Quest for the Sun Orb (16 page)

“Then you know how I feel,”
Kapia said. 

“Where are you?”
Bredon asked, trying to change the subject again.

“We’re going north,”
Kapia replied
.  “We found the Maiden of the Sun, and are heading for---.”

“Stop,”
Bredon interrupted her abruptly. 
“On second thought, don’t tell me where you’re going.  I don’t think that Marene can hear us, but I could be wrong.  I don’t want to take a chance.”

“You’re right, of course,”
Kapia said
.  “Bredon, I don’t think I can hold this connection much longer.  Can I contact you again at this time tomorrow?”

“I’ll wait up until I hear from you,”
Bredon replied. 

“No, don’t do that,”
Kapia said. 
“What if I can’t do it again?  Or what if I can’t do it again so soon?”

“
I’ll wait for two hours past sunset,”
Bredon said. 
“Past that time, don’t contact me.  Once I go to sleep, Marene can, and has, taken over.”

“All right,”
Kapia replied. 
“Take care of yourself, Bredon.  I miss you.”

“I miss you too, Kapia,” Bredon replied.  “More than I can say.  I love you.”
 

Kapia opened her eyes and blinked several times, her head swimming sickeningly.  She’d wanted to respond to Bredon, but the connection had slipped away.  Now she knew how Karma felt.  As much as she wanted to get up and go tell Zakiel and Karma what she’d done, she was sure that if she tried to stand, she’d fall over.  She laid back on her bed and closed her eyes, going over her conversation with Bredon.  Long before she reached the end of it she was sound asleep, the Moon Orb still clenched tightly in one hand.

Chapter Nine

“I did it,” Kapia said, nearly shouting as she burst into the tent. 

Karma jumped, sloshing tea over her hand, while Zakiel sprang to his feet, drawing both of the short swords he wore at his hips while still turning to face the entryway.

Kapia froze, blushing furiously at her childish mistake.  “I’m so sorry,” she said before Zakiel had a chance to reprimand her.  “That was both thoughtless and rude of me, I know.”

“It’s all right,” Karma said as she blotted her hand with a napkin.  “You’re obviously very excited about something.  What is it?”

Kapia smiled briefly at Karma, grateful for her understanding, but the expression on her brother’s face was not quite so forgiving.  “I spoke with Bredon.”

Zakiel’s brows rose in surprise, telling Kapia that Karma had not shared their conversation with him.  She hadn’t asked her not to say anything, but she was glad Karma had kept her confidence anyway.  If Zakiel had known, he probably would have begun insisting that she try to contact Bredon whether she was ready for it or not.

“The Moon Orb,” she said to Zakiel by way of explanation. 

“Come, sit down and tell us about it,” Karma invited.

“Thanks,” Kapia said, stepping around Zakiel and taking a cushion next to Karma.  “I meant to come and tell you about it last night but I fell asleep.  I see now why you get so exhausted using the Ti-Ank.”

“It can be draining,” Karma agreed.  “You may get stronger with practice, but since you don’t have a natural talent for this type of thing, I can’t say for sure.”

“What did Bredon have to say?” Zakiel asked after sheathing his swords and sitting back down across from Karma.  “Was Worrow able to help him?”

“No, he wasn’t,” Karma said.  “But let me start from the beginning.”

Karma and Zakiel nodded, then remained silent as she repeated her conversation with Bredon.  When she was finished she poured herself some tea while they thought about all that she’d told them.

“This business with the artifact in Darkly Fen bothers me,” Zakiel said.  “I cannot imagine anything good coming from that place.”

“I’ve heard of it,” Kapia said, “but only vaguely.  I don’t know anything about it other than it’s a dangerous place.”

“What is it?” Karma asked.

“Darkly Fen is bad, if such a thing can be said of a place,” Zakiel said.  “It’s cold, dark marshland.  It is said that the dark fog that shrouds the area has never lifted, that sunlight has never touched the earth within its borders.  All of Darkly Fen is wet and boggy, and it’s littered with sink holes and quicksand.  There is one path of solid ground that leads into the heart of Darkly Fen from each point of the compass.  It is said that if you step off that path, even a little, you will never find your way again.  And it’s infested with demons.”

“Demons?” Kapia asked, her face going pale.

“I think they’re demons, from the descriptions I’ve read,” Zakiel said.  “I’m sorry, Kapia, I do not mean to frighten you.”

“No, it’s all right, Zakiel,” she said.  “It does scare me to think of Bredon alone in such a place, I admit.  But I am not a child and have no wish to be coddled like one.  I need to know the truth.”

Zakiel studied Kapia’s face for a long moment, then smiled.  “You have become a woman I am proud to call Sister.”

“Thank you, Zakiel,” Kapia said, pleased by such high praise.  She took a sip of her tea and set her cup down on its matching saucer while she considered her next question.  “Should I warn Bredon away from the place?”

 “From what you’ve told us, this is his only choice,” Zakiel said.  “I don’t like him going into Darkly Fen any more than you do, Kapia, especially alone.  But it’s his decision to make.”

“I know,” Kapia said.  “I just wish I knew what this artifact is that Marene is referring to.”

“Will you be able to talk to him again?” Karma asked.

“Yes.  I told him I will try again tonight, and he said he’ll wait until two hours past sunset.  After that, I’m not to try as Marene takes over when he sleeps.”

“Is he certain that Marene cannot hear your conversations?” Zakiel asked.

“He says that he is unable to know what she does when she takes over, or what she thinks, so he assumes the same is true for her,” Kapia replied.  “But, he would not let me tell him anything about where we are, or where we’re going, just in case.”

“Kapia, I know Bredon, the Knight Hunter, very well,” Zakiel said.  “If ever he asks you to tell him what we are doing, or where we are, you must recognize in that moment that you are not talking to Bredon.  Bredon, the true Bredon, will never ask for information that would compromise the Orb Quest, or endanger you.  Do you understand?”

“Yes, Zakiel,” Kapia replied solemnly.  “I understand, and I will not forget.”

“I think you should ask him to find out more about this artifact from Marene,” Karma suggested.  “I don’t like the sound of it.”

“What bothers you,
valia
?” Zakiel asked.

“He told Kapia that Marene said it could be used to separate them,” Karma said.  “My question is, if Marene leaves Bredon’s body, where will she go?”

Kapia’s eyes widened.  “That’s an excellent question.  I didn’t even think of that.”

Zakiel tilted his head slightly as he studied Karma.  “What else are you thinking?” he asked softly.

“I don’t want to scare anyone,” Karma said.  “But I think this must be said.  What if this artifact gives Marene the power to force Bredon from his own body?  If she has no where else to go, then maybe she intends to stay where she is.”

Kapia gasped in shock.  “I never thought of that, either.  I must tell Bredon this.”  She leapt to her feet as though she was going to run out and contact Bredon right that moment.

“Wait, Kapia,” Karma said.  “There is no need to panic.  You can speak with Bredon tonight and suggest that he try to get more information from Marene.  He is not at Darkly Fen yet.”

“Nor will he be for some time,” Zakiel said.  “I will check my charts tonight, but if memory serves, he has many days of travel before he reaches the outskirts of Darkly Fen from the village of the Sirelina.”

“I would like to think on this matter today,” Karma added.  “Perhaps we will come up with other possibilities to suggest to Bredon when you speak to him.”

“You’re both right, of course,” Kapia said.  “I’m sorry, I’m just so worried about him.  He’s all alone and we can’t help him.”

“You’re wrong about that,” Karma said.  “Thanks to you, and the Moon Orb, Bredon is not alone any more.  We will do all that we can to help him, Kapia.”

“Thank you,” Kapia said, blinking rapidly to prevent the tears stinging her eyes from falling.

Zakiel stood and put his arms around her in a tight hug.  “Bredon has always been more brother than cousin to me,” he said.  “I know that you love him, Sister, but you are not the only one.  We shall not give up on Bredon.”

***

Tiari sat sipping her tea while Caral and Lashi packed the tent.  She’d offered to help, but both women had seemed scandalized at the very idea.  They’d insisted that she sit and relax while they did the work which was, for Tiari, an entirely new circumstance.  She wasn’t used to being waited on, and it made her a little uncomfortable.  But, as she kept telling herself over and over, she would face this new world head on and embrace it fully.

Truly, that wasn’t so hard to do.  She felt as though she’d stepped into a dream world.  A very luxurious dream world.  And the best part of it was that everyone was so kind to her.  No one yelled at her, or called her names, or struck her, or worse, threatened to lock her in a hut and never return.  She shuddered at the thought.

“Are you cold, Hara Tiari?” Lashi asked.  “Let me fetch your cloak for you.”

“Thank you, Lashi,” Tiari replied, standing up and looking around herself.  She was surprised to see that almost everything had been packed already.  “You two sure do work fast.”

“We’ve got our routine down after all these weeks,” Lashi said, smiling as she draped Tiari’s new cloak over her shoulders.  “Is there anything you need before we finish up?”

“No, thank you, Lashi,” Tiari replied.  “I’ll go outside and get out of your way now.”

“You are not in our way, Hara Tiari,” Lashi assured her.  “However, I do believe I saw Sir Tomas wandering around out there a few minutes ago.  I think he might be looking for someone.”

“Really?” Tiari asked, excited at the prospect of speaking with Tomas this morning.

“Go on and see for yourself,” Lashi said, liking Tiari very much.  Not only was the young lady sweet and polite, she was also very brave, as everyone had witnessed the day before.  She was a fitting companion to Princess Kapia, and Lady Techu, the most courageous, and sensible, woman Lashi had ever had the honor to serve.

Tiari smiled happily and headed out of the tent.  Even though she’d been hoping to find him, she was surprised to see him standing right there with Nosy, waiting for her.  He looked so beautiful with the morning sun glinting off his golden, unruly curls, his deep brown eyes riveted on her the moment she stepped out.  She had to struggle to keep her eyes on his face, though.  She was going to have to ask Kapia and Karma what these strange sensations were she got every time she looked at his body.  Why she wanted to touch his sun-kissed velvety skin, or why watching him walk, the snug black leather of his pants revealing the smooth flex and bunch of his muscles, made her feel hot and shivery at the same time. 

“Good morning, Tiari,” he said, his voice so warm it made the breath catch in her throat.

“Good morning, Tomas,” she replied.  “It is a nice surprise to see you here.”

“I wanted to be certain that the drovers remembered to add the stirrup to your saddle,” Tomas said.  “And make sure you are able to use it.”

“That is very thoughtful of you,” she replied.  She reached out to rub the diplo’s nose.  “Hello, Nosy,” she said as Nosy pushed his nose further into her hand for more petting.

“Nosy?” Tomas asked, arching one brow at her, though she heard the humor in his voice.

“Yes, Nosy,” she replied.  “Is there something wrong with that name?”

“No, not a thing,” Tomas replied with a straight face.  “It’s a perfectly nice name.”

“No, it’s a perfectly silly name,” Tiari said with a grin.  “Which is exactly what I wanted.”

Tomas chuckled, enjoying her playfulness.  “In that case, you succeeded.  Now, let’s get you acquainted with this stirrup so I can get exactly what I want.”

“What is it that you want?” she asked.

“Making you as safe as I can without wrapping you in feather pillows and putting you in my pocket,” Tomas said.

Tiara’s smile faded.  She stepped closer to Tomas, struggling for the right words.  “I know that you mean well,” she said slowly.  “Truly, I do.  But I spent my whole life locked in a tiny, dark hut, entirely alone save for visits by my aunt.  She always said it was for my own safety, that people would think me a witch and kill me for it.  Tomas, I will face all the danger this world has to offer before I will ever return to that hut, or any other place like it.  I want to live my life, not be protected from it.”

“I understand, Tiari,” Tomas said.  “I cannot help wanting to keep you safe, but I would never do such a thing to you.  On this, you have my word.”

“Thank you, Tomas,” she said, relaxing.  For a moment there she had been frightened, but she had no doubt of his sincerity.  “May I ask you a question?”

“Of course,” Tomas replied. 

“I’ve noticed that all of the men wear beaded bands around their upper arms, like yours,” she said, gesturing toward the band on his arm.  “Yet only the Hunters wear the wide bands around their wrists.  Is there a meaning to them, or is that something I’m not supposed to ask about?”

“There is meaning,” Tomas said, “and it is not secret.  These bands around our wrists are called
bracers
.  All Hunters wear them as a form of protection.  Hunters wear bracers made of leather.  Knights, those who are in charge of a pack of Hunters, have higher rank so wear silver bracers.  Only he who is in command of all Hunters and Knights may wear gold bracers.”

“Your bracers are leather, but have silver trim and markings on them,” Tiari pointed out.  “What does that mean?”

“It means that wearing sold silver bracers all the time is impractical,” Tomas said, smiling.  “They are heavy and uncomfortable to wear, so are saved for important or formal occasions.  The rest of the time, we Knights wear leather bracers with silver trim.  The blue background indicates my color.  All of my Hunters wear blue kilts, and have the same blue background on their bracers.  The markings indicate battles fought, men lost, things like that.”