Servant of the Moon #1 - unedited draft

Delilah stood in the airport next to Kaiyou, both bowed respectfully as a very old she-wolf surrounded by a dozen warriors dressed as human personal security met them. The ancient wolf smiled and waved for the young Delphi to follow. They were now in the territory of the oldest pack in the world and Delilah could only pray they would be granted access to the ancient records kept here. As they drove through the crowded city, Del marveled at the number of people packed into the small place, and was horrified by it at the same time.

Outside the city, they drove into a beautifully manicured estate, Del frowned. This was not where she needed to go. But as the doors were opened she got out and followed the ancient oracle into the house. Two young she-wolves led Delilah to a room and helped her change clothes, they instructed her in the proper way to take tea before leading her through a maze of halls and out to a peaceful garden. T he elder was served tea first, then the Delphi. They sipped the tea in silence and then she was led to a secluded part of the garden to wait, then dinner in her room, sleep breakfast in the garden, lunch by the koi pond, tea by the waterfall. Kaiyou was always a few steps behind or by the door of whatever room she was in.

After three days of the same routine, Delilah was getting impatient. While she and the ancient oracle were having tea in one of the many snow-covered gardens on the estate, that afternoon she blurted out, “Forgive me, Xiānzhī (prophetess), but when are we going to the archives?”

The old shewolf's eyes shined with amusement, surrounded by a thousand lines. “Drink your tea, young one. Enjoy the sky through the winter branches, watch the koi nibble at the edges of the ice or the ducks making fading furrows in the pond’s surface. You have much to do before you may enter the sacred mountain. You carry much of the unsettled resonance of the Tides. It makes you impatient. You must calm yourself, still your soul so that you may hear more than the shouting and raging of wolves and war. You must remember how to listen for Her whisper too.”

Del gaped at her, mouth open, but before she could retort the Xiānzhī rose and walked away, her silk hefu swishing softly over the stone path and snow. She stopped and turned, her blind white eyes held sorrow, concern, and something else Del could not discern. “We have all winter, Delphi. Please stay in the garden until you have counted a thousand snowflakes.”

As soon as the door slid shut behind her, a snowflake lightly came to rest on Delilah’s cheek. She looked up into the swirling flakes beginning to fall, their tiny crystals dancing and flitting on the air currents like flocks of silvery birds over the sea. How was she ever going to count them?!?!

The first snows painted the hook of land they called home now. Moire seemed stronger since Nyall had come home to stay. She could keep down food, and did not ache as much, but she complained constantly about the new medicine the Oracles’ healer had sent to Mamó. Her belly round and large as their son grew inside her. He could hear their son’s heartbeat, fast and strong, like the beating of a hummingbird’s wings. He was an active pup, but sometimes his movements caused Moire to double over in pain, but she would just breathily laugh it off claiming their son kicked harder in his sleep than Ainsley. So Comhnyall began to worry more for Mamó, who was getting frailer as winter moved forward, than for Moire, who seemed to be getting stronger.

Ainsley still did not speak, but her wolf would whisper to his sometimes, and she no longer spent every night outside staring at the moon. She enjoyed the skylight he had built into the roof of her room, and the excessive amount of art supplies they indulged her with. Moire teased her that her fingers would never be their proper color again, to which Ainsley would rub her chalked or inked or pigmented fingers on her cheeks leaving streaks like warpaint. Her walls were covered with images, some were poignant, some happy, some tragic, some confusing, but all were beautiful.

Sometimes Nyall and Moire spent hours looking at them and trying to figure out whether they meant anything or were just lovely images created by a 7 year’s mind.

One windy mid-winter night, Comhnyall lay in bed, with his arms wrapped around his mate, he did not want to move from this place of happiness. They had enough money saved to go across the pond, as Mamó said. But they did not want to travel until Comhnyall and Moire’s pup was at least a year old. Mamó had know the moment they came home that Moire was with pup. He smiled fondly at the memory of those two and a half days. Comhnyall had used part of their hard hoarded wealth to buy conveniences for the house, and even put a wind-charged electric pump on the well and run water pipes. Hot baths were once a rare luxury, now that they had oil-heated hot water always ready. The daily hot soaks helped sooth the painful cramps that had plagued Moire’s pregnancy.

She turned toward him in her sleep, threading her arm under his and curling her neck so that her cheek rested on his bare shoulder. Her hand came to rest over the Moon’s mark on his side, it tingled and pulsed with her heartbeat. He looked down on her mass of coppery curls and smiled. Inhaling her scent mixed with his son’s, he tried to fall back asleep, but his wolf nudged him. What his wolf was saying didn’t make sense. Tomorrow, he would ask Mamo about what his wolf smelled. Comhnyall inhaled again very slowly, under the herbal and cream fragrance of the pregnancy balms Moire rubbed into her tightening belly skin, and the strong peppery wood scent of their pup, under the aroma of dawn and flowers and sea air that was hers alone, so faint he would have missed it if his wolf wasn’t so keen to find it, was the pungent, bitter odor of silver.

Essie stood at the top of the stairs that led from the place where the petitioners waited to the private consultation alcoves where the oracles spoke to those seeking the Goddess’ favor. Many wolves sent letters and were granted appointments, some just showed up and begged for a vision. All were allowed to see the lower oracles but those who wished to see the Delphi screened before meeting the most powerful Oracle in the wolf world. Mostly she walked the Tides, seeking answers to greater problems in the wolf world but daily Delilah would select a wolf from the waiting area, that the Moon lead her to.

Today, however, Essie stood in her sister’s place. For two days she had lied to Louis that she was too fatigued, but today she had to find someone she could have a vision for or call Delilah in China for help. She saw an older woman, a widow, and she felt the cool breeze of the Tides. Immediately, her head began to hum. She descended the stairs slowly. Her sister’s Oracles and Acolytes were calling out names of the petitioners they had been assigned from those who had written ahead.

“Hello, I am the Delphi,” Essie said softly, “You wish a boon from our Goddess?”

The white haired wolf looked at her with hopeful eyes before bowing her head, “Yes, yes please.”

Louis walked up behind her, “I am sorry, Delphi. This shewolf does not have an appointment and I told her she would have to wait for a cancellation like everyone else.”

His snide tone made Essie want to punch him but since she was pretending to be her sister, she could not. Del had been gone over a month and Essie didn’t know how much longer she could keep pretending to be her patient and benevolent sister. She turned slowly from the woman to face Louis. She noticed Ketsu had stepped into the door and was scanning the room. His outwardly stoic expression was easily read by Essie as one of intense concern. Something was wrong. His eyes flashed to hers and he glanced her toward the stairs. Whatever had him riled up, he wanted her away from the crowd. She smiled at Louis as Delilah would.

“Louis, the Moon has lead me to her, I felt the Tides call when I saw her. Please, come with me,” Essie held out her hand to the elderly wolf as Del would. The widow rose shakily, Essie held her arm, and Louis followed Essie up the stairs. She noticed a male wolf sitting in a consultation area alone but didn’t think anything of it. Petitioners with appointments were often placed in the comfortable seating areas while waiting their assigned oracle.

“Delphi, begging you pardon, but we have several much more important petitioners to attend today,“Louis sounded agitated and Essie knew that by more important, he meant richer.

She bit the inside of her cheek, and gave Louis the patient smile she had seen Del give him so many times, “The Moon deems who is important, not I. But I will see one of them after I am finished here.” She hated him so much she wanted to rip that self-satisfied smug look off his face with her claws, as he nodded.

“Of course, Delphi.” He answered and walked back to where the male wolf was sitting alone.

Essie sat down across from the widow and smiled as sweetly as she could, “Please, tell me what you seek from the Moon.”

Four hours later, Essie sat in Del’s scrying room smoking a cigarette, their mother’s mirror safely back in its padded case and on the shelf. One of Del’s bowls sitting in her purifying table, salted as if it had been used. The woman’s petition had been easy enough and the Moon had shown Essie which pack to send the shewolf to in order to be reunited with her daughter who had left after a fight with her late father. Essie rubbed her temples, the poor family had not spoken to each other in decades. Pride and resentment had dug a canyon that it was almost too late to cross, the old shewolf would be going to the Moon soon. She needed Louis to send a message to the daughter that the Moon said it was time to end the feud. She looked down at the note she had written and scowled. Carelessly she had written in her own script and not Delilah’s looping vine-like letters. She copied the note and burned the first before fanning herself with incense smoke. Drawing a slow deep breath, she opened the door and went back to the waiting area. The widow was overjoyed, the elderly mate-lost wolf had held on after her mate went to the Moon for the sole purpose of finding her daughter and the Moon had heard her prayers.

“It would have been easier to hire a tracker,“Louis said as they watched a maid lead the elderly she-wolf to a room for the rest of the night.

Essie patted his arm as Del would, “Sometimes your practicality concerns me as a lack of belief, Louis. Her faith is a beautiful thing, darling.” She had not meant to say that last word but she was so focused on being sickly compassionate, it had just slipped out. She ignored the expression on his face as she looked over his shoulder. “Who is that?”

Louis turned and sighed, he had almost forgotten about the wolf who had traveled and waited and paid well to see only the Delphi. “He has a very difficult petition, Delphi. He has been waiting for three days to see you.”

Essie nodded, and started forward. He stood when she approached but something in the way he kept glancing to and fro had her wolf on alert.

“I am the Delphi. You wish a boon from our Goddess?”

“Are you really her?” He asked, “The real Delphi and not a fake?”

Essie blinked at him and stepped back slightly. Louis was already down the steps and out of sight. She spoke cautiously,“Yes, what question do you have for the Moon.”

“I have a message for you and your sister from my god. Tell your sister, the Sun is coming for her before you join your Goddess.” His voice was strangely emotionless as he stalked toward her, with a silver dagger.