'But he already has, Mother,' Goldmoon said excitedly. 'He gave me this.' The princess removed the forever charm and held it out for her mother to examine.
'That is the symbol of the Great Healer. It is powerful, but only on these sacred grounds.' The vision of Tearsong reached out and took the amulet. 'When you have passed all the tests set for you and have become a true servant of the Great Healer, this amulet will be returned to you.' The vision began to fade. 'Farewell, daughter. I know you will prove worthy of the honor bestowed upon you. Remember that my love is with you always.' Then the vision was gone.
Goldmoon remained kneeling, still feeling the warmth of her mother's love and puzzling over the test her mother had given her. She did not know how long she had been silent when she heard Riverwind crying out her name. The altar no longer glowed blue, and all about her was darkness. When she turned toward Riverwind's voice, she could see the circular, red glow of their fire-beetle lantern.
'I'm over here,' the princess called out.
'Goldmoon! Are you all right?' the warrior asked as he ran, limping, up to her. 'Where have you been? Why didn't you answer me?'
'I've been here all along, holding the ceremony I came to perform. I didn't hear you call me.'
'I've been shouting your name for a long time now,' Riverwind insisted. Goldmoon could see that his face was pale and anxious.
'How strange,' the princess whispered. 'And I thought you had disappeared.'
Riverwind's voice grew stem, hiding his fear for her in a show of annoyance. 'Don't ever go off without me again! There's no telling what evil creatures inhabit this tomb! And you with nothing to defend yourself but that stupid crystal dagger of yours.'
'It isn't a stupid dagger,' Goldmoon retorted. 'It is a — ' The princess stopped in mid-sentence. She had been about to say that it was a sacred relic of the Que-shu, but a sudden insight made her gasp: A dagger
'Riverwind, hand me your shield,' she commanded.
Puzzlement clearly written on his face, Riverwind unstrapped the wooden disk from his arm. 'What are you going to do?' he demanded.
Goldmoon put her fingertips on his lips and said, 'Trust me.' Riverwind let her take the shield from him. She stepped close to the altar and raised the shield high over her head, but then she paused and lowered it again to her side. If she destroyed the dagger, she would have to explain to her father, probably to the whole tribe, why she had done so. Loreman would find some way to twist her action to make it seem evil. Her father would never forgive her. The tribe would not easily let go of their belief in their false gods.
Stealing a glance at Riverwind, she saw that he looked weary and ill. He limped with each step, and there was a blood-red bruise on his cheek where Hollow-sky's longstick had struck him.
If she earned the amulet back, she could heal all his wounds, make him whole. That was a power unknown in her tribe, a power that could help them all. A power, her mother had said, that might prevent an ancient evil from conquering mankind. She raised the shield quickly and smashed it down upon the crystal weapon.
Goldmoon dropped the shield to the side as the shards of crystal began to glow with a blue light; the light grew brighter until it was painful to look at. The sound of glass chimes tinkling in the wind crescendoed. Goldmoon heard her mother's voice.
'Taste now what you will know in full one day, my child, but think of the healing as a GIFT from the gods, not a power.'
The shards of crystal on the altar spun about as though they were sand caught in a dust devil.
Riverwind gasped in fear.
Then, in a flash, the jagged crystalline shards flew at the princess, penetrating her flesh like darts.
'Goldmoon!' Riverwind shouted. He dashed forward to catch her as she fell back from the altar. Her skin glittered with the splintered crystal.
'I'm all right,' she whispered calmly.
Riverwind gasped. There was no sign of pain on her face, no sign of blood on her robes. 'You should be dead.'
'No,' she answered hesitantly. 'I have never felt so alive!'
Riverwind lowered her gently to her feet, but he did not let go of her fully.
Placing her hands on his cheeks, Goldmoon wished for him to feel as she did.
The warrior drew a deep breath of surprise. She smiled, feeling the tingling energy flow from her hands into him. The crystal shards faded and disappeared. The weariness left Riverwind's face, and the color returned to it. The wound on his cheek vanished without a trace of a scar, and he stood up straighter, without any sign of pain in his knee.
'What have you done?' he asked in awe.
'I've sacrificed the dagger as my mother told me to do.'
Riverwind's eyes narrowed. 'I see. You've spoken to your gods.' His tone was bitter.
'I've spoken with my mother,' Goldmoon corrected. She could tell that the blank look he gave her masked disbelief.
'Oh, Riverwind,' she said softly, drawing him near. 'Wanderer was right! You are right! My mother told me this and more, much more! But — »
Goldmoon lowered her head, her voice caught in her throat. She hadn't realized how hard this would be to confess. Maybe she wouldn't tell him! Maybe she should let him continue to think of her as a goddess. She had her pride, after all… Suddenly, the feeling of peace began to seep from her. Her love for Riverwind turned into a knot of anger and resentment.
Riverwind, sensing her growing coldness, began to draw away from her…
'Don't! Please don't leave me!' she cried, clinging to him in panic.
'I won't!' he whispered, holding her close. 'Not if you want me! Tell me,' he added wistfully. 'Did your mother say there was a way for us, even though you are a goddess?'
'That's what I've been trying to tell you,' Goldmoon said, ashamed. 'I'm NOT a goddess. I am mortal.' Half teasing, yet half fearful, she glanced at him through her long lashes. 'Can you love an ordinary woman, one who is not a goddess?'
'You — ordinary?' he repeated, his breath coming faster. 'You could never be ordinary,' he said solemnly.
Sinking into his arms, Goldmoon longed to remain there, wrapped in this blessed happiness forever. But a thought caused her to raise her head and look up at him. 'My mother told me that she is not a goddess, nor are any of our ancestors. The true gods are the ones Wanderer taught your family to believe in. I sacrificed the dagger as part of a test so that I might one day become a priestess of the Great Healer, one of the ancient goddesses whose temple this once was. But when I sacrifice my pride and return to the village and tell them what I have learned, denying the old ways, I will be ridiculed. I will be Chieftain's Daughter no longer.'
Riverwind smiled down at her. 'You will always be Chieftain's Daughter,' he said, smoothing the golden hair. 'That is not something that depends on false gods, it is something within you. Even if you had not been Arrowthorn's child, you would be a leader. And someday, I know, you will lead people to the true gods. That is something to be proud of. It is only your pride in false things that you need to sacrifice.'
Goldmoon entwined her fingers in his hair and pulled his head down so his face was within her reach. The lantern light made his eyes sparkle red, and a grin fluttered across his lips just before their mouths met.
The shepherd's tenderness eased her worries about the future. As Riverwind caressed her lips with his own, he kneaded away all the tension in her shoulders with his fingers.
They both whispered, 'I love you,' simultaneously. Goldmoon laughed, and Riverwind smiled with a pleasure the priestess had never imagined she could evoke in the man. He put his arms about her shoulders and pulled her a little closer. But Goldmoon was tired of respectful, delicate embraces. She pressed against his warrior's body and wrapped her arms about his waist to keep him from pulling away.
Without witnesses to inhibit him, he let the passion of his kiss match her own. All the while, his hands slid
