Quest for the Sun Orb (24 page)

Bredon felt Kapia leave, and was instantly sad at the loss.  More than anything he wanted to be with her, but he knew that he was incredibly lucky just to be able to speak with her.  He admonished himself to be happy with what he had and climbed into his bed roll.  One way or another, he would rid himself of the pestilence in his head named Marene.  When he did, he would return to Kapia as quickly as he could.  With that goal in mind, he fell asleep.

Chapter Fourteen

 “Here,” Tomas said, offering a plain leather scabbard to Tiari.  “Nikura checked this carefully and declared it free of dark magic.”

Tiari looked at him in mild reproof.  “I know that you would never give me anything that you were not certain was safe.”

Tomas smiled, amazed that she trusted him so easily.  “That is true, in a sense,” he said.  “However, blades are dangerous all by themselves if one does not practice proper care around them.”

“Dangerous how?” Tiari asked as she accepted the leather scabbard.  It was lighter than she’d expected, and quite slender.  The leather was dark, with a few scratches and nicks in it.  The silver handle of the blade extended from one end of the scabbard, but she did not try to pull it out.

“This is very sharp,” Tomas warned.  “The blade is two edged, meaning it is sharp on both sides, unlike cooking knives you may be used to.  It would be all too easy for you to seriously injure yourself with this if you are the least bit careless.”

“How am I to learn with something so dangerous?” Tiari asked, suddenly nervous. 

“We will use wooden practice swords,” Tomas said.  He bent down and removed two wooden swords from the bag.  They looked just like swords except they were made from wood, and had many nicks and scratches on them.

“I asked Sir Stiven to alter this one to more closely match the size and weight of the sword you will be using,” he said, taking the sword from her and handing her the wooden one instead.  “That’s why we had to wait a couple of days before beginning.”

“Which one is Sir Stiven?” Tiari asked as he bent to return the real sword to the bag.  “I must be sure to thank him for his efforts.  This feels just a shade heavier than the steel one.  He did an excellent job.”

“Yes, he did,” Tomas said.  “He is an excellent carver.  I have thanked him, but if you like I will introduce you to him later so you may do the same.”

“Thank you,” Tiari said.  “What do I do first?”

“To begin, we will go over the proper way to hold your sword, and a few safety rules.”

“All right,” Tiari agreed eagerly.  She did not care if they began by learning how to make a sword, so long as he taught her how to use it.

“I want you to continue to hold the sword as long as you can while we do this,” Tomas said.

“Um...all right,” Tiari asked, thinking that was a strange thing to say. 

“As light as that thing feels now, I promise you that it will soon become heavy.  You need to build up your strength so that you can wield it for extended periods of time without tiring.”

“Oh, that makes sense,” Tiari said brightly.

As Tomas went over the basics of sword safety and the first stances and forms, he began to relax a little.  Tiari was a good listener and an eager student, and he found that he enjoyed teaching her.  Especially when he realized that she had a definite flair for the sword. 

She held it as though it were an extension of her own arm, something that his own teachers had tried to get him to do, but which he’d never fully succeeded at.  The bow was his weapon, not the sword.  But it was obviously Tiari’s. 

He ended the lesson when he saw that she was straining to hold the practice sword correctly.  He realized that she would never willingly end the lesson herself by admitting to fatigue.  He would need to keep a careful eye on her lest she harm herself.

“That’s enough for today,” he said, not mentioning her arm which was now trembling visibly.

“That was wonderful, Tomas,” she said, ignoring her discomfort.  What was a little pain compared to the gift he was giving her?  “Thank you so much for doing this.”

“You are most welcome, Tiari,” he said, smiling at her enthusiasm.  He remembered feeling that way about learning the bow.

“That went well,” Karma said, joining them.  Tomas had seen her watching them after she finished her lesson with Kapia, and was relieved by her presence.  If he was doing a poor job of teaching Tiari, he wanted to know about it.

“Yes, it did,” Tomas agreed.  “Was my teaching all right?” 

“Your teaching was perfect,” Karma said.  “I don’t know much about the sword, but she seems to have a natural feel for it, much like Kapia and I have for the staff.”

“Yes, I think so too,” Tomas said.

“Does that mean you think I’ll really be able to learn enough to defend myself?” Tiari asked hopefully.

“It means that we think you won’t need to be taught very much before your natural affinity for the blade takes over,” Karma said. 

“You’re going to be very good with this weapon,” Tomas said.  “Your biggest problem is that you need to gain strength.  But that will come in time with the food and exercise you are now getting.”

“Is there anything I can do to hurry that along?”

“I can give you some exercises to do while riding during the day,” Karma said.  “They worked well for Kapia, and will help to build strength.  The most important thing is that you work at it daily, and continue to eat well.”

“Thank you, Karma,” Tiari said.  “You cannot believe what this means to me.” 

“Actually, I can,” Karma said with a smile.  “By the way, Tomas, I think it would be wise to split each lesson.  Teach her something, then blindfold her and go over it again.  That way she will develop her skills both with and without sight.”

“I will do that, Karma,” Tomas said.  “Thank you for the reminder.  Here, Tiari, I have one more thing for you.”  He bent down and reached into the bag once more, this time pulling out a thick leather belt that had been cut down significantly.  He threaded the leather through the slits on the scabbard, then stood up and handed it to Tiari. 

“You should start wearing this regularly,” he said.  “It can be difficult to become used to having the extra weight on one side of your body.  Only wear it until you become fatigued, then take it off.  Eventually you will be able to wear it without noticing it.”

Tiari eagerly wrapped the belt around her waist, but it was immediately obvious that it wasn’t going to work.  As small as the sword was, it still nearly touched the ground.  Tomas frowned as he watched Tiari take a few experimental steps.  Her knee bumped it on the first step, her foot on the second, and it became caught in a small bush on the third.

“I once knew a woman who fought with a sword,” Karma said.  “Summer Katre is quite tall, and the blade she used was quite long, but I think the proportions are much the same as Tiari’s to that blade.  Summer often carried her sword on her back, in a harness designed for that purpose.  I think that might work for Tiari.”

“Can you describe it to me?” Tomas asked.  “I cannot see how it would work.”

“I’m not positive, but I think it was much like a scabbard with straps that her arms went through,” Karma said, wishing she’d paid more attention to the back harness Summer Katre often wore.

“Yes, I see now,” Tomas said, his face lighting up.  “There is a skilled leatherworker among the drovers.  I will speak with him about this.”

“Are you sure he won’t mind?” Tiari asked.  “I don’t want to add to anyone’s work load.  If necessary, I can just carry it around with me.”

“That’s not very practical,” Karma said.  “Carrying the Ti-Ank around all the time is a pain, though now that I’m using the retractable staff it is easier.”  She gestured to the foot long black rod hanging from a loop on her belt, the headpiece acting as a stop to keep it from falling through.

“Don’t worry,” Tomas said.  “Merke, the leatherworker, will be thrilled to have something to occupy his time.  That it’s something that has not been tried before will appeal to him as well.”

Tiari’s smile returned as she gave the sword and belt back to Tomas.  He returned everything to the bag, then escorted Tiari and Karma back to the women’s tent.  As soon as they were safely inside, he went in search of the leatherworker.

“Karma, Tiari, I’ve been waiting for you two,” Kapia said with an edge of excitement in her voice as soon as they entered the tent.

“Is something wrong?” Karma asked.

“No, not at all,” Kapia said.  “Come and have some tea with me.”

Karma and Tiari took their usual cushions and waited impatiently for Caral to pour their tea.  Kapia’s excitement was communicating itself to them and they were growing more curious by the moment to know the reason for it.

As soon as Caral returned to the far end of the chamber, Kapia leaned forward.  “The other day when I sparred with Zakiel, I became frustrated because he was able to move more freely than me simply because he wore pants and I wore this skirt.  The fabric kept getting in my way when I turned too quickly.”

 “I know exactly what you mean,” Karma said with a grimace.  “Before coming here I don’t think I’d worn a skirt in ten years.  Sometimes it’s very annoying.  It’s the custom though, which is why I left my clothing in Ka-Teru.”

“Yes, it is, but I don’t much like the idea of risking my life due to custom,” Kapia said. 

“Are you saying you think we should begin wearing pants?” Karma asked, not disturbed by the idea at all for herself, but uncertain how the Rathirian men would take it.

“Yes, and no,” Kapia replied.  “I am my father’s daughter, so I’ve learned a thing or two about people over the years.  A change such as this must be made gradually if there is to be any chance of its success.”

“Very good, Kapia,” Karma said with a smile.  “What do you have in mind?”

Kapia reached for a bundle of cloth behind her and shook it out before lying it on the floor in the center of their circle.  She’d pinned a purple skirt to the waist of a pair of men’s black leather riding pants, and slit the front of the skirt from hem to waist.

“This is wonderful,” Karma said with an approving smile.  “I assume that the skirt will be attached in a way that will make it easy to remove.”

“Yes, though I’m not sure how that can be done,” Kapia said.  “I suppose we could use small ties.”

Karma thought about that for a moment.  “What if the ties get knotted?  If we’re being attacked we’re not going to have time to fuss.”

“That’s true,” Kapia said, frowning at the skirt and pant combination.  “There must be a way to do it.”

“Why attach them to each other at all?” Tiari asked, speaking for the first time.  She’d been shocked speechless when she realized that Kapia was suggesting they wear men’s clothing.  Such a thing would be indecent!  But when Karma said she’d always worn pants, she’d realized that it was a difference of custom, not morals.

“What do you mean?” Kapia asked.

“Why not simply wear the skirt over the top of the pants?” Tiari suggested.  “I see no reason they must be attached to one another.  Or am I missing something?”

“No, you aren’t missing anything at all,” Karma said with a grin.  “That’s an excellent suggestion.”

“Yes, it is, Tiari,” Kapia said happily.  “I think also that the skirt should close in front rather than the back.  It will be an easy matter to unhook it and let it fall to the ground.”

“The only problem I see is where are we going to get the pants?” Karma asked.

“That’s easy,” Kapia replied with a grin.  “I did a little checking today and discovered that there is a stockpile of riding leathers in the supply baskets, and enough leather to outfit the entire company twice over if necessary.  I see no reason why we cannot make use of some of it for ourselves.”

“Anything already made up is going to be far too large for us,” Karma said.  “Besides, I think we need the design to be a bit different than the men’s.”

“Why?” Kapia asked.

“Because our anatomy is different,” Karma said, arching a brow.  Kapia and Tiari both blushed, giving Karma a good laugh. 

“What’s funny?” Zakiel asked, stepping through the connecting doorway.

Kapia and Tiari stiffened, and looked guiltily at each other, but Karma smiled warmly at her husband.  “Come and sit with us, and I will explain,” she said.

Caral hurried to place a cushion beside Karma for the Prince, which he took with an expression of wary curiosity.  He’d noted the guilty expression on his sister’s face, and the strange combination of pants and skirt lying in the center of the circle.

A few minutes later, after Karma’s brief, matter of fact explanation, he fully understood Kapia’s guilty look.  “Karma, this is not...acceptable,” he said.  “It is the custom here, on Rathira, that women wear skirts, or divided skirts when riding.  Men wear kilts, or pants for riding or in battle.  It would be considered indecent for a woman to wear men’s clothing.”

“Did you think I was indecent the first time you saw me?” Karma asked.

“No, of course not,” Zakiel replied.  “But you were not Rathirian.”

Karma realized that was not an argument that would work.  She changed tactics.  “Zakiel,” she said.  “Imagine that I am battling with someone...oh, let’s say Marene for example, as I did on the atoll when we went to claim the Moon Orb.”

“All right,” he said slowly, unable to see where this was going.  Knowing his wife, he thought, it could be anywhere.

“And imagine that during our battle, my skirt got wrapped around my legs and caused me to fall to the ground,” she said.  “Further imagine that, since the fabric was wrapped around me, I could not get back up before Marene was standing over me, about to strike a killing blow when, luckily, Kapia hit her in the head with her staff.”

“I wondered how it was that Marene got the best of you,” Kapia said softly.  “I looked away for only a moment, and when I turned back, you were down.” 

“Actually, I went down twice,” Karma admitted.  “The first time was my own fault.  I underestimated her strength and we ended on the ground, struggling for the Ti-Ank.  I won that battle, but as soon as I was back on my feet again, the skirt took me down.”