Eramane (6 page)

“Does it hurt?” Samiah asks, waiting for me to sit and prop my foot on the bed. He takes my foot in his hand, inspecting it. “Eramane, this does not look so bad. Why did mother stitch it?”

“Because it was much worse yesterday, Samiah, and maybe the astringent that mother used helped it along.”

“I’d say. I should cut the stitches out. It looks like they can be removed,” he says.

“I will do it tonight. It cannot hurt to leave them in a bit longer.”

“Are you sure you are all right?” Samiah asks.

“I am fine.” I try to rise from the bed, but Samiah and Mira are huddled over me as if I have just been pierced with an arrow and they are trying to decipher my last words.

“Hit me,” Samiah says. “Smack me straight across the face. I deserve it.”

“I am not slapping you, Samiah. It was an accident, after all.”

“C’mon,” he teases, turning his head to the side so I have a good target. “Right here.” He taps his cheek.

“Why not leave and let me finish getting dressed? Lebis will be here any moment now.”

“Suit yourself,” he says. Then he leans down and kisses my head. “I am sorry, sister. Heal quickly.” Samiah turns to his wife. “I will be outside tending the horses,” he says, pulling the door closed behind him.

“Your foot is healing well, but it still needs to be wrapped,” Mira says, putting my foot in her lap. We sat on the bed in their guest room while she tended to my injury. “You should sleep fine in here,” Mira says. “We just purchased this bed, and it is stuffed full of goose feathers.” She moves my leg off of her lap and stands to brush my hair.

“I can do that,” I say, not wanting to feel like a burden.

“Nonsense, Eramane. I love to fix up hair. Besides, I am going to need the experience if our baby is a girl.” Mira pauses, waiting for me to catch on. I do.

“You are with child?” I ask, filled with excitement.

“Yes,” she says, swelling with joy. I stand and hug her.

“I have to go congratulate Samiah,” I say, starting for the door.

“He does not know yet,” Mira says. “I have not told him because I wanted to make absolutely sure.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“I will have missed my second cycle in a few days. Once I make it that far along, I will know for certain; but, Eramane, I feel it already.” Her eyes glisten with tears.

“You are pregnant, Mira. Oh, I am so happy for you both!” We hug again and then she pushes me back.

“Now, let us get your hair done before Lebis arrives.” Mira pulls my hair back and braids it all the way down to my waistline, tying it with sand-colored ribbon. Then she places the bird-wing hairpin just above my ear. “All that is left is to put on your yellow dress. I will be in the kitchen,” Mira says.

Lebis will be here soon, but my beautiful yellow dress is becoming a nuisance. The length is bothersome because of my wrapped foot, and the bottom of the dress keeps tangling between my feet. But I love this dress, and I am determined to wear it. I look myself over in the mirror. The hairpin and ribbon stand out against my dark brown tresses. I lift my hand to touch the hairpin; I love it. Satisfied, I hobble out to the kitchen.

“There is no way that Lebis could take another after looking at you.” The wonderful compliment comes from Samiah as he rises from his chair at the kitchen table. “You know, I will have my men keeping an eye on the two of you,” he says with a smirk.

“Will they hold my hand too?” I ask.

“If I tell them to, they will,” he says, and they would too. We trade smiles and I pull up a seat.

“Where is Mira?” I ask.

“She said she needed to lie down for a bit. She is not feeling well.” Samiah looks concerned.

“I am sure she will be fine,” I say, trying to lift Samiah’s concern. “She may have eaten something from the festival that has disagreed with her. You know, I was feeling unlike myself last night, but I am better now.”

“You are probably right,” he says. I think I convinced him. My story was not completely dishonest; I did feel unlike myself last night, right after I stepped on that shard of glass.

I hear the slowing trot of a horse just outside. Samiah looks out the kitchen window.

“Your knight has just arrived,” he says. “Take that.” Samiah points to a small dagger lying on the cutting block. “Keep it tied to your leg.” He hands me a leather strap. “Why would I need this?” I ask, almost worried.

“I like Lebis, I really do. But when it comes to you, I do not trust any man.”

“Are you serious, Samiah? I am nervous enough without you frightening me. I am not taking it. Have your men follow us. I do not care, but I am not tying a blade to my leg.” I toss the strap next to the blade.

“Take it, Eramane. I will not take no for an answer. There is nothing wrong with having help if you need it.”

Samiah begins to walk to the door. “What are you doing?” I ask.

“I am just going to say hello, Eramane. He makes my weapons; it would be rude if I did not.” He opens the front door halfway and, looking back to me, he says, “Put that on.” He looks down at the blade, and then out of the house he goes.

“I am not wearing that.” I pick up the blade and the leather strap, open a cupboard door and toss them in. I will deal with Samiah later, but not now. He will not find out until we are out of sight. I begin to close the cupboard door when I see Mira in the doorway.

“Mira!” Her presence startles me, and I shut the cupboard door less delicately than I would have liked. “Are you feeling better?”

“A bit,” she says, reaching for the water pitcher. I pull a chair out for her to sit. “I suggested to Samiah that you may have eaten something spoiled. He seemed to believe it, so you may be able to disguise your nausea for a few more days without suspicion.”

“That is clever, Eramane.” Her voice is dry.

“Did you vomit?” I ask.

“Quite a bit, actually.” She wipes her brow. “Till there was nothing left.”

“You should go back to bed and rest. It is hot, and heat never helps nausea.”

“I will. I just wanted to see you off. Did Samiah ask you to wear that ridiculous blade?”

I look to the cupboard. “Yes.” Mira follows my gaze.

“But you tossed it in my cabinet instead?” Mira’s laugh is dry too.

“Please, Mira, do not tell him.”

“Your secret is safe with me, Eramane. Now get out of here before Lebis hops back on that horse to fetch Lily.”

“You are hopeless, Mira.” I kiss her good-bye on the cheek. “Go back to bed.”

“Have fun. Be safe,” she says. I walk to the front door, take a deep breath, and open it, greeting Lebis with a friendly smile.

He is standing with his arms folded; he looks different. I am accustomed to seeing him in dark leather garments pierced with burn holes, in gloves and big boots. Like this, though, he looks bright, dressed in a light linen shirt and dark trousers. His light brown, curly hair falls just past his neck. Lebis does not look like the rugged local blacksmith any longer. I try to look him over once more before being noticed, but my chance to take him in has passed.

“Eramane,” Lebis greets me with a gentleman’s bow.

“Hello,” I say, taking my time down the steps, favoring my injury.

“What happened?” Lebis asks, offering his hand to steady me down the last few steps.

“I stepped on a shard of glass last night.”

“Does it hurt?” Lebis asks.

“Only when I am awake,” I say with sarcasm. Samiah remains silent, his lips tight, as if trying to keep from revealing the world’s biggest mystery. Lebis makes sure I am steady before releasing his grip. Our bodies are close, and my heart begins to race. Face-to-face, we stare at each other for a moment. His bright blues eyes make me smile. “This is for you,” Lebis says, as he presents me with a cherrywolf flower he had tied to his belt. “It is not as beautiful as you, but when I saw it, I thought of you.” His sincerity is heartfelt, and my nervousness is beginning to subside. Lebis is chivalrous and deserving of my attention.

“Where did you find it?” I ask.

“On my way here, just down the path there. It caught my attention, so I stopped Kelwyn and picked it.”

“These are not supposed to grow around here,” I say.

“A bird must have dropped a seed from a bloom it carried,” Samiah explains.

Lebis lifts the flower to my head, tucking it just below my bird-wing clip. I feel I cannot catch my breath. How am I supposed to go through with this when a simple gesture pummels me with panic?
Breathe, Eramane, you must breathe
.

“Thank you,” I say. That is all I can manage to say.

Samiah breaks in, “Lebis, how is the sword coming along?” he asks, stepping forward.

“Very well, my friend,” Lebis says. “Most of my recent work has been directed to travelers. But I was able to give your weapon some much-needed attention earlier this morning. A few more sessions and it will be quite a remarkable sword,” Lebis says, his tone proud. His attention focuses back to me. “Your brother and his Riders keep me very busy. I cannot believe an unimaginable number of requests were not waiting for me this morning,” Lebis says laughing. He leans in close to me and says, “They just wish they were the man standing here right now.” I blush.

“Well, I will not hold the two of you any longer. Get going.” Samiah puts his hands on our backs and pushes us toward Lebis’s horse. Lebis helps me up, since I should not put much weight on my foot, and turns to Samiah.

“I will be nothing less than a gentleman,” he says.

“I have complete faith in that, Lebis. You are an honorable man; otherwise, I would have already run you through.” Samiah’s eyes widen. He was mostly serious. They shake hands again and Lebis jumps onto his tan mare, Kelwyn. Lord Danius gave Lebis this mare because of his outstanding craftsmanship. Lord Danius has not lost any of his conflicts since Lebis has been crafting their weapons. Lord Danius believes that the strength and durability of the weapons has a major role in that feat. When the enemies’ swords would break off into pieces, Lebis’s weapons held strong. Giving Lebis the mare as a token of gratitude made Kelwyn special to Lebis, and her bloodline makes her irreplaceable, since the line is usually only passed to nobility. Kelwyn is like Lebis’s workmanship: strong, lasting, and dependable.

We ride slowly up the hill that leads to the river. Once we top the hill, I lean up to Lebis’s ear. “Let her go!”

Turning his head slightly, he asks, “Are you sure?”

“Yes!” I confirm.

“She is really fast,” he shouts proudly.

“Yes! Yes! I am sure! Let her go!” My excitement reassures him, and he gives his beautiful horse the command. Kelwyn does not hesitate. She lunges and we gallop down the hillside into the meadow. The mare runs so fast that the wind whistles as it passes my ears. The flowers part as we trample through them. Insects fly in all directions to avoid our sudden and unstoppable intrusion. The moment engulfs me, and I let go of Lebis to put my hands out. I lift my head to the sky and inhale all of the smells from the earth. I feel the sun trying to kiss my skin, but it cannot keep up with us. I squeeze Kelwyn tightly with my legs; her slender physique enables me to hold on tight. I wish that this moment of freedom will last forever.

My moment of enjoyment is short-lived, as the image of the beautiful man I saw earlier revisits me. But I decide immediately that I want to dwell on this moment, my moment with Lebis, his magnificent mare, and the beautiful meadow. I open my eyes and in an instant the image is gone, replaced by my beautiful surroundings. I lean forward and put my arms around Lebis’s waist, gently latching on to him. He looks back to me, and I see a smile come over him before he can turn away.

“There it is!” Lebis shouts. “Just beyond the tree line!” Kelwyn slows her run to a trot, then to a walk. “We will have to walk her in. She gets a little spooked by the shadows. Once we are in, she will be all right,” Lebis says, pulling back on her reins. He dismounts, drops the reins, and offers his hand to me. I slide down the side of the horse and land on the softest, greenest grass I have ever seen. As I look around, I realize that I have never been to this part of the river before. Usually my family goes to the waterfall by the cliffs. Here, though, the river runs through the forest, very secluded and peaceful.

We walk into the woods. Lebis searches for a spot to lay down our picnic blanket. He locates a brilliant green, moss-covered patch right next to the edge of the river. The forest is thick, but beams of light shoot through in every place they can, giving it a dreamlike quality: a setting fit for fairy tales. The beauty of this place is astounding. Lebis throws out a thick, red, velvet blanket, stirring the woodland creatures. Blue and yellow butterflies flutter all around, and their wings twinkle when they catch beams of sunlight piecing through the trees. A rabbit hops along the edge of the river, and little birds migrate from tree to tree, trying to get a closer look at the humans who have invaded their homes. The mare, on her own accord, saunters over to the river’s edge and lowers her head to the water, sucking in its cold refreshment. I am curious to know how cold the water feels. I edge up slowly and kneel down to submerge my fingertips.