Chapter 1

My name is Mick and I live in the village of Odell, in Bedfordshire, England. I am a wheelwright, like my father was. He taught me and I learned well. Our village was prosperous, and life was good. I was one of several remaining nonconformists, and as such, we occasionally still had problems with members of the Church of England.

One night in the spring, there was a rare thunderstorm approaching. We didn’t have a lot of rain in the center of England at this time of the year and a storm like this was very rare, indeed. I lived in a barrow built into the side of a hill with my shop built into the same barrow next to my dwelling. I was asleep when there was a tremendous roar. There was a tremendous flash of lightning and at the same exact time a clap of thunder that caused the air in my lungs to rattle.

It was so close I feared that it had struck my shop. I opened the door of my barrow to find a naked, yellow haired body lying in the mud before my door. I approached it, to find it alive but not conscious. Close now, I could tell by her breasts and the hair between her legs that it was a woman, but so slender and slight was she that had I not seen her womanly features I’d have thought her a faerie.

Not being on to fear magic or daemons, I picked her up, carried her into my barrow, and set her before the fire, wrapping her with a sheepskin to warm her as quickly as possible. I sat back and watched this small faerie-like female, entranced by her appearance. She was still asleep in spite of my gaze, so after the storm had passed, I lay down in my bed and fell asleep.

When I awoke, I watched her laying where I had placed her before the hearth. Without moving to reveal myself, I saw that she was watching me from under the sheepskin. Her deep silver-blue eyes were looking at me like she could see things others could not. The fire was burning bright, so I assumed that she had either stoked it or added wood to keep warm during the night while I slept. I stirred to let her know I was awake and she smiled.

“Good morning,” she said, her voice was high-pitched, soft, and alluring.

“Good morning to you. Are you well?” I tried to keep my voice calm, as well as quiet.

“I am. My name is Angel. Are you Mick? Am I in Odell?”

“I am Mick and you are in Odell. How do you know my name and how did you come to be here?”

“I can’t tell you. All I can tell you is that I was sent to be with you.”

“Sent? Sent by who?”

“I can’t tell you. All I may say is that I am to be your woman and stay with you and be mother to your sons. Would you please kiss me?”

Angel stood with her sheepskin falling away and uncovering her. She stepped to me and took my head into her hands. Our lips touched and she moved her tongue along my lips. I felt a slight tingle and a bit faint, so I took her in my arms to steady myself.

“Allow me to come to bed with you, husband. We have a family to start.”

I refused her.

“I can’t do that, not with you appearing as you did. Are you a witch? A faerie? These are things I need to know.”

“I understand. I was told this might be the case. Very well, Mick of Odell, I will live with you and work with you and be seen with you. In time you will see that I am no witch, nor I am Fae. I am merely a woman who has been sent to be yours.”

That is how I found myself living with a woman, other than my mother, for the first time. Angel was true to her word. She lived and worked with me for months. The other people in the village became familiar with her. When she was asked about her age or from where she came, her answer was always, “I can’t say.”

At first, I took it to mean that she didn’t know and, therefore, could not speak it. Over time I came to understand that she knew the answers very well but was prohibited from speaking of it. I had my doubts about her and decided one morning to try to allay my concerns. I rose before the sun and walked the few miles into the local wood to speak to the local priestess, Diana.

“Good day, Diana. I seek your counsel.”

“What counsel do you need, Mick of Odell? You are a craftsman, well honored and trusted.”

“A woman came to me, she told me her name was Angel and that she had been sent to me to be my wife and bear my sons.”

“You are an unmarried man and one that is most desirable.”

“She appeared in a bolt of lightning.”

The Priestess straightened up and tipped her head a bit to the side.

“Lightning?”

“And unclothed. She was lying in a small depression in the ground and there was smoke coming from her body. She is small but has womanly breasts and parts. I have suspected that she is one of the Fae folk and if she is, I need to know how this will affect my life.”

“I would need to meet with her to tell if she is faerie or witch. I would need to speak with her and touch her. After that I can give you my answer.”