The Moonburner Cycle

by Claire Luana

  “Yes,” Emi said. “I have a few bruised ribs and bad burns on my face and neck. But I’m lucky. I’ll recover. I’ll still be a moonburner.”

  “Of course you will” Kai said. “You’re the strongest woman I know. How long . . . until the bandages come off?”

  “Weeks. I’ll still look like a hideous monster on one side of my face. The damage was too bad to heal completely,” Emi trailed off, looking away for a moment. “You know, I’m relieved in a way,” Emi said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “This is going to sound ungrateful and conceited, but all my life, people always wanted things from me because of my looks. They wanted me for my face or my body. I was expected to be a certain person, to act a certain way. It wasn’t until I came here that I was able to be me. But I still worried that when people looked at me, all they saw was a pretty face. But with this,” Emi gestured to the bandages, “I can finally just be me. Whatever I earn or accomplish from here on out will be because I earned it. I’m free.”

  Kai gripped Emi’s hands, marveling at her friend’s strength. “You’ve always been you,” Kai said. “But I’m glad you can see it now.”

  “Me too,” Emi said.

  “Although . . . you’re still going to look way better than me in a dress,” Kai said. “There’s no getting around that.”

  “Obviously,” Emi said. “You have absolutely no fashion sense.” They both laughed, but Kai’s smile faded.

  “What’s wrong?” Emi said, sensing Kai’s change of mood. “I was just kidding.”

  “No, not that. This doesn’t feel right without Maaya.”

  The perfect side of Emi’s face fell. “I know. But . . . she knew the rule and she broke it. She chose him over us.”

  “It’s a stupid rule,” Kai said. “And completely hypocritical.”

  “What do you mean?” Emi asked.

  Kai looked around and lowered her voice, explaining the facility she had found deep under the throne room.

  Emi’s half-face went from shock, to horror, to anger as Kai finished her story. “So you are telling me that Maaya gets whipped and enslaved for the rest of her life for the crime of falling in love, but beneath our very feet the queen is forcing moonburners to mate with sunburners?” Emi asked, her voice tinged with hysteria.

  “Keep it down,” Kai said, waving away a nurse who was starting to walk their way.

  “I’m sorry,” Emi whispered. “This is wrong. We have to stop them. Who can we tell? Nanase?”

  “I don’t think she’s involved, but I don’t trust anyone at the citadel. If we tell the wrong person, we could end up in there ourselves.”

  Emi paled. “Stela. Leilu has been to see me a few times, worried sick about Stela. She just vanished after begging for Atsu’s life in the courtyard. You don’t think . . .”

  “I do,” Kai said, grimly. “It would be exactly like the queen to use the facility as a convenient place to hide dissenters.”

  “What do we do?”

  “We have . . . a plan. Not a great one, but a plan.”

  “We?”

  When she left the hospital ward, Kai jogged to Nanase’s office for her orders. “You arrived hours ago,” Nanase said, not looking up from whatever she was reading. “Where have you been?”

  Kai swallowed. A half truth was probably better than a lie. Nanase seemed like she could sniff out a lie from one hundred paces away.

  “I went to see Master Vita. He was very sick before I left for the mountains. I didn’t know if I’d find him alive.”

  Nanase looked up, her face impassive. “And?”

  “He is much improved. Pura saw to his care while I was gone. He is moving to the hospital ward.”

  “Good,” Nanase said. “Pura has a soft heart. But these are dark times for the softhearted. I fear it may be too much for some, before the deed is done.”

  It seemed like an opening, and so Kai took it. If she had an ally in Nanase . . . she needed to know. “The queen shared her plan with me. About the eclipse. It seems . . .” she chose her words carefully, like a goat picking its next step on a rocky cliff face. “It seems like it should not be up to us—whether the sunburners are destroyed forever.”

  “It is a heavy thing. But the queen does not take it on lightly. The sunburners are bent on destroying us. She believes it is us or them.”

  “But is it?” Kai asked. “When I was a prisoner in the sunburner camp, I spoke at length with the crown prince. He wants peace. If we could just convince the queen . . .”

  “Kai,” Nanase held up a hand, silencing her. “I don’t doubt that the prince was very persuasive. But what you say could be taken as treason within these walls. Speak not another word.”

  Kai wanted to protest, but she knew Nanase was right. She was walking a dangerous line even speaking to Nanase.

  “I see that you take the weight of these things upon yourself,” Nanase said. “It is an admirable trait, but misguided at best, and dangerous at worst. Your role is to obey orders. You must have faith that those who lead have the best interest of the moonburners at heart.”

  I’ve never been very good at faith, Kai thought.

  “What are my orders?” Kai asked.

  “Report to Pura’s division, she will give you further instructions.”

  CHAPTER 36

  Master Vita had changed into a dark set of trousers and shirt. He was ready for action. Kai almost laughed at the sight of him, at the thought of wearing all black for a daylight break-in. This was probably the most excitement he had seen in years.

  They nonchalantly strolled towards the Oracle’s tower and made their way through a garden around back, to a cellar door would lead them into the lower floors of the tower. With a brief bit of burning from her moonstone to melt the lock, they made their way into the cellar. Kai was nervous to attempt the break-in during the day, when she had no burning ability, but she had been forced to admit Master Vita was right when he pointed out that she wouldn’t have any ability underground either way.

  Master Vita had snagged a moon orb from the library that lit their way as they carefully traveled out of the cellar through the dark corridors.

  Quitsu stalked ahead to scout for guards or people, but their route was deserted.

  Before long, Kai found herself standing before an alcove, Master Vita holding the moon orb before him. There were two flickering candles on the wall, and between them was a grid of unlit votive candles hanging on the wall. It looked like an altar, similar to those one would find in Tsuki’s temple. Unremarkable.

  Master Vita lifted one of the lit candles off the wall. “Now let’s see if I can remember the pattern.”

  He began lighting a few of the votives, seemingly at random. “Ursu. Hmm.” He almost lit one, and then stopped, lighting another. “Septix.” Another. “Cassia.” Kai held her tongue, though she was dying to ask. Finally, he lit the last one. “Bellaru.”

  Kai had heard of that one. “The north star?” she said.

  Master Vita grinned at her. “Stand back and look at the pattern.”

  She did, but still could only see what appeared to be a random selection of lit votives.

  “Tsuki!” Quitsu said. “I mean, her constellation. I see it!”

  “Very good, Quitsu.” Master Vita said, slipping into teacher mode without realizing it.

  Kai stuck out her tongue at Quitsu behind his back, who waggled his fox eyebrows at her.

  A grinding noise before them pulled her attention back to the wall in front of her.

  “It’s opening!” she whispered.

  Master Vita nodded. He ushered them through the opening in front of them, and then quickly blew the candles out and slipped inside. The door closed behind them with an ominous thud.

  The white light of the moon orb lit a narrow corridor before them.

  “Stay behind me,” he said. “If I remember correctly, there are two other wards before we get into the treasury.”

  They walked slowly down t
he corridor, allowing Master Vita to lead the way, his shuffling steps and cane echoing off the stone walls. They soon reached another door.

  “Is there a trick to this one?” Kai asked.

  “I don’t remember this door being here,” Master Vita admitted.

  “Great,” Kai said. “Well . . . I guess . . . we just try it. I’ll do it.”

  Master Vita raised his cane to block her way. “No, I am older. I’ll do it.”

  “But you’re not expendable. We need you to get through the next wards.”

  Quitsu rolled his eyes. “No one in the group is expendable, save me. And

  I don’t have opposable thumbs. Kai, just open the door.”

  The two humans suitably chastised, Kai sidled up to the side of the door, and reached for the door knob. Her hand wavered slightly, and she closed her eyes as her hand closed around the knob. Nothing happened.

  She turned the knob, and the door swung open. She waited. No loud noises, no arrows, no fireballs. Nothing came out the door. She moved her head to the right, trying to peer into the darkness.

  “It seems clear,” she said.

  She walked through the doorway, and Master Vita and Quitsu followed her into the center of a circular room. Master Vita held up his light. No, not circular. Octagonal.

  Kai slowly turned in a circle. Each side of the room contained an identical door. And then, a heavy thud echoed through the room. She whirled around. The door they had entered through had just swung shut. From the inside, it looked just like the others. Oak lintel, oak door, black iron hardware and doorknob. She kept her eyes on it, turning her body towards it.

  “The door closed,” she said. “It’s that one. We can’t get confused.” She began walking towards it. She would tear off a strip of her uniform and tie it around the knob to differentiate it from the seven others.

  Before they reached it, Master Vita’s moon orb winked out.

  The darkness was total, palpable, like a living thing. Kai froze, willing herself to stay in place. She could hear her heartbeat rushing through her ears.

  “Kai,” Master Vita said. In the darkness, his voice seemed small and thin. “Over here,” she said. She tried to edge sideways in the direction she thought he was. There! She moved her hand down his arm to grip his hand. It

  was clammy and cold.

  “There is an enchantment here to extinguish all light. It must be. I’ve never seen a moon orb go out.”

  She pulled in moonlight from her moonstone cufflink, trying to send up a light into the darkness. Nothing, and now her cufflink was drained. Nice.

  A sound like a giant piece of metal grinding upon metal rang out in the darkness. It reverberated through the room, through her very bones.

  “What is that?” she asked, turning about uselessly.

  The room began to move. It was an odd sensation. She could only tell they were moving because a breeze tousled her hair. Her hair began moving more, whipping across her face.

  “Get down,” she said. She crouched to the ground, getting onto her hands and knees. She could feel Master Vita do the same. He released her hand. The ground they were standing on seemed to be spinning, and it was moving faster. She closed her eyes to the blackness and clung to the ground with gripped fingers, praying for it to stop.

  After a time, it seemed to slow and finally creak to a stop. Kai let out a breath and climbed unsteadily to her feet. She grasped Master Vita’s arm and helped him stand as well.

  There was still no light.

  “What was that?” Kai asked.

  “Well, it appears to be some sort of mis-directional trap. Now, we don’t know which way is out, or even which way we came in.”

  “And where do the wrong doors lead?” Kai asked, already guessing the answer.

  “To horrors and death, I’m sure. I remember a nest of jackwasps being ordered for something while I was assisting on the project. I never did find out what those were to be used for.”

  “Great. So we can’t see the doors and don’t know what door to enter, even if we could.”

  “That’s not entirely accurate, Kai,” Quitsu chimed in. He had been silent since they had entered the octagonal room.

  “Which part?” Kai asked.

  “I can see. Foxes are nocturnal, remember?”

  She was familiar with Quitsu’s “Kai, use your brain for five seconds” tone.

  “I can see you sticking your tongue out at me.”

  She pulled her tongue back in, smiling. “I guess you can see in the dark.”

  “Can you see anything unique about the doors?” Master Vita said. “Any markings?”

  She didn’t hear Quitsu move towards the doors, but his voice sounded from the side of the room.

  “No . . . I don’t think so. Wait. There might be something, but it’s too high. I can’t quite see.”

  His voice came from beneath her now. “Kai, I’m going to jump in your arms. I need you to hold me higher so I can look.”

  Kai held out her arms, feeling silly in the darkness. She felt Quitsu’s soft fur against her forearms as he jumped, and she tucked one arm under his paws.

  “Turn slightly to the right. A little more . . . there. Now walk.” Kai did as instructed.

  “Slow down now,” Quitsu said. “We’re almost at the first door. Okay, stop.”

  She complied.

  “There is just a symbol. It is a vertical line, with two cross hatches from right to left.”

  “That symbol doesn’t sound familiar.” Master Vita said from across the room. “See if the other doors have symbols on them. We need to find a pattern.”

  Quitsu instructed Kai forward like a marionette without the strings. “This one is another vertical line, but with two lines slanting out of the top, like a tree.”

  She walked further.

  “Vertical line with three parallel crosshatches from right to left.”

  She frowned. The symbols seemed familiar. One of the few books her parents had owned had been a primer on smithery and metals. Her father had at one point imagined that he could shoe his own horses and save himself the expense. When he had realized how complex the art is, he had given up, and the book was one of five Kai had read over and over.

  “I think . . . I think I recognize them. They are the symbols used by blacksmiths to represent metals. The first is iron, the second, copper, the third is also iron, but the third crosshatch represents a better quality. More pure.”

  “Of course,” Master Vita cried. “I should have seen it myself. Very good, Kai!”

  “Now, we just have to figure out which metal represents the right door.”

  “If you were hiding a treasury,” Master Vita mused. “Which metal would you put on the door?”

  “Gold,” she said, realization dawning. “Quitsu, see if you can find a door with a vertical line with two crossing lines intersecting it, like an X laid over it.”

  “Keep walking,” Quitsu said.

  She did so until Quitsu exclaimed, “Stop! There it is.”

  Kai turned and put one arm in front of her, slowly walking towards the door. When her hands connected to it, she put Quitsu down. “Go bring Master Vita.”

  Soon, the three of them were standing in front of the door. Kai took a deep breath. “Here goes nothing.”

  She turned the knob. The door swung open to reveal another corridor, flanked by glowing moon orbs set into alcoves. The light seemed downright cheerful compared to the blackness of the room.

  “Does this seem right?” she asked Master Vita.

  “It has to be,” he said. “There is only one way to find out.”

  The corridor was not long. Kai could see a doorway at the other end. She took a step onto one of the large stones of the hallway. Nothing happened. She relaxed and took another step. When her foot hit the pavement, a shock radiated through her from her foot. Her body convulsed, shaking as she fell backwards through the open door. The shock stopped, and she lay still, gasping.

  When she open
ed her eyes, Master Vita and Quitsu’s concerned faces peered at her from above.

  “Kai? Are you all right?” Quitsu asked.

  She coughed, forcing air back into her lungs.

  “I think so,” she sat up, gingerly, her body painful and creaky. She put a hand to her head, checking ruefully to make sure her brains were still on the inside.

  “Do you think it’s the wrong way?”

  Master Vita frowned, and peered into the hallway. “No, our theory is sound. It should be correct. I think this is the next ward.”

  “If this is the right way, I hardly can imagine what would have greeted us down one of the wrong doors,” Kai grumbled.

  Master Vita ignored her. “There is writing on the ground. A word on each stone.”

  He pointed to one. “You stepped on this one?”

  “Yes, that one. “ Kai looked at it more closely, bending down. “There is writing on it. A word. ‘To.’“

  “Two? Like the number?” Master Vita asked.

  “No,” Kai said. “Like going to market. “

  Master Vita approached the edge of the stones and peered over his glasses. “They all have words on them. “

  “Step on the ‘to’ stone again, Kai, “ Master Vita instructed. She did so, body tense. Like before, nothing happened. “What are the words on the next set of stones?”

  Kai crouched down, careful to touch only her stone. She looked. “Hunt,” “sing,” “cook,” and “catch.” She looked back at him. “Sing is the one that is not like the others, perhaps that is it?” She stood.

  “No!” Master Vita called, stretching his hand out as if to physically stop her. “Hold on. Can you see the next group?

  “They are just single letters. A, O, and I.”

  “Can you see the next?” Kai peered at the fourth row of stones before her, willing her eyes to focus. She shook her head. “I don’t think so. They are too far.”

  “Can you see if the word ‘maid’ is on one of the stones?”

  “I can’t. Quitsu, you have eyes like a hawk. Maybe if I hold you up, you can see.”

  “I have eyes like a fox, actually,” Quitsu said cooly. “But I will see what I can do.”