Free Comet Fall (Wine of the Gods) by Pam Uphoff Page B

hike into the village. From there it was a solid two week hike through the mountains to the crest of the volcano.
    On the trek upward, the witches organized themselves, the Dark Crescents in the lead. Some of the older witches cast frowns back. But Never followed the witches who were definitely in the Waning Half—the grandmothers—even if she was ahead of all the Full Moons. Which group she claimed membership in was a bit ambiguous, and certainly none of the younger witches of the Full Moon challenged her.
    Rustle's attempt to do the same was loudly declaimed by the chorus of Tromp, Zenith and Cost.
    "Get behind us. You're a disgrace." Tromp smirked.
    "You don't have a daughter, you don't count." Zenith chanted.
    "Half Moon my ass. You're not even properly a witch." Cost shrugged a dismissive shoulder at her.
    Answer stomped back angrily. "Rustle, if you're going to cause trouble, get behind the Cres cent Moons with the rest of the children."
    T he old witch turned and walked away. Tromped shoved past Rustle, followed by her entourage. The other Crescent Moons walked by quickly, none crowding Rustle, but none showing any sympathy.
    Rustle took a deep breath and followed several steps behind.
    The little powerless girls, Mica, Jasper and Neptunite whispered among themselves and brought up the rear. Obsidian, being under nine, was supposed to stay with her mother. She ventured back to hug Rustle only once, obviously distressed as the Black Triad jeered her as she passed.
    Xen was the only bab y, and Answer set a fast pace. Surely not deliberately. Rustle got good at nursing while walking, and changed diapers fast. And got less sleep, washing them out, downstream of their camps.
    On the last day, as t hey tackled the final slopes, Rustle handed Xen to a shadow that faded away.
    "Handy, that," her grandmother growled. "Didn't see any of that seventeen years ago. Not that we needed any help."
    "Odd how circumstances change," Rustle said. " It must have been a slow, grueling hike, with so many babies, those first few years."
    "Slow? Don't be absurd." Curious exchanged smirks with her granddaughter, Tromp, before she turned to march on.
    Never sighed. "Well, the way you've always tagged along after that man, we ought to have guessed who you went to, at need. I hope it worked."
    They climbed the last leg, settling the younger children around an unlit pile of firewood, then ascending to the spire in the twilight , the fat moon already above the horizon in the deep blue sky.
    At the base Mica raised her hands and lights winked between her fingers. Mostly burst into tears, and hugged her, then climbed to the level of the Full Moon. More sparks and a grinning Likely was joining her, to complete the second triad of Full Moons.
    At the top, Answer led the sisters in the song of the Moon.
    Rustle stepped up alone on the third tier and sang the Song of the Half Moon about the joy of motherhood. Ignoring the voices from below singing the Crescent Moon song at the top of their voices, to drown her out. Above her, Justice gestured Never higher, and she sang the song of the Grandmother with the others. Rustle rejoiced that no one was challenging her mother's advancement to the Waning Half, despite the gender of her grandchild.
    Then she put it all out of her mind and felt the forces of gravity while she sang. The power flowed through her, down from the Moon and up from the Mountain, and she suddenly knew that she would always know the feel of this place, could find this mountain from anywhere in the World.
    Recognition. That was how it felt.
    They sang the waning gibbous moon down, then retreated to light the fire and eat, and sleep. In the morning, Rustle stopped in the shadows of a giant boulder to take back a hungry Xen and ease her aching breasts.
    They kept to no particular order on the quicker trip down, so she walked with her family. Justice , Xanthic and Happy joined them a few times. The others ignored Xen totally, and herself nearly