Chapter Twelve
Winter 496
Snow was gently falling from the pre-dawn sky, covering man and beast alike in a thin film of white powder. We were gathered in the courtyard outside Pellinor’s castle in the early morning darkness, along with the rest of the village, to celebrate Candlemas, the first day of spring, though it came in what felt like the depths of winter. In my religion, it was a day dedicated to the goddess Brigid, who was the patroness of women’s mysteries, especially childbirth, as well as fire and all forms of poetry and inspiration. In the Christian world of Corbenic, however, the feast commemorated the day the Virgin Mary, obedient to the laws of her own religion, went to the temple to undergo ritual purification after giving birth and present her son to God and the temple e
