A Trace of Moonlight Read Online Free Page B

like you.” I paused, something awful taking hold of my thoughts. If Moira was my sister and Talivar was her brother . . . “Wouldn’t that make you my brother?”
    Recoiling at my words, he let his hand drop. “I know you’re confused right now, so I’ll forgive that,” he said softly. “But I never meant to hurt you.”
    “I can’t . . . be here. This is all terribly wrong.”
    He nodded, a sad smile touching his mouth. “Even like this, you avoid what causes you pain. Take some time, and when you’re ready we’ll talk.”
    I made a helpless gesture at him that could have been a yes or a no, but my body was vibrating with the need to extract myself from this situation. Talking with him should have helped, but all the conversation had done was convince me I didn’t belong here. Whatever this Tithe thing was, it didn’t sound good. Coldness clenched my heart as the realization slid home.
    Sacrifice.
    Of course. That’s why the Queen had been so generous with me. Why everyone handled me with kid gloves, seeing to my every need. Why they wouldn’t look at me directly.
    “See if this fatted calf rolls over for you,” I muttered. Lost memory or not, things did not add up. I needed to get away and sort out my thoughts. The hedge maze would be as good for that as anything and I immediately retreated into its welcoming puzzle. If nothing else, I could be alone while I figured out what to do next.
    I’d always found the maze calming, but today my feet raced along with my thoughts, moving in a singularcadence pounding through my brain with a dull thud. I let my shawl flutter to the ground behind me, my arms pumping as I took turn after turn, doubling back when I hit a dead end.
    I turned a corner of the hedge, blinking when I saw the dolphin fountain, its brass fixture spraying a bright mist gaily upon the water. My feet skidded in the gravel, shoes digging in to avoid windmilling headfirst into it. My knee buckled, a sharp pain twisting beneath the kneecap, and I tumbled to the ground.
    Gravel stung my palms as I staggered to my feet, fingers clenched around my thigh.
    An older man sat on the edge of the fountain wall, his hands and feet clapped in chains, and he watched me slyly as I limped toward the fountain. He was flanked on either side by elvish guards, their faces grim and attentive.
    “Stand back, milady,” one of them warned. “This man is a dangerous prisoner.”
    The old man scowled at him before giving me a friendly wink. His eyes were beetle bright, a chitinous shine that was meant to be reassuring, but it cut through me with a calculated edge. “Oh, clearly I’m dangerous, as wrapped up as I am.” He rattled his chains in emphasis. “Why, I can barely totter out here for my weekly walk as it is. What harm could I possibly be to anyone now? Be a dear, Reginald, and at least help milady to find her balance?”
    I frowned, not liking the twisted pull of his mouth. By the look the guards gave each other, they weren’t overly happy either. The dour-faced Reginald sighed and reluctantly stepped forward to lend me an armored arm.
    “Are you hurt, milady?” The elf said it by rote, his gaze constantly flicking to the old man.
    “I don’t know. Something’s wrong with my knee, but . . .”
    My memory jiggled again as I stared at the old man’s face, overwhelmed by visions of scales and a burning fire in my gut. Abruptly, my hands fell to my waist. I had a scar there that Talivar could not explain.
    Or would not.
    “You’re trying to place me, aren’t you, my dear?” The man snorted. “So noble of you to have drunk that lethe water . . . to forgo your own memories and willingly sacrifice yourself for your friends. Now you don’t even know who I am. Does the name Maurice ring a bell?” He let out an aggrieved sigh while I stared blankly at him. “Sort of takes all the fun out of it.”
    Wordless, I shook my head. There was something about this man that emanated corruption. I