By Moonrise

by Jackie Dana

  Kate reached out and rubbed the fabric of the dress between her fingers. This one was a bit heavier. “I go through a lot of clothing don’t I?”

  Lillia laughed. “You do, indeed, but then again, most women don’t seem to have all the adventures you do. Come, let’s get you dressed.”

  “I’m really worried about this meeting. I don’t know what they want to discuss. After the whole kidnapping incident, I’m not sure if—”

  “If they wanted to punish you further, they would have done so already, don’t you think?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t help remembering what Rynar told me the day we got back, that the Council was convinced it was a conspiracy, and wanted to execute both of us. I mean, that’s a hard thing to live with, you know?”

  Lillia helped her slip the gown over her head, and now stood facing her, tugging the dress down so it would settle into place. “My lady, if the Vosira was still upset with you, he would not have asked you to attend the meeting.” She stepped behind Kate and worked to lace up the back. “You would have been arrested and dragged in there. And hasn’t he been polite at meals again?”

  “I guess so. I still don’t understand...”

  “It’s best not to worry too much about it. If you’re in trouble, you can’t do much about it anyway. You’ll know soon enough.”

  Chapter 45

  She was back in the Council chamber. Memories of her friends being arrested, and her own attempts to convince the Vosira to save them, tainted her experience here, and she could feel her heart racing as she was shown a seat near the Vosira. Already most of the men were in their own seats; Tashin looked a bit surprised to see her, and Abranir glared as usual. Beyond that, she didn’t even try to make eye contact with anyone, and instead kept her eyes directed down at the wooden tabletop, and to her goblet of wine, which reassured her that she wasn’t about to be arrested.

  “Bhara, it is good to see you again,” Vosira Bedoric announced, quite graciously given their recent interactions.

  Kate swallowed hard, and as she took a deep breath, she turned in his direction and smiled as best she could. “Thank you, Vosira.” She immediately took a drink of wine to try to hide her discomfort.

  “I am glad we were able to clear up the business of your abduction some time ago,” he continued. “The Aldrish convinced us of your innocence, that you were not involved in what happened, other than as a pawn to secure his release.”

  She nodded. “He told me, and I’m glad, because everything that happened was all as much a surprise to me as it was to him.”

  “Aye, that is what he told us all. And yet, the boy was an acquaintance of yours?”

  Setting her goblet down, she again turned towards him, and this time did catch his eye. “I did meet him when I traveled with the Dosedra, but I did not instigate his escape, if that’s what you’re implying.”

  “Calm yourself, Bhara,” Bedoric said, clearly finding the conversation amusing. “I did not ask you here to interrogate you about that incident, as I consider it closed. Furthermore, the fact that you have behaved yourself in the Aldrish’s absence speaks highly of you.”

  He was complimenting her? “Thank you, Vosira.”

  He waved a boy to fill her goblet. “No hard feelings, my dear?”

  She lowered her eyes and shook her head. “No sir,” she replied, but her mind was racing. If this wasn’t to talk about that incident, why was she here now?

  “Aha! And here’s the Aldrish now. Come, man, take your seat. We have an important discussion ahead of us.”

  Seeing him for the first time in several days was a bit of a shock. He took the empty seat beside her, his customary spot to the Vosira’s right, and then turned to her. “Are you well?” he whispered.

  Before she could reply, the Vosira greeted him. “Aldrish, it is good to have you back with us. I take it your aunt is well?”

  “Aye, she is feeling much better now. Thank you for allowing me leave to visit her. I apologize for my tardiness, but I just arrived by river a short time ago. ”

  Bedoric nodded. “I am glad you made it a quick visit, as we do have things to discuss.” He stood up. “Men, as you are all aware, my brother has been accused of conspiring against me, and against us all.”

  These words raised a bit of muttered comments, and Bhagal Avir spoke up. “Aye, we are all quite concerned to hear he consorted with your father’s murderer. What might they have done, I wonder, had they not been stopped?”

  Kate was about to speak up, but Rynar nudged her with his elbow, and when she glanced at him, he signaled her to stay silent with a slight shake of his head.

  “Aye, Avir, I share your concerns.” Bedoric leaned forward on his palms. “As everyone knows, my brother currently resides in the tower above the royal apartments, but that is not a solution, nor does it address the severity of his crimes. Today I called you all together for one purpose: I wish for the entire council to discuss his fate.”

  “Vosira, do you intend to execute him for treason?” Bhagal Jamra said, his voice not disguising his outrage at the idea.

  “Ah, Jamra, it is good to hear from you. Aye, it is one possibility. I would like to hear everyone’s thoughts on the matter.”

  “Executing your own brother would appear rather drastic to your subjects,” Tashin pointed out. “Most people do not understand the crime he has committed, and may not support such a decision.”

  “Does it matter what the people think?” Solerav countered. “We have sufficient troops to quell any discontent that may arise afterwards.”

  “How about the Sarnoc? Would we face any repercussions from them?” Ulvicar asked. “They have been known to oppose political executions in the past.”

  “Aye, men, these are all good points to consider. Aldrish, what is your opinion in this matter?”

  Rynar adjusted himself in the seat slightly so that he sat straight up. “I do not believe execution is warranted, as the Dosedra’s crime was caught in the early stages, before he could do anything against the Vosira. Instead, I would recommend immediate banishment from Sarducia, with an armed escort taking him to the coast.”

  Kate looked at him. “What are you saying? He hasn’t done anything wrong!”

  Rynar looked at her from the corner of his eye, but did not turn towards her. Ignoring her protest, he continued. “In fact, I would recommend we take action immediately, before any more time has passed for his friends to plan another escape. The penalty he would face for returning would, of course, be death.”

  Tashin smiled, and nodded to the Aldrish. “A very interesting idea. Perhaps we could even convince people he left on his own again, as he already has a history of disappearing without notice.”

  The Vosira stood up straight again, and rubbed his beard. “Aye, I agree that this could be a good solution. It solves many of our concerns.”

  “Thank you, Vosira. However, before we pass a final judgment on him, I believe he should be brought here, to address us all, and to be held accountable to the Council as a whole. His arrest was quite sudden, and most were not there to witness him implicating himself in the crime. Perhaps after we all hear his story, we will be better able to make a decision.”

  “Indeed, Aldrish, that is an excellent idea. Solerav, could you please fetch my brother, and bring him here? Perhaps this time he should have his hands tied, so he doesn’t have the opportunity to cause mischief.”

  The castellan stood. “It would be my pleasure, Vosira. I shall return shortly.”

  As Solerav and a couple of guards disappeared from the council chamber, servants walked around and filled everyone’s goblet, as if preparing for a grand theatrical performance. She sat there, stunned. Just as her friends had told her, it was the Aldrish who called the shots, and made all the decisions where the Dosedra was concerned. And now, he proposed to send Arric away forever. As the Vosira took his seat and leaned back with his wine, she tugged at Rynar’s sleeve.

  “How could you?” She mouthed the words
to him, angry that he would work so openly against Arric. It was just as the others had said.

  He glanced down at her, and then looked away, as if her comment had no meaning to him. Seeing there was nothing to be done but sit and wait for the drama to unfold, she lowered her eyes, fuming. She held her right hand against her chest, where Arric’s ring secretly lay under her gown. Had she failed him so utterly, by not getting it to the Sarnoc in time? Exile, or death. None of the men had even suggested...

  “What if he’s innocent?” she asked everyone at the table. “What if this is all just a huge misunderstanding, and everything the Dosedra did was taken out of context? Perhaps he could be given another chance to prove his loyalty?”

  The Vosira leaned forward, his eyes wide. “Bhara, you would presume to suggest he was not working against me?”

  “Yeah, if no one else will. You asked me to attend this meeting, so surely you want to hear what I have to say.” She squared her shoulders and looked around the table. “You’re all automatically assuming he’s guilty of some terrible crime. Where’s the evidence of that? I know he spent time with fhaoli, but think about it. They were his friends from a long time ago. Two weren’t even outlawed when he left for Froida, and the third—how was he supposed to know who Nyvas really was? So when you think about it, he just returned from the battlefield, and decided to spend time with two of his oldest friends. From the way things happened at the quantrill, none of you were willing to welcome him back, so why wouldn’t he look elsewhere? I know there’s a law about consorting with outlaws, but—Vosira, he’s your only brother. Surely it’s worth giving him another chance?”

  “The Bhara is brave to say such things,” Ulvicar said, and beside him, Gevinsin nodded. “I am not happy to hear Dosedra Arric might be a traitor, and if he is willing to submit to your authority, Vosira, I think—”

  “He is not innocent,” Vosira Bedoric countered. “He has been trying for eight years to—” he began, but was cut off by the door of the chamber swinging open quickly, and banging against the wall.

  “Vosira, come quickly. Something is wrong.” Solerav waved to Bedoric, and dashed back out of the room.

  “What is this?” Bedoric snapped, and pushed himself away from the table. “Everyone, stay here.” He turned, and paused. “Rynar, you come along.”

  The Aldrish stood up, not appearing to be as alarmed as the Vosira. As he pushed in his chair, he touched Kate’s arm, and when she looked up, she saw something in his eyes that suggested she should join him.

  ***

  Kate followed closely behind Rynar as they made their way down the hall and around the corner, heading towards the Vosira’s quarters. When she realized where the small party was headed, she had an uneasy feeling. “Oh no,” she mumbled to herself a couple of times. “I don’t like this.”

  Rynar rushed into the Vosira’s chambers. Just inside the door, in the corner, was a wooden door that led to the tower room. The door was wide open. He sprinted up the stairs, Kate at his heels. Before they reached the door at the top, she heard the Vosira cry out. “Rynar, what’s happening?”

  When they pushed their way into the tiny room, already crowded with Solerav, the two soldiers and Bedoric, they found Arric, heavily bearded, laying cross-wise on his thin mattress, his skin tinged yellow. He wasn’t moving.

  “Oh my god, Arric?” She fell down on her knees beside him and felt for a pulse. In her panic she couldn’t find one, and instead leaned over him to see if he was breathing. “Rynar?” Now she was terrified, not able to ask the question everyone in the room had on their lips as well.

  “Vosira, what is this?” Rynar demanded, even as he knelt beside her. One hand lay on the Dosedra’s chest, ostensibly also to see if he was breathing, though she realized he was hiding a stronger healing presence. “How did this happen?”

  Bedoric towered over them both. “Aldrish, is he alive?” he asked, his face damp with perspiration.

  Rynar leaned back on his heels. “Aye, just barely. He breathes, but his body is shutting down. It looks like poison.”

  “Poison?” Bedoric repeated, as if in a daze. “How...”

  “You did this to him!” Kate shouted, pointing at the Vosira, unconcerned with the consequences. Then she turned to the Aldrish. “Rynar, can you save him?”

  “I don’t know, Kate.” He looked back to Bedoric. “Vosira, what do you want to do?”

  Bedoric stared at his motionless brother with his mouth hanging open. Kate’s hostility didn’t even seem to register. In fact, he looked as lost as a child. “I—I don’t know.”

  “Somebody, do something!” She grabbed Rynar’s sleeve. “Help him!”

  He shook his head. “No, my dear. The Dosedra needs healers. We can’t do anything here.”

  Even with the Dosedra on the verge of dying, Rynar wasn’t going to divulge his secret. Furious, she looked to the Vosira. “You need to do something!”

  Bedoric was now leaning against the wall, looking as if he was going to be ill. “Aye. Rynar, do whatever you need to do.” He turned and quickly ran down the stairs.

  Rynar looked up at her. “I will take care of this. Wait for me in my quarters.” He was entirely calm, as if the Dosedra’s condition was of little concern to him.

  “No, I don’t want to leave him!”

  He made a face, and then nodded to a soldier in the doorway. At his signal, the guard took her arm and pulled her down the stairs after him.

  ***

  “It is intolerable! We will do no such thing. No Sarnoc have been allowed in this keep since Parmon’s murder!”

  It had been an hour and the Aldrish had not returned with an update. At the sound of raised voices in the hall, she ran to the door, but the guard would not allow her to open it.

  “The Vosira gave me leave to do whatever’s necessary.” That was Rynar, his voice much calmer than the man with whom he argued. “With such a poison, there’s no one else who can help him.”

  “If it’s poison, why not just get a healer? Why drag the Sarnoc back?”

  There was a pause in the argument. She figured Rynar had again said something, but could not hear his response.

  “Nay, Aldrish. It’s too dangerous.”

  “The danger is in letting him die.” Rynar said, his voice betraying his impatience. His voice seemed louder, as if they had moved closer to the open door. “If we don’t allow the Sarnoc to help him, they may dissolve the truce with the Vosira.”

  “And what if that was their plan all along? What if this is just a ploy to help him escape?”

  “Since when do Sarnoc poison people? Tashin, use your head. The man has more enemies than anyone else on this land. Someone wants him dead.”

  “Aye, that’s true enough. But we need another solution, not Sarnoc.”

  “Do you want to deal with the Vosira if he dies? I promise you, the Dosedra will not survive without Sarnoc here.”

  “Bah,” Tashin growled. “This is wrong and you know it. You say you follow the Prophet but now—ah, blast it, you are as bad as the rest. I will be speaking to the Vosira about this.”

  “As you wish.”

  A few moments later, Rynar opened the door to his chamber. His dark eyebrows arched in surprise as he saw her standing just beyond the sweep of the door. “My dear Kate, were you listening to that?”

  She nodded.

  “Ah, very well.” He seemed oddly pleased. “Come, sit with me for a moment.”

  “How is he? Was it really poison?”

  Rynar nodded. “Aye.” He walked past her and poured wine into two goblets.

  “Oh god.” She sat at the edge of a chair by the fire. “Is he going to make it?” Seeing him offering her a drink, she threw her hands out in front of her. “No, I don’t need that, not at a time like this. Tell me how he is!”

  “My dear, calm yourself.” He set her goblet on the table beside her, and reached out and placed his palm on her shoulder. “He will be fine.”

  She jerked her arm
away, as if an ember from the fire had landed on her sleeve, and then jumped to her feet. “How can you say that? You already said he’s dying—”

  He allowed his hand to hover for a moment, and then dropped it to his lap. “He’s not dying. The Sarnoc will know what to do. You need to—”

  “But there aren’t any Sarnoc here. You need to help him.”

  He shook his head, and took a sip of his wine. “I cannot, Kate. No one else knows of my healing talent. I can’t possibly use it on the Dosedra.”

  “Even if it means he dies?”

  “He won’t die, my dear. Trust me.”

  “Are you kidding? How can I ever trust you again?”

  Chapter 46

  It was difficult to keep up with Rynar’s long strides, and Kate’s shins burned with each step. Often she had to run several yards to regain his side, but inevitably she remained at least two paces behind. It was not a short walk to the torrapon, the large stone pavilion outside Loraden, and at this pace, she would never keep up.

  She hadn’t wanted to be with him at all.

  The Sarnoc had arrived over a week before, as Rynar had promised, but even with their attention, Arric remained gravely ill and unable to have visitors, and she alone knew the Aldrish was to blame for that. With Arric still fighting for his life, the last thing she wanted to do was leave the keep now, but Rynar had been adamant. This was a festival to mark the end of the summer, and prepare for the long winter ahead.

  “Doesn’t the Prophet preach against the old traditions?” she taunted him.

  “Aye, but this is Jiona. Everyone participates.”

  Now, she was racing behind him, each step making her dislike him a little more. “Come on, Rynar, you’ve got to slow down,” she said after she jogged up to him again. “I can’t keep up with you.”