“I will, and I won’t.” Zifa smiled and Faruz ushered her to the door.
When the latched clicked behind them, Zifa turned to Faruz and whispered, “I know you mean well, but you have to stop hovering and treating me like I’m going to break.” She grabbed his hand and met his worried gaze. “I feel better now, honest. I feel as strong as I ever have.”
Faruz considered, closed his eyes, and nodded. He had been treating her as if she were one of his grandmother’s fragile baubles instead of the strong-as-iron warrior she was. “I’ll try. You might have to remind me, though.”
A glance at the sky told him he’d spent too long in Valasa’s home. “Come on, we’ll be late.” He squeezed her hand tighter and rushed toward the south entrance.
They’d made it halfway to the stairs when someone shouted. “Oh, there you are, Captain! We’ve been looking everywhere. You have a visitor.”
Irritated at the interruption, Faruz shouted over his shoulder. “I’ll have to meet with them when I return. I’m late for training.”
“If you can just point me to where I may find the mayor, I’ll leave you alone.” The cold voice triggered an unpleasant memory, and Faruz stopped.
“I’m acting mayor until Aibek returns.” He paused, waiting for the lookout and the visitor to catch up. “I’m sure Valasa will let you have a room in his house. He keeps a few guest rooms ready all the time.”
He inspected the visitor and realized he recognized the short, slender man, but struggled to place him. The visitor had short hair the color of the caramels his mother had made in the winter and eyes that were almost the same color.
“That isn’t necessary. I don’t plan to stay. I just need to meet with the man called Aibek.” The visitor’s high, nasal voice grated on Faruz’s already-frayed nerves.
“Aibek is away.” A great gust of wind rustled the branches and Faruz looked up. The dragons flew off into the distance, each carrying a rider. He searched for his dragon but couldn’t find him in the rapidly fading team.
The visitor’s eyes widened at the sight of the retreating dragons. He watched until they vanished over the treetops and met Faruz’s eyes. “Well, now that they’re not waiting anymore, let’s get back to business. I’m Mayor Kaskin. I have business with Aibek. Where is he?”
Ahh. Recognition hit Faruz like a branch falling from a tree. Of course! The man who had caused so much trouble the week of Faruz and Zifa’s wedding. Aibek had said he’d been a nightmare during the meetings in Kainga, too.
“I told you, he’s not here. He’s traveling north to check on some rumors. I don’t know for sure when he’ll be back.”
The visitor glared with his caramel eyes for a long while. Faruz said nothing, and the silence stretched thin. Finally, Kaskin’s shoulders slumped. “Then I shall take you up on your generous offer of a room. I will wait until Aibek returns.”
Faruz smiled at the young man who had accompanied Kaskin into the village. “Telor, can you take our guest to Valasa and get him settled in?”
His frozen, terrified posture relaxed and Telor grinned. “Of course, sir. Right this way, Mister Kaskin.” The young watchman led Kaskin off toward the Square.
“Come on. Maybe Gamne waited for me. I didn’t see him with the others.”
A delighted smile replaced the disappointment on Zifa’s face. “Really? You think he’s still there?”
“Maybe. Let’s at least check.” Faruz hoped he wasn’t wrong. He didn’t know how he’d bear her disappointment if Gamne wasn’t there.
They descended the stairs at a run and rushed toward the clearing where the group always met. There, drinking from the stream, stood the dragon.
Zifa whooped with joy and ran over to the creature. Her eyes held none of the fear Faruz had expected. She introduced herself while Faruz tied the straps over the dragon’s back, just in front of the spot where the wings connected. He tied the widest strap around the creature’s chest and patted Gamne’s neck.
He knotted his fingers together and made a sort of stirrup for Zifa to use to climb up. The soft zontrec of her cheerful orange pants brushed his cheek as she made the jump. He still didn’t love the idea of her coming along, but at least it was just for the group practice and not the Kurim. He still worried, but this was the better option of the two.
Once Zifa had settled in and wrapped the straps over her legs, Faruz climbed up behind her. It felt strange not to have the strong ropes holding him onto the dragon, but he held on to the second strand in front of Zifa. His arms wrapped around her to reach the straps and he buried his face in her neck.
“Ready?” He grinned and leaned back. “Let’s go!”
Zifa whooped and cheered as the trees rushed past them. The wind whipped her hair into Faruz’s face, and he nearly let go of the straps to remove the fragrant ebony tresses from his mouth and nose. Instead, he coughed, swallowed, and gagged when some of her hair went down his throat. Zifa didn’t seem to notice his discomfort. Blinded by the whipping tresses, Faruz couldn’t direct the dragon. Instead, he closed his eyes, tried to breathe through his nose, and trusted Gamne to take them to the clearing by the river where they usually started their training sessions.
At last, they landed. Faruz jumped down, coughing and gagging as the hair pulled loose from his tonsils.
“Are you all right?” Zifa climbed down and set a hand on his back. “That was amazing!”
When he could breathe, Faruz dug in his pocket and found a bit of twine. He handed it to Zifa.
Her eyebrows creased in confusion.
“You have to tie up your hair before we fly again.” He pulled out his water skin and took a long drink.
Zifa’s eyes went wide. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think about my hair.”
When the water had soothed his throat as much as he thought possible, he recapped the water skin and grinned at her. “I didn’t either. I’ll never make that mistake again. We’ll call it a lesson learned.” He glanced around. Men and women had encircled them, the dragons forming a secondary circle behind them.
The practice went smoothly, with Zifa staying on the ground any time Faruz needed to use his sword and riding in front of him while they practiced maneuvers and dismounts.
After Gamne dropped them off in the clearing, Zifa grabbed his arm and stared wistfully at the sky. “Do you think, maybe, after—” she glanced down at her belly. “Maybe next summer I could team up with a dragon, too? That was the most amazing thing ever. You and Gamne move like you’re the same person. Well… You know what I mean. I’ve never seen anything like that.” The words came out in a rush, and Faruz had to concentrate to catch all of it.
“I don’t know.” He thought for a moment. “I don’t know if any of us will be riding the dragons next summer. This is a special arrangement to protect the forest from Helak’s threat.”
“Oh.” Zifa dropped her arm and trudged toward the stairs.
Her disappointment tore at him, and he added, “But if they still let us, we’ll definitely find you a partner dragon.” He hoped he’d be able to keep his promise when the time came.
I hope we all live long enough for it to be an issue.
Shaking off the depressing thought, Faruz picked up his pace until he walked beside his wife. Tears streamed down her face, and she swiped at them. Terror clutched at Faruz’s chest. He’d never seen Zifa cry before.
“What’s wrong? Are you in pain? Do you need me to carry you home? What can I do?”
She laughed through her tears and threw her arms around his neck. “Nothing’s wrong. It was a perfect day. My mother says my condition can make me cry sometimes, and that’s normal.”
“Try to warn me of things like that next time, all right?” he pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at her wet cheeks.
She nodded and pulled out of his arms. Holding hands, they strolled toward the village. Somewhere in the forest behind them, an emrialk screamed. The sound pierced the happy haze of Faruz’s mind, and he slid his sword loose.
; “Hurry. Let’s get home.”
They ran through the brush and trees, spurred on by the answering call of another emrialk. They didn’t stop until they’d climbed the stairs into the village. There, they collapsed onto the wooden benches beside the entrance.
The next morning, Faruz dressed early, eager for the day of training with the seeds. He tiptoed down to the kitchen, letting Zifa sleep. She’d dozed off before the sun had even set, exhausted from the excitement of dragon riding and the terror of their flight through the forest.
He stepped into the cold winter morning and squinted at the sun. Wasn’t it supposed to provide warmth? He pulled his heavy cloak tighter and walked toward the south entrance. He didn’t even make it across the Square before the sound of a shouting voice caught his attention. He spun in a slow circle, searching for the source of the voice, and finally spotted a crowd in the Pavilion.
Curious, he joined the periphery of the group and stopped to listen.
“And now you know, as well as I do, why my town — for it’s far too large to be called a village — cannot and will not work with your heretic mayor, Aibek. If you want Bekuz’s warriors to join you in battle, you must denounce this outsider and choose a mayor from the forest.”
Stunned silence met this pronouncement, and Faruz saw his opening. He leapt onto the dais beside Kaskin.
“Aibek has led us through one battle already, has secured the assistance of the Bokinna herself, has convinced the dragons to help us, and has united nearly all the villages in the Tsari against our common enemy. Why would we turn our backs on him now? Even without your warriors, we have a full, strong army that’s getting better and better every day.”
The small crowd cheered.
Scarlet suffused Kaskin’s face, and the short mayor spun on Faruz. “You! You’re not one of us, either! You came here for sport from what I’ve heard. What makes you think you’re good enough to even think of leading our warriors?”
“Hey!” Someone shouted from the front of the crowd. “That’s our captain. He fought shoulder to shoulder with us. He nearly died trying to save us. He’s as much one of us as any other here.”
The crowd cheered, clapped, and stomped.
Faruz grabbed Kaskin’s shoulder. “You’ve tried the wrong approach here. Let’s go back to Valasa’s and talk about exactly what you think you’re trying to accomplish.”
“We’re not finished!” Kaskin shouted at the crowd. “I’ll be back this afternoon, and you’ll understand why you must turn out these outsiders.”
Faruz kept his hand clamped on Kaskin’s shoulder as they left the stage and crossed to Valasa’s house. The Gadonu met them at the door.
“I just got a message from Bekuz.” Valasa’s voice was uncharacteristically soft. “It seems our guest is no longer their mayor.”
A sharp yank on the visitor’s shoulder spun him to face Faruz. “What game are you playing here?”
“It’s your Aibek’s fault they revolted!” Kaskin jerked free of Faruz’s grasp. “He spread ideas of ‘voting’ and ‘representation’ through my people’s heads. They were perfectly happy to let me lead them until your mayor’s visit.”
“So why come here? You didn’t really think anyone here would choose you over the man who’s already saved them several times, did you?”
Valasa interrupted before Kaskin could answer, his voice deadly quiet. “We should take this inside.” He nodded to the circle of villagers gathering behind them.
“You first.” Faruz gestured for Kaskin to lead the group into the house.
They settled onto the soft, worn chairs in the healer’s den, though Faruz perched on the edge of his chair and leaned toward the visitor.
“All right, now. Why did you come here? What did you think would happen?”
“I…” Kaskin glanced down, then met Faruz’s gaze. Defiance and rage shone in his eyes. “I came here to challenge your Aibek to a duel. He has cost me everything. My own family turned their backs on me. It is not to be borne.”
“And your little speech? What did you hope to accomplish with that foolishness?” Faruz stood and paced in front of his chair, too incensed to sit still.
“Your Aibek does not deserve to keep his station when he has taken mine. I seek only justice.”
“Justice?” The word came out a shout, and Faruz worked to modulate his voice. “You don’t want justice. You want revenge. You never wanted to lead anyone — you wanted unopposed rule. Leaders want to hear from their people. Leaders represent their citizens and allow them a vote. You’re angry because your villagers realized that you were no leader.” Faruz paused for breath, sneered, and added, “You’re nothing but a sad imitation of every dictator in history. How was letting you rule any better than letting Helak’s governors stay there?”
Kaskin’s face turned from pink to scarlet to purple and Faruz braced for an assault, relishing the thought of knocking that smug expression off the ex-mayor’s face. He didn’t care that he was twice Kaskin’s size, or that he’d had formal training and his opponent had not.
Without thinking, Faruz stood and fell into a defensive stance, though he kept his hands firmly at his sides.
The visitor cracked his knuckles but didn’t stand. Faruz waited, poised and eager. His pulse pounded in his ears and he replayed Kaskin’s inflammatory speech back in his mind.
Slowly, Faruz relaxed. Kaskin wouldn’t challenge him. The man was foolish and self-centered, but not stupid.
Valasa sighed when Faruz settled back onto his chair. “I think you should leave,” the healer said. “There are plenty of other villages and they’re closer together than ever before. I’m sure someone will take you in. If you stay, the rest of the men may not be as restrained as our good captain.”
Without further comment, Kaskin stood and stalked off to the room he’d stayed in. Moments later, he emerged carrying his pack and stomped past Valasa and Faruz on his way out the door. Faruz followed at a distance, watching until the unwelcome visitor descended the stairs at the east entrance.
“What was that about?” Wayra stepped up beside Faruz as the stairs clicked into place. “I heard about his little speech this morning. Did you throw him out for badmouthing Aibek?”
Faruz chuckled. “No. I wasn’t happy about it, but I don’t think Nivakans are that gullible.” He hooked the lock into the catch to secure the stairs and settled onto a bench beside the entrance. “No, it turns out that our visitor is no longer the mayor of his village. They ousted him after Aibek’s visit. Apparently Kaskin just took over the governor’s role and no one thought to question it until a better man came around and asked why they weren’t voting.”
“Well, I’m sure they’re better off without him, but why’d he come here? I would’ve thought he’d avoid everything to do with Aibek.”
Faruz summarized his confrontation with Kaskin and leaned back against the bench. The wind numbed his cheeks and made his nose run, but he tilted his head back, seeking the sun’s light and warmth.
“Do you think you should make an announcement? Others are going to think the same thing I did — that you threw him out for badmouthing Aibek. He is your best friend, after all.”
A monkey chattered somewhere nearby, and Faruz listened to its playful sound until it fell silent. He sighed. “You’re right, of course. I’ll make an announcement this morning before I leave for training. I don’t want people thinking they’re not allowed to speak their minds, even if I happen to disagree with what they say.”
Silence stretched again, and Wayra cleared his throat. “Have you heard from Aibek? He should have arrived by now, right? Do you have a way to keep in touch with him?”
“I… Not yet. I’m hoping he can find a way to contact the Bokinna, and maybe she’ll pass on what she knows to Valasa.” Faruz leaned forward and opened his eyes.
“Have you…” Wayra hesitated. “I know you spend a lot of time with the Bokinna, now that you’re leading the training. Have you tried communicating with her th
e way Valasa and Aibek do?”
Faruz blinked and frowned. “I hadn’t thought to try. You’re right, though. I should at least make an effort. I’ll ask Valasa to teach me.” He paused. “I don’t know how fast I can learn, though. Aibek struggled for months before he managed to hear what the Bokinna said.”
“When do you leave for practice? Do you have time to come visit with Zyana for a bit? Since the babies have had Usartma and a winter cold, she hasn’t been able to get out and socialize as much as she’d like. I think she’s been getting lonely. She’d rather die than complain, though.”
Faruz smiled. “I have a couple of hours before I have to go. I’d love to come by and visit. I haven’t seen the kids in a few weeks at least.”
The two friends chatted and laughed and made their way to the Pavilion, where a few dozen people lingered. Faruz leapt onto the stage and explained the morning’s events as succinctly as he could manage. He stayed to answer a few questions and reassured all the citizens that they did, in fact, have the support of every village within the Tsari, and no, they didn’t need to vote Aibek out in order to gain any large, influential supporters. When the villagers trickled out of the Pavilion, Faruz stepped down and followed Wayra into his home.
He spent the rest of the morning with the happy little family, playing with children and doing his best to ignore the runny noses and juicy coughs. He did worry a bit about catching something from the family, but not enough to make him leave sooner than he had to.
When the sun reached its peak, he excused himself and made his way to the stream, where he’d meet Gamne for the day’s training exercises.
The wintry wind bit into Faruz’s face as Gamne flew him over the forest. He tried to watch the trees and streams glide by, but tears blurred his vision. Tiny icicles grew from his eyelashes, creating a distracting fringe around his vision. The dragon set him down beside the raging river, and Faruz took a moment to clear his eyes and brush away the flecks of ice.
He climbed down once his face and hands had thawed enough to allow movement. Before he’d made it to the spot where the forest met the pebbled beach, the Bokinna spoke.
The Nivaka Chronicles Boxed Set Page 72
