Goddess of the Sea (31 page)

“Stubborn? I'm not stubborn.”

Isabel's answer was a rude noise in the back of her throat, which almost made CC laugh.

They both headed into the kitchen, which was a wonderful mixture of busy women and delicious smells. Each woman greeted CC with a smile and a warm hello.

“Already had your bucket and such taken to the chapel,” Lynelle said in her gruff voice.

“Thank you, but you didn't need to go to any trouble for me. You already have enough to do,” CC said.

“We did not do it,” Gwenyth said. “We asked some of the Brothers to gather and carry the things.”

CC blinked in surprise.

“There are those among the Brothers who are pleased that the Holy Mother is being restored,” Isabel explained.

“And a little water fetching does not take them long from tending their precious sheep and gardens,” Lynelle grumbled.

“I made this for you,” Bronwyn slurred softly, handing CC a mug of warm tea.

“Eat this on the way to the chapel. You must not allow yourself to weaken. The Holy Mother needs you strong and healthy.” Gwenyth gave her a hard roll with a hunk of cheese and meat inside of it.

“You have no idea how much this means to me this morning,” CC said, suddenly feeling near tears. “Thank you. I appreciate all of you.”

The four women made scoffing noises, waving off her thanks, but CC could see the pleasure that flushed their wizened faces.

“Go on with you,” Isabel said. “Today we will make certain that you eat.”

On impulse, CC leaned down and kissed the old woman's cheek before hurrying out the door.

It must have rained sometime during the night, because the gardens were still wet and sparkling. CC breathed deeply, enjoying the damp smells of grass and flower as they mixed with the ever-present salt tang of the nearby ocean. Chewing the last of the breakfast roll, she strolled slowly through the twisting paths, taking the long way to the chapel. She passed several monks already busy pruning and weeding and was pleasantly surprised when two of them met her gaze and nodded shy good mornings.

The chapel was dim and still filled with an oppressive layer of incense from dawn mass, but as CC made her way to the Virgin's statue, she felt her spirit lighten. The Blessed Mother was lit by dozens of white candles, and the statue glowed like a golden beacon of hope. Yesterday, CC had left six candles burning around the base of the statue. Someone, perhaps even several someones, had already begun visiting the Virgin.

Placed in a neat row to one side of the niche that held the statue were three buckets of clean water, a hunk of soap, a pile of clean rags and a large straw broom.

“Time to get to work,” she told Gaea's serene face.

 
 
“UGH!” CC scooped up another pile of rancid-smelling mess while she muttered to herself. “I have no way of being certain, but I think that this is poo from a giant squirrel.”

“Actually, it is from a raccoon, but a giant squirrel is an excellent guess.” Gaea had materialized in front of the statue, her blue and gold silk wrap mirroring the soft colors in the Virgin's robes.

“I should have known that even a giant squirrel wouldn't be giant enough to make this nasty mess.” CC smiled at the goddess. “Good morning, it's nice to see a clean face.”

“Good
afternoon
to you, daughter. You have worked the morning away.” Gaea returned her smile and clicked her fingers. In a shower of silver sparks a wet towel appeared in one hand and a goblet appeared in the other. She gestured for CC to join her.

“Come, sit and refresh yourself. I have news.”

CC sat next to the goddess and gratefully accepted the damp towel, wiping the dirt from her face and hands with a sigh of pleasure. When she was at least semiclean, Gaea handed her the goblet. It was filled with a thick, honey-colored liquid. CC sipped.

“Yum! This is delicious. What is it?”

With a gentle wave of her wrist Gaea produced her own goblet.

“It is Viking mead. I thought it the appropriate drink since you have been mistaken for a Norse sorceress.”

“Very appropriate,” she agreed. “I want to thank you for the gift you gave Dylan and me last night.” She felt heat spring to her cheeks as Gaea's sparkling eyes smiled knowingly at her.

“He did make a spectacular man,” the goddess said wistfully.

“As usual, you are correct. Last night was . . .” She sighed dreamily. “. . . exactly what I needed. Thank you, Mother.”

Gaea nodded graciously and sipped her mead. She would not share with her daughter the cost of last night's passion. It had been Dylan's choice, and he had made it willingly. She would not taint his sacrifice by telling Christine news that would surely cause her guilt and pain. And, if fate was kind, the price Dylan would have to pay would be no more than a few wrinkles or an attractive graying of his ebony-colored hair.

Gaea cleared her throat. Without preamble she said, “Lir is preoccupied. I called to him from our private cove, and he sent a selkie as his messenger.” The goddess flipped back her thick hair and crossed her legs, obviously annoyed. “There is some problem with Pele, the Hawaiian fire goddess. Mano is causing some mischief with her local priestesses, and Pele has threatened to erupt an underwater volcano in retribution. Mano has appealed to Lir. And, of course, Lir has never minded interceding when the passion of a goddess is involved.”

“Who is Mano?”

“The Hawaiian shark god—and a rather nasty fellow.” Gaea shook her head in disgust. “Island immortals are all so petty. Too little land to ground them and to provide them the depth they need for real wisdom.”

“So you didn't get to talk to Lir at all?”

“No, his message said he would come to me as soon as he has resolved the Hawaiian problem.”

“And he didn't say when that would be.”

“No, but I will not allow him to put me off for long. I am a goddess and I will not be trifled with.” Gaea's eyes flashed with suppressed power.

“Speaking of being trifled with, Sarpedon has become more annoying,” CC said. “Yesterday he possessed Andras again. Your amulet reminded him that wasn't a smart move, but while he was possessed Andras made some comments about knowing that I'm not pure.”

Gaea's eyes narrowed. “The merman is troublesome, but now that he has found you it seems that he is focusing his attention on the monastery. I know from your dolphin friends that he has been distinctly absent from the waters near Caldei.” Gaea's expression lightened and she smiled playfully at CC. “That is especially fortunate because the dolphins report news of another merman, who is spending all of his time in the waters surrounding this island.”

“Dylan?”

“Of course it is Dylan. Who else?”

CC smiled sheepishly. “I know it's silly, but I just wanted to hear you say it.”

“This silliness, as you call it, is part of the magic of love. And remember love is the strongest magic in the world. It even has the ability to tame a goddess.”

“I want to be with him, Mother. Always.”

Gaea smoothed back CC's hair. “I know, Daughter, and tonight you shall be with your lover again. Feign exhaustion and retire early to your bed. I will summon storm clouds to obscure the sun so that you need not wait for full dark to go to Dylan.” Gaea's look turned sly. “It is my turn to use Sarpedon's connection with the young knight. I will whisper dreams to Andras in which you figure predominately. Sarpedon will be kept very busy tonight trying to decide what is real, and what is fantasy. He will be much too busy chasing the ghosts of dreams to haunt the waters looking for you.”

CC hugged Gaea in gratitude, and the goddess's laughter filled the chapel.

“All will be well, Daughter. With just a little more patience, all will be well. Do not forget, you must return to the monastery when the bell tolls for morning mass.”

“I won't forget. Will you be at the shore tonight?” CC asked.

“Tonight I will leave you to your lover. You see, I, too, will be concentrating on calling a lover. Lir will not long be able to resist.”

CC wondered how Lir could resist the goddess at all. Even in the dimness of the chapel, Gaea's beauty was awe-inspiring, and when she mentioned her lover the light that always shone within her intensified until CC almost felt the need to avert her eyes.

CC grinned at Gaea. “Lir's a goner, and he doesn't even know it—yet.”

“Oh, he knows, Daughter. He knows.”

The cheery yellow glow of the candles that surrounded Mary's statue blinked and quivered in response to the women's laughter, filling CC with a sense of well-being. How could anything go wrong as long as Gaea was beside her?

Suddenly, the expression on Gaea's face sobered and before CC could speak the goddess's body dissipated into hundreds of tiny golden lights, which pulsed once and then faded. Her disappearance was followed by the sound of a deep, male voice.

“Good afternoon, Undine,” Andras said.

CC looked warily at the knight, half expecting his eyes to begin to glow, but there was no sign of anything unusual in his appearance.

“Hello, Andras.” She took a breath and decided there was no way she could avoid the subject. “You look like you feel better today. Did you and the abbot figure out what happened yesterday in the courtyard?”

The knight's welcoming expression flattened. “Abbot William is diligently praying about the event. He remains confident that an answer will be found.”

“Well, I'm just glad to see that you've recovered. I'm sure the abbot's prayers will be helpful.” She kept her voice light.

Instead of meeting her eyes, the knight's gaze slid away and lit on the statue. “You have done an excellent job here. It is good to see that you are taking such an interest in religion. A woman needs to be grounded in the structure of the church so that she can know her proper place as wife and mother.”

His face had relaxed and his smile was genuine, even if the words were patronizing.

“I'm not restoring the Holy Mother's statue out of religious zealous-ness or piety; I'm restoring it out of love,” she said, reminding herself that it wasn't his fault that he was a medieval man. He probably thought he had just paid her an enormous compliment.

“Exactly.” Andras sounded pleased. “Love of the church.”

“No,” she automatically corrected him. “Love of the Mother.”

Confusion spread over his face. “Is there a difference?”

“I think so. I think there is a world of difference between devotion to man and devotion to the divine.”

“Do you not believe that man can be divine?” Andras's chuckle said that he found it amusing that he was discussing theology with a woman.

“Truthfully, I haven't found much evidence of it.”

Andras squinted his eyes at her, as if he wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly. Then he smiled indulgently. “Undine, I find your sense of humor refreshing, but the reason I need to speak with you requires us to be serious. My squires have relayed to me several reports of an unusual nature.”

“Unusual reports?” she prompted when he just stared at her and didn't continue speaking.

“Creatures have been seen in the waters off the coast.”

She forced her expression to be one of mild curiosity.

“Creatures? You mean like whales and dolphins? That doesn't seem very unusual to me. You and I saw a dolphin very close to shore just a couple of days ago.”

“I do not mean creatures that were fashioned by God. The fishermen talk of abnormal beings, half man and half fish, that have been seen inhabiting the waters surrounding this island.”

“And you believed the fantasies of those poor people? That surprises me, Andras. They are, after all, peasants.” She hoped that she was using the right buzz words. Andras was a knight, which meant he was a part of the nobility. Hadn't he been raised to look down on the working classes? At that moment she fervently hoped so.

“You are correct. They are peasants. I simply find their sightings interesting, especially because they seem to coincide with your appearance on our shores.”

CC laughed. “Are you saying that you think that I am half fish?”

“Of course not.”

“Then what are you saying?” she asked. At the mention of the sea, the longing within her sprang painfully alive, wearing away at her ability to be cordial to the overbearing knight.

“I know of your love for the sea. I am saying that you should be content with observing it from afar, and save excursions to the shoreline for quieter times.”

CC squeezed a tight smile on her lips. “As always, I appreciate the concern you show for my welfare, but I'm sure it is nothing but foolish superstitions worrying the fishermen. After all, I was blown ashore by a storm. It's only logical that other sea creatures were blown off course, too.”

“Other sea creatures?” Andras pounced. “You sound like you are saying you are a creature of the sea, too.”

“Do I look like a creature of the sea?” she asked with a teasing smile.

“I ask that you give me your word that you will not walk by the shoreline alone again.”

Andras's voice had an unmistakably hard edge to it, and CC's ability to be polite was rapidly unraveling when Isabel's grainy voice quivered across the chapel.

“It is well after midday and you have forgotten to eat again, Undine.” The old woman limped toward them. She paused when she neared the statue of Mary, crossed herself and curtseyed reverently. Then she nodded respectfully to the knight.