Thinking about the sublime, I didn't even notice how I reached the Meadow, and Kitty had long since flown ahead. It's good that the forest helped me not to stumble over every snag and not get a bunch of slaps from branches, otherwise I could have forgotten about dancing! Of course, I could have used the portal, but on sacred Samhain I just wanted to run through the forest and breathe in the magic of this night…
Having thanked the forest and the Will-o'-the-wisps once again, I came out into the Meadow, flooded with the light of the full moon and fluttering fireflies. In the very center low heather grew, forming an even circle. In this circle were the fairies of the highest rank, including representatives of the Tuatha De Danann. As always, a bright aura of strength and age-old wisdom radiated from them. They were wearing the most beautiful clothes and jewelry. The women were wearing weightless flowing dresses, it seemed as if they were floating in them, and not walking. The rings and bracelets sparkled with multi-colored gems, and stars shone in their hair. The men were no less beautiful and graceful, with their luxurious robes and jewelry in their long hair.
A fascinating sight… I can't take my eyes off it every time…
It's a pity that I missed the ceremony. At it, the noble fairies praised the gods for the fruitful year and sang spells, calling for the new year to be no less successful. So be it!
Among the rest in the main circle was the Master of the Forest. He was wearing simpler clothes, without jewelry. In my opinion, his main decoration was the long, flowing branches of mistletoe that grew straight from his head, intertwining with his long golden hair. And this did not cause any surprise, because the Master of the Forest was the forest itself: every blade of grass, every branch, every animal and bird, every drop of morning dew… Often I communicated with him through Finn, or through the hawthorn tree that grows in front of the entrance to my house, when the winged one was not nearby. I loved the Master infinitely, because he gave me the shelter in his forest and accepted me as his own daughter, knowing nothing about me. Maybe he sees something in my aura that I don’t? I would like to know at least something about myself and my past… But for hundreds of years now I have not been able to remember anything since the hermit Fenias found me on the bank of the Ardara.
The sounds of music pulled me out of my sad thoughts. That's it, I have to stop this! You've become very thoughtful lately, Eithne. You'll miss all the fun! It's not the time for sad thoughts during the celebration of Samhain!
Oh yeah, I need to look for Ashlyn… Where did that banshee disappear to?!
I glanced around the meadow, but still didn't see her sparkling long silver hair. But I noticed a dark figure that I hadn't seen before. A tall young man with a beautiful profile, my age by the look of it (well, not exactly my age of course… I don't know how old I am myself… you can never tell how old a fairy is by looking at them, but by human standards he looked about thirty). He was wearing clothes made of expensive fabrics, in which a bright red velvet vest stood out.
As if he sensed my piercing gaze, he pushed back his unruly long black hair and turned to face me. Oh! And the red vest perfectly matched his red eyes… Damn it! It’s a vampire! A rare guest in our lands though… I’ve met them three times at most in the last two hundred years, and then only briefly. And in all of Erin there were no more than twenty of them (if you trust Abcan’s stories, of course… but this dwarf had an iron reputation, so I was tended to believe him).
