Ten Crescent Moons (Moonquest) by Marilyn Haddrill Page A

toward the abode.
    She felt
Kalos walking behind her, much too closely.
    "Liar,"
he whispered, almost in her ear. His hot breath caused the back of her neck to
tingle. "You are not the seductress you pretend to be. So the real
question is this. Why are you acting toward me in such a manner?"
    "I have
no more words for you," Adalginza replied coolly.
    The clatter
of stones nearby ordinarily would have spoken of a beast of the night, caught
by surprise at their hurried approach.
    But in the
reaching of her mind, Adalginza felt no response.
    Therefore,
the intruder spying upon them had been human.
    ***
     
    Later that
night, Adalginza escorted her guests to the front gate where they politely said
their goodbyes. Kalos, Redolo, and Zartos then climbed into their carriage
where a driver awaited them at the appointed time.
    But it was
only until the clomping sound of the sturmons pulling the carriage and the
clatter of the wheels grew more distant that Adalginza turned back toward her
abode.
    She
carefully stepped over the cobblestones as she made her way back to the
courtyard entrance. There, a shadow detached itself from the inky darkness near
the front door.  She recognized the shape of the man at once.
    "Benfaaro?"
she whispered.
    He instantly
stepped into full view.
    The pale
light of the moons lit his face, and glowed back at her from his green eyes.
But her joy at seeing her beloved older brother was tempered by fear that he
had personally witnessed her earlier failure.
    She could
have and should have seduced the new captain, when the opportunity so
conveniently presented itself. Instead, she had fled his attentions exactly
like the impotent virgin Bruna had accused her of being.
    Fortunately,
however, Benfaaro had other things on his mind.
    "We
must repair the screen," he said urgently. "Another snake could come
before morning in search of new territory, once the scent of the other's death
becomes widespread and known."
    He pushed impatiently
by her, heading toward the trail to the stables. Thus far, he had barely acknowledged
her. It was so like him to withhold affection, even though they had been
separated now for at least a full quarter of a season.
    Adalginza
matched his pace, trying not to stumble after him with steps made clumsier by
the usual hero worship she always felt in his presence.
    She felt so deeply
blessed to be a blood relative to a living legend. Songs already were being
written and sung around campfires of all the tribes about the great Benfaaro,
savior of the frontier's rightful inhabitants.
    The dark purple
band around his head kept his flowing, black locks of hair in check. Not
particularly tall, he was nevertheless imposing because of an intensity of
character that physically impacted those in his presence.
    He suddenly flinched
with the hearing of a tiny scuffling sound, and paused to listen. A rodent
skittered away, giving him a glimpse of the source.
    For one
fleeting moment, he graced Adalginza with a grim smile as she struggled to
catch up to him. She soon stood with her brother, overwhelmed with joy to be shoulder-to-shoulder
with her only real kin.
    "So,
little sister. The enemy captain has been at your household. And you accomplished
this on the first day of his arrival. Well done."
    Adalginza
knew she now had a foolish, adolescent grin on her face. But she didn't care.
    Praise from
the great Benfaaro was rare indeed. And this definitely was not the time to ask
if he had seen her just fail at seducing the captain of the Crescent knights.
    They walked silently
together, until a few moments later they reached the place where the screen had
been breached. But it already had been repaired and what remained of the bait
was now gone.
    Adalginza
guessed that Bruna must have sneaked back here to undo her original handiwork.
    "I
watched you in combat," Benfaaro said, as his eyes scanned the darkness. "You
fought the snake well. As did the new captain."
    "Thank
you," Adalginza said