The Jewel of Kamara (The Delthenon Chronicles) (19 page)

They
had a group on standby for when Tempani decided she was ready to set out on her
path. They were growing impatient though. They had thought that after what
happened with the old man she would not be able to refuse her calling. And they
were beginning to fear that she was running from her destiny.

He
had voiced his concerns to their unofficial leader, but he had told the group
to be patient. Tempani had to come to the realization on her own. She could not
be pushed into learning about her destiny. But he knew time was running away
from them. Colbert had received messages from all over the kingdom. People
could feel her magic, and they were ready to join her. Colbert was doing his
best to keep them at bay, but he couldn’t hold them off for long. They wanted
this too much to sit by and wait.

And
Colbert wasn’t going to sit around and wait anymore either. It was time he did
something about it. He wrote a quick note to Leandra and then set out on foot
to talk his plan over with another member of their group. He was sure that she
would help him for it must be harder for her, being in such close proximity to
Tempani and not being able to tell her.

—

“I
understand you are familiar with the tale of the First Council of the Great
Gods?”

Tempani
had rushed to Darby’s manor as soon as she had received word that he had
returned from his trip.

She
nodded. “What does it have to do with what happened with
Tritus
?”

“Trust
me. It all matters.”

“You
sound like Mother Chennai,” she said. “Before I left the convent she made me
recite the story and then told me of a part I’d never heard before.”

“The
prophecy.”

“Yes.
She wanted me to leave with a sense of hope. To see the good in our kingdom.”

“I
believe she wanted you to hear the tale and the prophecy. She wanted you to
have that knowledge so you would understand when the time was right.”

She
watched him as he paced, and the unease she’d felt since her last talk with him
intensified. “It’s not me,” she whispered. “I know what you’re thinking, but
it’s not. It can’t be.”

“Why
not?”

“The
riots,” she said quickly. “If they think I’m their savior why riot against my
union with Nic?”

Darby
shook his head and looked at her sadly. “They rioted against him. Not you. When
they heard of his pursuit of you, they panicked. They believed you would turn
your back on your destiny.”

“It’s
not me.”

“And
then you joined them in their fighting. You saved those men from being hanged.
You sent Lindow into the city with money. They saw what could be, and they
stopped rioting. They saw their future.”

She
sank into the chair, shaking her head. It was all too much.

“It
is you, Tempani. You need to believe it is.” Colbert’s voice made Tempani jump.

“Colbert,
what are you doing here?” Darby asked. “We have our rules in place for a
reason.”

“I
made sure I wasn’t followed and used the hidden entrance.”

“People
know she is here,” he said through clenched teeth. “She is being watched
everywhere she goes. If anyone saw you, we are done.”

“We’ll
be done anyway if we don’t get moving soon. We really can’t wait anymore.”

“We
can’t force this on her Colbert. I have explained to you that she needs to come
to the realization herself,” Darby argued.

“We
don’t have time to wait. They’ve started coming forward,” Colbert whispered,
his voice was thick with panic.

Tempani
got to her feet, questions flying from her mouth. “What are you doing here? How
do you two know each other? What’s coming forward?”

“We
will explain all,” Zadi said as she appeared at Colbert’s side. Her voice
trembled with excitement, and her eyes were wide with hope.

“Zadi?
I don’t understand,” Tempani muttered and sank once more into the chair.

“Tempani,
the prophecy is about you. You are the one who will unite us all and end the
suffering that this kingdom has endured for generations. We’d hoped you would
come to understand this in your own time, but after what happened the other
day, there isn’t enough time. The day you sent that man to
Tritus
,
all throughout the kingdom women with the Power felt your strength. They want
to come here and learn from you,” Colbert explained quickly.

“I
have nothing to teach them. I don’t have magic beyond healing,” she muttered
anxiously.

“Yes,
you do,” Zadi said. “When you get angry the room heats up, doesn’t it?”

Tempani
shook her head. “Coincidences,” she said.

“It
is you. ‘And the Goddess in a way very few will see shall mark her as The One’.
I have seen your birthmark,” Zadi told them.

“Loads
of people have birthmarks. There is nothing unusual about it,” Tempani argued.

“Do
loads of people have the sign of the Goddess on their hip? The horseshoe is her
sign. You can’t ignore that,” Zadi said.

“They
will kill me,” Tempani snapped. “If they hear of this, I will be killed.”

“We
won’t let that happen,” Colbert said.

“It
won’t happen because it’s not me,” she cried and stalked past them.

Colbert
tried to follow, but Darby grabbed his arm and held him back. “Let her go,” he
said quietly. “We have pushed her too far.”

Tempani
sat by the pond where she had first spoken to Darby. Had he known that day? Is
that why he befriended her? And Colbert? Did they all just pretend to be her
friend so they could push her into this? She had thought she was so lucky
because these people had seen past the color of her skin and had seen her for
who she really was. But that wasn’t the case. They had never seen her as more
than a pawn in their game. They wanted her to risk her life for them. She was
just a girl after all. Easily dispensable. Once she was killed, they’d probably
just find another girl to befriend and trick into believing she was special.

But
she wasn’t special. She was just a seventeen year old girl, who should be
thinking of nothing but finding a husband. She had Nic. He was a good man. He
would love her and treat her well. Yet something was holding her back from
accepting his hand. Maybe part of her did believe she was destined for
something else.

Parts
of the prophecy did suit her. She did have her feet in both worlds. The blood
that pumped through her veins was Kamari and Kalaowin. Her Kamari friends were
both noble and common. She could heal, but was there a chance she could do
more? Help more people? Could she stop the riots and free all those enslaved?
Could she unite them and demand freedom? She still wasn’t sure, but she had to
try didn’t she?

She
sat by herself for a long time, watching the sun go down as she wrestled with
her mind. When she finally returned to Darby’s manor, she found them still
there. Waiting for her. They watched her with a mixture of concern and hope,
and she knew that they had already committed themselves to her.

“Were
you ever my friend?” She asked when she returned to Darby’s manor. “Or was it
all just a means to an end?”

Darby
rose and held the girl’s hand. “It was because I was your friend that I tried
to prolong you finding out,” he said. “We wanted you to keep your innocence for
as long as possible.”

She
nodded, choosing to believe him. “What now?”

“We
leave Fenella and get you the guidance you need.”

“The
Black and White Woman?”

“Yes,
how did you know?” Colbert asked.

“My
mother came to me in my dreams and told me to find the Black and White Woman.
At the time I didn’t even think to connect it to the prophecy,” she confessed.

“You
saw Hamalia?” Darby whispered. “You spoke to her?” His eyes glistened with
tears at the memory of his late friend.

“The
Goddess sent her to me,” she said. “She was as beautiful as I remembered.”

“We
must get moving quickly.” Colbert steered them back to their task at hand. “I
can have everybody ready to go in two days.”

“What
will I tell Nic and my friends? Papa?”

“Tell
them you are going on an exploration with me. We can say that the scholar I was
visiting told me of ruins from before the Grand War that were found in the
south, and we want to see them.”

“I
guess they will believe that,” she said slowly.

“You
accept it then?” Colbert asked.

“I
accept it.”

Colbert
rushed over and scooped her up in a friendly hug.

“We
must get organized,” said Darby. “Colbert, have our group ready to leave at
dawn the day after tomorrow. Make them understand that we can’t take them all.
Just enough to get there safely.”

“Understood,”
he said and rushed out the door.

“Zadi,
pack your things and Tempani’s as well. Try and rustle up some breeches for the
two of you to wear. Don’t look at me like that Tempani. You can’t ride as far
as we’re going in a dress,” he ordered. “Rando!” The man came around the
corner. “We’re on the move. Make your preparations.”

“He
knows also?” She shook her head. “You’re not a chaperone are you?”

“Far
from it,” he growled. “I’m to protect you.”

Could
she really do it? Or was she setting them all up for failure? She didn’t even
know how she was going to do it. Should she have a plan? She’d only just found
out about the prophecy, and now all of a sudden she was leaving - leaving
everything that was familiar.

Was
it too late to change her mind? Surely they could find someone else? A girl
would come along in another generation and be more than willing to jump
straight in. But at what cost to the kingdom? They were already on the brink of
ruin. She had to do it.

She
looked up at Darby and found calmness in his wise eyes. She wouldn’t be alone
in this. He would be there to guide her and show her the answers.

“My
Lord, I have a slight problem,” Zadi whispered. “Last night a woman from the
city came to me and said she felt the call. I told her we weren’t ready yet,
but she refused to leave so I’ve been hiding her. I think we will need to bring
her with us.”

“Only
if she promises to pull her own weight.”

Zadi
nodded and fled to attend to her duties.

“Tempani,
I will tell your father where we are going. You just have to tell Nicolass and
your friends,” he said, putting his hands on her shoulders. “Try to be
convincing.”

“Are
we doing the right thing Darby? All this secrecy?”

“I
wish we didn’t have to keep it a secret, but we are defying one of the crown’s
laws. For us to succeed we need to keep this quiet until you are ready. So many
things could go wrong so we have to be careful.”

“Is
it all right to be scared? Because I’m terrified,” she said in a hushed voice.

“So
am I. We just have to remember why we are doing this. If we succeed, we will
have a united kingdom once more. It is in our hands,” he said, tears swimming
in his eyes.

She
leaned forward and kissed his rough cheek. “We will succeed.”

Tempani’s
friends believed her story of visiting ruins with Darby. They didn’t question
it, and she felt a great sense of relief. When she told them she would be gone
for a few weeks, Nic did object to the longevity of their exploration but was
silenced by Chae, who knew that Tempani would not take his objection lightly.
So Nic was silenced, and they left her to prepare for her trip.

News
of Tempani and Darby’s trip spread like wildfire through the palace. At dinner
it was all anybody could talk about for they couldn’t believe that she would
leave Nic at court without a sign of commitment. With all these ladies residing
here, each with a secret longing to be queen, they thought she was crazy to
leave her beau here alone.

Hallam
took this trip as an opportunity to drive a wedge between his nephew and
Tempani. He approached Nic at dinner and let it drop that he thought it was
inappropriate for Tempani to be travelling alone with an older man, who may
take advantage of her innocence. But Nic didn’t buy it.

“Darby
would do no such thing, and you know it. What is this really about Hallam?”

“Fine,
you caught me. Remember that this is just my opinion but don’t you think it’s a
bit strange that she is so keen to leave you for who knows how long?”

“Well,
I have to admit I wasn’t happy when I heard how long she would be gone, but I’m
not going to interfere. She is looking forward to seeing the ruins,” Nic said.

“I’m
sure she is. You obviously know her better than I do. It’s just, if I was in
your position I wouldn’t let her leave without promising that she will be your
wife when she returns. A promise like that would mean that she would have to
behave herself.”

“I
trust Tempani. She wouldn’t betray me,” Nic argued.