Where do we go now? Neither of us has blood kin,” Aífe asked Lucius as the embers from the hearth of the Main House were being banked and smoored for the night. “Where do we go to be handfasted?”

“The monks of Inissi Leuca told me that I came from a fishing family on the coast, but I don’t know if I believe it. The families there are all dark, and I look nothing like them. I have searched for my clan for years but have had no luck finding them.”

Aífe took his hands in hers to comfort him; it seemed they were more alike than either had realized. “I also lost my parents when I was a baby. They were Druid; they died in a fire after a raid by the men of the north. I was raised by Ethne and Ruadh in the Forest School, and the Ard-Ban-Drui, Gaine, has been like a grandmother to me. We could go to them.”

And so it was decided. They hired the little packet boat to take them the short distance to the northern kingdom of the island, and they would make their way south to the nemed of the central kingdom and to Gaine.

“Bébinn, I have a question for you before we go,” Aífe said as she packed the green woolen robes that would mark her as an initiate of Innis nan Druidneach. “Why is there no fire altar on this island? I have searched everywhere but have found no place of worship, no stone circle, no holy well or sacred tree. How do you do ritual with nowhere set apart as sacred ground?”

“Can’t you guess the answer? The whole island is sacred to us. Every pebble, tree, and brook is a place of worship. When we visit the mainland, we feel the same way. There is nothing that exists that is not sacred to us. The whole world is our sacred circle.

“We have no need of formal ritual because every act we do is a form of prayer. We live so that every word and gesture comes from our highest intention for the good of the whole. You might see us drop an offering into fire or water from time to time out of gratitude for the many gifts we have been given, but we don’t get any more formal than that. For us our religion is a way of being, not a set of rules or ceremonies.

“Once you are back on Ériu, you will again have need of those things. The main purpose of religion there is to bring the sacred teachings to the people, and they must have the ritual forms. Over time, they too will learn that every season is equally holy, that the earth, fire, and water are holy, that they should behave in a way that shows gratitude for all creation, at all times.

“The people will always need their special holy days and gathering places so they can come together and recognize the sacred in their groups and families. They will need a place to go when they seek reassurance and a place to sanctify their births and deaths. You and Lucius will hold such a place for them where they can come with their problems and be reminded of the divine Source that exists within all.”

“Thank you. I understand,” Aífe said. Now that they were free to speak about their experiences, Lucius and Aífe were delighted to find that they had undertaken the same tasks at the same power spots on the island. They talked long into the night, further cementing their bond as fellow initiates and lovers.

They left at dawn the next day, bearing greetings for Ethne and Ruadh and a large bag of bee pollen for Gaine, to strengthen her in her illness. They crouched comfortably against the leather side of the small craft and held each other, simply enjoying the sound of each other’s breathing, the cries of the gulls overhead, and the sighing wind and lapping waves.

“Aífe, I have very few personal possessions that I can call my own, but I want to give you something, a gift to mark the beginning of our time together.” Lucius reached into the leather crane bag that was tied to his belt. From it he took his piece of cristall grisainech and pressed it into Aífe’s palm.

“I want you to think of my love every time you hold this stone. I often imagined lying with you in the sweet grass of that beautiful little glade in the heart of Innis nan Druidneach. When you hold my stone, think of the flowers and the gentle fawns and my love,” he said, planting a soft kiss on her upturned face.

“I had the same vision. When I imagine that little glade, it is the secret sanctuary within my heart, the place where I will go to find inner peace and healing. I will always see you there, waiting for me beside the little stream.” Aífe reached into the crane bag that was attached to her belt and took out her own glistening pink stone. Pressing the crystal into his hand, she folded his fingers over it and held his hand until all her love passed through it.

They knew they were in the embrace of something as deep as the surrounding sea.