Ten Crescent Moons (Moonquest)

by Marilyn Haddrill

  They concluded that perhaps Redolo could research and document his life, leading to publication of their findings in one of the prestigious Journals of the Minds published by the university of the Ninth House back home on the Prime Continent.

  Adalginza tried to follow their discussion, but quickly lost interest. Speaking of Medosa reminded her only of the profound loss she felt.

  The gnostic's kindness had been real, just as Lady Donzala's love for her had been as authentic as that of any real mother.

  "Child, there is something you need to know." Redolo spoke abruptly, directing Adalginza's attention back to the conversation. "It is about your coloring."

  "Mother!" Placing his cleaned sword back into its scabbard, Kalos now stepped between the two women. "What we discussed in private is not your place or duty to reveal."

  "She is strong. I believe she has a right to know the truth. It is so obvious. Look at the darkness of her skin."

  "You do not know what the truth is," Kalos said. "You are only guessing. And through guessing, you will cause this young woman great pain. Maybe unnecessary pain."

  "But she is not personally responsible for her mother's desires. Or madness."

  "Then do you think it is also worth mentioning that perhaps her mother's madness is within her?"

  "Now who is being cruel? Such rudeness! To say such a thing in front of Lady Adalginza!"

  "No more cruel than you, Mother."

  Adalginza's heart almost stopped beating with fear of discovery as the two of them so casually discussed the matter of her heritage and mental state.

  Mother and son stood, their glares the only evidence of sparring that had now grown silent.

  "Very well, I will hold my tongue," Redolo said at last. "I need refreshment. And to get away from this snake stench. Zartos! Come with me!"

  Redolo grasped the boy's arm, half-dragging him away from the snake's corpse that so morbidly absorbed him. They started down the trail toward the courtyard.

  But Zartos pulled free momentarily, to face Adalginza with a deeply somber expression. He raised his hand briefly, in a formal salute.

  "Thank you for saving our lives."

  "The boy has better manners than any of us," Redolo said brusquely. "Please be assured he has expressed my sentiments as well."

  Then she again grabbed his arm, and pulled him after her.

  Adalginza was left standing, alone, facing Kalos. An awkward silence ensued for a few moments before he finally spoke.

  "You have won yourself two allies today," he said.

  "Only two?"

  "I saw along the trail that someone left bait and then cut the safety screen, to allow the snake to enter. Was it you?"

  "Why would I do such a thing?"

  "To become the hero. To win my good opinion. How else would you know the snake was there?"

  How indeed?

  "I have very good hearing," Adalginza replied.

  "As do I. And I heard nothing."

  "Your theory is ridiculous. It would be insane to put myself — and my guests — in such danger."

  "And yet insanity is a curse of your bloodline."

  At least this explained why he had so cruelly brought up the subject of madness in his previous argument with his mother.

  Kalos apparently was convinced it was she, not Bruna, who had done something as unbalanced as allowing a snake to invade the premises.

  At the thought of it, Adalginza suddenly, inexplicitly felt like slapping the captain. But she reminded herself that his insult was meant for the woman who was thought to be Lady Donzala's daughter. Not her.

  So she forced herself to answer thoughtfully and with great dignity.

  "And so here we are. Your mother believes I am part savage, and you believe I inherited my mother's madness — that I, in fact, deliberately put us all in harm's way. I imagine, Captain Kalos, that you and your mother have won few friends on the Prime Continent considering the way you speak so bluntly to strangers."

  "You would imagine correctly." Kalos gave her a wry smile. "Even our own kin sometimes have little to do with us."

  She shrugged, feigning indifference.

  "I know not what else to say to you. You have obviously researched the particular form of madness attributed to my mother. So you must know this affliction quite often is passed from mothers to daughters, though not to sons. I cannot deny this fact."

  Adalginza then pushed beside him, to kneel beside the snake.

  "Perhaps you could help me drag this one's carcass outside the enclosure, into the street. The free savages will find and skin it. They will also make use of the remains. The meat will find its way into many cooking pots. Even the bones will be shaped into tools and ornaments."

  "Why should we exert ourselves on behalf of the very savages who plot to murder us?"

  "Because we must dispose of the snake or it will rot on my property. If we leave it on the street, the savages will do the work for us."

  As they struggled together to drag their burden down the trail, Adalginza paused to unbolt and swing open the outside side gate leading to the town street.

  She paused to catch her breath, and glared at the captain.

  "Instead of indulging in gossip and speculation about me, I would advise you and Lady Redolo to investigate more of the facts you claim you are so fond of."

  Kalos rested one hand on the gate as he regarded her.

  "And what facts might those be?"

  "For one thing, there are no indigo eyes through my mother's direct lineage. The indigo eyes are inherited through my father's bloodline alone. So, you see, my father could not possibly be a savage. You and your mother accuse Lady Donzala of indiscretion that is simply untrue. You have dishonored her good name, sir."

  "I suppose we should have delved into this subject more thoroughly before bringing it up with you." Kalos was beginning to sound uncharacteristically contrite.

  "Yes. You should have." Adalginza met his gaze coldly. "Also, if you had checked the Archives, you also would know that my father's mother was Lady Swiala. This is a name you must surely recognize. In her youth, she was a model for many fine fashions on the Prime Continent."

  "Yes. I know the name well. And I know of her famous indigo eyes."

  "Good. Then know, too, that her son chose allegiance to his father's house, the Fifth House. But Lady Swiala herself belongs to the House of the First Crescent Moon. This is my true lineage. And in Lady Swiala's clan, indigo eyes are not so rare."

  "I see what you are saying," Kalos conceded.

  Adalginza, of course, was only embellishing an elaborate lie.

  She knew nothing of her own real father, an unknown Crescent knight.

  She knew only that Lady Donzala's husband, Isa, had sired the baby whose place Adalginza had taken. And it was this baby who was the direct descendant of the famous Lady Swiala.

  "And here is another fact for you to consider," Adalginza said. "Lest your ridiculous suspicions now lead you to believe that Lady Donzala was not my mother, I will point out to you that Medosa himself witnessed and recorded my birth. Yes, my skin is dark. But unlike many ladies of the Crescent Houses, I do not protect myself by hiding indoors. I worship the sun. I often bathe in it, unclothed, when others cannot see."

  She boldly held his gaze, forcing upon him the image of herself in a natural state of sun worship.

  Her adversary, for once, was speechless — and, also, a little pale.

  Adalginza then reached down, and grabbed two handfuls of the dead snake's hide. Kalos bent to assist her, rubbing one strong shoulder against hers. They pulled together until finally they tugged their burden onto the side of the empty street.

  Kalos picked some strands of nearby tall grass and wiped the gore from his hands. He said nothing during this process, but he looked speculative. His eyes never left her face.

  Six of the ten crescent moons glowed down upon the scene, illuminating it in soft light. Then, Kalos unexpectedly reached for her. Strong hand
s rested on her bare shoulders while he earnestly searched her eyes.

  "You deliberately placed that image of you in my mind. So you are again playing the role of the temptress."

  "I am trying to be much more than that for you."

  His eyes were hungry now, but he frowned as though something deeply disturbed him. He dropped his hands from her shoulders.

  "You are also a liar."

  "Now what is it that you accuse me of?"

  "You used the word trying. This is very telling."

  "And now I suppose you are going to enlighten me as to why that is, oh superior one of the exalted House of the Ninth Crescent Moon."

  He laughed aloud at her insult. "Try shows you have no real commitment to what it is you say you want to do."

  "Words, words, words." Adalginza finished cleaning her own hands, and angrily tossed the grass strands to the ground. "You and your clansmen are so full of meaningless words."

  "No more words then. Let us try a test. Better still, let us actually do it."

  Adalginza's watched him warily as he stepped away from her. What was it that he was now about to ask of her?

  "It is late, and there is no one else around." His voice was gently teasing. "Show me now how it is that you worship the sun. Go ahead. I will watch."

  At her hesitation, Kalos folded his arms. "Well? I am waiting to see the shade of your skin. All of your skin. Then we will accomplish two worthy goals. I will be convinced of your intent toward me, and I will see the truth of your heritage."

  To her own surprise, hot shame instantly swept over her. Not knowing what else to do, Adalginza silently turned on her heel and began stalking back toward the abode.

  She felt Kalos walking behind her, much too closely.

  "Liar," he whispered, almost in her ear. His hot breath caused the back of her neck to tingle. "You are not the seductress you pretend to be. So the real question is this. Why are you acting toward me in such a manner?"

  "I have no more words for you," Adalginza replied coolly.

  The clatter of stones nearby ordinarily would have spoken of a beast of the night, caught by surprise at their hurried approach.

  But in the reaching of her mind, Adalginza felt no response.

  Therefore, the intruder spying upon them had been human.

  ***

  Later that night, Adalginza escorted her guests to the front gate where they politely said their goodbyes. Kalos, Redolo, and Zartos then climbed into their carriage where a driver awaited them at the appointed time.

  But it was only until the clomping sound of the sturmons pulling the carriage and the clatter of the wheels grew more distant that Adalginza turned back toward her abode.

  She carefully stepped over the cobblestones as she made her way back to the courtyard entrance. There, a shadow detached itself from the inky darkness near the front door. She recognized the shape of the man at once.

  "Benfaaro?" she whispered.

  He instantly stepped into full view.

  The pale light of the moons lit his face, and glowed back at her from his green eyes. But her joy at seeing her beloved older brother was tempered by fear that he had personally witnessed her earlier failure.

  She could have and should have seduced the new captain, when the opportunity so conveniently presented itself. Instead, she had fled his attentions exactly like the impotent virgin Bruna had accused her of being.

  Fortunately, however, Benfaaro had other things on his mind.

  "We must repair the screen," he said urgently. "Another snake could come before morning in search of new territory, once the scent of the other's death becomes widespread and known."

  He pushed impatiently by her, heading toward the trail to the stables. Thus far, he had barely acknowledged her. It was so like him to withhold affection, even though they had been separated now for at least a full quarter of a season.

  Adalginza matched his pace, trying not to stumble after him with steps made clumsier by the usual hero worship she always felt in his presence.

  She felt so deeply blessed to be a blood relative to a living legend. Songs already were being written and sung around campfires of all the tribes about the great Benfaaro, savior of the frontier's rightful inhabitants.

  The dark purple band around his head kept his flowing, black locks of hair in check. Not particularly tall, he was nevertheless imposing because of an intensity of character that physically impacted those in his presence.

  He suddenly flinched with the hearing of a tiny scuffling sound, and paused to listen. A rodent skittered away, giving him a glimpse of the source.

  For one fleeting moment, he graced Adalginza with a grim smile as she struggled to catch up to him. She soon stood with her brother, overwhelmed with joy to be shoulder-to-shoulder with her only real kin.

  "So, little sister. The enemy captain has been at your household. And you accomplished this on the first day of his arrival. Well done."

  Adalginza knew she now had a foolish, adolescent grin on her face. But she didn't care.

  Praise from the great Benfaaro was rare indeed. And this definitely was not the time to ask if he had seen her just fail at seducing the captain of the Crescent knights.

  They walked silently together, until a few moments later they reached the place where the screen had been breached. But it already had been repaired and what remained of the bait was now gone.

  Adalginza guessed that Bruna must have sneaked back here to undo her original handiwork.

  "I watched you in combat," Benfaaro said, as his eyes scanned the darkness. "You fought the snake well. As did the new captain."

  "Thank you," Adalginza said humbly.

  Benfaaro peered into the darkness. "I know you're there, Bruna. Step forward. Your mate misses his beloved."

  Did Adalginza imagine she heard a note of irony mixed with outright insincerity in her brother's voice?

  It was hard to tell, for Bruna immediately melted from the darkness and into Benfaaro's arms.

  Adalginza tried to assess the uneasy feeling she always had when her brother and Bruna were together. Around Bruna, he was sometimes transformed into a different man. A man bewitched. That was the word whispered behind Benfaaro's back.

  Right now the two of them embraced eagerly, kissing as real lovers do, seemingly eager to be off to Bruna's sleep chamber before the night turned to day.

  A few moments later, Benfaaro stepped back from the gaunt, grim woman.

  "Would you like to hear news of our sweet daughter, Calasta?"

  "No." Bruna shrugged. "I'm sure she is fine."

  "She is your daughter. She turned eight only a few turns ago. Yet, you sent her no token of your affection through one of our couriers. Is this something you have forgotten? Do you not have a treasure for me to bring back to her, to assure her of her own mother's love?"

  "She is with you. Because of this, she has all the treasure she needs."

  "She misses her mother."

  Bruna merely shrugged again. "And I miss you."

  Adalginza heard a slight grinding of Benfaaro's teeth, accompanied by the visible contortions of his jaw. "Why did you cut the screen? You put Adalginza in great danger."

  "Maybe I didn't do it." At Benfaaro's stern gaze, Bruna reached out with elongated fingers and stroked the growth of beard on his chin to placate him. "Or maybe I did it for a reason."

  Benfaaro reached up, grabbed her hand, and moved it away from his face. "Which was?"

  "Not to kill the captain. At least not until we have his secrets."

  Adalginza stepped forward then, to confront Bruna.

  "You wanted the snake to kill the rest of his family. His mother and his nephew. That's why you did it."

  Bruna's smile was so malevolent that Adalginza had to physically control a shudder.

  "A grief-stricken man would be in great need of consolation," Bruna pointed out, sounding reasonable. "Not that you, little one, would be up to the task. Not from what I have seen so far."


  So it had been Bruna, not Benfaaro, who had spied on the earlier flirtation between Adalginza and Kalos near the outer gate.

  Bruna turned to her husband.

  "I witnessed the whole thing earlier this evening. The captain wanted her, and she spurned him. She fears him because she has no experience with men."

  In the waning moonlight, Adalginza had expected to see anger in her brother's eyes. But, even worse, she spied pity.

  Benfaaro addressed her gently. "You know what it is we are asking of you, little sister. You were born with eyes that the men of the Crescent Houses covet so greatly. You cannot continue to — withhold yourself — and expect to succeed."

  Adalginza dropped her head. "I know this."

  "If the men of our tribe had shown more interest in her, we wouldn't have this problem," Bruna interrupted irritably. "Talan would have taken her. Taught her the things she needs to know. But she rejected him."

  "Talan is not right for her," Benfaaro said dismissively. "He wants her only because she is my sister and has the title Of the Blood. He is strong in body, but small in spirit."

  "He is a great warrior!" Bruna protested.

  "He wants to be me. I do not trust him. Therefore, I say Adalginza has good judgment."

  "But no experience as a result of this — judgment," Bruna argued. "She could have seduced the captain tonight. He wanted her. Now our mission could fail because of her."

  "I will do better." Adalginza hoarsely spoke the promise.

  Benfaaro reached out and took Adalginza's hands in his own.

  "In another time, I would never ask this of you. You know that, don't you?"

  Adalginza felt her eyes brimming with tears. She could only nod.

  Benfaaro's own eyes glistened in response.

  "Know this, too. Our people have no future as long as these intruders from the Crescent Houses continue to arrive from the Prime Continent in their many sailing ships."

  Adalginza finally found her voice again.

  "From his own lips, I heard the new captain of knights say that he has been sent not only to protect the settlement of Sola Re. But to find you, dear brother. And to kill you."

  "In his place, I would do the same." Benfaaro's eyes rested briefly on Bruna, but his expression was unreadable. "This man, Kalos, must think it was I who ordered the rape of the women in his clan. I did not condone such a thing. But it is enough that I ordered the attack on Tremasto."