professional distance. Something else occurred to Feena as wellshe'd left Shar's disk clutched in the corpse's hand. If the disk had been found, surely they would have mentioned it.
Even if she could convince them that the man had been a Sharran cultist and a follower of the immortal enemy of Selune, could any dispute justify the ravaged body that had been found? If she confessed to what had happened, Feena realized, she'd be forced to defend what hadn't.
She must have been silent too long. Manas and Colle exchanged another glance. The guard captain pulled his thumbs from his belt.
'Moonmistress,' he said, 'can you answer some questions for us?'
Feena's tongue felt as if it were stuck to the roof of her mouth.
'Such as?' she asked. 'Where were you last night?'
'She was with me,' called Julith. The dark-haired priestess stepped out from the depths of the temple. She walked with grace and her voice was steady, but her face was flushed. She must have run all the way back down to the gate from Dhauna's quarters, Feena realized. Julith stopped just on the other side of the guard captain and the High Luck, forcing them to divide their attention between her and Feena. 'We were here, at Moonshadow Hall.'
'All night?' Manas asked her.
Julith nodded and said, 'We were holding vigil for the health of the High Moonmistress.' She inclined her head toward Colle. 'I'm sure the High Luck has told you Dhauna Myritar's health has failed her of late? It's most gratifying to see the concern that the high clergy of Yhaunn share for each other.'
There wasn't a trace of irony in her voiceshe could have been offering Colle genuine praiseyet the statement pushed the weight of the visit smoothly onto the high priest and left him red-faced and sputtering. Manas looked back to Feena.
'Were you holding vigil here last night?' he asked
Feena swallowed. Did Julith have a plan? She hoped so.
'Yes,' she lied.
Manas raised an eyebrow. Colle's sputtering ground down into indignation and he snapped, 'An invocation to Tymora would enforce the truth, Manas!'
Feena's heart lurched, but Julith's response was swift and calm. 'High Luck,' she asked, 'are you questioning the honesty of Selune's priestesses within her own temple? Would you ask the same of Dhauna Myritar if she were here?'
Colle's mouth opened, then closed as he struggled for words in the face of Julith's serene challenge. 'I would never question the High. Moonmistress' he managed finally, but Julith cut him off again.
'Then why do you question the Moonmistress-Designate? She is the High Moonmistress's voice and her chosen successor at Moonshadow Hall.' Julith caught Feena's eye as she spoke. 'Challenging her is the same as challenging Dhauna Myritar herself!'
Moonmaiden's grace, Feena cursed silently as she caught the priestess's meaning, do you know what you're asking, Julith? Selune give charm to my lying tongue!
The priestess of a country village might be intimidated by a guard captain of Yhaunn and a high priest of Tymorabut not the Moonmistress-Designate of Moonshadow Hall. She had authority. She needed to use it. Dredging up memories of Dhauna in her prime, Feena raised her chin and looked first Manas, then Colle, directly in the eye.
'You don't think I'm telling the truth?' she demanded. Tve spoken within the holy confines of Moonshadow Halland you doubt me?'
Selune must have heard her prayer, because Colle actually flinched at her vehemence, though Manas seemed to take it in stride.
'No, Moonmistress,' he said, 'but it is necessary that we investigate such a suspicious death.'
'Which you have done by calling both my honor and Selune's sacred gift into question.' Feena faced down the guard captain. To her surprise, it didn't feel that much different from facing down another wolf. 'I'll be blunt, Captain Manas. I can see that's a quality you appreciate.' She leaned closer and said, 'I serve Selune and my service is not gentle. I have killed in her name and in defense of the innocent. But this man you've foundI did not kill him.' She glanced at Colle and growled, 'Do you still feel the need to test the truth of that, High Luck?'
The high priest shook his head. Feena looked at Manas. The guard captain's face was blank with studied disciplineand perhaps a little respect.
'And you?' Feena asked.
'Moonmistress, you've answered all of my questions.' He took a step back and gave her a sharp half-bow. 'Thank you.'
'You're welcome, guard captain.'
'If we should discover that there is a werewolf at large in Yhaunn, may I call on your expertise?'
Feena restrained a blink of surprise. 'Of course,' she said. 'Selune guide your search.'
Manas turned to go, summoning Colle after him with a hard glance. The High Luck stared in angry shock at
Feena, then scurried after the guard captain. The two were exchanging angry words when they stepped out of the gate. Feena waited until they were out of sight entirely before letting out a sigh of relief.
'I think you made an enemy in Colle Shoondeep today, Feena,' Julith said.
'He was. no friend to begin with,' Feena replied. She slumped back against the nearest wall and pushed her fingers through her hair. 'Thank you.'
'Whispering in ceremony and now lying to city guards and high priests,' Julith said through a thin smile. 'Feena, you're a terrible influence.'
Feena tried to echo the smile, but couldn't quite manage it.
Jarull was waiting in the cool shadow of the stone wall. Keph twitched Quick out of the way and settled down beside him.
'I got your note this morning,' Keph said. 'What is it?'
'Cyrume is dead.'
Keph blinked at the big man.
Jarull growled and added, 'The potter from the south side of the city?'
'Oh,' Keph breathed.
The past several days had been a heady whirl for Keph. Jarull had introduced him to a number of new peopleall followers of Shar. Faces and names had started to blur in Keph's mind. His memory hadn't been helped by nights spent drinking with Jarull and some of his new friends. He and Jarull weren't the only disaffected young people of Yhaunn. Cyrume the potter hadn't been among Jarull's immediate circle, but Keph thought he could picture him. He had seemed disturbingly intense.
'What happened to him?'
'He was found in the Stiltways last night,' Jarull said.
Keph sat up sharply and asked, 'That was him?'
Cold wrapped around his chest. The servants at Fourstaves House had been gossiping about the body found in the Stiltways. According to them, it had been torn to bloody shreds and half devoured. Panic was said to be spreading through the lower levels of the Stiltways.
'How… what…?'
'Sehinites,' said Jarull. Keph blinked at him again.
'Followers of Selune?' In spite of his horror, he felt his mouth twitch almost into a smile. 'That can't be right. I know Sehinites and Sharrans don't like each other, but have you seen the priestesses of Moonshadow Hall?'
Jarull glared at him and said, 'You think they're all mercy and innocence? I've heard they harbor werewolves, Keph. They think the moon goddess blesses lycanthropes.' He jerked a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of Moonshadow Hall. 'That place is probably as much a kennel as a temple!'
'Dark,' Keph muttered. He glanced at Jarull. 'How did they know Cyrume was a Sharran?' he asked. 'If it was Selunite werewolves that killed him, can they…?'
He touched his nose. Keph didn't think he had to ask the obvious question. If the Sehinites could tellcould smell maybethat Cyrume was a Sharran, what was to stop them from coming for Jarull? Or maybe even for Keph himself eventually?
Jarull grunted and shook his head. 'They can't sniff out Sharrans,' he said. 'You don't have to worry about
