Page 16 of Wind Rider

His grip loosened as his skin cooled, and Mari opened her eyes. He was smiling up at her, his eyes filled and overflowing with tears of gratitude.

“‘Thank you’ is not enough, but that and my oath to always standbeside you—always believe in you and our Pack—is all that I have to give. Thank you, Mari, our Moon Woman.”

“The Great Earth Mother asks only for loyalty, honesty, and kindness from her people—and what is good enough for her is more than good enough for me. You are most welcome, Wilkes.”

Mari started to lift her arms again and thank the moon as she let the silver power ebb from her, but she staggered, and Nik had to take her elbow to keep her from tipping their canoe.

“You must not let it go yet, Mari,” Sora reminded her. “Keep some for yourself.”

Mari nodded and closed her eyes once more. Slowly, she lifted her arms and tilted back her head. And then she sketched one last picture, showing a gentle fall of silver from above, raining down on her, absorbing through her flesh and blood to fill her body with cool, healing light.

It only took a moment for her dizziness and weakness to wash away. “Thank you, Moon,” she spoke to the orb that was cloaked in cloud. “And thank you, Great Earth Mother.”

Filled with strength and gratitude, Mari looked lovingly at the cluster of boats grouped around and before her and felt so much joy and excitement that her heart could not contain it. She threw her arms wide, as if to embrace them all.

Mari shimmered.

Mari glowed.

Mariblazed.

“Pack! This is truly our beginning! Together we have chosen to start our lives anew and to work to create a world where we all can be our truest selves—where we all are respected—where we all are valued as individuals as well as the whole we form.”

“May the Goddess keep you strong, Moon Woman!” Davis’s voice rang over the water, which had turned silver with Mari’s radiated light.

“She will! She will be with all of us on our journey. And so will the Sun God. It will be a powerful thing, indeed, to have a Goddessanda God blessing our Pack.” Mari saw the surprised pleasure reflected onthe faces of the Pack members who used to be a Tribe as she included their God in her thanksgiving. Her voice amplified by happiness and the power of the moon, Mari concluded, “So may the Great Earth Mother and the Sun God bless us as we begin our journey to our new life and our new world on the free Plains of the Wind Riders!”

As the Pack cheered Mari gently released the moon magick and, laughing, fell into Nik’s waiting arms.

***

Iron Fist had found a single small canoe that the fleeing woman and her friends had left undamaged. He’d launched it silently, thinking how much swifter and easier to handle it was than the rough rafts the People used to traverse the river that flowed through their city.

It would have been simple to catch the slowly moving group, especially the two boats that had launched not long before him. They were lagging behind the others, laboring to catch up. Iron Fist had to traverse the rough shallows as he hugged the far side of the Tribe’s island so that he didn’t overtake them or wasn’t seen by them, and it was only his enhanced strength that kept the boat from capsizing in the unpredictable current.

When he heard the shouts drifting across the water and realized the group was tying up together, Iron Fist managed to anchor his boat beside a grounded root ball as he waited for them to get under way again.

But they did not simply tie up together and continue. Iron Fist strained to make the sounds that carried with the current into words. He’d almost despaired of it and was formulating an alternative plan that involved shadowing them only long enough to capture one of the laggers and take him to Death to be interrogated.

And then the woman amazed him by beginning an invocation—something mystical, magickal—something that caused her youthful voice to swell with power so that it was magnified and Iron Fist was able to easily hear what she was saying.

The woman was invoking the power of the moon!

Then Iron Fist’s amazement grew and changed to shock as the cloud-filled sky was suddenly shattered by blazing spikes of moonlight thatfound the girl—for as he got a good look at her Iron Fist realized that she was, indeed, little more than a child. But a child with incredible power. She glowed silver with it, so brilliantly that looking at her directly hurt his eyes.

He listened to the invocation in awe, hearing that she was a magickal being called a Moon Woman, invested by the Great Earth Goddess with the ability to draw down power from the moon—and that she claimed to have the ability to heal.

Iron Fist watched and saw her lay hands on first one, then another, then a third of her group. He saw their joy-filled response to her touch and realized that this Moon Woman did, indeed, wield the power to heal.

Iron Fist’s mind was whirring with possibilities. The God of Death would be so very pleased to receive news of this magnitude.The girl who threw fire as simply as a dry stick catches when touched to a red-hot coal can also call power from the moon and heal people in the name of the Goddess!He could hardly contain his excitement.

And then he refocused on the Moon Woman as she addressed her people, the ones she called “Pack,” and spoke of their new beginning, their new world,and their destination!

Then, in the illuminating light of the moon Iron Fist discovered something else that his God would be eager to hear. There, in one of the boats, smiling and cheering with the rest of the Pack people, were Dove and Lily! Iron Fist had stared a long time, hardly believing his own eyes, but Dove’s sightless face was unmistakable, and Lily sat beside her, hugging her mistress and looking happier than he’d ever seen her look in the templewhere both women belonged.The fact that the two of them had somehow deserted Death and joined with the fleeing people was undeniable—as undeniable as the vengeance the God would mete out to them.

Iron Fist looked forward to that. Perhaps Death would allow the Reapers to enjoy the two women before He killed them. Just the thought sent a shiver of desire through his body.

Iron Fist did not wait to see them paddle slowly away. He did not follow them. He’d discovered the answer to the question his God had sent him to find, and more. He knew that Dove had betrayed her God. He knew where the Moon Woman who could throw fire was going—to the Plains of the Wind Riders! And even though Iron Fist’s secluded, poisoned life had not taught him where those plains might be, he knew his Lord, his God, would know.