Bridge of Mist and Fog by nikki broadwell Page A

choice,” she answered, gazing into his moss-green eyes. “Now if we could only figure out the bridge thing.”
    “Gunnar says we’ll know when it’s time.”
    “Isn’t that what all of them say?” Airy shook her head. “I’m pretty sure MacCuill said something similar. Do you think they know each other?”
    Fehin turned from conjuring a tiny horse and rider. “I know Gunnar travels to the Otherworld. And they are both druids. Pretty good chance they’ve met.”
    “All of this is so strange.” She stared into space for a moment, and then slanted a look his way. “You never answered about Thanksgiving. Will you come?”
    Fehin nodded and then pulled her to her feet. “I’ve got another class in fifteen minutes and I can’t miss this one. It’s prep for a test.”
    “Do you want to go to church with me on Sunday?” Airy asked. “It’s homework for my comparative religions class.”
    “Sure. What time?”
    “The service starts at ten. It’s only a couple of blocks down the road from the school.”

15
    On Sunday Fehin dutifully accompanied Airy to the Presbyterian Church. They sat in a pew in the back whispering as the minister droned on about goodness and evil.
    “He seems so separate ,” Airy hissed into Fehin’s ear. “And everything he’s talking about is self-evident.”
    “Maybe to you,” Fehin whispered back. “Remember you come from a place where people recognize the web of life.”
    “But what he’s saying doesn’t have anything to do with the web of life. Remind me to tell you about the Crion,” she whispered back.
    A woman in the row in front of them turned and frowned, shushing them with a finger on her lips.
    “So who are the Crion?” Fehin asked once the service was over and they were outside the church.
    “They consider themselves the keepers of the wisdom in the Otherworld. They keep the energy in balance. You would love them, Fehin. They’re only four-feet tall. Their eyes are this amazing shade of amber. They look sort of like what a fox would look like if it was human.”
    “What they’re doing sounds similar to the Hopi. They’re a Native American tribe who consider it their job to keep the balance of the world.”
    “Where are they? I’d love to meet them.”
    “They live in the southwest of the United States but they keep to themselves. I think you have to have special permission to go to their villages.”
    “I’m glad to hear about them. It makes me feel better about this country.”
    “You wouldn’t believe what was done to the local tribes when the Europeans arrived. It’s sickening.”
    “Could the bridge be about them? Maybe they’d help us.”
    Fehin laughed. “We’d have to know what we were doing first.”
    “Seriously, Fehin, I’d love to visit that part of the country.”
    “Maybe we could take a backpacking trip together over summer break.”
    “It’s a long way from here, isn’t it?”
    Fehin nodded. “It’s on the other side of the country. We could take a bus or a train.”
    Airy watched him, her eyes bright. “That sounds fun. I wonder if my grandparents would mind? I’m sure they expect me to come up there for the summer.”
    “You wouldn’t go home to the Otherworld?”
    Airy shook her head. “I haven’t heard a word from my parents and I’m pretty sure they want me to stay here since it’s my destiny and all.” She pursed her lips.
    “Our destiny,” Fehin amended, chuckling. “I’ll look into the Hopi thing and see if it’s even feasible. My Native American Studies professor might have some ideas.”
    ***
    Fehin felt very close to this girl he barely knew. The strength of the feelings surprised him since he’d never experienced anything remotely like it before. Maybe it was partially because they were both odd ducks in this place, or maybe because of the shared destiny. Was this a normal girl boy thing? And then he laughed. There was nothing normal about either one of them, how could they have a normal