An hour passed. Then another. Around lunchtime Hadjia nearly fell asleep, but caught herself. Another hour passed. Students came in and out, ignoring her. She ignored them, lost in her relentless and frustrating pursuit of…of what?
When the afternoon passed into evening, Hadjia gave up. She’d been in the library all day with nothing to show for it, and her stomach was grumbling. It made her feel lightheaded and weak, but the thought of food also made her queasy.
She re-shelved the books she had perused with a sigh, more frustrated than ever. The halls were quiet as she walked back to her room, her feet dragging. Her stomach ached with hunger. Her throat with thirst. She’d never felt so weary.
So . . . confused.
“Hadjia!” a cherry voice called out.
Hadjia glanced up to see Renji heading toward her, a wide grin on his face. She nodded once, swallowing.
“Did you see my reward?” he asked. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
In one hand he carried a leather sheath. He held it up, extracting a Kunjar blade – the special dagger that Kaneko wore. The one assassin blade after which every student in the Red Moon school lusted.
Hadjia’s longing for the blade wavered. How could she desire a weapon that might be used to kill innocent people? Her throat went dry, but she managed a slight smile when she noticed Renji studying her.
“Much of this is thanks to you,” he said as he sheathed it again. “You and Kaneko were a great help to me in the marshes. Praise to Mother Sigunta for helping us rid the world of evil people, and teaching us to do it so well, eh?”
“Praise be,” she choked out.
He sobered, putting a soft hand on her shoulder. “Without your words of encouragement, I may not have gone through with it. Thank you, Hadjia. I will be there for you when it’s your turn.” Then he laughed, scoffing, “But you won’t need me! Everyone knows you are the most gifted student here at the school. You could pass twenty tests!”
Hadjia remembered the little girl they hadn’t killed. They had left her alone with her parents bleeding out on the ground.
What would Renji say if he knew the truth? What could he do, now that he was one of Mother Sigunta’s special assassins?
Perhaps there was no escape from this.
“I trust it will go well,” she murmured when the silence had stretched too long.
Renji’s dark eyes narrowed as he considered her appearance. “Hadjia, are you ill?”
“I didn’t sleep well. Too much time in the marsh, perhaps.”
“You must get some rest. I’ll go tell Mother that – ”
“No!”
He reared back, startled. Hadjia licked her lips, managing a tremulous smile.
“No. Thanks, Renji. Don’t worry. And don’t tell Mother Sigunta about my headache and weariness. A little rest and a full belly will cure me.”
Renji smiled back. “Get better, Hadjia.”
Hadjia headed up the stairs on shaky legs as Renji went straight to his own quarters. When Hadjia reached her room, she collapsed for a second time. The room spun about her. After a few moments of resting on her bed, it slowed.
She opened her bleary eyes just as a knock sounded at the door. The door opened a smidgen.
“Hadjia?”
Kaneko’s voice drifted into the room. Hadjia forced herself to sit up. Kaneko advanced, silently shutting the door behind her.
“You are not well.”
“No,” Hadjia whispered. Her brow furrowed. “I am . . . confused. I…I can’t do it. I can’t do my test.”
Kaneko let out a long breath. “It’s only three days away.”
Hadjia said nothing.
Kaneko reached over, setting a hand on her back. “I know you’re confused by what you saw, but I have done some research.”
“On what?”
“Kim.”
Hadjia straightened. “What did you find?”
“He has been in trouble recently. Stealing from The Mother. Yelling at the other students. There is some proof that he stole some weapons and was hiding them in his room.”
Hadjia’s gave a small sigh of relief. Perhaps The Mother knew something she didn’t after all! “For what purpose?”
Kaneko shrugged. “What else is there? He likely meant to harm us, or The Mother. He was an angry little boy.”
Hadjia remembered how Kim had struck her as innocent. But perhaps he hadn’t been so innocent after all! She’d never heard anything about him acting out angrily, but that didn’t meant anything.
“I overheard Mother Sigunta telling another teacher that Kim was listening in to her conversation, and she believed he planned to kill her or the students. Perhaps he was listening to hear Mother Sigunta’s plans so he could make his big move. It doesn’t really matter, though. The Mother was protecting us.”
“But the mask – ”
Kaneko put a finger on Hadjia’s lips, silencing her. “I am like your big sister, am I not?”
Hadjia swallowed, then nodded. No matter what had happened at the Red Moon school, Kaneko had always been there with her. Had always helped Hadjia.
While Hadjia was still so frustrated and confused about Mother Sigunta, she also knew that Kaneko would not lie to her. Ever.
Yet…nothing made sense.
“Do you trust me?” Kaneko asked.
“Yes.”
“Then you must move forward with your test.”
Hadjia pursed her lips together as she thought for several long moments.
Perhaps Kaneko was right. There could be many secrets at the Red Moon school that Hadjia knew nothing about. Students were trained in all kinds of subtle arts, and Kim may have been the enemy after all.
But that still didn’t explain Mother Sigunta’s conversation with the masked man.
Kaneko reached out, put her arm around Hadjia’s shoulder, and pulled her close.
Hadjia melted against her. Even if she didn’t understand what was happening with Mother Sigunta, Kaneko wouldn’t lie to her. She would trust Kaneko.
“Yes,” Hadjia said. “I will do it.”
“You choose wisely, Hadjia. Very wisely. I am proud of you. Now, get some rest. I’ll bring you breakfast in the morning and give you a chance to gather your strength before you come down. You need to eat and rest so you’re prepared for the big test.”
Hadjia nodded, feeling somewhat numb. Kaneko helped her lay down in the bed, then pulled the coverlet over her.
Once she left, the room felt empty to Hadjia. Too empty.
Strands of moonlight shone into her room though the window. Hadjia stared at them, blinking back the fear and uncertainty.
If The Mother wasn’t really their mother, then who was? Who did Hadjia really belong to? And what kind of life did those who lived outside the school experience – the one that she would never know?
Hadjia sank deeper and deeper into her morose thoughts while bathed in the fall of moonlight into her room. Then the yellow light shifted. The shadows on the surface of the moon faded, and Hadjia sucked in a sharp breath.
For just a moment, the moon appeared to be a grinning, leering face.
She shut her eyes, pulled the coverlet over her head, and fell into a restless sleep.
Celty
The burning beam split as it fell. Celty curled into herself, tucking her arms around her head arms as she braced for the blow.
It didn’t happen. Instead, a guttural yell sounded next to her just before a crash.
Celty’s eyes flew open. What had happened?
The burly man who had been a few feet away was right beside her and shaking his hands as if he’d just held onto something hot.
The beam was on the ground a few steps away from Celty.
“The gods!” she muttered. “Did you knock that beam away from me?”
“Run!” the older man yelled at the younger man.
The man didn’t listen, only crouched down next to Celty again. He grabbed up her wrists and began sawing at the rope around them with renewed vigor. The remaining bindings began snapping one at a time.
Celty tugged with her arms, attempting to speed up the process.
The man looked up into her eyes. “Hold still now.”
He raised his dagger high, then in a swift, clean move brought it down.
It sliced through the final strands of the rope. Celty’s hands were free!
She scrambled to her feet, shoving away from the bonds tying her ankles to the log.