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“Daughter, you were never meant to be a priestess,” the Goddess said gently. “I have given you other gifts—other talents that you can use to bring me glory.”
“Do you mean her gift with zorels, Goddess?” Roke asked, looking up at the statue.
“You have seen her gifts for yourself, warrior,” the Goddess answered him. “I charge you to support Ellilah in helping to utilize her special talent. For the zorels are my creatures too, and when she trains them and takes pleasure in her special relationship with them, it gives me pleasure as well. I love to see my creatures well treated.”
“You have my word, Goddess,” Roke vowed hoarsely. “I’ll help and support and love and protect Ellilah all the days of my life.”
“See that you do. And now go—I absolve you from all vows,” the Goddess told Ellilah. “Go and do what I made you for—find pleasure in the talent I gave you and honor me with it.”
Then the white marble statue climbed back onto the dais and abruptly froze—though not in quite the same position it had been in before the Goddess inhabited it. There was a faint, knowing smile on its lips now and the arms were outspread, as though to welcome her children in with love and understanding.
Elli stared at it in awe and then looked at Roke.
“Roke,” she whispered, holding out her arms. “I…I’m ready and able to love you now if you still want to be with me.”
“Sweetheart,” he rumbled, sweeping her into his arms. “I’ve never wanted anything more in my entire life.”
“Then shall we have the Joining ceremony at once?”
The new voice surprised them both and Elli turned to see the old Priestess Superior walking over the grass to meet them. She looked wonderful—like a woman in her middle years rather than a grandmother—her eyes were bright and her white robe was clean and crisp. It contrasted beautifully with her raven hair streaked with emerald.
“Forgive me if I intruded on your moment, my dears,” she said. “But I thought I might be needed.”
“You are!” Elli exclaimed. “Priestess Superior, I hope you don’t mind but the Goddess has absolved me of my vows and I no longer wish to be a priestess.”
“I don’t mind at all, my dear—though I will miss you,” the Priestess Superior said gently. “I don’t believe you were ever meant to be a priestess but I do think the Goddess allowed you to become one for a short time so that you could subvert the plot that was happening here aboard the Mother Ship.”
“I’m very glad I was able to help with that,” Elli said seriously. “I know the Ascending…well, the one who wanted to replace you intended to rule over the Order of the Sacred Grove with an iron fist.”
“She intended to rule over the entire Mother Ship,” the Priestess Superior said grimly. “She admitted as much to Commander Sylvan—as soon as she’d gotten rid of me, she intended to set her sights on him. She planned to invite him for tea and then begin slipping him those same Dreaming Drops she used to incapacitate me. Then she was going to announce to the High Council that the Goddess had chosen her to rule over all the Mother Ship.”
“That’s terrible!” Elli shivered. They had all had a very narrow escape! She felt honored that the Goddess had allowed her to be part of stopping the other priestess’s wicked plot.
“The Goddess intends everything for a purpose, my dear,” the Priestess Superior told her. “Your short time as a priestess has saved many from heartache and sorrow. But now I think it’s time to let you go. So I repeat my offer—would you like to be Joined to your beloved this very hour?”
“I would!” Elli looked up at Roke with shining eyes. “You don’t mind, do you? I don’t need a big Joining ceremony—I just want us to be Joined when you…” She felt her cheeks heating up. “When you finally bond me to you.”
Roke grinned down at her and cupped her cheek in his hand.
“I agree, sweetheart—the sooner the better.”
“Now then, we’ll need some witnesses, of course…” The Priestess Superior looked around.
“Here we are!” Liv and Sonja came rustling through the trees of the Sacred Grove.
“Did somebody say they needed a bridesmaid?” Sonja asked eagerly. “Because Liv and I are ready and willing!”
Elli laughed.
“This is perfect,” she said, smiling at both of them. “I’d be honored to have the two of you stand with me at my Joining.”
“And I’ll stand with our new friend, Roke.” Commander Sylvan came through the trees as well. “To make sure he doesn’t get away without paying his reparations,” he added, giving Roke a friendly smile to take the sting out of his words.
“I’d be honored,” Roke told him. “It’s bad luck for a male not to have someone to stand with him at his Joining.”
