The Stranger
The Golden Ostrich
* * *
Dyn'saime rowed us back across the smooth lake and we soon found ourselves standing near the bizarre statue stuck full of knives. Ophene ushered me to go first; I'm sure she wanted a private moment to say good night...
Back in the Moiety Gate, I discovered that the stones had righted themselves, making it impossible for any others to have followed us. This puzzled me, but I shrugged and waited in the ring. Ophene appeared several minutes later.
"We'd best hurry...mother's going to be having Sunners by the time we get back," she said. I followed her out through the tunnels until we were standing above the Whark gallows again.
"Don't even bother trying with that," she said as I warily eyed the dangling bar. "We'll use the ladder; it's safer..."
We walked along the catwalk to the opposite end where a ladder hung. She twisted two knobs and the extension slid down with a crash.
"Damn, I wish that wasn't so loud," she murmured, then swung onto the ladder. I imitated her fashion and soon dropped onto the wooden pier.
We scurried as discreetly as possible back to the village, two shadows darting in the night. Ophene had told her she was taking me to Temple Island to see the sunset, but it looked as though it had sunk beneath the ocean well over an hour ago...
Ophene opened the door to our cottage as casually as possible and we walked in.
Mother looked up from the kitchen table where she and Riy were crouched over a book of D'ni numbers.
"Where have you been?" she asked tightly.
"We were on Temple Island, just as I said we would be," Ophene said carefully.
"The sun has been set for a long time."
"It's a beautiful view of the stars over there; we though we might stay a bit longer..."
"And in the meantime I've been over here worried out of my mind that you got into some sort of trouble and one of Gehn's men had captured you or something to that effect! How can you even see the sun; it sets behind the temple!"
I could see the anger flaring in Ophene's eyes. "There's such a thing as a door, mother, that happens to lead around the temple."
"You know you're not allowed to wander on the islands!" she said in horror. "Gehn doesn't want the villagers nosing around, and it's really none of your business!"
"It sure as hell is...if he's hiding something, then he's not to be trusted." Ophene's voice was flat as she spoke.
My mother's mouth dropped open. "Shush, child, don't speak that way! You know what happened to your father when he got mixed up in all of that."
"And you accept this and bend to the rules of the man who killed him even further?" she snapped.
"Go," she said tersely. "Into your rooms with both of you; I don't want to hear another word about this."
I hurried from the kitchen, grateful not to be interrogated as well. Ophene spun on her heal and made to follow me, when mother's voice suddenly rang out again.
"Ophene..." she said slowly, reaching out and grabbing her by the shoulder. "What...?"
I turned and saw my sister frozen in horror as mother pushed aside her hair. Her tunic was ruffled in the back; I presumed from staying behind with Dyn'saime. And peeking out from the soft blue fabric was the bold red and black garb of the Moiety.
* * *
Author's Note: yeah! Evil cliff-hanger! *whoo* Sorry, I'm proud of myself...I actually know how to end this now! Please review (or else I'll never update again! *evil laughter*)!
The Golden Ostrich
* * *
Dyn'saime rowed us back across the smooth lake and we soon found ourselves standing near the bizarre statue stuck full of knives. Ophene ushered me to go first; I'm sure she wanted a private moment to say good night...
Back in the Moiety Gate, I discovered that the stones had righted themselves, making it impossible for any others to have followed us. This puzzled me, but I shrugged and waited in the ring. Ophene appeared several minutes later.
"We'd best hurry...mother's going to be having Sunners by the time we get back," she said. I followed her out through the tunnels until we were standing above the Whark gallows again.
"Don't even bother trying with that," she said as I warily eyed the dangling bar. "We'll use the ladder; it's safer..."
We walked along the catwalk to the opposite end where a ladder hung. She twisted two knobs and the extension slid down with a crash.
"Damn, I wish that wasn't so loud," she murmured, then swung onto the ladder. I imitated her fashion and soon dropped onto the wooden pier.
We scurried as discreetly as possible back to the village, two shadows darting in the night. Ophene had told her she was taking me to Temple Island to see the sunset, but it looked as though it had sunk beneath the ocean well over an hour ago...
Ophene opened the door to our cottage as casually as possible and we walked in.
Mother looked up from the kitchen table where she and Riy were crouched over a book of D'ni numbers.
"Where have you been?" she asked tightly.
"We were on Temple Island, just as I said we would be," Ophene said carefully.
"The sun has been set for a long time."
"It's a beautiful view of the stars over there; we though we might stay a bit longer..."
"And in the meantime I've been over here worried out of my mind that you got into some sort of trouble and one of Gehn's men had captured you or something to that effect! How can you even see the sun; it sets behind the temple!"
I could see the anger flaring in Ophene's eyes. "There's such a thing as a door, mother, that happens to lead around the temple."
"You know you're not allowed to wander on the islands!" she said in horror. "Gehn doesn't want the villagers nosing around, and it's really none of your business!"
"It sure as hell is...if he's hiding something, then he's not to be trusted." Ophene's voice was flat as she spoke.
My mother's mouth dropped open. "Shush, child, don't speak that way! You know what happened to your father when he got mixed up in all of that."
"And you accept this and bend to the rules of the man who killed him even further?" she snapped.
"Go," she said tersely. "Into your rooms with both of you; I don't want to hear another word about this."
I hurried from the kitchen, grateful not to be interrogated as well. Ophene spun on her heal and made to follow me, when mother's voice suddenly rang out again.
"Ophene..." she said slowly, reaching out and grabbing her by the shoulder. "What...?"
I turned and saw my sister frozen in horror as mother pushed aside her hair. Her tunic was ruffled in the back; I presumed from staying behind with Dyn'saime. And peeking out from the soft blue fabric was the bold red and black garb of the Moiety.
* * *
Author's Note: yeah! Evil cliff-hanger! *whoo* Sorry, I'm proud of myself...I actually know how to end this now! Please review (or else I'll never update again! *evil laughter*)!
