The waking world evades me try as I might to come to the surface, much like a small fish stuck in shallow pond does for air. I’m only granted a few moments before I have to retreat back into the dark. I remember glimpses of the waking world. A cup pressed to my lips with a nasty surprise that I remember more than once. Then there was the cold followed by warm strokes with tender care. It must have been a bath of some sort. And a creature, something about a creature, must have been about Toad. Where is Toad?

I can hear the low crackle of a fire and feel the softness of a fur on my bar feet. Slowly my awareness takes in a bit of my new surroundings. There’re small pots all around on crude shelves. The place smells like porridge and herbs, a scent of sweet smoke must also be burning. I close my eyes again; just getting my eyes to open seemed a great feat at the moment. I decide I must be at Baine’s since she’s a healer and these things look like healer things. A body stirs next to mind. Sean? Slowly I squirm my way around and find a small head snuggled down into the furs. Probably just as I was, but who is this? Does Sean have kids he didn’t mention? They look to have about the same color of hair. Or maybe he was sick to and they had us sharing a bed.

Audibly yawning I try to sit up, but give up as the change in altitude causes a rush. Groaning I try it again. My muscles protest and my side is sore. Tenderly I probe it with fingers, no scarring but the muscle will need babying. How long have I been asleep? And where is my husband? My toad? The little one next to me yawns and begins to rub his waking eyes.

“You waked up,” he asks with another yawn. “Becuma said you wasn’t going to wake up until Yule. You’s nice to sleep with. My other brudder kicks and hogs all the blankets, but you’s warm too. I dinnae know the Sidhe were so warm.” Becuma? Who’s Becuma? What happened to Baine? The little one rattles on with yawns interrupting his flow of tired words. I just smile at the little twitter. “Becuma says yous too scrawny to have a baby. Me Ma had a baby. Are you hungry? They says for me to take care of you. M’name’s Lann.” They left me alone with a boy probably not much older than his new sibling to take care of me? Covering the little one’s mouth my hand I try to croak out a few questions of my own, namely of where my husband is…

After a few more questions from me and wobbly steps I’m out the door twittering boy in tow. I half wonder if he’s not just harping at me the same way his mother does to him. But being ‘older and wiser,’ I forgo coverings for my feet and other more appropriate attire to venture out. Besides the leine I was in could have been used for a tent. I needed to feel the ground beneath my feet again. Needed to be outside. Needed to be free again even if I knew I was still weak from that blasted energy bolt. Damn wizard.

The cold air feels so good. Sharp. Lann was right. I had been sleeping for quite some time. The wind picks up pulling the rat nest I had for hair in the wild directions it could go. I raise my head to breathe deeply of the new season. Surveying my surroundings it dawns on me that this is my new home…for a time. The twittering voice breaks my minuscule mediation, but my heart is gladdened to see my Sean and I don’t care if he looks like he’s dirty. Because I didn’t notice the other men standing about nor den they were excavating…