Marching Into Spring by Helen Henderson

Windmaster Legacy by Helen Henderson
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Topics for the month of March covered over the years have been the switch to daylight savings and the changing of the seasons. It is always fun to look at the holidays for a given month. They can range from food related, National Peanut Butter Day, to days acknowledging spinach, corn dogs, tamales, and my favorite, Orios. Some days are more prone to partying as people celebrate St. Patrick's Day or Mardi Gras. Or you can acknowledge our four-footed reading buddies on National Puppy Day, National Hug Your Dog Day, National Welsh Corgi Day, and Respect Your Cat Day. A day listed in the March calendar that was of a more personal nature is "National Hug a G.I. Day."

National Hug Your Dog Day, 3/10/23

Tighe Cat Demands Respect
Respect Your Cat Day 3/28/23

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This year I decided to take another approach and use the month as the topic. Not the month, but the action. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines "march" as to "to move along steadily usually with a rhythmic stride and in step with others." There is the Bridal March to guide a bride down the aisle or Pomp and Circumstance that welcomes students to the next phase of their lives. Then there are the military marches that help keep marches in step. A fond memory is of my two young nieces leading the town's Memorial Day Parade.

My favorite marching tune is usually hard on St. Patrick's Day when the fife and drum corps strike up Garryowen. However, in my mind it is not men stepping in time to the Irish air, but horses. Or more specifically, the magical equines called falaire.

A snippit from Windmaster Legacy of the falaire marching in time to music.

Deeper and deeper the fàlaire walked into the heart of Pilartri. Simple, stone-roofed cottages gave way to larger, more luxurious dwellings. People watched from open windows or stood in doorways as Dal rode Tairneach through the winding streets. He wondered how Taer would get through the press of bodies crowded under the colorful canopies of the marketplace without trampling someone. The fear vanished as a path remained open through the narrow walkway.

Tairneach neighed a command and shifted his gait to a high-stepping prance.

“Showoff,” Dal growled.

The stallion tossed his mane and Dal laughed at Taer’s response. The clop of hooves on cobblestones grew louder. Turning in the saddle, Dal looked back and saw the rest of the fàlaire following, in single file. He smiled at the way they synchronized their steps in precise time with each other.

Clinging to the skirt of a woman with whom she shared a striking resemblance, a child turned and pointed to the fàlaire. “Look, Mommy,” she cried. “The horses are dancing.” The girl loosed her grip on her mother’s skirt and smiling brightly, started clapping in time to Taer’s steps.

When Dal heard the light tone of Ellspeth’s flute, he gave up all hope of making an unobtrusive entrance. Cheers exploded from the onlookers lining the street when first Tairneach, then Zethar and the rest of the fàlaire changed their pace to match the sea tune Ellspeth played.

To purchase the Windmaster Novels: BWL

 ~Until next month, stay safe and read.   Helen

Helen Henderson lives in western Tennessee with her husband. While she doesn’t have any pets in residence at the moment, she often visits a husky who has adopted her as one of the pack. Find out more about her and her novels on her BWL author page.