Page 15 of Wind Rider

“Me, too!”

Soon, Mari’s eyes welled with grateful tears. The love and support of her people swelled around her—and it made her feel invincible.

“Thank you—all of you.” Then she raised her voice. “I need the boat that’s carrying Wilkes and Claudia brought over here, close enough for me to touch them.”

“On our way!” Mari recognized the voice of Mason, Jaxom’s younger brother. Soon, he and Spencer, a young female Earth Walker Mari was learning to appreciate as capable and filled with energy, paddled the boat up so they could take the place Antreas vacated on one side of Mari’s canoe, with Sora’s boat on the other. Balancing carefully, Mari moved to stand behind Nik. She looked at Sora. “Ready?”

“Always,” said the other Moon Woman.

Mari closed her eyes and began sketching a picture in her mind. Shedrew a wide, placid river. On the river she then imagined a cluster of boats. In that cluster she was careful to draw the boat she was in with Nik, as well as Mason’s and Sora’s boats close beside them. She took three long, deep breaths, letting each out slowly as she imagined reaching down, down, through the dark water to find the muddy bottom of the river. Then she raised her arms, threw her head back, opened her eyes, and began the ancient invocation, altering it just enough to reflect the newness of calling the moon to her on water.

“Moon Woman I proclaim myself to be!

Greatly gifted, I bare myself to thee.

Though not on land, burrow, or gathered site

Still I call and ask for your powerful light.

Find me here, your Moon Woman who calls to you

Your child I am—faithful, loving, and true.

Earth Mother, aid me, show your magick might,

Lend me silver strength on this river tonight.

Come, precious light—fill me to overflow

So those in my care your healing will know.

By right of blood and birth channel through me

The Goddess gift that is my destiny!”

In her mind, Mari continued the picture she’d so carefully fashioned by filling a clear night’s sky with a brilliant moon. From that moon she drew rays of light that rained down in thick, shining ropes from above onto Mari, drenching her in healing silver magick.

She felt the cold strength of it and quickly completed the picture by sketching the silver power being channeled through her body and cascading from her hands, which she placed lovingly on Nik’s bowed head.

When she spoke her voice was amplified by the strength of the brilliant, but invisible moon.

“Nik, I Wash you free of weakness and wounds, and gift you with the love of our Great Earth Mother!”

Nik’s head was bowed, but after just a few minutes he lifted it, smiling brilliantly up at Mari. Because she was aglow with moon power, Mari could clearly see that Nik’s cheeks were once again pink with health. “Thank you, my beautiful Moon Woman,” he said.

She bent and kissed him on his forehead, noting automatically that it no longer felt cold and clammy. Then she turned to her left, where Wilkes and Claudia huddled beside each other in the middle of their boat, coughing and gasping for breath. Mari offered her hand. Wilkes nodded to Claudia, and the young woman didn’t hesitate: She took Mari’s hand, gripping it tightly. Mari felt the heat in Claudia’s flesh and knew the sickness had rooted deeply within her body.

Mari closed her eyes and concentrated. She imagined moon power flowing from her into Claudia—a huge tide of it—drowning the horrible Skin Stealer disease.

“Claudia, I Wash you free of all sickness and gift you with the love of our Great Earth Mother.”

When she felt Claudia’s hand cool and heard her draw a deep breath that was free of wheezing and coughing, she let loose her hand and briefly opened her eyes.

Claudia was staring up at her with an expression of utter astonishment. “Thank you, Moon Woman! I—I feel like myself again!” From the rear of the boat where Claudia’s big Shepherd, Mariah, was crouched beside Wilkes’s Odin, came excited, relieved barking while Odin whined fretfully, staring at Wilkes.

Mark held out her hand to the Warrior, who took it eagerly. She closed her eyes again and painted a tide of silver, flowing from herself into Wilkes. She felt his hot hand spasm against hers, but he didn’t release his hold—he only gripped her more tightly.

“Wilkes, I Wash you free of all sickness and gift you with the love of our Great Earth Mother.”