Quest for the Moon Orb: Orbs of Rathira (22 page)

Karma saw the worry in his eyes, though he tried to hide it with his usual cool expression and polite smile.  She thought she might be beginning to understand this man.

“Was it bad?” she asked in a low voice.

Zakiel’s first impulse was to lie to her.  After all, what good could come from such news?  But the lie stuck in his throat, refusing to be uttered.  For the first time in his life, he wanted to share his true feelings with another person.  With a woman.  With
this
woman. 

 “Yes,” he said, keeping his voice very low so only she could hear him.  “We lost two drovers, and two servants, all acting as storm lookouts.  They were taken by surprise, as were we all.”

“Storm lookout?” Karma asked.

“Sand storms in the desert can be deadly,” Zakiel replied.  “The sooner we are forewarned, the more time we have to prepare shelter.  Storm lookouts ride along the tops of the highest dunes so that they can see as far as possible. All four of those lost were youngsters, fifteen and sixteen years of age.”

“I’m sorry,” Karma said softly.  “I can see how difficult it is for you.”

“I thank you for that, Lady Techu,” Zakiel replied, soothed by her honest sincerity. 

“You blame yourself for the losses, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do,” Zakiel said.  “I am in charge of this quest, and being in charge means being responsible.  I should have expected the possibility of attack so soon.”

Karma thought of a lot of things to say, but held her tongue.  From the expression on his face, he didn’t want to be placated.  “Will we be stopping now or will we continue?”

“We cannot afford to waste half a day’s travel,” Zakiel said.  “We must continue.”

“I agree,” Karma said.  “I know it must be difficult for those who’ve lost people they care about, but I don’t think we can afford to waste the remainder of this day.”

“Shall I assist you to your saddle?”

“Yes, please,” Karma said.  “Although, I do wonder why you don’t have stirrups on these saddles.  It would make it a lot easier to get up.”

“What is a stirrup?” Zakiel asked as he walked with her to Dippy’s side. 

Karma frowned as she tried to think of how to best describe a stirrup.  “Imagine wide straps with a loop at the bottom that hang down from each side of the saddle,” she said after a moment.  “You can step into a loop to help you get onto the saddle, and it gives you a place to put her feet once you’re up there.”

“Interesting,” Zakiel said thoughtfully.  “I will discuss this with the drovers.  Are you ready?”

“Yes,” Karma said, turning to face the diplo with the staff firmly in one hand.

Even though she was expecting it, the feel of Zakiel’s warm hands around her waist still sent a warm shiver through her.  She swung her leg over the saddle and settled herself, taking a moment to slip the staff into the loops while she waited for her blush to fade.

“Thank you,” she said, turning her face toward him only when she felt the heat in her cheeks cool.

“You are most welcome, Lady Techu,” he said, for once not fighting the smile he felt on his lips.  He only wished the lingering sensation of her soft skin would not fade from his fingertips.

As he stepped away, he decided to give a bit more thought to suggesting stirrups to the drovers.  They would surely make it easier for the women to get up and down from the saddle, but it would also prevent him from having a good reason to actually touch Karma...no...
Lady Techu
. 

“Brother,” Kapia said as she stepped through the circle of warriors.  “Are we leaving now?”

“Yes, we need to travel a few more hours before we stop,” Zakiel said.

“Was it bad?” she asked softly.  It did not escape him that Kapia used the same words and tone that Karma had used.  He smiled gently at her.

“Not too bad, no,” he said, telling her the lie that he had not been able to tell Karma.  “Come on, let’s get you onto your saddle.”

A moment later Kapia was mounted and Zakiel leapt astride his own diplo and trotted to the front of the line.  Kapia guided Goldy closer to Dippy as soon as the caravan began moving again.  They watched silently as nearly a dozen Hunters surrounded them, far more than the assigned five.  Karma knew there was nothing they could do but accept it.  At least they maintained a polite distance so that the women could talk privately if they wanted to.

“It was bad, wasn’t it?” Kapia asked in a low voice when she was certain she would not be overheard.

Karma hesitated.  “Kapia,” she said after a few moments, “you are, at sixteen, a young woman.  It is easy for me to see you as such because I have only known you as you are now.  I see your intelligence, your maturity, and your common sense.  Your brother, on the other hand, still sees you as his baby sister.  I don’t know when, or if that will change.  I know that must be difficult for you, and I am sorry.  Even so, I’m afraid that when he says something to me in confidence, even if I believe it is something you are well able to understand, it would be dishonest of me to contradict his wishes behind his back.”

“I understand,” Kapia said, making an effort to look less disappointed than she felt.  “I do wish that Zakiel would see me as other than a child.  But, at the same time, I’m glad that you would not speak behind my brother’s back, even to me.”

“Thank you for understanding,” Karma said.  “In return, I promise that if the opportunity arises I will do what I can to get your brother to see you as you are now, rather than as the child you once were.”

Chapter
12

Prince Zakiel called a halt for the day an hour before sunset, much to everyone’s relief.  Their first full day in the saddle had been long and stressful, and everyone was ready to see an end to it.  As soon as Karma and Kapia had their feet on the ground, the drovers came to take their diplos away.  They had nothing to do then but wait for their tent to be erected, and for Caral and Lashi to set up their beds and prepare dinner. 

“Let’s spar now,” Karma said to Kapia. 

“Now?” Kapia asked, looking around nervously.  “In front of everyone?”

“Yes, now,” Karma replied.  “This is the perfect time for it.”

She looked around and spotted an area of what looked like firm, smooth sand nearby and led Kapia over to it.  She removed the ankh from the end of her staff and put it into her pocket, then took up a basic stance, her staff held at an angle in front of her.

Kapia stood a few feet away, her staff held loosely in her hands as she glanced back and forth from the camp to Karma and back again. 

“Kapia,” Karma said, waiting for the girl to focus on her.  “There is not a single Hunter over there who hasn’t had to work very hard to learn to use his weapons.  Furthermore, I am sure that they all continue to work at it regularly in order to maintain their skills.  I doubt they will think twice about seeing two people spar.  If anything, they will respect you for the effort you put into it.”

Kapia took a deep breath and nodded, then set her feet and held her staff properly.  Karma didn’t want to give her any more time to think about the people around them, so she immediately stepped forward and swung her staff toward Kapia.  She kept her movements slow, but not too slow, wanting Kapia to react rather than think.  She was pleased to note that between her concern over being watched, and the effort required to block Karma’s attacks, Kapia was forgetting whatever nonsense she’d been taught that had been interfering with her progress.  Instead of the stiff, wooden motions she’d been using, her natural sense of balance took over and, as Karma had suspected, she soon flowed easily back and forth over the sand.

When they were finished, Karma and Kapia were both surprised to hear a chorus of approvals from the Hunters who had gathered around to watch them.  Kapia flushed red, but she was smiling happily.

“I did better, didn’t I?” she asked Karma, barely containing her surprise and excitement.

“You did wonderfully,” Karma said.  “I think you have a natural talent for the staff.”

Kapia blinked several times, then stepped forward and threw her arms around Karma in a quick hug.  “Thank you, Karma,” she whispered.

Karma returned the hug, then released Kapia so she could go to her brother who was waiting nearby with some well deserved praise.  Karma watched the happy scene for a moment, then headed for their tent. 

As much as she wished for a bath, she was happy for the damp cloth Lashi gave her to wash her face and hands with.  Using even that minute amount of water for washing was a luxury that she was fairly sure few of her fellow travelers would be offered.  As much as Karma didn’t want to take advantage if her position, she couldn’t bring herself to decline the opportunity to wash her face. 

After she changed her clothes and brushed out her hair in her chamber, she went into the front chamber of the tent and sat down on one of the cushions laid out for her and Kapia.  She accepted a cup of hot tea from Lashi while she waited for Kapia to join her for dinner.

“Sorry I’m late,” Kapia said as she hurried from her own chamber and took the cushion opposite Karma.  “I was talking with Zakiel.”

Karma waved her hand.  “Don’t worry about it,” she said.  “I’m in no rush.”

Kapia smiled as Caral and Lashi served them, and both women dug into their dinners hungrily.  When they were finished, Caral refilled their tea cups before she and Lashi settled down to eat their own dinners, and Kapia and Karma relaxed.

“I’m so glad you thought of us sharing a tent,” Kapia said.  “This is much nicer than being alone all the time.”

“I agree,” Karma replied.  “I’m glad I thought of it too.”

Kapia smiled, but Karma saw that she had something more serious on her mind.  She sipped her tea, waiting patiently.

“Karma, I’m sure you noticed that I forgot to use some of the things I was taught about balance and movement today while we were sparring,” she began, her eyes on her cup.  “In fact, now that I think about it, I see that you were hoping for that.”

She glanced up, but Karma said nothing.  She wanted the girl to figure it out for herself.

“Obviously Marene sabotaged my efforts to learn to dance,” Kapia said, her voice going cold, reminding Karma of Zakiel.  But the coldness did not last long.  “What I don’t understand is, why?” she asked plaintively.  “Why would she do such a thing?” 

“I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for that,” Karma said.  “But, before we condemn her completely, why don’t you tell me some of the things she taught you.  Maybe you implemented them incorrectly, or had a difficult time doing things the way she tried to teach you.”

Kapia’s head came up and she nodded slowly.  “All right, that’s fair,” she agreed.  “One of the first things she taught me, and she said this over and over so many times that I know I didn’t misunderstand her, was that I should always keep the center of my balance in my heels.”

“In your heels?” Karma asked with disbelief.  “You’re sure of that?”

“Positive,” Kapia said.  “I always felt it should be the balls of my feet, but she was very...strident...about it.”

“That explains a lot,” Karma said, feeling bad for Kapia.  It was easy to see that, at the tender age of twelve, Kapia must have looked up to Marene.  How could she not have?  Marene was the only woman in her life, and she was beautiful, graceful and self-confident.  All things that any young girl would want to look up to and emulate.  Growing up enough to realize that Marene was not a nice person didn’t change the fact that this had to hurt.

“I suppose that it doesn’t matter what her other rules were,” Kapia said.  “That one is enough.”

“Yes, I think it is,” Karma replied. 

 “The worst part of this is that the other things she taught me were like that one.  Things that I knew instinctively were wrong, even then, but I forced myself to do them anyway, because she said to.”

“Learning to trust yourself, your inner voice, or instincts, whatever you want to call it, is a very difficult, but important lesson,” Karma said.  “I’m sorry it was such a harsh lesson for you.”

“I’m sorry too,” Kapia said.  “Sorry that I trusted her, sorry that I once wanted to be like her.  But I am very happy, and very lucky, to have you come into my life, Karma.  Instead of thinking about Marene, I’m going to focus on the things you’re teaching me.”

“Good for you,” Karma said.  “Marene’s fate is her own.  You need to focus on yourself, and decide what kind of person you want to be.”

“That’s easy,” Kapia said with a grin.  “I want to be like you.”

Karma laughed but shook her head.  “That’s very flattering, Kapia, but I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”

“Well, I
am
sure,” Kapia said stoutly.  “I wonder though, and if it’s too much to ask, I’ll understand, really I will, but I just....”

“Come on girl, spit it out,” Karma said with a grin.

Kapia laughed, shaking her head at herself.  “Karma, do you dance?  And if you do, would you mind teaching me?”  She smiled, then added, “That’s what I wanted to say, but as you are already teaching me the staff, please don’t feel as if you should do more.”

“Well, I do dance, as a matter of fact,” Karma said.  “I was taught as a child.  But whether the dances I was taught are the same as those your people do, I cannot say.  I’m certainly willing to find out though, and any case, I can teach you some basics.”