Draggah (12 page)

“
The Rogu are setting up a perimeter,
”
Rafe told her. 
“
I
’
ll stay here with you tonight unless they need me.
”

“
Thank you,
”
Olyva said, stretching out on the ground.

“
Don
’
t you want something to eat?
”
he asked.

“
No,
”
she said.

“
Olyva, you have to eat.  When was the last time you had food?
”

“
I don
’
t know,
”
she said. 
“
But I
’
m not hungry.  The sun feeds me.
”

“
The sun?
”
Rafe asked, failing to keep the despair out of his voice.

“
Rafe,
”
she said calmly. 
“
I
’
m still Olyva.  I still love you.  Lay down with me.  We
’
re both exhausted.
”

“
Don
’
t you at least want a blanket to lay on?
”
he asked.

She realized that she didn
’
t want a blanket.  She wanted to feel the warmth of the soil on her skin.  She wanted to be as connected to the earth as she could.

“
No,
”
she said sleepily.

Rafe lay down by her.  The night was warm and there was no real need for blankets or even the tent-like shelters most of the Hoskali used.  Still, Rafe was stiff beside her.

“
Hold me,
”
she insisted.

He opened his arms and she scooted over, laying her head on his chest.  She could hear his heart beating steady and strong.  She felt safe and content.  She had Rafe, the sun, the earth, and rain was coming. She could feel the air becoming thicker as the weather slowly changed.  She guessed that sometime late the next day, the rain would arrive.  She couldn
’
t wait for it, and as she drifted off to sleep, she felt happier than any time she could remember in her young life.

Chapter 8

Rafe

The night seemed to drag on endlessly.  Rafe tried to sleep, but he couldn
’
t rest.  His mind wouldn
’
t stop thinking about Tiberius.  Rafe didn
’
t know if it was because he thought Ti was his best chance to help Olyva, or if he feared for his friend
’
s safety, but he felt alone and abandoned, despite the fact that he was surrounded by people.

Olyva lay sleeping beside Rafe, yet he couldn
’
t relax with her.  She seemed so different to him.  It was true that he preferred her now to the weeping fearful girl she had been when they were banished from Avondale, but even that thought made him feel guilty.  He had fallen in love with Lady Olyva, a noble-born woman who had never experienced danger or been forced to fight for her life.  He had wanted nothing more than to make her happy, but that dream was shattered when Leonosis betrayed them.  When they were banished, he hoped to be able to protect her and keep her safe, but since the incident with the killer trees, she acted as if she didn
’
t need him at all.  Worst still, she was embracing the change that the sentient trees had enacted on her.

He looked at Olyva in the darkness where she lay curled on the ground.  She was still the same beautiful girl, her features hadn
’
t changed.  The small patches of soft stem-like growth alarmed him, but didn
’
t make him love her any less.  Even the rough scaly areas on her body that looked like tree bark and the way her feet were changing didn
’
t make her any less beautiful in his eyes.  Still, he couldn
’
t help but feel like the woman he loved was slipping away from him.

Rafe heard the distant sounds of animals, but none came close to the tribe.  The Hoskali were part of the rhythm of life in the blighted lands, and comfortable facing whatever threats came against them.  Rafe on the other hand, after living all his life in the great walled city of Avondale, felt exposed.  To him, danger seemed to loom all around them.  The absence of fear among the tribe, and more importantly, Tiberius
’
cavalier attitude about that danger, distressed Rafe.

When morning finally came, Rafe was already up and dressed.  He had checked his weapons and insured that he was ready to set out in search of Tiberius.  The tribe was slower to prepare for the tasks of the day.  Food was prepared, and many of the tribespeople lazed about in their shelters.

Rafe found Te
’
sumee, who was still asleep.  Rafe felt guilty waking the man, knowing the Rogu had stood watch over the camp all night.  Rafe guessed that Te
’
sumee had only slept a few hours, but he couldn
’
t wait any longer to find out what had happened to Tiberius.

“
Sorry to wake you,
”
Rafe said as he shook the smaller man
’
s shoulder,
“
but we need to set out after Tiberius.
”

Te
’
sumee rubbed his eyes and glared at Rafe as if he were a simpleton.

“
We will search for Tiswanee once the tribe has found water.
”

“
What?
”
Rafe said in surprise.

“
We need water,
”
Te
’
sumee said. 
“
There is a place, not far from here.  Once the tribe is settled, we shall look for Tiswanee.
”

“
No!
”
Rafe said angrily. 
“
We need to find him now.
”

“
Settle your heart, Great One.  We shall find him.  Nothing is ever lost on the prairie.
”

Rafe looked around.  He could no longer see the mountains.  With the thick cloud bank covering the sky and diffusing the sun
’
s light, it was impossible to tell what direction they were looking.  The plains stretched from horizon to horizon, with no landmarks, just wide grassland as far as the eye could see.  Rafe couldn
’
t imagine not being lost in the wide open expanse.

“
Which way is the river?
”
Rafe asked.

“
No, no, the river is much too far away.  The Rogu will lead the tribe to water.  There will be food and rest for the weary.  We shall make everyone safe.
”

“
I appreciate your concern for the tribe,
”
Rafe said. 
“
But I
’
m very concerned for Tiberius.  He isn
’
t accustomed to life on the plains.  He could be hurt for all we know.
”

“
The Swanee is a powerful Kuja.  He will be okay, you
’
ll see.
”

It was almost two hours before the tribe was ready to move on.  Rafe paced.  One of the women from the tribe brought him food.  It was a thick stew and more of the flat bread.  Rafe didn
’
t feel like eating, but he
’
d learned in his military training to eat when you had a chance.  Battles could sometimes last all day and even late into the night.  It wasn
’
t unusual for his father to send Rafe on training exercises without any sort of rations.  He had gone days without food, and so he ate what he was given, doing his best to seem grateful.

“
Why are you so agitated?
”
Olyva asked him.

“
Because we need to be looking for Tiberius,
”
Rafe said darkly. 
“
But his tribe is taking their own sweet time about it.
”

“
Can you blame them?
”
she said. 
“
They
’
ve only known us a few days.
”

“
Still, shouldn
’
t taking care of their Swanee,
”
he said the Hoskali word with contempt,
“
be their first priority?
”

“
Actually, taking care of the tribe should be Tiberius
’
first priority,
”
Olyva said. 
“
This isn
’
t Avondale.
”

“
No, it isn
’
t and my friend is lost out there.  Don
’
t you care about him?
”

“
Of course I do, but you aren
’
t helping anyone by being so angry.  Calm down, look for ways to help.
”

Rafe wanted to scream at Olyva, but at the same time he knew she was right.  He needed to help, but instead he was being selfish.  Olyva gathered their meager belongings and Rafe went to where Quntah was seeing to the animals.  The tribe had a dozen oxen, and four horses.  When the tribe traveled, the oxen carried most of the heavier items.  Quntah walked among the large beasts, talking to them each by name and laying blankets across their wide backs.

“
Can I help?
”
Rafe asked.

“
You know animals?
”
Quntah said happily.

“
I know horses,
”
Rafe said.

“
Yes, yes,
”
Quntah said. 
“
Please, help.
”

Rafe check the horses’ hooves.  He backed into the first horse, bending low and taking hold of the horse
’
s cannon so that it bent at the knee and the hoof was raised up between Rafe
’
s legs.  He squeezed the horse
’
s leg with his own, and then took hold of the hoof to inspect it.  The tribe
’
s horses had no horseshoes, but the hooves were clean and well trimmed.  Rafe started to draw his dagger to clean the hoof, but Quntah handed him a tool instead.  It was a bone with an angled point on one end, and a tuft of coarse hair adhered to the other.  Rafe used the tool to pry the soil from the horse
’
s hoof, then turned the pick over and brushed the debris away.  He marveled at the efficiency of the simple tool.  It worked just as well as a metal implement, but didn
’
t risk damage to the horse
’
s sensitive flesh inside the hoof.

Once all the horses’ hooves had been seen to, he helped Quntah arrange the horses and hitch them to the big wagon.  The day before, the wagon had been full of supplies; now it was mostly empty.

“
What happened to all the stuff in the wagon?
”
Rafe said.

“
I gave it to the tribe, just as Tiswanee instructed,
”
the herdsman said.

“
So what is the wagon hauling?
”

“
Nothing,
”
Quntah said.

“
We could let some of the older folk ride in the wagon,
”
Rafe said. 
“
Maybe some of the mothers with small children.
”

“
In the Swanee
’
s wagon?
”
Quntah said in surprise.

“
Yes,
”
Rafe said. 
“
Tiberius won
’
t mind, I
’
m sure of it.
”

“
It is not our way.
”

“
It will be now,
”
Rafe said. 
“
The first priority of a Swanee is to see to the safety of the tribe, right?
”

Quntah nodded, but the look on his face was one of sheer astonishment.  Rafe quickly selected a dozen people to ride in the wagon, including a young girl with what appeared to be a club foot.  The other children danced around the wagon, cheering for those who had been chosen to ride.