by Candy Nicks
He's overwhelmed. Both at the prospect of the sudden responsibility and at her earnest face gazing up at him, hopeful and pleading. He came here to right a wrong. “Tragiria?"
The Elder nods her approval. The slightest of gestures, both a yes, and a thank you that he consulted her. “What is life if we cower behind walls, too afraid of what's on the other side?” she says.
Naima turns and flings herself onto her old nurse. “I'll come and see you, often. This isn't goodbye. Thank you, Tragiria. Thank you."
"You've made me proud, child.” Tragiria sniffs loudly and pulls out a linen square. Gently, she wipes a smudge from Naima's face. Touches her cheek. “Go with your father. Your place is with him."
Ancel reaches out a hand and touches his daughter for the first time. With a spring, she's up behind him, arms gripping his waist and they're riding out of the gate and bound for Terralandia.
* * * *
A lifetime of prayer is all she can offer. The Goddess may yet hear her pleas.
"Do no lose hope, my child. Without hope, there is nothing."
"Yes, Mother Abbess."
"You were deep in thought, child. Can I help you with anything?"
"I was thinking of ... people..."
"Him?"
"Yes, Mother Abbess. And those I left behind. I should have...."
"Said goodbye? Done more to help them? Child, it is not possible for one person to right all the wrongs in this world. Do not torture yourself. Their fate is in their own hands."
"But, I do feel responsible. Was it not a Moon-Child who started all this?"
The Abbess smiles kindly. “Would that there were more like you in this world, Carine. It would be a much better place. What else is bothering you?"
"The Soul Cleansing Stones. What happened to them?"
The Abbess sits beside her, concern etched into her ageing face. She glances down.
"You must rest child. So that your son will be born healthy and strong."
"A son?” Carine lays a soft hand onto her swelling stomach. Ancel promised she would never forget that first night of freedom, or the remaining twelve nights they'd spent on the road home. She secretly wonders if this is what he was hoping for during those endless days of sex and lust and love. They'd travelled under the cloak of darkness, hiding out during the daylight. He'd taken her in every way imaginable, at every stop, until she couldn't remember a time when he wasn't inside her, or touching her, or whispering sweet words of love to her. Saying goodbye had almost broken them both.
The Abbess leans forward, a faint smile on her lips. “I consulted the Oracle. But do not tell anyone, or I will have no peace. The Oracle is usually reserved for much graver matters than the sex of a child, or which horse will win the Gold Cup. You will not believe how many times I am asked that question."
"Thank you.” Carine smiles politely at the jest, her mind occupied with the growing life inside of her. “Will the baby be tainted, Mother Abbess?"
"By your soul? No, the sins of the mother will not be visited on the child. Or in this case, the sins of that dreadful man. You asked about the Soul Cleansers?"
"Yes, I read that they were given to the Lupines to throw into the Great Fire. Were they all destroyed?"
"The Soul Cleansing Stones were forged to cleanse the Soul Readers after giving absolution. But over time this gift was abused. The Soul Readers were giving absolution to those who did not deserve it, in return for monetary gain, contrary to the wishes of the Goddess. The Stones were given to the Lupines to take to the end of the world to be destroyed."
"And then the Lupines were hunted out of existence."
"Perhaps not all, but Shifters of any kind are a rare breed these days. I have never seen one. We are all praying for your eternal soul, Carine. The Goddess has been more than generous with you. She may yet extend her mercy."
"I think She's abandoned me."
"No, child.” The Abbess raises a trembling hand to Carine's cheek. Her kindness is almost too much to bear. “You have changed greatly, but here it is as always. She has not yet revealed her intentions—our lives are more complicated than we know—but perhaps there is some purpose to what has happened. You might have saved yourself, and yet you chose to save another, despite the terrible consequences. I cannot believe She would have let that happen for no reason."
The Abbess rises, stiffly, smoothing down her robes. “I will meditate on it. You are excused prayers tonight. The Oracle also told me to expect visitors. A man and a child. Perhaps you would like to help the cook prepare extra food? They will be hungry after their journey."
"Is it him, Mother? Will he be welcome here?” her voice is a bare whisper. If it is, he's found what he went looking for.
"We are obliged to offer them hospitality regardless, but we shall see. Ancel of Faylar has led many raiding parties against our people."
"I do not know the man he was, Mother. I saw only pieces of his life-journey."
"And he has walked a long road since you parted. We will reserve our judgment until we see what he has become."
Carine lingers a while in the peaceful gardens, watching the moons rising in the sky, insides fluttering at the thought of seeing him again. He's come for an answer. She rises and makes her way slowly to the kitchens. Then, her task complete, she moves to the quiet solitude of the spring-fed pool and, while the temple maidens pray for her eternal soul, she stands at the window and waits.
There's only one answer she can give him.
* * * *
He comes back to her by degrees as she strains for the first sight of him.
Memories of Ancel, of his clever hands and his sinful mouth have kept her warm through the chill of autumn and the cold of winter. Thinking of him sustained her through the lonely aching nights. Now he's a speck on the distant horizon, growing and moving ever closer, blurred by the setting sun at his back. There's purpose in the weary trudge of his horse, the way he holds himself, eyes fixed on his goal. She turns away. His first duty is to formality and the Abbess. They do not need her blessing, but it would mean a lot.
Naked, Carine slips into the water and immerses herself in its tepid warmth. His footfall on the tiled floor makes her turn away, suddenly nervous of what she'll see in those slate-grey eyes of his. A rustle of clothes, a splash, and she's shivering, even before his long fingers spread themselves over her shoulders, her arms, her breasts. Standing behind her, he encloses her with strength and love. She keeps very still, eyes shut, while he learns her again, by touch. A slight hesitation when his hands slide over the curve of her stomach, a hitch in his breathing and then his lips kissing her hair, the nape of her neck, her cheek, leaning over to kiss her mouth.
She tastes his urgency, his rigid self control . First an affirmation, in the best way she knows how, then she'll give him her answer. He's already ahead of her, hard and ready. She folds her arms on the pool-side and rests her head. He enters her with tender restraint, his hands cradling her hips, the only sound the gentle swish of water lapping around them. Her release brings tears of relief. He still hasn't spoken a word.
What should she do? Stay here and pray that the Goddess will take pity on her? Or leave with him, and live whatever life she has left, to the full? He's waiting.
"Life is a journey that we take on trust,” she begins. “We do not know the road ahead, only that we must walk it. I would like to walk it with you. There will be sorrows and joys, laughter and tears. I would like to share them with you. Ancel, these are the marriage vows of the Children of the Moon. All you have to do is say them back to me and it will be so."
"Thank you,” he says. His rigid body relaxes against her. His hands caress her belly. “Thank you for everything.” He nuzzles his face into the curve of her neck. “Carine, I have someone I'd like you to meet."
"You found her ... Ancel..."
She turns around and finally sees the man he has become. Her heart warms. Who would not give her soul for a man such as this?
The End
Thank you for reading. CN
Coming January 2008, the story continues in Lupine, the sequel to The Moon Child's Wish.
Carine struggles to keep the truth about her soul from Ancel, but now, seven years later it's becoming increasingly difficult to believe that she will receive the absolution she so desperately craves. The Goddess, it seems, has abandoned her and the Lupines, who hold the secret of the Soul Cleansers, have been hunted out of existence. Or have they? One day a man with eyes the colour of gold appears, badly injured, at the Settlement walls. As they battle to save his life both Carine and Naima realise that he's a throwback to a time they thought long gone. Perhaps the key to Carine's salvation...
Other books by Candy Nicks, available for sale at www.alinarpublishing.com
Visit Candy's website at www.candynicks.com
Can I Keep You
When Kane picks up a runaway on the streets of Victorian England his only thought is to have a few days of amusement and a decent meal. He is a vampire, after all—it's what he does. But Laura has to be the most unconvincing whore he's ever met. She soon finds out that there are ways other than brute force and strength to bring a vampire to his knees. As they fall in love, she becomes the catalyst for his astonishing journey of redemption, bringing back all-too-painful memories of Harry, the gentle man he once was. It's not an easy road. Along the way they encounter forces of evil that have other plans for Laura and Kane. And the question neither of them really wants to answer hovers in the background. Does he turn her into a vampire like himself and risk losing her? Or will a human lifetime together be enough?
Free reads by Candy Nicks, available at www.alinarpublishing.com
The Interview
Fay is a demon hunter, but that doesn't pay the bills. She needs a job and is shocked when she sees who's interviewing. Dane is the one vampire she's never been able to kill and after one hot, and very intense afternoon together, she finds out why.
Dane is desperate to show Fay that there could be more between them than just mind blowing sex in the shadows. All he has are a couple of hours to persuade her that she will be back, despite what she says.
After The Interview
Fay
I'm a hunter, and hunters don't love vampires. They don't find solace in their arms. They don't spend endless nights panting and sweating over their memories. Do they?
Dane
I lasted four weeks. Four bloody weeks of watching every blonde head. Skulking in the shadows trying to pick up her scent. Four weeks of constantly turning around only to find it wasn't her.
It whipped me into such a frenzy of need and despair that I didn't know what I wanted any more. I only knew she'd touched me somewhere and that place still burned. She'd left so much of herself behind that I could still feel her. And that she was the best that I'd ever had.
I growled and I glared, I pined and I yearned and after four weeks I gave in...
* * *
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