roll across the tile. They stopped, staring. Esom demanded, “What are you doing?”
“Nothing.” Moon sat up on one elbow and glanced warily back at the hearth. A little soot trickled down, but no creature appeared. It must be jammed tightly in the shaft.
“Were you—” Karsis looked at the hearth, then at Moon, obviously taking in the soot stains on his clothes and hands. At least his face wasn’t covered with monster blood, though there had to be flecks of it all over him. He had been counting on a chance to thoroughly clean off his scales in his room before he shifted. She shook her head in disbelief at her own theory. “You couldn’t have been—”
“What do you mean, nothing?” Esom persisted. “Why were you standing on the—”
Moon pushed to his feet, half-ready to answer Esom’s question by hitting him in the head. Then far down the hall the stairwell door crashed open. He heard shouts and footsteps as the guards swarmed in. That’s that, Moon thought. He couldn’t retreat up the chimney, and there was no other way out of this level. He should have tried to go up and out when he had the chance. He said, quietly, “Get away from me.”
“What?” Esom blinked in confusion but Karsis took his arm and tugged him back.
Several guards burst into the room, their javelins and small crossbow weapons held ready. They all looked angry, and the anger had an even more dangerous tinge of fear. “Was it here? Did you see it?” one shouted. Others raced by in the hall toward the other guest quarters.
“See what?” Esom said, sounding affronted. “We’ve been locked up here. Of course we didn’t see anything!”
Then the guards hastily made way and Ardan walked into the room. Moon had expected him to be angry, but Ardan’s expression was grimly pleased. The realization was like a dash of icy water. He suspected all along, Moon thought, eyes narrowed. And now he knows.
Watching Moon carefully, Ardan said, “So you’ve been exploring. I wonder why.”
Karsis said quickly, “No, he was in his room, we went there to speak to him. We came out here to talk—”
“Quiet.” Ardan didn’t spare her a glance.
Moon bared his teeth in something that might possibly be interpreted as a smile. “You don’t look surprised.”
“Let’s say I was hopeful.” Ardan’s smile was dry. “I have someone I’d like you to meet.”
Another groundling came down the hall, light footsteps at a deliberate pace. The guards stirred uneasily.
“It’s him,” Esom muttered and glanced toward the door in fearful anticipation. “That’s all we need.”
Karsis said, low-voiced, to Moon, “Watch out, he’s dangerous. He’s not what he seems—”
Moon stopped listening when the newcomer stepped into the doorway. He was younger than Moon, with a slim build, light bronze skin, and dark hair, sharp features. He wore a loose light shirt and dark brown pants of the local fishskin cloth, but his feet were bare.
Despite it all, Moon had a moment of doubt. Then their eyes met and he knew for certain. Well, that does explain a lot, he thought, suddenly cold with fury. How Ardan had found the tree, how he had known about the seed. He hadn’t even needed a flying ship to get inside the colony tree’s high knothole entrance.
The man turned to Ardan, fury twisting his handsome features. “Why didn’t you tell me about this? Were you planning to play us off each other? Get rid of me?”
Ardan turned to him in fond exasperation. “Of course not. I wasn’t certain what he was. I wanted to be sure before I told you.” Of course Ardan had suspected Moon all along; with a live Raksura in groundling form at hand to compare him to, he could hardly help but be suspicious. Add to that Moon’s knowledge of the mysterious ruin, his questions about the seed. Ardan looked at Moon. “This is Rift, my friend and guide.” He managed the Raksuran pronunciation without difficulty. “I assume your name is not Niran.”
“It’s Moon, of the Indigo Cloud Court.” Karsis and Esom stared at him, Karsis in astonished realization and Esom in growing horror. “That’s the colony tree you stole the seed from.”
Rift twitched, and hissed. “You’re lying. It was empty. It was a dead court.”
“It’s not empty now,” Moon said. “You led him to the seed, you know what that means.”
Ardan watched them with a narrow, speculative gaze. He said, “Rift, calm yourself. I thought you would be pleased, to have another member of your race here.”