by P. C. Cast
The girl was a mutant though he didn’t understand how the mutation had happened. Her face was a bizarrely compelling mixture of Companion and Scratcher. It was obvious to him that she had been sent to the Tribe as a temptation. That much was abundantly clear. Thaddeus knew about temptation. Since he’d returned from the ambush, his body had continued to change and strengthen. His mind had begun changing, too. Everything seemed sharper, clearer to Thaddeus. He could see so many problems with the Tribe’s archaic Law system. Why were Terriers less than Shepherds? It made no sense, and that was only one of the Laws Thaddeus saw as senseless or obsolete.
Odysseus had healed completely, seeming even stronger than he’d been before the Skin Stealers had wounded him—shared his flesh with Thaddeus—and drastically changed their lives. Their bond was more intimate, too. The Terrier had become more serious and more easily angered. At first Thaddeus had been concerned about the change in Odysseus, but after further reflection, he’d decided the canine wasn’t actually that changed. He’d always been quick to temper, his sharp teeth keeping other Terriers focused during Hunts. Plus, he liked and appreciated Odysseus’s edge. There was no reason a Terrier couldn’t be as fierce as a Shepherd, just as there was no reason a Terrier’s Companion couldn’t lead like a Shepherd’s Companion.
Thaddeus felt his anger building, his body heating, his blood pounding through his veins. He balled his fists, fighting the urge to hit something—anything. Odysseus, who had been trotting determinedly before him, turned and yipped impatiently.
“You’re right. One thing at a time. Get rid of Nik and the Sun Priest. That’s the beginning of the end of the old ways.” Satisfied, Odysseus sprinted on with Thaddeus following. All that really mattered was that the two of them were tight, and strong, and in agreement that what had happened to them was a good thing—a very good thing. The rest would come. He would be sure the rest would come.
Thaddeus did wonder about the change in his dreams. Every night, every single time he fell asleep, his dreams were filled with strange visions, as disturbing as they were alluring. In each of them the predominant image was of an eyeless girl who beckoned to him with a smooth, soft, outstretched hand.
Thus far, Thaddeus had resisted the lure of that beguiling hand, though he fantasized endlessly during the day about sneaking back to Port City and the Temple of the Reaper God. With the amazing increase in his strength and sight and sense of smell, Thaddeus was sure he could manage to steal the sightless girl from them.
Just thinking about seeing her again—touching her, possessing her, had Thaddeus’s hands trembling and his stomach tightening with excitement.
No! he told himself firmly. I will not succumb to that temptation. Not now. Not until I know more about what is happening to me.
Nik had, of course, succumbed easily to the lure of his mutant girl. That was no surprise to Thaddeus. Nik had always been desperate to fit in. What truly shocked him was how easily their Sun Priest had succumbed, though in retrospect he should have expected it. Sol had always been too liberal—too accepting of oddities. That dead wife of his was the perfect example. She had been an oddity. She’d had beauty and talent aplenty, but there had been something off about her—some kind of internal strangeness that kept any canine from choosing her.
Well, if his luck held, after tonight tiptoeing around Sol and his needy son would no longer be an issue. There were still Companions who would listen to reason—still Companions who believed in breeding strength and stability within the Tribe.
He reached the correct nest, and knocked on the doorframe. Nothing happened. He waited, and then knocked more insistently—again and again.
There was a shuffling from inside and the grizzled muzzle of an ancient Shepherd poked through the doorway curtain. The canine looked up at him and growled softly.
“Argos, who is it?” called an equally grizzled voice from within.
“I’m sorry to disturb your sleep, sir. But there is something you must know about,” he said.
The curtain was pushed to the side, and Cyril, looking disheveled but typically bright-eyed, peered out at him, frowning. “Thaddeus, what is it you think is so important that it can’t wait until after sunrise?”
“Well, sir, let me tell you what I’ve witnessed tonight.”
With increasing concern Cyril listened to Thaddeus describe the mutant woman, the returned pup, and the role the Sun Priest and Nik were playing in her infiltration of the Tribe. Finally, the old man parted the curtain and motioned for him to come in.
“You were right to wake me. This must be stopped.”
Smiling victoriously, Thaddeus entered the Lead Elder’s nest and waited patiently while the old man dressed.
* * *
The short trip to Farm Island was a blur for Mari. Her mind was awhirl with conflicting thoughts about what was to come. She had to Wash the women. Her conscience wouldn’t allow her to leave—to retreat back to her comfortable burrow and the friends waiting for her there—while knowing Earth Walker women were suffering and she had had the opportunity to relieve them of that suffering, even if it was only for a little while.
As they hurried down the ridge, heading for the channel and the island that lay like a green jewel between it and the mighty river, Mari studied Sol, considering …
That Nik was a good man was beyond any doubt. He’d proven himself to her over and over, even in the short time she’d known him. But was his father the same caliber of man? Or had power and leadership and popularity eroded him?
Mari decided tonight she was going to find out.
“Stay still. I’ll do the talking. When I walk away, follow me quickly,” Sol said as they approached the last huge pine before the ruins of an old road and the bank that framed the west side of the Channel broke the land. He walked to the base of the pine, cupped his hands, and shouted up, “Attention in the lookout! It’s Sol. My group and I are entering the island.”
Mari looked up to see the shape of a man, with a Terrier beside him, step out to the edge of the small deck and look down. Sol waved his hand. The man waved back and shouted down, “Go ahead, Sol!”
“That’s Davis, and that’s a really good thing,” Nik spoke under his breath to his father.
Sol nodded. “Thank you, Davis!”
“Looks like you’re pulling a lot of duty lately,” Nik called up.
“Nik! Good to see you out and about! Let’s get a drink later and catch up.” Mari could hear the smile in the young man’s voice, and she felt the tight knot of tension within her begin to loosen.
“Will do, Davis!”
Sol waved again, and then strode out onto the broken road. Mari and Rigel followed, picking their way carefully over the buckled, cracked surface. Mari glanced up and down the ancient road. It looked like a massive water serpent had slithered from the water onto the land, its spine breaking apart the earth as it departed.
Nik took her elbow, helping her over the last of the road. “Are you okay?”
Mari nodded. She met his gaze. He was worried about it, that was obvious, but he also looked angry. “I have to do this, Nik, even if it makes you angry.”
“I’m not angry. I’m scared for you. I’m scared for me, too. I don’t want to lose you, Mari. I just found you.”
Mari smiled softly. “I’m scared, too. And if I have anything to say about it, you won’t lose me. But things have to change for the Earth Walkers; you know that, Nik.”
Nik kept her arm, linking it with his own so that they walked side by side, their heads tilted toward one another, to the rusted hulk of the only bridge on and off Farm Island.
“Then promise me you won’t put yourself in danger if you can help it,” he said.
“Nik, I’m all for not being in danger. I don’t want to be hurt. I’m not crazy! I just have to do the right thing, and recently I’ve realized that sometimes the right thing seems crazy to those who don’t want change.”
“Okay, stay close,” Sol said as they caught up with
him just before the bridge. He took a torch from its holder at the entrance to the bridge and held it high. “This thing is rusted through in more spots than it’s not. Keep ahold of Mari, Nik.”
“That’s my pleasure.” Nik took Mari’s hand, steadying her as they picked their way over the crumbling byway.
In the center of the bridge Mari paused, looking to her left. The night had started as still, clear, and warm, but as dawn grew progressively near, the wind had increased drastically, sending mounds of clouds scudding across the moon. The fat, glowing crescent broke through the billowy veil, turning the mud-colored Channel to liquid silver and illuminating a line of houses, connected by a long dock that appeared to be floating in the middle of it.
“That’s where the women are kept, isn’t it?” Mari said.
Nik stopped beside her. “It is.”
Mari studied the area, and then nodded with satisfaction. “The moon will definitely have no problem finding me there.”
“You’ll be careful?”
Mari studied Nik. She felt something break loose and turn over within her. This man who had once seemed so strange, even dangerous, now felt right by her side. He felt safe. He felt like family. She drew a deep breath, and spoke the words that would change her life forever. “You don’t need to worry. Earth Walker women aren’t violent. They’re just sad. It’s only our males who are violent if they don’t have a Moon Woman to Wash the Night Fever from them.”
Nik stared at her. “You mean their sadness isn’t because they’re captives?”
“In a roundabout way it is. Because they’re captives they don’t have access to a Moon Woman. Without a Moon Woman to wash Night Fever from them, Earth Walker women fall into a terrible depression and, eventually, will themselves to die. With men it’s not depression. It’s violence.”
“But the men who attacked Sora weren’t captives. They had access to you, and yet they were violent.”
“That’s because I haven’t been Washing the Clan. Nik, I wasn’t the Moon Woman. Mama was. Sora was her apprentice. I was just her daughter.”
Nik touched her face. “Just her daughter? It seems to me that you were her everything.”
“And she was mine. Until Rigel. And Sora. And you.” Mari stared out at the floating prisons.
“And now you have Jenna, Donita, Father, O’Bryan, and Sheena and her Captain, too.”
“Nik, having them—having all of you in my life—it’s taught me to be the Moon Woman Mama hoped I could be.” She stared at him, wanting him to understand, but not sure how to reach him.
“That’s why you have to go to them, isn’t it? It’s what your mother would want you to do.”
“Yesterday I would have said yes, I’m doing this for Mama. I changed today. Your people changed me. Today I’m doing this for my Clan. We are every bit as human as your Tribe, and I believe if Sol sees that—if your people just see that—it will be the beginning of changing our world.”
“And our world does need to change,” Nik said.
“So you agree with me?”
“I do, Mari. You can count on me. I have your back. I’ll always have your back,” Nik said.
Mari stared at him, hearing the words she and Leda had shared echoed in his. With tears brimming her eyes, she stepped into his arms. Nik bent and pressed his lips to hers. Mari returned the kiss—tentatively at first—and then her hands slid around his strong shoulders and she clung to him, opening herself to the thrilling sensations that were coursing through her body.
“Nik, Mari, come on! There’s time for that later! Sunrise is near!” Sol called from the island side of the bridge.
Mari’s face felt hot as she and Nik disentangled. Embarrassed by the new feelings that were awakening within her, she tried to pull completely away from him, but he snagged her hand, coaxing her back to his side.
“Hey, I’m sorry if I moved too fast,” Nik said, touching her face gently and brushing a blond curl from her cheek.
“You didn’t move too fast. I—I just never kissed anyone before,” Mari blurted.
“So you’re not sorry?” Nik asked.
Mari met his amber eyes. “No. Never. I like it. I liked it a lot. I—I’d like to kiss you again, but I agree with your father. There will be time for that later. I hope.” She sent him a nervous smile.
“That, my beautiful Moon Woman, is exactly what I hope, too. But first let’s start changing our world.” He grinned and then pointed to the closest of the floating houses. “You’ll find Isabel in that house—the one nearest to where we’ll dock the boat.”
“Okay, I’m ready,” Mari said.
Hand in hand, Mari and Nik crossed over to Farm Island.
As they walked along the Channel, Mari readied herself. She breathed deeply of the fecund fields, in awe of the acre after acre of growing things that stretched from the island side of the Channel over the width of the emerald isle. She grounded herself with the earth, holding in her mind the simple fact that though her people had been forced to till and plant and harvest for the Tribe, this land had been imprinted with the labor of Earth Walkers. The Earth would know. The Moon would remember.
Stairs built into the high bank of the channel led them down to water level and the small rowboat that waited there. Nik helped Mari aboard, and the two men rowed quickly to the floating houses.
All was still as they climbed onto the dock. Mari stood, gazing at the first of the dozen or so houses, wondering what should happen next.
Then she saw the thick wooden beam that barred the door, and the strong wooden poles that filled the windows—all ensuring that once closed within, the women could not get out. And Mari knew what to do.
She went to the first house, unbolted the door and began to open it.
Sol’s hand reached from behind her, pressing against the wood, holding it closed.
Mari faced him. “Will you not hold to your word?”
“I will. I have. I brought you here, but I already told you that I do not have the authority to release your people.”
Nik stepped up beside his father, gently taking his hand from the door. “My father taught me that I shouldn’t let others control my actions, especially if I know I’m doing the right thing. Instead of waiting for the Tribe to act, to decide to do the right thing, I’m going to do it. It’s what my father would expect me to do.”
Sol stared at his son. Then, slowly, he placed the torch he had been carrying in the holder beside the house, and stepped purposefully away from the door. “When did you get so wise?”
Nik clasped his father’s shoulder, but he looked past him to meet Mari’s gaze. “When I stopped waiting for the world to change, and decided to create the change myself.” Nik swung the door open wide, and then he retreated several paces back with his father, so that Mari was alone, silhouetted in the doorway.
Mari didn’t allow herself time to hesitate. “Isabel!” she called within. “Isabel, are you there?”
There was the sound of movement inside, accompanied by a low moan, and a few broken sobs. And then a pale face lifted from the mounds that were women. Mari saw her blink, and then her eyes widened in shock.
“Mari?”
Mari held her hand out to the girl, who rushed forward, clasping it. “Oh, Mari! It is you! Where is Leda? What are you doing here?” Her wide, startled gray gaze focused over Mari’s shoulder on Sol and Nik, and she started to cringe back inside. Mari tightened her grip on the girl’s hand.
“Leda is dead.” Gasps of shock and cries of despair came from within, and Mari had to raise her voice to be heard. “I am the Clan’s Moon Woman, and I have come to Wash you.”
As if a candle had been snuffed, all sound ceased from inside the house. Then, one by one, the women within began to stand.
“Moon Woman—our Moon Woman is here.” The voices began softly and then the idea caught, and the women’s cries blazed. “Moon Woman! Wash us, Moon Woman! Save us!”
Mari pulled Isabel from the house. “Stay close. I�
�m going to need your help.” She turned her attention to the mass of women pressing around the doorway. They didn’t leave the house. It was as if an invisible barricade held them. “Step out into the moonlight, and step out into a new world!” she shouted. Then Mari turned to Nik. “Help me open all the doors!”
Together they ran the length of the dock, unbarring and flinging wide the doors, and as they did so women began to spill out of the houses, crying, “Moon Woman! Our Moon Woman!”
And then they were surrounding her, and it seemed a million hands reached for her as voices cried, over and over, for her to Wash them—save them. It was as if they each wanted a piece of her and she suddenly felt as if they would, truly, pull her apart.
Mari tried to back away. Tried to reason with them. “Wait, no. I’ll help. I just have to—” But her words were carried away by the tidal wave of their need.
Then Nik was there, and his strong arms were pulling her as his body shielded her from their grasping hands.
“Nik! Mari! This will help!” Sol called. Mari glanced up to see that he had a big wooden water trough he’d retrieved from one of the houses. Dragging it with him, he strode to the middle of the widest part of the dock, and turned it over. Then he held his hand out to Mari.
Nik pulled her from the crowd and they ran to Sol, who helped her climb on top of the trough. She turned to the crowd of confused, excited women who clambered after her.
“Form a circle around me! Link hands! Everyone, link hands!” She found Isabel, who was still standing beside the door to the first of the houses. “Isabel, take my hand!” The girl didn’t hesitate. She rushed to Mari, grasping her hand. “Like Isabel! Link hands like Isabel!”
Thrumming with barely contained hysteria, the women surged forward, spreading around Mari and down and across the dock. The first woman took Isabel’s hand. Another stepped forward taking Mari’s other hand, and then, like a ripple over water, all of the women joined hands.
Mari tilted her face to catch what was left of the moonlight. She closed her eyes and began to sketch within her imagination the most intricate, most beautiful drawing she had ever created. In her drawing she imagined the power of the moonlight to be like rain. She drew it falling from the sky in a beautiful, shining downpour, filling every woman below and Washing all sadness from them in a torrent of benevolent power.