Despite the Angels - By Madeline A Stringer Page 0,23

gently down at her.

“Of course we vow that, don’t we? I want to stay with you for always.”

“And I with you.” Alessia looked at her feet for a moment, then up at him. “I love you more than anything.”

“So do you vow to stay together?” Planidi raised her arms again to the moon.

“That is safe enough, just for this life,” said Trynor.

“Yes, we vow to stay together,” said Danthys and Alessia.

“And do you vow to care for this child?” Planidi took Armishamai from Alessia, and raised her again to the light of the moon.

“Of course you do.”

“Yes, we vow.”

“And do you vow to see her safely to adulthood?”

“NO, NO!” Trynor and Jotin shouted in unison. But Alessia and Danthys saw only the moonlight, their precious baby, and their love for each other. And despite the feeling of cold that ran across them both, they joined hands and raised them to the moon and said

“We vow.”

“Oh no, Trynor, what will we do now? They’ve vowed it, without any escape clauses. No ‘with the Mother’s help’ or ‘as long as we have the health’ or anything!” Jotin’s solid energy deserted him, so he sank down until he was sitting on one of the sanctuary rocks.

Danthys staggered slightly and put his hand to his head. He felt a little dizzy for a moment. Must be hunger, he thought, I forgot to eat at midday, with all the rushing around.

“It’s not hunger, you silly boy,” said Jotin crossly. You’ve just knocked all the stuffing out of me. The work you two are making for me and my friend here if anything happens to Armishamai, you have no idea.”

“Come on, Jotin, pull yourself together.” Trynor was fluttering around, his optimistic outlook to the fore. “We can help them fulfil that vow. It’s only fifteen years, after all. There’s a very good chance nothing will go wrong. And if you stay positive, Danthys will too and things will go better. They are both healthy, we don’t expect any problems in the near future, do we?”

“No, I think they will both stay in good health, won’t they? Barring accidents, of course. We’ll have to keep a special watch to prevent those. No trip to Egypt, now. Too risky, pirates and storms.”

“But if Armishamai is with them, what’s the problem, if they all die together?”

“You must all be witness to the solemn vow taken here tonight!” Planidi’s strong voice reverberated round the sanctuary, “The Mother will help those who try faithfully to keep their word, but terrible are the consequences for failure!” Trynor paled a little as he listened to the woman pile on more awful warnings. He whispered to Jotin. “Do you think that priestess is going to insist the vow lasts forever? Would she have that power?” His slim energies stilled and he lowered himself to sit on the ground beside Jotin.

Alessia looked around for a seat. She felt she could not hold the baby for another moment. She really was heavy for three months old. There was nothing near and Alessia’s legs, feeling as useful as soup, bent and she sagged onto the ground. Danthys reached down to her and she heard a murmur of concern swell through the group of her friends and family, as several people came forward to help. There was a chatter of sound around her and she could pick out some phrases: ‘too much excitement’, ‘overcome with the emotion of the day’, needs some food inside her’, but also ‘not a good omen’ and quickly, ‘shh’. Alessia made an effort to clear her head. She did not want any rumours of bad omens to hang round her precious child. She looked up at her brother, who was reaching down to her and handed him the baby.

“Take Arma for me, will you? She just got heavy for a moment there. Must be having a name that did it!” She struggled to her feet despite the dizzy feeling that clung round her head. She took Danthys’ hand and turned to Planidi, waiting for the next part of the ceremony.

“Look, Jotin, my little Alessia has more courage than us! She’s up already.”

“She doesn’t know what has just been done to them,” grumbled Jotin as he raised his energies to an upright position and started running his hands around Danthys, smoothing his energy and enlivening him. “It will be all fine in the end, so let’s not get thrown by what might never happen.” Trynor was on his feet now, also. Alessia and Danthys