Lost Moon

by Dana Davis

  Another thought struck her so she gathered her breath and said, “We, the Trine, are the true seers for Royal Damon’s household. The Moirai chose us to quell the unpredictable time shifts and the coming freeze that threatens to destroy our world. The Moirai chose us to restore Selenea to its former glory, to the powerful world it was before magic waned. The Moirai have blessed us. And through us, Selenea will survive!” She prayed to the Moirai that her words would come true.

  The villagers mumbled amongst themselves, and she prepared to use her magic in case they turned into a lynch mob. She glanced at her sisters, whose fear tapped her senses like tiny knives. Surely, the three of them were strong enough now to escape an angry mob. They should be able to get Gail and Damon out of the city before these people tore them apart.

  To Kepriah’s amazement, cheers erupted from a few. Then others joined until they grew louder and longer than before. She let out a breath she had not realized she was holding.

  After a moment or two, Damon stepped forward and waited until the noise died down. “Those of you who can spare the time and manpower, I urge you to follow and assist in the reconstruction. My father gave many of you refuge when the wars ravaged your home. Now, it is time to rebuild. Time to put Abandoned City on the maps again. Time to bring back the former glory of your beloved home. The Moirai desire this, as witnessed through my Trine sisters’ visions. You are an important part of the Moirai’s plan. Each and every one of you. The Moirai have chosen you to help restore our world!”

  He continued stroking egos and Kepriah had to admit that her younger brother certainly had a smooth tongue, much like his father. The villagers seemed more pleased as he went on. When the speech finally ended, they clapped each other on the backs and embraced one another.

  Then it happened—the sun moved across the sky at an amazing speed, taking them from morning to afternoon and back to morning. Freezing winds grew to near tornadic forces and Kepriah’s heart jumped as she looked to her sisters. Larisa looked as frightened as she felt that neither could do anything. However, Patrice faced the tornados, her ring hand trembling as she wrestled the spinning winds down to a blustery breeze. Impressive! Her Earth sister had come so far since that sniveling woman-child back in the mountain cave. Disorder threatened to undue the villagers’ acceptance and Kepriah’s attention quickly moved back to them as she tried to think of what to say next.

  But Damon stepped forward and raised his arms. “My good people, this chaos is exactly what my Trine sisters are attempting to subdue! We must hurry to Abandoned City so the Trine can set this world right again.” He motioned to the aurora that waved in the sky, unheard of for this part of the world until recently. “The Moirai have ordained it!”

  Cheers traveled across the lawn to drown out several crying children. Patrice quelled the winds and the crowd began to move off toward their tasks.

  Once they were back inside, Kepriah threw off her cloak and smacked her brother on the shoulder. “Well done, Damon.” Perhaps he was not as much a fool as she had first thought. Maybe the Moirai had picked the rightful landlord after all.

  “Thank you, sister. Now let us get our royal asses out of here before we freeze to death.”

  ****

  As they prepared to get on the road, several small tornados began and Patrice used her ring’s power to disperse them. Her talents had grown immensely since she had accepted her fate here on Selenea, but these back-to-back tasks left her weary. I’m not an all-powerful sorceress. She smiled at that thought as she mounted her jabber. She had read many books that involved sorcery in one form or another, but reading about magical worlds was much more satisfying than living in one. This place kept her nerves on edge, despite the power she now wielded.

  “You all right, Patrice?” Larisa called from her jabber.

  Not wanting to break her concentration with talk, Patrice simply nodded. After a few seconds, the winds died down again, leaving frigid air behind, and Patrice let the magic drain from her. Then it began to snow. Seriously? It’s almost summer solstice.

  “Jabber shit on a hot day,” Kepriah uttered as she mounted her beast. “Let us get moving before the whole bloody world turns upside down.”

  Kepriah, Jakon, Palith, and Hale led the way. Patrice glanced back to see dozens of wagons lined up and ready to follow. Some villagers stayed behind to board up homes and salvage whatever crops the fickle weather hadn’t destroyed. Damon left a skeleton crew to safeguard his palace, and he and Gail rode side by side on jabbers just behind Patrice and Larisa. Palith’s men and several royal guards flanked them.

  Gail wore a split skirt and bodice embossed with Damon’s house colors and a dazzling green jewel dangled at her neck. Her wool cloak, hat, and gloves looked similar to Patrice’s. Damon wore wool trousers in the same colors as Gail’s dress with a puffy green tunic and brown cloak. A small gold wreath encircled his head over his wool cap.

  Kepriah had explained that the colors dated back to before royal landlords were established and people lived in clans. The colorful clothing was their only way of distinguishing between clans, especially during battles. Patrice equated it to ancient Scotland.

  She shifted her weight in the saddle and glanced at her middle sister. “My butt’s going to be sore after this.”

  That got a chuckle from Larisa, who looked quite regal in red and orange, especially with her golden locks cascading from beneath her wool hat. “I will give you some salve when we get to Abandoned City.”

  “Hah.” She gave Larisa a sideways glance and grinned. “Only if Ched can put it on for me.”

  “Patrice Aurora Gray, you are terrible.”

  “Yeah. But, oh, what fun it is.”

  They had not gone more than a few hundred feet before icy winds picked up again, leaving Patrice enough to concentrate on without making conversation. She could feel Larisa and Kepriah’s eyes on her but she ignored her overprotective sisters. The winds lasted longer this time and she began to perspire, despite the frigid air. Creating her own winds did not tire her like this, but fighting Mother Nature’s wrath took much more strength on her part. And these winds bordered on hurricane strength, or they would if Patrice allowed them to continue.

  If this keeps up, I’ll be useless for the hoisting.

  Chapter 39

  After fighting off numerous windstorms and a couple of small tornadoes, Patrice was ready to collapse into bed when they arrived at Abandoned City’s border several days later. Time kept shifting back and forth the entire way, and with so many cold spots hindering them, Kepriah couldn’t open enough archways for them to travel through, so the trip had taken longer than expected.

  A burst of frigid wind slammed into Patrice’s senses and she groaned with the weight of it. Her entire body trembled as she used the ring’s power to disperse the flow and calm the winds to a tolerable level, barely noticing the magical words she uttered now. Not even the Triad could remember those words, so she decided to concentrate on what she could see, touch, feel, and remember. The weather was growing colder by the mile, it seemed, and would continue until she and her sisters performed the hoisting.

  If we don’t fucking freeze to death first.

  If the rest of Abandoned City looked like the ruination of this area, it left her with little hope of rebuilding quickly. The bodies they encountered were now just bones and tattered cloth. Buildings, those that had survived, were mostly in ruin. She didn’t envy Damon and Gail their future here. She glanced back at the villagers who had followed them. No one seemed to be making conversation now as heads swiveled back and forth, assessing their once great land. I hope You know what You’re doing, she silently bid the Moirai.

  The group moved farther into the abandoned area that had become home to various birds, insects, and other creatures, as the aurora waved majestically above them. Patrice fought down memories of Alaska. The air tingled all about her. Magic seemed to be concentrated in this area and goosebumps formed on her skin at the intensity. Her sisters nodded
with agreement when she glanced at them, and her gaze moved back to the sky. They still had no idea how to proceed with the hoisting or where to find this missing third moon, if it even existed.

  Could simply be a myth. If so, we could all be screwed. Patrice realized much of what she’d once thought mythical had turned out to be true here on Selenea. Magic, seers, strange beasts, and the one that puzzled her most, the one she had never know about on Earth, the one she played a big part in now, the Trine. Even her empathic links to her sisters had once been a fantasy, until now. How the Moirai had chosen her was still beyond her insight, and that nagging, logical voice inside still kept telling her this was all a dream, that it couldn’t be real. But that voice grew softer each day. Maybe Selenea isn’t so much another world as another dimension.

  She had learned about multiple dimensions in an introductory class to quantum physics, a dumbed-down version for other majors. But the class had peaked her interest in many theoretical issues both past and present. If Selenea was indeed one such dimension that supposedly existed side by side with her own, then she would be the envy of scientists everywhere for discovering it.

  You’re dreaming, Patrice. Even if that’s true, how the hell will you ever get back to share this oh-so-profound knowledge? Quit trying to analyze it. I’ve got enough on my plate right now.

  She thwarted Larisa’s worry with a dismissive wave. That one had taken to mothering her ever since the attack at Damon’s place. Not that Patrice minded the company, especially those first few nights afterward when her nightmares were strongest, but she didn’t need smothering. Not now. Her attacker was dead before he could rape her, thankfully, and she needed to get on with her life. Whatever that may be.

  Ched helped immeasurably. He wasn’t at all what she had expected in a warrior. He had fought to save his own skin after his family was killed. As it turned out, he was Patrice’s age, though he looked and acted older. She liked the security he gave her. And the fact that he was still a gentle man after the horrors he’d witnessed caused her respect for him to grow with each passing moment. Right now, she thought she could feel his gaze on her.

  She peeked over her shoulder to see that she was correct. Ched smiled before gazing back at the devastation with heartbreaking indifference. Patrice knew better. Inside, he burned with emotions about this unforgiving war, secrets he said he had never told anyone before her. She gave him a reassuring nod when he glanced at her again, then turned her attention back to her jabber.

  Patrice and her sisters had experienced no visions about the hoisting, other than it would take place in a grassy area just outside the former royal residence. They had seen that broken stone building in many visions, but without accompanied instructions or even hints about what to do there, Patrice felt like a toddler with keys to a car.

  Maybe the Moirai didn’t know how this would turn out, either. Maybe They couldn’t know. There was something to be said about free will and laws of nature, but if everything was planned, the way most on Selenea believed, why didn’t the visions tell them exactly how to hoist this lost moon? Frustration threatened Patrice’s world and she pushed it back to concentrate on her jabber again, who started to stray from the line. She was no expert rider but she had come a long way with the beasts.

  Larisa pulled up beside her. “You all right?”

  Damn. Didn’t see or sense her coming this time. “Yeah.” She kept frustration from her voice, barely. “I’ll just be glad when this is over.”

  “Yes. So will I.”

  Fear caressed Patrice’s senses for an instant. Why am I worrying about Larisa’s mothering and Kepriah’s bossiness? They’re both as nervous as I am. She gave Larisa a tiny smile and threw a nod to Kepriah when the warrior woman turned to study her.

  They rode in silence the remaining distance to the city center. Patrice’s skin tingled constantly now but she called on her ring to help her ignore it, much the way she ignored the weather’s effect on her.

  By the time they dismounted in front of the stone palace, the sun was low. Patrice’s muscles ached with exhaustion and she felt gritty from the long ride, but she had handled her jabber all the way here without incident, a major victory as far as she was concerned. She even managed to get the rhythm when the beast knelt and not feel like she would tumble onto her head. Once firmly on the ground, she pulled the clock from her saddle pack. The glass had a hairline crack in it from all the traveling but it was still in one piece and working. Six o’clock. Time seemed to have shifted back to normal now. At least it looked that way. She took the key from its pouch and wound the clock before shoving them both back into her pack.

  Ched came to her and laid a rough hand over hers. “You all right?”

  She studied those gray eyes set in tanned skin. “I was just about to ask you the same thing.”

  He smiled and put a muscular arm around her waist. “It’s hard for all of us. Even those who did not grow up in Abandoned City have seen too much destruction.” His gaze surveyed the damaged buildings and torn cobblestone streets before landing on her again. “You and your sisters set this right. You hear me. And do not give me shit about not knowing how. You are the Trine for Moirai’s sake. You will figure it out. I’m certain of it.”

  Patrice couldn’t help but smile at his reprimand. “Yes, sir.” She started to give him a mock salute but he caught her hand and pressed his lips against her palm. He then moved to her mouth and finally her ear.

  “I need to help the others,” he said. Warm breath caught against her skin, causing a pleasurable tingle. “See you tonight?”

  She knew what he meant and her blood quickened. “Of course.” Despite the desperate situation, or maybe because of it, Patrice and Kepriah had taken solace in their respective men. She watched Ched retreat to Palith for instructions.

  Larisa had not commented on their sexual activities during their travels, which was very unlike her. Larisa had not experienced sex since the night she gave up her virginity to Jakon, but Patrice suspected the two would eventually go at it again, especially if the strain of magic became much worse. The outlet seemed to help quite a bit. Despite her openness about sex and not wanting a steady boyfriend, Patrice found herself gravitating only to Ched now, and he to her. Marriage wasn’t something she had ever thought about, but fantasies of the two of them growing old together crossed her mind now and then. She shook her head. He was just a man. Like Sorinieve, the Trine would live a very long time, provided they survived the hoisting. How could she devote her life to a man only to watch him grow old and die long before she did?

  Oh, for crying out loud, Patrice. Enjoy Ched now, while you can. You can think about the future when you actually have one.

  Some of Damon’s people scattered into nearby buildings to clean up sleeping areas, while others tended jabbers and started cooking fires. Damon asked the Trine to wait outside until his masons had a chance to check out the old palace. Part of one wall had collapsed, but from the look of the rubble, it must have happened years ago. Two matronly women from the royal household, appointed by Damon as her ladies, attended Gail. The girl seemed comfortable with the women, so perhaps she would adjust quickly to her new title.

  A man ran up and announced that the main well in the city had become stagnant but a nearby river offered untainted water. Others offered to haul water while there was still light. Jakon agreed with Damon that the Trine needed to tend to magical duties, not physical labor, because the people expected it of them. Even now, many kept a respectable distance and nodded in a polite manner as they passed. Selfish as it seemed, Patrice was thankful she didn’t have to haul water, dig latrines, or any other unsavory chore. There were aspects of her new life she didn’t think she would ever get used to, and the lack of electricity and modern plumbing topped the list.

  As she and her sisters waited for Damon’s men to give them word that the palace was safe to enter, Patrice leaned against the wall and gazed up at the aurora. So beautiful, yet such an omen on this world. Who
would have imagined twenty-five years ago an Earth baby, born beneath the northern lights, would be destined to save not only her own world but also another?

  We haven’t saved either world, yet. And we don’t have much time left.

  Larisa put a brief hand on her arm. “We will figure it out.” She flipped her blonde braid over her shoulder and stretched.

  “I sure hope so.”

  “We bloody well better,” Kepriah said. “I have no intention of dying after putting up with you two all this time.”

  Patrice lifted a brow. “You haven’t exactly been a delight to live with.”

  Kepriah smirked, one corner of her mouth curving upward. “At least I am not closed-minded when it comes to sex, like some people.” She gave a sideways glance to Larisa.

  The healer gave an indignant huff. “I’m more stable than you are. Do not forget that.”

  “Stable? You?”

  Larisa’s hands went to her hips but a twitch of a smile tugged at her mouth. “Well, you are a royal.”

  The scepter shifted in Kepriah’s hand and she turned to face Larisa full on, humor in her eyes. “You got me there, little sister. Damn it all, if I cannot argue with that.” Then she burst out laughing.

  Several men exited the stone building, followed by Damon and Hale. “Well,” Kepriah’s royal brother said. “Looks solid in there. That one wall took pummeling during the war but the rest of the place is sturdy.” Kepriah nodded and pursed her lips but said nothing. After a few moments, Damon’s brows climbed. “Are you three going to hoist that moon you have been going on about?”