Moonlight
Chapter
25
Ian glanced at Ciara, who looked satisfied with herself. He was not so satisfied with her, however. "Listen -- can we have an adult to adult chat, you think?"
There was a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "So you have finally joined our ranks, Commander?"
"Which ranks?" he asked patiently, but knowing he should not even attempt to hold a serious talk with her.
"The ranks of the adults."
Ian sighed and flexed his fingers. "You're impossible to talk to. I don't know why I even bother. Is it so difficult for you to behave normally?"
"No, it's quite easy if you stop being patronising."
"I'm not being patronising. I know it's no use with you." Ian stood up and looked out of the window to the square below, where the ordinary business of the day was going on. The only things that were out of the ordinary were the carts and wagons full of temple debris that passed the square on their way out of town.
Ciara came to stand beside him. "You have a very strange effect on me and I'm not sure I like it. I'm fighting, but it's difficult," she spoke in a sad voice. "I want to keep my independence, but I've been reduced to your houseguest who needs to be protected and who cannot even sleep alone. Ian, you would hate it too if you were in my place and you were completely dependent on me."
"It's not as bad as you make it sound." Ian glanced at her. "You like me."
"Yes and that is much worse than it sounds."
There was a faint smile on his lips as he looked out onto the square. It faded slowly as he stared at the regular passing of the carts. "Will you go back when they rebuild the temple?"
"If," she corrected him. "Remember that the city's Commander must issue an order to do so and he doesn't seem to support the temple at all."
"I must bow to the High Priestess' wishes," Ian replied. "If she tells me the city needs a temple, she will have one."
"You cannot have several small temples but not some sort of headquarters," was Ciara's opinion. "If you decide to abandon the Moon altogether, you'd have to tear down all the smaller temples as well or put them to a different use. For my part, I think they serve a purpose. People came to us even if you didn't, so there was a market for it."
"And will you continue to work in it?" he asked.
"It's what I've been trained to do all my life," Ciara said simply. "I can't tell you the stories people told me, because I'm bound to discretion, but they need a place to go to with their troubles, you see. I don't generally give unsolicited advice, Ian, but if you had come to me I would have interpreted your case as follows: you're a little confused --"
"Oh!" he mocked.
"-- by me," Ciara continued stoically. "I'm sure if I hadn't been the High Priestess you would have had much less problems with it, but now you don't know what to do with me. If you give too much and I leave, you'll be hurt -- yes, you can be hurt underneath that patronising attitude. If you give too little, you won't get me at all, so what should you do if you don't know what I'm going to do? Give? Not give?"
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm still thinking about what I can do, but I'm not sure about you -- that's the problem. You might not want me if I give up the temple just for you and then I'll have nothing. I don't really want to give it up either. But what would the people say if the two independent authorities merged? I think our improved relationship would be a good thing for synchronising our policies and decisions, but the people might distrust a single leader. Do you see my problem? In the meantime I can only try to elicit some reaction from you by provoking you." She grinned wryly. "I am sorry, but I need to know how you feel and how many concessions you're prepared to make. If you say it was nice, but you cannot let your private life influence your public function, I know where I stand. I will go back to being the High Priestess and maybe sometimes get you to kiss me during a meeting, but that'll be all."
Ian had to laugh at that image in spite of himself and then became serious again. "That was an accurate analysis, Ciara. You are probably better at analysing feelings than I am if you can think and feel at the same time."
"Allow yourself to feel and it will come naturally, without disrupting your power to think. You'll be mine and I'll be yours. Just keep that it mind if I annoy you." She thought of herself, flirting here with Ian when there were so many more constructive things that she could do. "I need to be somewhere where they can come to me, because I don't think you're going to allow me to go to them."
"They?" She was going too fast for Ian. He was still ruminating over the fact that he would be hers and she would be his. That was a subject that did not deserve to be passed over so very quickly. Was she not going to ask him if he consented?
"People who have lost friends. They might want to talk to somebody. Can you give me an office here and tell people where they can find me?"
"I'm not going to tell people where they can find you as long as I don't know if you're in danger. But," said Ian when he saw she did not like passivity and that she would become unbearable if he kept her locked up in his office all day. "I have an idea. I have ordered for all usable objects found in the temple to be taken to the courtyard here and some of your women are sorting them out. If you really want to do something, that would be a nice and safe task. Besides," he added. "Your women come and go so you're going to see most of them."
"I have mixed feelings about your ideas," Ciara commented. "But I'll go there, because that at least gives me something to do." She let Ian accompany her downstairs and she studied every man they passed in detail. She was being accompanied by the best looking man in the building, she noticed with a smug little smile. "I say, Ian. Did they make you Commander because you're the one who would look best in a uniform or do you actually have abilities too?"
"Through here," said Ian, holding open the door to a broom closet. Ciara was looking back at him and she stepped into the closet unwittingly. He closed the door and walked on. As he expected, there was a muffled shriek from within and the door was opened roughly.
Ciara ran after him and saw he was laughing. "Alright, so you do have abilities, Commander." She shook his hand. "Excellent move. I could have thought of it myself."
Ian paused just before the door to the courtyard. He felt he had to warn her to stay here, because she might think it was safe to go and walk into a trap. "I'll send a man down here as a guard. Remember the screwdriver. You may not be able to trust all of your temple people. On no account should you go away without me." He softly kissed her forehead.
Ciara contemplated telling him that she was not his daughter and that it would be alright if he kissed her properly, but this was not the right occasion for such things. She went out in the courtyard and was soon busy talking and sorting out recovered objects. Ian's wariness had made her wary too, however, because she could not help wondering if any of the people she was dealing with were not what they seemed. But if they had wanted to kill her, they would have done so already and she was not afraid.
Ian studied the reports that came in and he listened to those who came to report in person. So far no suspicious objects had been found among the debris, although there were interesting eyewitness accounts of right before the collapse. A few men had been seen running away. This was odd, since there were very few men in the temple and most were too old to run. Young men were usually kept far away from the Priestesses for obvious reasons. What had those men been doing there?
The eyewitnesses could not describe them in great detail, but their presence was important enough. Ian ordered for the remains of the temple to be analysed even more closely and for anything unknown to be taken to the law and order headquarters immediately.
Presumably the one responsible -- if there was one -- would have been away from the temple when it had happened. One would not jeopardise oneself. Ian reached for the list of names of the temple inhabitants and wondered if any of them might check off the names of people who had been away when the disaster had taken place. To his great surprise some of the names were already followed by a suspected location, or simply by out.
Ciara.
Ishala.
Demiga.
Hulióne.
Nemedyn.
Mirsoána.
Siarsal.
Esmadyn.
Those would be under suspicion, except Ciara. And possibly Ishala. He only knew Siarsal, but not the others. If there had not been any others who had been out, it was a very small group, which was good. He would let Ciara look at the list later, to see what she would say about it.
Actually, why could he not go and get her right now? Why should he wait? He would like to see her again. It had been a few hours already.
Ian had Ciara look at the list and give her opinion as to who might be suspect. She frowned and could not believe anyone had evil intentions. She knew these people and knew them fairly well, she thought. Had she been terribly naive?
"Do you?" Ian inquired. "They might show you reverence because of your position, but they might abuse you behind your back." He had experienced that sort of thing himself.
Ciara looked shocked and went over the list again. She could not imagine it, but if she had to point at one of them, she would say Siarsal. She did not say anything, however, because she was reluctant to accuse anybody without having any grounds for it.
Ian looked at where she rested her finger. "Siarsal."
Ciara looked guilty. She did not want to betray anybody, even if it was someone she did not like very much. "She's old. She was there before I was born, so she's the one who would know most, apart from my mother, but I cannot suspect my mother…" Why had Ian included Ishala in the list? That was absolutely ridiculous. Her mother could have nothing to do with it. But then, neither did she herself, and she was on the list as well.
He agreed with her on that. "But Siarsal is a bit sinister. I don't trust her." He looked at her hesitantly. "Ciara…do you or don't you have any special powers." He sounded as if he was ashamed to ask such a question.
Ciara's eyes twinkled as she took his hand. "None whatsoever. You still don't quite trust me, do you, Ian? I'm as normal as you are. As for Siarsal…I don't believe she or anyone has any special powers. That makes her normal too. Nothing to worry about. She cannot suddenly make you vanish, nor can she suddenly blow things up." Her face became more serious as she spoke. "She must have had someone do that for her, if it wasn't an earthquake and it cannot have been an earthquake, because they're not as violent as that in these regions. I've studied the earth and you can take my word for it, Ian. Sadly enough most of the experts are connected to the temple, but if you want a second opinion, you should go to see Eniaran. He lives about two hours away, if he hasn't already travelled here to study this case for himself. He can spot the difference between the result of an earthquake and the result of an explosion in under a minute. I can give you his address, because I've often consulted him."
Ian wrote down the name. "Thank you. I'll send a man around to ask him." He bit his pen. "Why would anyone do this, though? And why can this Eniaran spot the difference? How often do things explode?"
"I don't know how often, but I know that sometimes people use explosives for their own ends. To gain power, probably. A lot of people want power."
"Power," Ian repeated. "I'd understand that in a young person, but Siarsal is quite old."
"She may still live another while," Ciara pointed out, although she did not really understand it either. "And she might be doing it for someone else. Someone might be forcing her. We are only speculating, aren't we?" she asked uncertainly. "I shouldn't like to accuse someone wrongly."
Ian kissed her hair, wondering what colour it would be next. It was now brown, but a few days ago it had been red. "Yes, we're only speculating, but we cannot do anything else as long as we don't have evidence."
"Do you speculate on my feelings?" she asked. "Or do you have evidence?" She supposed that the kiss was evidence enough of his feelings.
"Tell me you hate me and I'll know you're burning with desire," Ian teased.
"You know, Ian," Ciara began indignantly. "I really hate --" she broke off and grinned when she realised what she was saying. "But I do mean it."
"I know, love. But I want you to hate me. It's fun." He kissed her.
"I shouldn't be distracting you," Ciara said guiltily. "You have work to do."
"That's right. And you're going to help me." Ian stood up and pulled her to her feet. "I should resent you for entering my life so presumptuously. I can't take any steps without you anymore and don't tell me you have permanently taken over my bed as well."
"That depends," Ciara said pensively. It depended on nothing, really, since there was very little in her way.
"On what?" Ian asked quickly, afraid she was going to say something he would not like.
"On whether you still want me or not after last night." She rather suspected that he did, but it would indeed be rather presumptuous of her to take that for granted. And poor Ian! Was he really fooled? As if she could possibly want anything else.
"What do you think?"
"I think…oh, yes, what do I think? I think you might still want me. I want to be wanted, at any rate."
"Fine. Then that's settled," Ian said as he was opening the door to step out into the hall. He was enormously relieved by her answer and there was a broad grin on his face. "You'll go home with me."
"I like having a home."
He stopped when he heard her sincere tone. It was not often that she spoke that way if the topic concerned herself. This was so different from her usual teasing. One could seldom take her words literally. "From now on…" he said. She could add the rest, he hoped, and judging by that smile she could indeed.
Chapter 27
Ian had everyone look for Siarsal, but they could not find her. In the meantime, he and Ciara studied reports for mentions of the criminal Kulko. He kept Ciara with him, because he was afraid to let her out of his sight.
When he could not find anything, he leant back in his chair to look at the ceiling. How were they going to catch an invisible enemy if they did not know what the enemy was after?
He looked at Ciara reading a report. She looked like herself now and not like the High Priestess. Once she put on her make-up and gown, she would be unrecognisable. Unrecognisable. There might be an idea there. Ian sat up straight. If she was unrecognisable, the High Priestess might very well be played by someone else. How could he make use of this fact?
"What is it?" Ciara asked when she noticed that Ian was staring at her with more than usual intensity.
"Someone could dress up as you."
"What for? Where?"
"I don't know yet," he sighed.
"Who would dress up as me?"
"One of my officers. They're used to dealing with potentially dangerous situations."
"Would you set 'me' up as a bait? Are you hoping someone will come out of the shadows to kill me?"
"Possibly. It's worth a try. And we'll of course be around to prevent it."
"Why can't I do this myself?" Ciara asked. If it was going to be prevented anyway, she did not see why there should be somebody taking her place.
"Because I don't want you to." He did not want to lose her if it went wrong. He did not want to lose an officer either, but if he had to make a choice, Ciara was more important to him now. Besides, he would make it a voluntary task and the officer would be aware of all the risks. "They might have come for one of us last night, but their plan was thwarted. They might try again."
"Then are you going to have a stand-in for yourself?"
"No." He was not the one who would only be recognised by the fact that she wore some clown suit. It would be much more difficult to have someone pose as him.
"You have to. Call your men and ask what they think."
Ian did as she ordered and called those who were in the building, because he could not do much else. He briefly outlined his vague plan. "Does anybody have any suggestions?" he asked.
Fanni raised her hand. "Sir. Far too many officers are still guarding the ruins. I don't see how a bait could work without them. You'd have to order for the ruins to be abandoned, but that would raise suspicions, because people will wonder where else all these people are needed and yet if you plan to bait the enemy with a service, you're going to have to have a lot of men among the crowd to look out for suspicious characters."
That was true and Ian looked thoughtful. "Has everything of value been recovered?"
"Quite a lot," said the officer in charge of supervising that.
"Then it might not as suspicious as that to pull everyone off the temple," Ian said hopefully.
"They won't try anything during a service," Ciara said suddenly. "There are too many people around. And if even Ian wasn't sure that I'm an ordinary human being, how could a criminal be sure he wouldn't incur the wrath of some divine power if he attacked me during a service?" she said, drawing a few smirks. "It would be better if my stand-in left the scene alone for a long walk all by herself."
"Along a planned route," Ian added with a nod. "Guarded by as many men as I can spare. Cutters' Alley?" The Cutters' Alley was narrow and the buildings on either side were uninhabited. It offered plenty of opportunities to hide men, but it also offered plenty of opportunities for people with malicious intent to attack somebody. Perhaps that was where the alley had got its name, although people liked to say it had more to do with the old days when fabrics were being cut in the buildings. "We'll give them the opportunity in the alley -- not beyond. At the other end the stand-in will receive an escort. Let's hope this works."
"Who's the stand-in?" Fanni asked. She hoped it did not have to be her. While she would do it if it was really necessary, she was more a member of the thinking squad than a member of the fighting squad and she was not really trained in defending herself.
"I know a girl," said Olaf. "Brave and strong. She'll do it. Nobody can attack her without regretting it."
"Where is she?" Ciara asked. "I have to see her first."
"I'll get her." Olaf left the room. Obviously the girl was not far away.
Ian was looking at a city map. He agreed that the bait should be a younger girl than Ciara and Fanni. She had to be good at thwarting attacks and he doubted that Ciara and Fanni were attacked very often. Besides, he did not know how fit they were. Ciara was thirty-six and Fanni would not be younger. He studied the map until Olaf returned with the girl. Her build would be the most important thing, because the rest could be obscured. "Stand up, Ciara," he ordered, so he could see if there were any differences.
Ciara stood next to the girl, but she was only half a hand taller. It certainly would not be noticed. She looked at the girl, who did not have a clue why she had been taken here.
"Will you be Ciara's stand-in, Kemena?" Ian asked. "It might be dangerous. We'll be trying to trap the enemy."
Kemena's eyes lit up. She liked action and she was honoured that she had been asked. "Yes, sir." She looked at Ciara respectfully. So this was the High Priestess! She looked quite ordinary.
"It will be explained to you in a minute, Kemena. If, as you say, the Priestess won't be attacked during a service, Ciara," Ian said. "Then perhaps it might not be necessary to have Kemena take over that part, but only the walk and you can do the service yourself. I don't know how long it would take you to teach her how she should conduct a service anyway."
Ciara smiled a little. "Don't you wish you had attended them regularly, Commander? But you're right. It might take a while for her to master all the gestures."
"Alright," said Ian briskly. "You tell Kemena how she should move after the switch has taken place and think about whether you want her to dress up already. I think we should try this plan as soon as possible and that means tonight. The rest of us will take care of the protection." They arranged themselves in groups and started conferring in low voices.
Chapter 28
Ciara felt a little nervous, not for herself, because Ian had arranged it in such a way that she would be safe, but for the girl who would take her place. She looked at Kemena, young and confident, with complete faith in Ian's plan, excited at being chosen. Ciara hoped everything would go alright and that the trap would work. Ian was arranging it now and she had to get Kemena and herself ready. She took out her small box of paint and her cloak. "I only have one cloak of this colour. We must change very quickly after the ceremony."
Kemena nodded. "Alright."
Ciara began to draw the outline of the make-up on Kemena's face. The pattern was simple. It had to be, otherwise she would never be able to do it herself.
Meri watched her in fascination. "You had that when I first saw you."
Ciara smiled when she recalled that day. "Yes. What did you think?" Meri and Susan had looked rather frightened then.
"We wondered who you were. Did you know us?"
"Yes, I did."
Meri had never asked herself this before. "Were you…pleased with how I had turned out?" What if she had disappointed her mother?
"Of course."
"And Ian?" Meri asked mischievously.
"Oh aye," Ciara snickered. "Ian. I was afraid of that meeting, so I braced myself, but Ian is one gorgeous man that a poor man-deprived priestess could not resist." She finished painting Kemena's face and took a mirror to work on her own. That was easier, because she was used to it. Ian entered and she looked up at him. "Everything arranged?"
Ian watched how Ciara transformed herself into the High Priestess. "Yes. We are ready." He hoped it was going to work and that they would really succeed in trapping someone. They desperately needed a clue to go on.
Ciara had prepared almost everything for the ceremony herself, requiring just two assistants, who did not know anything about what might happen. Before they lit her candles, she used this last opportunity to glance over the crowd that was slowly assembling. The moment the candles were lit she would not be able to see them anymore. Someone out there wanted to get rid of her. Someone out there wanted to rule the city and he or she did not stop at killing innocent people.
The crescent moon was light yellow. Its shape had -- or had been made to have -- significance to the people. Ciara looked up at it. This shape was still growing, gaining power. It was on her side and the crowd knew it.
Her assistants lit the candles and she slipped the cloak over her head. Then she stepped forward into the light, beginning the service. It was easy, once you had told yourself you believed in it. She asked the moon for guidance and assistance, symbolically killing evil. Tonight she would not speak -- that was always reserved for services inside the temple and personal consultations. This was not mean to be more than an impressive and mysterious pantomime.
She finished and slid back into the darkness as her assistants slowly extinguished the many candles one by one. She would have as long as that took to give her cloak to Kemena and she took it off quickly, helping Kemena to put it on. "Good luck," she whispered to the girl, squeezing her briefly.
Kemena stood motionless like Ciara had told her to. She would start walking when all candles had been extinguished and it would have become possible for people to see her silhouette.
Ciara cleaned her face with a wet sponge. Ian had forbidden her and Meri to go home. They had to go to his office instead. He did not have time to accompany them himself, but he had ordered a young recruit to escort them. The officer on duty at the desk knew Meri and by now he knew Ciara too. They sat in his back room, out of sight, but close enough to the entrance to know if Ian came back.
"Ciara, what will you do?" Meri asked. "Later. After this." She had been wondering, but she had not dared to fantasise about it. Would it be possible for Ciara to come and live with them or would she have to live at a new temple? Would there be a new temple and if so, would Ciara be involved in it?
Ciara knew Meri was most of all interested in her relationship with Ian, but that depended on so many other things. "We shall have to rebuild the temple, I suppose. We did a lot of good things there that our society cannot do without, in spite of what Ian thinks." It was fortunate that many things had been rescued from the ruins. What was broken could be repaired or made anew and the books with the knowledge had for the most part not been lost. With enough manpower they would recover even more.
And she would go on being High Priestess. However, she would not, like Ishala, train her daughter to succeed her. There were a few promising girls in her class who could do that.
For a moment Ciara wondered if being a High Priestess was compatible with Ian. Of course it was. It was a job like any other and it did not occupy her for the entire day. There would still be enough time to be a good little woman to Ian. She laughed at that silently. Ian would know by now that she was no good little woman material. He would just have to make do with what he was getting.
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