"You will ride your own sturmon?" the guard asked, plainly horrified. "You will not be taking the wagon? Or riding with the captain on his Golden?"
"The polite rules of the Crescent House settlements do not apply in the wilderness, good sir. Besides, you know the stories about me in Sola Re. It is no use to keep the secret any longer. I ride a sturmon like a man. And of this I am most proud."
The guard was now struck speechless as Adalginza led the sturmons right past him and a good ways beyond until she was behind the screen of the suckleberry thicket.
She then strolled to the nearby storage hut, and retrieved the gear needed for her daring plan.
Behind the screen of the heavy brush, Adalginza draped the mounts with elaborate, decorative bridle trappings and adjusted heavy, metal stirrups designed to hold booted feet.
Her spirits soared as the bold new morning sun, now higher, glowed upon the scene. Perhaps it really would be this easy.
Adalginza then strapped on packs loaded with dried provisions that she also had found stored in the hut.
She then balanced across the saddle of the Golden a strap holding two hollow gourds filled with water. But just as she was about to hitch up her skirts and leap on the back of the Golden, Captain Kalos melted quietly from the thicket.
At the sight of him, she was overcome with despair.
So there really was to be no escape. Not for her. Not for Calasta. And most certainly not for him.
"Lady, you have already made preparations for our journey?" Kalos sounded astonished.
Becoming by now utterly used to instant lies, Adalginza swirled to face him with a ready-made explanation. She plastered a coy smile on her face.
"I wished to prove to you that a lady of the Fifth House is not completely helpless. You have indicated enough times that you admire women of sufficiency. Such as the one you mentioned from your past. What was her name again? Sagawea?"
Kalos chuckled low in his throat. "Lady Adalginza, you will never be Sagawea."
His comparison of her to this unknown woman pierced Adalginza's heart as surely as the dagger the captain had used last night to slay Herol.
She said nothing as Kalos began circling the two mounts. He checked the pouches, and methodically began to lighten the load, tossing packets of provisions into the grass.
"I will summon one of the guards to retrieve these." He gave her a curious look. "You have packed enough food to last us for days. We will be gone only for the night."
"I thought an emergency might arise," Adalginza replied frostily. "You did seem overly concerned about our provisions last night."
"Well, we need not be excessive. You yourself informed me that you could find us game if we were to run short of food. If that be the case, then we would have fresh meat because my own aim with a blade is sure."
"Especially with a dagger thrown at a helpless pet," Adalginza mumbled, thinking that he could not hear.
Her eyes misted when she glanced up toward the hill with the burial ground.
"Ah." Kalos dropped his eyes as he readjusted one stirrup on the Golden. "Despite all your reassurances when you returned last night, I see I am not forgiven after all."
"Perhaps not quite yet."
"Well, words are one thing. Feelings are another. I cannot blame you."
Kalos sighed heavily as he peered at her over the back of the Golden.
"I wish I could turn back time, and start over with that first day that you awaited me on the streets of Sola Re. I rue my arrogance then. But understand that I knew you not. Now, I have seen more of the woman behind the masque, and she intrigues me. Though this may surprise you, I miss your flirtations."
"Do you? You indicated to me that you thought my behavior was both crude and forward."
"In truth, I was flattered." Kalos grinned at her impishly. "What man wouldn't be?"
"If all you miss is my flattery, then I have little sympathy for your plight."
Kalos laughed heartily as he reached out to the mottled sturmon and unceremoniously yanked off the saddle and trappings, leaving them in a heap on the ground.
"Why are you undoing my work?" Adalginza was genuinely irritated.
"We need only one mount. We cannot have my knights see you riding as a man would ride. They are, after all, from the Fifth House."
"I already told the guard I know how to ride."
"You know full well that it matters not to me. But you are under my command here. I must respect the rules of the Fifth House. Otherwise, I would lose the loyalty of those who follow me."
"I suppose we must now take that awful wagon," Adalginza said, trying to sound petulant. "Since your foolish knights cannot abide the sight of a woman astride a sturmon."
"No. You will ride with me. As we leave and in the sight of my knights, both of your legs must fall to one side of the sturmon, as befits a lady."
"This sounds most uncomfortable."
"My arms will be around you to steady you. This mode of travel is considered quite fashionable on the Prime Continent, where the sturmons from the frontier have been introduced." He gave her a meaningful look. "And very romantic, for couples who are so inclined."
"Perhaps we should take the wagon," Adalginza suggested.
Kalos just laughed, and affectionately patted the haunches of his sturmon.
"I prefer only the Golden in circumstances such as these. We might need a quick escape."
"I doubt we will encounter any danger at the cave. It is very remote."
"There, no. But we will be stopping elsewhere on our return to the Place of the Circles. You will be of great help to me by showing me the way to the village. In particular, I am interested in seeing Benfaaro's abode."
"But this is most unexpected!"
Panic grew, as she pictured Calasta's innocent face. The child likely would be alone in Benfaaro's dwelling, since Bruna often wandered the hillsides in search of herbs and roots for her potions.
Adalginza tried another tactic.
"I see no reason to put ourselves at such risk. I already told you he is not there."
Kalos gave her a mysterious look.
"I wish to leave Benfaaro a message."
"What kind of message?"
"It will be a surprise."
Adalginza swallowed hard, as she tried to think of a way to warn Calasta. And Bruna, also, might be in the village at the time of their visit. How could that be explained?
She reached out to adjust the balance of one of the packs, dallying. When she spoke next, she tried to keep her voice casual.
"Very well. If you insist upon visiting the village, then I believe we should be accompanied by your knights."
There would be no real peril, of course. Adalginza only hoped that a group of knights and sturmons would make enough of a commotion to give advance warning of their approach.
Kalos studied her far too long. Then he moved around the sturmon to adjust the other stirrup.
"One sturmon makes far less noise," he observed. "And we might find a few villagers who were left behind. If that be the case, then I would like to question them."
Adalginza stepped closer to him.
"This is a foolish plan, Captain Kalos. You know what I think? I think you do not wish any of your knights to be in our company because they might witness your interest in the artifacts of the House of the Seventh Crescent Moon."
"Oh? And why do you say that?"
"In the Fifth House, this obsession of yours would be perceived as the weakness of a man who is more scholar than soldier. And it is also blasphemy."
Kalos straightened and turned to face her. Only the fire in his eyes betrayed his anger.
"You call me weak for being a scholar?"
"You are from the Ninth House. You are not a natural warrior, so you have much to prove. Your weakness lies in giving the men you lead power over you because you so greatly desire their respect. No captain from the Fifth House would worry for even one moment about winning the approval of his knights, no matter what h
e chose to do."
Kalos smiled tightly at her and swung into the saddle. Then he leaned over to hold out his hand to her.
"Nevertheless and regardless of how you view my motives, we will go alone."
Reluctantly, Adalginza stretched out her hand and allowed his strong arm to haul her up, and in front of him on the saddle.
As Kalos wrapped his arms around Adalginza, she became painfully aware of how loose the bodice sash was. She clutched the cloth, then tightened it to arrange it more modestly.
"Are you ready?"
Kalos whispered the words in her ear, stirring with his hot breath a few strands of her hair that had strayed from their coils. She felt his beard tickling the back of her neck.
"No. I am very uncomfortable."
The Golden took a few nervous steps, then snorted as the captain answered.
"I am uncomfortable now, too. But not for the same reasons as you. Your closeness is like the sweet scent of a flower. I am now breathing your presence."
"Is that so? Do you use these same sugared words on Lady Sagawea?"
"Lady Sagawea would never ride on a sturmon, not even if my arms were around her. And she would never ride a sturmon like a man. Most especially, Lady Sagawea would never be in the frontier at all except under the most extreme circumstances."
Kalos urged the Golden forward, from behind the suckleberry thicket.
The animal stepped high as they passed several of the knights, who watched with open envy as they departed down a dim trail that wound through the shrub forest of the foothills.
As far as the knights knew, the captain already had tasted Lady Adalginza's charms. And they guessed he would feast on more of the same when the evening dawned.
Or maybe even much sooner than that.
Once they were out of sight, Adalginza defiantly shifted her position. She rearranged her skirts, and threw both legs around the sturmon. For the rest of the quarter day's journey, she managed to hold herself stiffly away from the captain. Nor did she engage him in conversation.
Perhaps the silence suited him, also. He sometimes whistled softly to himself, but always seemed hyper alert to their surroundings.
Once, when a covey of plump, grey falibirds flew up under the sturmon's nose, the captain's reflexes were almost as swift as the wings in flight. He instantly drew his sword and steadied the startled mount.
Adalginza did not even flinch.
"You have nerves equal to the steel in my blade," Kalos said in a low, admiring voice. He replaced the sword in its sheath attached to the saddle.
She had known about the birds, having sensed their presence before even they were alerted to the approach of the sturmon.
She had known they were about to fly. And she had no reason for fear or flinching.
"I feel safe in your presence."
"No. It is more than that. Something I need to explore about you..."
Adalginza managed to divert him from this dangerous idea by pointing ahead to the avalanche of rocks and sticks that served as the landmark for what once had been a secret place of happiness.
This was where she had played in the hidden waterfall and pools with the children of savages, when they accepted her as a child of the Crescent Houses. At that time, they had all been young enough to see only the humanity of each other.
It was only as they grew older that differences were made and hatred was taught. The friendships ended when the other children began to shun her, making fun of her indigo eyes.
When the Golden stopped, she allowed the captain to cup both hands under her shoulders to help lower her to the ground. Then she watched him as he slid eagerly from the sturmon, issuing a vocal command for the animal to stay.
"If there is water up there, as you say, I must find a way to bring some for my Golden to drink."
She had never heard the captain refer to his sturmon as anything other than his Golden, unlike other knights who sometimes gave their steeds elaborate names.
Yet, she was by now keenly aware of the deep bond between man and animal. This connection was proven more so by the fact that the captain's first thought was for the animal's comfort rather than for the treasure that awaited him.
Adalginza gathered up her skirts.
"These fibers are tightly woven. They will hold enough water for your Golden."
"Good. We will bring it when we return."
Adalginza mentally portrayed this image of water to the thirsty steed, who responded with a surge of anticipation.
A smart animal. Extraordinarily smart. Worthy of the captain.
Kalos paused to draw his Crescent sword from the saddle sheath. Then, he turned to Adalginza.
"Tell me, lady. Are there snakes on the trail ahead?"
There were none. But it worried her that the captain would ask this of her.
"How would I know such a thing any better than you?"
"I don't know the how of it. You have a gift. One that you choose to keep hidden."
"I see."
Adalginza grasped her heavy, bothersome skirts to keep them from weighting her down on the trail's precipitous slope to the top.
She took several steps on the dim trail, which was slippery with loose rock. She made sure of her footing. Then she turned around to give him a haughty stare as he began to climb up after her.
"So now you accuse me of witchcraft, which is a hanging offense in some Houses. Before, when I saved your mother and nephew, you accused me then of breaching the net and allowing the snake on my property on purpose."
"Oh, yes," Kalos said, looking up at her contritely. "That. I might have been mistaken."
"I have not forgotten your portrayal of me as someone who would deliberately risk innocent lives in such a way. Just for the privilege of winning your trust, and then bedding you. You have a very high opinion of yourself, Captain Kalos."
She pronounced the word "privilege" as though it were a profanity of the foulest sort. To her own amazement, she realized that her indignation was no act.
She turned then and climbed the rest of the way up the trail without once pausing to catch her breath. When Kalos joined her at the crest of the hill, she saw that he was laughing at her.
"And what have I done for your amusement this time?" she demanded.
Kalos brought the back of his hand to his mouth, coughing unconvincingly to hide the fact that he was still filled with mirth.
"I cannot deny I am pompous at times. My mother has told me this quite often. Now that I see myself through your eyes, I better understand why you treat me as though I am indeed no better than excrement that should be buried in a waste pit."
Adalginza glared at him in exasperation. "I have no answer to that, except to agree."
"It was ungracious of me to scorn a lady, when she was only following the customs of her house." Kalos became suddenly serious. "Is there any way to undo the damage?"
"What surprises me most is that we stand here at the edge of the pool where I told you the artifacts exist. And beyond that waterfall is the cave. Yet, you show no interest in our purpose here at all."
"Ah, yes. The artifacts." Kalos casually examined the pool, which lapped quietly with waves created by the small, gentle waterfall. "This is a very nice spot. You said you played here as a child?"
"The artifacts, Captain Kalos. Are you interested or not?"
Kalos rubbed his beard and gazed out over the water. "Have you ever wanted something very badly, only to find out that it did not exist?"
"I have never entertained the idea that I could have anything that I really wanted — or at least wanted that badly," Adalginza answered tersely.
Kalos pulled his eyes away from the water, and rested them on her in amazement. "Do you really mean that?"
"Yes."
"So you have never been disappointed?"
"I suppose that is true."
He gave her a teasing look. "You wanted me. And I disappointed you."
"I wasn't disappointed because I did not want you
that badly."
Kalos threw back his head and laughed uproariously. The echoes of his mirth rebounded against the rocks of the canyon below.
Adalginza was unable to help herself. The magic of this childhood place took hold, and she joined him in his laughter. It had been so long since she had allowed herself such a pure release that it felt wondrous and freeing.
Finally, she dabbed at her eyes to remove the tears of laughter with the back of her hand.
"So," she said, collecting herself. "I suppose you have been trying to tell me that you fear you will be disappointed, now that your quest for these treasures has led you here."
Kalos grew instantly serious. "I have thought of nothing else but this visit for many nights. Too many. Anticipation has deprived me of far too much sleep. So I have convinced myself that the treasure cannot possibly be real."
"Well then. That is settled," Adalginza said lightly. "We should just leave."
She turned as if to head back down the trail back to the Golden, when Kalos called after her.
"Where did you say these imposters you call artifacts were?"
She heard the intoxication in his voice, and smiled. So she was not the only one who could act in such a way as to hide her true feelings.
***
Adalginza stood to one side and thoughtfully watched Kalos "find" the artifacts that Benfaaro had so carefully placed, hidden in the rocks beside the waterfall.
Kalos also had visited the small cave's interior, but showed only mild interest in the crude engravings found on the walls. He deemed them authentic. But he had no idea what they meant.
He speculated aloud that the symbol of the Seventh Crescent, distinguished by an odd-shaped moon crater, could have simply been etched there by a bored savage in the long ago.
It was the items he could hold in his hands that seemed endlessly fascinating to him.
Adalginza felt both satisfaction at his delighted reaction, and guilt that the captain had been so thoroughly deceived.
But the plan was unfolding beyond her control, and she could do nothing about second thoughts now.
Kalos carefully laid out the artifacts on a large rock, where they could be viewed from every angle. Then he stepped back and reverently observed the silver goblet, a helmeted figurine made of clay, and the pounded leather skin engraved with strange writings.
Ten Crescent Moons (Moonquest) Page 13