****
Lucan walked into the chapel, his heart in his throat. He wasn't entirely sure why Moonrazer and Whiteshadow had summoned him here, but he wasn't looking forward to whatever it was.
He wanted to be back at the ball, dancing with the woman he loved. She'd told him that, normally, Sisters of the Flame were not allowed to dance with men, but at a High Ceremony of the Sarl, exceptions could be made.
"I do not think anyone would have a problem with the Mother Prioress dancing with the Consort Intended," she'd said last night in her room.
Hundreds of white candles on stands surrounded the altar area and made it nearly as bright as daylight. Beyond the circle of light, the rest of the chapel remained dark.
Moonrazer stood on one side of the altar, her face in profile. Whiteshadow stood on the other side, positioned so he could see her clearly. She looked happy, and he relaxed.
"Welcome, Consort Intended Lucan," Whiteshadow said. "Tomorrow is the Ceremony of the Confluence of the Three Moons. At that Ceremony, the Exalted Warrior will be presented with the marks of her office, confirming to the Sarl that she is the Holy One's choice to lead them."
"You have an important role to play in all this," Moonrazer said. "The Confluence happens irregularly, as the stars decide, and a trusted male is selected to hand the Sword and Medallion to the Exalted Warrior. This time, that task falls to you."
He looked at Whiteshadow, who was smiling. This was what she'd been waiting for.
"I'm honored." He turned back to Moonrazer. "I thought no one could touch the Sword of Justice other than the Exalted Warrior."
"That is why you are here," she said. "I must give you permission to do this for me tomorrow, just as I had to give Olaf permission the last time the Confluence occurred. This permission will only last until I touch the Sword again."
"It is a very important task she gives you," Whiteshadow said. "Tomorrow you will stand in the place of the Holy One and show all of Carrick His will." Her expression was intense, and he knew she wanted him to hand her the Sword of Justice.
Sweat broke out on his forehead.
"There is nothing to be nervous about," Moonrazer said. "The Sword Ceremony is a beautiful event designed to connect the Sarl with their past and with the Crystal Spirits."
"The Crystal Spirits?" Lucan asked.
"When the moons are bright," Whiteshadow said, "if we have need, one or more of the Crystal Spirits may appear and speak to us. On these occasions, the glaciers come alive with the songs of our most heroic ancestors."
Lucan's eyes grew wide. "The Spirits speak?"
Moonrazer looked so happy, and his heart broke when he saw her affection for him. "They only honor those who have need of their counsel. Or so the legends say. None appeared at the last ceremony."
Lucan glanced at Whiteshadow and saw the envy he expected. Her hatred for her sister was showing more and more as the time for the fulfillment of her plan came closer.
He'd always been a simple man, and relied on holy people like Whiteshadow to explain the faith. Unsure of even who the Holy One was, he feared the steps he was to take for the woman he loved. Silently, he prayed that, somehow, what was about to happen was the right thing.
"Have they ever spoken to you?" he asked Whiteshadow.
He saw the strain at the edges of her mouth as she answered. "I have felt their presence."
Moonrazer said, "Shall we begin the ritual?"
"Step up here." Whiteshadow reached for his hand.
He hesitated before taking it, glancing at Moonrazer. Would she see this as too familiar a gesture? Would she suspect the relationship in front of her?
She merely smiled at him and nodded.
Taking Whiteshadow's hand, he allowed himself to be led to a spot directly in front of the altar and Moonrazer.
"Tomorrow, I will bare myself of the marks of my office," she said. Lucan knew these were words of ritual from the tone of her voice.
"I will present myself, symbolically naked, before my people and my deity. If it be His will, I will receive those marks again from His own hands."
She pulled the Sword of Justice out from its sheath and laid it on the altar.
Lucan saw, out of the corner of his eye, Whiteshadow's fists clenching and unclenching, and he knew she was resisting the urge to grab the Sword now. However, she would die instantly if she did this improperly.
"I give the Sword, forged on the Glacier of the Crystal Spirits by the Avenging Angels themselves, back to the Holy One," Moonrazer said, lifting her eyes toward the sky. "May He see fit to return it to me."
Then she took the Ruby Medallion out from under her tunic and set it next to the Sword.
"I give the Medallion, with the Ruby mined from the mountains of the Dragon Protector by Nightwind himself, back to the Holy One. May He see fit to return it to me at the Confluence of the Three Moons."
Whiteshadow nodded once, as though satisfied with the words spoken by her sister. She turned to Lucan and touched the edge of the altar.
"You, Lucan, Consort Intended, have found favor with the Holy One, and on His behalf, I charge you to stand in His place when the Three Moons of Carrick align and form the Pathway to Paradise."
She placed her hand on his head. "Act with wisdom as the Holy One would act."
She put one hand on each of his shoulders. "Act with strength and confidence, knowing that the blessing of the Holy One goes with you."
She took his hands in her own. "Treat the marks of the office of the Exalted Warrior with honor and love. Return them to your Exalted Warrior, knowing that you do the will of the One who forged the Sarl in His own heart.
"Now," she said. "Place your hand on the Sword."
Nervously, he did as instructed. The blade felt warm and almost alive beneath his hand, and he prayed again for resolve.
Moonrazer looked at him and said. "Now you must swear, by your life and the power of the Sword of Justice, to perform your duties faithfully, in accord with the wisdom of the Crystal Spirits, to do the will of the Holy One."
"I swear," he said. He felt the power of the Sword move through him then, and the blade flashed brightly. Fear settled deep in his heart and then, to his surprise, Moonrazer kissed him on both cheeks.
"There," Moonrazer said, taking back the Sword and Medallion. "I believe we should return to our guests. Tomorrow morning, I will place the marks on a table in the ceremonial field."
"I should instruct the Consort Intended on the form of the ceremony," Whiteshadow said. "The words can be complicated to someone who has not heard them over and over."
"Agreed," Moonrazer said, "but that can happen after the celebration." She slipped her arm through his and looked at her sister. "Will you join us at the ball, sister?"
Whiteshadow bowed slightly. "Nothing could keep me away."
****
The party was over, and Whiteshadow's feet hurt, but her heart was light.
Things were going better than she had hoped. Even Moonrazer deciding not to mate with Lucan was a good thing. She wouldn't have to imagine him in her sister's arms.
Of course, he wouldn't be in her arms at all because tomorrow Whiteshadow would get the Sword of Justice and be the Exalted Warrior.
Tonight, to make things even sweeter for her, he would be in her arms.
Moonrazer never suspected a thing when Whiteshadow had suggested instructing Lucan in the form of the Sword Ceremony. She even agreed it was a good idea.
Whiteshadow wrapped her arms around herself and laughed. The ease with which all this was happening had to be a sign of the Holy One's favor.
A knock on her door made her heart pound a little faster.
He was here.
She ran to the door and threw it open.
Lucan stood outside, and he looked around as she pulled him in. "Aren't you worried someone might see us?"
"Of course not," she said, kissing him on the mouth.
When she thought she would drown in his love, she pulled
away. "Moonrazer gave us permission for this meeting," she said. "What is there to be worried about?"
"She didn't give us permission for this meeting. She gave you permission to instruct me in the Ceremony tomorrow, where I stand in the place of the Holy One. Remember?"
"Of course I remember." Whiteshadow poured him a goblet of wine. "Let us toast our victory."
"No."
"What do you mean?" she asked, setting the bottle back on the table. "What is wrong?"
He walked over to the window. "What do I have to do tomorrow?"
"Do not worry about that." She wrapped her arms around him. "We have plenty of time to go over what you have to say. Kiss me."
He pulled away. "I can't think about that right now. I'm nervous about the Ceremony."
"There is nothing to be nervous about." She watched him as he walked around the edges of the room like a caged animal. "We have won."
Lucan scowled. "We haven't won anything yet. Tomorrow I have to defy the Exalted Warrior of the Sarl and the Holy One, and hand you the Sword of Justice in front of the entire army. My life could be over instantly."
"You will not be defying the Holy One. He chose me to be the next Exalted Warrior."
He stopped walking. "Then why isn't the Sword Ceremony happening the way it has before? Why all this deception?"
"We have been over this before. It is too late to back out."
"I know you're right, but all of this feels out of control. Just tell me what I have to say."
"Will you love me then?"
"My darling little Mother, I love you with all my heart. More than is sane, in all likelihood. I couldn't love anyone else the way I love you."
She went to him again. "Show me."
"Tell me what to do tomorrow."
"Later." She licked his throat and kissed his jaw until she heard him moan. Then she chuckled.
She would have things her own way.
****
Varian heard music coming from outside his room in the barracks.
As he was slipping his feet into his boots, Anthelme came in carrying a tray of steaming tea and biscuits.
"The kitchen staff has been awake since the moons first appeared in the sky. They've been baking pastries all night." He set the tray on the table next to Varian's bed. "The aroma coming in the windows of Diamondpike's hut was so tempting I had to come back here to sleep. Otherwise, I'd probably have sneaked in and eaten my weight in biscuits and tarts."
Varian looked at his friend. "Do you hear that music?"
"Music?"
"You can't hear that?" Varian went to the window and opened it. "You don't hear music coming from outside?"
The valet wrinkled his forehead. "Do you?"
The Prince scowled. The sound was unlike anything he'd ever heard. Ethereal sounds like voices without words. Rich, full notes that seemed to float on the air and drift through his brain and heart as though he were part of the music.
He had to find out where it came from.
Leaving the window open, he quickly got dressed, putting on the warmest outerwear he had.
"Where are you going?" Anthelme asked. "I brought you breakfast." He picked up one of the biscuits.
"I'm not hungry. I'm going to find out where that music is coming from."
"But, Sire, I don't hear anything."
Varian left.
****
Lucan woke to the sound of music floating through the window. He eased himself out of bed, trying not to wake Whiteshadow.
As he got dressed, he wondered how anyone could sing such beautiful music in the snow when the sun had barely begun to show itself.
The sounds he heard touched his heart, and tears welled up in his eyes. He had to find out where it came from.
"Where are you going?" Whiteshadow's voice was muffled and sleepy as she faced away from him, her head nearly buried under the fur blankets.
"I must go find the music."
"What music?" she muttered, and her breathing returned to the deep, regular pattern of sleep.
As he reached the door to the outside, he saw Varian ahead of him, headed toward the music. Then he noticed Sarl from all walks and stages of life heading toward the Glacier Shrine of the Crystal Spirits.
Lucan almost stopped. Could this singing be the Crystal Spirits?
When Moonrazer and Whiteshadow had told him about the singing last night, he'd thought it was just some superstitious or metaphoric language. He'd never expected to hear actual music, and if what Moonrazer said was true, he was in the minority.
As he walked, almost involuntarily, toward the song, he began to fear what they might have to say.
Did the Sword Bearer always get called to the Glacier Shrine, or did the Spirits know what he and Whiteshadow planned?
Was he in danger?
He heard a voice. "Lucan, do you hear it?"
Lucan turned and saw Moonrazer, riding Wind Rider. "I do."
"I am so pleased." She lowered her hand and helped him mount behind her. "Not everyone does. I woke up as the sun began to appear, and the music came to me."
He heard the excitement in her voice and felt it in the way she sat the horse, as though she were ready to erupt from the saddle. As he put his arms around her waist, he felt her muscles taut with anticipation.
To his shock, he reacted physically to her eagerness, and he hoped she was too focused on their destination to notice.
His breath began to shorten, and he had to force himself to calm down. Even when he was with Whiteshadow, he'd never felt such tension and need. This couldn't come from touching the Exalted Warrior, as he'd done that before.
Something about the Crystal Spirits' song affected him in a way he'd never known.
As much as he wanted to let their music surround and overwhelm him, he also feared he could lose himself to them and forget all he knew of his love for the Mother Prioress. Their melody touched places in his heart she had never reached.
"Can you feel the excitement?" Moonrazer asked over her shoulder. "The traditions say that the Crystal Spirits speak to our souls and connect with their chosen ones in a way no other living being can. They bring the love of the Holy One to us. This is the most intense experience we will ever have this side of Paradise."
"Wait," Lucan said.
Moonrazer stopped the horse, but she leaned toward the shrine, not looking at him. "What is wrong?"
"I can't go there. It is too much, and I am not worthy."
She twisted around to face him. "None of us are worthy to speak with the Crystal Spirits, but they called you, and they have something for you."
He shook his head. "I don't think I'm ready to hear it."
"Lucan, you are the Sword Bearer. Whatever you need to hear, it is important for you and the Sarl people. You must go."
"I will lose myself in them."
"If you do, then they will give you back even better. You will be stronger, spiritually, and will be a better Consort for me, and a better Sword Bearer for the Sarl people."
There was no response to this, so he nodded.
He had to face the Spirits.
****
Whiteshadow woke as the door to the bedchamber closed. She wondered why Lucan had left. Then she remembered him speaking to her, and she sat up.
He had heard the Crystal Spirits singing, and like any of the Called, he'd gone out to them.
Jumping from the bed, she hurried toward the window.
Dozens of Sarl were making their way toward the Glacier Shrine. She saw Lucan leave the Tower and walk in the same direction.
Whiteshadow knew what the Crystal Spirits would say to him. They were servants of the Holy One and would tell him he was helping to fulfill Janico's plans.
However, she was troubled that they would call Lucan, who was not a Sarl by blood. Why wouldn't they talk to her, the next Exalted Warrior?
Surely her mother was there with the other honored dead. Didn't she want to speak to her second daughter about her pride in wha
t Whiteshadow had and would soon accomplish?
She left the window and knelt before her personal shrine.
"Guide my hands today and help me fulfill Your will."
She picked up a few of the rose petals in the bowl next to Janico's Star and sprinkled them over her copy of the Ancient Writings.
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