Page 185 of Moon Chosen

Mari met his amber eyes. “No. Never. I like it. I liked it a lot. I—I’d like to kiss you again, but I agree with your father. There will be time for that later. I hope.” She sent him a nervous smile.

“That, my beautiful Moon Woman, is exactly what I hope, too. But first let’s start changing our world.” He grinned and then pointed to the closest of the floating houses. “You’ll find Isabel in that house—the one nearest to where we’ll dock the boat.”

“Okay, I’m ready,” Mari said.

Hand in hand, Mari and Nik crossed over to Farm Island.

As they walked along the Channel, Mari readied herself. She breathed deeply of the fecund fields, in awe of the acre after acre of growing things that stretched from the island side of the Channel over the width of the emerald isle. She grounded herself with the earth, holding in her mind the simple fact that though her people had been forced to till and plant and harvest for the Tribe, this land had been imprinted with the labor of Earth Walkers. The Earth would know. The Moon would remember.

Stairs built into the high bank of the channel led them down to water level and the small rowboat that waited there. Nik helped Mari aboard, and the two men rowed quickly to the floating houses.

All was still as they climbed onto the dock. Mari stood, gazing at the first of the dozen or so houses, wondering what should happen next.

Then she saw the thick wooden beam that barred the door, and the strong wooden poles that filled the windows—all ensuring that once closed within, the women could not get out. And Mari knew what to do.

She went to the first house, unbolted the door and began to open it.

Sol’s hand reached from behind her, pressing against the wood, holding it closed.

Mari faced him. “Will you not hold to your word?”

“I will. I have. I brought you here, but I already told you that I do not have the authority to release your people.”

Nik stepped up beside his father, gently taking his hand from the door. “My father taught me that I shouldn’t let others control my actions, especially if I know I’m doing the right thing. Instead of waiting for the Tribe to act, to decide to do the right thing, I’m going to do it. It’s what my father would expect me to do.”

Sol stared at his son. Then, slowly, he placed the torch he had been carrying in the holder beside the house, and stepped purposefully away from the door. “When did you get so wise?”

Nik clasped his father’s shoulder, but he looked past him to meet Mari’s gaze. “When I stopped waiting for the world to change, and decided to create the change myself.” Nik swung the door open wide, and then he retreated several paces back with his father, so that Mari was alone, silhouetted in the doorway.

Mari didn’t allow herself time to hesitate. “Isabel!” she called within. “Isabel, are you there?”

There was the sound of movement inside, accompanied by a low moan, and a few broken sobs. And then a pale face lifted from the mounds that were women. Mari saw her blink, and then her eyes widened in shock.

“Mari?”

Mari held her hand out to the girl, who rushed forward, clasping it. “Oh, Mari! It is you! Where is Leda? What are you doing here?” Her wide, startled gray gaze focused over Mari’s shoulder on Sol and Nik, and she started to cringe back inside. Mari tightened her grip on the girl’s hand.

“Leda is dead.” Gasps of shock and cries of despair came from within, and Mari had to raise her voice to be heard. “I am the Clan’s Moon Woman, and I have come to Wash you.”

As if a candle had been snuffed, all sound ceased from inside the house. Then, one by one, the women within began to stand.

“Moon Woman—our Moon Woman is here.” The voices began softly and then the idea caught, and the women’s cries blazed. “Moon Woman! Wash us, Moon Woman! Save us!”

Mari pulled Isabel from the house. “Stay close. I’m going to need your help.” She turned her attention to the mass of women pressing around the doorway. They didn’t leave the house. It was as if an invisible barricade held them. “Step out into the moonlight, and step out into a new world!” she shouted. Then Mari turned to Nik. “Help me open all the doors!”

Together they ran the length of the dock, unbarring and flinging wide the doors, and as they did so women began to spill out of the houses, crying, “Moon Woman! Our Moon Woman!”

And then they were surrounding her, and it seemed a million hands reached for her as voices cried, over and over, for her to Wash them—save them. It was as if they each wanted a piece of her and she suddenly felt as if they would, truly, pull her apart.

Mari tried to back away. Tried to reason with them. “Wait, no. I’ll help. I just have to—” But her words were carried away by the tidal wave of their need.

Then Nik was there, and his strong arms were pulling her as his body shielded her from their grasping hands.

“Nik! Mari! This will help!” Sol called. Mari glanced up to see that he had a big wooden water trough he’d retrieved from one of the houses. Dragging it with him, he strode to the middle of the widest part of the dock, and turned it over. Then he held his hand out to Mari.

Nik pulled her from the crowd and they ran to Sol, who helped her climb on top of the trough. She turned to the crowd of confused, excited women who clambered after her.

“Form a circle around me! Link hands! Everyone, link hands!” She found Isabel, who was still standing beside the door to the first of the houses. “Isabel, take my hand!” The girl didn’t hesitate. She rushed to Mari, grasping her hand. “Like Isabel! Link hands like Isabel!”