The Jewel of Kamara (The Delthenon Chronicles) (31 page)

Perhaps
this was all nonsense, and she was embarking on a fruitless mission. She had to
take the chance though, didn’t she? It was the only chance she had to prove
that she belonged. That she was the next Shiasa.

Finally
the singing ceased, and it was safe to leave. She shoved her feet into her
boots and grabbed her pack. She gave
Tilaw
a kiss on
his nose and ordered him to stay. He gave a little whine so she enforced her
message with a glare.

“I’ll
be back soon,” she whispered to him and gave him a final pat.

She
pulled open the flap of her tent and was met by an unfriendly breeze. And Chae.
“You can’t stop me,” she told him.

“I
know,” he replied and kissed her cheek. “Just promise me you’ll tell the others
I tried to.”

“I
will.” She grinned at him, her eyes darting with excitement. “I can do this. I
can prove to them all that I belong.”

“Be
safe,” he said. “If you’re not back by sunset, I’m coming after you.”

She
nodded and waved farewell, setting off into the darkness.

The
path up the mountain seemed to go on forever. She had pushed on despite her
exhaustion and her aching back. She found it harder to breathe the higher she
went. The incline had been gradual, and she hadn’t been able to see how far she
had come until now. The view had been blocked by looming trees and wild hedges,
but she came to a small clearing and stared down at the small speck that was
the camp.

She
threw her pack down and sat for a moment to regain her strength. She didn’t
want to pass out from exhaustion before she’d found this dragon. She had
promised Chae that he wouldn’t have to marry a Kalaowin for her, and she wasn’t
going to let him down. If she didn’t come back with a dragon then she would
find another way. She didn’t know how yet, but she would do it. Perhaps reach
out to the tribes that did believe in the prophecy. The ones that wanted to put
a stop to the feud with the Kamaris.

She
sighed and pulled herself to her feet again. If she wasn’t back by sunset, then
they would come after her.

There
was now no light at all coming through the overgrowth. She jumped as she heard
a snarl. Her heart raced as she twirled around to face the oncoming threat. But
there was nothing. She slowly pulled out her sword and gripped it between her
hands.

“Show
yourself,” she stammered, her nerves betraying her.

A
pair of bright red eyes stared at her through the darkness. Her heart pounded
in her chest as the creature’s feet thudded against the rock.

It
snarled again, and she knew it had come closer. Panicked, she used some of her
magic to cast a small flicker of light and shrieked when she found herself
facing what appeared to be a large black cat. But it was the biggest cat she’d
ever seen. On all fours it came up to her waist, its paws the same size as her
own hands.

She
dove to her side as it lunged at her, and her arm smacked against the rock. It
landed on its feet and turned around, hissing at her, exposing its sharp teeth.
Her left arm throbbed as she pulled herself up. The cat circled her, its red
eyes unblinking. She gripped her sword in her right arm and swiped at it when
it snapped at her, but all she met was air. It was teasing her. She was easy
prey to this creature.

But
she hadn’t climbed this mountain to be defeated by the first threat she came
across. It lunged again, but this time she stood her ground and gripped its
legs as it pushed her to the ground. She got her leg up and kicked it in the
stomach, forcing them to roll over. She bit back a scream as its claws dug into
her shoulders. Her sword had been knocked from her hands as they’d rolled. She
staggered to her feet and fumbled for the dagger that was sheathed against her
thigh. With it in her hand she launched herself onto the cat’s back and held on
as it tried to buck her off, its head twisting and teeth snapping. She slashed
it across the belly and rolled off as it snarled angrily. It wasn’t done. It
ran at her again, but she saw it was faltering. She brought her dagger up and
met the cat in mid-jump, digging the blade into its side. They fell to the
ground, and she lay pinned underneath the dying animal. She kicked it off her
and wrenched her dagger free, wiping the blood on her breeches.

She
didn’t like taking the life of an animal. The cat had only been doing what was
in its nature just as it was in hers to fight back. It was a senseless death
when it knew nothing else. She staggered to her feet. There was no point crying
over an animal that had tried to kill her.

Tempani
only made it a few steps before stumbling over her own feet. The fight had
taken more out of her than she’d realized. She cursed under her breath and
lifted herself up. She could do this. Just a little further, and she’d find the
dragon. She had to finish this.

She
moved gingerly, her pace much slower now as the pain from the cat’s scratches
burned her skin. She stopped suddenly at the sound of hooves approaching. Had
Mincha followed her? She spun around and froze.

She
gripped her sword as the centaur approached her. She tried to remember Darby’s
words. That not all centaurs were dangerous.

“You’re
trespassing on sacred ground.” The man’s voice was deep, and it echoed against
the mountain.

She
craned her neck and tried to meet its eyes. They were a beautiful sky blue and
were set under thin eyebrows. His blonde locks were long and framed his
prominent cheekbones and strong jaw line. He was handsome. If you could get
past the fact that below his muscular stomach was the bottom of a white horse.

“I
mean you no harm,” she croaked. “I seek only the dragon that protects these
mountains.”

“And
kill the creatures that live here?”

“Only
if they attack,” she said quickly. “I do not like to take life from this land,
but if I am attacked, I will fight back.”

“Will
you spill my blood?”

“Will
you attack me?”

The
centaur cocked its head to the side as he stared at her. “Put your weapons
away. You will not need them.”

She
raised her eyebrows at him. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

He
moved quickly towards her, his face a mask of fury. “You are disrespectful.
Enough blood has been slain on these mountains. She wants no more.”

“She?”

“This
is the point where most fail.”

She
frowned at him. Who was he talking about? Was it the dragon? If it was, she
couldn’t fail. This must all be part of a test. She had to prove she was
worthy. But should she trust this centaur and put away her weapons, leaving her
defenseless
and ripe for the killing? What other
option did she have? She put her sword and dagger back in their sheaths and met
his eyes.

“Happy?”

He
moved out of her way. “All others fail at the next point.” His voice was low,
and it seemed to follow her as she moved past him.

She
shivered as she walked on. She was scared. She had no idea what she would face
next, and by the sounds of it, it wasn’t going to be pleasant. If no one ever
made it past the next point, how was she going to? Was it even worth finding
the dragon? Surely she could think of another way to prove that she was the
true successor to her grandmother. She looked behind her, but she knew she
couldn’t turn around and go back down. Deep down she knew this was the path she
had to take. She had to show everyone that she was worthy or they’d never
believe in her. And to be honest, she had to show herself too. There was a tiny
part of her that still didn’t think she was capable of any of it. This would
silence her doubts.

A
light fog blurred her vision as it crept across the path. She squinted her eyes
as it settled around her. She tried to conjure some of her Power to use against
it, but she couldn’t. Something held it from her reach. She tried to struggle
against whatever the force was but to no avail. She staggered through the fog,
which had grown thicker and now choked her breath. She gasped for air, but
there was none. It was suffocating her. Her only instinct was to run. To run
blindly forward no matter what was waiting for her on the other side of this
fog.

So
she did. Her legs pumped underneath her and slowly gathered speed. She couldn’t
see, her breathing was haggard and she was
weaponless
,
but she would not give up. She prayed that her feet stayed on the path and she
didn’t plunge to her death, but as she did she ran straight into a tree. She
landed on her bottom but picked herself up gingerly and moved her legs forward
once more.

The
panic was setting in as she continued running. The fog seemed endless, and she
was beginning to think it impossible. Her lungs burned and screamed for fresh
air, and her eyes stung against the dampness of the fog. Her fingers itched to
grab her sword, but the centaur had told her to put them away. She was
exhausted, and her legs now wobbled each time they pounded into the ground.

This
couldn’t be right. All others would try to run. And all others had failed. She
stopped and closed her eyes, trying to soothe her racing heart. She must stay
calm. And focused. She moved slowly through the fog, taking care with each
step, and then she stumbled and with a forward thrust landed heavily on her
stomach, her lungs filling with a rush of cold air. Fresh air.

She
rolled over and rubbed at her eyes, slowly opening them and finding that she
could see. She looked inside herself and found her Power, simmering away as it
always did. She had made it through. She dragged herself to her feet and spun
around wildly, looking for the next threat. But all she saw was a cave up
ahead. That must be it, she thought. This must be where the First Shiasa sought
refuge after the massacre. She pushed aside the vines that covered the entrance
and found a small figure sitting in the entrance.

“Hello.”
The little girl’s voice was sharp. High-pitched. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

Tempani
knelt down before her. “Are you a Goddess?”

She
giggled. “Better than a Goddess.”

She
frowned at her. What could be better than a Goddess?

“I
am the keeper of the one you seek. If I deem you unworthy, you will perish
before me.” The girl picked up a twig and smiled. “Will you play with me?”

“Don’t
you have to test me?”

The
little girl stuck out her bottom lip. “It’s been years since I’ve had someone
to play with. No one has made it past the creatures that guard the path up
here.”

“You
mean the cat and the centaur?”

“You
killed the cat.”

Had
they expected her to just lie there and allow herself to be eaten by the
creature? “It attacked me.”

“The
cat lives. It comes back to life each time. Your regret over killing it allowed
you to continue,” she explained. “Then you chose not to attack the centaur,
even though you’d just been attacked by another creature.”

“The
centaur did not threaten me so why would I harm it?”

“He’s
handsome isn’t he?” The little girl smiled. “Others attack him because they
think that to pass our tests they must defeat everything. That is not our
purpose. You did not attack, and you did as he instructed so you continued.”

“What
was the fog supposed to do?”

She
clapped her hands excitedly. “That one’s my
favorite
.
You are stripped of your sight, your ability to breathe and your magic, if you
have it. You’re told that your weapons are not needed. Everyone gives up. The
panic sets in, and it takes over. They scream, they curse, they threaten. If
they stayed calm and used logic they would see the way out. You ran first, but
then your sense kicked in.”

“So
because of that I am worthy?”

“One
man ran through the fog just as you did, but he drew his sword and charged at
my cave.” She pointed to the corner. “His bones lie there.”

“So
I’ve passed then?”

She
rolled her eyes at Tempani. “No. First we must determine if your heart is
just.”

“How?”

“Answer
me one question. Are you ruled by your emotions?”

Tempani
thought about it. Did she allow her emotions to sway her decisions? She
believed so. The weather reacted to her moods. That was a telling sign, wasn’t
it? But then again, hadn’t she been learning to control her emotions? Reign
them in and listen to her mind more?

If
she had allowed herself to be ruled by her emotions wouldn’t she have stayed
with Nic in Fenella? She had chosen her duty over her heart. But her duty to
unite this kingdom was also something she felt passionate about. That was not
all mind. If it didn’t have her heart, she wouldn’t have been able to commit to
it.

She
frowned at the girl. “Yes, I am ruled by my emotions.”

“I
do not believe you. Had you been solely ruled by your emotions, your answer to
me would have been immediate with no thought process. I watched you work
through the answer. Weigh it up in your mind. You consider things before you
act. Not all the time but the ability to do so is there.”