Children of the Moon 04 - Dragon's Moon

mattered.” And she had not wanted to worry her parents further. They had seemed distressed enough by the dreams and the call of the sacred stone.
    “You need to speak to my grandmother.”
    “Why?”
    “She is Anya-Gra, spiritual leader of our people.”
    “A kelle ?”
    “No, a celi di . She is no warrior; though she has been trained to protect herself, she would not lift her hand to another. ’Tis not in her nature.”
    “I thought only men could be celi di .” Servants of God, not quite priests, but respected as servants of the church all the same. Though not technically under its authority, Highland priests performed religious ceremonies and guided their people’s spiritual welfare.
    “Among the human clans, this has become the case, but make no mistake, the Chrechte have followed female celi di and kelle since the beginning of time. Just as they have followed men with such callings.”
    “I knew that…the old stories.”
    “But the Faol no longer practice such spirituality.”
    She could not deny his words. “Abigail told me that her friend the abbess said Scripture states there is no distinction between man and woman in faith. Men make the distinctions.”
    “As we do in so many other things.”
    “So, your grandmother is a celi di ?”
    “She is and she can help you learn to live with and control your gift.”
    “The visions can be controlled?”
    “I do not know, but my grandmother has never been as ill from them as you were when I arrived here.”
    “She is not part of the group of Éan that joined the Sinclairs.”
    “No.”
    “Where is she then? Did she stay in the forest?”
    “How did you know some of the Éan chose to stay?”
    “I wasn’t sure, but I remembered the stories of the Faol that did the same, when we joined the clans.”
    “My grandmother claims there are still such Faol in the forest.”
    “If she is a seer, she would know.”
    “Aye.”
    “Is she still in the forest?”
    “No. She went to the Donegal clan, to live near my sister, the first of our generation to give birth.”
    “Your sister is Barr’s wife, is she not?”
    “She is, but few know of the connection.”
    Ciara shrugged. What should she say? She knew things she should not and not all of them from visions.
    “What does the Donegal priest think of your grandmother, I wonder?”
    “I do not know, but he is not like many priests. He trained one of the Donegals to be celi di and does not assign penances out of cruelty.”
    “He is indeed a man of God then.”
    “Most likely.”
    Silence stretched between them, but he did not release her and she made no move to distance herself from him.
    She bit her lip, as she was wont to do when agitated.
    “It is hard.”
    “What?” Could that really be his voice, so soft and understanding?
    She looked up at him, losing herself in his amber gaze against all good thinking. “To know things others do not, things you should not know.”
    “Is it?” He brushed the back of his hand down her cheek.
    “Yes.”
    “Surely it is not all bad.”
    “Perhaps not.” Ciara leaned into Eirik’s touch, unable to do anything else.
    “It got me Galen’s attention when he had pulled away from his family, spending most of his time with his friends instead. It also cost him his life.”
    “Your brother did not die because you were trying to help him find the Faolchú Chridhe . He died because he followed Luag in hunting innocent Éan children.”
    “Galen didn’t want to hurt them,” she felt compelled to point out again.
    Some of the hardness seeped back into Eirik’s expression. “But he did nothing to stop Luag.”
    “No.” She dropped her head, not wanting to see the look of censure on Eirik’s features.
    Her brother had committed a heinous act in even hunting another Chrechte, the fact he had not wanted to hurt the children did not exonerate him.
    “I am sorry you lost your brother.”
    The words of condolence were so unexpected, she fell mute in shock.
    “But not that you killed him,” she finally said.
    “I cannot be; to feel regret would be to place his life above the children he allowed to be threatened.”
    “Yes.”
    “You agree?” He tugged her face back up so their eyes had no choice but to meet.
    “I am not a fool.”
    He nodded, his understanding glowing in the amber of his eyes. “Just a woman with knowledge she does not know what to do with.”
    Tears threatened at this further understanding and she blinked to keep the moisture