The Jewel of Kamara (The Delthenon Chronicles) (28 page)

He
looked at her like she was crazy when she asked. “How can you possibly hear a
bow being strung? The person stringing it can barely hear it.”

“You’re
right,” she said. “I guess I’m more tired than I realized.”

“How
about we set up camp here for the night?” He suggested as Madoc wandered over.

Tempani
shook her head. “We haven’t gone far enough today.”

Chae
rested his hand on her shoulder. “We’ll have someone on watch all night,” he
said. “You need to rest. This whole thing will be pointless if you die of
exhaustion.”

“I’ll
do a quick check of the perimeter,” Madoc offered and walked off, calling for
Rando to go with him.

“We’ll
be fine,” Chae said.

She
nodded but couldn’t shake the feeling in her stomach that something was wrong.

Tempani
sat quietly around the fire and picked at the rabbit
Thara
had prepared for them all.
Tilaw
was stretched out at
her feet, happily chewing on a stick. Darby was deep in conversation with the
men. Tempani would normally have thrown herself into their talks of strategy,
but tonight she just didn’t have it in her.

Dahlia
was with Bhatia and Colbert, learning the uses of certain herbs. She had taken
to it like a duck to water. Tempani knew she would be a healer if they won. She
had the compassion for it. Bhatia, on the other hand, had the knack for it, but
her heart seemed devoted to fighting with her Power. To protect those who
couldn’t defend themselves.

She
looked around and wondered where
Thara
had
disappeared to. Tempani understood she still wasn’t comfortable around the men
and contemplated whether she ever would be. The treatment she’d received from
her former master ran deeper than just physical scarring. She couldn’t imagine
ever being able to come back from something like that. But Tempani would try to
help her. Of that she was certain.

Her
thoughts drifted back to the convent and the friends she’d left behind. She respected
Teddy’s decision to stay behind and follow his calling to the Gods. Now that
his father was no longer with them, there was nothing stopping him from
pursuing his dreams. Did he perhaps see his father’s death as a blessing?

She
hadn’t had time to say her goodbyes to Nika. Would he be wondering where they
had run to? Would he be waiting with his tribe to stand beside her when they
were ready? The thought of fighting alongside him brought a thin smile to her
lips. He had taught her everything she knew with her weapons, and she would
want him by her side when the time came.

She
yawned and stretched out in her bedroll, trying to ease the pains in her body
from days spent in the saddle. She hugged
Tilaw
to
her, needing his warm body to sooth the uneasiness she felt. The normal night
sounds that she used to find so comforting were now getting on her nerves. The
gentle chirping of the crickets, the soft hooting of the owls and the rustling
of the leaves. She wanted to tell them to be quiet so she could keep an ear out
for any sign of danger. Not that she didn’t trust Keane, who had taken the
first watch, but she felt like it was her duty to keep these people safe.

She
closed her eyes and breathed slowly. In and out, just like Mother Chennai had
told her to do. She pushed the sounds to the back of her mind and tried to
listen for anything out of the ordinary. She heard Darby’s snores and
Thara’s
murmurings.
Tilaw’s
stomach was gurgling. The rabbit he’d eaten for dinner had unsettled him. She
pushed those away. The sound of a foot stepping lightly on the ground and then
a pause. She heard the foot shift as the person grappled with something. And
there it was. The stringing of a bow again. But it wasn’t just one. She heard
at least twenty.

Her
eyes flashed open and she jumped to her feet, grabbing her sword so quickly
that she startled Chae awake. He looked at her quizzically but she held a
finger to her lips.

“We’re
surrounded,” she mouthed.

He
rose and unsheathed his sword, gently nudging Madoc awake as he did.

And
then she saw them. The arrowheads were directed at them. She looked past the
threat and found herself staring into a pair of hard, black eyes.

Thara
screamed as a Kalaowin man approached her.
Bhatia grabbed her and positioned herself in front of the frightened girl. The
man watched them, his head tilted to the side. Then he nodded and called
forward one of his patrol. It was a woman, a spear in her hand. She pushed the
two girls forward, trying to force them all into a huddle.

They
were all being shouted at in Kalaowin. Tempani, Chae and Madoc were trying
desperately to translate to the others.

“Drop
your weapons,” Madoc told their friends.

The
men hesitated. As Tempani had expected them too. They had committed to this job
and were prepared to protect her until their last breath.

“Do
it,” Tempani hissed. “We will not fight them.” She threw her sword to the
ground to emphasize her point.

They
slowly followed suit, Rando being the last to throw his sword aside. The
Kalaowins, a mix of men and women, rushed forward and gathered the discarded
weapons. Tempani watched them closely. They were no ordinary patrol. They moved
with a purpose. They were quick and soundless. These were seasoned fighters.

A
man stepped forward, his face covered in tattoos and his black hair pulled back
into a long tail. His eyes were cold, and they stared directly at Tempani. She
stared back, desperate to show him she wouldn’t cower before him. She was a
Kalaowin female, which meant she was not inferior to him.

Zadi
stepped closer to her, shouldering her way between Tempani and the man. The man
raised his eyebrows slightly and a knowing look flashed across his face. He
issued an order, and they were prodded to start walking.

Tempani
didn’t move. “We’re not leaving our horses,” she said slowly in Kalaowin. “Or
our supplies,” she added quickly as she thought of all the medicines they’d
brought from the convent.

The
man glared at her.
Tilaw
growled and lunged forward
to nip at his bare feet. He swore loudly and jumped back. Someone in his patrol
sniggered. The man snarled at him, and he lowered his head, ashamed to be
reprimanded by the man.

He
barked an order to his patrol, and they moved quickly and gathered the group’s
horses and supplies. Then they were prodded and forced forward, deeper into the
mountain ranges and away from the stream that had guided them this far. Tempani
took the lead, determined to show no fear. But on the inside her nerves were a
mess. She just hoped the Shiasa would listen to her.

Darby
hobbled along, his cane scraping across the rocks, as Chae and Dahlia supported
him. Sweat poured down his face and into his beard.

“We
need a break,” Dahlia whispered, keeping her voice low despite their inability
to understand Kamari.

Darby
shook his head. “We must not show any signs of weakness,” he replied. “The
Kalaowins are strong. Warriors. They will not respect us if we stop.”

“But
they’ll respect us if we die?” Bhatia panted. “This is ridiculous.” She tried
to push past Tempani to reach the man in charge.

“What
are you doing?” Tempani hissed.

Bhatia
glared at her. “We need water. Some of us aren’t made for trekking through the
mountains for half the day.”

Tempani
nodded. “I’ll ask.”

She
strode up to the man. “
Metber
,” she said, using the
Kalaowin word for ‘excuse me’. She proceeded to tell him they were tired and in
need of water.

He
stared at her, his eyes unmoving, and he pointed forward. He wasn’t going to
allow them a break.

She
felt her anger rising and closed her eyes to calm her emotions. She felt a
smooth hand take hers and opened her eyes to find Dahlia’s kind gaze on her.

“I
tried,” she said.

Bhatia
groaned. “Are you a sorceress or not?”

Tempani
gave herself an internal kick. Yes, she was a sorceress. And she should have
thought of it sooner.

She
raised her face to the cloudless sky and took a deep breath, summoning the calm
at the back of her mind that resembled the water she loved so dearly. It was
where her mind went whenever she needed a sense of peacefulness. There it was,
simmering gently as it always did. It reminded her of happier times on Amarill,
her family whole and undamaged.

The
clouds slowly gathered above them, bringing with them the sweet smell of
promised rain. She inhaled deeply, allowing the scent to consume her. A droplet
fell gently onto the tip of her outstretched tongue. She giggled and opened her
mouth wider as she used more force to release the rain.

“Drink
my friends,” she said as she wiped her mouth dry.

They
laughed and tilted their heads back in amazement. Dahlia squealed with delight
as her mouth filled with fresh water.

Their
guard came to a halt and pointed to the sky, their faces puzzled. A few of them
were impressed and held their hands out to catch the droplets.

The
tattooed man whirled around and descended upon Tempani, his eyes flashing
dangerously.

She
squared her shoulders and glared back at him, not daring to show any sign of
weakness in front of him. Kalaowin women were warriors too. And she was
Kalaowin.

“My
friends were thirsty,” she snapped. “When they are ready, we will continue.”

Something
flickered across his face. Was it respect? Whatever it was, it disappeared just
as quickly as it had appeared. He hissed at her and then turned his back on
them, waiting to move out when they were ready.

She
smiled thinly at Darby as he hobbled over to her and accepted his thanks with a
wave of her hand.

“You
should be proud of yourself,” he said. “You certainly impressed your mother’s
people.”

She
shrugged her shoulders. “Not everyone is happy with our brief shower.” She
nodded towards the man’s back.

“Yes,
but your skill here will be reported to the Shiasa,” he said. “And she will
respect the strength you have shown.”

“Do
you think it will help our cause?”

“We
can only hope,” he said. “For now we should keep moving. The longer we rest,
the harder he’ll make the trek.”

They
walked on through the night. Fatigue invaded their bodies as they trudged over
the hard ground. Tempani stumbled and was caught by
Rando’s
strong hands. She flashed him a small smile and pushed on, despite the graze
that now burned her arm.

The
sun was slowly rising when they reached an opening in the mountains. A vast
clearing lay at their feet, scattered with tents of all sizes. Men and women
were already hard at work, gathering fire wood and carrying piles of clothes
down to the stream. Children laughed and ran amongst the adults.

Tempani’s
eyes widened as she took in the sight. The men were dressed in breeches torn
just below the knees, their upper bodies bare. The women wore dresses that
barely covered the thigh. Both men and women had knives sheathed to their
thighs within easy reach, bows slung over their shoulders.

Horses
walked freely among the people and cows grazed on the grass. The cries of the
goats carried across the clearing as young boys and girls herded them up the
mountain.

They
all stopped their morning tasks when they saw the approaching group. The
children stopped laughing and hid behind their father’s legs, their curious
faces peeking through. Tempani smiled at them, thinking them sweet. One girl,
no more than seven or eight, frowned at her and then spat on the ground.

Tempani
recoiled. Maybe not so sweet after all.

“You
wait,” the man with the tattooed face snapped in Kamari before he walked away.

Tempani
raised her eyebrows. So he understood them after all. She kicked herself for
being so ignorant.

People
stood watching them, their voices whispering, their eyes fixed on Tempani. She
found herself trembling as the man reappeared and barked at them to follow.
Chae and Madoc inched closer to Tempani. She wanted to tell them not to bother.
Right now she wasn’t special. They were all in the same position.

The
group was led through the crowd of gathered onlookers, excitement evident on
some faces. Perhaps they were looking forward to their murder. She sent a
prayer up to the Goddess that Darby could talk their way out of this one.

They
reached the largest tent and came to a halt, and Tempani knew they had been
brought to the Shiasa and she would decide their fate.

The
man pushed open the tent and pointed to Tempani. “Come.” Chae and Madoc stepped
forward with her, but he held out his arm to stop them. “Just her.”

“Not
happening,” Madoc growled, his fingers instinctively reaching towards his now
empty sheath.

A
voice carried through the flap. It was an order. “Bring them.” The man scowled
but obeyed. They stepped forward, but Tempani hesitated. She turned to Darby,
wanting her old friend by her side. Wanted his voice of reason in that tent
with her.