Moth

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: THE ELDERS

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

THE ELDERS

She wandered through the city, thin and caked with dirt, a wild thing like a gutter rat. Once she had hunted upon the moonlit plains, clad in white furs. Now she scuttled through alleys, her tunic in tatters, scrounging for scraps. Once she had fished upon the Inaro River, steering her boat to the very edge of dusk. Now she crept and pounced upon spiders, stuffing them into her mouth before her revulsion could stop her.

"I've gone from a proud woman of Eloria to an urchin," Koyee said softly. "And still the elders won't see me."

How long ago had she left Oshy? It must have been almost two moons, Koyee thought. Most times she could not see the moon at all; it hid behind pagodas, towers, and the smoke of ten thousand chimneys.

As Koyee walked toward Minlao Palace yet again, as she did every hourglass turn, her belly ached and her eyes stung. She had not eaten or slept in far too long. The graveyard had been safe, the ghosts--both real and imaginary--guarding her sleep. Now Koyee slept upon roofs and in alleys, one eye always open, scanning the darkness for danger. Twice men had attacked her in her sleep, and twice she had bolted up, swung her sword, and scared them off. Those encounters left her feeling brittle, a threadbare rag fluttering in the wind.

"Pahmey," she whispered, looking up at the glittering towers of the city center. "Jewel of Eloria. The light of the darkness. The scourge of urchins and beggars."

Step by step, her bare feet black with grime, she emerged from the slums and wandered the wide, cobbled streets of the city's wealthy. Koyee did not like walking here. Too many soldiers patrolled these boulevards, wont to banish her back into the dregs. Yet still Koyee came here every hourglass turn, her hair in tangles, her belly tight, her sword across her back.

Armor clanked ahead and boots thudded.

Koyee leaped aside, hid behind the statue of an ancient emperor, and watched ten soldiers march down the road. They looked as glorious as she was filthy; their scale armor shone in the starlight, and their smoothed faces stared ahead blankly. Katanas hung across their backs, the hilts adorned with tassels, and round shields hung upon their arms.

When they had passed her by, Koyee emerged from the shadows, quick and silent as a spider, and continued up the street.

When she reached the palace again, she approached the robed guards and already felt her belly sink. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her blue ribbon. So many times she had come here, begging for an audience, only to be told to wait.

"Yet we have to keep trying, Eelani," she said. "We have to warn them of Timandra. We have to bring aid back to Oshy."

Her shoulder spirit hopped upon her shoulder. Koyee knew what she was thinking.

"Yes, Eelani, and we need to eat too. We'll find food soon, I promise. We can steal without the Ghosts too."

She reached Minlao, stared up at the crystal tower, and saw the elders move within its dome. With a sigh, she waved her blue ribbon at the guards.

"It's me again," she said. "Koyee Mai of Oshy."

The guards, tall and stoic and clad in white robes, smiled as they always did. Koyee stuffed the ribbon back into her pocket and turned to leave.

"Now let's go find some food, Eelani."

A pleasant voice rose behind her.

"Koyee Mai of Oshy. The elders will see you now."