Ten Crescent Moons (Moonquest) (19 page)

"Why
are you undoing my work?" Adalginza was genuinely irritated.

"We
need only one mount. We cannot have my knights see you riding as a man would
ride. They are, after all, from the Fifth House."

"I
already told the guard I know how to ride."

"You
know full well that it matters not to me. But you are under my command here. I
must respect the rules of the Fifth House. Otherwise, I would lose the loyalty
of those who follow me."

"I
suppose we must now take that awful wagon," Adalginza said, trying to
sound petulant. "Since your foolish knights cannot abide the sight of a
woman astride a sturmon."

"No.
You will ride with me. As we leave and in the sight of my knights, both of your
legs must fall to one side of the sturmon, as befits a lady."

"This
sounds most uncomfortable."

"My
arms will be around you to steady you. This mode of travel is considered quite
fashionable on the Prime Continent, where the sturmons from the frontier have
been introduced." He gave her a meaningful look. "And very romantic,
for couples who are so inclined."

"Perhaps
we should take the wagon," Adalginza suggested.

Kalos just
laughed, and affectionately patted the haunches of his sturmon.

"I
prefer only the Golden in circumstances such as these. We might need a quick
escape."

"I
doubt we will encounter any danger at the cave. It is very remote."

"There,
no. But we will be stopping elsewhere on our return to the Place of the Circles.
You will be of great help to me by showing me the way to the village. In
particular, I am interested in seeing Benfaaro's abode."

"But
this is most unexpected!"

Panic grew, as
she pictured Calasta's innocent face. The child likely would be alone in
Benfaaro's dwelling, since Bruna often wandered the hillsides in search of
herbs and roots for her potions.

Adalginza tried
another tactic.

"I see
no reason to put ourselves at such risk. I already told you he is not there."

Kalos gave
her a mysterious look.

"I wish
to leave Benfaaro a message."

"What
kind of message?"

"It
will be a surprise."

Adalginza
swallowed hard, as she tried to think of a way to warn Calasta. And Bruna,
also, might be in the village at the time of their visit. How could that be
explained?

She reached
out to adjust the balance of one of the packs, dallying. When she spoke next, she
tried to keep her voice casual.

"Very
well. If you insist upon visiting the village, then I believe we should be
accompanied by your knights."

There would
be no real peril, of course. Adalginza only hoped that a group of knights and
sturmons would make enough of a commotion to give advance warning of their
approach.

Kalos studied
her far too long. Then he moved around the sturmon to adjust the other stirrup.

"One
sturmon makes far less noise," he observed. "And we might find a few villagers
who were left behind. If that be the case, then I would like to question them."

Adalginza
stepped closer to him.

"This
is a foolish plan, Captain Kalos. You know what I think? I think you do not
wish any of your knights to be in our company because they might witness your
interest in the artifacts of the House of the Seventh Crescent Moon."

"Oh?
And why do you say that?"

"In the
Fifth House, this obsession of yours would be perceived as the weakness of a
man who is more scholar than soldier. And it is also blasphemy."

Kalos
straightened and turned to face her. Only the fire in his eyes betrayed his
anger.

"You
call me weak for being a scholar?"

"You
are from the Ninth House. You are not a natural warrior, so you have much to
prove. Your weakness lies in giving the men you lead power over you because you
so greatly desire their respect. No captain from the Fifth House would worry
for even one moment about winning the approval of his knights, no matter what
he chose to do."

Kalos smiled
tightly at her and swung into the saddle. Then he leaned over to hold out his
hand to her.

"Nevertheless
and regardless of how you view my motives, we will go alone."

Reluctantly,
Adalginza stretched out her hand and allowed his strong arm to haul her up, and
in front of him on the saddle.

As Kalos
wrapped his arms around Adalginza, she became painfully aware of how loose the
bodice sash was. She clutched the cloth, then tightened it to arrange it more
modestly.

"Are
you ready?"

Kalos
whispered the words in her ear, stirring with his hot breath a few strands of
her hair that had strayed from their coils. She felt his beard tickling the
back of her neck.

"No. I
am very uncomfortable."

The Golden
took a few nervous steps, then snorted as the captain answered.

"I am
uncomfortable now, too. But not for the same reasons as you. Your closeness is
like the sweet scent of a flower. I am now breathing your presence."

"Is
that so? Do you use these same sugared words on Lady Sagawea?"

"Lady
Sagawea would never ride on a sturmon, not even if my arms were around her. And
she would never ride a sturmon like a man. Most especially, Lady Sagawea would
never be in the frontier at all except under the most extreme circumstances."

Kalos urged
the Golden forward, from behind the suckleberry thicket.

The animal
stepped high as they passed several of the knights, who watched with open envy
as they departed down a dim trail that wound through the shrub forest of the
foothills.

As far as
the knights knew, the captain already had tasted Lady Adalginza's charms. And
they guessed he would feast on more of the same when the evening dawned.

Or maybe
even much sooner than that.

Once they
were out of sight, Adalginza defiantly shifted her position. She rearranged her
skirts, and threw both legs around the sturmon. For the rest of the quarter day's
journey, she managed to hold herself stiffly away from the captain. Nor did she
engage him in conversation.

Perhaps the
silence suited him, also. He sometimes whistled softly to himself, but always
seemed hyper alert to their surroundings.

Once, when a
covey of plump, grey falibirds flew up under the sturmon's nose, the captain's
reflexes were almost as swift as the wings in flight. He instantly drew his
sword and steadied the startled mount.

Adalginza
did not even flinch.

"You
have nerves equal to the steel in my blade," Kalos said in a low, admiring
voice. He replaced the sword in its sheath attached to the saddle.

She had
known about the birds, having sensed their presence before even they were
alerted to the approach of the sturmon.

She had
known they were about to fly. And she had no reason for fear or flinching.

"I feel
safe in your presence."

"No. It
is more than that. Something I need to explore about you..."

Adalginza
managed to divert him from this dangerous idea by pointing ahead to the
avalanche of rocks and sticks that served as the landmark for what once had
been a secret place of happiness.

This was
where she had played in the hidden waterfall and pools with the children of savages,
when they accepted her as a child of the Crescent Houses. At that time, they
had all been young enough to see only the humanity of each other.

It was only
as they grew older that differences were made and hatred was taught. The
friendships ended when the other children began to shun her, making fun of her
indigo eyes.

When the
Golden stopped, she allowed the captain to cup both hands under her shoulders
to help lower her to the ground. Then she watched him as he slid eagerly from
the sturmon, issuing a vocal command for the animal to stay.

"If
there is water up there, as you say, I must find a way to bring some for my
Golden to drink."

She had
never heard the captain refer to his sturmon as anything other than his Golden,
unlike other knights who sometimes gave their steeds elaborate names.

Yet, she was
by now keenly aware of the deep bond between man and animal. This connection was
proven more so by the fact that the captain's first thought was for the animal's
comfort rather than for the treasure that awaited him.

Adalginza
gathered up her skirts.

"These
fibers are tightly woven. They will hold enough water for your Golden."

"Good.
We will bring it when we return."

Adalginza
mentally portrayed this image of water to the thirsty steed, who responded with
a surge of anticipation.

A smart
animal. Extraordinarily smart. Worthy of the captain.

Kalos paused
to draw his Crescent sword from the saddle sheath. Then, he turned to
Adalginza.

"Tell
me, lady. Are there snakes on the trail ahead?"

There were
none. But it worried her that the captain would ask this of her.

"How
would I know such a thing any better than you?"

"I don't
know the how of it. You have a gift. One that you choose to keep hidden."

"I see."

Adalginza
grasped her heavy, bothersome skirts to keep them from weighting her down on
the trail's precipitous slope to the top.

She took
several steps on the dim trail, which was slippery with loose rock. She made
sure of her footing. Then she turned around to give him a haughty stare as he
began to climb up after her.

"So now
you accuse me of witchcraft, which is a hanging offense in some Houses. Before,
when I saved your mother and nephew, you accused me then of breaching the net
and allowing the snake on my property on purpose."

"Oh,
yes," Kalos said, looking up at her contritely. "That. I might have
been mistaken."

"I have
not forgotten your portrayal of me as someone who would deliberately risk
innocent lives in such a way. Just for the privilege of winning your trust, and
then bedding you. You have a very high opinion of yourself, Captain Kalos."

She
pronounced the word "privilege" as though it were a profanity of the
foulest sort. To her own amazement, she realized that her indignation was no
act.

She turned
then and climbed the rest of the way up the trail without once pausing to catch
her breath. When Kalos joined her at the crest of the hill, she saw that he was
laughing at her.

"And
what have I done for your amusement this time?" she demanded.

Kalos
brought the back of his hand to his mouth, coughing unconvincingly to hide the
fact that he was still filled with mirth.

"I cannot
deny I am pompous at times. My mother has told me this quite often. Now that I
see myself through your eyes, I better understand why you treat me as though I
am indeed no better than excrement that should be buried in a waste pit."

Adalginza
glared at him in exasperation. "I have no answer to that, except to agree."

"It was
ungracious of me to scorn a lady, when she was only following the customs of
her house." Kalos became suddenly serious. "Is there any way to undo
the damage?"

"What
surprises me most is that we stand here at the edge of the pool where I told
you the artifacts exist. And beyond that waterfall is the cave. Yet, you show
no interest in our purpose here at all."

"Ah,
yes. The artifacts." Kalos casually examined the pool, which lapped
quietly with waves created by the small, gentle waterfall. "This is a very
nice spot. You said you played here as a child?"

"The
artifacts, Captain Kalos. Are you interested or not?"

Kalos rubbed
his beard and gazed out over the water. "Have you ever wanted something
very badly, only to find out that it did not exist?"

"I have
never entertained the idea that I could have anything that I really wanted — or
at least wanted that badly," Adalginza answered tersely.

Kalos pulled
his eyes away from the water, and rested them on her in amazement. "Do you
really mean that?"

"Yes."

"So you
have never been disappointed?"

"I
suppose that is true."

He gave her
a teasing look. "You wanted me. And I disappointed you."

"I wasn't
disappointed because I did not want you that badly."

Kalos threw
back his head and laughed uproariously. The echoes of his mirth rebounded
against the rocks of the canyon below.

Adalginza
was unable to help herself. The magic of this childhood place took hold, and
she joined him in his laughter. It had been so long since she had allowed
herself such a pure release that it felt wondrous and freeing.