Draggah (20 page)

He took hold of the spear and shoved it upward again, jamming it into creature
’
s head until only a few inches of the polished handle stuck out from the dripping flesh.  Rafe was covered in foulness of every kind, but most especially blood.  He crawled back out of the beast
’
s snout and moved away from the creature.  He watched it jerk and twitch in death.  He was sure the beast was dead. It was no longer breathing, but they would all feel better once the creature stopped moving.  He wiped his face and grimaced at the smell.

"It's dead," Tiberius said.

“
Good.  What about your magical bond to it?"

"Broken," Tiberius said.

"Even better.  You know you saved a lot of lives tonight, but you have to be careful with magic.  There's a reason it's outlawed you know.
”

“
You just killed a giant creature by climbing up its nose.  Are you really going to lecture me on being careful?
”

“
I got the job done,
”
Rafe said stubbornly. 
“
We make a good team. I just don
’
t want you bonding with the wrong types of creatures.  Now, I need a bath, food, and sleep.  In that order."

"I'll see to the first two, but you may have to wait for your nap.  We have to move the camp away from here.  This carcass will draw all kinds of foul creatures to this area."

"Not to mention the blood may poison the water supply."

"I hope not," Tiberius said.  “There doesn't seem to be a lot of water in this area."

"You are truly a leader," Rafe said.  "You care more for this tribe you just met than your brother ever cared about Avondale."

"These are good people.  It's lucky we found each other."

"Does that mean you want to stay with them?" Rafe asked, feeling uneasy.

He was fond of the Hoskali people, but his first priority had to be getting help for Olyva.  He felt responsible for her plight, despite the fact that she didn't seem bothered by it at all.  He needed to get Olyva to Sparlan Citadel, for both their sakes, and yet he couldn't imagine going without Tiberius.  His friend had sacrificed more than Rafe could have ever hoped for.  If not for Tiberius, Rafe and Olyva would have died their first night in the blighted lands.  Rafe was a warrior, yet it had been Tiberius saving their lives at almost every turn.

"Yes," Tiberius said.  "I see no reason why the entire tribe can't move north with us.  There's safety in numbers, you know."

"Yes, of course I know that. I just don't want you to lose sight of our goal."

"You mean getting Olyva to Sparlan Citadel?"

Rafe nodded.

"If it's important to you, Rafe, it will always be important to me.  We started this adventure together."

"And we will end it together," Rafe said, clapping his friend on the shoulder.  "I am your man for life."

"And I am yours," Tiberius said.  "Now let's get you cleaned up, you smell worse than a dung rat."

Chapter 15

Lexi

Morning came just as the tribe was returning to camp.  Lexi expected the tribe to return to their shelters or lounge for most of the day, but instead the people went right to work.  The huge creature was set upon by the entire tribe.  Some focused on skinning the tough, leathery hide, while others harvested meat.  The teeth were pulled to make weapons, the brain dug out through the eye socket to help with the tanning process of the skin, and huge sections of intestines were harvested and then strung over fires to dry.

The tribe worked hard all day, including Lexi.  She helped Quntah with the horses, and found clothes for Rafe and Tiberius to change into.  Water from the spring was gathered in clay pots and carried away from the watering hole for washing.  By midafternoon, Lexi was exhausted.  Rafe had crawled into Tiberius
’
shelter after cleaning up and fallen promptly to sleep.  Olyva stayed far away from the large cooking fires where many of the tribal women were busy smoking and salting the huge slabs of meat from the fallen creature.  Instead, she spent most of her time by the spring, her long root-like toes often dipping into the cool water.

Lexi found Tiberius with the Rogu.  The tribal hunters had spent the morning helping with the carcass of the monster, but now they were in deep consultation with their Swanee.

“
The carrion birds are already circling,
”
Tiberius was saying. 
“
The smell of blood will have carried for miles.  This place will be overrun with creatures come nightfall.
”

“
The tribe cannot be moved,
”
Te
’
sumee was arguing. 
“
There is too much work to be done.
”

“
All that work is for nothing if we
’
re attacked by Graypees or some other pack of ravenous creatures.
”

“
Graypees?
”
Te
’
sumee asked.

“
Hulpatahs,
”
Lexi said.

Tiberius looked at her with a mix of surprise and pride.  She was picking up the Hosakli language differences quicker than the others.  He nodded as a way to thank her for her help and then continued talking.

“
We don
’
t have to go far,
”
he said. 
“
But we
’
ll be safer with at least some distance between us and what amounts to a massive feast.
”

“
The Hoskali have never killed a Draccon before, Tiswanee.  We must celebrate your great victory.
”

The other Rogu who were gathered around listening to the discussion yelped in agreement.  Their high-pitched shouts surprised Lexi, but she couldn
’
t help but smile at their enthusiasm.

“
Can
’
t we celebrate tomorrow?
”
Tiberius asked.

“
Look around, Tiswanee.  Everyone is working.  Everyone has much to do.
”

“
Look,
”
Tiberius said, pleading his case once again,
“
we
’
ve just about run out of fuel for fire.  We
’
ve been up most of the night and all day.  Your men will be tired through the long watches of the night.  If we stay here, we
’
ll be especially vulnerable.
”

“
The Hoskali are strong people,
”
Te
’
sumee said joyfully. 
“
Besides we have a great Kuja Swanee and his Velora is a Great One.
”

“
Velora?
”
Tiberius asked.

“
It means your warrior, or champion,
”
Lexi explained. 
“
Ummar was Moswanee
’
s Velora.  Rafe is yours.
”

“
That
’
s a dangerous position to take,
”
Tiberius said to Te
’
sumee. 
“
We can
’
t protect you from everything.  We really just got lucky last night.
”

“
No, you are a great Kuja, and we are the most powerful Hoskali!
”
Te
’
sumee shouted.

The other Rogu joined in.  They began jumping and shouting, dancing and laughing.  Tiberius looked crestfallen.  Lexi knew he was only trying to do what was best for the tribe, but she could see he was defeated.

“
Don
’
t take it personally,
”
she said as she took hold of his arm and leaned her head against his shoulder.

“
It
’
s insane,
”
Tiberius replied. 
“
I
’
m the Swanee, but the tribe never does what I tell them to do.
”

“
You defeated a monster last night.  They are overjoyed.  Let them have their celebration.  What could it possibly hurt?
”

“
I don
’
t care if they want to celebrate.  They can feast for a week if that makes them happy, they just shouldn
’
t do it here.
”

“
The carcass isn
’
t too close to the camp,
”
she argued. 
“
We
’
ll be safe here, don
’
t you think.
”

“
What happens when the creatures that come to feast on the carcass finish eating?  What do you think they
’
ll want to do next?
”

“
Sleep?
”
she said hopefully.

“
Drink,
”
Tiberius said. 
“
And we
’
re camped around the only watering hole for miles and miles.
”

“
So,
”
Lexi said, her forehead pinched in thought. 
“
If the wild animals will want water, and we can
’
t move the camp.  What if we move the water?
”

“
Huh?
”
Tiberius said, the surprise obvious on his face.

“
The tribe has big clay pots,
”
she explained. 
“
We can fill them with water from the spring, just as we did for your bath.  Then we load the pots into the wagon and move them out to the carcass.
”

“
We could dig a hole so that the pots don
’
t get broken in the night,
”
Tiberius said, his excitement for her plan growing. 
“
It might take several trips, but we could get plenty of water moved before dark.  It
’
s a great plan.
”

He kissed her so suddenly she was completely caught off guard.

“
It might not be perfect, but it should cut down on the danger to the camp.
”

“
I
’
m glad you like it,
”
Lexi said, still a little shocked by the kiss.

“
I love it,
”
he said loudly. 
“
You
’
re a genius.
”

He kissed her again and this time she was ready for him.  They held each other tight, their need for one another reflected in the embrace.  Then they pulled apart and Lexi saw Tiberius
’
face flushed with excitement.  She was glad he was in favor of her idea, but she hoped the excitement was for her, and not simply for the idea she
’
d given him.

“
I
’
ll get started on digging the new watering hole,
”
he said. 
“
Can you oversee getting the water pots filled?  You can send them out in the wagon.
”

“
Sure,
”
she said. 
“
I
’
ll recruit some of the Rogu to lift the jars.
”

“
And get Quntah to help with the wagon.
”

“
Alright,
”
she said with a smile.

“
I love you, Lexi.
”

Her heart seemed to beat in a strange rhythm as he hurried away.  She had never felt so vital to someone
’
s life before.  For most of her life, she had eschewed any sort of attachment to people.  She had relationships with people who were useful to her, but she was always careful not to grow attached to anyone.  Tiberius had changed that, the charismatic noble-born third son of the Earl of Avondale had been a fun distraction in the city.  When he
’
d poured his heart out to her before the banishment, she
’
d thought him foolish and naive.  His banishment had forced her into making a decision, and she
’
d decided to trust him, but all the while she had held herself back, unwilling to truly engage fully in their bond.  Now, she could see the practical ways that she helped Tiberius.  The Earl
’
s son had become the leader of a tribe of nomadic people in the blighted lands and a wizard, yet he needed her.  And even more surprising to Lexi was the fact that she needed him to need her.