Moonshadow (38 page)

“Yes, well, it was the path I chose,” Darien’s sister said with a slight hint of remorse. “I must admit, I do miss wearing finery and going to feasts and galas. The garb and company of authority is so dreadfully
dull
.”

Edea’s gaze finally landed on Diana and brought the Lady Raven back to the present. “Brother, you are being uncharacteristically improper this evening,” she said playfully. “You’ve not introduced your dear sister to your lovely companion.”

Diana involuntarily gulped in anxiety. The beautiful evening had quickly grown fearfully awkward.

“Ah yes, forgive me,” Darien said, looking apologetic. His anxious tension was twisting Diana into knots, and with her own emotions similarly on edge, she was quickly going to lose her faculties if she didn’t figure out how to ease the situation.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady,” Diana interrupted, her gaze shifting to the temple for a moment before returning to meet the eyes of Darien’s sister. “My name is Udana.” She debated whether or not to add a quick curtsey but decided against it—it would probably have seemed too human.

“Please, call me Edea,” she said with a smile and turned to Darien.

“So Endymion, you have found your Moon Keeper, at last,” Edea said with playful sarcasm.

Darien looked at Diana with a warm smile that melted her heart and eased her angst. “Yes, it would seem I have.”

Edea caught sight of Diana’s necklace and gasped in astonishment.

“Mother’s necklace,” she said softly, turning to Darien. “You’ve pledged yourself and didn’t think to let your sister know of it? I must say, I’m a bit hurt, Endo.”

Darien looked fearful and embarrassed all at once—and not on account of his sister’s opinion. “It was quite sudden,
Dina’ssia
, I assure you,” he replied with a smile. “Just tonight, in fact. You are the first to know. It’s lucky you should be here this evening, to share in the joy.”

Darien obviously had not meant for Diana to know the significance of his giving her his mother’s necklace—not yet, anyway. She instinctively touched the precious gift around her neck, smiling as she gently held it between her fingers.

“Ah, young Stoneheart,” said a familiar male voice, interrupting the exchange between siblings. “I require a moment of your time—Council business.” Diana knew the voice from somewhere; it was on the very edge of memory, but she couldn’t quite place it.

The voice’s bearer, an older gentleman with a short, graying, chestnut beard that matched his medium-length hair, soon came up from behind Diana to stand beside Darien. He was also one of the very few Naphalei men she’d seen sporting facial hair, and in his rich royal blue vest and golden ornaments, he had a very natural aristocratic air about him—not like most other Toffs Diana had met thus far, who tried a little too hard to give the impression of nobility.

“
Peridor’kon
,” Darien said in surprise. “Forgive me, but I’ve not seen my sister in quite some time.” It was Peridor—one of the Council members who had been present at Diana’s enthrallment.

“Nonsense, Brother,” Edea said with a smile and a dismissive gesture. “Go with Peridor. It will give me a chance to get to know my future heart-sister.”

The hidden dread in Darien’s eyes brought Diana into the reality of the situation.
The ring!
With Darien gone, the beguile ring’s magic would stop working and she would be exposed as a human, before the face of the Lady Raven herself. There was nothing that Darien could do; he was being summoned by a high ranking member of the Council.

“Come, Endymion,” Peridor said, putting an arm around the shoulder of the younger man. “It’s only a small matter. You may return to these lovely ladies shortly.”

Darien nodded. “Lead on then, Peridor’kon.” He took one last look at Diana, trying very hard not to look worried, before making his way from the central area.

Diana was now alone with Darien’s twin, sweating with dreaded anticipation, waiting for the Sword of Damocles to fall. How long did she have before the ring’s magic stopped working?
Even more a pressing—how was
Edea going to react when she finally realized Diana was human? Would she be understanding of her brother’s love, or would she kill Diana on the spot? Diana’s heart ached—pleaded—with the beguile ring to continue working.
God—Elberon—whoever is out there, please keep this thing working
.

“Tell me more about yourself, Udana,” Edea said, looking at Diana with an assessing gaze. “From where does your clan hail? How did you come to snare my brother’s heart?”

Diana exhaled a deep breath she’d been holding in and tried to prepare herself, mentally and emotionally, for Edea’s subtle interrogations. She needed to think fast; her grasp of the Naphalei language was strong enough to understand a conversation, but not enough to hold one.

She had idea that just might work.

“Endymion taught me how to speak the human common tongue,” Diana said in English. “He is a most accomplished teacher.”

“Yes he is,” Edea replied, also in English. “But my brother is not the only one proficient in the Tanarai languages. I daresay, I have a grasp on many more of them than he does. Let us continue speaking as the humans do; I would like to test my brother’s teaching abilities.”

“As you wish, Lady Edea.”
Baited, hooked, and reeled in.
Diana felt quite proud that she had managed to finagle her way into talking in English.

“I told you, call me Edea,” she replied with a warm smile. “We are to be heart-sisters, after all.”

“Yes, forgive me—Edea.” As clever as Diana had been with the language barrier, she was at a loss for back-story. She would just have to let instincts guide her. “I am Clanless and do not call any dominion home.”

“Ah, so you are Udana, the Clanless nomad who wished to learn how to speak like a human,” Edea said with sarcasm. Darien’s sister already sounded skeptical.

Not good enough—you can do better than that, Diana.
She searched every inch of her mind, drawing on the countless stories she’d enjoyed over the years for inspiration.

“My father and mother married against the wishes of their Archons and were both exiled. They chose to cut all familial ties and refused to tell my brother and I the names of their clans. We traveled from realm to realm, never staying in one place for long, as my father was a traveling musician and mother was a singer. They have both passed on and I have followed in my mother’s footsteps as a singer of legends and ballads.”

“I see,” Edea replied, continuing to asses Diana with her eyes. “Quite the tragic story it would seem. I am sorry for your losses.”

Diana sensed the tone of disapproval in Edea’s voice. The prospect of her Archon brother pledging himself to a Clanless girl from a family of nomadic musicians obviously didn’t appeal to the high-born lady, but it was all Diana could think of on the spot. At least it was better than the truth.

“I had a feeling Endo would wed a Bard,” Edea said with a chuckle. “He always did love Mother’s ballads.”

To Diana’s surprise, Edea’s expression softened dramatically and Diana felt the Lady Raven’s apprehensions slowly fading away. Edea was genuinely happy that her brother had finally found his true love.

Diana already felt herself warming to Edea—which made the situation all the more complicated. Was it so much to ask that Darien’s sister be understanding of humans?
Why couldn’t she be more like Miri?

“How did you come to be acquainted with Endymion, and procure his teaching abilities?”

“I was visiting a friend of mine—Miraena Swiftriver. She is currently a Watcher alongside Endymion in the human realm called Ohio. I had difficulties conversing with the human locals, so Endymion offered to teach me the English.”

“They simply call it English, dear,” Edea said with a lecturing tone quite reminiscent of her twin. “The definite article is not required with proper names.”

Even though Diana had flubbed on purpose, she found the irony of Edea lecturing her on the nuances of her own native language rather amusing.

When Diana finally saw Darien making his way back to them, she sighed with more relief than she had ever felt in her eighteen years. Though initially looking panic-stricken, his demeanor suddenly shifted to surprise once he saw Diana and Edea conversing happily with smiles on their faces.

“I forgot how much I abhor Council business,” he said upon his return.

Edea’s expression was stern and disapproving. “You shirk your Archon duties much too often, Endo. Father would not be proud.”

“Father is dead,” Darien shot back in cold anger. “And I’m a poor replacement, I know. I see it in the eyes of the Council every time I sit in the Assembly. Why do you think I avoid the Spire?”

“Perhaps if you took your position more seriously, they would respect you,” Edea replied with a bit more sympathy.

“There’s little chance of that,
Dina’ssia
,” Darien replied. “I’ll always be that jumped up youngling in their eyes.” He sighed with longing, shaking his head. “If only you had come into the world first, Edea. You’d have been the Archon Father could be proud of. I’m much better suited to the Seeker’s life; the ancient dead don’t cast as long a shadow.”

Edea put a gentle hand to her brother’s shoulder and the Stoneheart siblings shared a tender moment that made Diana sad to be an only child.

“Edea!” exclaimed a lady’s voice to their side and Diana’s lip instinctively quivered with irritation. “I’m so happy to see you; it’s been
far
too long.” She’d know that shrill of fawning and feigned excitement anywhere. Just when Diana thought the evening couldn’t get any more complicated, Tylvanna Skywhisper had to show up.

As Tylvanna neared them, Diana’s heart sank even further to see her on the arm of her twin, Knight-Inquisitor Turion. Hopefully, the combination of her makeup and the beguile ring’s magic would be enough for the Skywhisper siblings not to recognize Diana.

As expected, Tylvanna wore a fabulous white gown with golden trimmings that looked to have been designed for a goddess to wear. Her long white hair had been put up into two high round buns, held together by golden plates with round ruby jewels in the center. Her chosen ensemble perfectly matched Turion, who wore a more formal, less armored, version of his white and gold Knight-Inquisitor’s uniform. As the white-haired Tylvanna came to stand next to raven-haired Edea in her black gown, Diana couldn’t help but notice how the two women seemed the exact opposite of each other.

“Lady Edea,” Turion began with a bowed head and the first smile Diana had ever seen on the man’s face. “It’s a pleasure to see you under less
official
circumstances. Perhaps you would save me a dance?”

Edea’s lip twitched slightly—just as Diana’s had moments ago—at Turion’s request and Diana found the exchange rather amusing. It appeared the Inquisitor fancied Edea, and much like Darien with Tylvanna, the Lady Raven did not return the affection.

“Of course, Turion,” Edea replied with forced enthusiasm. “After I delight in a few more moments with my brother and his betrothed.”

At Edea’s words, the expressions on the faces of both Skywhisper siblings contorted with shock, though Tylvanna’s much more so.

“
Betrothed?
” she asked, astounded. “Endymion, after all the time we spent together along the journey, why did you not tell me?” Her accusing gaze landed on Diana and Tylvanna narrowed her eyes, studying the sudden rival. “Who is this lucky woman who would be Lady Stoneheart? She seems dreadfully familiar.”

Diana stood frozen, unable to meet the gaze of any of the four Naphalei standing around her, wishing she could be anywhere else. Fooling Edea had been hard enough, but an Ardeqai Inquisitor? It was impossible.

Knowing that she couldn’t just stare at the floor, Diana lifted her head only to meet Turion’s piercing scrutiny. In moments, the Inquisitor’s eyes lit up with recognition and Diana felt the blood immediately drain from her face.

“Lady Stoneheart, indeed,” Turion said with an amused chuckle. “It’s just your favorite Tanar,
Dina’ssia
. I must admit, Endymion, you’ve made considerable improvements to the girl since last I saw her.”

“Really, Endymion,” Tylvanna said with condescending disapproval. “Must you bring your pet everywhere with you?”

A long, agonizing, moment passed before Edea’s eyes went wide with surprise, and then began to burn with an indignant anger that made Diana want to cower in fear.

Edea’s gaze quickly shifted to Diana’s hand before she swiftly grabbed a hold of it to pry the beguile ring from Diana’s finger. Once removed, the spell ended with a sudden snap and wave to the air, and Diana knew that she looked human again.

Under the damning eyes of Darien’s twin, Diana felt naked and exposed.

After fully gazing on Diana’s abject humanity, Edea turned her cold gaze onto Darien.

“What is the meaning of this, Endymion?” she demanded to know, still holding Diana’s wrist in her tight grip. “What in the Dark Depths would possess you to not only bring this creature to our most hallowed celebration, but to place our mother’s necklace around her neck?”