Goldmoon shook her head, stunned. After Lore-man's betrayal and Hollow-sky's attack, this was too much to bear. An idea came to her. "This is some kind of test of my faith. Oh, Mother, I will never turn from our gods. I will believe in you always."
A sad expression crossed Tearsong's face. "Your love for me is very great," she said. "That is why I was chosen to tell you of the true gods."
Tears filled Goldmoon's eyes, streaming down her cheeks, dropping onto her robe, leaving dark marks on the blue fabric. "But the spirits of the Que-shu will not obey me after death if I am not a goddess — " the princess argued, feeling cheated.
Her mother's tone sharpened impatiently. "You would do better to be grateful now for the gift of life and all it has to offer you, than to dwell on what power you will have in death." Death, even without godhood, had not robbed Tearsong of her air of authority. Goldmoon was instantly silent and looked down at the ground in shame.
Tearsong's voice softened at the sight of her daughter's confusion and unhappiness. "Time grows short. Will you listen to what I have to tell you, daughter?"
"Yes," Goldmoon nodded, eager to please her mother, lest she leave her.
"This place was really once the temple of one of the true gods, Riverwind's gods, a goddess known as the Great Healer. Long ago, after the Cataclysm, people despaired and abandoned their belief in the true gods. They must believe again, or this world will be conquered by an ancient evil. I have been sent to offer you the first of many tests. If you pass these tests, you will, in time, serve the Great Healer and lead people as her priestess, as a true healer."
"Tell me what this test is, and I will accept it."
"It will not be easy. If you pass this test, harder tests will follow, tests that may break your spirit, others that may destroy your body."
Goldmoon straightened her back and answered proudly, "I accept that."
"Very well, daughter. The first test is this. You must sacrifice these three things:
That which hinders healing.
That which hinders loving.
That which hinders daring.
"Let Riverwind guide you. He will be the leader of a leader. It is foreseen that someday he will bring great power to your hands."
"But he already has, Mother," Goldmoon said excitedly. "He gave me this." The princess removed the forever charm and held it out for her mother to examine.
"That is the symbol of the Great Healer. It is powerful, but only on these sacred grounds." The vision of Tearsong reached out and took the amulet. "When you have passed all the tests set for you and have become a true servant of the Great Healer, this amulet will be returned to you." The vision began to fade. "Farewell, daughter. I know you will prove worthy of the honor bestowed upon you. Remember that my love is with you always." Then the vision was gone.
Goldmoon remained kneeling, still feeling the warmth of her mother's love and puzzling over the test her mother had given her. She did not know how long she had been silent when she heard Riverwind crying out her name. The altar no longer glowed blue, and all about her was darkness. When she turned toward Riverwind's voice, she could see the circular, red glow of their fire-beetle lantern.
"I'm over here," the princess called out.
"Goldmoon! Are you all right?" the warrior asked as he ran, limping, up to her. "Where have you been? Why didn't you answer me?"
"I've been here all along, holding the ceremony I came to perform. I didn't hear you call me."
"I've been shouting your name for a long time now," Riverwind insisted. Goldmoon could see that his face was pale and anxious.
"How strange," the princess whispered. "And I thought you had disappeared."
Riverwind's voice grew stem, hiding his fear for her in a show of annoyance. "Don't ever go off without me again! There's no telling what evil creatures inhabit this tomb! And you with nothing to defend yourself but that stupid crystal dagger of yours."
"It isn't a stupid dagger," Goldmoon retorted. "It is a — " The princess stopped in mid-sentence. She had been about to say that it was a sacred relic of the Que-shu, but a sudden insight made her gasp: A dagger hindered healing. She drew it from her boot-sheath. She had not wiped off the blade after stabbing Hollow-sky, and the traitor's blood made the crystal appear to be rusted. Shuddering from the memory of his final, long scream, she placed it on the altar.
"Riverwind, hand me your shield," she commanded.
Puzzlement clearly written on his face, Riverwind unstrapped the wooden disk from his arm. "What are you going to do?" he demanded.
Goldmoon put her fingertips on his lips and said, "Trust me." Riverwind let her take the shield from him. She stepped close to the altar and raised the shield high over her head, but then she paused and lowered it again to her side. If she destroyed the dagger, she would have to explain to her father, probably to the whole tribe, why she had done so. Loreman would find some way to twist her action to make it seem evil. Her father would never forgive her. The tribe would not easily let go of their belief in their false gods.
Stealing a glance at Riverwind, she saw that he looked weary and ill. He limped with each step, and there was a blood-red bruise on his cheek where Hollow-sky's longstick had struck him.
If she earned the amulet back, she could heal all his wounds, make him whole. That was a power unknown in her tribe, a power that could help them all. A power, her mother had said, that might prevent an ancient evil from conquering mankind. She raised the shield quickly and smashed it down upon the crystal weapon.
Goldmoon dropped the shield to the side as the shards of crystal began to glow with a blue light; the light grew brighter until it was painful to look at. The sound of glass chimes tinkling in the wind crescendoed. Goldmoon heard her mother's voice.
"Taste now what you will know in full one day, my child, but think of the healing as a GIFT from the gods, not a power."
The shards of crystal on the altar spun about as though they were sand caught in a dust devil.
Riverwind gasped in fear.
Then, in a flash, the jagged crystalline shards flew at the princess, penetrating her flesh like darts.
"Goldmoon!" Riverwind shouted. He dashed forward to catch her as she fell back from the altar. Her skin glittered with the splintered crystal.
"I'm all right," she whispered calmly.
Riverwind gasped. There was no sign of pain on her face, no sign of blood on her robes. "You should be dead."
"No," she answered hesitantly. "I have never felt so alive!"
Riverwind lowered her gently to her feet, but he did not let go of her fully.
Placing her hands on his cheeks, Goldmoon wished for him to feel as she did.
The warrior drew a deep breath of surprise. She smiled, feeling the tingling energy flow from her hands into him. The crystal shards faded and disappeared. The weariness left Riverwind's face, and the color returned to it. The wound on his cheek vanished without a trace of a scar, and he stood up straighter, without any sign of pain in his knee.
"What have you done?" he asked in awe.
"I've sacrificed the dagger as my mother told me to do."
Riverwind's eyes narrowed. "I see. You've spoken to your gods." His tone was bitter.
"I've spoken with my mother," Goldmoon corrected. She could tell that the blank look he gave her masked disbelief.
"Oh, Riverwind," she said softly, drawing him near. "Wanderer was right! You are right! My mother told me this and more, much more! But — »
Goldmoon lowered her head, her voice caught in her throat. She hadn't realized how hard this would be to confess. Maybe she wouldn't tell him! Maybe she should let him continue to think of her as a goddess. She had her pride, after all… Suddenly, the feeling of peace began to seep from her. Her love for Riverwind turned into a knot of anger and resentment.