The Obsidian Temple (2 page)

The caravan moved forward again, and they turned the string toward the merchant district and the family's sales hall. Kadar heard a shout and saw his cousin Simon wave once before pelting back in the direction of the hall to spread the news that the caravan had arrived. They were met at the hall by Simon and his younger brothers Kile and Abram, who began unloading the mules as Kadar toyed with his horse's reins impatiently.

“I sent Yanis to the house to let Da know you're here,” Simon told them.

“Go on ahead,” Uncle Aaron told Kadar, grinning at his impatience. “We've got it covered. Simon can help me stable the mules, and I'll be up at the house for midmeal.”

“Thanks,” Kadar said. Turning his horse, he weaved his way through the traffic to the north side of town. As he approached his aunt and uncle's house, a small crowd came out to greet him. He halted his horse and scanned the crowd for Farrah's golden hair. He found the dark eyes of his aunt Raella, who shook her head slightly. Kadar swallowed his disappointment and dismounted. Farrah could not have known when in the day they would arrive. It was silly to be disappointed that she wasn't waiting for him.

He turned away from his horse, handing the reins to Yanis, and Aunt Raella stepped forward to greet him, a small, almost shy smile on her face. For the first time he noticed the bundle she was holding, swathed in linens. It moved, and he gazed at the little face, then back at his aunt.

“Yes, she's your daughter,” she said, laughing at his expression.

Kadar gently pushed back the blanket around his daughter's face. Her skin was a warm brown, lighter than his own skin and silky soft to his touch. She wiggled and opened her wide blue eyes.

“Poor thing, she has my nose,” Kadar said softly, and startled when everyone laughed. For a few moments, he'd forgotten there was anyone but him and his daughter in the world.

“Here,” Aunt Raella said, holding the bundle out to him. “Hold her while I help Yanis settle your horse.”

“I don't know . . .” Kadar fumbled a bit with his hands, worried he'd drop the fragile baby. Aunt Raella positioned his hands under his daughter's head and neck and under her body. She was light, tiny, and he held her gingerly as Aunt Raella shooed him out of the sun and into the coolness of the front hall. He sat at the kitchen table and stared down at the little girl, cradling her against him. He and Farrah had never decided on a name. He wondered what Farrah called her—­maybe named after her mother? He glanced up, and found an unfamiliar woman watching him.

She was clearly of desert stock like himself, with black hair and brown eyes, maybe a little older and jiggling a toddler on her hip. She smiled at him and the baby.

“You must be Kadar, then,” she said. “I'm Dana, the little tyke's
abda
. Your family said you'd be getting into town the next few days. “

Kadar blinked, a little taken aback. He'd never thought of Farrah getting a wet nurse for their child. Northern women tended their own babies and seemed to look askance at the desert tradition of
abdas
. He hadn't expected Farrah to be comfortable with the practice.

Kadar sighed. There were so many things he and Farrah never got to decide before he'd rushed off with Sulis. At least it seemed that his aunt and uncle had understood better than Kadar did what Farrah would need—­they would have been the ones to find Dana and hire her since Farrah was a Forsaken, and Forsaken could not employ workers outside their own caste.

“Do you know what Farrah named her?” he asked, and flushed with embarrassment that he did not know his own daughter's name. “Uncle Aaron said she hadn't been named before he come to fetch me.”

Dana shrugged. “I don't think she has an official name yet, but the family calls her Datura. Farrah said it was the father's duty to name her.” She grinned, mischievously. “So I guess it's up to you.”

Kadar looked back down into the blue eyes his daughter inherited from Farrah. Datura was a moonflower that grew in the more fertile parts of Shpeth and twined around poles and trees. A tenacious, strong vine that flexed with the wind without breaking, it thrived in the harshest soils and bloomed bright with the moon. It was the perfect name for a daughter of the desert. Kadar smiled and stroked Datura's cheek gently with a finger, marveling at her tiny nose and rosebud mouth. She looked back at him and started making little smacking noises with her lips. She waved her tiny, chubby fingers in the air, curling them into fists.

“That's my cue then,” Dana said. She set the toddler she was holding down on a blanket in the center of the room and gathered Datura into her arms as Kadar gently held her out. The toddler sat up and shoved his fist in his mouth, staring at Kadar as Datura was whisked out the room. Kadar stared back, bemused.

Aunt Raella and Uncle Tarik joined him as the family's cook entered the room and plunked a cup of
tash
and a plate of meats in front of him.

“You met Dana then?” Raella asked, tickling the toddler. “A lovely girl. We were lucky to find her when Farrah's milk didn't come in. She needed a place in a household, and her son was the right age, so the timing was perfect for both of us.”

“Is Farrah running errands?” Kadar asked, finally voicing the thought foremost in his mind. “Will she be back soon?”

Aunt Raella grimaced and sat down. “Farrah is living back in her family home in the Forsaken district, taking care of her younger siblings and running her mother's wash business. She'll be by later to see you and the baby.”

Kadar was silent a moment.

“She doesn't live here with the baby?” he asked.

Aunt Raella shook her head. “The stress of her mother's death made the baby come early. She didn't have enough milk for Datura; it sometimes happens when the mother's grieving or sick in some way. Then when she came off the birthing bed, she had her two brothers and a little sister to care for.”

“We took care of them here at the house while she was recovering,” Uncle Tarik said. “But soldiers have been watching us since Sulis . . . and Farrah was afraid we'd be penalized if Voras decided we were sheltering Forsaken. Farrah wanted to protect Datura and took her siblings home.”

“That doesn't make sense,” Kadar said, looking between them. They didn't meet his eyes. “Why would Voras care who we sheltered? What aren't you telling me?”

Uncle Tarik frowned and looked down at the table. Aunt Raella watched him a moment then looked directly at Kadar.

“I think she left because it was too hard to be here while we took care of her daughter,” she said “Datura couldn't nurse, and Farrah felt pushed out by the
abda
. Farrah was in no shape after the birth to do much, and she was too emotional over her mother's death to bond with her baby.” Raella softened her tone. “Farrah barely pulled her little sister to safety before her mother was trampled. She was weeping over her mother's body when her water broke. If the viceroy's son hadn't seen her distress and helped her come here, we might have lost Farrah and her baby.”

“Farrah stops in to hold Datura whenever she can. She clearly loves her little girl,” Uncle Tarik said. “But you have to understand, Kadar. Farrah didn't cry over her mother's death. She went cold, angry. The Forsaken have used that death as an excuse to start harassing soldiers. It's only gotten worse since Farrah returned to her home in the Forsaken district. I think Farrah might be involved in the unrest, but she wanted her daughter safe, so she left her here.”

Kadar stared down at his cup, his emotions swirling. Farrah had left their child. It was hard to believe. But he knew she despised soldiers and would want to exact revenge for her mother's death. His aunt and uncle didn't know Farrah was leader of the Forsaken movement, along with Kadar and Ashraf.

Aunt Raella reached across and patted his hand. “Don't be so worried, Kadar. We were glad to care for Datura,” she assured him, misinterpreting his frown. “I love babies, and having two in the house makes me feel young again.”

Uncle Tarik chuckled. “You should hear your aunt, Kadar. I haven't heard her sing so much since our boys were babies. Little Datura is lucky if she gets to sleep in her basket at all between Dana and Raella fussing over her.”

“A little girl,” Aunt Raella sighed. She lightly smacked Uncle Tarik's shoulder. “Something you were never able to give me.”

Uncle Tarik smiled. “Your world will never be the same, with that little darling twining her way around your heart. More responsibility, more work, but that little girl will make everything worth working for. “

“She is beautiful, isn't she?” Kadar breathed, thinking about his daughter's tiny little nose. “Datura suits her. And she has her mother's eyes.”

“Don't get too attached to the blue,” Aunt Raella warned. “They'll probably settle to a darker hazel or brown after a year. “

“I don't care,” Kadar said. “She's perfect. She'll probably end up ruling the universe, with her great-­grandmother and aunt being who they are.” He smiled, thinking about a little tyrant ordering Aunt Sulis about. It would be good for Sulis not to be the only girl getting away with everything. “I'll let Farrah know I like the name. I'm surprised she didn't name her after her mother.”

Aunt Raella looked uneasy. “The name came from your grandmother,” she said. “She sent a message right before the birth. Who knows how she knew it would be a girl. We thought it would be her usename and Farrah would give her a formal name, but Farrah said it was the father's privilege to name the baby and wouldn't give one.”

“I'll talk to her about it and see what she really wants,” Kadar said. “We never got a chance to talk before I left.”

“Is anyone going to help an old man out?” Uncle Aaron called from outside. Kadar hastily gulped the rest of his meat and cheese and went out to help carry in the family goods. He glanced at the doorway Dana had disappeared through, hearing a soft lullaby, and smiled as he went about his work. He had all the time in the world to spend with his little girl now. He would make sure his reunion with her mother was memorable as well.

 

Chapter 2

THIS WAS NOT
what I had in mind, Sulis thought, panting in the morning sun,
when I said I was ready to learn. I think she's trying to kill me.

Sulis held the moving meditation pose her grandmother had guided her into, feeling her legs start to quiver. Her arms were outstretched, her legs in a lunging sort of position, and she was supposed to be breathing deeply instead of gasping.

A memory returned to Sulis, as she held the pose, of a fight between her mother and grandmother. She'd been very young and had been imitating her grandmother's twisting flow. Her mother had found Grandmother teaching her some poses, flowing with her. She'd been furious.

“
You aren't going to force Sulis into your crazy religious cult.
”
Her mother's voice had cracked in anger.
“
Sulis will make her own decision as I made mine. Keep your hands off my daughter.
”

“
The prophecy is real,
”
Grandmother responded.
“
Iamar, you daughter has a part to play in this, whether you like it or not. I am simply preparing her for her future.
”

“
You want to ruin her life, the way you have yours and Father's,
”
Iamar snapped.
“
Stay away from my children. If you don't, Gadiel and I will leave, and you'll never see them again.
”

Sulis gasped and stared at her grandmother, lowering her arms.

“My mother. I remembered a time, when I was young . . .” she said, to Grandmother's frown.

Grandmother nodded, almost approvingly. “Yes. The energy of the poses brings clarity to the mind and breaks through emotional barriers.”

“I remember . . . Mother didn't want me to learn these moves. Why? Why did she threaten to take us away?”

“Your mother was willful,” Grandmother said harshly. At Sulis's frown, her face softened, and she shook her head. “It was not all her. I pushed too hard for her to accept my calling, to follow in my footsteps. She told me she was called by the One to Illian, and I told her she was lying to herself. It was the worst thing I could have done. After that, she rejected all the traditional teachings and refused to let me teach you and your brother.”

“But what prophecy? Why did she think you were in a cult?”

“I am preparing you to learn these things,” Grandmother said, the finality of her tone warning Sulis not to question her further. “Now raise your arms again and assume the full posture. The Warrior pose. Already you have seen how it rids the mind of emotional blockage.”

Sulis raised her arms and winced at the fatigue in her shoulders.

“You try too hard,” Grandmother said. “Ease and suppleness, breath and body—­not force and willpower. Go through that sequence again, only focus on being at ease in your own body.”

“I can't,” Sulis protested. “My stomach still hurts when I press into an up-­face.”

Grandmother shook her head. “It is remembered pain, not real. Aneke says you are fully healed inside and out. You need to press through that not-­pain to get to the real pain, which is in the emotions, in the head. When you do that, you will be fully healed. And when you are healed, we can go deeper.”

“So why is Ava doing sitting meditation while I'm sweating it over here?” Sulis protested.

“Your nature is Fire. Your energy is always moving, always swirling. You must move with your energy to tame it and quiet it. Ava is Earth. She must ground herself, set down roots to own her energy and body. You will both learn all the types of meditation and practice them for greater ease in body and mind—­but your focus will be on the one that complements your nature. Not every meditation is right for every person. Stop complaining and do the flow.”

There was the sound of footsteps behind Sulis, who knew better by now than to look. She'd been shoved over into the sand several times now and learned to keep her focus. Grandmother glanced over at the newcomer, and a subtle change came over her as she stood taller, tucked her chin, and looked more regal. She went from exasperated teacher to powerful leader in the space of a breath.

“Take a break while I handle this,” she told Sulis. “Stretch, or you will stiffen up, and drink water to release the toxins.”

Sulis released the pose, shaking out her arms, and watched as her grandmother walked off with a tall, ebony-­skinned man wearing a white cloak and turban, his clothes dingy from the dust of travel.

Djinn rubbed his side against her sweaty thigh, and she grimaced at the layer of shed fur left sticking to her skin as she pushed him away. She went to the water-­hole aquifer under the date palms and carefully splashed the fur and sweat off her legs. Ava sat cross-­legged under one of the palms and opened her eyes as Sulis sat down beside her.

“It's so unfair you get to sit here in the shade and daydream while I have to do endless sun dances,” Sulis complained.

“She makes me do some sun dances in the morning and evening to be more flexible, so I can sit for longer,” Ava said primly, her eyes dancing, “But you are Fire, and I am of the Earth. You need to move like the flames to focus your energies, and I need to make like a rock and sit still.” She sighed and shook out her legs. “I think I'd rather dance than sit and try not to think. I'm exhausted from not thinking.”

Sulis grinned in sympathy, remembering her own meditation at the Temple. As always, the memory was accompanied by a pang of regret, and worry for Alannah, Lasha, Jonas, and the others she had left behind.

“You worry about everyone back home, too, don't you?” Ava said.

Sulis nodded. “This is home for me. But I miss my friends back in Illian, at the Temple. I know we'd had just a year together, but I've never been as close to anyone as to them—­besides Kadar. Alannah managed to smuggle a note back with Uncle Aaron, so I know she and Jonas are still in the city. But Lasha and Dani have been sent to the trading outpost, a ­couple days' ride from here right at the edge of the desert, and sometimes I wonder if I should go there, to see them. But then I worry that I'd be arrested for the death of the Templar, and that it would make things worse. I sent a message for Lasha with Kadar, but I don't know if he'll have a chance to find her before they travel on to Illian.”

Ava nodded. “I worry about Farrah, and the boys and my little sister. Sometimes I think I should be there, helping Farrah take care of everyone.”

“You belong here, right now,” Grandmother's voice said from behind her. “And starting now, neither of you will have time to worry.”

Sulis jumped and turned, giving her grandmother an exasperated glare. The old woman seemed to love sneaking up on Sulis, somehow not making a sound in the sand.

Grandmother grinned, enjoying Sulis's irritation. The visitor stood beside her, looking regal in his white clothes.

“Why won't we have time, Grandmother Hasifel?” Ava asked politely.

“Because I must go south. And you will be coming with me. Between traveling and your lessons, you will be much too busy to worry about anything but getting enough rest.”

The man frowned and spoke sharply to Grandmother in a language Sulis didn't know, gesturing toward Ava, who gulped and looked down at her feet.

Grandmother replied clearly, so both girls could hear. “These are both my apprentices, my pairings of the heart. If you do not accept both, you do not accept me and can solve your problem on your own.”

Ava didn't look up, but her shoulders squared, and she stood taller. The man frowned and glared at Grandmother, who gazed back in quiet amusement. After a moment, his lips quirked up slightly, and he shrugged. Sulis made a mental note to ask her grandmother what language he was speaking. It seemed familiar to her.

Grandmother turned her attention back to the girls. “Sulis, contact the stablemaster and tell him we will start out with mules and change to humpbacks at the start of the dunes. Ava, see to the kitchens: tell them I will be heading to the outpost with a party of seven. They'll understand what I need; I've made this trip many times. Go now—­I have more to speak with Master Anchee about.”

She turned to the master, and they started speaking again in that unfamiliar language, dismissing Sulis and Ava. The girls glanced at each other, then Ava started off toward the kitchen as Sulis headed to the edge of town. She could feel excitement rising in her, as she had when she and Kadar joined Uncle Aaron's caravan for the first time. Life was moving once again, and she was moving with it.