It had been a slip that he had even mentioned it to Ash. The image of Shawn’s mother flashed into his mind, the scent of the Beltane fires swarmed his senses. It always did when he thought of her; remembering the night he watched hidden in the darkness of the woods as the celebration went on around him. Several had started jumping over the fire, laughing as they skimmed the heat below them. A few had scorched their clothes getting too close to the flames dancing in the evening air. He had watched transfixed when they had built one pyre into a massive tower of flames. The dancing red and orange colors of the flames beckoned him to get closer. It had taken an enormous amount of strength to stay within the confines of the woods. Beads of sweat had started on his upper lip as he felt his strength being pushed to its limits, it had been the sound of a girl laughing wildly that had stopped him. Snapping his eyes up he watched as a beautiful girl with hair as fiery as the flames below jumped over the pyre.
