Servant of the Moon #1 - unedited draft

Standing in what had been the center of the New Wemyss territory, Lothaire looked around at the bloody remains of his second and third Betas, and the warriors who had been with them. They had been torn to pieces, before they even had a chance to shift. His mind flashed back to that night and how they had all almost died at the claws and fangs of the most feared warriors in the world. The warrior standing closest to the Betas had been ripped in half.

He remembered seeing a pair of golden warforms do the same that night, brothers who had together taken down nearly 30 wolves before they were slain. Their father had fought with the giant fiery copper-furred alpha, Lothaire had lost track of how many they had slain before Lothaire’s wolves had managed to separate them. It had only been when the Alpha Raudimir Wemyss had gone to save his daughters that a dozen silver tipped crossbow bolts had slowed him enough that Lothaire had managed to tear out his throat. But the Alpha’s gambit had worked and his daughters had escaped into the storm. Out of habit, Lothaire’s own fingers traced the scars on his neck that crossed the scars made by another. The Alpha had nearly left him for the Moon’s hounds. He had lived by a fraction of an inch.

The only clue a tuft of golden fur in Lucius clenched fist. Lothaire gently eased the tuft out of the dead wolf’s grasp and sniffed the fluff. It was the same wolf who had hunted those who survived that night. The wolf Lothaire knew would come for him someday. A son of the late Master-at-Arms Lyallfr Gealimir had left this fur behind. He had run off to the northeast and toward the giant port of Halifax. He knew they would get no answers from the dock. The last son of New Wemyss had worked side by side with many humans there and they were as viciously loyal as wolves to each other.

Standing he glanced at the 6 others. The rest of the warriors with them had suffered slash or crushing blows and there had been fourteen slain who had pursued him. Scent masking tincture hid the smell of the Wemyss wolf’s allies, but Lothaire knew who had done this. The Servants of the Moon had helped the golden warform escape, just as they had last winter from the city on the mainland.

“Beta Lothaire, what do we do?” a young warrior shifted nervously, looking around as though he were expecting to be murdered at any moment.

“Relax, delta. Those who did this are long gone. Get some of the others and gather our dead. We are going home, there is no point in staying. The one we sought have taken refuge in a place even we dare not pursue them.”

Helios hid his amusement as his half-brother and father fumed while listening to his uncle describe the failure of their warriors to yet again capture or kill the golden warrior. Twenty warriors had gone and none would return. He relished the thought of there finally being an opponent who was worthy of him and his power, but for now he had to play the patsy to his younger brother.

“Uncle Lothaire has to be wrong, there is no way two or three wolves killed twenty,” Charlemagne complained.

Charles growled, “I think your uncle is getting paranoid in his old age, and it is time he stepped down and one of my sons took his place.”

Helios hid his smile, this was his opportunity, “Father, let me train under your brother to be Charlemagne’s Beta. He needs family to support him after you retire. I wasn’t raised in a pack, I don’t know how they work. I have a lot to learn. Then in a year or two, I’ll challenge him for the position.” Helios paused as his father eyed him cautiously. “I promise I won’t kill him, he’s family, but I want to do this, I want to make you proud, father.” He hung his head as if in shame, “I know there are a lot of wolves in Des Rues who don’t approve of me because of mother, they don’t think I’m a real wolf. Uncle Lothaire is one of them. Let me prove them wrong, let me prove him wrong. I can show them that I am your son and that they should be ashamed for doubting the strength of your blood, the royal blood of the Des Rues.”

Charlemagne nodded and added, “Please father, I want Helios as my Beta, I trust him. Make Uncle Lothaire train him, we can build up Des Rues the same way you and he did after grandfather nearly destroyed it, only better.”

Charles Des Rues smiled, seeing his sons want to work together to rebuild their pack made him feel proud, it was the closest thing to happiness he had know since his Luna died. Anne was the only joy in his world with her caring nature and soft laugh, he had loved his choice mate as much as he hated his true mate and as much as he lusted after his witch.

“Very well, my sons. When your Uncle returns, he will begin training Helios to be a first Beta, but that means they you Charlemagne will have to start taking your Alpha training seriously.”

The young Alpha half-brothers grinned at each other and said together, “Yes Father.” This was their destiny or so one of them believed.

Nyall stared out the window facing the south, the stars shined brighter than he had ever seen. The veil of the stars floated beyond the half-lidded eye of the waxing moon. A light tap brought him back to the door. Delilah entered with a quilted velvet bag and a tourmaline censer of incense. She seemed nervous.

“I am going to try something I have only done with Essie, but she says you can see our moon marks in the day, and when you touched me, I could feel the Moon’s blessing on you. I won’t lie it is dangerous and if we lose track of each other we could both be lost forever. But this is easier than me trying to explain and risk having you not believe. Are you willing or would you rather just have me try to explain it all?”

He thought about all the times Ainsley spoke to those on the Moon and to the Goddess and decided if she could be that courageous then so could he. “Show meh.”

He watched her salt a circle in the center of the floor as he had seen Mamó do many times. She had him sit and she sat facing him. She lit the incense and pulled the the strangest looking stone he had ever seen out. It looked like a piece of the darkened moonlit sea had been petrified, he could see the iridescent waves moving within it.

She noticed him staring at the cabochon, “This is a Tide stone, it has been in my family for many, many generations. With it, I can take others to the Tides. The Naphtal Oracles are the only ones who can use them. Others have tried but they have become lost and their souls never returned.”

She held out her hand, but instead of just grasping his when he reached back she laced their fingers together. Again he felt the tingle, like when the moonlight touched his tattoos.

Del’s face was worried as she warned him, “No matter what happens, what threat or danger or temptation you see, do not let go of my hand. I am going to show you the Moon’s enemy and the evil he serves. I will not be able to see what you see. I am blind to him, I can only see his harm to others. He is a deceiver, who will promise you anything and everything to get your allegiance. He'll say he doesn't want much, but in truth, all he wants, all you have to give him is your soul.”

Comhnyall laughed nervously, as he looked down at their intertwined fingers. “Ye make ’im sound like Grendal and his demon brothers. Like tha boogeymen.”

“I wish he was just a bedtime story, but he is real and war is coming. You are the one the Moon chose to stop him.”

She sounded so serious that he looked up and was caught in the moonlight glowing white out of her blue eyes. He felt like he was falling through water that wasn’t wet and then burning hot air and dust swirled around him. He was standing on a desolate sun-baked mudflat. The air burned and choked him and he squinted through the dust. It was unlike any place he had ever seen or dreamed existed.

He saw a great flaming bird land and become a tattooed male, in a burning, blood streaked hide cape, and kilt, and a tall feather headdress that shaded his features. He ran hard toward Comhnyall and dove at him, but Comhnyall couldn’t move and the demon passed through him. He turned and saw another, a decayed corpse of a wolf. Horrified he watched the corpse peel the skin from a young pup and stretched it over himself until he looked young and handsome. The handsome wolf then tore the heart out of the pup, eating it, and the skin seemed to glow. He looked at Comhnyall with burning polished golden eyes, and Comhnyall was shocked at how closely they resembled each other. The burning bird demon sprinkled blood on the other and tattoos mimicking the Moon’s Marks appeared on his skin, only instead of the Moon there was a Sun, and instead of vines of the moon over the shoulder, there was a mouth of sharp pointed teeth.

"I know you’re here, Daughter of the Moon’s Tides, I can feel you, but I can’t see you. However, I can see your bitch’s champion. Tell him, I’ll make him a deal. He joins me and I will give him back his precious mate and anything else he desires. Why serve a goddess who only takes and takes and takes when you can serve a god who is generous and gives?”

Suddenly, the landscape shifted and they were standing in New Wemyss as it was before the destruction, it looked like a spring day. Wolves Comhnyall had seen dead were walking around, pups playing, adults laughing, like that night never happened. Moire called out to him and he started to go to her, but someone was holding his hand, holding him back. He looked at a pale withered hand attached to a bony arm. A tattered gown held a skeletal female with thinning dark hair and bloody bandages wrapped over her eyes and mouth, she was shaking her head at him. He realized this place was trying to kill her and trick him.

He blinked several times trying to clear his vision, snow swirled around them and the fort was burning. Near the wall, Moire and Ainsley were laying in the snow dead, frozen to the ground with their own blood. It was the dream he had the night they were attacked. The dream that warned him, woke him in time to go and save Moire, but she had died later so had it even mattered? He felt his mate-lost soul breaking and Del grieved with him, her broken, mate-lost soul encouraging him not to give up, to trust the Moon.

"She can’t lie to you here. Join me and I can undo all this suffering. Don’t believe her, she only wants to keep all wolves enslaved to her goddess who can’t even answer a simple prayer or protect those she promised a great destiny to. You were meant for great things, warrior wolf. Join me, let me end your pain, let me make your destiny easier,” the handsome wolf promised.

Comhnyall remembered his father’s words in his father’s voice, ”The easy way is the way that leads to dishonor and failure. The weak choose the easy road and find nothing but destruction and shame at the end.”

Delilah squeezed his hand in agreement.

Comhnyall took a close look at the demonic pair, he noticed the burning one couldn’t stop clicking his jaw like he wanted to bite Comhnyall, consume him. The handsome one who had put on the pup’s skin, was already decaying again. Comhnyall stepped back pulling Delilah behind him, putting himself between her and the demons.

“Nay, I will nah believe yur lies, ye can nah bring meh family or meh mate back from tha Moon an’ I would nah wish them to be back,” Comhnyall said as bravely as he could.

The scene shifted and everything around them was burning, they were back in the desert. Delilah looked normal except she was in a glowing white gown. They choked on the smoke. The Firebird screamed like a great raptor and dove at them, but could not touch them. It passed into the ground and vanished.

The decaying wolf sneered, “You are a fool, Wemyss wolf. I would have given you a hundred females that were all exactly like your mate to fulfill your every desire. I have an army waiting for someone like you to lead it. I guess I’ll have to give it to the one wolf you weren’t able to find and kill. You’re a failure, unworthy of your heritage. Know this, I will burn all that you love, I will eat their hearts. Especially that adorable little sister of your mate’s...”

“You’ll nah touch her!” Comhnyall snarled, as Delilah chanted a prayer. Around them, rain began to fall, smothering the fires. Thunderclouds billowed and rolled overhead like the tide coming ashore.

"Oh, but I will touch her, maybe instead of killing her, she can join my beautiful mate in my harem, daughters of the tides to birth the sons of the Sun. Since the Delphi refuses to surrender her sister to me or herself to my brother, someday I will just come take them both and perhaps your pretty little fox-wolf too.” The enemy laughed after he finished speaking.

His mocking laughter faded as the storm became a torrential downpour, washing away the burning plain, waves rose up and covered them. There was a dizzying shift and they were back in Comhnyall’s room.

“Who... in hell... was that?” Comhnyall choked out the human expression of profanity.

“That is the enemy,” Delilah answered, “That was why I could not let you die. Why I saved you when you sank to the bottom...”

He seized her by the throat and slammed her to the floor. In a moment of clarity, he raged, “You! You’re the ghost voice that haunts me, that won’t let me die, that won’t let me join mo ceile (my mate).”

She nodded, tears running from her eyes, but she doesn’t pull at his hand, and instead she choked out, “I can’t... stop him... only... you...”

He released her, shocked at his violence toward a female. Trembling, he clutched his hands as she wheezed for breath.

She finally whispered,“Only you can stop him, I am just here to help you.”

He glared at her in hatred, all the rage and resentment he felt toward the Moon, all his grief and anguish poured out toward her like water from a breached levee, but she didn’t draw back from it, it was like she welcomed it and the pain that came with it.

“Ye knew Luca was goin’ ta die, did ye know mo Moire was goin’ ta die too?” he growled.

“No. That’s why I showed you my vision that night so you could save her. That is why I used every resource at my hand to find an answer when Mamo told me she was sick. Without her, you are weakened and they made it happen, I don’t know how but they did. When they attacked New Wemyss that night, it was so they could try to steal her and your destiny.”

They sat in silence for a moment then Delilah murmured, “You saw his marks, everything they do is a forgery, a sham, an evil copy of the Moon’s blessings to steal all that is good in the world away. They want to warp what you were promised, what all wolves are promised. I am meant to be your adviser, your oracle in the time of war, and I promise I will always be here for you.”

Del stood up and tucked the strange stone in it’s bag and carefully lifted the censer full of now-cold ash. “They are coming, Comhnyall, coming to reduce the world and all who live and love to this.” She dumped the ash on the floor.

“We can stop them, we can save everyone. I know you are angry with the Moon, be angry with me instead. Hate me, yell at me, take out your grief on me, but know I will not let you walk away from your destiny, I will not let you fail, Comhnyall... Any more than Moire would have.” Then Delilah left him sitting on the floor with a pile of ash in front of him and a salted circle around him. The smell of temple incense and fresh snow lingered long after she left.

Nyall swallowed at the weight of Del’s words, he wasn’t twenty for a few months and she had just declared that he would be the Moon’s own champion against an evil and its servant he could not even have believed if he had not seen them. She declared him a champion as if it was as natural for him to be that, as it was for her to be the most powerful oracle in the world. His legs felt weak and his stomach turned, everything he had lost, the hundreds of wolves who had gone on to the moon four years ago and again this week. But for what purpose?

They had been murdered while he been called by the Goddess Herself. Now he alone was to inherit the power of his pack and the destiny he had been born to. His nerves got the better of him and he rushed into the bathroom to empty what little was in his stomach. Washing, the face that stared back at him was haggard and pale. He couldn’t do it. He wasn’t a hero or a king. How could he save anyone when he couldn’t even save his mate and pup? He staggered back to his room and sank down on the bed. There was a mug on the bedside chest that hadn’t been there before, in it was warm broth with mint and herbs that would settle his stomach.

On a simple white card was a note.

Nyall,

I did the same thing when I saw my future.

Welcome to your destiny. Drink up and get some rest.

Your Service to the Moon starts tomorrow.

Essie

The End of Servant of the Moon

Coming soon Daughter of the Tides