Shadows of Moth by Daniel Arenson Page A

Neekeya had met Tam, and she loved him
with more fire than a burning forest, more light than a blazing sun.
She held him close, kissed his cheek, and nuzzled his neck. He placed
his arm around her, and they slept entwined together.
    When they woke, she built a fire
and they ate a breakfast of grilled frog legs; she chewed hers
lustfully while Tam only nibbled, looking queasy. They kept walking
through the water, brush, and clouds of insects. After several more
hours, they finally saw the pyramids ahead—the great realm of Eetek.
    Thirteen pyramids grew from the
swamps, thousands of years old, arranged into the shape of a great
reptile. The pyramids seemed as alive as the swamps. Their lower
bricks were green with thick moss. Higher up the pyramids, the moss
faded, but many weeds, vines, and even trees grew between the craggy
bricks. Birds fluttered above; their droppings stained the slanting
walls. The pyramids were ancient and they showed their age. Those in
the north, Neekeya knew, would mock the southern lords for letting
nature invade their structures; they would call these pyramids
neglected, infested with moss and leaves and wildlife. But to Neekeya
and her family, these halls were not separate from nature but an
extension of it, and the greenery upon the stone only enhanced their
beauty.
    She pointed at the largest
pyramid, the one forming the reptile's eye. From this distance, she
could just make out the gateway near the peak. Men in armor stood
there upon a stone ledge. From here they seemed smaller than ants,
but she could hear their horns. The silver trumpets were announcing a
new turn, and the song brought tears to Neekeya's eyes. A song of
home.
    "We stand before Eetek
Pyramid, the greatest in these swamps," she said, "and its
song calls us home."
    They
walked through the marshlands, stepping over tussocks of grass and
mangrove roots when they could, wading through mossy water when they
could find no steppingstones. Other Daenorians traveled the
marshlands around them. Men oared reed sheh'an boats, holding baskets of fish and cages of birds. In the south,
people speared frogs and dived for mollusks. Reed huts grew upon
grassy hillocks, and other huts nestled among the branches of trees.
Here were the commoners of Daenor, clad in seeken homespun, a fabric woven of lichen and leaves. Bracelets and
necklaces of copper jangled around their wrists, and beads filled
their hair. They smiled at Neekeya as she walked by, calling
blessings toward her.
    Finally she and Tam reached the
great pyramid and stood at its base. Chipped statues, shaped as men
with crocodile heads, guarded a staircase that climbed the pyramid's
eastern flank. The pyramid rose five hundred feet tall; Neekeya's
father claimed it was the tallest structure in the world. Priests
stood upon a stone outcrop near the crest, playing brass horns; the
sound rained down, keening and deep and metallic. At the pyramid's
base stood several guards. They wore scale armor, green cloaks, and
crocodile helms with steel teeth, and they held spears and bows.
    " Latani Neekeya!" the guards said. "Welcome home, Latani !"
    "What
does latani mean?" Tam whispered.
    "It is our word for
'lady,'" she said, feeling her cheeks heat up.
    Tam's eyebrows rose so high they
almost touched his hair. "Lady! I didn't realize I was in the
presence of a fine, pampered lady of the court." He sketched a
mocking bow. "My dearest Lady Neekeya, would your ladyship care
for some crumpets, perhaps—"
    She
nudged him with her elbow, scowling. "Be quiet! I'm no fancy
lady. I'm no North Daenorian or Ardishwoman. I'm a proud swamp
warrior. It's not my fault your language has no proper word; your
people don't even say the name of my kingdom properly. Just think of
me as a latani —a
warrior lady, if you will." She grabbed his hand. "Come
with me and we'll see my father, and don't bow to me again, not even
in jest. The Deneteki bow to no one, not even to their lords. We're proud. We're free. In
the