I shrugged. “Whatever, but we might be here for a while, so feel free to sit and pour yourself some wine. After all, grapes are my favorite breakfast fruit.”

He was studying me like he thought I was a bomb getting ready to explode.

ClanFintan tugged on one of my curls. “You just like wine,” he said as he looked pointedly at my half-empty goblet.

“It’s medicinal,” I teased up at him and playfully batted at his hand. Then I shot Carolan another smile, and asked in a conspirator’s voice, “Am I right, Mr. Healer?”

“It has been called the nectar of life,” he answered slowly.

“See!” I said to ClanFintan and he hurmphed at me. Turning to Alanna, I announced, “Then we’ll have to make sure we have lots of wine at your formal wedding ceremony.”

If possible, my words caused her to flush an even brighter shade of pink. But my words had the opposite effect on Carolan—his face blanched a horrible shade between white and gray; for a moment I worried that he would need a mortician instead of a priestess. Then he spoke through tightly clenched teeth. I felt ClanFintan stir at the obvious loathing in his words.

“Lady Rhiannon, I have known you capable of many hurtful acts, but this—” As his voice raised and his body began to tremble with repressed violence, ClanFintan dropped my hand and stepped protectively forward.

“Have a care what you say to my Lady, Healer.” His voice was like death.

“If you knew what she really was, you would not defend her!” Carolan spat at the floor in my direction.

Alanna and I were on our feet as ClanFintan lunged forward so quickly that his large body was only a blur. Before I could say anything to stop him, he had forced Carolan to his knees.

“Ask her forgiveness,” he growled.

“No!” I yelled as I pulled on ClanFintan’s steel-like arm, trying to get him to loosen his grip. “It’s me who is sorry. I should have explained better—I just didn’t think.” ClanFintan looked confused, but he loosed his hold on Carolan, allowing him to stand.

Alanna was beside me, and I quickly grabbed one of her hands. Then, before he could spit at me again or anything, I grabbed one of Carolan’s hands and placed hers in his.

“You’re the one she’s going to marry—today. You should never have been kept apart.” I looked apologetically over his shoulder at my still ruffled husband and said, “I guess I wasn’t very clear about that before, but I really didn’t expect him to freak out.”

Then I shifted my attention back to the almost newlyweds. Carolan’s eyes were wide (and his mouth was kind of flapping open, but I thought it’d be rude to mention it). I nodded my head up and down and gave him an “it’s true” look. He glanced at Alanna as if he was afraid she would turn into something horrible (in this world, you never knew), and as her misty smile of happiness registered in his mind, I heard him suck in a great gulp of air.

Before he could go all crazy again (and have my husband accidentally break something he might need later—like his neck), I put both of my hands over their joined ones, and jumped right in there with a makeshift wedding oath borrowed from Longfellow. “There is nothing holier in this life of ours than the first consciousness of love—the first fluttering of its silken wings—the first rising sound and breath of that wind which is so soon to sweep through the soul.”

I squeezed their hands before letting go.

“I would say that now I’ve joined you, but I know that really you were joined long before today. So instead, let’s just say I’ve finally made it official.” I looked at Carolan’s shocked face and continued, “Cherish her always.” Then I stepped back and gave them a big smile. “Now you may kiss the bride!” What a great line.

But instead of kissing Alanna, Carolan dropped her hand and caught my eyes with his penetrating gaze.

“Who are you?”

20

I opened my mouth to answer, but Carolan cut me off.

“No! Do not try to disguise the truth with twisted words. I know Rhiannon. I have spent endless years hating her. I know her true nature is that of a spoiled, selfish child.”

Alanna’s sudden intake of breath made him turn to her. His face gentled.

“You know it is true, love.” He touched her cheek in a lingering caress. “She rewarded your loyalty and sacrifice with jealousy and spite.”

He turned back to me. His face had lost the wariness of before—now he just looked curious and pleased.

“I ask again, who are you? How could this happen?” He was studying me with a doctor’s eye. “Physically you appear amazingly like her.”

Well, I’d always known Gene was too smart for my own good.

He stepped closer to me, and I noticed that this time ClanFintan didn’t move to stop him. Actually, the centaur had become very still. He was watching me with the same analytical eyes Carolan was using. Only he didn’t appear very happy.

“Your hair may be a little shorter.” He barked a quick laugh. “And your speech patterns are certainly odd. But you are remarkably similar.”

“Carolan, you are mistaken!” Alanna suddenly interrupted, not giving him time to say anything else.

This time I did the silencing.

“Let him finish, Alanna,” I said firmly.

Carolan looked into my eyes again. “You are not Rhiannon. You may be Epona’s Chosen, but you are not Rhiannon. When I look into your eyes I do not see my old enemy. You do not have the evil within you that she had.”