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The Seduction of Seleste

from the world of the mating season

A Good Witch or a Bad Witch

Chapter 48

Keme didn't hesitate to take up one of the moon flowers from the basket. He slapped it under the plump imposture's nose, and Enayape came awake. She stiffened when she realized she was tied down, then she narrowed Gosheven's pretty eyes and scowled at them all.

"You skinny skulking bitch," Enayape snarled, and her paws tightened on the armrests. "Let me up from here, or I swear to my ancestors --"

"You mean my ancestors," Gosheven cut across her. "It was by their power that we switched bodies, Enayape."

Sitting stiff behind the press of the knife, Taigi's eyes widened to hear such a thing. He scowled, as if it were nothing more than the ravings of his lunatic slave. When he started hurling threats behind his gag, Gosheven jerked him by the mane and pressed the knife. A faint red line began to appear on Taigi's throat, and he sputtered.

"Gosheven!" Honiahaka cried in astonishment. He took a halting step forward, paws out.

Keme stood still behind the imposture's chair, not knowing what to do. He couldn't tell if Gosheven was putting on a front to get the confession, or if she was really going to hurt Taigi. The look on Honiahaka's face said he couldn't tell either.

"No!" cried Enayape from her chair, and her eyes shrank with fear. "P-Please - don't hurt Taigi, I love him!"

"Tell him the truth," Gosheven snarled. She jerked Taigi roughly by the mane. "Or I'll kill him!"

Tied in the chair across from Taigi, the imposture Gosheven seethed at the threat. But seeing Taigi in distress, she bowed her head and confessed, "It's true. Ancestors deliver me. . . I am not Gosheven, I am Enayape." She lifted her head and peered miserably at Taigi, who was staring at her in disbelief. "I was only supposed to inhabit her body until the child was born. But I --" Her lip trembled. "I fell in love with you, Taigi! So I made Gosheven miscarry, I trapped her in my body - because I loved you, I wanted to keep you --!"

Listening to the imposture's sobbing voice, Keme almost felt sorry for her. But then he glanced over at Gosheven, who was still holding the knife to Taigi's throat - Gosheven, who had spent two years trapped in a body that was not her own. Her face looked so pained. She had lost a child because of Enayape, had felt the blood dripping down her thighs and with it, all the hope and joy she had known in carrying it. No. If anyone deserved pity here, it was Gosheven.

"I . . . I placed a curse on the house," whispered the imposture, "and those who entered with a pup in their womb would have that pup perish --"

"Because as soon as I birthed a pup in your body," Gosheven said darkly, "the spell would have reversed!"

The imposture bowed her head.

"You knew that," Gosheven said through her fangs, "so you made Taigi keep impregnating me! You made me keep losing pups - do you have any idea - it was killing me!" Gosheven's lip trembled, and Keme believed her: she was so thin she could turn sideways and disappear.

"I am sorry, mistress," the imposture whispered from her chair. "So sorry."

Gosheven didn't answer. She just stared at Enayape, tears in her eyes.

Keme suddenly wanted to ring Enayape's neck himself: Seleste had lost her pup because of Enayape! Seleste had been so weak and ill, had suffered under the weight of Enayape's curse!

"Gosheven," Honiahaka said. "Look!" He rushed forward and fell to his knees beside Taigi's chair.

As if she had suddenly remembered her husband, Gosheven dropped the knife and fumbled to cup Taigi's face. Keme could see that Taigi's eyes had cleared, as if a fog had been lifted from them. He looked up at his wife, miserable and weary, and as Keme watched him, he thought it was like looking at another wolf entirely.

"Oh, Taigi," Gosheven moaned and pried the gag from his lips, "Taigi, Taigi my love --!"

"Let's get you out of this," Honiahaka said with a heavy sigh of relief. He started untying Taigi and Keme came over to help. He waved Honiahaka back and simply ripped the ropes to shreds.

Once freed, Taigi glanced at Keme in amazement, then leaned forward and wrapped Gosheven in his arms. He hugged her waist and kissed her womb. She hugged his head and cried into his mane, and they just held each other for a long time, the tears streaming down their cheeks.

"To think," Taigi whispered after a long pause. He pressed his forehead to Enayape's slender belly. "All this suffering and heartache because we wanted a child. I know now . . ." he looked up at his wife and smiled, "I only need you."

"Hurry up and switch back," Keme growled. "So I can strangle Enayape! And . . . I'm just getting confused."

Taigi laughed and stood up. Keme's ears pricked forward. Somehow, it was strange to hear Taigi laugh. It was like cracking open an egg . . . and finding a berry inside.

"Keme," Taigi said and extended his paw, "I know an apology won't take back what I've done --"

"Then don't apologize," Keme said and shook Taigi's offered paw. "You weren't yourself. Knowing that, I no longer want to break your neck. Kinda."

Taigi squeezed Keme's paw and laughed again. "Thank you for restoring my sanity." He looked at Honiahaka. "Both of you. What would Taigi do without Baby?"

Honiahaka smiled. "What would Baby do without Taigi? Keme's the reason I was able to help: I was too much a fool to notice you were . . . grumpier than usual."

Taigi frowned sadly and turned to his wife. "You weren't able to reach Okomi either?"

Gosheven shook her head sadly. Taigi put his arm around her and she dropped her head against him. She smiled when he kissed the top of her mane.

"At least this is one bonehead decision we made together," Gosheven laughed.

Taigi smiled. "Yes. At least. I can't pretend I wasn't also fooled by Enayape's suggestion to switch bodies." He let Gosheven go and moved past her to stand over the imposture.

The imposture Gosheven had watched the loving reunion with a seething expression, but now faced with Taigi, her lip trembled and she bowed her head. Taigi looked on the verge of a few choice angry words, but he suddenly turned away, clenched his fists, and said grimly, "Let's get this over with."

---

Keme stood back and watched with his arms folded as Gosheven danced around the fire. She and Taigi had worked together to build it until it was blazing. When Keme and Honiahaka offered their help, Gosheven insisted that they merely stand aside: the spell was more likely to work if the ones Enayape had directly wronged put their energy into preparing it.

Having helped his wife, Taigi moved back to stand beside Honiahaka. He watched Gosheven's dancing anxiously, and Keme saw Honiahaka put a comforting paw on his shoulder.

With the fire built up, Gosheven had placed a spoon in the imposture Gosheven's mouth. There was one tense moment when Keme thought Enayape was going to refuse, but the disgusted look on Taigi's face made something in her crumble. Eyes dull with misery, she took the spoon in her teeth and glared sulkily at Gosheven.

Gosheven put the second spoon in her own teeth, then proceeded to dance around the fire. Keme's ears pricked forward when Gosheven tossed her paws and the fire sparked blue. It was a bright, crackling, electric color and was nothing like the dark purple flames Keme had witnessed so many times now.

As if the fire were feeding her energy, Gosheven's dance became wild. She spun until her mane tossed, she kicked at the air, she shook her tail. She danced with passion, with fervor, and moved in such a seductive way that - if not for the situation - Keme knew he might have gotten hard. Her fangs flashing around the spoon, Gosheven danced until she was so breathless, she fell to her knees before the fire.

The blue bird Paelo appeared before Gosheven in the smoke, and in this form, he was much larger than before. He towered above them all, his essence darkening the room, his wings spanning its width. His small eyes narrowed on the imposture, then smiled on Gosheven. He nodded, and his form collapsed into small wisps of smoke, disappearing.

The imposture was still tied to her chair, and Gosheven went to stand before her. As they faced each other, the blue light moved from the fire and began to crackle between their spoons, connecting them. Both females began to twitch and their fur stood on end. The imposture twitched so hard in her chair, her mane fell from its magnificent bun and into her face.

"We must be ready to subdue Enayape," Honiahaka said, "once they have switched." He glanced at Keme. "Subdue," he repeated. "Not harm."

Keme rolled his eyes. "I get it. I have some control over my strength, Honi."

Honiahaka smiled. "I know."

"Gosheven!" Taigi shouted.

Keme saw him run toward the females. Enayape's small, skinny body had collapsed to the floor. Gosheven's plump body was still in the chair, but the ropes had frayed and burnt away. Taigi fell to his knees beside the chair and peered into Gosheven's face. After asserting that it was her, he whispered a sigh of relief and hugged her tight.

Now back in her rightfully body, the real Enayape sat up on the floor and rubbed her head. She scowled as she watched Taigi and Gosheven exchange frantic kisses.

"I loved him," Enayape cried, and her small breasts heaved. "I loved him better than you ever could! He was happy with me --!"

"Enough!" Taigi warned. He pointed a finger at her, and in that moment, he reminded Keme a great deal of Honiahaka.

Enayape shook her head and rose to her feet. She waved her arms in a wide scooping motion, as if she was gathering something invisible to herself. Lightning began crackling from her fingers. "I loved you, Taigi! Loved you! You will suffer for spurning me!"

"No, he won't!" said Keme. He gave Enayape a nice bop on the back of the head that made her eyes cross. She swayed forward, then collapsed back in Keme's arms.

"We'll need gold manacles for her," Honiahaka said. He came to Keme's side and scowled down at Enayape's small body. "Keme won't always be quick enough to knock her lights out when she tries to zap us."

"Though I can sure as hell try," said Keme. He stared at the thin body hanging limp in his arms. Enayape looked so small and pitiful curled against him. And she looked so sad. He had wanted to see her punished for what she'd done, but looking at her now . . . he wasn't sure what he wanted.

"We can get manacles from the chieftess," Taigi said, though he hadn't taken his eyes off his wife.

Gosheven hadn't taken her eyes off Taigi either. She was giving him a twisted sort of amused smile, and he was slowly stroking her mane. They kissed.

"I was a fool," Taigi said, "to think I needed anyone but you!"

"Taigi," Gosheven said and cupped her husband's face, "there was nothing wrong with wanting a child!"

"That I couldn't give you one . . . I still . . ." Taigi sighed and closed his eyes a moment. He looked at his wife. "I just want to make you happy."

Gosheven shook her head. "Oh, Taigi, I am happy!"

"And if you really want a family, you can adopt," said a deep voice.

Everyone looked up to find Okomi standing in the doorway.

"Someone reported shouting and strange lights coming for your hut," Okomi said when Taigi questioned him. His eyes went to Enayape and he scowled. "So you finally killed her, did you?"

"What?" cried Keme. "No! He didn't --"

Honiahaka lifted his paws. "Let us explain."

To Keme's surprise, Okomi calmly pulled up a chair, sat, clasped his paws, and shrugged as he said, "So explain."

Taigi stepped out a moment to send someone for gold manacles. The small boy he paid to do the deed returned breathless ten minutes later, and they gladly put the restraints on Enayape's limp body, so that when she awoke she would not be able to use magic against them. Okomi noted the need for gold manacles and asked after them. It was Gosheven who explained everything as she set to work removing all her jewelry.

"You know," Okomi said when they had finished answering his questions, "I should have known something was going on - not because Taigi was being a prat. No, he's always a prat," he said, and gave Taigi a hard ruffle on the mane that was laughingly smacked off. "But because you hate jewelry, Gosheven," he said and laughed. "To see you suddenly switching around sparkling was odd indeed."

Keme glanced behind Okomi at the portrait of Gosheven on the wall. Yup. No jewelry. If anything, she looked more beautiful without it.

"Not to mention," Taigi added and touched his wife's face, "my Gosheven is gentle and kind. She could never treat Enayape the way Enayape treated her."

Gosheven smiled under her husband's doting and her lashes fanned down.

"So what do we do with her?" Keme wondered.

Enayape's small body lay on the earthen floor near Keme, bound at the wrists and ankles by the gold manacles. She was still unconscious. Her mouth was slack and open, her eyes closed, her lanky mane in her face. Keme and the others, meanwhile, were all seated around the fire: Taigi and Gosheven were seated on the couch, Okomi was still in his chair, and Keme and Honiahaka sat on fur mats close to the fire pit.

"Moon wolf law," said Okomi quietly, "would demand her blood."

Gosheven gasped and put a small paw to her lips. "I - I don't want her to die, Okomi!"

Okomi shrugged. "It's up to you and Taigi, Gosheven. But whatever you decide to do, if you want Enayape to live, you had better keep her misdeeds a secret. Iyira would want her head for what she's done. If it spread, her story would give other slaves hope. Even ideas."

Keme scowled. Slaves. What kind of world was this?

"I remember," said Gosheven slowly, "only the day before, she was screaming at me, and she mentioned something about 'hutboat heathens.' Perhaps --"

"Perhaps that's her tribe," Taigi said, as if it was dawning on him as well.

"You could return her," Gosheven said to Honiahaka and nodded as if it had been decided.

"I could?" repeated Honiahaka, amused by the fact that Gosheven had made the announcement as if he had no choice in the matter. With his elbows resting on his knees, he stared at Gosheven over his clasped paws.

"You are journeying across the sea, Honi," Gosheven reasoned. "Enayape's tribe is the sea wolves. They should be out there on their boathouses . . . somewhere."

Honiahaka laughed. "The sea is a vast place, Gosheven. How would we even find them - assuming, of course, that Enayape really comes from them."

Gosheven gestured at Enayape's limp body. "You have a guide right here."

The group discussed it further, and Okomi suggested they instruct Captain Hakid to travel east close to the coastline. The sea wolves were known to have camped in the area, though who knew if their boats were still there or not. And if all else failed, Okomi jokingly reminded them that they could force the information from Enayape by threatening to sell her to some ugly, ravenous, beast of a sorcerer - someone she could not trick or overpower. The very thought made Keme laugh.

They set off for the dock, and Keme easily carried Enayape's limp body over his shoulder. She had been out cold more than half an hour. He was starting to get worried when Honiahaka checked her pulse and insisted she was fine. The strain of switching bodies, he told Keme, was what really had her tired.

Gosheven was also weary after the switch but insisted on going to the dock with Taigi and Okomi to see everyone off. She told Keme and Okomi that she wanted to see Seleste, and to make a last attempt at putting Honiahaka and Talisa together - something she had been slowly working toward behind Taigi's bitter back.

Seleste was pacing the wharf when they arrived. The salty sea breeze whipped back her mane as she looked up and relief washed over her face. Talisa was leaning against a few stacked barrels with her hip thrust to the side, but seeing the group approach, she looked relieved as well. The two females came down the wharf, and Keme could tell Seleste wanted to run to him but was restraining herself.

"You're back in one piece," Talisa said and eyed Keme and Honiahaka. "Good work, boys. You managed not to fuck up without me."

Keme heard Taigi laugh and looked around. He waited tensely to see what Taigi would do. While under Enayape's influence, Taigi had been downright cruel to Talisa. Now the spell was broken, but he was still bitter toward Talisa nonetheless.

Talisa stiffened when Taigi approached her. She blinked when he leaned down and kissed her check.

"I'm sorry," Taigi said, "for the way I treated you, Tali. Honiahaka and Keme have much to tell you of what happened here."

". . . apparently, they do," answered Talisa, who was looking at Taigi in amazement. She glanced in confusion at Honiahaka, but the sun chief only watched the scene fondly and made no move to explain. "Who are you? And what have done with the real Taigi!"

Taigi laughed. "It's a long story, Tali. I'll let Honiahaka tell it to you."

"You . . ." Talisa peered hard at Taigi, and he watched her steadily, a small smile on his lips. "You aren't angry anymore?" Her face softened, as if she was seeing Taigi for the first time, seeing the young male he used to be, the young male she had grown up with in the sun village.

Taigi held Talisa's paws and peered earnestly into her eyes. "I just want you know," he said, "I'm not just sorry for everything that happened here - I'm sorry for what happened between us so long ago. Forcing you to marry me . . ." Taigi looked miserably at their clasped paws and swallowed hard. "It was the worst thing I ever did. I . . . just want you to be happy." So saying, Taigi took Honiahaka's paw and placed Talisa's small paw in it. "You and Baby have always loved each other," he said, "so do us all a favor and get married already."

Honiahaka smiled down at Talisa, who was looking at Taigi miserably. She suddenly threw her arms around Taigi's neck and hugged him tight. Taigi leaned down to receive the warmth of her embrace as she whispered in his ear, "I never meant to hurt you, Tai."

Taigi closed his eyes and smiled. "I know that now. I only wish I'd known it back then."

They broke apart and smiled at each other, then Taigi hugged Honiahaka and gave him a fond clap on the cheek.

"But what have you done to Enayape!" Seleste cried in amazement. She had been talking for a long time with Gosheven, and Gosheven's arm was around her.

"More like what she did to Gosheven," Keme returned with a snort. Enayape's small body was slung over his shoulder, and he could feel her gentle breathing. A part of him wondered if she wasn't merely pretending to be unconscious.

"We will explain everything," Honiahaka said with open arms, "but really, we must get underway. We've kept the crew waiting long enough." And he shooed everyone toward the ship like a mother hen.

After promising to explain everything to a bewildered Seleste, Keme took her paw and went with the others onboard. A sailor took Enayape's limp body from him and was instructed by Honiahaka to keep Enayape in her chains at all times - or else all of them would be very_ _sorry. The sun chief then proceeded to the stern to speak with the captain about their new destination.

Keme joined Talisa and Seleste near the rail, and as the ship pulled out, they waved to Taigi, Gosheven, and Okomi, who were still standing down on the wharf.

The ship began to pick up speed as they lurched away, and Gosheven became smaller and smaller. Honiahaka's brothers also shrank as they stood either side of her.

Seleste frowned thoughtfully. "Gosheven said she wished she could have spent more time with me." She looked at Keme. "What did she mean by that? She was with me for hours."

Keme heaved a breath when both females looked at him, and he wished Honiahaka had not left him to do this alone. He told them everything - about the body switch, how Taigi had been under a spell, the fact that Enayape was actually a sorceress from some tribe of sea wolves. They listened to him with understandable amazement, and when Keme had finished, Seleste looked on the verge of tears, Talisa looked on the verge of pure rage.

Talisa folded her arms and shook her head. "I was so busy being guilty about everything, I didn't even notice anything was wrong." She glared past Keme at Enayape, who had been tied to one of the mastheads and was being guarded by two bored-looking males.

As the ship rocked and swayed, Enayape came awake. She could barely lift her head, but her miserable eyes didn't seem able to lift from the deck anyhow. Her tail looked torn and ragged as it hung down by her legs. The gold manacles were still on her ankles and wrists. Her shackled wrists poked from the thick layer of rope that bound her. The wind lifted her mane and slapped it against her face. Her eyes stared dully, lifelessly at the deck.

"And I was sick . . ." Seleste said miserably, "because of her."

Seeing the tears water in Seleste's eyes, Keme remembered her miscarriage. He rubbed her shoulder and frowned sadly.

Seleste glanced up at Keme and smiled. "It's okay, Keme. It was almost like having my moons, only there was more blood. Maybe it was for the best," she said, "maybe it wasn't yours."

"She still made you suffer," Keme said darkly. "And Gosheven, and me --!" Keme halted and bit his lip. He naturally hadn't told them that Taigi had raped him. He'd never intended to.

Keme was glad Seleste didn't seem to notice his sudden vehemence: she was too busy thinking of her miscarriage and the strange events of the last couple days. Talisa, however, watched Keme with wise brown eyes. He was grateful when - rather tease him, laugh, or drag the truth into light - she simply nodded quietly and turned away.

"Let's get below deck," Talisa said, "gettin' windy up here."

Seleste nodded glumly and allowed Talisa to guide her away. When Keme hung back, the females didn't question him but kept going, and Keme was glad: Talisa was giving him a chance to avoid letting Seleste figure out that he'd been raped.

When they were gone, Keme noticed Honiahaka still talking with the captain in the stern. He smiled: it was like that first windy day he met Honiahaka all over again. His eyes went back to Enayape, who hadn't shifted from her miserable staring. Keme went to her. When he stopped before her and folded his arms, she didn't even look at him. But her lip curled slightly.

"I knew you were trouble," Enayape whispered.

Keme snorted. "No, you didn't."

"You took . . . everything from me!" Enayape said through her fangs. She began to tremble.

"It wasn't yours in the first place," Keme reminded her.

Enayape's eyes watered. "I just wanted . . . to be happy . . . wanted his love . . ."

"And Gosheven's riches, her clothes, her jewelry, her magical talent, her gorgeous body, her status in society," said Keme, counting on his fingers. "I forget anything? Oh! All the food you stuffed her with. That too."

Enayape sneered. "It's easy for you to judge me. You have everything! You have power, you have beauty, you even have love!"

"And if I didn't," said Keme, "I still wouldn't ruin someone else's life to get it."

Enayape fell silent, and Keme lifted his brows as if to say damn straight.

_"_I. . . . I didn't mean to hurt anyone," Enayape said in a small voice.

"That's the thing about envy," Keme said gently, "it's one selfish bitch."

Enayape laughed flatly. "So is love."

Keme tilted his head at her, as if he was urging her to smile. She looked at him for the first time, and after he made his eyebrows dance, her thin lips blossomed into a smile.

"Why are you . . . being nice to me?" Enayape said and her face contorted.

Keme laughed at her confusion. "I can be an ass if you prefer. I'm pretty good at it."

Enayape's eyes squeezed shut and she laughed hoarsely. "No, no. I like you this way."

"Besides," said Keme and jerked his head over at Honiahaka, who was still talking with the captain, "you see him?"

Enayape glanced behind Keme. "Taigi's little brother," she said.

Keme shrugged. "Guess you could say he's wearin' off on me."

It was true. As Keme looked at Enayape, he suddenly realized that there was a time when he would have wanted to see her suffer terribly for her mistakes. But after what had happened with Honiahaka and the shemales, he was starting to see that there were some wolves who were redeemable. But was Enayape redeemable? Could she learn from her mistakes? He thought of how Seleste had suffered because of Enayape and hoped for her sake that she could.

"So how'd you wind up a slave?" Keme wondered.

Enayape's face seemed to wither with the question, and Keme almost regretted asking. "You must not know much of sea wolves if you're asking," she returned.

Looking at her, Keme got the feeling she was going to tell him a story very akin to Aiyana's pygmy sob story. He suddenly didn't feel like hearing it. Because at the end of day, there wasn't an excuse. The pygmies did a terrible thing, and so did Enayape. Keme wanted to tell her to shut up and own up to it, but he was surprised to realize . . . she wasn't talking.

"Did you run away from home?" Keme wondered. "I need to know. Because when we find these sea wolves, I need to know what they're gonna do with you. Or if they'll even take you back."

"Don't you understand anything?" Enayape looked at Keme curiously. When he continued to look bewildered, she said, "Magic is considered a curse among my tribe. Those born with the power are slain at birth."

Keme stared. He'd never heard such a thing before. In all his recent travels, he'd never heard of a tribe that failed to use magic for its advantages. Magic allowed the crops to grow, it strengthened armies, it made females fertile, it healed the sick, it closed wounds. Those who could wield it were automatically given high status in society, and those who failed the training were ridiculed to shame on the very streets. Keme had witnessed such a shaming in the sun village himself. Magic was held in such high regard by the rest of the world . . . so why was it hated by the sea wolves?

Keme remembered how patiently Yuri had answered his curious questions, how she'd explained to him the great amount of pressure she'd been under from the time she was a pup. It was Yuri's belief that her moon wolf blood had aided her in her training. If not for her ancestry, she feared she might have failed her apprenticeship and - in her eyes, at least - failed Zaldon. Zaldon, who had done so much for her.

Even the bears of Phanyah, who sneered at anything to do with foxes or wolves, upheld magic and dedicated an honorary place for their shaman as the Watcher. In fact, magic was only hated and feared when wielded by one with evil intentions. Wolves like Tahki were exiled or murdered outright. Keme looked at Enayape and wondered if he could have shown Tahki the same mercy. Perhaps Enayape was, in fact, no better than Tahki.

"That glazed look in your eye," said Enayape with bitter amusement, "tells me you haven't a clue what I'm talking about."

Keme shrugged. "It's just . . . in all the other tribes I know of, magic isn't something to be feared. It's something that's used. Like a tool."

Enayape snorted. "I know. My tribe is so primitive they might as well be on all fours."

"I'm guessing you hid your magic then."

"And hid it well," Enayape confirmed. "For many years, my father taught me how to keep my powers a secret. It wasn't hard. I'm not that powerful. I can maybe knock someone unconscious with a little zap, even cook things with the heat from my fingers."

Keme laughed lightly. "And that's how you got caught."

"That's how I got caught," she repeated dully. "My father married me off. Husband walked in on me using my powers to cook dinner. Dragged me out on deck and was prepared to throw me to the sharks."

Keme's skeptical eyes softened as he watched Enayape's face drag down with misery.

"The whole time he's screaming 'Witch! Witch!' The others joined in, shouting for my death. I knew them my whole life, and just like that, they were ready to kill me! My father even joined in, pretending he hadn't known." She sniffed and her eyes watered with unshed tears. "I used my magic to knock my husband out. I was carrying his child when I did it. Went a bit overboard with my powers and . . . lost the baby.

"I turned his boat around and headed for land. The others naturally gave chase, hurled spears at me, firewood, fruit, whatever they had. Blood was running down my legs. I knew the baby was already gone . . . so I used magic to knock them down too. Made it to the moon wolves and let myself get taken into slavery. Anything was better than going back to my tribe.

"I was happy when Taigi and Gosheven bought me. They wanted a baby and so did I. We were all going to raise it together, love it together. For a long time, it was like I was a part of their family. I was Taigi's second wife, that's how it felt. They were so good to me . . ." her eyes darkened and she glowered at the floor ". . . they didn't deserve what I did to them."

Keme folded his arms and just watched Enayape, not knowing what to think. All of that could have been a lie told by a very convincing actress. For all he knew, they were going to be slaughtered by the sea wolves, and Enayape's tribe would welcome back their sorceress with open arms.

"After everything that's happened," Keme said slowly, "give me a reason why I should believe you."

Enayape's wretched eyes met his. "Magic is the only way you could."

Keme lifted his eyebrows as a sudden thought occurred to him.