Cassie turned out to be correct; the cathedral was not available for a last minute wedding. In fact, they had weddings planned nearly a year in advance. “Who has that kind of time?” she mused as they wandered out to the courtyard. “Ooh! They have a labyrinth in the courtyard. I want to walk it. Come walk it with me!” Cassie tugged on Brendan’s hand and he reluctantly walked over to the large space lined on two sides with trees and open on the other two to the rest of the courtyard. A whimsical statue of St. Francis dancing with birds on his shoulders and fingers stood at the west end of the labyrinth, almost inviting a frolicsome walk into the void. Brendan shivered.

“I don’t think so, not today, Cassie.” Brendan extricated his hand from hers and smiled sheepishly. “I get dizzy in labyrinths, all those turns.” He shrugged as if to say what can you do?

“Aww, come on, it’ll be fun. You know you want to.”

Brendan shook his head emphatically and took a deep breath. “You go ahead if you want to, we have some time. I’ll just watch.” Brendan suppressed a second shiver and took the bags of souvenirs from Cassie. He looked toward the labyrinth and couldn’t suppress a third shiver. To his sight, the labyrinth was not just a flat group of stones set into the mystical shape. Instead, it rose into the sky, with swirling opalescent light, breaking only where the path lay, which he could see only through the translucent veil.

Right now it was quiescent, since there were no mortals within its hungry grasp. Brendan knew if he stepped into that maelstrom, he would never return, and he was finally beginning to enjoy himself after three centuries in the mortal realm. He was not willing to give that up for a frolic on the stones, not by a long shot. It took nearly every ounce of strength he had to allow Cassie to walk blithely into the open maw of the ring of power. He stood about five feet from the entrance, having the entire labyrinth in view, or as much as he could see behind the towering walls of shimmering light.

“Be careful,” Brendan admonished, unable to help himself. “I love you.”

“I know; I love you, too. And I promise not to trip.” Cassie reached up on tip toe and kissed Brendan’s cheek. She turned and walked straight into the dark opening of the labyrinth. Brendan steeled himself for a long vigil.

The first side of the path wove on the northern side of the courtyard, going through the dark and frosty cold of winter, touching at times both the cool freshness of Spring to the East, and the crisp warmth of Autumn to the West. It took Cassie several minutes to complete that side before she entered the Southern realm, of fire and brightness, shared again by the East and West. She walked through the cycle of the year, in its many guises, and the cycle of life, with it’s many twists and turns, forward and backward motion, and that sense of not knowing which way was which.

Brendan strained to see her making the turns, the bright walls of light shifting colors as she passed. As she came closer, the walls nearby turned a bright reddish pink, and as she walked away, a deep royal blue followed. Over half the labyrinth walls were now royal blue, a soothing color, and the reddish pink kept moving slowly through the turns. It was almost easier to watch the color than Cassie, but he keep his eyes trained on her. He knew in his mind she was in no danger, but he couldn’t be with her and that frightened him. She was stronger than he could imagine, even if she didn’t know the danger lurking around every corner. It didn’t help his swirling thoughts that he was part of that danger, that every moment they spent together he was putting her in harm’s way.

Suddenly the reddish pink faded from his sight. He blinked and stared ahead, seeing that she had reached the center. She must know something about the olde magic; Cassie was thanking each direction and pausing for a moment to meditate on them. The entire labyrinth glowed the deep royal blue; the light swirling and shifting in satisfaction. Cassie smiled and waved to him and he waved back. She then stepped off the path and Brendan’s head exploded.