BooksBarbecue
Back The Night and Its Moon
Chapters (64)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  6. Pronunciation Guide
  7. Prologue
  8. Part One
  9. One
  10. Two
  11. Three
  12. Four
  13. Five
  14. Six
  15. Seven
  16. Eight
  17. Nine
  18. Ten
  19. Eleven
  20. Twelve
  21. Thirteen
  22. Part Two
  23. Fourteen
  24. Fifteen
  25. Sixteen
  26. Seventeen
  27. Eighteen
  28. Nineteen
  29. Twenty
  30. Twenty-One
  31. Twenty-Two
  32. Twenty-Three
  33. Part Three
  34. Twenty-Four
  35. Twenty-Five
  36. Twenty-Six
  37. Twenty-Seven
  38. Twenty-Eight
  39. Twenty-Nine
  40. Thirty
  41. Thirty-One
  42. Thirty-Two
  43. Thirty-Three
  44. Thirty-Four
  45. Thirty-Five
  46. Part Four
  47. Thirty-Six
  48. Thirty-Seven
  49. Thirty-Eight
  50. Thirty-Nine
  51. Forty
  52. Forty-One
  53. Forty-Two
  54. Forty-Three
  55. Forty-Four
  56. Forty-Five
  57. Forty-Six
  58. Forty-Seven
  59. Epilogue
  60. Excerpt from The Sun and Its Shade
  61. The Night and Its Moon Playlist
  62. Acknowledgments
  63. About the Author
  64. Back Cover

An omnilinguist had once visited the Selkie. While some humans were born with the small magics of palm reading, of fire, of scrying, or of stone, this young man had been invited to hold an audience with the queen for his gift of gab. He’d been eighteen—nearly a man in his own right—before he knew he’d even been born with such a magic, as he hadn’t done much traveling before taking work on a ship. Everywhere they docked, whether the remote southern isles, the hot sand shores of the Tarkhany Desert, or even across the Long Sea, he’d understood and spoken with anyone he’d met without ever having encountered their people or studied their words. It didn’t take long for word of his gift to spread. It was a delightful power, to be sure. While some magics terrified simple folk and villagers, there were few ways the power of language could frighten the citizens of the continent. The proud man had just concluded his meeting with the monarch when he’d marched directly to the best brothel on the coast to celebrate his honorific title as the court’s translator.

It had been comparatively exciting to hear from someone directly who dealt with the queen rather than rumors or cityfolk’s opinions of the lordlings. The omnilinguist claimed Moirai was a sharp and suspicious woman, wary of all who entered her throne room. After her daughter, Princess Daphne, had passed, she had sequestered herself to rule as Queen Regent while the young crowned prince grew to maturity. Once probed with enough drink to loosen his omnilingual lips, he’d described Moirai as a paranoid old witch and declared himself ready to serve the young king whenever he ascended the throne. Nox had smiled at that, always finding new ways to be amused at the pliability of men. What wouldn’t they say in the company of women?

No matter how much coin he’d offered, Nox had refused to go up the stairs with him the night of his visit. At the time, she had not yet managed to sleep with a man without killing him, and this man of many tongues would have been a shame to murder. She hadn’t particularly liked him, but she had seen the potential for usefulness in keeping him alive. She made some laughing, vague reference to her moon time of the month as an excuse, promising that if he were to return to the Selkie, she’d give him the ride of his life. Now that she’d mastered her curse, she’d love the chance to add the queen’s omnilinguist to her harem of puppets.