Naamah's Blessing

Doña Moirin, Don Bao.” He offered a courtly bow. “It was a misunderstanding. But may I ask
why
a D’Angeline noblewoman would choose to come to Terra Nova?”
    “You may,” I said. “If you’re inclined to make amends with an offer of hospitality, I’d prefer to answer it over the course of a meal.”
    His chagrin deepened. “Yes, yes, of course! I will see that your men are lodged and fed, and you and your chosen companions must join me.”
    It was an awkward dinner. Although Diego Ortiz y Ramos did his best to make up for the misunderstanding with generous hospitality and courteous manners, the matter lay unspoken between us. He’d been quick to think the worst of me, quick to think the worst of Terre d’Ange—as though we would so profane Naamah’s gifts inexchange for easy commerce. And, too, I could not forget that the commander had deliberately withheld advice that would have benefited Prince Thierry. While he was relieved to find that our intention was to trace the Dauphin’s path rather than seek to establish trade with the Nahuatl Empire, it was clear he thought it madness.
    Unlike Porfirio Reyes, he did not try to dissuade us.
    I liked him less for it.
    When the meal ended, it was a relief. I was grateful to retreat to a private chamber with Bao.
    “Moirin.” Bao whispered my name.
    I buried my face against the firm curve of his throat. “Aye?”
    “Nothing,” he murmured against my hair. “Only that I love you.” I felt his lips turn upward in a smile. “You cannot blame the man for thinking what he did.”
    “No?” I glanced up at him, uncertain.
    Bao kissed me. “No. But only for all the best reasons.”
    “Tell me.”
    One by one, he did.
    And in the end, it was a good night after all.

THIRTY-SEVEN

    C ome morning, Lord Cuixtli returned.
    I had to own, I felt a bit foolish climbing into the palanquin after all the formal introductions that had been omitted in yesterday’s confusion had been made. I may have been descended from three royal lines, but at heart, I was still my mother’s daughter, raised in a cave in the Alban wilderness.
    But I’d learned the value of appearances in Terre d’Ange, and it was important to command respect here. So I took my seat beneath the ornate feathered canopy, and four strong Nahuatl bearers hoisted the palanquin onto their shoulders.
    On Lord Cuixtli’s command, we departed the Aragonian garrison and set out for the city of Tenochtitlan.
    The great causeways connecting the city to the mainland were even more impressive than I’d reckoned, broad enough to allow five men to walk abreast in comfort, well nigh half a league in length. Here and there, the shallow lake was dotted with
chinampas
, artificial islands rooted to its marshy bottom, spread thick with rich soil and planted with crops. Whatever else was true, the Nahuatl were indeed an ingenious folk.
    I wondered what the Emperor was like.
    I wished I were more fluent in the Nahuatl tongue. Denis de Toluard had done his best to teach us aboard the ship during our long journey, but he was a natural-born scholar, a scion of Blessed Elua’smost learned Companion Shemhazai, and he grew impatient when skills that came easily to him did not come easily to others. But in truth, I was allowing myself to rely too heavily on him here in Terra Nova. I resolved to make a greater effort, knowing I could do far better than I had thus far.
    Still, I had chosen Denis to accompany me to the audience with Emperor Achcuatli, along with Bao and Balthasar and Septimus Rousse, rounding out my roster of five companions with Brice de Bretel, who had impressed me with his steadiness aboard the ship. Brice carried our tribute-gift for the Emperor, a large, very fine mirror set in a gilded frame studded with gems, wrapped in ornate brocade and gold braid.
    I hoped it would find favor with him, and he would be willing to provide us with aid. One knowledgeable guide could mean the difference between success and failure, mayhap even life or death.
    At last our company traversed the length of the great causeway and entered the city proper. We passed many low dwellings, as well as open squares where markets were held, throngs of folk buying and selling goods in a calm manner. Everything in Tenochtitlan seemed very clean and orderly.
    It wasn’t until we passed through a gate into the main central square where the great temples loomed that I began to feel uncomfortable.
    The largest of the temples was truly