Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 47894 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 192(@250wpm)___ 160(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47894 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 192(@250wpm)___ 160(@300wpm)
I smiled at him.
“But also, you’re magic, so I have to keep an open mind.”
I winked at him.
“Don’t be cute.”
“Never.”
“Xander,” he chastised me. “This is serious.”
“Yes, I know. Sorry.”
“So basically, in the spring, nature spirits cross through and what else?”
“Fae spirits are unlike normal fae. They’re like our nature spirits and are, as a whole, absolutely lovely. I’ve seen many on Corvus, along with our nature ones, and I feel very blessed that they seem happy here.”
“All right so, nature and fae spirits in the spring, and I know what happens in the fall.”
“You sound like you’re writing a report.”
“I just need to make sure it’s all straight in my head,” he stated. “Go on.”
“As you know, at the end of October, and well into deep, dark November, that’s when the veil allows souls that have departed from this plane to return and visit.”
“Deep, dark November?”
“Fall is the death of the year, it’s the darkest time because it’s when nature dies, rests, and is then reborn in the spring. It has to be quiet to restart the endless cycle, to get you first ready for your long winter nap and then rebirth in spring.”
“I never thought about it like that. Sleeping in the winter to prepare for spring.”
“Trees and flowers go dormant for months. People should pay attention.”
“I like that.”
I shrugged. “It’s how I was raised.”
“All right, so the veil is thinnest at Samhain, and will remain thinner than usual all the way through the end of November, but by the time Yule rolls around, it’s done. It’s sealed.”
“Yes, because even magic has to rest and recharge.”
“And it does that in the winter.”
“It’s the natural order of things, yes.”
“So how is the veil thin right now in January?”
“Because, like with everything in life, there are exceptions.”
“I hate exceptions.”
I chuckled because he sounded so annoyed.
“Like a hedge-rider, whatever that is.”
“Yes. I’m thinking, because of the graveyard, that’s probably it.”
“Explain.”
“You should take your parka off before you pass out from heatstroke.”
After a moment, he said, “Yeah, okay, I am starting to cook.”
When I laughed, I got a smile from him.
Once he was back in only his long-sleeve T-shirt, sweats, and socks, we took a seat on the couch in front of the fire. When I turned to face him, I noted his arched eyebrow.
“What?”
“I like how you always feel like you have to sit me down for things like I’m going to break apart if you scare me.”
“That’s not it. I just want you to hear the whole thing, not pieces. And also, I appreciate that you didn’t go outside and that you’re waiting to hear what I have to say. It means a lot to me.”
He nodded.
“Okay, so a hedge-rider is a witch who travels over a hedge, and hedge, in this instance, means a boundary, specifically one between our world and others. They usually travel to other realms to learn more about their craft.”
“To learn to be a better witch?”
“Mostly to acquire archaic knowledge.”
“And how do they do that?”
“Normally, their bodies stay in one place and their souls roam.”
“You’re talking about astral projection.”
“Yes.”
“That’s real?”
“It is.”
“I love your magic and hate all the rest.”
I put a hand on his cheek. “I love you.”
“I know,” he muttered, covering my hand briefly. “Okay, so you think I’m seeing someone’s soul?”
“Normally, you wouldn’t be able to, so I’m thinking you’re seeing an actual person.”
“Oh, fuck off.”
I couldn’t hold in my laughter.
He shoved me, and I was still snickering on my side moments later. He really was an extraordinary man.
“Sit up and talk to me.”
“You’re the one who pushed me over.”
“Just, c’mon.”
I reached for him, and he took my hand and gently righted me so I was back to sitting beside him.
“Tell me who you think I’m seeing?”
“I think it might be Giles Corey.”
I got a scowl then. “Who the hell is Giles Corey?”
“Technically, my ancestor. He lived in Victorian England in the late eighteen hundreds.”
“Not here in Osprey?”
“No.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. He was the brother of Edmund Corey, who was the guardian of Corvus at that time.”
“How funny.”
“What do you mean?”
“I thought that in every generation of Coreys there was only one child born.”
“You did?”
He nodded.
“Well, that’s not true at all. Lots of families had lots of children. In Giles’s case, he moved to England and Edmund stayed here.”
“But you’re an only child. You have no siblings or cousins.”
“I could have cousins. My grandmother came from a large family, so if her sisters or brothers had kids, then I have distant cousins somewhere.”
“But not with Corey blood in them.”
“Oh, I see what you’re saying. No. I’m the singular Corey.”
“Okay, so back to Giles. He’s in England, his brother, Edmund, is here, and then what?”
“Well, Edmund, as I understand from reading the journals, was a Green Witch. He could make anything grow on Corvus, and did, but his craft was limited to planting, sowing, all of that. Giles, on the other hand, was a powerful witch from a very young age, and his parents hoped he would be the one to stay on Corvus.”