Moon Blessed

Chapter 39 ~ Secrets All Around

Nastasia blinked her eyes open with a jolt and tightened her grip on the reins instinctively, then let out a faint groan. She'd been dozing off again, as she had for the past several hours. Sir Arlov had given her a chance to rest a little earlier while he guided Moxie, but that rest had been short-lived.

They had swapped places a few hours ago and Nastasia had been guiding Moxie while Sir Arlov slept. He was currently still sleeping, his weight slumped against her back and his head nestled in the crook of her shoulder. Nastasia glanced back at the Knight as he mumbled something under his breath.

She waited to see if he woke, but he didn't. She let out another bored sigh and faced forward. Thankfully, the towers of Jalil were in sight now and steadily growing larger. Nastasia guessed they'd arrive within another hour, and then she'd have a chance to get a little more sleep before they left for Andrian.

I wonder if Volya has arrived yet, she thought to herself. He'd gone ahead shortly after they left the dunes and was out of sight within two hours. Sir Arlov hadn't been pleased about losing track of Temnota, but Volya had promised to place him with Mischa and Yuri. She hoped he'd keep to his word.

Nastasia granted Sir Arlov another twenty minutes of sleep before nudging him with an elbow. "Mm," he grunted, not opening his eyes. Nastasia elbowed him harder. "What?" Sir Arlov lifted his head and squinted against the late morning sunlight. Nastasia pointed to the city in the distance and Sir Arlov straightened. "Finally. My back is killing me."

She offered him a sympathetic glance. If it was still dark, she'd use her magic to soothe his pain again, but it was too risky to do so now. She knew Sir Arlov was aware that she'd done something to help him, though he didn't know what. The vague words he'd said last night told her as much. But they also told her that he wasn't going to mention what happened to anyone else, and that was a relief.

They rode in silence for the remainder of the journey and were greeted by a flurry of well-wishers when they rode into Jalil. People darted out of houses, each carrying baskets of sage. The road beneath Moxie's hooves was already purple and green, but became even more so as fresh sprigs were thrown. Nastasia grimaced at the pungent scent. She didn't mind the smell of sage, but not in this quantity.

Sir Arlov leaned towards her ear to whisper. "Do you think they did this for all of the Knights? Because if they did, their temples are about to run short on sage." Nastasia snorted at the comment and Sir Arlov grinned.

As they continued onward, Nastasia began to pick out some familiar words in the Seenanite tongue and pieced together the phrases they were calling. "Ismene has blessed you. Praise be to your worthy hearts. Well done Knights of Nyctoli."

Gradually, the crowd thinned as they neared the palace. They were greeted by a much smaller crowd there. Nastasia smiled when she spied Josephine and Elise among them. Mischa, Yuri, and Danitza weren't far behind. The two men approached as she drew Moxie to a halt and waited for Sir Arlov to dismount.

"Welcome back," General Nikita called, walking up behind them. "Volya said you were on your way but I was beginning to doubt him. I'll let their Majesties know you've returned."

"How many Nyctolians were lost?" Sir Arlov asked as the General turned to leave.

The answer came as a resigned sigh. "Five."

Nastasia bit her lip and dismounted while Sir Arlov and General Nikita walked away. So many were dead already and just for the sake of winning her hand, which she didn't intend to give away.

What if all we're doing is making things easier for Kazimir? She wondered. If more Knights are killed during this tournament, that makes it easier for him to strike at any of the rulers.