Unquiet Slumber (10 page)

All of the other men leaned in to try and see what Nathaniel was talking about.

Only a few people knew of her mark’s existence, but Tianna realized that number was about to change. “It really is nothing compared to yours. It’s just something I had done a few years back by a traveling wizard.”

“We’ve shown you our marks. I think it’s only fair that we see yours,” Nathaniel spoke with a determined smile.

Tianna scanned the men now staring at her, unsure what to do. Nathaniel was right. They had shared their stories without hesitation. She felt obligated to share her story.

“Alright, I’ll show you, but I’ll need a little help.” She reached behind her neck and pulled out the long knife she had hidden. They were surprised to see she carried it since it once again was expertly hidden under her clothes.

She handed the knife to Gabriel. “Will you hold this for me?” He took it from her with a bow.

She said to no-one in particular, “I’ll need someone to untie the sides of my shirt while I hold the front in place.” There was no way she was going to stand half naked in front of four men she barely knew.

To no one’s surprise, Nathaniel jumped at the job. She put her hands on her breasts and pressed the material tightly against herself while Nathaniel loosened the ties enough that he could lift the back of her shirt. The men all gathered behind her so they could see what Nathaniel was unveiling.

At the first sight of her mark, the men all took in a deep breath. Seth was the first one to be able to verbalize a response. “It’s beautiful! Please tell us how it came to be?”

Tianna began to tell her story. “When I was sixteen, a wizard stopped at my home to visit my master. One of his unique gifts was the ability to put colorful images on the skin. He showed me some he had on his body and one he had previously given my master. When my master had to step out to heal a villager, I brought the wizard a sketch of an image I’d seen in a dream. When he saw it, he seemed overly fascinated by the image and I easily convinced him to put it on my back. During the spell I must have fallen asleep, because when I woke the mark was on my back and both he and my sketch were gone. When I showed my new mark to my master, he was very angry with me and the wizard that created it. There was nothing he could do about it, however, as it can never be removed.”

While still holding the material tightly against her breasts, she turned her head around as far as she could in an attempt to look at the image on her back. “It’s hard for me to actually see it since it’s on my back but, based on what I can see, it looks just like my sketch.”

All of the men seemed mesmerized. The mark was centered on a knotted symbol resembling a winged being. Swirling ribbon connected other symbols which ran up to Tianna’s shoulder. Additional symbols ran down her back until they disappeared under the top edge of her pants.

Out of desire to read the symbols, Nathaniel desperately wanted to see where the lower symbols ended, but he knew better than to ask. While he was touching the mark, he could’ve sworn that the winged image moved. He shook this thought out of his mind, thinking that it must have just been the sun reflecting off her skin.

Nathaniel’s touch was causing inappropriate images to appear in her mind, and she was starting to feel a little exposed, so she stepped away from the men. She quickly pulled her shirt back down and retied the sides.

“I’d love to take a closer look at that some time. Those symbols look somewhat familiar.” Marcus’ questioning tone matched the genuine look of interest in his expression. Gabriel held the same expression. They both knew that there was more to this image and wanted to find its true meaning.

Nathaniel had a look on his face that made her so uncomfortable that she blushed the color of Gabriel’s dragon and announced, “I bet that the biscuits are done. We had better eat and hit the trail.” She quickly turned and walked back to where she had been preparing the food. Everyone else followed her and finished getting dressed. She hadn’t even realized that she had forgotten to get her sword back from Gabriel until he walked over and handed it to her.

She had them all sit, and she served them this time. They all praised her food, although she didn’t know if they were just being kind or if they truly meant it. It made her feel good just the same.

When they were done, Tianna was surprised when all of the men got up and helped cleanup. When she told them it was unnecessary, Marcus responded, “To survive the many months together, we all share in the day-to-day responsibilities.” As they worked, Tianna couldn’t help but be impressed by how well the four men worked seamlessly together.

After everything was cleaned and packed away, they readied their horses, while Seth took out his map and discussed with Tianna the path they would take back to her village.

Gabriel called over his shoulder, “Tianna, I got the bridle on your horse for you, but I don’t see your saddle.” He was searching around the campsite.

Tianna walked over, grabbed a horse blanket that was hanging on a low branch, and threw it over her horse’s back. She announced, “There, all done.”

Gabriel gave her a ‘No saddle?’ questioning stare.

“I prefer to ride bareback unless I’m going on a very long trip.” She walked her horse to join the other men that were now already mounted. She threw her traveling bag across her horse’s back and tied it in place.

Marcus noticed that Tianna’s horse was almost as tall as theirs so he asked, “Can we help you ge—” but, before he could finish, she grabbed its mane and jumped up and onto its back in one graceful move.

They all laughed. “You never cease to amaze me, my lady,” Marcus said with an approving nod. “Ladies first,” he added, as he pointed in the direction they would be heading.

Tianna clicked at her horse and off she went. The men quickly caught up with her and soon they were on their way to see Tianna’s village of Trille.

Just out of their campsite, Nathaniel trotted forward so that he was right beside Tianna. He thought he had behaved quite admirably while they were examining her back, but he seemed unable to hold back his old ways any longer. He leaned toward Tianna and whispered, “You can ride me bareback with those strong thighs any time you want.”

The look on Tianna’s face made Nathaniel chuckle, but she was prepared to respond this time. In a graceful movement, she slowly lifted her hand like she was going to try to touch his face, so he leaned closer to her. At the last second she quickly pulled her hand back and grabbed something just inside the front lining of her pants. In a blur of speed, a small, sharp dagger appeared near his throat. She gave him a wink and a smile.

Nathaniel threw back his head and gave out a roaring laugh. “My kind of woman!” he exclaimed. He then turned back and yelled, “Last one there serves the drinks.” He gave his horse a swift kick and off he went. Tianna heard the others yell in response, and soon all of them were flying past her.

Tianna sighed and raced to catch up with them.

As they traveled down the trail, Tianna learned about Marcus’ wife Sharay and their daughter Isabella. Isabella was six, which was the same age as Sara. Marcus spoke of his family with such great love and longing, it made Tianna’s chest tighten.

When they approached the river crossing, Tianna noticed that it had been washed out by the rain storm. She turned in her saddle and announced, “Sorry gentlemen, the trip is going to take a little longer. We’ll need to go downriver to cross.” She was secretly thrilled because this gave her more time to get to know her new companions.

Seth scanned the area trying to find the source for a melodic sound he was hearing. He called, “Tianna, what’s making that odd sound?”

Tianna giggled. “Along this river grows a very unique reed. When the breeze blows they make a whistling sound. It’s almost like it’s singing to you. That’s why this is called the Song River. When I was young, I used to sit along this river for hours just to listen to the music. I find it very calming.”

 Nathaniel closed his eyes for a moment to listen to the music of the reeds. He thought it was beautiful, and as he listened, his body relaxed. Tianna was right. It did have a calming effect.

As they continued, Tianna talked at length to Gabriel about his family. She lost count of the number of children he mentioned, most of which were male. It seemed to her that he was trying to single-handedly create his own army. When he spoke of his children, he sat high in his saddle and spoke with so much pride that his face beamed.

After the midday meal, Tianna and Seth talked about their mutual love of the stars and using them to navigate at night. She told him about her father who also shared this love. He had created a wide variety of star maps over the years. Seeing Seth’s interest, she told him that she would make sure to take him to meet her father while they were in her village. Seth was very excited.

She and Nathaniel didn’t get a chance to talk much because he spent most of the time singing love songs. She couldn’t help but enjoy the caress of his voice, and she secretly wished those songs could be directed at her. She never noticed how his eyes followed her as he sang.

After finally crossing the river, Tianna announced that Trille was nearby. She wanted to avoid a grand entrance through the center of the village, so she decided to take them around the back way to her home.

As she led them along a small cliff face on the side of a hill, she stopped and said, “I need to get something. Rest for a minute, and I’ll be back shortly.”

She headed over to a gap in the rock wall and stuck her arm in, pulling out a wrapped package. She ran behind some tall bushes, returning after a few minutes dressed in typical peasant woman’s attire that didn’t flatter her figure. She’d even changed her hair from elaborate braids to a simple, loose bun.

Everyone stared at her, puzzled.

She responded, “I’m not a normal woman for my village, but I do try to blend in. It helps to appear as just another plain, helpless woman.” She rolled her eyes.

Nathaniel studied Tianna’s revised image. Even in these clothes, he would have spotted her instantly in any village. “You, my dear lady, could never be considered either plain or helpless.” He examined her body, smiled, and said, “Ladies first.”

Tianna walked slowly back to her horse, trying to adjust her dress so she could mount. Seth silently appeared next to her. “May I be of some assistance?”

“Yes, please. No wonder women can’t ride as well as men.” She gathered up as much of her dress as she could. “We have to fight all of this material!”

Remembering Tianna’s lesson about women, Seth pondered on the best way to get her onto her horse without grabbing anything he shouldn’t. He smiled as an idea came to him. He put one arm along her back and the other under her knees, scooping her up so that she was cradled in his arms. Without any effort at all, he tossed her onto the back of her horse with a thump. It was a little jolting on Tianna’s part, but Seth smiled broadly, very pleased with his ‘hands off’ solution.

Tianna thanked him and settled herself into place. Within a short time she was leading the men out of the woods and into a clearing. Her master’s small home stood in the center, surrounded by a large herb garden and a well-maintained barn.

“That’s where I live.” She pointed to the small structure directly ahead of her.

The Draaks all stopped and stared at each other, big grins forming on their faces. They all remembered the challenge that Nathaniel had made back at the camp.