By Moonrise

by Jackie Dana

  “Why did they do that?”

  “I knew not. All I knew was that I was far from the battlefield—well inside Froida, in fact. They had nursed me, their enemy, back to health, and then carried me all the way back to their chieftain. Every day I asked why they would do such a thing for me, wondering what their motives might be. It made no sense. And then, after spending some time as their prisoner, their chief befriended me, and everything changed. Even though I was technically his captive, to be honest, I’ve never been so happy in my whole life. I learned that the Mosumi had never wanted to attack Hansar, but instead the whole conflict had been a result of Queen Tylnea trying to extend her borders and influence into Froida and other lands—much the same as she’s trying to do to us now. When I matched that information with some other information Tylnea had given me, I realized in the end that I had fought on the wrong side, and I was deeply ashamed of what I had done.”

  As he spoke, she felt herself shaking. It wasn’t the tale she expected, yet she believed every word. It wasn’t the kind of thing someone would make up. “Nyvas said I should ask you why you came home.”

  “He did?” he seemed surprised. “Hmm.” He considered the request. “Very well, but I’d rather this not be repeated in Loraden, so can you keep it between us?”

  “Of course.” She agreed, and then realized that this request suggested he was willing to trust her—a status she wasn’t sure she had earned.

  He continued, as if he was telling the story for his benefit more than hers. “I had been in Froida for several years, and living with the Mosumi. As the years went by, Tylnea’s anti-Mosumi policies made me increasingly angry. Finally, I decided I had to confront her on it. So as much as I wanted to stay in Froida, I felt it was my duty to try to end the conflict between her and the Mosumi people.

  “Of course she didn’t want to hear any of it. When she rejected my recommendations for a cease-fire, my plan was to head back to Froida, but I met a Sarducian trader on the docks. Idle curiosity led me to ask him how my homeland fared, and that was the first time I heard of this nonsense about a ‘Hidden God,’ and that Bedoric was on the verge of outlawing the Sarnoc entirely. With that information, I decided I should come home and see what I could do.” He sighed. “You know, when I think about it, the Aldrish was right. I did abandon my people—but it was the Sarducian people, not my troops. I should never have left my homeland. I should have stayed here to challenge my brother. From what I can see of it now, he’s made a terrible mess of things.”

  “I had no idea about any of this.” She suddenly felt like she had been played.

  “Of course not. As I said, no one knows, other than the four of you with me now—and no one else needs to know. I just wish I hadn’t been such a selfish, foolish young man all those years ago, because all of this could have been avoided.”

  He grunted, a sound deep in his throat, the sound of anger and frustration. And then, without warning, she felt his knees shift, and his arm tightened around her waist, and then Trill burst forward, tearing through an opening in the trees.

  “What the hell?” She grabbed Trill’s mane as she bent down against the horse’s neck, trying to reach around it. Branches clawed at her arms, and thorns scratched her scalp, and she closed her eyes as she prayed she wouldn’t fall off. She had no idea how fast her heart was pounding as they covered what seemed like several miles at rocket speed, cruising over rocks and shrubs, dashing around larger trees, and galloping across an open field.

  Breathing was difficult until Dosedra Arric finally reined in Trill and they came to a halt, with the others far behind.

  As they sat there, perfectly still, he continued his story, though his voice was softer, almost as though he was talking to himself. “I have to find a way to restore the old faith in Loraden, and help some of the people my brother has wronged—starting with my friends traveling with us. It is the only way I can make amends for all the suffering I caused in the past, and thank the gods for sparing my life. The whole point of this journey was to look for an old friend who could have helped me with that, but he passed on years ago, so I must return and face my brother alone.”

  She tried to imagine herself in a similar situation, but it was impossible. “Dosedra, I’m sorry.” She wished she could say something more profound. “I shouldn’t have assumed the worst.”

  He exhaled heavily, a sound of disgust coming from deep in his chest. “Nay, I deserved it. You had no way to know anything different, and on the surface, I must have appeared as cruel and cowardly as they said I was.” With those words, he leaned over and rested his head on her shoulder, a gesture that made her catch her breath.

  For a few minutes they sat in that position, both silent. Trill shifted her weight once, but otherwise none of them moved.

  Out of the blue, he lifted his head and said, “I truly am sorry about the other night. I treated you with great disrespect, and I regret it deeply.”

  “Thanks. And I’m sorry I questioned your judgment yesterday. I had no idea you really knew where we were, all along.”

  It was remarkable, for he actually laughed at that. “Ah, so someone told you about the land instinct. Fair enough, then.”

  Chapter 23

  As the day progressed, the weather turned sour. A light drizzle fell from the clouds, chilling everyone, and making things worse, they were forced to dismount again.

  “Blast this weather,” Fantion grumbled at one point as he shook the water from his curly hair and then bent over slightly to block the worst of the rain from his face, scowling the whole time. Water rolled down his nose and he flung it away with a flick of his hand. As he splashed through the pooling water on the ground, he said, “the swamp was bad enough, but rain as well? By the gods, I don’t think I’ll ever be dry again.”

  Arric, whose own head was covered with his hood, grunted in agreement, and slapped his friend’s back as he stepped past him. Nyvas and Lysander seemed to tolerate their misery no better, and neither would speak unless necessary. As for Kate, the pace had utterly worn her out, and the blanket she used in lieu of a proper cloak was soaked through. Worst of all, her stamina simply could not compare to theirs. More than once the men had to stop to allow her to catch up. Oddly, no one complained, and once she thought she even caught an encouraging smile from Fantion, but she felt terrible about it all the same.

  Once they were again able to ride, she gratefully allowed Dosedra Arric to lift her into the saddle. Once he was seated behind her, he gathered her into his cloak and pulled it close around them both as best he could. She didn’t protest this new intimacy, for she was entirely chilled now. Once she caught herself dozing off, and she jerked herself awake before she could fall from the horse.

  “You’re not accustomed to such strenuous travel,” he observed. “I apologize for pushing everyone so hard, but we need to keep going so we can find a safe place to camp tonight.”

  He had not offered any explanations the day before, and the fact that he trusted her with one now was gratifying. Perhaps they had reached some sort of understanding. “I’ll be all right.”

  “Nay, Bhara, I sense your exhaustion. It’s also obvious that you’re not used to riding, and you must be terribly sore, but under the circumstances, it can’t be helped. Just a little further, and we will reach the confluence,” he said with confidence. “Travel should be easier then, and we will have a dry place to camp.”

  “Thanks, but don’t worry about me.” She wanted to be cooperative now that she understood their situation better. “Just keep going.”

  “Aye.” He felt her shift her weight against him. “Bhara, I don’t mind if you try to nap while we ride. I will not let you fall.”

  Despite her best efforts, and despite the constant bump and sway of horseback riding, once he had made this suggestion, she couldn’t help herself, and she soon slipped into a light slumber.

  ***

  Late that afternoon, after two days of trudging through the swamp’s thick mire—and ju
st as Nyvas had promised to her the night before—they emerged from the Muras. It was a gradual transition from water to thick mud to solid land, but eventually Kate recognized a difference in the vegetation. The terrain was no longer forested, and instead they rode through tall, flowering grasses that stretched across the gently undulating foothills. Even better, the sun emerged and warmed them after a day of damp that chilled them all.

  It was then when she learned her first lesson about what it meant to be fhaoli. When they crested a hill, she saw it first.

  “Is that a fire?” she asked aloud, and pointed to a dark plume several miles off to the south.

  Lysander was riding beside Trill, and shaded his eyes from the sun as he stared in the direction she pointed. “Aye, and a large one at that.” He turned to Arric. “What do you think? Should we see what it is?”

  “It’s a long way off,” the Dosedra said with a frown, and tugged once on Trill’s reigns to halt her progress on the rocky ground. “I hate to spare the time, and it would mean a long ride across open land.” He gazed at the sun. “Ah, and I had hoped to reach the edge of the Arsdala by nightfall. If we were to go, it would mean camping out in the open tonight, and that would be dangerous with all the Senvosra around.” He called out to Fantion, who was several yards ahead. “What are your thoughts?”

  His friend turned his horse and stared out into the distance. “Aye, Arric, it looks bad. I’d like to find out what’s happening as well, but you’re right, we’d be rather exposed.” He was frowning as well, and appeared genuinely concerned. “I hate to turn our backs on it, though, because these things are rarely random occurrences.”

  “What do you think is burning?” Kate asked.

  “It could be anything. Sometimes farmers burn their fields after the harvest, or perhaps someone’s clearing a briar patch,” Fantion explained. “It could even be a cottage fire, though from the looks of it, it’s more than that.”

  “You seem pretty worried about it.”

  “Aye, and for good reason. There have been several village fires lately, and if this is one of them, it would be good to lend a hand if we could.”

  “Oh blessed Goddess, do you think it could be Ryvenor?” Lysander said with a sudden gasp, his hand over his mouth. “Coming from this direction, I didn’t realize until now we were so close.” He looked at Fantion with panic in his eyes. “Yvora.”

  The Dosedra nodded. “He’s right. Ryvenor is the nearest village in that direction.” He clucked once to Trill so he was next to Lysander, and placed his hand on his friend’s arm. “Sander, Fantion might be right. It could just be farmers clearing their land.”

  Nyvas had said nothing up to this point, and kept his eyes on the smoke. “It’s still burning, whatever it is.” Just as he made the observation, a thick roll of black smoke spun up into the air, as if something new had exploded in flames. “That is no farmer’s fire—it’s far too large for that. Someone should go. I’ll do it, Sander, if you want.”

  “Nay, I wouldn’t ask anyone else to go in my place.” Lysander’s horse was already prancing, strangely recognizing the fear of his rider. “Arric, I’m sorry to leave you, but I must check on my sister. If I can, I’ll return tonight.”

  The Dosedra slapped his thigh. “Sander, if Yvora’s in danger, we should all go with you.”

  “Nay, Arric, as you’ve already said, it’s too risky. How would you explain it to the Senvosra if you were caught with us?” As he saw the Dosedra about to challenge him, he quickly added, “it’s best for everyone if I go alone.” With that, before anyone could argue further or make other plans, he kicked the horse with his booted heels and the brown gelding and cloaked rider charged across the hillside, flying towards the smoke.

  The others remained silent on the crest of the hill, watching him ride off as if pursued by demons. Finally Kate whispered to Dosedra Arric, “what do you really think happened?”

  He turned Trill back to the path they had been following. “I don’t know. A fire as large as that could mean the entire village is burning.” He was visibly upset with the idea. “I’ve seen such things many times before, but not in Sarducia, where we haven’t known war in centuries.”

  “Senvosra,” Fantion suggested and spit on the ground. “Either that or bandits. Though these days, I’d put a wager on it being soldiers.”

  “Bedoric is using his men to maintain order in the villages now?” Arric asked. “Do the Bhagali not police their own lands?”

  “Aye, but the Bhagali tend to overlook fhaoli,” Fantion explained. “When men are arrested, there are fewer hands to bring in the crops, which means lighter tax revenues. Having fhaoli around means their chests are heavier at the end of the season. Bedoric, though, has more soldiers these days than he’s inclined to garrison in Loraden, and he empowers them to do his bidding in the countryside. More often than not the Senvosra use this damn Prophet to justify fights or some random act of destruction.”

  “So that’s the way of things, then. I feared as much.” The Dosedra sighed, and pounded on his thigh. “Damn, I wish Sander didn’t have to face this alone.”

  Chapter 24

  Fantion gazed up towards the treetops that prematurely ushered in the night. After a lengthy ride, they had reached the Arsdala, a dark forest that stretched across half of the island, and offered significant concealment and protection. “Who’d have ever thought I’d be happy to be back in Lockleaf?” he said, using the forest’s nickname with a chuckle. “This is the first time I’ve felt like I could breathe in days.” To Kate, he added, “the Senvosra tend to avoid the trees, so we’re less likely to be pursued now. I’ve heard some say that the forest is cursed, and if they want to believe that, it suits us just fine.”

  Although there was still daylight left, soon after entering the trees, Arric decided upon a campsite that consisted of a small opening in the middle of a patch of thorny bushes. However, because they were still relatively close to the road, they collectively agreed that a fire would be dangerous. As much as they all wanted one, they didn’t want to take a chance of being discovered by the Senvosra, so it meant a cold night ahead, with only dried jerky strips and stale bread for supper. And although the rain had stopped, the wind was gusty. As they ate their meager dinner, they sat huddled together, the horses hobbled close to where they would sleep.

  After their meal, Fantion and the Dosedra excused themselves to slip into the trees to talk privately, leaving her alone with Nyvas to lay out their blankets.

  “You’re worried about Sander.” She didn’t know much about these men, but after a few days it was obvious that the two were particularly close.

  In the fading daylight, Nyvas’s angular features seemed more pronounced, and something about the shadows of his face made him look quite old. “Aye, if anything has happened to his sister and her family, I don’t know if he could stand it.” He spoke softly, with pain evident in his voice. “They are his only family, and they mean everything to him.”

  “Do you think things could be that bad?”

  He unrolled one of the blankets with a snap, and to her it looked like he was struggling to keep up a facade of congeniality that covered an underlying seething anger. “It’s anyone’s guess. It all depends on what caused the fire, but honestly, none of the reasons I can think of are good.” He took a deep breath and reached for another blanket. “And then there’s the fact that he’s gone. Riding out alone always brings additional risks. It would have been best for him to stay with us in Lockleaf, but where his sister’s concerned, there’s really no point in arguing with him or holding him back. I just hope he’s safe, and nothing has happened to his sister or her family. If the Senvosra have harmed any of them...”

  She placed her hand on his arm. “Try not to imagine the worst. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

  “Thank you, Kate. I hope so.” He looked up and gave her a weak smile. “It’s hard to remain positive right now, but I know it’s all in the hands of the Goddess, and I have to believe it w
ill work out. Hopefully he’ll be back soon.”

  Kate thought to how far they had traveled since they last saw Lysander, and how they now camped in the forest in complete darkness. “How will he ever find us now?”

  Nyvas didn’t hesitate. “Oh, you don’t need to worry about that, at least. He’ll find me.” There was no doubt in his voice as he said it. “So we shall wait for him.” He held out a strip of jerky. “Are you still hungry?”

  “No, go ahead.” She sat on her blanket, which Nyvas had insisted she lay out between his and Arric’s, for protection and warmth, he said. Then she leaned back on her hands. “I just wish we knew what was happening with him.”

  “Aye, so do I.”

  Fantion and Arric returned soon afterwards. Unlike the previous evenings, tonight they would take turns guarding the camp. Despite all the stories about Lockleaf, apparently the fear of discovery was greater because they could be tracked much more easily in the forest than in the swamp, and there was more traffic through this part of the woods both by soldiers and common folk, some of whom would have hostile intentions.

  Nyvas volunteered for the first watch, claiming that he wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway, and no one argued the point. As he sat at their feet, sword and knife at the ready, she and the others curled up close together to try to get some sleep.

  They hadn’t been asleep long when they heard a horse bluster. When she heard the sound, it was soft, and seemed to be out in the trees, leading her to surmise that it wasn’t one of their own. “Is that him?” she asked, in a loud whisper.

  “Shh,” Arric gently admonished her, rolling over to cover her mouth with a finger. Leaning close to her ear, he explained, as he quietly reached for his sword, “we don’t want to announce our presence until we know for sure. Let him approach.”

  Nyvas was already on his feet, and the other two men were close behind him, all silently moving. Oddly, although Fantion and Arric had weapons at the ready, Nyvas had already sheathed his sword. Moments later, she heard a whip-poor-will call, and then the men relaxed their sword arms. Immediately after that, Lysander slipped into the tiny clearing with his horse, barely visible in the light of the newly-risen moon. She could hear both man and beast breathing heavily. As Arric took the reins of the horse and led it to be with the others, Nyvas greeted his friend with a short exclamation, and then embraced him.