Requiem of the Moth #2

Moth catcher gets an intriguing confidential message

Created with Midjourney

Read part 1 of this story here.

"You go on ahead."

Waving off his cousins, Usira stood rooted in the middle of the corridor. As an Isvalri, one of the best moth catchers in Kandamsin, he knew about stealth. Moths were easily roused, picking up on the faintest disturbance in the air, the smallest change in temperature or humidity.

While his cousins had been chatting away about what they'd seen on their scouting trip, Usira had noticed they were being followed.

The moment his cousins disappeared around the bend, a short hooded figure stepped into the blue light hanging from Usira's belt. When they shrugged off their hood, Usira was met with a boy's smooth face, violet eyes and pristine white hair. A single silver ring flashed on his left hand--with an amber stone.

In an underground city without trees, amber was more precious than silver or gemstones. A clan envoy, then.

"What do you want with me?"

A polite bow. "You are Isvalri Usira, are you not? Well met. I come bearing a message from my mistress, Noe Vylira."

Usira sucked in a breath. At the Noe banquet, he'd overheard Vylira whisper about poisoning her cousin, Noe Yun, who'd recently been promoted to Vessi. Evidently, she felt threatened by his rise to power. Usira had thrown his lot in with Yun by offering up not only what he'd overheard but also his cooperation in getting rid of Vylira.

Could she know? One would do well to mistrust even the thickest stone--every conversation could be eavesdropped on, doubly so in clan mansions.

"What is it?" he asked.

The boy stared straight ahead--of course, he had to be a puppet--as he intoned: "My mistress has noticed your close association with her cousin Yun. She wishes to warn you against him. He has always been difficult, has isolated himself from the rest of the clan and worked on his puppets in solitude. He refuses to align himself with anyone else, making his position within the clan worrisome. My mistress fears he has been conducting dangerous experiments in his workshop that might have twisted his mind. She advises to take his words with a grain of salt."

"Anything else?" Usira demanded.

"Yes. My mistress is devoted to the Moth. She wishes to inquire whether you would show her around your family shrine tomorrow, if your schedule permits."

Usira released the breath he'd been holding. "The Noe are our patrons. Tell your mistress her wish is my command."

"Very well. She expects you at the gate after fifth bell."

The boy bowed again before retreating with barely a sound. Despite his admiration for the craftsmanship, Usira couldn't help but shiver at the sight of a puppet so lifelike, so articulate.

On the next day, he sent his cousin to the gate and went to the Vessi's office. He didn't have to wait long before the servant waved him in.

If he hadn't been certain before, he was when Noe Yun's cat-like orange gaze met his. "He was wearing an amber ring," he said after the obligatory bow. "The puppet."

To his exasperation, Noe Yun leaned back in his plush desk chair and grinned. "Well. I did not expect you to figure it out that fast. Good for you." To the servant, he said: "Bring tea, and Zhiven."

Usira forced his fists to open. They might have agreed to work together to strengthen their positions within their respective communities but Noe Yun was still a clan member. "Zhiven? Honorable Vessi?" he added belatedly.

Still grinning, Noe Yun didn't speak a word until the servant returned. Then he gestured. "May I introduce Zhiven... You've already met, of course."

There, next to the servant, stood the puppet who‘d delivered Vylira‘s message: white hair, violet eyes, amber ring on his finger, only today he was wearing a grey servant's outfit instead of black robes. He bowed just like he'd done in the corridor. This time, he met Usira‘s gaze too. "A pleasure, Isvalri Usira."

Usira rounded in on the Vessi. "You were testing me!"

Noe Yun spread his hands in a 'get off my back' gesture. "And you performed admirably. Not a smidge of temptation, Zhiven said. Not a single betrayed emotion. Well done. You said yourself," he continued in a more sober tone, "you would earn my trust over time, no matter what. I merely sped up the process."

Usira wanted to protest. He wanted to rage, just for a breath or two. Instead, he sat in the chair before the Vessi's desk. "And now you trust me? Just like that… honorable Vessi?"

Instead of answering, Noe Yun waved the other two away. Once the door had closed behind Zhiven, he stood, sauntered to the tea tray sitting abandoned on a side table and picked up one steaming cup. He brought it over and offered it to Usira-- as if he weren't a high-ranking clan member. As if he weren't Vessi with the power to have Usira executed with a single snap of his fingers.

"Do you trust me?"

And despite his obnoxious grin, his eerie puppets and cruel ideas, Usira knew that Noe Yun was his best bet. Now that he'd been hurled into the cutthroat world of the clans, he needed his protection, his favor.

Usira took the cup.