Crystal Moon (3 page)

Twisted in disgust, his face hovered inches above hers.

“The others may be content to let Rul Cathor decide your fate.

Not I. Aubin....” His voice cracked on the name. “...Aubin

was...he was....” He searched vainly for words to describe his

attachment to Aubin.

From the emotions of her captors since her abduction,

Sianna had formed a picture of Aubin—a vibrant young man,

full of laughter, loving and much loved. That these people should

seek vengeance for his loss did not surprise her, but she could

glean nothing of the how or why of Aubin’s death, only that

somehow they held her and her father responsible.

Sianna felt the battle waging within Je’al. She reached out

to him, but feared she lacked the skill and strength to shatter

the rage surrounding him, to reach his true self, the caring young

man she sensed dwelling beneath his shell of anguish.

Still, she tried. “I didn’t kill Aubin. I didn’t even know him.

You don’t want to hurt me, Je’al. Please stop before you do

something you’ll always regret.”

“You lie!” He stripped away her coat.

Her scream echoed loud in the night silence. His hand swung

down and hit her cheek. A hot, white light burst behind her

eyes, cutting short her cry. She went limp, unable to fight off

the lethargy stealing over her.

Had anyone heard her cry? Would anyone come to her

aid? Or was this just the first of many such attacks? The

thoughts floated randomly in her mind. Somehow they no longer

seemed important.

“You’ll not escape so easily. Open your eyes.”

She blinked. A groan slipped through her lips.

In the past she’d taken on the suffering of others, absorbing

it as she helped them heal. The experience did not prepare her

for the agony of her own pain. Dull aches throbbed a

counterpoint to the sharp pangs shooting through her head.

The night swam back into focus. Je’al knelt over her. She

felt the prick of his knife pressed against her belly. The heat

from his body, so close to hers, did not warm her.

“I want you to feel as my blade slices into you.”

She sucked in her breath. For a second the blade no longer

touched her. She had mistaken his intent. He lusted for her

blood rather than her person. “I had nothing to do with Aubin’s

death. You must believe me.”

Je’al laughed softly. “You can’t escape. Nor will you die

quickly.” He lowered the knife until it pierced her skin. “Like

Aubin, you’re young and healthy. With a belly wound, you’ll

take days to die. At the end,” his voice broke, then firmed in

anger, “Aubin begged and screamed for us to put him out of

his misery.”

Sianna knew Je’al spoke the truth. She’d once cared for a

man with a punctured abdomen. Brought to her days after the

injury, her skill proved too little to save him. She could only ease

his torment until the end.

“Will you beg then?” Je’al asked.

Sianna tore her gaze from him. She could no longer endure

his emotions. Like a hail of sharp stones, they battered her.

Even the plunge of his knife could not cause her as much pain.

She looked past him into the moonlit woods.

And forgot to breathe.

Silhouetted against the setting moons stood a Dark Angel.

Legs spread wide, his black cloak billowing in the night breeze,

he appeared a demon come to claim her ka, her soul.

Sword in hand, he moved forward. The red blade caught

and splintered the moonlight.

With a gasp, she squeezed her eyes shut.

“What...” Je’al started, his words cut short. Then his weight

lifted from her.

There was a muffled grunt and a thud. Je’al’s emotions

went silent. Was he dead? No. Sianna sensed him, alive but

unaware.

Stunned, she lay still. No other presence touched her. Was

the man truly a Dark Angel? She kept her eyes closed. To lose

her ka would be a worse fate than any Je’al or the others

planned for her.

She strained to hear, to sense. Other than the whisper of

air through the trees and the rasp of Je’al’s breathing, she heard

nothing. She gathered her courage and lifted her eyelids. Here

was her chance to escape.

A few feet away Je’al lay sprawled on his back. As if

asleep, his chest rose and fell evenly. He appeared little more

than a boy, his manly features barely formed. She sensed his

deep turmoil and suffering, but despite the Sister’s teachings

she would have to work at forgiving him.

Rising to her knees, she glanced around for the Dark Angel.

Had she imagined him? No. Je’al’s limp form proved the Dark

Angel had come. But where was he now? And what would he

want in payment for his favor?

Sianna remembered the Sisters’ tales of the Dark Angels.

Lost souls, forbidden entry into eternity for their misdeeds in

life, yet not evil enough to be condemned to oblivion, they

wandered the land in search of salvation. They offered help to

those in need, but to call upon them was to court danger.

Dispensing justice with their red crystal swords, Dark Angels

often did not distinguish between the guilty and the innocent.

Perhaps in this instance, the Dark Angel had come and

gone, without thought of payment. Once safely back with the

good sisters, she would offer prayers for the Dark Angel’s ka.

For now she would flee.

Sianna rose. Though her legs trembled, she knew she could

not delay. Soon Katya and the others would notice her absence.

Her only hope was to put as much distance between them and

herself as possible. She shivered. What chance did she have of

finding her way back to the sisters? Alone. Lost in the dark.

She had no choice. To stay meant death.

Kala and her crystal twin, Dema, no longer lightened the

night sky. A heavy blanket of darkness surrounded her. She

grabbed Graham’s coat and wrapped it around her, grateful for

its warmth.

She turned and crashed into something solid. Smothering a

startled scream, she looked up.

Her eyes locked with those of the Dark Angel. Deep as

the moonless night, his eyes speared her and held her motionless.

Black hair fell loose around his face, just touching his shoulders.

Though not fair skinned, his face appeared light compared to

the night surrounding him.

Many things could interfere with her ability to read people’s

emotions correctly, but always she felt those emotions hiding

within. Yet she sensed nothing from this man. Was he truly a

Dark Angel?

“Why did Je’al wish to kill you?” the Dark Angel asked.

“He blames me for another’s death.”

“Who are you, woman?”

“Sianna Di....”

“Je’al.” Graham’s booming voice drowned her whispered

answer.

With one hand the Dark Angel pushed Sianna behind him,

the other gripped his sword. He stood waiting as Graham and

Katya burst through the trees. They first saw Je’al lying on the

ground, then Katya noticed the Dark Angel.

“Kyne,” she cried and launched herself at the man.

Two

“Could so delicate a flower be capable of such evil?”

Lying on the ground near the fire, a coarse blanket draped

over her against the night chill, Sianna listened to the sound of

Graham’s deep rumble. She made no noise. Perhaps by feigning

sleep, she could learn what these people intended for her.

“She’s as beautiful as a nika flower,” the Dark Angel

answered, his tone low. Not a Dark Angel, she reminded herself,

but worse, Kyne Cathor, these people’s Rul, and the man who

would determine her fate.

She peeked out from under her lashes to watch the two

men seated near her. Though she easily read Graham’s emotions,

she still received nothing from Rul Cathor. On the far side of

the fire, other men curled into their bedrolls, while several guards

walked along the edge of the camp. Of Je’al or Katya there

was no sight.

“And as dangerous, Rul Cathor?” Graham lifted one hairy

brow.

“Kyne to you, Graham. How many times must I remind

you?” He laughed as if this were an old argument between

them, one he despaired of winning.

Graham’s answer confirmed her impression. “It is difficult

to change the habits of a lifetime. You are your father’s son;

therefore, to me you are Rul Cathor.”

“My father is long dead, his lands and estates confiscated.

To be Rul one must have a portion. Now I am simply Kyne

Cathor.”

Grief laced his words, but Sianna could not read his

emotions. This confused her. The only people closed to her

empathic abilities were those of her own blood. As part of her

academic studies with the Sisters she’d traced the lineage of

all the major families of Dramon. The Cathor line and the DiSanti

line never merged. What connection could she have with this

enemy of her father?

“As you wish, Kyne.”

For the moment. She knew Graham would continue to serve

his Rul, even though Kyne refused to acknowledge his position.

“How could you let Katya do such a foolish thing?” Kyne

asked. “If DiSanti had captured her, her fate would have been

worse than Aubin’s. In my absence I charged you with keeping

her safe.”

Graham’s amusement rolled over Sianna like a warm

breeze. “If you are foolish enough to leave the woolie in charge

of the wolve, you must accept the consequences. Like you,

Katya does not listen to my counsel.”

“You are no woolie, though I must admit, Katya is a sly and

cunning wolve.” Humor lightened Kyne’s voice. “Still, I was

gone for but a tenday. Could you not keep her under control for

that short a time?” This too sounded like an old argument.

Sianna doubted Katya listened to many people. She was

too comfortable in Graham’s affection for her to take him

seriously.

“Only by locking her in the tower. Even then I fear she

would have climbed out the window. She gave no warning of

what she intended. I thought her resigned to the fact DiSanti

was beyond our reach, at least for the time. After I found her

gone, we followed at once. We had stopped to rest the quinar

when Katya came upon us with the woman. She claimed she

was not followed, but we left immediately. I have seen no

evidence of pursuit.”

“Good. I would not like to lead the enemy to our lair.” He

paused, his features strained. “And I would not lose another

that I love to DiSanti.”

Graham turned to look at Sianna. She closed her eyes. “I

can see why Aubin was tempted by this woman. She appears

much younger than I thought, barely more than a girl. To look in

her eyes, you’d swear her an innocent.”

A glimmer of emotion reached her from Kyne. Before she

could identify it, it was gone.

“Do you think perhaps DiSanti duped her as well?” Graham

asked.

“No, by her own hand she condemns herself. I have no

doubt she plotted Aubin’s death along with her father. When

the time comes, she’ll be punished as well.”

No! She bit her lip to keep from crying out in denial. They

would not believe her.

For a brief moment, she sensed Kyne’s emotional storm. It

tore through her, leaving her hopes in shreds. Like a Dark Angel,

Kyne would destroy her, no matter her guilt or innocence.

“A shame to waste such beauty,” Graham said.

“Appearance is a poor way to judge a person’s character.

Because DiSanti was fair to look upon, he fooled my father

into believing he was a good man.”

“DiSanti tricked your father by his deceptions, not by his

looks.” Anger made Graham’s voice hard. “Many others were

taken in as well by his smooth words. He holds the old king’s

favor. Without DiSanti’s approval, no one can gain an audience,

so the king hears none of what goes on.”

Sianna sensed a guilt Graham kept buried.

“Even if the king heard, he would not hear. I’ve learned

King Dracken eats nika.”

“For how long?” Graham asked in horror.

“For many years, maybe since DiSanti became First

Minister. DiSanti controls nika and in turn controls the king. As

long as DiSanti lives, our country will continue to sink into

despair.”

Sianna gasped softly, then froze. Neither Graham nor Kyne

seemed to hear.

Her father dealt in nika, the most dangerous of drugs? He

made his fortune selling a life of addiction and degradation to

people? Kyne’s words pierced her heart and shattered her

childish dreams of home and family.

She longed to deny their words. She longed to love her

father. She longed for her father to love her. Because he was a

close blood relative, Sianna couldn’t read her father’s emotions.

In addition, he guarded his feelings well. Though he treated her

coolly, she had never sensed evil inside him. But to deal in nika

would take a monster. Was her father the monster these people

claimed?

On occasion Sianna had been called upon to minister to

nika addicts. After ingesting a small amount of the drug, people

became lifelong addicts. Without a daily dose, they suffered