Ten Crescent Moons (Moonquest) (11 page)

So it had
been Bruna, not Benfaaro, who had spied on the earlier flirtation between
Adalginza and Kalos near the outer gate.

Bruna turned
to her husband.

"I
witnessed the whole thing earlier this evening. The captain wanted her, and she
spurned him. She fears him because she has no experience with men."

In the
waning moonlight, Adalginza had expected to see anger in her brother's eyes. But,
even worse, she spied pity.

Benfaaro addressed
her gently. "You know what it is we are asking of you, little sister. You
were born with eyes that the men of the Crescent Houses covet so greatly. You
cannot continue to — withhold yourself — and expect to succeed."

Adalginza
dropped her head. "I know this."

"If the
men of our tribe had shown more interest in her, we wouldn't have this problem,"
Bruna interrupted irritably. "Talan would have taken her. Taught her the
things she needs to know. But she rejected him."

"Talan
is not right for her," Benfaaro said dismissively. "He wants her only
because she is my sister and has the title Of the Blood. He is strong in body,
but small in spirit."

"He is
a great warrior!" Bruna protested.

"He
wants to be me. I do not trust him. Therefore, I say Adalginza has good judgment."

"But no
experience as a result of this — judgment," Bruna argued. "She could
have seduced the captain tonight. He wanted her. Now our mission could fail
because of her."

"I will
do better." Adalginza hoarsely spoke the promise.

Benfaaro
reached out and took Adalginza's hands in his own.

"In
another time, I would never ask this of you. You know that, don't you?"

Adalginza
felt her eyes brimming with tears. She could only nod.

Benfaaro's
own eyes glistened in response.

"Know
this, too. Our people have no future as long as these intruders from the
Crescent Houses continue to arrive from the Prime Continent in their many sailing
ships."

Adalginza
finally found her voice again.

"From
his own lips, I heard the new captain of knights say that he has been sent not
only to protect the settlement of Sola Re. But to find you, dear brother. And
to kill you."

"In his
place, I would do the same." Benfaaro's eyes rested briefly on Bruna, but
his expression was unreadable. "This man, Kalos, must think it was I who
ordered the rape of the women in his clan. I did not condone such a thing. But
it is enough that I ordered the attack on Tremasto."

"The
captain's father and brother promised peace. And I begged you before to try and
make a pact first." Adalginza dared question him, hoping she would not
incur his wrath. "This was not like you, Benfaaro, to kill the innocent
and the unarmed. Not like the gentle brother I knew as a child anyway."

"How
dare you insult Benfaaro by accusing him of being weak?" Bruna's tone was threatening.

"Gentleness
is not weakness, Bruna," Benfaaro answered sharply. "But then, this a
quality you would never understand. And it is no longer part of who I have
become. So it matters not."

Benfaaro
turned back to Adalginza.

"I realize
now that what I did was a mistake. I do have regrets."

"Benfaaro!"
Bruna looked furious at the admission.

"It is
true. The blood of the captain's family stains me as a man. It was a cowardly
act." Benfaaro gestured toward the house. "But it is done and cannot
be remedied. Now, let us enter the abode. I am hungry for some of that food
from the Welcoming."

As they
settled at the table, Benfaaro picked at a clay bowl full of leftovers such as thick
granst fruit leaves and dried bits of brush fowl that Bruna had trapped on the
grounds just that day.

As they ate,
they exchanged more trivial news about inconsequential events such as
unseasonable rains at the Place of the Crosses and the latest births and
bondings among the villagers. The conversation was comforting, but served only
to make Adalginza yearn still more for home.

"Odd
taste this," Benfaaro observed as he used his spoon to examine the meat.
"I have never had brush fowl that was so tough to chew."

Fresh-cooked
meat from the snake would have been a welcome addition to the larder, except
that citizens of Crescent Houses would have been revolted by such a meal. To
dine on such fare would have looked suspicious.

Benfaaro continued
to pick at his food, showing little interest in what was in his bowl. Then he gave
Adalginza a look bordering almost on apology.

"Little
one, I understand well what it means to sacrifice your innocence to a greater
cause. As you know, I myself have committed the darkest of sins. It is for the
survival of our people."

"Stop brooding,"
Bruna snapped. "Eat. And try sounding, for once, like a leader instead of
a coward."

These noxious
words full of such disrespect caused Adalginza to regard Bruna with a growing
feeling of dread. Those closest to Benfaaro well knew that it was she who had
led him down the bloody path he had chosen of late.

But there
was nothing Adalginza could do about it.

As Benfaaro's
sister and even as someone Of the Blood, she was incapable of swaying forces
that had been placed in motion at her birth. She, in fact, owed her very existence
to her brother.

She had been
born with the despised indigo eyes inherited from the enemy soldier who had
raped her mother. Even worse, Benfaaro's mother died giving birth to the
unwanted baby girl.

She knew Benfaaro
had every reason to hate her. As leader Of The Blood, he could have easily
ordered her death. But he instead devised a plan that involved carefully
grooming his baby sister for his own purposes.

As she grew
older, Benfaaro was kind to her. But he constantly reminded Adalginza that her life
and her will were not her own. She had a sacred duty to him and to the people
of the tribes.

As though
reading her thoughts, Benfaaro now watched her speculatively.

"Tell
me. What is the custom of bonding between man and woman among the clans of the
House of the Ninth Crescent Moon?"

"You refer
to marriage?" Adalginza asked blankly.

"If
this is what it is called. I know each Crescent Moon House has its own rituals.
We need to know more about this. Were you to permanently bond with Captain
Kalos, there would be greater trust and more confidences shared."

"It is
a good plan." Bruna stood and walked behind Benfaaro, slipping her arms
possessively around his waist and leaning against him. "I will make a
potion."

"No!"
Adalginza shouted. "No more potions! You already poisoned the previous
captain, along with the cousin who was wooing me."

"And
who was an idiot." Bruna released her grip on Benfaaro and straightened. "You
would have learned nothing from him. It was best that they were both removed."

Benfaaro looked
up to regard his wife accusingly. "To be replaced with a man who is far
more dangerous."

Bruna
scoffed. "I hardly think that a man who loves his scrolls more than his
sword is much of a threat."

"This
is precisely what makes him so much more dangerous."

Adalginza gazed
down at her cup of nectar, wondering if it was tainted by Bruna in some way. She
pushed it aside. Then she looked beseechingly across the table at Benfaaro.

"Please
do not allow Bruna to make a potion influencing the captain to declare his love
for me. Even if he is never able to deduce that he was beguiled in such a way, his
mother will know. These are very smart people. Please. Let me win him in my own
way. In a — natural way."

"We don't
have that many seasons, my dear," Bruna replied mockingly.

"You
like this man." Benfaaro made the words a statement, not a question.

Adalginza
hesitated, before answering. "Yes."

"Then
your way might work. He might sense your sincerity. But if it doesn't..."
Benfaaro glanced over his shoulder at his wife. "We will take no chances
with Captain Kalos. Understood?"

"I can
do this," Adalginza insisted.

"Good.
Because what we need most is intimate knowledge of the movement of his troops.
They often protect the caravans of settlers entering the deeper regions of the
frontier. But not always. Once we understand the vulnerabilities, we will set
up the appropriate ambushes. The captain must be useful to us. If you cannot
gain access to him, he will be eliminated. And we will try again with another."

"Never
fear, dear brother. I have already found a way to grow closer to him."

She leaned
forward to explain about the captain's original motive for seeking a commission
in the Crescent Knights. She told Benfaaro that Kalos wanted to be sent to the
frontier, where he could gain more knowledge about the mysterious disappearance
of the House of the Seventh Crescent Moon.

"This
quest of his represents his true passion," Adalginza said. "So I told
him about the cave near the Place of the Circles, where there are drawings. And
I also mentioned artifacts."

"Very
clever of you," Benfaaro said. "You must have remembered the relics from
the Seventh House that Medosa kept hidden in his abode. He was very secretive
about them. I never understood why he felt compelled to give them to you."

"I can
only hope that you still have them."

"I do.
They can be easily placed. I suppose you had in mind the Tunnel Cave, where the
children like to swim in the nearby pools?"

Adalginza
nodded. "Yes. And there are actual cave wall drawings there as well. One,
in fact, does seem to crudely depict what could be interpreted as the symbol of
the Seventh House."

"It is
only a moon, like any other of the crescent moons," Bruna interrupted derisively.
"Why would it be seen as representing the Seventh House?"

"It
doesn't matter, Benfaaro said. "The artifacts should be enough to convince
the captain. I will place them behind the rock pile, where the ferns grow near
the waterfall."

"It
must be convincing," Adalginza warned. "Remember. These people are
scholars."

"Then
tell the captain that children who play in the area sometimes handled the
artifacts. They never removed them, because they feared the moon gods would
curse them."

Bruna then slid
down onto the bench directly beside her husband, and assumed a sultry
expression that could mean only one thing.

"We
have talked far too long. Daylight will dawn soon. So let me make you some tea
to calm you. And then we will sleep."

"It has
been a long time since we've been together."

Benfaaro
said this in a tone that sounded more like surrender than anticipation. He
turned back to Adalginza.

"I must
leave at first light." He scanned her face. "Remember one thing. What
you do must be with your mind and not your heart. Do you understand?"

Adalginza
gave him a puzzled look.

"You
cannot allow yourself to love this man."

"But
how could I love him?" Adalginza asked. "I don't even know him."

"But
you
will
know him," Benfaaro said. "You will know him well.
And you must always remind yourself of where your loyalties lie."

"If she
forgets, even for a moment, I'll be there to remind her." Bruna laughed nastily.
"It would be my pleasure to kill a second captain of the knights."

"You do
not forgive easily, do you, my beloved?" Benfaaro asked.

"Go
ready yourself for bed," Bruna said. "I will be there shortly with
your tea. I have something I need to show to Adalginza first."

After
Benfaaro left, Adalginza watched apprehensively as Bruna made her way to the refuse
bin woven with straw.

She reached
inside, then straightened. In her outstretched hand and in full view was a
handful of rainbow feathers.

"Did
you enjoy your little meal of brush fowl? I hope so. And remember that I warned
you against using mindspeak while here in Sola Re."

Starla!

Adalginza immediately
rushed outside and retched, emptying the contents of her stomach directly into some
nearby dry, brushy weeds. Then she numbly stood there, watching as the interior
lamp lights were extinguished one-by-one.

Her body
quivered with nausea and revulsion, as the household went completely dark.

She had
never felt more alone.