Mistress of the Night - Don Bassingthwaite [91]
Keph could almost feel the anger of Selune's clergy flare into hatred and disgust. Shock flashed across Julith's face as well.
"It's not what you think," Keph said, desperate.
"Selune's shining face, it's not!" One of the priests holding him twisted and smashed his elbow back into Keph's face. The blow connected with his cheekbone and sent dark blotches swimming across his vision. If the Selunites hadn't been holding him up, he would have staggered and fallen. "Filthy Sharran!"
"Aeso!" Mifano's voice cracked like a whip. Keph couldn't quite manage to focus on the face of the priest who had hit him, but he felt the man hesitate, then relax. "No one touch either of them," Mifano said loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Hate is Shar's way, not Selune's. We'll rest the horses, then start back to Moonshadow Hall-Selune will judge her fallen daughter." He turned his gaze on Keph. For all his words, his eyes held almost as much loathing as Aeso's. "The laws of Yhaunn will judge Shar's man."
Keph's tortured head throbbed.
"No," he breathed.
The laws of Yhaunn-the consequences of his attack on Lyraene-he could face that. But returning to Yhaunn would put him back within reach of the cult. His knees buckled. The grips of the priests tightened, holding him up.
A nearby farmstead was only too happy to host the clergy of Selune, offering up cool water, bread, and fruit for the priests and priestesses, and feed for their horses- and the use of a shed to hold their prisoners. Aeso and another priest bound Keph and Julith securely, while Mifano traced a long, sprawling symbol around the doorframe. Where his fingers passed, cold silver light glowed for a moment, then faded. Once Aeso and the other priest had stepped out, he turned to glower at Keph and Julith.
"If you want a quick way to face your ultimate destinies," he said darkly, "opening this door would be it. I can't guarantee any greater mercy for traitors and Sharrans."
He walked out and closed the shed door firmly. A bolt squealed on the other side. Keph swallowed and stared across the dimness of the shed at Julith. Aeso had left them facing each other.
"Julith-"
She cut him off before he could say anymore. "Does Feena know?"
"This isn't what it looks like." "Does Feena know?"
"Yes!" Keph spat back at her. "Julith, I-"
The priestess cut him off again. Her voice was cold. "She told me you rescued her in the Stiltways. Was that some kind of trick?"
"Will you let me talk?" he snapped.
"So you can spin Shar's lies?"
His head sagged down in defeat. His face where Aeso had struck him felt swollen and strangely numb-when he spoke, a dull ache ran down to his teeth. It was a counterpoint to the growing fire in his ankle.
"No," he said. "No lies. I'm trying to get away from Shar's cult. I would have told you, but we didn't exactly have a chance to talk, did we?" He looked up. Julith's face was still angry, but her eyes were narrow. She was at least listening to him. "Believe me, Feena was just as angry when she found out. But I want to leave Shar. I swear it. I want to get away before something terrible happens and there's no turning back. That's all."
Silence lingered between them. Keph could hear the
Selunites off in the distance somewhere outside the shed. It sounded as if they were arguing among themselves. He didn't have to work very hard to guess what they were arguing about.
"Why should I believe anything you say?" asked Julith.
"You shouldn't, I suppose," said Keph. "You've got no reason. I could be lying right now. All I can say is that I'm not. I'm sorry you had to get caught with me-because of me. I probably should have left you."
"You probably should have." Julith let out a slow sigh and continued, "But it would have been a worse ride without you. If Feena could trust you, I suppose I can." She glanced up at him. "So there are Sharrans in Yhaunn after all. Velsinore and Mifano must be wetting themselves. I guess we'd all gotten a little too complacent in…"
Her voice fell away. A shudder ran down Keph's back.
There was something in the air,