Page 52 of Sun Warrior

“And make it better,” Jenna said.

“Happier and safer,” Danita said, hugging Bast.

“Weirder,” Antreas said with a laugh.

“Better, happier, safer, and weirder. Cammy and I are in!” Davis said while the canines barked in agreement and Bast’s purr rolled like spring thunder through the cozy burrow.

CHAPTER 12

I can do this… I can do this… I can do this.…

“They’re ready for you!”

Isabel’s bright voice broke through Sora’s mantra. She drew a deep, fortifying breath and then stepped out of the birthing burrow’s pantry.

“Oh, Sora! You look beautiful!” Isabel gushed.

Sora self-consciously patted her hair one more time. “You really think so?”

“Of course!”

“But I want to lookmorethan beautiful. I want to look confident and strong and regal. I want to look like a proper Moon Woman. I tried my best to look proper, but I wasn’t expecting to have to Wash what’s left of our Clan—without Mari—and without practically any warning that’d I’d be drawing down the moon. For the first time for the Clan. Did I mention all by myself?”

“Hey, you’re going to be great. You’ve already been great. Look at what you’ve done—by yourself. You treated the Clan’s injuries, as well as the refugee Companions.” Isabel waggled her brow. “Like that wasn’t unexpected? But you handled it anyway.”

“Their injuries are more painful than they are serious. I just had to manage their discomfort, splint Sarah’s ankle, and apply a lot of aloe salve to Rose and Lydia. O’Bryan’s dressing was simple to change. It’salready well on its way to being completely healed, andthatwas Mari’s doing.” She paused; a bemused expression had her tilting her head and thinking aloud. “You know, O’Bryan’s really very pleasant for a Companion. Even though he is too blond and too tall to be handsome.”

“I like his puppies.”

“Isabel, they’re not O’Bryan’s puppies. They belong to Rose’s canine, Fala. O’Bryan carried them out of the fire, though, and saved them. That was really brave of him.”

“I know this sounds weird, but I’m glad he saved them. They are just babies. And I think they’re cute.”

“Well, they’re less unattractive than I would have guessed a canine baby to be,” Sora admitted. “They’re definitely cuter than Rigel. That creature is all fur and feet and appetite, and when I think of how big he’s going to get—” Sora closed her eyes briefly and shook her head. “No. I’m not going to think about that at all right now. Right now I’m only going to think about drawing down the moon.” Her eyes popped open. “Oh, Goddess! What if I can’t do it? What if it doesn’t work for me tonight?”

“You can do it. I know you can. You’ve done everything else a Moon Woman does. You’ve tended wounds and organized a Beltane Gathering at the last minute.” Isabel gave her a cheeky look and added, “You even remembered where the spring mead was buried.”

“Well, that wasn’t hard. I was there when it was buried.”

“And you have stew cooking that will feed everyone.”

“That wasn’t hard, either. The winter root vegetables were ready. All I did was supervise the making of the stew. I didn’t actually cook it.”

“You supervised because you were busy tending wounds and setting the positions of the campfires and the spreading of the lavender oil, the digging up of the mead, the collection of freshwater, and even getting sleeping pallets put together from what was, well”—Isabel looked around the tidied birthing burrow—“a disaster. Sora, you don’t have to worry about whether you look like a proper Moon Woman, or even whether you are going to draw down the moon. Youarea proper Moon Woman. Remember that and you’ll be fine.”

“What about Jaxom? I’m worried that—” Sora began, but her sentence ended in a wet, nasty cough.

Isabel’s expression darkened. “Are you okay? That’s not the first time I’ve heard you cough this evening, and you’re looking flushed.”

“I’m fine. It’s just a cold.”

“Well, take care of yourself. We need you healthy. And Jaxom? All you can do is Wash him. The rest is up to Jaxom.”

“If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell anyone?”

“Moon Woman, I give you my oath to keep your secrets.”

“I feel terrible about it, but I don’t want any of the Clansmen to find the Gathering tonight. Jaxom is bad enough. I—I don’t know what I’ll do if a group of Clansmen filled with Night Fever, worse than we’ve ever seen before, burst into the Gathering. Isabel, I’m afraid of them.”