Daughters of the Moon
Wings ePress
July 2003
ALLIYA – soon to be dedicated to the Dark Goddess
Hecate
ARTEMIS – son of Draco, the Dragon, Archon of
Attica Greece
A chance meeting in the Agora, will
change their lives forever.
SECRETS TO KEEP -
Temple rituals, betrayal, secrets, passion and rebellion
blend with the mysteries of the God and Goddesses to
challenge a love that will alter the destiny of man.
Reviews:
"I loved this book and you will,
too. I couldn't put it down and read it all in one
day. You won’t be disappointed. It is a keeper."
-Jennifer Bolwig, Romance Book
Reviews
"Daughters of
the Moon is a riveting historical romance set during
the Greek historical period, a very unique time period
for a historical. Ancient Greece comes alive beneath the
talented pen of author Kathye Quick. Her in-depth
research shines through in this rich tale of love and
betrayal and evil, as do her wonderful characters, down
to and including the vile High Priestess Magna and the
diabolical Draco. Flawless plotting, well-paced dialog
and a glimpse into the world of the ancient Greeks make
Daughters of the Moon a definite must-read."
-Denise M. Clark,
The Road to Romance
Excerpt:
Inside
the hidden cave the loud cheer rose from the faithful
grew in intensity and echoed painfully in Alliya's ears.
Tears rolled down her cheeks and her tiny body shook
with uncontrolled sobs. In cold terror and paralyzed by
shock, Alliya realized the horror below had been meant
for her. She gasped for air, unable to catch her breath
as her heart began to race. She wanted to look away, get
out and run away, but her feet were still frozen to the
spot. Against her will, she watched the final act of the
ritual.
Patrolese brought the dogs to the edge of the altar as
Magna poured Madina's blood into a bowl. Her mouth
curved into a twisted smile as the animals eagerly
lapped at the red liquid. After the bowl had been licked
clean, she tossed the still warm heart in their midst
and allowed the hounds to tear it to pieces. Then, with
a nod to her consort, the High Priestess left the altar.
After securing the dogs by their chains, Patrolese
located a small lever hidden in one corner of the altar
stone. A slight tug on the arm made the center section
split, sending Madina's lifeless body into its depths.
Reaching out, he dropped one of the torches that were
positioned around the stone into the pit and watched,
his emotions unmoved, as the center of the site burst
into a blanket of flame. Only when he was satisfied that
there would be no evidence that little Madina didn’t
really join the goddess to be reborn with her on earth,
did he turn and also leave the area.
Shaking, Alliya finally freed herself from the crack in
the cave. She raced for the doorway, stumbling on loose
stones and falling face down onto the dirt floor.
Sobbing, she clawed at the ground and crawled the rest
of the way to the opening. She had to get away from the
temple and never return. It was all a lie, her world,
her religion, everything she knew was gone.
The bright light outside momentarily blinded her as she
emerged from the cave, but she ignored it, her fear
driving her. Part way down, her foot dislodged some
rocks, sending her tumbling once more down the face of
the cliff. Her tiny body rolled down the embankment
until she was roughly deposited at the foot of the crag.
Upon landing, the soft area of her temple gave way to
the sharp, unyielding edge of a large rock. Bright
colors danced before her eyes and began to erase all
memory of the vicious murder that she had just
witnessed.
As blackness lowered its dark curtain over her, Alliya
was returned to the security of ignorance.
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