Darkwalker on Moonshae - Douglas Niles [96]
The goddess heard the praises of her children, and her pain grew more tolerable.
XIII
SYNNORIAN RHAPSODY
NOT ALL OF the notice wrought by the full moon was benign, or heralded the greatness of the goddess. In a filth-strewn cave not very many miles from the Pack, Erian awaited the summer solstice with a tormenting mixture of dread and longing.
After weeks of living like an animal, emaciated and covered with grime, the man now bore little resemblance to a human being.
Now, as the beams of the moon thrust mercilessly against the stone walls of his cave, reflectively lighting up the interior, Erian crawled forth. Outside, exposed to the full illumination of the full moon, he begged for the body he now craved. He wanted the powerful legs and teeth, the keen nose and ears, that were his as a wolf. As a human, there remained nothing of himself that he wished to keep.
And so he changed, under the light of the silver moon, for the third and last time. The wolfish body and the wolfish senses would remain his until he died. The change was like a blessing of comfort, laid upon his brow, for he now sensed a purpose and a power to his life.
His ears, keener by far than those of the man he once was, heard ever so faintly the mournful lament of the Pack. Leaping to his feet, Erian set off across the moor at a steady, loping gait.
Soon, now, Erian would be home.
*****
The approach to Synnoria followed a mazelike pattern of connecting valleys, canyons, passes, and forest trails. Although the trail in all places was wide and easily passable, the routes were so cleverly camouflaged that Tristan knew he could never retrace their steps without a guide.
After a full day of climbing, the trail entered a box canyon with no apparent access other than the trail the companions followed.
“We’ll camp here tonight,” announced Brigit. “Tomorrow morning we will enter Synnoria.”
“I see why you don’t get many outside visitors,” Tristan remarked. “I know that I’m lost!”
Brigit looked at him. Her huge, serious eyes seemed to be gauging him, trying to determine his reaction to what she was about to say. With a deep breath, she spoke.
“Tomorrow you will all have to be blindfolded.”
Tristan began to protest, while the rest of his companions looked suspiciously at the sisters. Brigit cut off his arguments before he could make them, however.
“Partly, you will be blindfolded for our security, and I will not pretend otherwise.” Her voice was feathery, but as firm as iron. “But also, this is for your own protection.
“You see, the beauty of Synnoria far exceeds that of the world you know. An outside visitor, it is said, would be driven mad by the sights and sounds of our little valley. One who enters Synnoria for the first time, and sees the land in the light of day, will never be able to leave!
“This is a risk I will not take, neither with my land, nor with the sanity of you and your companions.
“You must agree to be blindfolded, or we will not take you through Synnoria.” With a note of finality, Brigit regarded the prince.
The prince found it hard to believe the woman, but saw no alternative. “It shall be as you wish.”
The sisters arose before dawn began to lighten the sky. Stars still twinkled brightly, although the first traces of sunrise colored the east, as the sisters firmly tied blindfolds across the eyes of Tristan and his companions.
The women helped them to mount, and took the reins of the companions’ horses. Tristan silently cursed the imposed blindness, feeling strangely disoriented astride Avalon’s broad back.
He could tell when they passed through a very narrow corridor in the rock. Echoing sounds offered clues as to the surroundings, and every once in a while he felt a chill in the atmosphere. Once he reached out and felt a shelf of cool, fragmented rock, confirming his suspicions. He felt himself slide toward the rear of his horse, and consequently deduced that they journeyed primarily upward.
When the party finally emerged from the corridor in the rock, a warm breeze caressed the prince’s face, carrying fragrances