Chapter Nine: Moonlight

Siannon struggled to free herself, but the weight of the gargoyle was too great to overcome. Whether this was a nightmare or some alternate reality, she had experienced enough to welcome its end. If that meant her own death, at least she would see her beloved husband again.

“Leave,” the gargoyle said.

“Gladly,” Siannon replied. “Let me up.”

“Flee,” it said.

“Flee what?”

“Here.”

“The cathedral?” she asked. No response. “Macnylleth?” The statue nodded.

“How?” she asked. She assumed the stables were as abandoned as the rest of the city.

“Sea,” it said, and it flew back up into the rafters.

Day had turned to night when she exited the cathedral. She walked toward the harbor, which was on the end of a narrow, winding road past the castle. She couldn’t sail a ship by herself, so she hoped she would find other people awaiting her. The last time Siannon rode to the harbor was to greet her daughters upon their return for Dylan’s funeral. Alenna was raising a family in France, while Beth had followed in her mother's footsteps and served as a knight in King Quinn’s royal guard.

As she walked past the castle, the moonlight illuminated the extent of its ruins. No one had lived there for centuries. She couldn’t fathom how her ships would be intact, but nothing else that happened so far made sense, and since there was nothing left for her here, escape felt like rescue. Her heart soared when she saw the ship.