Daughter of the Tides, Servants of the Moon Book 2

Farthest Northern Coast…

The Delphi stood up in the shallow water and waded through the low waves. The warmth of the southern sea had flowed with them and so the still icy harbor was not as unpleasant as it could have been. Victor steadied Del as they waded to the rocky cobble shore with the waxing moon lighting a path for them to follow.

The little girl vampire Delilah carried was crying as Del murmured soothing things to her. Nyall stalked behind them, still very unhappy at not being allowed to kill Lothaire Des Rues and being banned from killing him in the future. He ignored the Delphi as he walked toward the ship and its captain. Several Vampires, humans, and two half-vampires ran down the shore past him and toward the Delphi and Viktor.

The Augur Vampyr held out her arms and took the child, who calmed quickly. “Shhh, Erosa, it is okay. You are safe.” She kissed the little girl and introduced her to Max. “This is my beloved, is it okay if he takes you to meet your new sister and brother.”

“Papa and m-mommy are d-died,” the child stammered.

“I know, sweetheart, but Viktor rescued you with the help of the Delphi. You’re safe now,” Lanea reassured her.

Delilah rubbed the child’s back, “These Vampires are going to take you to a safe place where those evil witches can never find you.”

Max smiled at the little one, “Hey, why don’t you come with me? My daughter has a warm pair of pajamas picked out for you and she can’t wait to meet you.” He held out his arms and the little vampiress hugged him. “I got her, say your goodbyes, my beloved.”

After Max walked toward the ship, Lanea turned. “Thank you, Delilah. Thank you for saving her. Without your power to help Viktor… Thank you Viktor, you could have been killed.”

Viktor bowed. “It is my honor as a protector to preserve a child of the shadows from being sacrificed.” Then he bared his fangs in a terrifying way. “And I got to kill one of the witches who attacked your coven without the apostate being able to do anything about it.”

Delilah nodded, with a malevolent smirk. “I also informed the Sunwolf that we would no longer allow him to burn the blood of the vampires and told the alphas at his little party that they needed to choose which side they were going to be on. My grandfather and the elders have ordered the Wanderers to find the remaining fourteen covens and warn them to leave this continent or risk being murdered by the Sunwolf and his witches.”

“I wish you would let me come forward,” Lanea scowled, thinking of how formidable they could be together.

“It is not the will of our goddess,” Viktor declared.

“Only on the sacred isle with Viktor and Max standing at your sides to protect you, can you reach out to the covens without fear of them trying to kill or kidnap you. Once you are safely on Patmos, no vampire or wolf or witch would dare threaten you or your beloved or your children,” Del reminded.

Lanea looked over to the ship, then back. Concern shone in her ruby eyes. “I... I just hate to leave you alone to face this demon.”

“It is my destiny to stand with the future king and to guide my goddess’s children.” Del looked toward Nyall with a concerned expression. “He must choose a new mate, so he can be stronger before the war comes but I don’t... I don’t know if he will.”

Quirking a smile, Viktor murmured in a tone too low for the young warrior wolf to hear. “If he was wise, he would choose you, Delphi.”

Lanea and Delilah both burst out laughing and, when Viktor looked at them oddly, Lanea explained, “The Alpha of Wemyss hates the Delphi, but he is bound to her will by his promise to serve their goddess. Perhaps he will choose her sister.”

“Oh, goddess I hope not, she already has plans to be his mistress,” Del snickered then she whispered loudly, “Don’t tell Larson.”

“My brother is more concerned with having discovered his beloved,” Lanea responded.

“He found her, I am happy for him and you. My prayers for them and...”

Lanea interrupted, “Del, I believe his beloved is…”

“Oy, the tide won’t wait!” Interrupting, Nyall called to them.

Del gave him a dark look as they walked over to the ship and Captain Shamus. Del and Lanea hugged again, murmuring to each other quickly, then Del stared at Lanea in shock before her usual calm mask slipped back in place.

The old wolf approached and bowed respectfully to Del. “Delphi, I am honored ye chose this old sea-dog to help the Oracle of the Shadow-walkers git to safety. Do not worry, Aye’ll deliver them safe and be there by the summer’s shortest night,” the old wolf promised.

“I should go with ye, Shamus,” Nyall said, “The seas are moody in the spring.”

“No,” Delilah said firmly. “You must finish your training with Kaiyou and Esther.”

Nyall scowled at her. “I would rather be at sea than learnin’ foolish things like dancing and etiquette.”

“Wanderer training is not foolish,” Del bit at him.

“Nyall, ye will not disrespect the Delphi, your callin’, or the promise ye made,” Shamus snapped.

Nyall growled something but before Delilah could retort, Lanea interrupted, “Captain Shamus, thank you for your aid and protection. All of my coven are on board and Max has the location of the ports we need to stop in to evacuate three others.” She turned and bowed her head slightly to Nyall, “Your Majesty, I will pray that the war will be short, and your heart will not fail you.”

Nyall rumbling growl was matched by Viktor’s unearthly one, and they eyed each other for a moment, then Nyall gritted out, “Thank you, Augur Vampyr.”

The Augur Vampyr and the Delphi hugged one last time, neither spoke. Lanea stood next to her brother on the deck and waved.

As the ship sailed into the darkness. Delilah wiped a tear from her cheek.

“Are ye going to bawl like a babe at the loss of your best friend?” Nyall sneered, his anger drawing out his accent.

“My mother rescued her and her brother when she was barely older than the age Ainsley was when she came to the Temple. The oracles of my family have been watching over her since before either of us were born because if we fail, she will be the one to rally the remnant of the Moon’s faithful and the Children of the Night to destroy the enemy we left on a yacht tonight. So, do not mock me if I fear I will not see her again. She is the only one who lives that understand the horrors I see every night!”

Del’s anger echoed in the darkness. She shoved him back into the water and after a few moments of tumbling, he crawled out cursing in every language he knew as she waded ashore.

“Where are we?” He gaped at the giant stone pillar jutting up from the sea.

“Cape Blanco. We are west of the Eye of the Goddess. Put your fur on.” The iciness of her voice was only matched by the rawness of the wind.

Her fur rippled over her skin and her silk dress was torn into shreds as she shifted. She sprinted off into the darkness and left Nyall cursing under his breath. Sitting down on the shore, he began unfastening his brogues. In a few minutes he was naked, stuffing his clothes into a bag Shamus had given him, and shifted into his golden wolf. He was angry and knew he was unfairly taking his temper out on Del, but he couldn’t help it. He did not want to be king, not without Moire at his side.

Looking up at the sweep of the lighthouse beam and the moon on the far horizon, he howled his grief and rage, then he followed Del toward the temple at the Eye of the Moon. He knew they had gone far south and now they were far north and west. They had traveled across the continent through the Tides twice this night. Huffing, he wondered if his life could get any stranger.

For six days, neither shifted, Comhnyall and Delilah lived as traveling wolves. They hunted together, shared prey, slept curled side-by-side, and ran until they reached the giant crater lake that contained the temple of the Eye of the Moon. The first signs of spring thaw were finally showing and the currents on the lake had broken the ice. Nyall shifted and pulled on his kilt, he handed Del his shirt to cover her bare skin.

He spoke to her for the first time since they left the docks. “How will we get back to the isle, the boat will not run until morning?” His accent seemed thicker after he had been in his wolf for days.

Del waved to a rock outcropping. “I’ll show you a secret only a handful know of.” She led him to the rocks, and he was amazed when she disappeared between two rocks. Following, he felt the cool shiver of earth magic as he passed behind a camouflaged tarpaulin.

“Both temples have these.”

“Tis just like Mamó’s den,” he said, shocked.

“It is. This tunnel leads all the way to the island, but the stairs are a killer. I am glad we have lifts now.” She gestured to another false wall and behind it was a small mining cage. His wolf wasn’t happy about the metal box but as it sank further and further, he was glad not to be walking down the stairs.

“How far down is it?” He asked looking down.

“It’s almost an eighth-mile deep,” Del answered as they sank slowly. “The one at the Moon’s Gate goes half a mile down, but it is very uncomfortable for any wolf to be down there too long. We call it the Void of the Moon... there’s something about the rocks... no one quite knows, but it has been suggested the meteor that made the crater metamorphosed the rock into something that blocks the Moon from being felt.” She sounded like a tour guide.

“Delphi, I’m sorry I was rude. I... I wanted to kill them for Moire and my pack and ye wouldn’t let me. I acted childishly,” Nyall admitted.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t let you.”

Del bowed her head, then she straightened her back. Neither spoke until they reached the bottom. Without looking over her shoulder, she admitted as they walked toward the tunnel beyond the stairs.

“Part of me wanted you to kill them, Nyall. Like you, I held my mate in my arms when he died. Like you, my soul tried to follow my mate to the Fields, but the Moon put a boundary between us and I was left behind. Our mates died, and the Des Rues caused it, but we are the Moon’s Servants and Her Will must become ours, no matter how we resent it.”

When he didn’t speak, she continued, “You will become Monarch of the Wolves, or the world as we know it will be lost. I will see it through to victory or die trying. I must even let them take my sister, so that one may yet be saved. The Goddess does not wish to lose a single soul that She has called to Herself, no matter how lost they are right now. We are going to suffer more, Nyall, both of us. I wish we could just stay as our wolves. Wolf life is so simple, to hunt and eat, to sleep and run. I have enjoyed these last few days immensely, but now we must return to our duties.” There was a longing quality to her voice that suggested she did not want to return to the temple.

He caught her arm when she started forward and made her turn to face him. “What else? What else is coming?”

Even in the dim lantern he could see the horror of what was to come, and the haunted pain of the past in her eyes as she looked up at him. “I told you, Nyall. Helios Des Rues is the Sunwolf, and we can’t stop him until the appointed day. War is coming, and we are both going to face things and do things we never imagined ourselves capable of.”

She almost whimpered the words, and suddenly he saw her. He saw the real Delilah, not the proud, strong oracle who led the Temples and Servants with her iron will and unbreakable faith, but a young, scared woman who was less than a handful of years older than himself. He let go and she moved ahead of him.

Pointing to three moons marked on the beams she said, “Always follow the moon, the waxing crescent to go in and the waning crescent to get out, it will tell you to go forward or which way to turn.”