Love And War (27 page)

Riverwind's face darkened with hostility, and Goldmoon wished Hollow-sky would vanish.

“Lady?” Hollow-sky queried, impatiently. His hands gripped his reins too tightly.

Riverwind's hand slid smoothly along his longstick in a vaguely threatening manner. In
response, Hollow-sky, with seeming casualness, ruffled the feathers atop his own pole.

If I do not separate them, Goldmoon thought, they are likely to continue with yesterday's
contest.

“Please excuse me,” she said regretfully to Riverwind. “Come, Hollow-sky.” She nudged her
horse ahead a bit, and Hollow-sky followed.

The party of riders and servants made only a few short stops to stretch their legs. They
ate dried meat and fruit on the trail. It was a typical summer afternoon on the open
plains - hot and still. Grass insects hummed and swarmed and made a nuisance of
themselves. The only excitement of the ride came when their passing flushed birds out of
the grass or when snakes or small animals underfoot startled the horses.

At last, just when Goldmoon felt she could no longer bear her own trickling sweat, they
began to climb into the hills at the foot of the mountain that held their goal. Cool,
pine-scented air reached the travelers, renewing their energy and spirits.

The trail became steeper and narrower. Just when it seemed that the cart could go no
farther, a high meadow came into view. Here Goldmoon instructed Clearwing and Starflower
to unhitch the cart horse and load it with her belongings. They were then to make camp and
await her return, which should be by midday the next day. Her serving women were reluctant
to let her go on without them, but she repeated her orders, eyeing them sternly. No one
but herself and her two escorts were allowed on the holy ground.

Goldmoon and her escorts continued upward with the cart horse. The trail grew worse; in
some spots it became almost vertical. The cart-horse-turned-pack animal balked, and Riverwind had to dismount
and coax, tug, and push it along. Hollow-sky watched without offering to help, an amused
look on his face. Finally, they came to a spot where the horse refused to be moved no
matter what Riverwind did.

Tossing her horse's reins disdainfully to Hollow-sky, Goldmoon slid off her horse and
joined Riverwind. She covered the animal's eyes with her hands and murmured softly in its
ears. When she sensed the beast relax, she tugged gently and it followed her along the rim.

Riverwind stared at her with admiration, but Goldmoon, failing to acknowledge it,
remounted without a word, and they continued on.

The path divided unexpectedly on the lower slopes of the mountain itself, one trail
heading up the west slope, the other the east.

“Which way, Princess?” Hollow-sky asked.

Goldmoon's brow furrowed in puzzlement. “I do not know. I thought there was only one
trail.”

“The shadows are lengthening,” Hollow-sky said unnecessarily. “If we take the wrong route
and need to turn back, we shall have to travel in the dark to be there when Lunitari's
rays open the cavern, and that could be dangerous.”

The princess wondered why Arrowthorn had not warned her of this. She looked for signs that
one trail was newer than the other, but she really could not tell.

“Why don't you rest, Princess?” Hollow-sky said. “I will scout down one path and return as
quickly as I am able. And you, shepherd, scout the other.”

Goldmoon bristled. Riverwind was not an underling for Hollow-sky to command, and worse,
the son of Loreman was again making decisions and giving orders on her behalf.

“You will scout the trail, Hollow-sky,” she said firmly, “and Riverwind will remain here
as guard.” Her tone brooked no argument.

Hollow-sky sat stiffly astride his horse as Riverwind dismounted, tossing a tight-lipped
smile at his rival. Hollow-sky's fingers strayed to the feathers atop his long stick as
they had earlier. Ignoring the subtle challenge, Riverwind defiantly turned his back on
Hollow-sky.

The Plainsman stood alertly at the path's divide and watched Hollow-sky depart, as
Goldmoon sat down on the ground and leaned against a tree.

“Come sit with me, please,” she commanded.

Riverwind lowered himself into a cross-legged position before his Chieftain's Daughter.

“I have something for you. I made it during the ride across the plain,” Goldmoon
whispered. She held out her hand, displaying a small golden circlet. “You rescued them
from the crow,” she said, and Riverwind saw that she had woven the strands of her hair
which he had rescued into a lacy ring. She laid it in the warrior's palm, where it
glistened golden in the sun.

Riverwind was silent for many long moments staring down at the gift. When he finally
slipped it around a finger, Goldmoon let out the breath she found she'd been holding for
fear he would reject it.

Drawing a chain from his shirt and removing it over his head, Riverwind said, “I would
like you to have this.”

Goldmoon quickly shook her head. “You don't have to give me anything in return.”

“You must take it,” Riverwind insisted. “I have already accepted two gifts from you.”

“Two?”

Riverwind reached up and placed a hand over the pole strapped to his back. “This was not
Wanderer's weapon.”

“Well, I'm afraid his weapon was . . .” Goldmoon paused confusedly - “damaged.”

“I thought as much. Why did you replace only mine?”

“It was the only one I knew about. I wanted the contest to be judged by the gods, not by
mortals.”

Riverwind nodded. “I see.”

“But I am not displeased that you were one of the victors,” Goldmoon assured him.

Riverwind smiled at her, the smile of a friend. “Then please,” he said, “accept this.”

Taking the chain from him, Goldmoon saw that it was made of common brass, but the charm
hanging at the end - two circles joined together - was of brilliantly polished silver-blue
steel, so valued a metal among the Que-shu that it was never used to make jewelry.

“It's called an infinity sign or a forever charm. But it is more than a decoration - it
will protect you, keep you from harm.”

Looking slightly puzzled, Goldmoon ran her fingers around the steel circles. “This has
something to do with the ancient gods, doesn't it?” she asked.

Riverwind nodded. “It is the symbol of a goddess, but her name was lost to the memory of
our people as were all the names of the true gods. I suspect Loreman knows them, but he will not say.”

On first hearing that the charm was a symbol of a strange goddess, Goldmoon was tempted to
reject the gift. However, if Loreman does not like it, she thought, perhaps there is some
good to it. She slipped the chain over her head and tucked the amulet into her shirt.

Riverwind, too, let out his held breath and smiled gently at his princess.

They sat quietly, giving in to their fatigue. Goldmoon's eyes closed.

The sound of galloping hooves startled Goldmoon awake. While she slept Riverwind must have
tucked her fur cloak around her. He stood alert, his bow at the ready. But it was
Hollow-sky who rode up, his face flushed with excitement.

“This must be the right path. It leads to a road like none I have ever seen before. Hurry,
the sun is going down.”

Goldmoon and Riverwind mounted up and followed Hollow-sky down the path he had scouted.
About a quarter of a mile along it suddenly turned into a broad road, at least ten feet
wide and paved with huge, flat stones, work never seen among the tribes of the plains.
Still, it seemed familiar to Goldmoon, though she could not tell why.

Although the slope was steep, traveling was easier now, for the way was quite smooth and
they could let the horses trot. There was still plenty of light in the sky when they
arrived at the landmark Arrowthorn had described to Goldmoon - a large stone arch
straddling the road.

“I recognize this stonework,” the princess said, relieved to know they were on the right
road. “It's just like the platform in our village.”

Riding underneath the arch, she halted her horse where she could touch the cool rock.
Looking up, she saw symbols carved on the underside of the arch. Many were unrecognizable,
but the largest, carved at the apex of the arch, consisted of two circles joined together.
Goldmoon drew out the amulet Riverwind had given her and gasped softly. The steel charm
glowed with a soft blue light in the 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, ancient crystal globes on her belt. In the Hall of the Sleeping
Spirits, they would be filled with sacred sand.

“Where is Riverwind?” she whispered to Hollow-sky as he handed her a torch.

“I could not wake him, so I took both watches. The sheep-herder sleeps like a rock,” he
said, contempt in his voice.

“Try again!” Goldmoon commanded.

Hollow-sky shrugged. “Why bother? The sheep-herder is not a believer. The ceremony will
mean nothing to him. He may even spoil it. Let him sleep.”

Hollow-sky's refusal to obey her orders angered the priestess.

Goldmoon quickly knelt by Riverwind's bedroll and gave the warrior a shake. But he did not
respond.

She spun about and stood to face Hollow-sky. “You've drugged him,” she accused.

“Yes,” he admitted. “I couldn't let him spoil my plans.”

“YOUR plans? What are you talking about?” The princess suddenly felt chilled and even a
little frightened in the predawn darkness. She began to search through her saddlebags for
something, anything, that might bring Riverwind around.

Hollow-sky shrugged. “I know you will think this presumptuous of me, but I guarantee you
will find my plans infinitely preferable to my father's.”

“I know about the book, if that's what you mean.” She could see nothing of use among her
things.

Grabbing her arms, Hollow-sky forcibly turned her back around to face him. “You have no
idea, do you?” He grinned and then said, as if explaining to a child, “Goldmoon, my father
wants the title of chieftain for himself, but he can't take it as long as Arrowthorn has
an heir. If you were out of the way, my sister Ravenhair would be priestess, then my
father would be chieftain.”