Chapter 25
The Timekeeper’s Finger
They do not happen often, but on occasion, there are those intensely personal, distressing moments when all goodbyes have been said, well-wishes have been wished, and blessings have been given, and all that remains is the painful moment when grasping hands part, hugs release their hold, and the sounds of words fade away. When what you hold dear, you let go of. You say farewell, and you take a first step away from everything that is safe, everything that is sheltered, everything that is trustworthy.
And through a small break in the Cornish hedge of stone, turf, moss, and “ironwood” Hornbeam trees of the Caledonoii’s magical home deep in the Black Forest, Nicolas, for the first time in his twelve years, experienced this moment—a uniquely despairing sense
