When she and the Sisters had come to Cool Trails and the Tower, she'd expected Moonrazer to put her in the visitors' quarters, but the Exalted Warrior, being too soft-hearted for her own good, thought her sister should be given rooms more fitting for a member of the royal family.
That sentimentality would be Moonrazer's downfall. Whiteshadow was counting on her feeling that same way toward any man she eventually chose as a mate.
However, the plan had to unfold in its own time.
She giggled, looking around her new chambers. This was much better. Lucan wouldn't have to sneak through the hallways and staircases of the Tower to come to her, and she wouldn't have to find hidden places outside the Tower for them to be together.
Things were working out just the way she wanted.
****
Two days later, Moonrazer sat on a bench just outside the stable, enjoying a rare cloudless sky. Her rib still pained her, but she was determined to act as normally as possible. Wind Rider stood near her, eating an apple Moonrazer had brought for him.
Whiteshadow's voice broke into Moonrazer's thoughts. "Warrior, we need to discuss the Choosing Ritual and the details."
"A day like today is not made for serious discussions," Moonrazer said. "I am enjoying the sunshine. Sit with me, my sister."
In reality, Moonrazer had been trying to avoid the conversation, hoping that something would happen that would make the discussion unnecessary. Another invasion of Carrick would be perfect for this.
"The Confluence of the Three Moons is only eight weeks away, sister," Whiteshadow said. "If we are going to have the Ritual before that day, certain plans must be set in motion."
The Exalted Warrior sighed. "What do we need to discuss?"
Whiteshadow pulled a scroll from one of the oversized sleeves of her robe. Unrolling it, she said, "There are many things that the Sisters of the Flame can handle without your input. However, you must take some interest in the rituals and the celebrations."
"As I am not interested in the ritual and the celebrations, it is difficult for me to show any interest."
Whiteshadow tightened her lips and then said, "This is your duty, Moonrazer. You have never shirked from duty before."
"This is not a battle or some matter of honor or justice, Whiteshadow. This is a mating ritual and a ceremony marking the end of my time as Exalted Warrior and my growing older. These are not things I want to celebrate."
"You have ruled over the Sarl for more years than many of the Exalted Warriors before Staffthrower IV. You should be satisfied." Whiteshadow sat on the bench next to her.
Moonrazer studied her, surprised at the words. "Are you satisfied, my sister? You have been Mother Prioress of the Sisters of the Flame for two blizzards longer than I have been Exalted Warrior. Are you ready to leave your position? Could you happily hand the symbols of your office to someone else? Someone younger?"
For an instant, Moonrazer saw anger in Whiteshadow's eyes. However, it vanished so quickly that the Exalted Warrior thought she must have imagined it, perhaps as a remnant of their youthful rivalries.
"If I were at an age where I could not lead the Sisters, I would certainly step aside," Whiteshadow said, bowing her head slightly. "I would gladly hand over control of the Fountain of Infallible Light to someone who could be the leader I was not. Do you not feel the same way about your position as Exalted Warrior?"
Moonrazer stood, leaning heavily on Wind Rider. She stared down at her sister. "Do you believe that I am incapable of leading the Sarl now? Do you believe I am so feeble that someone else could do a better job?"
Whiteshadow looked her sister square in the eye. "You know you are getting older, and Sarl women were designed by the Holy One to be formidable warriors in their youth and nurturing mothers and mates in their later years. Perhaps the Ancients were wise in deciding when an Exalted Warrior should step down."
Moonrazer heard the laughter of children playing on the other side of the courtyard, and she motioned toward them.
"Do you remember when we were their age? We used to play together, and we were friends. Why did that have to change? We could work together instead of always being at odds."
Whiteshadow raised a hand as though to ward off the memory. "That was a long time ago. Things changed when you were fostered out to our aunt. I had to learn to cope without you around to protect me. I found out that I didn't need you to be strong for me; I can be strong on my own."
"I am glad you found your strength, but we are still sisters."
"You are the Exalted Warrior. You should be above needing the kind of relationship you claim to want." Whiteshadow stood. "You spend too much time with weaker, more sentimental people. Perhaps this ritual has come at the right time. I would hate to see the Sarl…" She stopped.
"What?" Moonrazer asked. "What did you want to say?"
The Mother Prioress bowed. "Nothing, Warrior. I am tired, and my thoughts ran away from me. Forgive me. I will leave you now."
Moonrazer frowned. "We will talk again after the midday meal."
****
Whiteshadow's midday meal sat untouched on the polished wooden table in her sitting room. Moonrazer had assigned her the largest apartment in the guest wing of the Tower, but even though this was what she'd wanted, the Mother Prioress still felt caged.
He was late, and with each flicker of the candle next to the glass of wine, she grew closer to screaming. If he didn't arrive soon, she would be in no mood to meet with Moonrazer and discuss the details of the Choosing Ritual.
She looked at the candle again and saw that it had burned down almost to the point of her appointment with the Exalted Warrior.
She was about to fling her now cold bowl of boar stew into the fire, but stopped when she heard a quiet knock on the door.
Whiteshadow rushed to answer it before one of the Sisters, who no doubt wandered the hallways, heard or saw him.
"You are late," she said, pulling the man into her room, glancing down the hall and closing the door behind him.
"It isn't as easy sneaking in here as you made it sound." The man, who was taller than Sarl men, stood at least two, maybe three, hand breadths taller than she was.
"I am sorry, but no one can know about our relationship," she said, pulling him farther into the room. "Sisters of the Flame are not permitted to have consorts."
He pulled her into an embrace and ran his fingertips over her cheek. "If that's true, then why am I here?"
As always, Whiteshadow found it hard to breathe when he was near her. She didn't know any other word to describe him except beautiful. He had thick wavy sand-colored hair that fell appealingly into his eyes, which were the color of the early morning sky when the clouds had left at the beginning of the sunny season.
She also found it hard to stay angry with him.
"I cannot resist your smile," she said.
"Anything else?" He grinned, and then leaned down to kiss her neck.
Her blood felt like warm ale, and her eyes closed. What was it about his touch that did this to her?
As things began to grow intense, she forced herself to push away.
"I have to go to the Exalted Warrior soon," she said. "We do not have time for anything now."
The man dropped into the chair in front of her forgotten meal. Picking up a piece of bread, he took a bite and winked at her.
"So, why am I here?"
He took her hand, pulling her to his lap.
She found it hard to talk as he continued what he'd started on her neck.
"I just needed to see you," she murmured.
"Maybe you could be late for your meeting," he said, his breath hot on her skin.
"I… really… need to talk to her."
"You can. Just a minute."
The next thing she knew, his lips captured hers, and she forgot what was so important about talking to Moonrazer.
****
Moonrazer paced the room her servants called the sitting room. She looked around and shrugged. It just had some
chairs and a couple of small tables. She didn't understand the need to give it a fancy name.
Whiteshadow was late. This was not like the Mother Prioress, and Moonrazer was beginning to think that something was terribly wrong.
Just as she reached for the door, it burst open, barely missing her face.
"I am sorry, Warrior," Whiteshadow said, closing the door behind her.
Moonrazer scowled. Her sister was flushed and out of breath.
"What has happened, Whiteshadow?" she asked. "Are you ill?"
"No," the other woman said, moving quickly to one of the tables and covering it with scrolls and quills and several sheets of parchment. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, for one thing you are late. For as long as we have been sisters, you have never been late to any appointment. For you, arriving two candlemarks ahead of the scheduled time was almost late. You are flushed and out of breath. Do you want to tell me what has happened?"
"Nothing." Whiteshadow faced her. "I was talking to someone and had to hurry to meet with you. That is all." She sat down in one of the chairs.
Moonrazer wondered about her sister's behavior, but she dropped the matter and eased herself down into the other chair.
"What do we have to do?"
Whiteshadow pulled a scroll from the pile. "This is the notice we plan to send. It is modeled on the ancient form used by many other Exalted Warriors before you." She unrolled it and handed it to Moonrazer. "As you can see, most of the major territories of the Known Worlds will receive a notice."
Moonrazer stared at the parchment. "If this is accurate, it could mean that hundreds of men could compete during the ritual." She sat back in her chair. "This could take half a blizzard."
Whiteshadow rolled the scroll back up. "If every territory sent someone or more than one person, you would be right, but in many cases, there will be no one suitable to send, or the leaders of the country may decide they have no interest in forging an alliance with the Sarl." She placed the parchment back in the pile. "I would expect three dozen challengers, at best."
"What do you want me to do next?"
"Tomorrow, I will bring you the finished scrolls. You must sign and affix your seal to each one."
"Wonderful," Moonrazer said, forcing herself to smile at her sister. Perhaps it was time for them to be friends. Moonrazer silently vowed to try.
****
Varian and Anthelme had been traveling for a full day and were enjoying a meal at an inn when a messenger came into the dining room and found him.
"Sire, we have received a notice from a Mother Whiteshadow, Prioress of the Sisters of the Flame from World Carrick." The man held out a rolled-up scroll tied with a golden ribbon.
Varian looked at it, then back to the messenger's face.
"What could be so important that someone had to be sent out to me with this? Surely I have received other messages in the time I was gone."
The man—Varian wished he could remember the young man's name—bowed his head once then looked up.
"Yes, Sire, but the woman who brought the scroll was a Sarl warrior. Princess Estelle seemed to be very excited about this and wanted you to see it right away."
"The Sarl?" Varian took the scroll and looked at Anthelme.
"Maybe it's a sign," Anthelme said.
Varian took a deep breath and tried not to get his hopes up, but part of him wanted to believe that the Holy One had chosen to smile down on him.
Maybe the family that rescued his daughter had finally figured out who she was, and were contacting him to tell him that.
Varian opened the scroll and started to read the words. "It's an announcement that the Exalted Warrior of the Sarl is seeking a husband."
The Prince spoke to the messenger. "Thank you for the message." He reached into a green pouch that hung from his belt and pulled out a gold coin etched with the face of Queen Donnotta, his mother. Handing it to the young man, he said, "Spend the night in an inn before returning home."
"Thank you, Sire," the young man said, bowing. Then he left.
Anthelme smiled at Varian. "This looks like exactly the opportunity you've been waiting for. Didn't Thersian say this Exalted Warrior was Dragonmarked?"
He stared down at his drink distastefully, then looked up at his friend. "I've buried two wives, Anthelme, and both recently. I need time to grieve. I'm still hoping we can find the daughter that Violetta spoke of. Perhaps finding her will prove that Violetta and I have both been forgiven by the Holy One for all our mistakes."
Chapter Eight
Rillaur squinted as the early morning sun streamed through the rose crystal windows behind him onto the ivory-colored embossed invitation. The snowy damask curtains did nothing to dampen the light.
King Rillaur of Andarnnon held the notice from Mother Whiteshadow. The messenger who had brought it to him waited in front of his desk as the king requested.
The king loved this room that had once been his mother's private bedroom. He loved sitting right in front of the windows, forcing guests to walk the length of the enormous chamber with the sun in their eyes, as if to shield themselves from the glory of his presence.
When he claimed this room after his coronation, he replaced most of the Queen Mother's possessions with his own. However, he'd kept her bird cage, and maintained her custom of keeping six white doves and one raven together next to his desk.
After reading the notice from the Mother Prioress of the Sarl several times, the king turned to the messenger. The man moved his head from side to side, squinting and shielding his eyes. Rillaur smirked, knowing the light was too bright to allow this peasant a clear view of the king.
The man's roughly woven gray tunic and light brown leather pants were spattered with mud and his short black hair was slicked with sweat. The king wondered if it was a reaction to intimidation or the warmer than usual weather in the Andarnnon capital.
Rillaur tapped the invitation. "And you're sure this was supposed to come to me?"
The messenger clenched and unclenched the hat in his hands. "Yes, Your Majesty."
Rillaur scowled. Was it possible this Mother Whiteshadow person didn't know he was married and had been for nearly ten years? He knew the Sarl were less civilized than the people of Andarnnon, but surely she'd been aware of to whom she sent scrolls? Perhaps all nobles on Andarnnon got one.
He went back to his desk and pulled out a handful of gold coins.
Turning to the messenger, he asked, "How many other scrolls did you deliver?"
The other man fidgeted. "Your Majesty, it would be inappropriate…"
Rillaur grimaced. He'd hoped the man would just volunteer the information. "Of course. I understand." He handed the man the gold. "I know you can't betray any trust. Here is some extra gold to repay you for your service."
The messenger stared at the gold, and Rillaur waited.
When sufficient time had passed for the other man to consider the gold, the king said, "I'm sorry. Was that not enough? I'm sure you would rather sleep in clean inns while you travel." He opened the drawer of the desk again.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," the messenger said. "I didn't expect this."
"It is nothing. I assure you. I'm sure the other… royalty you delivered invitations to have given you a similar… compensation."
"Um, no, Majesty. You are too generous." The man looked like he wanted to kiss Rillaur's feet, and the king stifled a gag.
"If you have been misused," the king said, "I would be happy to speak to… King…?"
"Oh, that is not necessary, Majesty. I only delivered one other invitation, and Prince Varian was not at his palace. His sister, Princess Estelle, offered me a fine meal and a bed for the night."
King Rillaur's heart sped up. Varian received an invitation?
"Well, if you have no complaints…"
"No, Majesty."
Rillaur smiled, hoping to hide his annoyance at the news. "Then I thank you."
He yanked on a bell pull on the wall between the two
windows. A servant entered the office.
"Please take this man to the kitchen and find him some food. Also, make sure he has enough bread and dried meat for his trip home."
"Yes, King Rillaur," the servant said.
"Thank you." The messenger bowed and followed the servant out of the office.
"This needn't trouble you, Majesty."
Rillaur glanced at the shadowy place in the corner where his adviser sat, hidden. Sage Duruno's presence made the king a bit uncomfortable, given his penchant for speaking Dragon without warning, but without Duruno's arcane knowledge of the Dragon Protectors, he'd never have understood the Dragon Moon Curse, and he wouldn't have known how to get Tellan back under Andarnnon control.
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