Dragon's Moon Read Free

not ask because she did not want to argue with her brother. He might decide not to go looking for the stone. She saw little enough of him as it was now; she would not give up this day.
    G alen did want to search for the stone, but he insisted on taking another warrior with them, saying three sets of wolf senses were better than two.
    Ciara did not agree. She did not like this warrior any better than she had liked Wirp. Worse, she worried her brother would give her to Luag in marriage.
    Her menses had started early. Though she was but twelve summers. He would wait at least two more before pressing her to wed, but then she was done for. The fear that thought caused was fully realized, making her sick to her stomach, even as she tried to hide her revulsion.
    It would do no good. Luag was with them now and would not be going anywhere until they exhausted themselves searching or by some miracle found the
Faolchú Chridhe
this day.
    They had been searching for hours and were deep in the forest when Luag lifted his head and sniffed the air. “I smell raven.”
    Ciara could not understand the disgust so evident in his voice. She knew their clan’s healer was both raven and wolf, though Ciara had never told anyone. She rarely revealed what her dreams told her, except to her brother. And she never told him dreams that had anything to do with the Éan.
    â€œLet’s go hunting,” Luag said with a smile that was more snarl than anything.
    Galen shook his head. “We have things of more import to do here.”
    â€œIt’s all part of the same goal,” Luag argued.
    â€œI’ll not hunt when we have Ciara with us.”
    Was her brother saying he would hunt the raven if she were not with him? Ciara could not let herself believe his unreasoning prejudices went that deep. And how did they plan to hunt a bird? Would they make wings out of tree branches and fly then? They hadn’t brought bows with them and their wolf forms would hardly be helpful.
    She shook her head. Sometimes warriors made no senseto her. Everyone knew that a wolf’s prey was grounded animals, not birds of the air.
    â€œIs she so weak then?” Luag asked with disdain.
    Normally Ciara would have balked at being called weak, but she welcomed any opportunity to be seen as deficient in this wolf’s eyes.
    â€œMy sister is not weak, but she
is
too young.”
    â€œShe’s seen twelve summers.”
    â€œA girl still.”
    â€œOn the cusp of womanhood.”
    For a terrifying moment, Ciara thought they were perhaps arguing about more than whether the wolves should hunt with her present. And the argument nauseated her. She’d heard rumors that English nobility gave their children in marriage that young, but it didn’t happen in the Highlands.
    Not even if she’d been a laird’s daughter. And she was not. Galen wouldn’t give her into marriage for at least a couple of years and if he followed the usual traditions, she’d be older than that still.
    â€™Twas not as if she had a great dowry already accumulated. She’d barely started embroidery on the linens for her own home.
    â€œNo.” Galen’s tone said he would not be moved despite the years of seniority the other warrior had on him. No matter what the topic of the argument, he was not giving in.
    Relief shuddered through her and Ciara took a breath into lungs burning for oxygen.
    Luag did not look pleased. “She can stay here then.”
    â€œIt is not safe.”
    â€œWe are on our own hunting grounds.”
    Which was not strictly true; they were at least two hours north of their pack’s territory. Galen’s look said as much to the other wolf.
    â€œShe can stay in the cave,” Luag offered as if making a great concession.
    Ciara expected Galen to argue once again, but he nodded instead and her heart clenched. “Fine.”
    She opened
her
mouth to argue, but one look from Galen and she knew it was