The Jewel of Kamara (The Delthenon Chronicles) (39 page)

“I
came to you because of him,” she spat. “No other reason than to save my own
life.”

“You
can believe that if you want,” she said and patted Bhatia’s arm. “Thank you for
confiding in me.”

“It
still doesn’t mean I like you.”

“I
know.” She went back to picking herbs, but she needed to say one more thing to
her. Make her a promise that she was determined to keep. “I will never allow a
man to lay in your bed again unless you give him permission.”

Bhatia’s
eyes flashed at her. “I don’t need to be protected.”

“I
will watch your back while you’re busy watching everyone else’s. No arguments.”

Bhatia
frowned. “You have no reason to worry. I will never allow a man to touch me
ever again. Wanted or not.”

As
Tempani lay beside Nic later that night she felt such an overwhelming sense of
sadness for Bhatia. To have never felt loved or have felt true affection was
something Tempani couldn’t understand. She’d had a distant father but before
that her childhood had been full of love. Her years after that she’d had Nika
and Mother Chennai. Now she had Nic. She had been blessed in that area.

But
Bhatia had none of that. Even now she had no one offering the comfort and
warmth of friendship. Tempani had tried to become her friend but was constantly
knocked back. It was like trying to work her way through an invisible shield.
Everyone in Bhatia’s life had taken from her and never given her anything. She
had been robbed of her youth and innocence, and all that was left now was an
untrusting shell.

Yet
that wasn’t quite right. Tempani truly believed that there was a part of Bhatia
that had never been squashed. A fire that no one had been able to extinguish.
She was a fighter. But she had a tenderness in her that very few had ever seen.
Tempani had been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of it when she’d witnessed her
caring for
Thara
. And when she’d given her the potion
to help her sleep.

She
was not broken, and Tempani would make sure she stayed that way. She would make
sure Bhatia knew love. And with that she nestled against Nic’s chest and
thanked the Goddess for blessing her in this life.

The
talk she’d had with Bhatia had made Tempani realize that things with her father
were reparable, and she had to at least try and mend the rift between them. Her
father did not care for beating around the bush so she knew she would have to
be direct with him.

She
found him after his morning practice, trudging back down the path toward his
tent. He panted heavily as he wiped the sweat from his brow. He couldn’t hide
his surprise when she fell into step beside him.

“What
happened,” she said. “It wasn’t your fault. I never once thought you were to
blame for it.”

His
eyes saddened as his face sagged. He looked older, and Tempani hated that the
man she’d idolized as a child had been lost to her for so many years. They had
been robbed because neither had spoken openly to the other.

“It’s
my job to protect my family, and I failed all of you,” he said quietly. “I
should have been better prepared.”

“For
so long I thought you hated me for surviving,” she whispered.

He
stopped in his tracks and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Never.” His voice was
tight as he met her eyes. “You and Chae are my world. After it happened I was
ready to run with the two of you. We were getting as far from here as possible.
If it hadn’t been for Darby making me see sense, we would have spent our lives
in hiding.”

“Then
why hold us at arm’s length? Why couldn’t we be a family?”

Tears
pooled in the corners of his eyes. “I didn’t deserve the love of two such pure
hearts. And I figured I would never make it out of this alive. I didn’t want
you to lose two beloved parents. Better to think me a cold man and feel my loss
less.”

She
gasped. “I would never feel your loss any less than I felt hers. We love you.
All we’ve ever wanted is to feel that love in return.”

“And
it pains me to no end that I held back. Perhaps I did it for selfish reasons.
Losing your mother almost destroyed me. To lose either of you, I would never
recover.” He tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled sadly. “Do you think you
can forgive me?”

She
nodded as silent tears fell from her eyes. “I love you papa,” she whimpered as
he wrapped her up in a tight embrace. “So much.”

He
kissed the top of her head as he too wept.

As
the sun set that night, father, son and daughter sat side by side. Happy to once
again be a family.

—

She
woke to the sound of screaming, and it took her a moment to realize it came
from her. She lifted her hand to her face and wiped away her tears.

She
turned at the sound of footsteps as Nic and Madoc burst through the flap. Not
far behind them was her
niska
.

“What’s
wrong?” Nic rushed to her side, wrapping his arms around her.

She
looked over his shoulder and met the older woman’s eyes. “They’re dead,” she
whispered. “All of them.”

“Who?”

“Did
you see it?” She asked her
niska
, ignoring Nic’s
question.

“I
felt it,” she muttered. “Your abilities are stronger than mine.” She hobbled
over and kissed the top of her head, surprising everyone in the tent. “I’m
sorry you had to see that.”

“Who
is dead?” Nic asked again.

“The
Uhli
tribe.”

“How?”

“He
didn’t even spare the children.”

“Who
didn’t? How did they die?” The frustration was growing in Nic’s voice.

“Your
king,” the Shiasa spat. “His men will move to the next tribe.”

“We
have no king,” he said defensively.

Tempani
squeezed his hand as she spoke to her
niska
. “We need
to fight back. Surely you can see the need now?”

Her
wise old eyes were bright with tears as she nodded once. “I’ll send out a
warning. All tribes must go into hiding.”

Tempani
shook her head, frustrated with her
niska
. “No, we
have to act now before others are attacked. Hiding will keep us safe for a few
days, weeks maybe, but they’ll keep coming. His end game is to rid the kingdom
of all Kalaowins.”

“I’ll
gather the elders,” she said before disappearing.

Tempani
let out an angry cry. “Why won’t she act? I don’t understand!”

“She
doesn’t want to see her people get hurt.”

“They’re
going to get hurt if we don’t do anything. At least if we fight, they have a
chance to survive.”

“She’s
stubborn. Most of the elders here are,” Madoc said. “Look, we were mounting a
rebellion before we came here so what’s stopping us? I think we’ve wasted too
much time trying to get the Kalaowins on board, and it’s pointless. Let’s go
back, round up the commoners and start training people who actually want to
fight.
Helio
and the rest of the tribe will join us.
And I’m sure the other tribes that believe in the prophecy and want change will
follow.”

“You’re
right,” she sniffed. “We were planning this before, and I’m tired of her
getting in the way. Let’s finish what we set out to do.”

“Tempani!”
Chae called out as he raced inside. “The elders have gathered. You have to come
hear this.”

She
shook her head. “
Niska’s
telling everyone to go into
hiding. She just wants the blessing of the elders before she contacts the
tribes.”

He
grabbed her hand and pulled her along. ‘She’s not. Hurry!”

They
ran after him and came to a halt at the fire. The tribes parted and left a
clear path to the elders and her
niska
. They beckoned
her forward. With a nudge from Chae, she did as they wanted.

“Tonight
the
Uhli
tribe was attacked. I wanted our people to
hide. Disappear until it is safe to return, but my way is not the answer.”

Tempani
frowned as the Shiasa walked forward.

“Tonight
I stand aside and allow our new Shiasa to lead. She is ready to take her place
and forge her own path.”

The
gathered tribes gasped.

“She
has a strong fire burning deep within her, and she is bound, sometimes
unwillingly, to fight for those who don’t have the strength to fight themselves.
She has all the qualities of a good Shiasa, but it is my strong belief that she
will surpass that. As my successor, she will bring peace to us all.”

She
brought her arm up and opened her hand. Lying flat on her palm was the smooth,
dull rock that only the Shiasa could touch. Tempani held her breath and slowly
picked it up. She raised an eyebrow when nothing happened and couldn’t help but
feel slightly deflated.

“The
rock I have given her is precious to our people. It was taken from the very
mountain behind us where our first tribe lost their lives. It has been handed
down to each Shiasa as a reminder of the heartache we have faced. It is our
jewel, and now I pass it down to her.” She turned to Tempani. “You have shed
the blood and tears along with our First, and now you carry a part of that with
you. Behold, your Shiasa.”

A
cheer broke out, and Tempani surveyed the scene with tears in her eyes. She was
now their leader, and it filled her with such an enormous sense of pride that
for a moment she felt overwhelmed and completely out of her depth. But then her
gaze fell on her friends and family. Kamari and Kalaowin alike, and she knew
she could do this.

Reeta
stepped forward and handed her spear to Zadi.
“Now cousin, it is your turn. Guard with your life.”

Zadi’s
face filled with pride as she accepted the spear and stood by Tempani’s side.

Tempani
noticed Rando lurking behind everyone, and she beckoned him forward. “Now I
have two people I trust watching my back.”

Zadi
and Rando stared at one another, sizing each other up, until Rando nodded.

Messengers
were sent out the next day to each tribe, warning them of the threat and urging
them to follow Tempani into action. She would set out the day after next, back
to the convent, where she would send out a call to her followers. Her father’s
contacts still in the city would start gathering people wanting to fight. They
would destroy Hallam and Lord Ricton and anyone who followed them.

~12~

They
travelled quickly, leaving behind only those who were too young or too old to
fight. And Colbert. He had refused to join them in a cause he no longer
believed in. No amount of persuasion on any of their parts would change his
mind. Tempani didn’t want to order him to join them so they left him and the
others to go into hiding.

His
still unnamed child rode with
Thara
, with Nika
sticking close to the pair. Tempani had noticed him watching
Thara
. He was never far from her as though he wanted to
protect her and the baby.

The
mood was
somber
as they set up camp each night. They
set about their tasks quietly, and it wasn’t until they sat down for food that
people began to relax. Tempani couldn’t blame them for being scared. One of
their tribes had just been slaughtered. They didn’t know who would be next.

After
another day of riding, she had stayed up talking to Nic, who had been quiet
since the news of the slaughter.

“They
all think I’m just like him,” he confessed to her. “They watch me with such
distrust. Hatred even.

She
turned over in his arms and rested her forehead against his. “Prove them
wrong.”

“That
easy is it?”

“I
did it. They all thought I was like mama, and I had to show them that I wasn’t.
That I wouldn’t abandon my duty.”

“That
you wouldn’t choose love over them?”

“Yes,”
she whispered.

“Do
you ever regret it?” He asked. “Leaving Fenella? Leaving me?”

“I
can’t.” She shook her head, trying to find the right words. “It doesn’t mean I
love you less than my people. I couldn’t have stayed.”

“Do
you ever wonder what would have happened if you had? We’d be ruling the kingdom
by now.”

She
sighed, surprised that after all this he still believed in that. She kissed him
softly. “We’d both be dead. Let’s be grateful that things turned out this way.”

“You’re
right. You did the right thing, leaving when you did.”

She
squeezed her arms around him. “Don’t give me all the credit. You chose duty
over love too. I didn’t see you chasing after me on horseback.”

“You
think too highly of me.” He turned away from her. “I didn’t choose my duty. I
chose pride. I expected you to come back begging my forgiveness.”

“And
I hoped you would come after me, begging for mine. I guess we were both
foolish.”

“I
don’t know if I can promise that my pride won’t get in the way again.”

“And
I can’t promise that my duty to my people won’t win out again.”

“I
do love you though.”

She
gripped his shoulders and rolled him back over to face her. “And I love you.
We’ll have to remember that next time we stray off our path.”

“Shall
we work on remembering that now?” He kissed her hard and pulled her on top of
him, sliding his hands under her shirt.

They
set out before dawn the next day. Tempani had a growing sense of unease in her
stomach. Something didn’t feel quite right yet she couldn’t put her finger on
it. Her Power normally gave her an insight into matters that affected her, but
she wasn’t receiving anything. She hoped that meant there was nothing to be
concerned about.

When
they were no more than an hour from the convent,
Helio
pulled up alongside her.

“Our
camp is not far from here. We will take the tribes there and rest the horses.
There will not be room for all of us at the convent. You go rest and see your
friends. Tomorrow we’ll start training.”

She
nodded and pushed Mincha towards the left, her friends following her as she
headed in the direction of her former home. She longed to see Teddy and Mother
Chennai again. To tell them everything that had happened. How she was now the
Shiasa, how she’d mended the relationship with her father and that she’d
married Nic. She wanted them to share in her joy. But then she also had to tell
them that they were preparing for war. She would convince Teddy to stay at the
convent, where he would be safe.
Thara
and the baby
would stay there with him.

She
found herself getting giddy in her saddle the closer they got. She hadn’t
realized how long it had been since they’d left. And now they were coming home.
They were finishing what was started all those months ago.

They
rounded the bend, and she froze. In the distance dark, thick smoke rose into
the clouds. She turned quickly to Nic and saw her own fear reflected back in
his eyes. She kicked Mincha into a gallop, ignoring their protests and flew
down the road.

The
smoke grew thicker the closer they got, and she was forced to slow down as it
choked her lungs. The ground was charred. Bare of all form of life. Then the
smell of burnt flesh hit her. She swallowed the bile rising in her throat and
pushed Mincha on. She sensed the circle tighten around her, closing in on her
so she was protected. Safe. It angered her. While she had been tucked away
safely with the tribe, people who had helped her were attacked. She should have
been here, protecting them. That is what she had pledged to do, and she had
failed them.

They
reached the gate and came to a halt.

Madoc
and Chae dismounted. “We’ll go in,” Madoc said. “We’ll signal if it’s safe.”

Tempani
ignored them and pulled herself off Mincha, her eyes stinging with tears as she
glared at them. Nic was no more than a heartbeat behind her. “We’re coming with
you.”

Chae
shook his head. “Not until we’ve assessed what’s inside.”

“I’m
going in,” she said through clenched teeth.

“Tempani,
you don’t need to see what’s in there.” Madoc’s voice was soft, caring, but she
shook her head as if to force it out.

“Don’t!”
She cried. “They are my friends!”

Madoc
bowed his head and stepped aside, allowing her and Nic to pass. They stopped in
front of Chae.

“Get
out of my way or I will make you,” she threatened. “Right now I don’t care that
you’re my brother.”

“Teddy’s
in there,” Nic pleaded.

The
smoke was thick in the empty grounds. The fire in the stables still burned.
Tempani forced down the lump in her throat as she remembered all the beautiful horses
that lived there. A tear rolled down her cheek, but she ignored it.

She
pushed on through the courtyard and let out a scream when her foot nudged what
she thought was a pile of rags. The priest’s body was burnt beyond recognition.

 Nic’s
hand gripped her arm. “Gods, what happened?”

She
shook him off when she saw more bodies ahead. She ran, her feet pounding the
blackened soil, as she moved from body to body. Burned to death. All of them.
She knew they were all gone, but she couldn’t help checking each one. Just in
case. She was stony faced as she did, refusing to weep while there was still
the smallest glimmer of hope.

She
turned over the body of a fellow sister. She had not been kind to Tempani. Had
gone out of her way to shun her. But she didn’t deserve this fate. No one
deserved the fire that would have engulfed their bodies, scorching their
clothes and burning their flesh. No kind or forgiving ear to hear their screams
as they died a most painful death.

Someone
screamed her name. Again and again. Darby. She ran after his voice and let out
a strangled cry when she saw them. Mother Chennai’s body was limp, but she was
still breathing. Barely. Tempani knelt at her side and ran a gentle hand over
her. She had been spared the flames but was covered with bloodied marks that
stretched the length of her body.

“They
spared no one,” she muttered. “They made us watch as they violated…” her voice
trailed off.

“What
have they done?”

“Stoned
her,” Otto whispered, his voice thick with disgust.

“And
lashed with a whip,” Madoc muttered.

Darby
looked up at her through tear filled eyes. “Save her.”

“Tempani!”
Nic screamed as he staggered towards her, bearing an unconscious Teddy in his
arms. Chae rushed to his side and helped him carry the younger man.

“Oh
Goddess,” she cried as she looked him over. He had blood oozing out of a deep
gash in his belly, his right leg was sticking out at a weird angle, and he had
been beaten savagely. His wrists and ankles bore the marks of ties.

He
whimpered as she touched his face.

She
had to think fast. Decide which one needed healing first. Why wasn’t her
niska
with her? She would be able to help. Dahlia and
Bhatia weren’t strong enough healers to do anything. She had to think. But
everyone was talking at her. Telling her what to do. Asking her to help. She
covered her ears and closed her eyes. Think, she told herself. Teddy was
bleeding badly and that needed to be stopped quickly. Mother Chennai wasn’t
bleeding as badly, but her breathing was shallow. Her internal injuries may be
more severe.

Her
eyes flickered open as a warm hand rested on her knee.

“Heal
him.” Mother Chennai’s voice was weak but firm.

“But…”

“Trust
me,” she muttered.

Tempani
nodded and turned back to Teddy. She went inside herself and opened her mind to
Teddy’s wound. It was deeper than she thought. He had gotten a second cut
higher up and it had pierced his lung. She worked on that first, mending the
puncture and trying to rid the wound of any infection. When that was done she
worked on his belly cut.

Her
head span as she moved onto his leg. The break was clean. It would take time
for it to heal completely. She wouldn’t be able to fuse the bones back together
on her first try. She had to save some of her Power to mend Chennai.

Once
she had done the best she could with his leg she began to pull herself back to
the surface but she sensed a sliver of darkness in his being. Something
unnatural. She checked over his organs, and they seemed fine. He had no other
breaks, just some bruised ribs. She explored his neck for any wounds and inched
higher. She gasped and found herself jerked back to reality.

She
ignored their questions as she cupped Teddy’s face in her hands. “Open your
eyes,” she instructed.

He
obeyed, and she knew right away. They were still blue, still intact, but gone
was the sparkle that was always there. They were lifeless, empty. He had been
blinded, and it had been a sorcerer who had done it.

She
went back inside herself and tried to mend them but she couldn’t. She tried to
force the darkness from him, but there was no point. She couldn’t undo what had
been done. She rocked on her heels, her body swaying as she hit the ground.

“Tempani!”
Nic cried and scooped her up, wiping her sweat soaked hair from her face. He
trickled some water into her mouth.

“I’m
fine,” she murmured. “Chennai.” She bolted upright and crawled over to her
mentor. Her breathing was laborious.

“Please,”
Darby whispered.

She
hovered over the older woman and ran her hands over her body. She braced
herself to go once more into herself but stopped at Mother Chennai’s touch.

“Open
your mind to me,” she croaked. “Go on,” she said when Tempani hesitated.

Tempani
did as she asked and felt a jolt run through her body as her mind connected with
Mother Chennai’s. Flashing before her was the journey of each abbess before
Chennai. Their knowledge and Power passed along to the next one upon death.

Her
mind screamed from the sudden rush of information that was now present. Every
spell, every oath, every name that had crossed the lips of each abbess.

And
then she heard the one voice that she did not want to hear. Not now. Not for
her.

Chennai’s
hand was blazing hot in Tempani’s as they stood before the God
Tritus
. Gone were her injuries and pain, and now she was
just a woman. Her gray hair fell to her waist, her green eyes sparkling with
the warmth that was so familiar to Tempani.

“Do
not cry, my daughter,” she said. “You chose right. My path in life was at an
end.”

“I
could have saved you,” she wept.

She
smiled sadly. “I am where I belong. My daughters were ripped from me, and I am
meant to join them in the afterlife. Now our legacy lives on with you, and you
will impart our wisdom on the next abbess.”

She
shook her head and clung to her. “You can’t leave me. Not now. We’re about to
change things.”

“Listen
to those around you, but know that your instincts are often right. You will do
great things in this world.”

“No,”
she cried. “I can still save you.”

“You
cannot save everyone.” Chennai reached out her hand and stroked Tempani’s
cheek. “I am so proud of you.” She turned to
Tritus
.
“I accept the afterlife. I go to it with my journey in life now complete.”