Despite the Angels - By Madeline A Stringer Page 0,24

were standing happily in the sanctuary, listening to Planidi’s closing incantations and waiting for the best moment of the ceremony, when she and Danthys would be ceremonially joined, hand to hand and would be truly a family.

Everyone joined hands around the new little family and danced. The circular dance around them sealed their energy in and surrounded them with love and support. These people would always help them in times of need and their other friends in Malatos would dance around them later, when they returned home. Alessia’s eyes shone as she and Danthys danced in the sanctuary, in the circle of her family. She felt safe and happy, and truly blessed.

“We must be loved by all the gods, Danthys,” she whispered so that only he could hear, “to be so blessed, and so happy.”

Danthys swung her around, so that she squealed with delight and gathered her into his arms, crushing a happy breath out of her.

“I certainly am. To be loved by you and to have our little Armishamai, our personal prayer to the Moon. I feel I will always be special.” He closed his eyes and swayed in time to the makeshift orchestra’s happy sounds.

Chapter 9

Alessia was busy in the gold workshop, with Armishamai sleeping in her basket in the dim corner. There was not much light left in the short day and Alessia wanted to finish the ornament she was making to protect Arma. It was quiet in the room, with just a sputtering of oil in the lamp that Alessia had lit to help her get the work done today. Everyone else was at home, starting the preparations for tomorrow’s feast. A whole year gone, she thought, since we sent an offering up to the sanctuary on the high plain. It was a good idea, everything has gone well since. The Mother is watching us. She hammered the little piece of metal again, until it was as thin as possible. She had cut the other side of the double axe earlier and when this one was done she could put it on Arma and go home. The baby had been protected until last week by the pottery axe her grandfather had given her at her naming, but now she was beginning to crawl and it had cracked when Armishamai tumbled against a box in their sleeping room. So it was urgent to make her a new amulet. Alessia concentrated hard as she cut the half-moon axe shape and grunted with satisfaction as the tiny double headed axe appeared in her hands. I am only beginning, she thought, it will be many years before I have enough skill to show to the public, but I think the Mother will find this acceptable for a baby. She laughed as she thought ahead down the years to come and saw a line of amulets, each more skilfully made than the last, protecting her daughter.

A little wail came from the corner and a tiny fist appeared over the edge of the basket and grabbed the side. Armishamai was trying to pull herself up to look over the edge. Alessia bent down and lifted her to a sitting position in the basket.

“There now. You wait there for Mama for a minute. Good girl. Mama has to put a cord on your necklace. Then you’ll be even prettier, won’t you, my precious?” she babbled on in this way and Armishamai’s round dark eyes followed her as she cut a thin strip of leather, and looped it through the little hole at the top of the tiny double headed axe. Then Alessia crouched down beside the basket and tied the ornament around the baby’s neck, whispering a prayer to The Mother as she did so. She sat back on her heels and admired her daughter, now decorated with and protected by gold, instead of pottery.

“Now you are a beautiful girl, aren’t you?” Alessia lifted the baby out of the basket onto her hip and, wrapping a large shawl around them both against the chill of the winter evening, went out of the shop, sealing the door behind her. She exchanged some pleasantries with the scribe, whose nose was down on her clay tablets as she wrote, then with the guards on the palace gate and hurried towards the town and home.

The midwinter festival was the next day and today’s meal was taking second place to the preparations. The house was full of wonderful smells, as Danthys’ mother and sister prepared the dishes they