Servants and Followers (The Legends of Arria, Volume 2) (17 page)

Oaka
frowned.
“This sounds a lot like
when
…
”

“
Wait a minute,
Oaka
.
”

“
Basha! This is just
what happened when
Fato
joined us
.
”

“
Hey!” The falcon
exclaimed.

“
Trying to get us to
believe that he would be useful.”
Oaka muttered.

“
He has been useful,
Oaka.” Basha said.

“
Thank you,” Fato
said, bowing his head and mumbling to himself.

“
I won’t have another
person join this group without
my say-so.
” Oaka started to
say.

“
Excuse me, but I am
involved in this discussion,” Monika remarked. “I won’t have you
three discuss me in a way that
…
I am coming, whether you like it
or not. I just came over to ask your permission, and ask what is
going on here.” She said.

“
Basha,
she
…
I don’t understand what is going on here, but she is trying
to get in for whatever reason she has.” Oaka said.

“
For your
information, I have the best of intentions.” Monika remarked,
standing up and facing Oaka. “I do not intend to get you all
killed. I am here to protect you all, do you understand me now?”
She asked Oaka.

“
Wow,” Fato said,
staring up at Monika.

“
I don’t believe
you.” Oaka said.

“
Believe me, it’s the
truth. You won’t get protection like mine anywhere else,” She said,
“You won’t be able to depend on anyone else like you can depend on
me. I have been around a few times and I know that there are some
very dangerous people out there, people who will take advantage of
you if you let them. But I am not asking anything of you all except
that you let me come with you. I will prove myself valuable to you
all. I will show you all that I have what it takes to
be
…
”
She stopped, and shook her head. “Forget it, just forget it!” She
said, storming off, taking her saddle and packs with
her.

“
Monika, wait!” Basha
cried, getting up.

“
Of course, run after
her and not
…
” Oaka stopped. “Basha, you have
to decide
.
I am not going any further without some assurance
that it is worthwhile.”

“
Oaka
,
please.
”

“
I miss home and
Sisila. I am not doing this without--even if we do come back home
safe and sound, I will have nothing to show for it. I am risking
everything I have, just because of you, without getting anything in
return! These last few days have been horrible enough for me, but
none of you have changed my mind about--going back! Basha, you’re
as good as my brother, and I hate saying all of this to you, but I
still want you to tell me if I am going to get anything out of
this. For what end did I leave her?” He said.

“
This is
not
…
Oaka!” Basha cried as Oaka left him as well, grabbing his
packs and blanket.

Basha was left alone with Fato. “I
don’t think this is a very good start.” Fato remarked.

“
I should have
known,
malakel
it,” Basha said, “I should have known. To be chased by Black
Wolves
,
seen Sir Nickleby torn apart
,
taunted by
you
,
and then beaten up by Monika, before that big
fight
…
Oaka should have asked that question a long time before now.”
He lowered his head.

“
He’s just scared,”
Fato said, “But he’ll buck up by morning. Once he does, he’ll ask
himself why he ever thought he should go home. He may be a monkey,
but he’s still loyal to you. I will credit him that. He’s a good
brother, your Oaka is.”

“
And I’m not.” Basha
said.

“
Hey, you’re a good
brother, too, Basha, and the best friend that he could ever wish
for, a monkey like him.” Fato paused. “I think you should ask
yourself what your brother wants out of this trip. And then figure
out a way to give him that, if he doesn’t have to go home.” Fato
said. The falcon then flew off after Monika, hoping that Basha
could come up with something on his own, as he felt like he had to
settle these matters before it got to be too late.

She was sitting alone, her blanket
folded out near the edge of the firelight, and finishing the last
of her meal before bed. Fato landed right beside her. “Hello,
Monika,” He said. “I’m sorry about this welcome. I know you’re
worried about being able to join up, or whatever, but don’t be. I
know that, once things settle down, we’ll be glad to have you.”

“
Thank you.” Monika
said, staring down at him. “It’s strange, I never thought I would
be--this is not like me.” She said, looking across at the fire. “I
thought I would be going home as well, but I just keep going
farther and farther away from it. Like I do not want to return as
well.”

“
How long have you
been away from home?” Fato asked.

“
Many years. I should
return, but--I keep putting it off, and then--getting sucked into
something or another.” She said, looking down.

“
You’ve had a hard
life, huh?”

“
You have no idea.”
She said.

“
Why do you
want--”

“
I don’t want--”
Monika sighed, looking up at the bird. “Fato--sometimes it’s easier
for me to put the past behind me. To keep moving on, and--go
wherever the path might lead me.” She gestured. “Sometimes I do not
want to look behind me at what has gone on before. Maybe that’s why
I can’t return home. I cannot look back at the bad things that have
happened to me, and home is just one of those reminders.” She
stared up at the sky. “Sometimes I see or hear things that I can’t
quite believe, and--I decide to pursue them, to find out more, the
truth, and understand what’s going on.”

“
Maybe that’s why I
make mistakes.” Monika said, looking back down at Fato. “I want to
find out the truth and believe in it. I want to find something
worthwhile that will keep me moving forward. Yet I trust too much
in what is happening around me, and I get lost in the shuffle of
things. I don’t want to forget about what happened behind me, and
yet--I cannot look back.” She said.

“
I don’t understand
half of what you just said.” Fato said, shaking his
head.

“
Maybe it’s a human
problem,” Monika said as the fire went out at Basha’s section,
plunging them all into darkness. Had he been listening to her?
Monika shook her head and pulled up her blanket, deciding that he
was too far away to hear her as she then put away her food, ready
to go to sleep.

Fato decided to fly up to a tree
branch, and leave Oaka alone, not wanting to visit him tonight. He
could settle his own problems.

“
Basha, what are you
doing?” Oaka asked.

“
I’m trying to get
something out of here,” Basha told him, wrestling with a jar. “It
won’t come out, I might have to grease it
.
” He then dropped the jar,
and it broke into a thousand pieces. “Ooops.” He said.

“
Typical, Basha, now
look what you have done! You’re hopeless,” Oaka said, shaking his
head and then bending down to pick up the jar pieces. He cut
himself on a thick, sharp shard.

“
Ow!” He cried. “See,
this is what
…
where are you?” He asked, staring
into the darkness that surrounded him.

“
What have you done?”
He asked, for there was blood pooling down on the ground, dripping
from his hand. “Come out, Basha! What are you?” He cried, searching
for his brother, trying to cover up the gash and seek some
help.

“
Oaka, what have you
done?” Sisila cried.

He turned around to
see her facing him, horrified by his appearance
as
…“
It’s nothing, Sisila,” He said, covered in blood. “It’s not
mine, Basha did this.” He said, his whole body drenched in blood
from the gash as if soaking it up.

“
I don’t believe
you!” Sisila said, turning away from him.

“
Come back, Sisila, I
want
…
” He sighed. “Sisila, I love you!”

She
turned around.
“I don’t love you,” Habala
told him, and then turned back into Sisila before she
vanished.

He stopped and
gasped. His mother was his lover? That was crazy. Oaka cried,
“Basha, you stole my heart right out from under me!” He wept.
“You
took my heart away,” He said, his
heart beating right out there in front of him. “I can’t
reach, I can’t…stand
.
” He said, trying to grab
his heart and stick it back inside of him before he died.
“Basha!” He cried. “How can
…
you can take care of
yourself, can’t you? You don’t need me anymore? You don’t want me?
You don’t care for me?” Oaka said, burning up. “Then why should I
have to care?” He said, as the forest caught fire all around
him.

Oaka rolled around in his blankets,
mumbling to himself in his sleep. “Why...should I...”

“
Why do I have to
take care of you? Do I feel guilty for what I have done? Do I feel
guilty for what you have lost or never had?” He asked.

“
Lost, Basha,
lost...” Oaka mumbled, groaning. He had not started any fire
anywhere except in his own mind.

Monika got up the next morning half
inclined to leave, but as she was packing her horse, Basha
approached. “What’s going on?” Basha asked.

“
I’m sorry I brought
about this rift between you and your brother Oaka.” Monika said. “I
never meant for anything like this to happen, I just
wanted to know some things, I suppose, and travel
along with some company. I will
keep out
of your way, if you want me to, and--I might show up somewhere
again, if you’re ever in any trouble, but I will be traveling along
on my own way.”

“
Wait, Monika--”
Basha said, shaking his head. “I don’t--you really didn’t cause
that much trouble.” He told her and himself. “Actually, with
everything that has happened, it was only a matter of time before
he would question why he should keep going. I have been considering
the problem myself, though, and I’m certain I can convince him to
continue. After that, you can travel with us if you want, and if
Oaka agrees. I don’t have any qualms on my part.”

“
Thank you, Basha,”
Monika sighed. “I think I will take you up on that offer. Where are
we going, exactly?” She asked. “Coe Pidaria-wise?”

“
Coe Pidaria, if it
exists, might be in--”Basha went to his horse. “The northwest
corner, southeast corner, or northeast corner of the Wastelands,”
He said, fumbling with his saddle-pack to take out the map, and he
accidentally brought out his wallet as well.

“
What is that?” She
asked, pointing at the paper and cloth sticking out of his
wallet.

“
That is--” He
paused, and then decided to share. “I’ll show you,” He said,
sitting down on the ground, with the map spread out in front of
him, and Monika sat down beside him. “This is my mother’s
handkerchief,” He told her, taking it out of the wallet first so
that she could examine it under his watchful eye. “Kala’s
handkerchief. I think I told you that I had nothing of hers,” He
said, looking up at her, “but then sometime after you left, my
mother Habala found it and gave it to me. See, it says ‘K&M’
right there,” He pointed out, “Kala, and whoever my father was. And
then it says ‘Blessings, your Sisters’ right here--I had family, or
at least Kala did, my aunts, Monika.” He smiled at her and
laughed.

Monika looked serious as she closely
examined the indigo thread, and then nodded to herself. “I suppose
she did,” She said, handing it back to him. “What about that piece
of paper?”

Basha hesitated again, but then brought
it out and unfolded it. “Before I left Coe Baba, I went to see the
Oracle of Mila at the town council’s insistence, to ask her if I
should go on my quest. But I got more than I bargained for.” He
said, handing it over for her to read. “A long answer, one
that--say, Monika, what did the Oracle tell you when you visited
her?” He asked. It was what he had wanted to ask her at The Walking
Duck inn just before he got punched.

She hesitated now,
but said, “I think it was nothing, really, just a few words on a
piece of paper, but this--” She read softly to herself,
“
As you wander, welcome strangers into
your group, for friends you will have great need of in this
journey
.” She paused, glancing over at him
as if she might wonder if this was why he had allowed her to join
them. In a way it was true, but he did not tell her that, because
there were more reasons why she was allowed to come.

She continued,
“
Travel southward through the forest,
hills, and valley of this--your path may change
,” She had just skipped over a part she might not believe in,
Basha realized
, about
Arria—‘great country’
.
“
But your goal must remain clear. Someone
will try to hinder you, and stop you using his powers over man and
beast
.”