shadow of the rock.
“Is something wrong, Princess?” Hollow-sky asked,
turning to see why she had not passed all the way through.
Instantly Goldmoon cupped her hand about the symbol
to hide its light and tucked it back into her shirt. “No,
nothing,” she said coolly, riding on through the archway.
Beyond the arch was a large, grassy clearing,
surrounded by tall, ancient pine trees. The clearing sloped
upward to a stairway carved out of the stone of the
mountain. Set into the cliff face at the top of the stairs was a
pair of huge stone doors. Goldmoon sat motionless on her
horse for several minutes, just gazing at those doors.
Beyond them, she knew, lay her ancestors who were now
gods and goddesses. But most special to Goldmoon was her
mother, Tearsong.
Goldmoon remembered her mother alive, laughing and
beautiful. She also remembered her ill and dying. And she
remembered her dead, encased in the sarcophagus which
held her remains until the doors above had opened ten years
ago, allowing Arrowthorn to entomb them at last. The
princess’s dearest and most secret wish was to see her
mother again, as a goddess, laughing and beautiful.
A touch on her forearm made Goldmoon turn. Silently,
Riverwind made a gesture toward the plains they had
crossed. Far below, the sun was setting on the golden fields,
painting them a rosy-purple hue. She could pick out a
hundred hawks rising on late afternoon thermals, sighting
prey, and swooping down on their dinners. Farther off,
barely visible, were the thin wisps of smoke which she
knew came from her father’s village. “It’s beautiful,” she
whispered.
“Shepherd, you cook supper while I tend to the
animals,” Hollow-sky ordered, tossing a bag of ground
grain at Riverwind’s feet.
Riverwind nudged the bag with his boot and said flatly,
“I will roast the crow instead – after I’ve cared for my own
horse and pitched the princess’s tent.”
Hollow-sky clenched his jaw, and his eyes narrowed as
he inhaled deeply, an angry reply bubbling to his lips.
Assessing the tension, Goldmoon took command. “It is
kind of you to raise my tent, Riverwind,” she said lightly.
Turning to Hollow-sky, she added, “You may make the
porridge after you’ve attended to the pack animals.”
“As you command, Princess,” Hollow-sky replied
coldly.
When Riverwind finished pitching her tent, Goldmoon
arranged her things within. She laid out the ceremonial garb
she would wear later – a long, sky-blue gown embroidered
with gold crescent moons on the hem and sleeves.
Outside, Riverwind roasted the bird that had stolen
Goldmoon’s hair, while Hollow-sky stirred a pot of boiling
cereal, eyeing the bird with apparent disdain. In the brisk
mountain air, after the long day’s journey, Goldmoon would
have found anything delicious. Hollow-sky’s well-prepared
meal was quite satisfying, but the smell of Riverwind’s bird
was mouthwatering. So when the warrior declared it done
and offered her a portion, Goldmoon could not resist,
though Hollow-sky only sneered and would have none of it.
Replete, Goldmoon rose to go to her tent. She smiled
when she saw Riverwind attempt to hide a yawn and fail
utterly.
Hollow-sky, on the other hand, seemed to be filled with
energy. “If it pleases you, Princess, I will take first watch.
Riverwind has worked hard to get us here, he could use
some sleep.”
Goldmoon looked at Loreman’s son, amazed at his
sudden thoughtfulness, not to mention the fact that he’d
asked her permission before making a decision.
Observing her astonishment, Hollow-sky said lamely,
“It is the least I can do.”
Wordlessly nodding her assent, Goldmoon hurried off
to her tent. The night air was bitter cold. Once wrapped in
her warm sleeping furs and rugs, the princess/priestess
dropped off to sleep immediately.
She seemed to have slept only a few minutes when
Hollow-sky, at the door to her tent, called her name softly.
“Dawn is only half an hour off.”
Shaking off the temptation to curl up in her warm rugs
again, Goldmoon dressed hurriedly in her ceremonial robe
and stepped out of the shelter of her cozy tent into the
predawn coolness. It was time for the ceremony for which
she had waited all these years. She fastened several, small,