The Bard and His Boyfriend

By Kathleen Hayes

A story from Boughs of Evergreen: A Holiday Anthology

THE BARD AND HIS BOYFRIEND
by KATHLEEN HAYES

Seth is a member of an ancient clan of druids that have existed for over 5,000 years. The rituals they perform at the changing of the seasons keep the very fabric of reality from unraveling. But as he goes home for the Winter Solstice, all Seth can think about is the huge fight he had with his boyfriend before he left school for the holiday break.
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ABOUT BOUGHS OF EVERGREEN

Boughs of Evergreen is a two-volume collection of short stories celebrating the holiday season in all its diversity. Penned by authors from the UK, the USA, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, these are tales of the young and the not-so-young from many different walks of life.

Themes of family, friendship and romance take readers on a journey through some of the major holidays, both past and present, including Thanksgiving, Advent, St. Lucia Day, Hanukkah, Saturnalia, Winter Solstice, Yule, Christmas and New Year. In each we find at the very least hope, and often love, peace and happiness.

Proceeds from sales of this anthology will be donated to The Trevor Project. The Trevor Project is the leading national organization [USA] providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13-24.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Beaten Track Publishing
• Release date: Dec 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781910635087

Kathleen Hayes

Kathleen Hayes is a bit of an all around geek. She has mastered the art of procrastination, is owned by two crazy cats and is excited to have just added a fellow super geek to her clan. Kathleen loves to explore worlds – whether in her head or on page. She welcomes you into her worlds and hopes you have as much fun there as she does!She writes M/M Romance and poetry. Check her out at her blog, Romacing the Word! She loves to hear from y'all so if you have questions/comments/feedback comment on her blog, message her on goodreads or email her at [e-mail].

Book preview

Boughs of Evergreen

A Holiday Anthology

THE BARD AND HIS BOYFRIEND

by

Kathleen Hayes

SMASHWORDS EDITION

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Copyright 2014 Kathleen Hayes.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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This novel is a work of fiction and the characters and events in it exist only in its pages and in the author’s imagination.

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Seth is a member of an ancient clan of druids that have existed for over 5,000 years. The rituals they perform at the changing of the seasons keep the very fabric of reality from unraveling. But as he goes home for the Winter Solstice, all Seth can think about is the huge fight he had with his boyfriend before he left school for the holiday break.

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Table of Contents

The Bard and His Boyfriend

About the Author

Boughs of Evergreen – A Holiday Anthology

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The Bard and His Boyfriend

As these words flow through my mouth, the breath of those tellers of tales traveling the spiral of time before and after me, expels from my lungs. As dawns break and seasons turn, the tales speak themselves and the world unfolds once more. When the space between this world and the Other is as thin as fog being broken up by the sunrise, as ephemeral as clouds whisking through a twilight sky, as changeable as the sands on the shore, we gather. As we approach this darkest day, we gather to be remade.

Hear then, and re-member.

I closed my eyes as the commanding words flowed over and around me. They echoed in my sinews and bones, rattled my flesh and made my soul feel like something tangible I could hold in my hand. They were the same words that concluded the celebrations on the first night of the week-long Winter Solstice rituals every year, but they were more than just words—they were awen spoken by a true bard and had power beyond measure.

Since the Celtic tribes first emerged in Eastern Europe, almost 5,000 years ago, my clan has been the caretakers of the awen. At each changing of the season, every member of the clan gathered for seven days and breathed life from the Otherworld into this one, remaking and re-membering the very fabric of existence.

We were the last clan of true bards and somehow we had ended up in the middle of nowhere in Sweet Briar Valley, North