Leena Likitalo: The Five Daughters of the Moon

A gust of wind sweeps down the platform. It scatters specks of ice over us as it howls like an enraged beast. The guards’ faces pale as one.

“Bless the Moon.” Captain Janlav draws a circle around his heart. The other guards are quick to follow suit. They still respect and fear my father.

My sisters and I stand unfazed. We have known of our mother’s demise for weeks now, ever since the shadow of a swan visited Alina. We have hidden our grief so well that unburying it is a struggle. At least one of us should cry and wail. But none of us do.

It is Alina who breaks the silence. “Are we going?”

I wrap an arm around her narrow shoulders. She doesn’t realize how dangerous this question is. I can’t chastise her for that. But I can minimize the damage. “Yes, my dear. We are going back to the train now.”

As I lead Alina toward the day carriage, she glances over her shoulder. I shouldn’t look back, but I do. My seed is petting the brown mare. The horse’s head rests against his temple. His lips move as he murmurs soft words.

“Oh…” Alina stumbles on her own feet. “I thought…”

“Hush, little one. Hush now.” I guide her toward the train. The guards must not learn why my seed really came. Secrets are valuable. Some more so than others. This one is particularly precious, a weapon against the gagargi. “We grieve for Mother when we are alone. That is the way of the Moon.”

The wind moans as we return to our carriage. We don’t. Captain Janlav collects our blankets. He leaves without a word said, without one last smile aimed at Elise. He locks the door behind him. I count the steps moving farther away. My sisters stare expectantly at me. I raise my right hand. I lower it only after I can no longer hear his steps.

I dread what else I might hear. Gunshots in the distance. The demise of my seed.

Mother also said that an empress should never live in fear. She must face the truth and bear the consequences. Even if she is the one who betrayed those she loves the most. “The gagargi learnt of my plan.”

My sisters glance at each other. Not one of them knew of my seed’s involvement. Not one of them can be blamed. I did my best, but that wasn’t enough. But what sort of excuse is that! I failed them, and that is unforgivable.

Elise reaches out for my left hand. Her long, slim fingers curl around mine. “It’s not your fault.”

And then, without a word said, my sisters form a circle, from the oldest to the youngest, so that in the end I hold hands with both Elise and Alina. They… they haven’t forgiven me, for they see no reason to do so in the first place. At that moment I am speechless.

The train shudders into movement. The clanks against the icy rails are loud and cold, slow and heavy. How long will the soldiers by the stable wait before executing my seed? Until the train recedes from sight or not even that long?

I wait for the sound of rifles fired, holding my breath until I grow dizzy. But the train is too loud today. It hoots, and the wheels clatter like the hooves of an iron steed. I will not hear when my seed’s end comes. Perhaps it is better that way.

“What now?” Sibilia’s cheeks are flushed red, but her voice is soft and mellow. Merile and Alina nod in unison. The dogs lie down against my feet, to rest. They are not worried about what the future might bring in its wake. My sisters, they trust me with their lives, and as I am the oldest, it is my duty to come up with a new plan, to prevail against odds that might yet seem impossible.

“We will wait. We will be patient.” I squeeze Alina’s hand, Elise’s hand. Theirs are so warm against mine. “We are the Daughters of the Moon. Eventually we will triumph.”

LEENA LIKITALOhails from Finland, the land of endless summer days and long, dark winter nights. She lives with her husband on an island at the outskirts of Helsinki, the capital. But regardless of her remote location, stories find their way to her and demand to be told.

While growing up, Leena struggled to learn foreign languages. At sixteen, she started reading science fiction and fantasy in English. The stories were simply too exciting not to finish, and thus she rather accidentally learned the language.

These days, Leena breaks computer games for a living. When she’s not working, she writes obsessively. And when she’s not writing, she can be found at the stables riding horses.

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THE FIVE DAUGHTERS OF THE MOON

Copyright © 2017 by Leena Likitalo

Cover art by Anna and Elena Balbusso

Cover design by Christine Foltzer

Edited by Claire Eddy

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ISBN 978-0-7653-9542-9 (ebook)

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First Edition: July 2017

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