The Lord of the Plains

by Sarah Chapman

Chapter 68

  ‘I need some help, Karesh. Who would you rather ask?’

  ‘Perhaps we shouldn’t then.’ Karesh replied seriously.

  ‘No.’ He stood.

  Karesh scrambled to his feet.

  ‘No! She’s the master! If she sees-’

  ‘Then what?’ Aerlid replied sharply.

  ‘It’s a sign of weakness!’ He cried, ‘letting my master see it, that’s just asking for it!’

  Aerlid made a dismissive noise. ‘Karesh, you’re acting like a fool. If you can’t trust me with this, how can you trust me to tear your broken wing apart to fix it?’

  ‘Now,’ he said when Karesh didn’t reply, ‘I’m going to go get her.’

  ‘Why don’t you stop the pain?’ Riley asked above the screaming.

  ‘I need you to be quiet.’ Aerlid panted. He was cutting into the arm-wing. It bled profusely, Riley couldn’t make out anything beneath the blood.

  She was holding Karesh down. He felt so fragile beneath her, she worried if she held too hard she’d break him. But she needed to keep him still. He was writhing and wriggling and trying to free himself. A thick stick was between his teeth but he moaned and screamed around it.

  ‘I need to know what he’s feeling.’ Aerlid said, pausing for a moment. He looked very tired. They’d been working less than ten minutes. ‘I need to know how he’s feeling. I can’t keep him unconscious, monitor his vitals, and do this all at once. Now, please, don’t talk.’

  And the screaming and bleeding went on.

  It was over in less than an hour.

  It felt like the longest hour of her life.

  Karesh’s arm-wing was carefully bandaged.

  It didn’t look much different, but Aerlid said that this was just the beginning.

  Karesh’s skin was waxy and sallow, dark circles around his eyes. He gazed at her from his carefully made hammock, hung inside Riley’s tent. They had to make sure he didn’t lie on his wing.

  ‘You’re going to be fine.’ Riley said briskly. He looked terrible. Aerlid didn’t look much better. ‘Karesh, you need to rest. Don’t worry about what anyone thinks. I can keep you safe.’

  He didn’t reply.

  Riley had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. He didn’t believe her. He didn’t trust her.

  There were no words to say to that. All she could do was show him.

  Three days later, Riley entered her tent to take her shift. She’d made the animal skin tent not long after coming to the Plains, but rarely used it. The nights were warm and it didn’t often rain, so it was usually unnecessary. Riley had made the hammock for Karesh on Aerlid’s request, the day before his first attempt at fixing Karesh’s arm-wing. During the night, she and Aerlid slept in the tent with Karesh. During the day they took turns watching him. Frankly, Riley didn’t trust her tribe not to hurt him. To Karesh’s quiet displeasure, Aerlid’s students also helped. This was a part of being a physician after all.

  When she entered the tent she found Karesh sleeping fitfully. Aerlid was on a blanket on the floor, singing softly under his breath. Riley knelt down on the dirt floor. Aerlid’s eyes were closed, a hand behind his head. He looked tired.

  A sound came from behind. Before Riley could move Aerlid bolted upright.

  ‘Adila?!’ he exclaimed in a surprised whisper. His jaw hung open, his eyes wide.

  Riley stood and turned in one smooth movement. When she caught sight of the interloper she stopped. She opened her mouth. Closed it. She frowned slightly.

  The woman smiled. Perhaps smile was not the right word. This woman, this creature… It was as if the sun and sky had been mixed together and poured into the shape of a woman. That would be this creature. And what did the sun look like when it smiled? What did the sky look like? And yet she reminded Riley so strongly of Aerlid, she wondered if they were related.

  The woman spoke.

  Again, Riley had to stop. She spoke the way Aerlid sung. Words and meaning Riley could understand, but not speak herself. Could not even describe.

  Aerlid responded in the same way.

  It was gone in a second, refused to stay in her memory. It left only a longing, a faint feeling. It wasn’t something she could catch and keep.

  Yet she could understand it.

  Aerlid. Adila, what are you doing here? I came to visit, it has been a long time. Yes, a lifetime. A lifetime? This is her. She doesn’t look as though she’s lived a lifetime. Who can tell with one like that? Yesterday could have been a lifetime. Ten years ago. A minute could have been her lifetime. It hasn’t been long. No, that’s true. Not as a long as last time. Is it near? No, it will come around to pick me up. Does she want to see her?

  Silence.

  Aerlid turned his head to look at Riley. ‘You can understand us?’

  She nodded.

  Aerlid was not surprised, but Adila was. ‘Really?’ she said in perfect Plains speech. ‘Can you speak Valkar?’ she asked Riley.

  Aerlid answered for her, ‘no, she can’t speak Valkar. She can hum it though.’

  ‘Really? Can you hum for me?’

  Riley was taken aback. She didn’t know what to hum. She only knew the moon songs.

  ‘Not right now.’ Aerlid rescued her. He stood and looked at Adila more closely. ‘Adila, what are you wearing?!’ he demanded. ‘What happened?’

  Adila smiled. She was barefoot. She wore an asymmetrical skirt the red of a setting sun. Orange cloth was wrapped around her waist like a belt. Two strings of necklaces of beads and things that sparkled were loosely tied around the orange wrap. Two small pouches also hung from her waist. Her chest was covered by white cloth wrapped around her, leaving her shoulders bare. She wore loose necklaces, not many. They were not crowded or fancy. On her right upper arm Riley noticed something like a tattoo, if a tattoo could have been made out of fire. It was a simple symbol. In her right hand she held a wooden staff. It was her height, reaching the top of her golden head.

  ‘I am not the Judgement Master any longer.’

  ‘What?! Adila, how, why, who?!’

  She smiled wider. ‘Rose is the new Judgement Master.’

  ‘Rose?’ Some of his indignation faded.

  She nodded. ‘She took a long time to find her soul.’

  ‘By now it should be obvious.’ he huffed. ‘The Queen’s Garden isn’t enough. Someone should have brought her mother down here.’

  ‘They try to avoid it.’ she sighed. ‘And it isn’t- wasn’t something I wanted to get involved in.’

  ‘Adila, you’re the-’

  ‘I’m not.’ she chided gently. ‘But I was, and perhaps you’re right.’

  ‘Well,’ he sighed. ‘It’s been a long time since someone other than a Sunsinger was the Judgement Master.’

  ‘Yes.’ her smiled faded. ‘She’s having her own unique difficulties with the other judges. I can’t help her.’

  ‘Well, why the switch?’ he demanded.

  ‘I’m not the Judgement Master. She is.’

  Aerlid stared at her for a moment. Then he looked away. ‘I don’t think I can think of you as anything other than the Judgement Master.’

  Adila’s smile faded.

  It was then they remembered they were not alone. Riley was watching them. The conversation made no sense to her, but it was noted and stored. She asked no questions. Karesh had awoken and his eyes were on them.

  ‘Ah,’ Aerlid cried, suddenly becoming energized. ‘Adila, you can help me with this.’

  He strode over to Karesh, Adila followed.

  ‘He’s a mixed?’ Adila asked, after looking at him for no more than a few seconds.

  Aerlid nodded. ‘Yes. Deformed, like most of them are. I’m trying to fix him.’

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘His wings. One of them seems fine, the other is a mess. When is the city coming? Can you call some healers?’

  ‘Healers? Aerlid, you need help fixing a wing?’ he asked, her eyes alert and focussed entirely on him.
r />   Aerlid stiffened.

  ‘I remember when you could have done it alone without even touching him!’

  ‘And I remember when you were the Judgement Master.’

  ‘I suppose we’re both getting old.’ she smiled, though it faded after a moment. ‘I don’t know if any will leave the city. Or if I can even tell them about it.’

  Aerlid sighed. ‘Of course, you’re right. I’m sorry, Adila.’ he said sincerely. ‘I shouldn’t have asked. Would you help?’

  ‘If I can, of course.’

  ‘You can keep him under and monitor his vitals, can’t you?’

  ‘I can still do that.’ she smiled.

  Aerlid turned to Karesh. ‘Karesh, it’s going to be a lot easier from here.’ and he smiled.

  Aerlid had spoken true. With Adila’s help Karesh was safely rendered unconscious and felt no pain as Aerlid worked on his arm-wing. Riley was no longer required, however the first time she attended anyway. Karesh did not look as tired after the sessions anymore, and neither did Aerlid.

  Still, Riley could not tell much difference, though Aerlid was happy with how they were going.

  It was not even a day after Adila arrived however that Aerlid asked a curious thing of Riley.

  ‘You don’t eat meat.’

  Riley paused. Then she said slowly, ‘yes, I do.’

  ‘No,’ he said firmly, ‘while Adila is here it is very important you do not eat meat. Don’t let her know you ever ate it. And it’s best if you don’t say anything about my eating habits.’

  ‘I don’t often talk about what you eat.’ she said, cocking her head to one side. ‘Why?’ she finally asked.

  For once, Aerlid was not ecstatic at hearing her ask a question. ‘You don’t need to know why. And you wouldn’t understand. As far as Adila knows, you don’t eat meat, and neither do I. I don’t even kill vegetables.’

  ‘Alright.’ she agreed, nodding slowly. ‘How long will she stay here?’

  ‘As long as she likes.’

  For whatever reason, the gemengs didn’t bother Adila. It wasn’t quite the same as with Aerlid. They ignored her and she ignored them. She spent very little time in the main tribe, mostly she was either with Aerlid or at their camp, or she was somewhere else entirely.

  Perhaps it was because of the conversation with Aerlid, but Riley watched Adila very closely. Either she wasn’t watching closely enough or Adila was very strange indeed, as Riley had not seen her eat. Not once.

  Riley was enjoying a rare moment of peace as she ate her breakfast. The morning was quiet. No one was around.

  Suddenly Aerlid came rushing out of the grasses and, looking around quickly, he grabbed her breakfast right out of her hand and stuffed it into his mouth.

  Riley stared at him. Her hand was still halfway to her mouth.

  Aerlid paid no mind. He just chewed and swallowed. Then he sighed. ‘Do you have any more?’

  Then, ‘what on earth was that?’

  ‘That was my breakfast. Why did you steal my breakfast?’

  ‘Breakfast? That was food?! I’m starving and I still don’t think that was food!’

  Riley had been experimenting with her food. Aerlid never let her, but Adila was a good distraction. So she had experimented. And now her experiment was gone!

  Riley glared at him. ‘I didn’t have a problem with it! Not until you ate it!’

  ‘Shh! Don’t tell anyone!’

  ‘Aerlid, what’s wrong?’ she demanded.

  ‘I’m starving.’ he hissed. ‘Now don’t tell anyone!’

  ‘Sit down.’ she commanded, keeping her eyes locked on him until he sat.

  He seemed surprised.

  But she certainly wasn’t going to take breakfast theft lying down!

  ‘Why are you starving?’

  ‘You wouldn’t understand.’

  ‘Aerlid, you just stole my breakfast. I suggest you make me understand.’

  Aerlid looked at her in alarm. ‘Surely you’re not that possessive.’

  ‘I had been planning that meal for days.’ she said ominously. ‘Gathering ingredients. Squishing it all together. You ate it.’

  ‘Squishing is not a word I like to hear in conjunction with my meals, Riley. I don’t think I want to know what was in that. Lady Moon, that was a mud pie, wasn’t it?’

  ‘It was not a pie.’ she said coolly. ‘And you’re changing the subject.’

  Aerlid, horrified, scrambled to his feet, ‘I can assure you Riley, I may be dying of hunger but I won’t be stealing any of your food again!’ and with that he made a quick escape.

  While Adila was visiting, Riley received an unexpected, though pleasant, surprise.

  She surveyed the two gemengs before her carefully. They were frowning and glaring at her, but she wasn’t getting a sense of violence. They seemed more uncomfortable than anything else.

  ‘Both of you?’ Riley asked carefully, trying to keep her rising elation from her voice.

  The two glanced at each other and then back at Riley.

  The woman said, ‘you’ll stop it if we ask, right?’

  ‘If you decide you don’t want to be together? Yes, I’ll keep him away from you.’

  ‘And her from me!’ the man demanded hurriedly.

  ‘Of course. I’ll protect you from each other.’

  The two glanced at each again warily.

  ‘And if I can’t come and tell you I don’t want him?’ the woman demanded.

  ‘Do you want me to check up on you?’

  The woman nodded firmly, as did the man.

  Such intervention from her would not be possible with the entire tribe, not anymore. But this was the first couple who actually wanted to be together.

  Riley beamed, ‘yes, of course. I’ll check up on you.’

  The two glanced at each other again, then back to Riley.

  ‘Alright.’ The woman said. ‘For now.’

  The man nodded too, then said, ‘and only until the children are warriors.’

  ‘Yes, of course.’ Riley replied.

  ‘But maybe not that long.’ the woman added.

  ‘As long as you both like. Before, after, you have children. I don’t care, as long as you’re both happy. Alright?’

  The woman smiled brightly, before it was quickly quashed. ‘Alright. Thank you, Master.’

  The woman reached out and took the man’s hand.

  Riley had to restrain herself from jumping with glee as she saw the two walk away, holding hands.

  ‘Actually, there was something I needed to tell you.’ Adila said to Aerlid one day, weeks after she had arrived.

  Aerlid, surprised, asked, ‘what is it?’

  It did not take Adila long to explain.

  When she had finished she said, ‘you can always return to the city. And… you can bring her with you.’

  Aerlid glowered. ‘She would not be welcome there.’

  ‘Perhaps not, but she could stay until the ehlkrid leave, and it would be safer there.’ she hesitated.

  Aerlid knew the reason. And it caused him a moment’s pause too. But there was nothing to say. So he continued, ‘they could be here for a year or a thousand, Adila. Her entire life. No, I don’t think I’ll take her to the city. We’ll be fine down here. Besides, I can always find the city if I need to. When is it coming?’

  ‘Before the ehlkrid return.’ she said seriously.

  ‘I will visit then, before it leaves.’