Ten Crescent Moons (Moonquest) (16 page)

"Do you
not hate the man responsible for this?"

"No!"
Adalginza's first response was instinctive. And unwise. She immediately
corrected herself. "Yes. I hate what he did here."

Kalos nodded
in grim satisfaction. "We will find Benfaaro. We will kill him. And by
killing him, we will cut off the head of the snake."

"I have
heard this saying before," Adalginza said dully. "It originates with
the savages."

And
Benfaaro has said the same about you
.

"You
will help me find him. Then we will both have our revenge."

"If you
face him directly in battle, Captain Kalos, he will kill you easily."

"So you
think he is the better man?" Kalos dropped his arm from around her
shoulders, and regarded her strangely.

"Not
the better man. No. But he is far more ruthless than you."

"So in
order to prevail, I need only imitate Benfaaro's ways. Is that what you are
saying?"

"Of
course not. I have no desire to watch you lose your soul."

While Kalos
frowned in answer, Adalginza blinked into the flames now snapping in the
fireplace. Then she uneasily peered through the open doorway at the growing
darkness.

She sent out
a mind probe, relaxing when she sensed that that the creatures of the night
were stirring without undue alarm. This meant all was well.

In fact, the
familiar smell of wood smoke increased the sense of comfort that she had missed
for so long. It had been almost three full seasons since she had felt anything
akin to normal.

With the
persistent nudging against her leg, she then stooped down to pet the fox,
Herol. She momentarily buried her face in his fur.

"It is
good to feel something alive and warm in this dwelling again," she said
quietly.

"You
will feel even better when you eat," Kalos answered. "Would you like
some rations now?"

She nodded.
Then she stood, holding the fox in her arms. She followed Kalos to a crudely
hewn wooden table, where she and the captain seated themselves upon a bench.

She released
Herol onto the floor as Kalos held out a leather pouch full of provisions.
Adalginza took it wordlessly, retrieving what items she wanted from among the
dried fruit and meats before handing the pouch back to Kalos.

He made his
selection, and they both began to eat silently, washing down the food with
swallows of water from a hollow gourd flask they both shared.

Adalginza
then began to feed a few scraps from her meal to Herol, who gulped down each
bite to follow up with an expectant, pleading look for more.

"Trail
rations should not be squandered," Kalos said sternly.

"It is
no waste to share a meal with an old friend."

"The
animal has fended well for himself for the time you have been absent. He will
not starve. We, on the other hand, just might starve if we find ourselves delayed
on the trail for too long."

"I am
resourceful. If we need fresh meat along the trail, I will find it for us."

Kalos
suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm before she could give Herol another
bite.

The captain
forced the morsel from her hand and placed it back in the pouch. At the
threatening move, Herol slunk away to the back of the room.

From the
corner of her eye, Adalginza saw the fox assume a defensive, crouching position
by the fire.

"You
have no right to deny him!" Adalginza shouted. "Or to show such
disrespect for me in my own home!"

"He is
an animal," Kalos answered calmly. "I myself spent many hours
preparing and drying the meat that makes up our rations for this journey. So why
should I allow you to waste my efforts upon your pet, who very obviously does
not need the food?"

"Because
Herol is my friend, and should be treated as such."

"My
instinct, dear lady, is only for our survival. Unlike your furred friend there,
I do not have a keen nose, sharp teeth, or claws to subdue
my
prey."

"Then
you clearly must doubt me when I say I can provide all the fresh meat we need
on our journey."

"Do I
doubt you, a pampered lady of the Fifth House? Yes. Not even my most
experienced trackers and hunters can make me such a promise."

"Then
you are calling me a liar."

"Not
really. Perhaps I think you are simply — confused."

Something in
the captain's expression roused even more of Adalginza's anger.

"You imply
again that I am touched with my mother's madness?"

Kalos placed
his hands before him on the table. Then he held her eyes in a steady gaze.

"There
are stories about you. I heard some of them, back in Sola Re."

She did not
look away from his gaze.

"You
have heard of how Lady Adalginza wanders alone at night, under the ten crescent
moons. Lost in a trance. Oblivious to the dangers of both snakes and savages."

"Yes.
Except that it is also said she rides her own sturmons as a man would. Better
than any man, in fact."

"The
stories are true," Adalginza replied wearily. "Think of me what you
will. I no longer care."

Adalginza
stood and moved back toward the fire. She held out her hands, warming them,
even though the night air was not particularly cool.

When Kalos
followed her, Herol slunk away through the front door and into the darkness to
avoid the captain.

Kalos reached
for a dusty blanket that had been draped over a nearby railing and shook it out.

Adalginza
remembered she had placed it there long ago with the purpose of drying it from
the soaking it had received from an unexpected desert rainstorm.

Kalos threw
the blanket in front of the fire, then sat down cross-legged. He held a hand
toward Adalginza, inviting her to join him.

When she
hesitated, Kalos looked up at her with a sadness that almost equaled her own.

"I,
too, once wandered alone at night," he said. "Right after my family members
were murdered in Tremasto."

Adalginza
regarded him cautiously. "Did you?"

"Yes. There
is no sleep when what you see with the closing of your eyes is horror."

"That
is true."

"I
began to be free of the nightmares only when I revisited Tremasto, upon the
recommendation of a gnostic who was a family friend. I brought Lady Redolo and
Zartos with me."

His voice
caught momentarily. Then he continued.

"We found
the remains of our family, left there because of the superstitions of the
savages. We buried them. And we said goodbye. You must understand this is one
of the reasons I took the risk of bringing you here. So that you, too, could
say goodbye."

Adalginza
sank down beside the captain, allowing him to take her hand to assist her to
the floor. She smoothed her leggings to cover her knees, and stared into the
flames.

Kalos
stretched out his legs, and leaned his head back on one elbow.

"It is
a fine place, this home of yours." he said finally.

"I wish
never to go back to Sola Re," Adalginza said in a low voice.

"The savages
would murder you here."

"They
could not touch me in a place where murder has already taken place."

"Even
if you were spared, you would be very lonely."

"The savages
are not all the same. I had friends among them. Good friends."

"So did
I. It made no difference. Not one of them lifted a hand to help us at Tremasto.
In fact, some of them I called my friends committed the worst of the atrocities.
This is something I will never understand. Or forgive."

Adalginza gazed
into the flickering flames, wondering just how much she should reveal to the
enemy. She chose her words carefully.

"Actions
are not always a matter of will among the savages. They must follow the orders
of their leaders who are Of The Blood. They have no choice."

"I
still do not understand what is so special about being Of The Blood."

Adalginza again
hesitated to speak the truth. But it seemed important for the captain's sake to
explain. Perhaps in this way he might even find it in his heart to forgive.

"There
are a few in the Tribe of the Circles who are directly descended from certain
revered ones among the Ancients. These holy ones had great power, but they
existed so many generations ago that the seasons can no longer be counted. Just
believe me when I say that, when one Of The Blood gives an order, it must be
obeyed."

"Why?"
Kalos sounded skeptical. "If their followers dare to think for themselves,
will the ground then open up and swallow them?"

 Adalginza
struggled with her own discomfort at being in the presence of an unbeliever. And
yet, Medosa had taught her as a child that it was important to question beliefs
that did not seem verifiable.

She herself
was conflicted about the ways of the savages.

"I tell
you only what is believed," she said. "And it is believed that the disobedient
are cursed, along with their ancestors, their children, their children's
children and all who follow. Even in death, their souls will wander without
peace. All the tribes will shun them here and in the afterlife. Their bloodline
will be forever damned."

"That's
quite a curse." Again, Kalos sounded skeptical.

"There
is no greater fear among the savages than to be damned by one Of the Blood. It
is why peace has prevailed for so long among the tribes. Those Of The Blood
command absolute loyalty from their people."

The hard
look upon the captain's face did not soften, but he did seem lost in thought.

"This
means only that the savages are slaves to superstition and ignorance. They are
still accountable for their actions. But what you just told me means there is a
way to defeat them, utterly and completely."

Adalginza
felt a chill, despite the warmth of the flames. "I do not understand what
you mean."

"Benfaaro
is Of The Blood, and he commands absolutely?"

"Yes."

"Then
when Benfaaro is dead, the tribes will fall into chaos without his leadership.
They might even begin to war among themselves."

"No,"
Adalginza said hastily, desperately trying to undo any damage she might have
caused with her loose tongue. "That is not so. There are others Of The
Blood who can take his place."

"How
many others?"

Calasta. And
Adalginza. That was all.

A widespread
epidemic of plague afflicting the previous generation had devastated the direct
bloodline. Even worse, that plague had been deliberately introduced by an early
explorer of the Crescent Houses, Captain Heinste the Cruel.

But Captain
Kalos must not be told there were only three Of The Blood left alive.

"Many
others. Beyond counting."

"This
makes no sense to me. There cannot be great numbers. Otherwise, in the tribal
structure you just described, they would fight among themselves for power."

"There
are many," Adalginza insisted. "At least, this is what I was
told."

"Well. No
matter how many, I will find them. And I will kill them all, these people Of
The Blood. It is the only way to cut off the head of the snake..."

 Suddenly,
Kalos interrupted himself.

 "By
the saints! I cannot believe what my eyes are showing me! Is this some curse of
the savages?"

Adalginza saw
Kalos stiffen. Then his eyes widened with horror as he looked beyond her and
into the darkness of the room.

He sat up
suddenly and reached for the dagger that he kept in the sheath under his
shoulder.

Quickly,
with her heart pounding in terror, she twisted her body around to see what he
was seeing. Two glowing, golden orbs moved eerily in the darkness, seemingly
unattached to anybody, appearing as an apparition.

She had seen
it many times before in this household. Desperately, she grabbed for Kalos'
arm.

"Stop!
Stop! It is only the little fox. It is only little Herol. His eyes have caught
the light of the fire, and they are glowing with the reflection!"

But she was
too late.

She saw the
dagger fly, glistening in the firelight, straight and true.

She heard
the yelp, and then felt the death of her beloved pet, thrashing in her mind.

The pain was
so keen that she actually grabbed for her own heart, clutching it. She gasped
for breath as she shuddered visibly with the final death throes.

Then she
staggered to her feet, ran into the darkness, and half fell beside the limp body
of the fox.

There was
blood pouring onto the floor. Of course. What else would there be? She would
always see blood, everywhere in this place.