her eyes were red, her face puffy as she wept. Beside her, Fabius whispered words of comfort, but I saw that he, too, cried.

I stopped to greet her, kissing her on the cheek.

“Oh, my queen,” she whispered.

I gently squeezed her arm and then moved on.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aedan, Amma, Venu, and all the rest looking at me. Eddin was looking my way, but I could not meet his gaze. I knew that I would crack.

Cormag and I joined Onnen as the sky glowed purple, the horizon trimmed pink and gold.

We stood before our daughters’ grave as Onnen lifted her hands, silencing the crowd. Behind us, the priestesses began ringing silver bells. The sound cut through the early morning sky and the mist rising off the plain where wildflowers grew.

I gazed at my father’s tomb.

Father, be with them. Guide and care for them.

“Brigantes, friends,” Onnen called. “We have come today to share in grief and in love with Queen Cartimandua and King Consort Cormag. We can never know why the gods choose to take the young and innocent. Princess Regan and Princess Aelith were but new flowers, blooming in spring only to have their lives cut short. Brigantia, Lady of Summer and mother of us all, we call you amongst us this morning as we say goodbye to our princesses and bid them a safe journey to the Otherworld and the next life beyond.”

Again, the priestesses rang their bells and began to chant, but my mind drifted as I stared at my daughters, tears rolling down my cheeks.

Brigantia, watch over them. Hold them in your arms. Deliver them to my father. Watch over my daughters. Brigantia…please… Brigantia, be merciful. I am a mother whose children are gone…

I choked down a sob then clung to Cormag, who held me tight as the priestesses sang and chanted, calling on all the good things of our world…upon bees and flowers, upon sunlight and rainbows, upon butterflies and hares, to travel with my daughters to the Otherworld.

The lament continued, but I no longer heard the priestess’s words. I stared, instead, at the small bodies in the earth.

Cailleach… Why did you take them? Why did you do this to me?

The trumpet of a carnyx startled me.

“Let’s come away,” Cormag whispered to me. “The others will leave their funerary gifts. We do not have to stay, Cartimandua. A tent has been erected for us on the game fields above.

“They will not… They will not hold games, will they?”

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