Page 215 of Moon Craving

me."

"I feel the same."

They shared a kiss, but when it started to grow passionate, Talorc pulled back.

"Come with me."

"Anywhere."

He smiled, clasping her hand firmly in his. He led her into one of the storage rooms.

She looked around in the gloom but did not see anything in particular she could imagine

her husband wanting to show her. He lit a torch, though it was hardly dark enough to

make that necessary. She understood better when he shut the door and slid a locking bar

into place.

How odd to have a lock on the inside of a storage room. She would have asked him

about it, but he looked so intent, she hesitated to say anything.

He went to the far wall and pressed something on the shelves holding food stores

for the tower. The shelves swung out like a heavy door to reveal an opening in the wall

about four feet high and two feet wide.

He transferred the torch to his left hand and put his right one toward her. "Come."

She took his hand and let him lead her through the dark opening. They went down

a set of steps into a secret room under the tower. All of its walls and even the ceiling were

reinforced with stone.

"What is this place?"

"The Royal Treasure room."

"Royal Treasure?"

Talorc nodded, pulling her toward a smooth stone casket engraved with carvings

of wolves along all the sides and the top. "My father was a direct descendant of one of the

seven royal Chrechte lineages through his father. When MacAlpin killed all the living

princes of our people, he killed those who had inherited royal blood via their mother's

lineage, as was our tradition.

"The male lineages were not counted, until holders of the treasure were needed.

Then seven men descendant from the seven Chrechte tribes were chosen to be keepers

of our last royal gifts. It was this treasure that Tamara's baron lover was trying to take