The Jewel of Kamara (The Delthenon Chronicles) (35 page)

Dagan
smiled sadly at the young king. He had grown from an arrogant, petulant child
to a man before his eyes. He often prayed to the God Windel that his charge
would live long enough to rule. That he would die an old man in his bed. With
so many snakes in court, he knew the likelihood was slim. But he would do
everything he could to protect him and keep him safe.

—

Keer
approached them and spoke quickly. A tribe
had arrived unannounced, and it was important they follow him to greet the
newcomers. Her
niska
pushed forward and surged up the
path, Tempani hot on her heels.

They
came upon their guests, and Tempani was surprised by their apparent ease at
being in the Shiasa’s camp. They stood easily, chatting amongst one another.
Her
niski
was there, kissing the cheek of a young
man.

She
gasped when the man lifted his head. “Nika?”

He
turned at the sound of his name and nodded at her.

“What
is this?” Her
niska
pushed Tempani out of the way and
came upon her husband.

“Our
Nika,” he said, clasping
Nika’s
face between his
hands.

“
Helio
,” she spat. “Show yourself.”

A
man in his forties wandered over, a lazy smile on his face. “Mama,” he said and
crossed his arms over his chest and bowed. When he rose he leant forward and
kissed her cheek.

She
frowned at him. “Why are you here?”

He
turned to Tempani, and she gulped. He looked so much like Hamalia. “I am here
to follow her. Now that she is here, we will unite behind her.”

Tempani
tried to blink away the stinging tears that suddenly appeared.

Helio
walked over to her and placed a warm hand on
her shoulder. “You are as beautiful as my dear sister.”

She
covered his hand with her own and reached up to kiss his cheek. “She always
spoke so fondly of you.”

“As
my son did of you. Nika?”

Tempani
stared at him. “We’re cousins?” She squeaked.

He
just shrugged, and it irritated her. It was just like him to treat this as
though it was not a major deal. It was just one more thing to add to the very
long list of things that were kept from her.

Those
years of training with him and not a word. Not even a hint that they shared
such a special bond. How could he have kept it a secret? Especially when he saw
how lost she was and how distant she felt from her family. He was her family,
and he could have told her. He could have been there for her.

But
he was, wasn’t he? He was there for her each time she snuck out of the convent.
He stayed there after she’d left with Madoc and waited in their spot because he
knew she would return. He believed in her. He never doubted her abilities or
that she would do this.

“Why
didn’t you tell me?”

“If
I had, what would you have done?”

“I
don’t know.”

He
looked at her disbelievingly, and she sighed.

“I
would have run from the convent and gone with you. The only reason I went to
Fenella was to be with family.”

“And
you never would have been able to
fulfill
the
prophecy that way. You never would have belonged to both worlds. You had to be
Kamari before you could embrace your Kalaowin side,”
Helio
explained.

She
shook her head. “This is too much.”

“Pa!”

Zadi
pushed past Tempani and threw herself into
Helio’s
arms. He laughed and picked her up, smothering her in kisses. When he finally released
her, she turned slowly to Nika and kissed his cheek as they patted each other
awkwardly on the arm.

“Where’s
Ma?”

“She
got held up on the road delivering a baby,” Nika explained.

Tempani
watched them with a smile. Before knowing the truth, she never would have
guessed they were brother and sister, but seeing them standing together, it was
obvious. Their mannerisms were awfully similar. The proud way they held
themselves, the stubborn set of their mouths, the strength in their eyes.

She
didn’t notice Chae was beside her until he whispered in her ear. “Finally, we
get to meet our family.”

~10~

The
Ikra tribe was there to stay. They fell into the routine of camp life with an
ease that Tempani envied. Her friends were still on the outer, wanting to
belong but not accepted by her
niska’s
tribe. The
Ikra people weren’t welcomed with open arms either, but as a fellow tribe they
had more standing than the Kamaris.

Helio
hadn’t been shunned as Hamalia had, but he
had been seen as a betrayer nonetheless for his close ties to Hamalia and Otto
after they wed. He had kept in contact with the pair right up until Hamalia’s
death. And Tempani guessed the association with Otto had continued in secret.

She
wondered what it must be like for her
niska
to feel
as though her two children betrayed her. But her
niski
was able to move past that. Why couldn’t she? Her
niski
was beyond happy that his son and grandchildren were here. The smile had not
left his face.

Chae
was thrilled with the reunion. He and Nika had become fast friends, and she
often came across them trading tips on combat and hunting. A small part of her
was jealous of their blossoming friendship. Nika had been her friend. Chae her
brother. She didn’t know how she felt about sharing them. Even with each other.

She
frowned as she watched Madoc amble down to the stream. He had been growing more
distant the longer they spent here. She worried about him. It couldn’t be easy
seeing her and Chae amongst their Kalaowin relatives when he had no idea where
his were - and if he would even be accepted by them if he did find them.

She
understood his need to belong. To fit into one of their worlds. It was the
thing that bound the two of them together. And Chae. The three of them were of
both worlds and didn’t quite belong in either. But one day they would. They
would live in a kingdom that accepted both races. But before that could happen
Madoc needed to belong to the Kalaowin people in the way she and Chae now did.
And she knew just how to make that happen. She raced off to find her uncle to
discuss the idea with him.

The
following day, after dinner had been served and the children had been settled
for the night,
Helio
called his tribe together and
invited Tempani and her friends to join them.

“A
Kalaowin tribe is family,” he started. “We live, eat and breathe together. When
we lose someone, we feel their loss forever, and when we gain a member, it
fills our hearts with the purest of joys. Tonight I ask my family to extend
their arms and welcome a lost Kalaowin into our fold.”

Tempani
translated quickly for her friends.

“Madoc,
a man without a tribe, belongs back with his mother’s people. It is said that
his mother never claimed h
im
as h
er
own,
and in doing so, he has never been claimed by a tribe. Until now. We are not
the family he was born into, but we will be his family now. If he accepts.”

Madoc
looked up at
Helio
, the surprise clear on his face.
“I thought I had to marry into one?”

“They
are realizing that some rules are
allowed to be broken
.” Tempani reached over and gripped his hand.
“
Uhana
would want you to belong.”

His
eyes glistened with tears as he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.
“Thank you.” He got to his feet and walked towards
Helio
,
who welcomed him with a hug.

Helio
gripped his dagger and cut along his palm and
then asked for Madoc’s hand. He cut a similar line across Madoc’s palm. “Your
blood is my blood.” He pushed their palms together, their blood mingling
together. “Our blood belongs to the earth.” He knelt down, dragging Madoc with
him and together their hands burrowed into the ground, their blood mixing with
the dirt. “You are sworn to protect our blood and our land until the day you
die.”

Madoc
blinked away his tears as he stared at his open palm.

“You
are now Madoc, of the Ikra tribe.”
Helio
leant
forward and kissed Madoc on each cheek before turning to his people. “We
welcome a new son to our fold this evening.”

They
let out a cheer and surrounded him to offer their congratulations.

“Chae,
now of the
Scrola
tribe,” Tempani said as she rose to
her feet. “You are a member of my tribe because our blood is shared. Tonight
you join with the earth and become a brother to others.”

Chae
clambered to his feet and offered his palm to Tempani, who followed the same
ritual as
Helio
. When they pulled their hands free
from the dirt, she wrapped her arms around him. “I hate that I have to share
you.”

He
chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “Yes, but I always belonged to you
first.”

They
turned when they heard voices coming from the camp. The
Scrola
tribe had gathered and was ready to welcome Chae into their fold.
Keer
stood at the front with a spear in his hand. He
stepped forward and held it towards Chae.

“Tomorrow
you hunt with us.”

—

Nic
yawned, barely able to keep his eyes open as he sat in the drawing room waiting
for Otto and silently cursing his mentor for requesting they meet here instead
of at the palace. He jumped when the door burst open, Otto’s frame blocking out
the light from the hall. He rushed in and closed the door behind him.

“Here,”
he said and thrust a pack at him. “We must leave. Now.”

“What?”
Nic stammered. “Have you lost your mind? I can’t leave!”

“Hallam
has just declared you unfit to rule due to your reluctance to punish those
responsible for Wimarc’s death. He has appointed himself king.”

Nic’s
eyes widened. “He can’t!”

Otto
called for Lindow and then turned to Nic. “He has the full support of the
court.”

“How?”

“Bribes,
trickery, charm. The nobles’ way,” Otto spat. “Nic, he’s authorized the capture
of Tempani. At any means.”

The
color
drained from Nic’s face, and he stumbled
backwards.

“We
are going to her, and we are leading this rebellion with her.”

“So
it is true,” he said to himself.

“Of
course it’s true,” Otto snapped. “We’ve been working towards this for years.”

“We?”

Lindow
rushed into the room, bowed quickly to Nic and then faced his master.

“It’s
time,” Otto said. “Gather everyone and use the trails I’ve shown you. Take only
what’s necessary.”

Lindow
nodded. “Good luck, sir. May the God watch over you.”

“And
the Goddess,” Otto whispered.

“Wait,”
Nic grabbed Otto’s arm. “My family. We can’t leave them behind.”

“I
got them out,” he said. “They’re safe.”

Nic
breathed a sigh of relief. “Lead the way, sir.”

—

Tempani
walked through the tents, tired after an afternoon spent with
Aidis
. The dragon’s knowledge on magic and the life of the
First Shiasa was extensive, and they spent many hours discussing both at
length. She was learning all she could for the day she went into battle. But
she couldn’t start the rebellion without the support of her
niska
.

She
sat beside her uncle and sighed.

“What’s
wrong?”

“Why
doesn’t
niska
want the Kalaowins to join the
rebellion? Doesn’t she want to free her enslaved people? Isn’t she sick of the
fighting?”

“She
doesn’t want her people to suffer for a cause that she doesn’t believe in. In
her mind we are two separate kingdoms. The Kamaris and the Kalaowins. She
doesn’t see the need to be united. Kalaowins fear that a united kingdom would mean
total Kamari rule. We would lose our customs. Don’t forget the tale of the
First Shiasa. It was a northern sorcerer who worked against us.”

“Yes,
with a Kalaowin. If the right person were to lead the kingdom, we could retain
both heritages.”

“Is
that person you?”

She
shrugged. “I believe I could make a difference, but I do not believe that I
will make it through this alive. Kill the face of the rebellion, kill the
rebellion.”

“And
you think we would allow you to be killed? You will be surrounded by the finest
fighters I know. No hand will be laid on you.”

“But
there’s Lord Ricton,” she said. “You may not place much faith in a northern
sorcerer, but trust me, he is powerful.”

“As
are you,” he said. “You will defeat him.”

“I’m
not even powerful enough to convince
niska
that I’m a
worthy successor.”

He
smiled. “She has chosen you. If she hadn’t, she would not be training you. She
would not have allowed Madoc to be adopted into my tribe. She may have put up a
fight, but it was all for show. The day her grandchildren walked back into this
camp was the happiest day of her life.”

“She
could show it,” she muttered.

“She
does not show her emotions.”

“What
is with this family? Am I the only one who can show my feelings?”

He
laughed. “Hamalia was the same.”

—

They
picked their way through the woods. He knew they were close. He had felt their
eyes on him since their morning stop. They would show themselves soon enough.
As soon as they realized they weren’t turning back.

He
knew he wouldn’t receive a warm welcome. Nor would Nic.

“I
am Otto, husband of Hamalia of the
Scrola
tribe!” He
called out in Kalaowin.

The
only sound he heard was a faint bird whistle. He sighed and felt his hopes
deflate. But then he heard the whistle again. This time it was closer. Off to
his right. He turned his mare in that direction, and Nic followed.

The
whistles grew louder. They were getting closer. He heard a rustle up ahead and
a short, sharp whistle. He knew the signal. He pulled his horse up, and Nic
followed suit. They appeared out of the trees. Their weapons pointing at the
duo.

Someone
barked the order to lower them. Otto
recogni
z
ed
the voice
immediately and fought a smile as Chae stepped forward, dressed only in a pair
of torn breeches.

“Chae!”
Nic exclaimed and dismounted. The two men clasped each other’s arms in
greeting. “It’s good to see you.”

“You
too, King Nicolass,” he said. “Should I be bowing right now?”

“I’m
not king anymore,” he said sadly. “I’ll tell you all about it later. First, I
need to see her.”

Chae
frowned. “She’s not the same person she was when she left. A lot has happened.”

“And
I am not the same man. Believe me.”

Chae
turned to his father. “You’re brave.”

“Either
that or stupid.” Otto grimaced. “Is
Helio
here?”

Chae
nodded and motioned for them to follow.

There
was a bustle of activity when they arrived at the camp. Darby looked up at the
commotion and saw his old friend. He wandered over to them, and Otto placed a
hand on his shoulder.

“We
have a lot to catch up on,” Otto said.

“That
we do old friend.”

 “Nic!”
Dahlia cried as she walked out of her tent. “What’s going on?”

He
looked at them and sighed. “Hallam is king. And he wants her dead.”

Dahlia
gasped and gripped
Chae’s
hand.

Madoc
raced over and gripped Nic’s shoulders. “What are you doing here?”

“Hallam’s
king,” said Chae.

Madoc
swore loudly. “What are we going to do?”

“Fight,”
said Otto. “We push this rebellion forward.”

“The
Shiasa’s against it. Tempani’s trying to convince her but no luck so far,”
Madoc explained. “She’s a stubborn old lady.”

“She
won’t even publicly acknowledge Tempani as her successor. Even after she rode
in on a dragon,” said Dahlia.

“She
got the dragon,” Otto whispered, shaking his head. “She really did it.”

“Where
is she?” Nic was growing impatient. He wanted to see her.

“You
might want to take cover,” Darby said when he spotted the Shiasa heading their
way, anger flashing in her eyes as she glared at Otto.

“Tempani’s
tent is the third from the end,” Dahlia whispered to Nic. “Go.”

He
ran off just as a blast was fired towards Otto. He was able to move unnoticed
through the camp as everyone had moved over to watch the showdown between their
Shiasa and the man she hated most.

“What’s
going on out there?”

He
froze at the opening of her tent when he heard her voice.