Compis: Five Tribes (10 page)

Luka remembered Zyander's face when they met him afterward, and didn't think everyone was so pleased with the news. Zyander continued to be paranoid that along with the other bad luck that had haunted his tribe, now the other tribes were going to toss his tribe out altogether and replace it with a new one. Judging by the way the voting went, Luka doubted the viability of this theory.

The day after the second council meeting the Initiates had attended, they were sent to another learning session, where a Divinaris named Philean gave them a summary of what would happen the day of Initiation.

“You will all line up as you did on the day you became Initiates, at the front of the stage. We will be moving behind you, as we did before, and you will see your robes change color. This will tell you what tribe you will be joining.”

They all knew this, having heard it from everyone else all week long. The Initiates whispered amongst themselves, each commenting on a preferred tribe.

“I don't care as long as I'm not Aquis,” said one. “Who wants to live by the ocean?”

“I want to be Aeris, I'd love to build those tall elegant buildings,” said another.

“Ahem,” said Philean, clearing his throat for silence. “After your robe has changed colors, you must wait for all the others to be Initiated. Then the appointed Duor for your new tribe will come along and collect you. You will follow them to a designated meeting place where they will give you further direction on gathering your belongings and saying goodbye to your families—if they are here with you.”

Again there were whispers, as the Initiates remembered they would be leaving everyone they knew and loved behind them. This wasn't a week of vacation, but the beginning of a whole new life. An unknown world was awaiting them.

“Each tribe has its own ways. They may be different than what you are used to, but I encourage you to embrace them, as it will make your transition into being a new tribe member easier. Iam chooses each tribe for each person, remember. The tribe you end up in is the one you are meant to be in.”

Luka looked at May, who smiled and grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. He allowed himself, for a moment, to bask in the warmth of her gaze and imagined what it would be like for them to end up in the same tribe. Hope bloomed in him. Surely Iam wouldn't be so unkind as to separate them.

“Before we adjourn for the day, I must go over a few events which though unlikely, may occur, and therefore must be spoken of.”

“Oh, he's going to talk about the Compis now,” said a boy in front of him.

“If you find that your robes do not change, but stay silver, fear not. This means only that you will be Divinaris. Divinaris are trained here in the Citadel before they make their way out to the tribes to teach us in the ways of Iam. If you are Divinaris, wait at your spot until a Divinaris comes for you. Being chosen as Divinaris is the greatest honor an Initiate can hope for, but one is chosen every 10 years or so.”

There was some uproar over this statement and Philean raised his hands, encouraging them all to quiet down.

“Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking. Is not the Compis the greatest honor an Initiate can hope for? To that I answer, no indeed, for two reasons. The first is that the Compis is not an honor for the Initiate, but for the tribes, more specifically the tribe chosen by the Compis. The second is that the Compis is so rare as to be an almost impossible circumstance, and therefore, worth mentioning only because it has happened before and therefore might happen again. Can anyone tell me why the Compis is so special?”

Several Initiates raised their hands and the one who was called on said, “The Compis isn't chosen for any tribe.”

“Well, that's not the whole story. The Compis is one of the most powerful beings created by Iam. They are gifted with powers far above most of us, and with that comes a unique responsibility. We have no need to discuss it further, unless one of you has robes that turn purple, that is. In which case you will be ushered away by the Divinaris to meet with the High Council Members. Who knows when the last Compis was chosen?”

“Over 300 years ago,” said a girl.

“Yes, he ended up in the Sanguis tribe and is now mate to Mordra, High Council member. It is interesting to note that all the Compis but one have been men. The first Compis chosen was a woman, and she was responsible for uniting the tribes. Since that time, many thousands of years ago, every Compis has been male, but we're not sure why that is.”

~~~~~

Luka's attention came back to the present as he heard footsteps on the stairs. He turned and saw Nikka and her father come down, followed by May, whose eyes were red and bloodshot. He wondered if she'd slept at all last night. He hadn't. Pasting a smile on his face, he stepped over to her, holding out his hand.

“Do you want some breakfast?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I couldn't eat a thing.”

“Let's go for a walk, then,” he suggested and she nodded.

“We'll meet you there,” he told Nikka and they slipped out the door, hand in hand.

He took her to the spot in the woods where they had run off days before, and sighing, he pulled her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her.

She leaned her head into his neck and cried, “I'm so afraid, Luka. What if we don't end up together?”

“We'll figure out a way to be together, May. We can always join the tribeless, you know. Or maybe one of us will be Compis. Then I could choose whatever tribe you end up in. Don't fret about it, our love is strong enough. We'll find a way.”

He leaned down and kissed her with all the feeling in his heart, pouring out the endless passion he felt into her soft lips. He was desperate to touch her, to feel her, to kiss her. They clung to each other, his hands tangling in her hair, her arms around his neck, pulling him even closer. His lips moved down her neck, breathing in the scent of her skin, then he moved back, kissing her cheeks and eyes and tenderly brushed his lips against her own, quick and light.

“Oh, Luka,” she whispered as his hands slid down her back and hugged her waist. He heard the chiming of the clocks and realized they needed to move or they'd be late.

“Hurry,” he said and grabbed her hand as he raced down the hill with her.

The square was crowded as they moved through it, and her hand slipped from his, but he pressed on, seeing her fair hair shining beside him. They were parted in the mass of Initiates, as were most of the groupings. When the Divinaris called everyone into a line, the Initiates were divided from their fellow tribesman. It was almost symbolic, as though the Divinaris wanted to remind them before Initiation even started, that they would be forever separated from their comrades of old.

The room got quiet and he saw that their line was moving. Somehow May had gotten far ahead of him in line, with Nikka behind him by three or four Initiates. He followed them as they pushed through the great archway and into the blinding light of early morning. The air smelled fresh and there was a slight breeze, waffling the robes of the Initiates as they stood on the stage. He looked down the long line until he spotted May again, fists clenched at her sides. He felt bad for her and wished he could stand next to her and hold her hand through this, but there was no help for it.

The Divinaris started their chant. The Initiation spell they were working made the air around them seem to crackle with power and Luka felt the hair on his neck prickle.

“
Iam of power, Iam of might, give us this your special sight. Iam of glory, Iam the maker, look upon us now with favor. Choose your children, choose their homes. Choose the tribe to which they go.”

After which they held their arms above their heads and said simply, “
Guide us into the light of Iam.
”

Then they moved toward where May was standing, and starting with the first Initiate, made their way down the line, each robe changing in a swirl of color. Every time a new tribesman was chosen, a cheer rose up from the corresponding tribe in the crowd, some of the people waving colored flags of their tribe.

His heart pounded and his gut roiled as he saw them move closer and closer down the line to May. She glanced down and saw him staring at her, and she smiled, trying to be brave. The Divinaris stepped behind her and raised their arms over her. He saw a whirl of light and white washed over her robes. She had been chosen for her own tribe. Squealing, she wrapped her arms around herself and glanced again at him, happy. He didn't smile back, for he knew the chances of being white, as she was, were small. He couldn't bring himself to look into her eyes, and so he looked to his other side, where he saw Nikka standing.

She too had seen May's robe turn white and she looked at him with sympathy. He felt her pity and felt for one moment so desperately unhappy, that he almost jumped off the stage. Then he told himself to hope and he waited for the Divinaris to make their way down to him.

Their progress was slow and deliberate and he was almost ready to scream with frustration when he felt them move behind him. He felt a rush of heat, and a tingling all over his body that made him gasp, then he looked down and saw his robes turn a brilliant green.

That was when the screaming started.

Nikka woke to the sound of May vomiting in their bathroom. She waited until the sounds of heaving stopped and slipped from her bed. She poked her head in the bathroom and saw May, sitting on the floor, nightgown pooled over her legs, pale and sweaty.

“You look awful,” said Nikka. “Did you sleep at all last night?”

May shook her head. “I can't do this, Nikka. I can't live without Luka.”

“No one says you have to, May. There are plenty of options, you know. You act as though it will be the end of the world if you're chosen for different tribes.”

“I can't just run off, no matter what you think.”

“It's not the same as it used to be, May. The vote at the council meeting proved that. The tribeless aren't outcasts. You'll even be able to see your family again. That's more than a lot of Initiates can say.”

May rose from the floor, and without saying another word pushed through the door into their room. Nikka was hurt.

She shouldn't be mad at me,
she thought,
I didn't fall in love with a boy from my own tribe
before
I was Initiated.
She used the bathroom and then combed her hair, arranging it in a side part and pushed it behind her left ear. Fastening her bracelet on her wrist she stared at the sparkling silver birds. Nikka then pulled on the white dress she'd chosen for the day, knowing that the color might soon be out of mode on her. Still it was a favorite and she remembered the day she'd worn it for the first time.

~~~~~

“Nikka, you're so grown up. Soon you'll be leaving for Initiation,” said her mother, standing behind her to adjust the collar.

She stood, staring at herself in the mirror, trying to imagine the day when she wouldn't be living with her parents anymore. She could be anywhere: near the great forests of
Napalin
, as far away as the
Sea
of
Dreegs—
it was exciting to think about and yet she didn't want to dwell on it too much, as it would mean leaving her family.

Her sister was sitting on the floor looking up at her.

“You look so pretty, Nikka! Like a grand lady,” she said.

Teah was only eleven, and she longed for the day when she'd be old enough to wear long dresses.

“What tribe do you think you'll be chosen for?” asked Teah.

~~~~~

The words echoed in Nikka's mind as she dressed and met her father in the hall. Luka was waiting at the bottom of the stairs and she gave him an encouraging smile before sitting down to breakfast.

“Aren't you going to eat anything?” her father asked.

“I can't,” Nikka said, “I'll eat later.”

Her father smiled. “It was some time ago, but if I recall correctly, I wasn't able to eat on the morning of my Initiation either.”

They sat in silence, sipping tea until they heard the chimes of the clock on the Citadel tower. They sprang up.

“I didn't realize it was so late!” she said.

He pulled her close for a hug. “Good luck! I'll be out in the audience watching.”

She found her place in line, and spotted both May and Luka in front of her. It seemed they'd all been separated here in the chaos of Initiation.

Everything happened the way Philean had said it would. She followed the line up the steps, through the archway, and out onto the stage. The square was a surging mass of people, all wearing tribal colors, and waving tribal flags. She saw her father, waved, and then, her heart jumping, she saw Zyander.

He looked up at her and she felt lost in the emotions she saw in his eyes. When he'd said goodbye to her yesterday, she knew that her week of dalliance was over. Looking down at him now, she wished they'd had a little longer, but this was the way Initiation had always been and there was no changing it now.

The Divinaris started their chanting and she moved her attention to May, who was the first from their group in line for choosing. When her robe washed with a bright pearl color, Nikka knew that there was no hope for her and Luka. Aeris were almost never chosen for their own tribe. May didn't seem to realize it though, as she practically seemed to hop with glee.

The Divinaris kept walking down the line changing each robe they passed, until they reached Luka. Nikka held her breath, wishing with all her might that her friends would be the luckiest couple in the whole of the Five Tribes, but to her dismay, she saw emerald green wash over Luka's robes.

May was watching Luka with wide eyes and when she saw the color of his robes, she started screaming, interrupting the entire ceremony.

“No!” she cried, “No, Luka! No! Nooooo!”

She collapsed to the ground, sobbing and screaming, pulling at her robe in her agony. Luka stood, humiliated and silent, while the Divinaris stood around as though wondering what to do.

Nikka ran down the line to where her cousin was and scooped her under the arms. She dragged May to her feet and led her back down through the opening into the room where they'd met at the start of the ceremony.