storm (37 page)

            Moon buried his face in Raven's braids and inhaled their dark, buttery, musky perfume.  “You're so different now,” he said.

For the rest of the journey, it was testament to Raven and Terez's generosity that they took their wayward companions in hand and spend less time with each other than they wanted to.  Terez generally rode on ahead with Tyson, while Raven hung back with Moon and tried to keep him in good spirits.  He taught Moon a lot of old songs, spiritual ones from before he was har, which his family used to sing.  Every evening, he'd ask Moon if he wanted to be alone that night or needed company.  Moon took advantage of the offer only when he was afraid the bad feelings would come back.  He didn't want to be in the way of Raven's newfound happiness.  He realised that the best thing to come out of the whole sorry situation was that he and Raven had become close.  Even though they occasionally shared a bed, Raven felt like family, the nearest Moon had had to a hostling.  Moon learned to love him, but not in the way he loved Tyson.  He was looking forward to telling Snake about all this.  He was looking forward to Snake seeing how much Raven had changed.

Tyson, on the other hand, failed to find any positive aspects in the situation.  He felt torn apart, faintly ridiculous and full of bitter regret.  Terez had said nothing aloud to condemn him, but Tyson was aware of an air of contempt in Terez's manner.  Tyson had done what he could to earn Terez's approval, but in the event, he might as well have not bothered.  Terez held him responsible for Moon's feelings, and clearly had very little regard for Tyson's own.  Now, the possibility of he and Moon ever being together seemed shattered.  It was all a horrible mess that made him wince with shame.  Like the others, he hadn't considered Moon's state of mind.  He'd thought only about himself and with more than a faint whiff of burning martyr.  He wanted to forget the whole thing, but on those occasions when his gaze accidentally scraped across the space that Moon occupied in the world, he was filled with painful longing.  He knew now it wasn't about aruna.  It was about taking the hand of a har he adored and saying, “This is you and me against the world.  Together, we are bigger than we are when we're apart.  You are the sun that keeps my world alive.”  Moon's youth no longer seemed an impediment.  It was the magic of wonder, a rejuvenating balm, and for the sake of nothing, Tyson felt he had denied himself this miracle for all time.  The last leaves falling from the trees were the last tears.  Beyond them, lay winter, barrenness and cold.

When Moon first saw his father again, he was surprised to see how much better Snake looked.  The Parsics had given him healing and although they couldn't mend his body completely, they had taken away a lot of the pain and stiffness, which meant that Snake could move more easily.  He stood taller and now he never covered his seeing Eye.  There was an emotional reunion with Raven, during which Snake shed tears of happiness.  It seemed that everyhar, but for Moon, had seen their lives transform into wondrous new territory.  Hope, strength and harmony filled the air.  Whatever problems the Tigron might have, this company of forceful souls must be able to help him vanquish any danger.

            The Tigron's family remained in Galhea only for a few more days, before Pellaz summoned more
sedim
so that the five of them could travel to Immanion swiftly.  The days were so filled with social gatherings and trips to particular sites of interest that they passed for Moon in a whirl.  He barely caught sight of Tyson, who disappeared into the depths of
Forever
, or else into town, and did not re-emerge.  Moon had to meet so many new hara that some of his emotional pain inevitably subsided.  He made particular friends with Aleeme, the consort of Swift's son Azriel, and spent one unforgettable night with both of them in their bedroom, during which he learned so many astonishing things that hara could do together, it made him laugh aloud at odd moments for several days afterwards.  He said nothing to Azriel or Aleeme about his feelings for Tyson, and even managed to stop himself asking any questions.  He knew that Raven was right.  He should forget about Tyson.  It would never had worked.

           
If only we'd had just that one night,
Moon thought. 
It would have been enough.  Now, I will never know.

           
He thought the pain afterwards would have been worth it.

            On their last night in Galhea, Cobweb threw a party in the style of which only he was capable.  The house heaved with guests and there was so much food and drink Moon was sure that most of it would go to waste.  Visitors came from near and far, and Moon was intrigued to meet his father's sister Mima, who arrived with Aleeme's parents from Roselane in Jaddayoth.  The Cevarros sat together, a captivating and raucous tribe.  But there was no Cal and there was no Tyson.  There were holes in the gathering that no amount of laughter and wine could fill.

            All evening, Moon felt his eyes drawn again and again to a particularly beautiful har, who appeared to be a friend of Cobweb's although was considerably younger.  Moon even entertained the idea, fuelled by wine, that he might strike up conversation with this har very soon.  He might as well attempt to make his last night in Galhea as memorable as he could.  He was about to ask Aleeme who the har was, and had even leaned across the table to do so, when his heart almost froze.  Tyson had come into the room.  He looked heart-breakingly gorgeous, dressed in black leather trousers and a soft white shirt, his hair clean and sleek.  All of Moon's feelings for him came back in an unwelcome and instantaneous flood.  Tyson stood in the doorway for some minutes, while Moon debated whether he should go over and speak.  Was there a possibility they could remain friends?  Aleeme and Azriel had already invited Moon back to Galhea at some time in the future.  If he were to accept their invitation, then surely it would be more comfortable for everyhar if he and Tyson were on speaking terms.  But before he made a decision, the har he'd been eyeing up all evening left the table and went to where Tyson stood at the threshold.  Moon's chilled heart went even colder.  He saw this har reach out and touch Tyson's face, and he did not pull away.

            Moon grabbed Aleeme's arm.  “Who is that?” he demanded, pointing.

            Aleeme appeared bemused and puzzled, then said, “Oh, him?  That's Ferany.  He's Tyson's chesnari, or was.  Nohar really knows what's going on between them now.”

            It was blindingly apparent to Moon what was going on.

            “Why?” Aleeme asked.

            Moon shrugged.  He turned away, but not before he saw Tyson and Ferany embrace to share breath, not before he saw that Tyson was gazing right at him over Ferany's shoulder.

            “Moon?” Aleeme said cautiously.  “What is it?  You look very strange.”

            “Nothing,” Moon said.  “Really, nothing.”

            Aleeme stared at him hard for some moments, and in that time, Moon believed his new friend intuited a little of what was going on.  “You will come back, won't you?” Aleeme said.

            Moon smiled with difficulty.  “Yes, I want to.”

            “Will you talk to us then?  About the things you've not told us and maybe should have done?  Explain that look Tyson just gave you?”    

            Moon raised his eyebrows in what he hoped was a flirtatious manner, shrugged carelessly, and took another drink of wine.  “Maybe.  I'll see.”

            “Secrets,” said Aleeme.  “I love them.”

Chapter Nineteen

Moon came to believe that Immanion existed in a different time stream to the rest of the world.  After living there a week, it felt like months had passed, and by the time the winter solstice festival arrived, he might as well have lived in the city all his life.  Even so, if felt like there weren't enough hours in the day to accommodate all that he wanted, and was required, to do.  Tutors came to his apartment in Phaonica for four hours every day, beginning after breakfast.  These aloof hara instructed him in basic skills.  In the afternoons, three days a week, Moon met for two hours with a high-ranking har who was in charge of his magical progression.  In the City of Ghosts, nohar had been concerned with caste ascension: Moon didn't even know the names of the different levels.  Now, the instruction he received astounded him.  He'd had no idea Wraeththu could learn to become seers like Snake, and to manipulate energy and affect the world around them.

            As well as these skills, Moon was trained in the art of controlling a
sedu
and the more taxing art of court etiquette.  Pellaz might well have derived from a humble background himself, but now he held the reins of power in a tightly structured administration.  He had been forced to learn quickly how to negotiate the twists and turns of Immanion's social complexities and clearly felt his brother's son, his sori, should be given a similar education.

            It was obvious to Moon that not everyhar approved of Pellaz bringing former relatives into the city; many frowned upon his desire to maintain contacts from his previous human existence.  Perhaps, in seeing Pellaz dote upon his sori, many found themselves thinking wistfully of old family ties, and this bred resentment.  Therefore, as Pellaz had done when Thiede had first brought him to the city, Moon had to be especially vigilant about how he behaved and what he said.  Sometimes, alone at night, he became angry with himself for even caring about such things, but in the light of the day it was almost impossible not to seek Pell's favour.  A smile of approval from the Tigron of Immanion was like seeing a prayer answered before your eyes.  Moon's old life in Megalithica became increasingly remote.  He had been plucked from it, as Ember had once feared, and now he barely remembered how he had felt and what he'd believed.

            Snake, meanwhile, did not fall completely beneath Immanion's spell.  He was ill at ease in company and scornful of Pell's colleagues.  He did not fit into the city's landscape particularly well and spent most of his time either alone or with his brothers.  Moon was lucky if he saw his father once a day.  He did make an effort to visit Snake's apartment in the palace whenever he could, even if only for an hour in the early evening.  Most nights he was whisked out into the city night by hara who could not exactly be termed new friends, but who had an interest in him because of who he was.  Moon was being trained for a position within the Hegemony Department of Buildings.  Moon guessed that Pellaz didn't want him to leave the city long-term, such as if he'd been more attracted to the military, and had therefore been delighted to learn of Moon's interest in architecture.  Sometimes, the way Moon's life had been taken over and changed was disorientating and frightening to him.  Sometimes, it was wonderful.

            Snake seemed appreciative of Moon's opinions and kept his own to himself.  Moon knew that Pellaz was making his father work hard, because Snake often looked very tired, and on those days all the healers in Immanion could do nothing to ease the aches in his withered side.  Moon himself had been taught healing techniques as part of his magical training and, whenever he could, he practised them on his father.  As to what Snake and Pellaz actually discovered from their work together, Moon remained unenlightened.  On some level, he didn't want to know, because the idea of the Tigron being in any kind of trouble seemed unthinkable.  Immanion was so huge and secure, as if it had stood for a thousand years.  Nothing bad could touch it.

            Often Moon thought of Tyson, even though he tried hard not to.  Raven had attempted to speak to him about Tyson some weeks after they'd arrived in Immanion, but Moon didn't feel capable of discussing the matter.  He felt strangely ashamed, as if his feelings were an unsavoury secret he didn't want to share.  Once he sneaked into the rooms had had belonged to Cal.  The drapes were drawn against the windows, almost like an act of mourning, and Moon imagined that Pellaz must have done that.  The air smelled of nothing, and what few possessions Cal had had still remained in the drawers and on the shelves.  Despite this, Moon could sense no presence of another har in the rooms.  He knew that Pellaz's security staff must have inspected it thoroughly and had perhaps wiped all etheric evidence of Cal away.  It was hard to believe the enigmatic har had ever existed.  Harder still to believe the story he'd once been told, in a dark room that smelled of mildew, when a clean white flame that was a har from another world had turned the air to gold.