Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign - By Phillip Jones Page 0,37

with her new staff, and then Mosley led the Earthlings toward the exit of the temple. According to her watch, She had only slept for a couple of hours, but she awoke rejuvenated.

“This temple was built by the Collective as a reminder of the importance of the Crystal Moon, not only to this world, but the others as well,” Mosley said. “It doesn’t matter which deity a being serves, this is a place for all to worship and thank the gods for their bounteous gifts. The strongest leaders of many grand packs have walked these hallowed halls.”

Mosley stopped speaking and redirected his attention to the base of one of the pillars. After sniffing its circumference, he shook his head and snorted. “Unacceptable.”

This piqued Sam’s curiosity. “What’s wrong? You look irritated.”

Mosley continued to sniff, but during this series of moments he explored the base of two other pillars while Sam and Shalee watched. “It’s aggravating. The pillars within this temple are unmarked. I want to claim this territory, but to do so would be disrespectful.”

Shalee rolled her eyes. “Are you saying you want to pee on everything? Am I understanding you right?”

Mosley growled. “I’m saying this territory has been unclaimed. It calls to me to make it mine.”

“Goodness-gracious, Mosley, who’s going to know? If it’s that big a deal, just give one of them a squirt and get it over with. We aren’t going to tell anybody.” She nudged Sam with her elbow, “Isn’t that right?”

Sam looked at the wolf and shrugged. “If you feel the need to urinate on stuff, then have at it. It’s not my house.”

It was easy to see Mosley’s emotional struggle as he stood there for a long series of moments, quietly debating. He lifted his head, looked in all directions, then turned sideways against the pillar. Once he was sure no one was watching, he lifted his leg and released a quick stream. Then, like a child, the wolf darted down the great hall and waited for Sam and Shalee to catch up.

It was easy to hear Mosley’s excitement. “How exhilarating! I’ve never done anything so mischievous. My father would have been proud of me. To claim a territory as coveted as this would be the talk of the pack. I can’t wait to see my brothers. Their cubs’ cubs will forever howl the tale of my bravery and conquest.”

Shalee raised her free hand to her mouth and spoke just over the top of her fingers as she pressed them against her lower lip. “You’d make a good Texan, Mosley. You’ve got a little rebel in you.”

After enjoying the compliment, Mosley turned his attention back to more pertinent matters. “As I was about to say, this particular temple is for the beings of Grayham. There are similar temples on the other worlds, though they hold only replicas of the Crystal Moon. All temples are protected by the power of the gods in every direction for a half-Peak’s journey. This protection gives the inhabitants of each world a safe place to commune with their deity.”

As the night terror wolf finished speaking, two 50-foot long, sinister-looking serpents with large fangs and cobra hoods slithered past. Shalee grabbed Sam’s arm as they undulated past and whispered, “Mosley, psst, Mosley. Hey! Those are some big snakes. Are they really allowed to pray like other folks? Isn’t it some sorta health risk?”

She turned to watch as the serpents slid farther away, then a new thought popped out of her mouth. “Oh, my lord in Heaven, can you imagine how many purses a girl could make with all that skin?” With a wave, she snapped her fingers. “It’s all about the accessories, Mosley.”

The wolf chuckled. “I can only assume you’re referring to a type of bag. If so, you might want to wait until the serpent sheds.” The wolf lowered his nose to the floor and sniffed. “The serpents leave an awful smell.”

Sam cut in, “What other kinds of beasts come here?”

Mosley shook his head. “All kinds, of course. Have you not listened to anything I’ve said?”

Sam grunted. “Your answer fails to narrow the scope. Thanks for nothing, Mosley.”

The wolf ignored the sarcasm. “The gods agreed, placing you in this temple would be the safest starting point for your journey. The temple is located many Peaks northwest of the city of Brandor. Your paws will be sore before we arrive.” Mosley used his snout to point to a map resting on the west wall to show the humans how far Brandor