Quest for the Sun Orb (10 page)

“That is very kind of you, Kapia,” Tiari said.  “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Tiari,” Kapia said.  “I’m very glad to have a new tent mate.  I think we’re going to get on very well together.”

“I have never had a companion before,” Tiari said.  “Nor a friend.  I am very much looking forward to it.”

“I’ve had very few companions myself, so I know a little about what you mean, though I did not suffer as you did,” Tiari said.  “Karma is my first real friend.  I am happy that you will be my second.”

After dinner Kapia showed Tiari into her chamber and turned her over to Caral, then went to her chamber for her own bath.  As she sat in the steaming water she wondered if it had been wrong of her not to tell Karma all that she’d heard when she and Tiari had held the orb together.  She didn’t like keeping secrets from Karma, and she felt guilty about it.  Which, she conceded, probably meant it
had
been wrong.  She just wanted time to mull it over in her own mind.  She would tell Karma all about it later, she decided.  But not yet.

Chapter Six

“
Yamun Sennet
?” Zakiel asked in surprise.  “Please,
valia
, tell me you are twisting my leg.”

“That’s twisting your
arm
, not your leg,” Karma corrected. 

“I’m quite certain that we recently had a conversation in which you threatened to perform an unpleasant manipulation of my leg,” Zakiel said, frowning.

“Yes, that was
pulling your leg
.”

“I do not understand,” he said.  “Twisting an arm.  Pulling a leg.  Either way, you are exerting force on a limb in the wrong direction.  Why would one be different from the other?”

“Zakiel, they are
idioms
.  Expecting idioms to obey rules of logic is like expecting two year olds to have table manners.  They just don’t.”  He continued to look at her blankly.  “Okay, here’s the difference.  If you are pulling someone’s leg, that means you’re joking, or teasing them.  Twisting one’s arm means you’re forcing them to do something they don’t want to do.  Like have this conversation.”

“Ah, so the difference is entirely arbitrary and irrational,” Zakiel said.  “I love you,
valia
, with all of my heart, but I must point out that this is becoming something of a recurring theme with you.”

“Be that as it may,” Karma said, hiding her smile, “we must go to the mountain that doesn’t exist.”

“And how are we to do this?” Zakiel asked.

“I don’t know,” Karma said with a shrug.  “I thought we had a clear division of labor here.  I told you where we need to go next.  My job is done.  Getting us there is your job.  Now, I think I’ll go see if Lashi has my bath ready.”

“She does,” Zakiel said with a very put upon sigh.

“Do you want to join me?” Karma asked.

Zakiel smiled, his blue eyes heating as they met her gaze.  “I would love to join you, but since we must set out in the morning for a place that does not exist, I think I better check the charts, then meet with my men.”

“Well, have fun,” Karma said with a grin as she raised up on her toes to kiss him on the neck, just below his ear.  “Don’t be too late.”

Zakiel stopped her before she could turn away and bent to kiss her.  The kiss went from warm to hot in the space of a few seconds.  Zakiel groaned as Karma’s body pressed against his, and he very nearly changed his mind about joining her in her bath.  He broke the kiss and gazed deeply into her starry eyes, wondering how he’d gotten so lucky.  He was constantly amazed that this brilliant, beautiful, courageous and talented woman loved him.  But, as much as he desired to demonstrate the strength of his feelings to his new wife, he had duties to attend to first.

“I will wait for you in our bed,” Karma said, reading his reluctance as clearly as though he’d voiced it. 

“Enjoy your bath,” he said.  Karma’s eyes flared with heat just before she turned and walked away from him.  She glanced at him over her shoulder with a flirtatious grin before stepping into the next chamber and out of sight.  Zakiel stared after her for a few moments, thinking about the intriguing dent in her lower lip that he never seemed to get enough of, before the sound of Timon entering the tent forced him to gather his wits.

“Timon, I need the charts, please,” he said.

“Certainly, Highness,” Timon said.  He crossed the long, narrow front chamber of the tent, heading directly for a thick, specially treated leather satchel that he carried on his diplo with him at all times.  It took a few moments to untie the series of knots and flaps that, along with the heavy, silk lined leather, rendered the satchel virtually waterproof and dustproof.  Once it was open, he handed the satchel to Zakiel without touching the precious documents within. 

Zakiel sat down on a thick cushion and reached into the satchel, removing a pair of thin gloves woven of a soft material that would protect the delicate paper from damaging oils and dirt from his hands.  Maps and charts took decades to create, and were always in a state of alteration as new information was gathered.  The maps Zakiel had brought along on the quest were all copies of those still in the palace library back in Isiben.  Even though they were copies, they were still precious, having been painstakingly reproduced by hand by a host of scholars during the brief days they’d had to prepare for the Orb Quest.  Without them, they would have very little idea of where they were going, or the best routes to get there.

His hands covered, Zakiel reached into the satchel again and removed two scrolls which he carefully unrolled side by side on the mat that Timon laid out on the floor in front of him.  He used small gold weights from the satchel to hold the scrolls open, placing them carefully along the edges and at the corners.  Then he bent over the scrolls and studied them for a long time. 

Finally he straightened up, sighed, and started to rub his eyes before remembering he still wore the gloves.  He put the gold weights back in the satchel, rolled the charts up and returned them to their places, and removed the gloves.

“Seal this back up, Timon,” he said as he rose to his feet.  “We’re going to be heading north through the forest, then into the mountains.  I hope we’re outfitted for cold weather.”

“I believe we have all that we’ll need, Highness,” Timon said.  “I will double check, of course.”

“Thank you,” Zakiel said.  “After Lady Techu is finished with her bath, please prepare it for me.  I don’t know when I’ll be back, so don’t wait up.”

Timon bowed, though they both knew that he would never go to bed before the Prince.  Zakiel looked over to where Nikura lay, curled up in front of the flap leading to the chamber where Karma was taking her bath, and nodded to himself.  Even though Nikura’s eyes were closed, he had no doubt that the Sphin was fully alert and didn’t need to be told to look after Karma in his absence.  Zakiel picked up his sword belt and left the tent buckling it on, hoping he’d be able to return before Karma fell asleep, but not counting on it.

***

Karma waited until Lashi was finished brushing her hair out before sending her off to bed.  At first, there’d been some confusion about where Lashi would sleep after Karma and Zakiel had gotten married several days earlier.  Lashi felt that she should be near her mistress, but it wouldn’t be right for her and Timon to sleep in the same chamber, and it was either that or give her the other chamber.  Zakiel would have given the chamber to Lashi had Karma requested it, but she didn’t.  She knew that Lashi really preferred to stay in what had become known as the
women’s tent
.  Since the two tents were set up side by side, and Lashi could be called for if necessary with no trouble, it was decided that she would continue to sleep where she’d been sleeping, alongside Caral.

After Lashi left, Karma went into the chamber she shared with Zakiel and closed the flap behind her.  She climbed onto the bed and debated whether or not to blow out the candle.  Since it cast very little light, and her shadow was against an inner wall, she decided to leave it lit.

She held the Ti-Ank across her lap and sent a silent, mental call to Samyi.  She was surprised when Samyi appeared immediately.

“I’d like to ask you a few questions,” she said in a soft whisper.

“I will answer those I can,” Samyi replied.  Karma frowned.  She always expected those from beyond to have all the answers, to know what was going to happen, and what she should, or shouldn’t, do next.  She’d learned that while they did know some things, they certainly didn’t know everything.  Not by a long shot.  Yet for some reason, she kept expecting it.

“Are we on the right track, going to find the Hidden Sister?”

“Yes, you are,” Samyi replied. 

“And Tiari is the Maiden of the Sun?”

“Undoubtedly,” Samyi replied. 

“Those are the easy questions,” Karma said.  “Now for the hard one.  What are the demons attempting to accomplish by attacking us all the time?  If they stop us from collecting the orbs, the pyramid will snap back to Rathira and destroy it.  They will not have a world to take over.”

“It is not the orbs that they want,” Samyi said.  “It is the Ti-Ank.”

“But Marene said that she’d made a deal to take the Moon Orb to the demons,” Karma said.  “Her reward was that she would be Queen of all Rathira.”

“Marene is unknowable to me, as are the demons, so I can say nothing of their pact,” Samyi said.  “However, I do know that the demons can do nothing with an orb other than destroy it to keep you from using it.”

“Why would they do that when it would end in the destruction of Rathira?”  Karma asked, confused.  None of this was making any sense.  Whether the demons destroyed the orbs or stole the Ti-Ank didn’t matter.  Either way, Rathira would be doomed.  Unless...

Karma scowled with sudden understanding.  “I’m a fool.”

 “You are not a fool,” Samyi replied.  “You have simply been too busy to stop and consider all that has happened, or how, or why.”

“Yes, but this is so obvious,” Karma said.  “The Ti-Ank is made to be used by anyone who can command its powers, including demons.”

“Yes,” Samyi said.  “They cannot use it’s powers to attack the peoples of Rathira, but that is their only limitation.”

“Yes, I see that now.  The demons have their own way of getting to the pyramid, don’t they?”

“That appears to be the most logical conclusion,” Samyi said.

“For some reason, they need the Ti-Ank to accomplish it,” Karma said.  “Do you know why?”

 “No, I do not,” Samyi replied.  “I can see nothing concerning the demons.”

Karma nodded and set the problem aside.  There was another subject she wanted to discuss before Samyi left.

“What can you tell me about Bredon?”

“Bredon is unknowable,” Samyi replied.  “He still has his role to play, but he can no longer be seen.”

“Does that mean that Marene is still inside of him?” Karma asked.

“Not necessarily,” Samyi replied.  “From the moment she shared his body and mind, he became unknowable to me.”

“Does that mean that you can’t see me, either?” Karma asked, remembering the demon seed that had infected her with a shudder.

“Yes, it does,” Samyi said.  “There is much that cannot be seen or foretold, Karma.  There is much that I do not know, and much that is unknowable.  Remember, I am only spirit, not Spirit Guide.”

“Well, we still have one orb, and the Ti-Ank,” Karma said.  “Plus two of the orb maidens, and the location of the next orb.  With the help you give us, we are not entirely in the dark.”

“No, you are not,” Samyi said with a smile.  “I must leave you now, Lady Techu.”

“Thank you for your help, Samyi,” Karma said.  After Samyi faded away, she laid down on the bed and slid the Ti-Ank beneath it.  She lay awake for a long time, going over the things she knew, and the things she could only guess at, feeling as though some critical piece of the puzzle was missing, but she couldn’t figure out what that was.  She decided she needed to discuss it all with Zakiel.  She was surprised to feel her body relax once she’d made that decision, telling her that it was the right decision to make.  After that, staying awake became impossible.

Chapter Seven

“I didn’t notice how big its fangs were yesterday,” Tiari said as the drover led a diplo toward her.  She thought it was the same animal she’d ridden the day before, but she wasn’t positive. 

“They aren’t fangs,” Kapia said.  “They’re tusks.”

“What’s the difference?” Tiari asked.

“They’re used to help them pull up grass and other vegetation, and to strip bark and leaves from trees, which is what they eat,” Kapia explained.  “Come on, you should meet your diplo up close.”

Tiari hesitated, then reminded herself of her determination to face this new world head on.  She wanted to be like Karma and Kapia, brave and confident.  Not some frightened little mouse.  She straightened her shoulders and followed Kapia the few steps toward the head of the brown skinned beast that the drover had left outside their tent along with Kapia’s diplo.  It was unbelievably tall, with a long, narrow head and dark eyes framed with long, thick lashes.  The tusks that curved downward from its mouth were a little frightening, but she decided to take Kapia at her word that the diplo was gentle. 

Kapia reached out without hesitation and began scratching the diplo’s chin, her hand alarmingly close to the curved tusks.  When the diplo began rumbling softly in response, Tiari smiled.  She’d never been around a live animal before, so she didn’t know the difference between a purr and a growl.  But, going from the way the diplo arched its neck and raised its chin, and the way its big brown eyes closed half way, it seemed obvious to her that it was greatly enjoying the attention.  She reached out and petted its long, velvety nose, surprised at how soft it felt. 

“They like having their ears rubbed too,” Kapia said.  “These diplo are all trained by Hunters, and they don’t give them names.  But, Karma and I named ours at the beginning of this journey.  The men think it’s strange, and when Karma suggested it to me, I thought so too.  Now I’m glad that I did it.  Goldy isn’t just one of the herd any more.  He’s special, with his own personality, his own likes and dislikes, and I see him as a living, breathing being with his own feelings and needs.”