Moon Blessed

Chapter 40 ~ In the Interest Of

    An additional day was spent in Jalil to grant every returned Knight a chance to fully recuperate before the gathering set off for Andrian, with Emperor Kazimir and his Knights in the lead this time. Nastasia calculated that it would take about eight days for them to reach the capital of Larys.

    This time, the length of the journey wasn't discouraging. It would give her, Josephine, and Elise the time they needed to do some more investigating. They began the first day on the road. The three of them rode together and worked their way from Knight to Knight, making subtle remarks and inquiries that drew out the information they needed.

    Just as Nastasia had hoped, they were uncovering a pattern in the growing list of deceased Knights. Some of their deaths were known to simply be accidents, but others had caused their fellow Knights some suspicions. Those were the names they paid the most attention to.

    Nastasia was surprised to discover that Sir Gareth was among those with suspicious deaths. Josephine had learned from Mischa that the Knight perished in the sands of the dunes and that his aide would be traveling with Sir Arlov now, but Mischa hadn't said anything about his death being suspicious.

    The other Eldon Knights had many theories to share though. The most popular theory among them was that Sir Gareth had last been seen accompanied by Volya and Sir Kamenev.

    That realization brought Nastasia's thoughts spiraling back to the confrontation she'd seen between the two men, and she and her friends had spent many long hours discussing what might've happened. Aside from that, one other oddity had caught Nastasia's eye.

    Her mother had been noticeably absent these days. Usually she maintained her position at Gavriil's side, but Nastasia hadn't seen them together since they left Jalil. Part of her thought at first that perhaps her mother had returned to Nyctoli to help search for her personally, but if that were the case, her leaving would've been known and an excuse would've been given.

    Besides, Nastasia had seen her occasionally, just not where she was supposed to be. Serafima's behavior was unusual to say the least, but she wasn't sure how she could investigate that angle without getting close, and getting close to her mother was like asking to be discovered. For now, she would content herself with further digging into Sir Gareth's death.

    Nastasia shifted in Moxie's saddle and absently rubbed her thumb across the reins. She already knew who she wanted to question next, but they'd have to be careful about who overheard them. They'd crossed into Andrian three days ago and everyone appeared to be on edge.

    It was as though they were afraid Kazimir had positioned armies all throughout Andrian's borders and was merely biding his time to strike. But if he were going to do so, Nastasia believed he would've done it already. They were only a day's ride out from Larys now and attacking at this point seemed like a waste of time.

    Nastasia lifted her gaze as leaves rustled overhead. They were already turning vibrant shades of crimson, gold, and copper, though some remained green. It wouldn't be long before autumn was fully upon them, and winter soon after. "I don't like this forest," Josephine murmured beside her. "It's too quiet."

    It was true, there had been little sound since they entered the Makari Forest, but it wasn't an eerie silence to Nastasia. It was as though a soft blanket hung over it, hushing every slight sound. It was almost familiar, in a way. Like she'd seen it before, perhaps in a dream.

    "There are no Andrian Knights near Sir Arlov right now," Elise remarked. "We could ask him your questions, Nasi."

    Nastasia nodded, smiling to herself beneath her scarf. Josephine perked up as they switched directions and guided their horses over to Sir Arlov and his group. Mischa fell in step beside Josephine's mount right away, greeting her with a bright smile. "What brings you this way?" Sir Arlov asked, his gaze flickering to Nastasia for a brief moment.