Azaria (30 page)

Daneel hoped her reasoning would prove true.

11

Daneel kept a close eye on Azaria over the next few suns. It bothered her that her best friend had been so suspicious of her. It was so unlike Azaria, to come to judgment without even asking first.
It's true, I did suspect something was going on between them
,
but I didn't know for sure
.
If Yumineh did lay with someone, it made sense that it would be Dogahn, but I couldn't tell Azaria yet. It was all still rumor. And if it turned out to be untrue, it would've been unfair to Dogahn.

She was just happy she’d chosen to confront Azaria when she did. Had she not, Azaria's suspicions would have festered. She knew how some dwelt on negativity when depressed, especially when they closed themselves off from their friends, like Azaria had been doing. She knew how quickly paranoia set, followed by anger and hatred.

Azaria had always been a light-hearted, cheerful kind of girl. But Daneel knew now that even she was susceptible to unhealthy bouts of despair. She determined to do all she could to make sure it didn't happen again.

For Azaria, the evenings were always the worst. It was when she missed Dogahn the most. She began to dread the setting sun, knowing sorrow and gloom would descend with it. But Daneel had just the thing, as she often did. They were sitting together on a lonely hilltop when Daneel produced a large bag of sweet-tasting poison. Azaria rejected it at first, not wanting to turn to brew to deal with her problems like some did. But after a little prodding and Daneel's assurances it would make the evenings easier, she took a pull and soon both were red-faced and giggling hysterically. They sat up late that night, sipping and crying and laughing. Daneel traded for another bag the next evening, encouraged by how well the first one worked. They turned out to be happy nights for Azaria, all things considered, and she later looked back fondly on those memories, blurry and fragmented as they were.

Azaria woke after one poison-heavy binge to the harsh sound of barking dogs followed by loud, panicked yells. The space between her temples pounded and she feared she might heave, but she forced herself up knowing something was wrong. A shrill scream cleared her mind and she focused on the sounds outside, straining to learn what was happening. Most of the screams were too muffled to be useful, but she was able to pick out one word, a word which frightened her –
Kebar
. With her head still spinning, she poked her head out and saw several men armed with spearthrowers sprinting west and women and children running in all directions. She noticed the noise of the barking dogs had diminished.
They sound like they’re at the bottom of Sunset Hill,
she thought.
I hope Grayfoot is safe.

"Azaria! Azaria!" a voice rang out.

She turned in its direction and saw Daneel rushing toward her. She looked even more terror-stricken than she was - and sloppy!
I must look even worse,
Azaria thought,
if I look anywhere near as bad as I feel.

"Daneel! What's going on?"

"Azaria! The Kebar are attacking! Your father asked me to get you," Daneel said, doubling over to catch her breath.

Azaria nodded.
So it is the Kebar.
She wondered why her father hadn't woken her.
They must have all been out when they received word of the attack.

"We're supposed to meet the rest of the women and children by the river," Daneel continued.

"What about mother and Quzo?"

"Azerban is already taking them. Come on!"

Azaria nodded and began to follow before stopping. Instead she turned around and headed back inside.

"Azaria! Where are you going?" Daneel screamed.

"You go ahead, Daneel. I’ll be there."

"Azaria, no! We have to go!" Daneel objected, before giving up and racing off. She knew she wouldn't be able to change Azaria's mind and was too scared to linger.

Azaria threw her quiver full of spears over her head and grabbed her spearthrower. Outside the shelter, everyone had dispersed. The empty camp felt eerily calm, although she could still hear shouts and yells toward the river and over Sunset Hill. She wondered if the Kebar had already been met. She was about to follow Daneel when a forbidding chill ran down the length of her spine.

Azaria had the distinct sensation she was being watched.

She turned back toward the forest and saw a man walking calmly toward her. He was covered in blue and white war paint. A line of fierce warriors appeared out of the forest behind him. They were all carrying torches and had quivers full of mostly thrusting-spears on their backs. By the types of weapons they carried, Azaria knew they had arrived ready for close combat. A second chill ran down her back as she realized what was happening. The attack from the west was a diversion. The real attack was right in front of her - on an undefended side of Boar Camp.

Azaria stood frozen watching the Kebar men advance on her. She met the glare of the one who looked like the leader, slightly in front of the rest of the line. He stood tall and wide, with massive muscles bulging across his neck and shoulders, despite his youthful appearance. Under different conditions, she might have found him attractive. Now she only feared for her life.

The man brought a finger to his lips, the universal sign commanding silence. It was followed by a surprisingly reassuring smile which almost convinced Azaria to trust him.

Instead, she screamed at the top of her lungs.

The smile the man wore folded. He raised his spear.

In turn, Azaria dropped hers. As she watched the man plant his back foot and take a step toward her, she stepped backward.

Azerban had just reached the top of Sunset Hill, confused by the scene he found. There was no battle raging, no Kebar invaders, nothing. Down the hill, he could see the disturbance in the high grasses and hear the barks and howls of dogs fighting, but otherwise there was no sign of an attack. Had the Kebar already broken off their advance? Was the battle over so quickly? The Natu defenders already arrived were also scratching their heads. Some were turning circles in the grass, searching for targets for their spears. Others watched the fight raging between the two rival packs of dogs. Still others were walking back up the hill, shaking their heads.

"Aaaaahhhhhh!" came a piercing wail from behind him. Azerban turned in fright, instantly knowing something was terribly wrong. The scream was bloodcurdling and had come from inside Boar Camp. He couldn't tell whose voice it was, but knew it came from a young woman. His heart dropped at the thought it could be his daughter, whose safety he’d entrusted to Daneel. It was a mistake. Daneel was incompetent. But she was the best choice, given the options he had at the moment. He raced back toward the shelters, and by the sound of footsteps thrashing through the high grasses behind him, knew at least several hunters had heard the scream too.

Azaria watched the lead Kebar warrior lunge his spear forward, it's sharp, stone tip trained directly on her.

As he threw, Azaria stumbled backward. Before she hit dirt, she watched the Kebar spear pass just over. Then she scampered up and dove behind the fleeting safety of her shelter.

"Azaria!!"

She rolled over and saw her father rushing to her side. Several Natu hunters passed by. She heard battle whoops cry out as the small band of Natu warriors met the larger line of Kebar invaders.

"Azaria, are you hurt?" Azerban asked. He scanned her body, an instinct ingrained from half a lifetime of Ta'araki training. Besides a few scrapes, she appeared to be fine. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her breath was foul with the stench of digested poison. He wasn't surprised. He'd known she'd been staying out late drinking with Daneel. Despite his disappointment he'd allowed it. Azerban knew something had gone seriously wrong between her and Dogahn. Although his daughter hadn't chosen to inform him of her troubles, he'd noticed Dogahn and Yumineh were suddenly inseparable and that the boy's visits had come to an abrupt halt.

"I'm fine," Azaria answered. "But the Kebar are attacking from the south. I think they mean to set fire to the shelters."

Her statement explained the earlier absence of Kebar. "Azaria, stay here. Seto!" he said, grabbing the arm of a young hunter who was sprinting by. "Stay with Azaria. If any Kebar come near her, kill them. Azaria, I'll be back. Don't move and stay down."

"Yes, Ta'araki."

"Yes, father."

Azerban left his daughter at least somewhat secure in the knowledge she was guarded and out of sight. As he reached the southern face of his shelter, he noticed flames on top of several of the southeastern shelters and dark smoke emanating from them. One man was lying face up with a spear protruding from his chest. By the blue paint, Azerban knew the man was Kebar.

Soon after her father had left, Azaria saw Dogahn sprinting toward her. She wasn’t sure he’d seen her, but at the last moment he broke off his chase and knelt beside her. "Azaria, what are you doing here? Are you hurt?" he asked.

She looked up at him and briefly forgot everything that had recently passed between them. "Dogahn! What are you doing here?" She swung her arms around his neck, nearly toppling him over.

"Yumineh and I heard the dogs and then everything went crazy. Someone said there was an attack. So we grabbed our throwers and headed up Sunset Hill. But when we reached the top, there was nothing. Then we heard a scream from the shelters - wait, was that you? Anyway, we came back and well, here I am. But you're okay?"

"I'm fine," Azaria answered. "The Kebar attacked from the forest. One of their spears almost killed me.” Still in a state of shock, the urge to share her ordeal with him, her closest of friends, was overpowering.

"What!? Why weren’t you at the river? Did you see Yumineh? I lost track of her. Do you know where the Kebar are now?"

"I don't know, but father went after them that way," Azaria answered, choosing to ignore his question about Yumineh. She pointed toward newly rising columns of smoke. "They had torches," she added, realizing they must have achieved at least some of what they came for. As he held her in his arms, Azaria remembered how much she loved him. But his mention of Yumineh also reminded her of why she missed him in the first place. She stiffened, loosening her grip.

Dogahn couldn't believe how good it felt to hold her in his arms again. He didn't ever want to let go. He only wanted to protect her. And as he felt her pull away, his heart fell. Rejected and kneeling awkwardly with Azaria still half in his arms, he had a sudden, overwhelming urge to flee. He'd rather be fighting the Kebar. "Uhh... I should make sure Yumineh is okay," he said, releasing her completely. "Seto, make sure no harm comes to her."

Seto bristled at the command from his junior. "Dogahn, you stay with... Dogahn!" he yelled. But it was too late. The boy was already out of sight and he didn't dare abandon Ta'araki's daughter to go after him.

Azerban cautiously made his way to the shelter where the dead man lay and stood over him, anger welling inside. He glanced briefly into the burning enclosure. The thatched roof had fallen into the mud-brick walls and lit fire to the combustible contents inside. He thought he should try to extinguish the flames, but knew it was more important to drive out the Kebar invaders and stop them from torching anything else. He looked to the next burning structure, searching carefully for Kebar as he continued on. Out of nowhere, Yumineh charged past him, her spear raised.
That girl has no fear,
he thought.
She’ll come to an early end.
"Yumineh!" he yelled. But she either didn't hear him or chose not to. He followed after her, wondering if she would lead him to his death also. Dogahn soon caught up to him and matched his pace. Azerban wanted to reprimand him and send him back to the safety area, with the women and children. But then he remembered they weren’t really children anymore. They were hunters now. He nodded to the boy as they ran.

He heard yells just to the east, toward the river and past several more pillars of smoke. Azerban and Dogahn followed Yumineh toward them. The area was covered in a dense haze. He spotted Dizon, their fiercest warrior, positioned slightly behind a burning shelter, more exposed than Azerban thought wise.
That man is fearless also. His family always has been.
Dizon was sending spears randomly into the smoky cloud. It seemed a haphazard strategy, but Azerban trusted the man knew what he was doing. With the growing gray cloud, Azerban doubted Dizon's spears were hitting anything, but certainly they were helping drive the Kebar back.

"Dizon!" Azerban said as he approached from behind. The hulking man turned on him with a spear raised. Fire blazed in his eyes and for a moment Azerban tasted his own fear.

But then a frenzied smile flashed across the giant man's face and he nodded in acknowledgment before turning back around. "Ta'araki! Welcome!" Dizon said.

"Is anyone hurt, Dizon?"

"Not that I know of," he grunted, letting loose another spear. "Except a couple dead Kebar, but I guess that doesn't count for hurt," he added with a deep chuckle.

"That's good," Azerban said. "I think they’re retreating further back. We should advance our position."