Ten Crescent Moons (Moonquest) Read online

  Adalginza looked away from Bruna in disgust, and reached for one of the vials containing gooey, clay-based masque. She began applying it thickly to her cheeks, chin, forehead, and neck.

  "You were wrong to do what you did. Captain Trelos and his mate had befriended me, on behalf of the cousin he had hoped to match with me. I was making progress."

  "Not so. You shared pleasantries, fine food, and wine at his abode for almost three seasons. But you did little else."

  "You weren't there! Bringing me into his clan was the captain's passion. He wished for indigo eyes to be bred into his line. It would have been a matter of great pride."

  "Yet, he was not passionate enough to bed you himself."

  "He was loyal to his mate. Is that so hard for you to understand?"

  "It was taking too long."

  Adalginza reached for a small fiber brush, and began drawing thick, dark lines of organic paint around her indigo eyes, making them appear even larger.

  "I had made much progress with the family. The information I learned even helped with the raid on the Tremasto settlement in South Port. Yet, we could have known so much more. You ruined everything. Can you not see that?"

  "You should have bedded the cousin on the first night of meeting him." Bruna regarded her ferociously. "You should listen to me. I am trying to help you avoid future mistakes."

  "Bedding is not the same as the bonding. You have no appreciation for the rites of courtship." Adalginza began applying a red coating to her lips.

  "An excuse."

  "I am weary of your company. And your advice. Shouldn't you go now and tend to the food?"

  Bruna remained where she was. And as the sun outside disappeared, her face contorted with jealousy that was reflected in the darkening mirror.

  "Call it what you will. But I know the truth. You are still a virgin, and you are afraid. Benfaaro sent a child for this mission."

  "I will not indulge you further in this discussion. Go. Now."

  "I take no orders from you."

  "Very well. Let the food that is cooking turn to charcoal. Then I will report back to Benfaaro that you failed to deliver meals to the guests on time, and they left before I had the chance to greet them properly."

  Bruna stood, regarding her speculatively, as though she had far more she wanted to say. But finally she turned and left the room.

  When she was at last mercifully alone, Adalginza dropped her bravado and stared back with frightened eyes at her own image in the mirror.

  She knew she was weak. She knew she might fail because of it. But she didn't need Bruna's constant reminders of her shortcomings.

  For probably the thousandth time since her arrival in Sola Re, Adalginza fervently wished that Benfaaro had trusted her enough to handle this mission alone.

  But perhaps this arrangement was for the best. At least her brother and Bruna were separated this way. In the presence of his mate, Benfaaro was beginning to behave more like a man on a leash rather than a fierce leader.

  And this was alarming to all who knew him well.

  Adalginza frowned at the thought. Bruna, too, had an unspoken name in tribal dialect. Something that translated into she who fathoms treasures of soil and sun.

  Those so gifted often were healers, as Bruna sometimes was with the creation of her many potions.

  But she also had been known to drive enemies mad with the simple brew of an otherwise innocent-looking tea made of an unknown concoction of herbs and leaves.

  It was rumored, in fact, that Bruna had used such a potion to cast a spell over Benfaaro himself.

  It was the only explanation for why he had so mysteriously rejected his first love and pledged himself to Bruna, bonding with her within only days of their first meeting.

  While Bruna doted upon the man she had so beguiled, she had been sadistically cold to their daughter, Calasta, born of their union.

  As further evidence of Bruna's twisted possessiveness, she had constantly tried to block Benfaaro's affection for Calasta — his own daughter, his own flesh and blood. And hers.

  Adalginza had befriended the lonely child, sometimes even assuming the role of her mother to help soften the pain of Bruna's outright rejection.

  Calasta was now seven seasons old and in the care of her kind and doting father. So it was much better that Bruna stay here in Sola Re, to spare Calasta the agony of having to compete with her own mother.

  Adalginza felt a sudden yearning. Her visits home in the last few seasons had been far too few.

  She missed Calasta. And she missed her brother.

  She peered longingly into the mirror now, as though willing it to somehow transform into a doorway giving her instant passage back to those she loved.

  She had, in fact, heard rumors that such powers once existed in the long ago.

  But not here. And not now.

  Sighing, Adalginza performed a final inspection of her masque. And then she slowly and reluctantly rose to her feet.

  At the same moment, Bruna strolled back into the room without bothering to announce herself.

  In a familiar way, she then circled Adalginza as though she were a prize sturmon mare about to be auctioned off.

  Bruna reached out to smooth a few creases in the gown. Finally, she made a few adjustments to the knot tied under Adalginza's shoulder.

  "I suppose this will have to do." She sighed, sounding not at all pleased.

  Adalginza regarded her apprehensively. "It is not time yet, is it?"

  "No. But I thought you should know they are here."

  "Good."

  "They are in the courtyard now. As we speak, they eat our food and taint our home with their foul presence."

  "You served them without comment?"

  "Yes."

  Adalginza slowly moved to the open window, and was dismayed to see in a nearby medkla tree the colorful display of feathers announcing Starla's presence. She was perched there, waiting for Adalginza's company and a handout of seeds.

  Hide. Do not show yourself to Bruna.

  But it was too late.

  "I am going to kill that bird someday," Bruna said matter-of-factly, looking over Adalginza's shoulder. "Its unnatural attachment to you puts us all in danger."

  "Do not dare!" Adalginza whirled and faced her adversary eye-to-eye. "It is your duty to obey me. If anything happens to Benfaaro, it is I who will rule. Or Calasta. You have made enemies of us both. So you should be careful of your words. And your actions."

  "You dare threaten me?"

  Adalginza pointedly turned her back on Bruna. She instead gazed out the window and concentrated on the comical antics of Starla, who now eyed a stalk-like insect to pounce on for dinner.

  She spoke again quietly. "Benfaaro loves me, his sister. I, in turn, love him. His kindness is my salvation. I suffer all that you are, for his sake."

  Bruna laughed in response. "You are but a puny shadow of Benfaaro. And know that you will never rule. I will make sure of that."

  "Please. Just go."

  Ignoring the request, Bruna moved beside Adalginza at the window. Her eyes glowed with a fanatical light as she surveyed the sandy expanse of desert lit by an orange hue signaling the end of day.

  "Benfaaro will be remembered through Eternity and in songs of valor. Not you. Though you share your brother's blood, you are nothing like him."

  "I would die for my brother. You know that."

  "Yes, but would you kill for him?" Bruna gloated openly at Adalginza's troubled silence. "Just as I thought. A child with no heart for what must be done."

  "Get out!"

  "Very well. I will leave you for now. But when the sun has fully departed, you must go downstairs. Then we will see how well you serve the brother you say you love so much."

  Bruna laughed without pity as she exited the room.

  Adalginza tensely locked her hands behind her back and concentrated on the world outside, the one she wished she could merge into right now.

  She had heard of spir
its who could temporarily leave their human bodies and become one with a tree, a rock, or an animal.

  But perhaps it was all just a myth.

  Hungry!

  Starla suddenly pounced on the hapless insect she had been stalking, and triumphantly flew away with her prize.

  Adalginza shared a brief mindlink with the bird. She relished the exuberance of flight and the rush of air beneath wings. But soon Starla was out of range and the link was broken.

  The enormous globe of an angry red sun gave one final glare upon the land. Then, it surrendered to the distant magenta mountains that swallowed the last of its fire.

  A semi-sweet scent of blossoms from a thorned bush caused Adalginza to take a deep, appreciative breath.

  She listened to the last-minute, hasty flurry of wings as birds retreated to the sanctuary of their nests. Meanwhile, the night creatures began their slow awakening.

  Adalginza sensed not their thoughts exactly, for there were no complex thoughts. She instead felt glimmers of that which drove the creatures — the lust of a sorrat searching for a mate and the raging hunger of a pack of sleek, fanged stellantos stalking the young of the swift prairie deer.

  In the growing darkness, the second and fourth crescent moons smiled on the eastern horizon, where they were plainly visible.

  Soon they would play chase with other moon sisters.

  Throughout the night, most of the ten crescent moons would change shapes and places, in an elaborate dance of infinite patterns.

  As a child, Adalginza had loved the night — somehow believing that the bright, crescent smiles were there for her alone.

  As she grew older, she bitterly resented that the conquerors had so brazenly claimed nine of the moons as symbols for their damnable Houses — just as they claimed everything and everyone else they encountered.

  Soon, though, the frontier and her people would be cleansed of the blight. And she would play a vital role in the destruction of the Crescent Houses.

  Adalginza tried not to think of the blood that would be let during that time, and dwelled instead on the freedom and the peace that would follow.

  She could this. She had to do this.

  And now it was time to join her guests.

  Adalginza resolutely gathered up the silken, lightly textured folds of her purple gown and moved to her dressing table.

  She then slid matching gloves over her hands, and rolled them up to her elbows. She finished dressing by lifting the amulet of the House of the Fifth Crescent Moon and placing the ornament crafted from heavy brass around her neck.

  She eyed herself in the mirror.

  It was incongruous, somehow, to be so delicately attired in fine cloth and yet to wear this crude piece with so little detail or artistry distinguishing it.

  Her own people knew what to do with precious stones and metal, melding them into a complex array of color. The process might take a few passings of the seasons for even one small piece.

  But the effort of time and skill was what gave value, and made these items highly prized for trade.

  This, on the other hand, was the work of impatience and sloth. Typical of those born to the Fifth House.

  Her hand closed around the rough piece of brass, as though she wished to squeeze it into oblivion.

  She then reached toward the dressing table for the clay holder with its burning candle. She picked it up and cupped it between her hands.

  Bruna, carrying her own candle, appeared briefly at the open door. She nodded once at Adalginza, and then evaporated like a ghost down the hallway as she made her way to the shadows of her own room.

  Custom would have allowed Adalginza to stop in the kitchen first, to partake of her own delicacies in solitude. But she had no appetite.

  Instead, she reached for the heavy wooden door leading to the courtyard, and tentatively pushed it open.

  Even though darkness of night had descended, the gas lamps strategically placed around the outer rock wall barrier gave her a good view.

  Her guests sat with their backs to her, so did not notice her entry.

  They reposed in wooden recliners, leaning back in the comfort of soft cloth padding. They engaged in a light conversation that appeared centered on their adventures along the trail.

  "Never have I seen the like of so many snakes! And so big!" Redolo was exclaiming. "Now I understand why the natives make their clothing from the skins of the hideous things. Though I myself would never dream of wearing such trappings."

  The back of Redolo's shoulders trembled in an open display of a shudder.

  "I would." The boy, Zartos, leaned forward from his chair, as he used a stick shed from a nearby seedling to poke at an insect scrambling across the cobbled floor.

  "You would?" Redolo repeated disapprovingly. "And have everyone think you a savage?"

  "Sure. They ride sturmons like no others of any of the Houses. I would like to live among them, at least for the time it would take to learn what they know."

  Redolo made the appropriate strangling noise.

  " — Then I would kill them all," Zartos finished smugly. "And take their sturmons."

  "He is trying to shock you, Mother," Kalos observed lazily.

  The captain's head was tilted back against the recliner, and his moccasined feet were splayed comfortably across the dining board filled with mostly empty vessels that once held tempting mounds of food.

  Delectable odors of meats and spiced sugarbreads still lingered, inspiring a low grumble from Adalginza's stomach.

  However else she might view Bruna, she could not fault the woman's culinary skills.

  She was a master of her craft. And more than once, Adalginza's guests in Sola Re had made absurdly large offers of gold coins to purchase Bruna.

  They were, of course, unaware of Bruna's inclinations at times to borrow seasonings from more toxic substances.

  "I must say, this has been much more pleasant than I anticipated," Redolo said. "More so, because we have not yet had to endure the company of that stuttering, ignorant woman who invited us."

  "The food has been good," Kalos conceded. "Much better than your manners."

  "Don't lecture me. She cannot hear what I say."

  "You don't know that. In fact, she could be standing right behind us — listening to every word we speak."

  It was Zartos who slowly turned his head. The boy's big, wide surprised blue eyes focused on Adalginza. He appeared too startled to speak up in warning to his grandmother.

  Redolo, instead, answered her son.

  "If that were the case, then it is she who lacks the manners for not announcing herself."

  "Then we shall call it an even score."

  Kalos languidly gathered up his tall, muscled body — then stood. A smile curved his full lips as he turned to face Adalginza.

  "Lady Adalginza, please accept our thanks for a most exceptional meal of Welcoming. Join us now for drink."

  Kalos gestured toward the end of the table, where the cups sat waiting beside a tall earthen jar Adalginza knew was filled with mildly sweet nectar.

  She gathered the folds of her gown and swept forward, placing her candle on the table. Saying nothing at all, she picked up a ladle and began to pour the drink into ceramic cups.

  Redolo rose to her feet as she accepted the first cup. A slight flush reddened her cheeks.

  "You were standing behind us? For how long?"

  "Long enough," Adalginza replied curtly. "Your son knew all along. He is a great warrior, and never will be shamed in death from a wound to the back."

  "Spoken like a true lady of the Fifth House," Kalos said, almost sadly. "You were spying on us, then?"

  Adalginza handed him his cup. "Learning more about you."

  "As I said — spying."

  Kalos unconcernedly took a sip of nectar. But his eyes rested on her with considerably more interest.

  Except for the sword carried in the scabbard at this waist, he was no longer in warrior mode. Out of his armor and wearing
the loose-fitting robe of more casual attire, he seemed much more relaxed.

  And approachable.

  Adalginza had been in Sola Re long enough to know the power her indigo eyes had on men of the Crescent houses. So she boldly stared back at him, meeting his dark eyes with her own.

  Neither of them looked away, even though Adalginza knew this clearly was inappropriate behavior from a lady of any of the Crescent Houses.

  Redolo saw, and craftily stepped between them.

  "Perhaps you should know," Redolo addressed her sharply. "Kalos is nearly betrothed. A ceremony of bonding is in the planning stages. So you are wasting your considerable allure on this one, young lady."

  "Congratulations," Adalginza said, not bothering to deny the intentions she had so clearly displayed.

  Kalos said nothing as he took a deep drink of his nectar. He now appeared to be suddenly absorbed in admiring the fortress-like construction of the abode's outer court walls.

  "To a scholar," Redolo elaborated for him. "A woman of intellect and good breeding."

  "Unlike me," Adalginza finished for her.

  Redolo shrugged. "As I always say, the cobbler fashions the boot for a particular foot. And that is the boot you must wear. My dear, you were fashioned by the House of the Fifth Crescent Moon. I do not place the blame for your shortcomings upon you personally."

  "How very generous of you."

  At that moment, Zartos cleared his throat.

  "Um. Shall I pour my own nectar? I'm very thirsty."

  "Zartos!" Both Redolo and Kalos scolded him in the same breath.

  But Adalginza merely laughed.

  "Forgive me, young one. I had not forgotten you." She poured the boy's drink, and handed it to him formally. "This adult conversation must be very — tedious — for you. Would you like to go to the stables and see my sturmons?"

  "Sturmons!" the boy burst out eagerly. "How many?"

  "Eight."

  "Eight! You own them? You?"

  "I am the only survivor of my immediate clan. Even in my House, a woman has rights of ownership. But only in the event of a tragedy such as that which took the men of my clan."

  Kalos again focused his intense interest back on her.

  "Yet, a woman of the Fifth House would not be permitted to ride such fine animals, even if she owns them."