Bride of the Blood Moon
he says.
His voice is soft, but I sense the humor in it, and for a moment I almost smile.
From behind him, a woman materializes—she must be his mother, though they share little resemblance except in the set of their jaws. Her hair is black, pulled back tight enough to make her brow shine, and her arms are corded with the muscle of someone who has known more shovels than spoons. She puts a hand on the boy’s shoulder, drawing him in close. Her eyes are flat and brown, the whites shot with red, but she looks at me with something more than fear. Deference, yes, but also a bone-deep resentment, as if every royalty in Aradal owes her a debt.
Sikat na Kabanata