Mistress of the Night - Don Bassingthwaite [33]
"You don't think I'm telling the truth?" she demanded. Tve spoken within the holy confines of Moonshadow Hall-and you doubt me?"
Selune must have heard her prayer, because Colle actually flinched at her vehemence, though Manas seemed to take it in stride.
"No, Moonmistress," he said, "but it is necessary that we investigate such a suspicious death."
"Which you have done by calling both my honor and Selune's sacred gift into question." Feena faced down the guard captain. To her surprise, it didn't feel that much different from facing down another wolf. "I'll be blunt, Captain Manas. I can see that's a quality you appreciate." She leaned closer and said, "I serve Selune and my service is not gentle. I have killed in her name and in defense of the innocent. But this man you've found-I did not kill him." She glanced at Colle and growled, "Do you still feel the need to test the truth of that, High Luck?"
The high priest shook his head. Feena looked at Manas. The guard captain's face was blank with studied discipline-and perhaps a little respect.
"And you?" Feena asked.
"Moonmistress, you've answered all of my questions." He took a step back and gave her a sharp half-bow. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, guard captain."
"If we should discover that there is a werewolf at large in Yhaunn, may I call on your expertise?"
Feena restrained a blink of surprise. "Of course," she said. "Selune guide your search."
Manas turned to go, summoning Colle after him with a hard glance. The High Luck stared in angry shock at
Feena, then scurried after the guard captain. The two were exchanging angry words when they stepped out of the gate. Feena waited until they were out of sight entirely before letting out a sigh of relief.
"I think you made an enemy in Colle Shoondeep today, Feena," Julith said.
"He was.no friend to begin with," Feena replied. She slumped back against the nearest wall and pushed her fingers through her hair. "Thank you."
"Whispering in ceremony and now lying to city guards and high priests," Julith said through a thin smile. "Feena, you're a terrible influence."
Feena tried to echo the smile, but couldn't quite manage it.
Jarull was waiting in the cool shadow of the stone wall. Keph twitched Quick out of the way and settled down beside him.
"I got your note this morning," Keph said. "What is it?"
"Cyrume is dead."
Keph blinked at the big man.
Jarull growled and added, "The potter from the south side of the city?"
"Oh," Keph breathed.
The past several days had been a heady whirl for Keph. Jarull had introduced him to a number of new people-all followers of Shar. Faces and names had started to blur in Keph's mind. His memory hadn't been helped by nights spent drinking with Jarull and some of his new friends. He and Jarull weren't the only disaffected young people of Yhaunn. Cyrume the potter hadn't been among Jarull's immediate circle, but Keph thought he could picture him. He had seemed disturbingly intense.
"What happened to him?"
"He was found in the Stiltways last night," Jarull said.
Keph sat up sharply and asked, "That was him?"
Cold wrapped around his chest. The servants at Fourstaves House had been gossiping about the body found in the Stiltways. According to them, it had been torn to bloody shreds and half devoured. Panic was said to be spreading through the lower levels of the Stiltways.
"How… what…?"
"Sehinites," said Jarull. Keph blinked at him again.
"Followers of Selune?" In spite of his horror, he felt his mouth twitch almost into a smile. "That can't be right. I know Sehinites and Sharrans don't like each other, but have you seen the priestesses of Moonshadow Hall?"
Jarull glared at him and said, "You think they're all mercy and innocence? I've heard they harbor werewolves,