“Are you sure this is a good idea?”
Mari rearranged the basket filled with salves, tinctures, and every herb she thought might be of help, so that she could slip her hand into Nik’s and squeeze. “Stop worrying. I told you, I’m better after eating. Almost good as new!” It felt great to be walking beside Nik, her arm looped through his, even if he was frowning at her with worry. Rigel rushed past them, chasing Cammy, who was chasing a squirrel. “Hey, stay close, you two! It’s too dark to wander off,” she called.
Beside Nik, Laru sneezed and gave a growling grumble. “I know. Pups can be so annoying,” Nik said, patting the adult Shepherd on his head. He glanced around, holding the lit torch he was carrying higher. “I don’t like being out here after dark.”
Mari thought Nik sounded as grumbly as Laru. “We already talked about this. The birthing burrow isn’t far, and it’s logical that the swarm, and any other nasty things that crawl in the night, will be drawn to the dead left by the fire.” Through their linked arms she felt Nik shiver. “I’m sorry,” she added quickly. “I don’t mean to be callous about it. I know many of your friends died in that fire. But we’re alive, Nik. And for one night at least the forest doesn’t hold as many dangers for us as it usually does.”
“It still feels creepy out here at night,” Davis said. He glanced up at the sky, which was open and unobscured by the giant pines of the Tribe and the city that lived in the trees. “I didn’t think I’d ever say this, but I’ll be glad to get back inside Mari’s burrow.”
“One convert down—and only a whole Tribe to go,” Nik whispered to Mari, who stifled her laugh with a cough.
“Danita, how are you feeling?” Mari called to the girl who was walking behind them, the Lynx on one side of her and Antreas, holding another torch, on the other. Mari had been surprised when Danita had insisted on coming with them to the birthing burrow. As far as Mari knew, since she’d been attacked Danita had only left their burrow to relieve herself and bathe, but the Lynx’s protection seemed to have given the girl new life. Mari had known Danita’s body would heal from the rape and brutalization, but she and Sora had discussed that it was her spirit that most worried them, and though Danita’s body still needed to heal, it was becoming more and more apparent that Bast had somehow mended the girl’s spirit.
“I’m okay,” Danita said. Like Mari and Jenna, she was carrying a basket laden with food and medical supplies, but her free hand often reached down to touch Bast’s head, as if she wanted to be sure the feline remained beside her. She needn’t have worried. From what Mari could see, the Lynx had no intention of leaving the girl’s side. “Maybe a little, um, stiff and sore. But it feels good to be out walking, even if it is at night.” Danita sent the dark forest suspicious looks, and Mari saw her shiver.
“Hey, you don’t need to worry about anything out there,” Antreas said. “They’d have to get through Bast to get you, and that’s just not going to happen.”
Bast made the coughing sound that Mari had decided was the equivalent of one of Rigel’s yips of agreement.
“Good, but don’t push yourself. Once we’re at the birthing burrow I want you to rest. Whatever tea Sora has concocted for the women, be sure you get a big mug of it.”
“I’ll see she takes care of herself,” Jenna said. She was walking just behind Danita with Davis. They both carried torches that cast dancing shadows around the group.
“Thank you, Jenna,” Mari said.
She saw that Antreas was nodding in agreement as he kept watch on Danita. Now that the rich stew and Sora’s excellent bread had lifted the terrible fog of exhaustion from Mari’s mind, she had a bunch of questions she’d love to ask Antreas about Bast and life as a Lynx Companion in general. Nik had told her Antreas had come to the Tribe of the Trees looking for a mate. Mari flicked a quick glance back at Danita—really looking at the girl—and realized with a small start that even though she was young, just over sixteen winters, Danita was definitely old enough to choose a mate.
Mari’s gaze slid to the sleek feline who padded possessively beside Danita, her huge paws making no sound as she gracefully picked her way along the trail. The Lynx looked up then, meeting Mari’s eyes. Within that light-filled gaze, Mari saw intelligence and confidence and kindness.
“What is it?” Nik asked softly.
“Just that life seems to get more interesting as it gets more complicated,” she said.
“Couldn’t agree with you more,” Antreas muttered.
The path began to turn sharply to the right, and Mari raised her hand. “Okay, the birthing burrow is just around that bend and then up a length of rock stairs.” She paused, breathing deeply of the night air, feeling a great sense of relief when she caught the scent of lavender. “Smell that lavender?” The men nodded. “That means Sora has set up a perimeter of lavender oil and salt. It keeps out the wolf spiders. She’ll also have campfires and torches lit.”
“She is going to Wash the males!” Jenna said happily.
“Males? No. No, I don’t want them here.” Danita crouched beside Bast, her arm around the Lynx.
“Bast and I won’t let anyone hurt you,” Antreas said.
“No one is going to hurt you, Danita. But I do want you to stay inside the burrow until all who are Gathered have been Washed of Night Fever,” Mari said.
“I don’t really understand this Night Fever stuff,” Antreas said.
“It’s usually simple,” Jenna explained. “Every Third Night all Earth Walkers must be Washed of Night Fever by a Moon Woman.” She held out her arm so that Antreas could see that her skin had begun to flush a silver-gray color. “This is a sign of Night Fever. It’s not so bad with Danita and me, because Sora Washed us last night.”
“Yes, and even if she hadn’t, we wouldn’t be dangerous, just really sad,” Danita said.
“Like all the Scratchers—oh, sorry, I mean Earth Walkers—on Farm Island?” Davis asked. “You didn’t have a Moon Woman there to Wash you, so that’s why the only Earth Walkers I knew before Mari were so depressed that they seemed childlike and unable to take care of themselves, right?”
“That’s right,” Mari said.
Davis shook his head. “I wish we would have known. I wish the women would have told us.”
“Have you ever tried to reason with someone who has taken you from your home, imprisoned you, and made you perform slave labor for them?” Jenna asked pointedly.
“No, I haven’t. I know it sounds like too little too late, but I’ve sworn I’ll never have anything to do with capturing another Earth Walker, and I will keep to my oath,” Davis said. “You’re all so different than I thought you were, and now that I know it, I won’t go back to unknowing it—I couldn’t, even if I wanted to. Just for the record—I don’t want to.”
“I believe you,” Jenna said.
“I believe you, too,” Mari said. “So, you understand now about what happens to Clanswomen if they aren’t Washed of Night Fever. It’s different for our men. Night Fever doesn’t make them sad. It makes them angry—very angry. A Clansman who hasn’t been Washed can be dangerous, but usually only to himself.”
“But once they’re Washed they’re okay. Like my father. He was—” She broke off, her eyes shining with unshed tears, her gaze going soft with remembrance. “He was the best father in the world. Right, Mari?”
“Absolutely,” Mari said.
“What you’re saying is the Clansmen will be drawn by the fire and by the scent of lavender and want to be Washed, which means they’ll be dangerous, but only until you’ve performed your ritual?” Davis said. “Ritual? Is that the right word for it?”
“Yes, though you can also call it drawing down the moon. Here’s the thing about tonight. We don’t usually hold a Gathering at the birthing burrow. It’s a women’s place of sanctuary, where they give birth, tend babies, and hold classes for the older children. I don’t know how many males will be close enough to be drawn here.…” Mari paused and then added, “And there’s another problem. None of us knows what happens to our males after they have gone so long without being Washed of Night Fever. Our Clan has never had a Moon Woman die so suddenly without a properly trained heir to take up her role immediately.”
“You’re saying the men haven’t been Washed since your mother’s death?” Davis said.
“Yes, that’s what I’m saying.”
“I thought you were a Moon Woman,” Antreas said.
Mari sighed. “I am, but only by default. Mama hadn’t finished training me—or Sora, Mama’s other apprentice. It’s my fault, really. I didn’t take over Mama’s duties after she died. I had Rigel to think of, and the Clan didn’t know about him, or that my father was a Companion. Mama kept that hidden from them, afraid that she and I would be banished if they found out.” Mari lifted her chin and admitted, “And I didn’t want to be Moon Woman. Not after Mama was killed. I just wanted to be left alone.”
“But Sora wouldn’t leave you alone,” Nik said.
Mari gave him a sardonic look. “And neither would you. Sora and Nik and Rigel brought me back to life, back to my duties as Moon Woman and Healer of Clan Weaver. Still, the damage has been done. The males are mad with Night Fever, and I don’t know if Washing them will fully relieve their pain and anger and let them come back to themselves.”
“And if they do come back to themselves, how will they be able to live with the things they’ve done?” Danita said.
Mari nodded sadly. “Exactly.”
“That could be why those males attacked us at that deer carcass,” Davis said to Nik. “Does Mari know about that?”
“No, I haven’t had a chance to tell her,” Nik said.
“What is it?” Mari asked.
“It’s how O’Bryan was wounded and got the blight. It was before I went on the foraging mission to Port City—before you found me injured by the Skin Stealers. Davis, O’Bryan, and I were searching for Rigel, and we came upon a slain deer—wasted and hanging to rot.”
“You mean the whole carcass? Someone killed a deer and just left it?” Mari asked incredulously.
“Yeah, and even more bizarre, Earth Walker males were there, waiting, as if they’d set a trap for us,” Nik said.
“But that doesn’t happen. Our males have never trapped Companions, and they definitely wouldn’t waste a deer kill,” Jenna said.
“And yet that’s what happened,” Nik said.
“Yeah, it was bad,” Davis added.
“You’re sure they were Earth Walker males and not Skin Stealers from Port City?” Mari asked.
“Absolutely sure,” Nik said.
“I second that,” Davis said. “I was there. It was a close thing for a while. We almost didn’t escape their trap.”
“Our males are doing things they’ve never done before,” Danita said in a small, frightened voice.
“She’s right,” Jenna said. “Even on a Third Night, our Clansmen can be reasoned with—at least long enough for them to be Washed.”
“They have to be stopped,” Danita said.
“They will be,” Mari said, and then silently added, Either by Washing or by death—they will be stopped.
“What you’re saying is that you want us to watch the perimeter, and I’m assuming to not kill any Earth Walker males who breech it, but to let them through so you can Wash them,” Nik said.
“Yes. That’s what I’m saying. But Nik, I’m also saying keep your crossbow close and ready. Davis, Antreas, be ready, too. I’ll Wash the males, but if it doesn’t work—or if they are too violent to be helped—shoot them. I won’t have anyone else hurt,” Mari said.
“Understood,” Nik said. Davis and Antreas nodded grimly.
“I’m sorry. I know this is my fault. I should have found the males after Mama was killed. I should have cared more about the Clan than my sadness,” Mari said to Jenna and Danita. The two girls shared a long look before Jenna spoke for them both.
“Leda was your whole world, Mari. Of course you mourned; you’re still mourning. And there was a lot the Clan didn’t know back then—a lot that would have been impossible to explain to Night Fever–crazed males. But everything is different now. We understand what you’ve been hiding and why.”
Danita nodded in agreement. “Now you’re our Moon Woman. We follow you. Always.”
Mari felt the weight of their trust as a great pressure around her heart. It warmed her, but it also frightened her. What if I mess up? What if I make the wrong decision and hurt the Clan even more than it’s already been hurt by me?
And then, drifting down the twisting path before them, the lovely sounds of women’s voices raised in joyous song carried through the night.
“Oh! They’re singing!” Jenna said, clapping her hands together in happiness.
“It’s the Clanswomen! Sora must have already Washed them.” Danita cocked her head, listening carefully. Then her face broke into a delighted grin. “It’s a Beltane melody!”
“Beltane? Is it really Beltane so soon? Great Goddess, I’ve totally lost track of time,” Mari said.
“Sora remembered!” Danita jumped to her feet, obviously eager to run ahead, but she paused and turned to Mari. “Mari, do you think I can join the Clan instead of staying inside the burrow?”
“If you feel up to it, of course you may,” Mari said. “Sora’s already Washed the Clan, so if any males have come to the Gathering you should be safe, but Danita, you have to realize there might be Clansmen there.”
Danita ducked her head and spoke to her feet. “The ones who attacked me?”
“Maybe,” Mari said.
Danita lifted her head. “I won’t let what they did to me rule the rest of my life. I want to join the Beltane celebration, just like I would have before.” Her hand stroked Bast, and she spoke directly to the big feline. “Bast, will you please come to me after Mari introduces you and Antreas to the Clan?”
Bast made her strange coughing-bark and rubbed against Danita’s legs, purring like a humming wasp nest.
“That’s a yes,” Antreas said.
Danita sent him an annoyed look. “I know. You’re not the only one who can understand her.”
“What’s happening?” Nik asked.
The weight that had been settling around Mari’s heart shifted, lifted, if only a little. “It’s the Clan. They’re rejoicing in Beltane, and the girls are excited to join them.”
“Beltane? What’s that?” Antreas asked.
“It’s fun! That’s what it is!” Danita shot back over her shoulder at him from where she and Jenna were already straining to run ahead to the Gathering.
“It’s one of our seasonal celebrations,” Mari explained as they headed around the path and then came to the wide stones that had been placed generations ago to form stairs leading up to the birthing burrow. “Beltane is a fertility celebration—fertility for the crops we’ve planted, and fertility for the Clan. There are always lots of babies born in late February and early March—conceived during a Beltane celebration.” She felt Nik’s gaze on her, which had her stomach fluttering like it did when he held her hand. “It’s halfway between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice, and Clan Weaver always celebrates with a Gathering, good food, and all-night dancing and singing.”
“And spring mead! We celebrate with that, too!” Jenna said.
“Yeah, we sure do. I wonder if Sora managed to unearth any?” Mari’s mouth watered at the thought of the drink that fermented all winter in carved oak barrels Clanswomen buried to unearth, rich and strong and sweet, in the spring.
“Oh, I hope so!” Jenna jumped up and down in excitement. “Come on, Mari!”
“You two go ahead and join the Clan, but Bast needs to stay with us until I make introductions. And put those baskets of supplies by the burrow.” As Jenna and Danita darted ahead, splashing through the stream that wound around the burrow, Mari told the three men, “Remember what I said about watching for Clansmen. They are dangerous—very dangerous.”
“Understood,” Nik said. “Though it won’t endear us to your Clan if we show up and have to start fighting their males.”
“I think it’d be more endearing than standing by and watching a bunch of males crazed with Night Fever brutalize Clanswomen,” Mari said.
“Good point,” Davis said. “And I hope there’s mead, too.”
“Let’s go see,” Mari said.
“After you, Moon Woman,” Antreas said as his Lynx meowed pitifully and stared after Danita.
“Hey, cat man,” Davis teased good-naturedly. “Aren’t you afraid of losing Bast to that girl?”
“No. Losing her to Danita isn’t what I’m afraid of,” the Lynx man muttered so softly that Mari was pretty sure she was the only one who heard him.