A while later the obvious conclusion struck him.
A seiwei? Him? And with her?
That was too fabulous to be true! She was everything he could ever desire. She was already a woman even.
But did she desire him as a mate or as a friendly companion? He had no idea. It didn't ultimately matter, though. His family would never allow him to do something like that.
Chapter Forty
The next day, after a terse breakfast, Turesobei met Iniru on the deck for arms practice. He apologized and tried to express his doubts and feelings to her. She interrupted him and said sternly, “I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean it. I was being silly. Come on, let's get to work.”
“Really, Iniru, I didn't mean to—”
“I said don't worry about. The moment's gone. It didn't mean anything.”
Iniru instructed him as promised, and the lesson was every bit as brutal as he had feared it would be. He wondered if she was exacting revenge on him. Fortunately, he learned a lot. More than he would've gotten from three months of martial arts lessons at home. That made not being able to walk that night much more tolerable.
* * *
“Lu Bei, was Chonda Lu…. How was he when it came to….”
The little fetch fluttered down from the rigging over Turesobei’s head and landed on the edge of the ship where he tottered for a moment. Turesobei stretched out and caught him.
“Don’t fall in! I don’t want your pages getting wet again.”
“No worry, master. No worry. Water can’t usually harm me, in either form. It was only the arrow wound that made me vulnerable.”
“You know, now that you mention it, I’d have thought only white-steel could truly harm you.”
“White-steel would destroy me quick and for certain, but I’m not a true spirit. I’m a construct. It’s different. You’d know if…never mind.”
“What?”
Lu Bei shook his head. “It’s one of those things I can’t tell you. So, what was it that you wanted to ask me, master? How was Chonda Lu with….”
“Well, women.”
Lu Bei giggled and his cheeks turned a dark amber. “It would not be proper for me to give details to you, master. Suffice it to say that he had no problems.”
“Well, I’m afraid that I do.”
“Why would you say that, master?”
“Iniru. She’s angry at me. I said the wrong—”
Lu Bei placed his hands on his hips. “I’ll not advise you when it comes to her, not unless you order me to. I don’t like her.”
Turesobei sighed. “Could you at least try to get along with her?”
“Not unless she apologizes and says that she’ll trust me. Maybe then.”
* * *
A week passed as favorable winds sailed them with speed toward Batsa. They saw neither pirates nor cultists and Iniru drilled Turesobei in martial arts lessons daily. Afterward, Onudaka taught them both first aid and healing. Iniru knew much of the theory already but lacked his vast experience with actual cases. Turesobei knew almost none of it and was glad for the instruction. When they were alone, Lu Bei would regale him with bits of history no one else knew, though he rarely answered Turesobei’s questions and avoided a large range of areas, especially those involving Chonda Lu. He also refused to impart any knowledge of wizardry.
After dinner, when darkness settled over the ship, Iniru would sit with Turesobei on the foredeck and talk. Mostly they discussed martial arts and wizardry. A few times they spoke about their lives at home. Slowly, she seemed to forget she was angry with him.
“Iniru,” he said one night as they sat watching Avida's light ripple across the sea. “Are you old enough to marry?”
“Yes,” she said dubiously. “I am an adult, you know.”
“Do you have any companions?”
She motioned toward her head. “Do you see any earrings?”
“Well, no.” He scowled in confusion. “Wait…what does that have to do with anything?”
Iniru groaned in frustration. “In my culture, you can always tell when someone has a mate or a companion, a siwo or a sawa, by the earrings they wear. If I had a siwo, I would be wearing a hoop earring on my right ear, and if I had any sawa, they would be represented by triangular studs on the left ear.”
“Oh. So why don’t you have any sawa already?”
“I just don’t, okay?”
“Okay…but I still don’t understand how—”
“Don't baojendari have friends? Don't some couples among you enjoy spending a lot of time together? Do you not help each other when there are problems? This is just like that, only we seal our friendships as well as our marriages with vows and signs.”
Turesobei thought of how his parents related to one another. “Seems like there would be a lot of problems between that many people bonded together. What if your mate has a companion that you don’t like, you know?”
“That rarely happens to start with, though problems do occur sometimes. This system has been a part of our culture for thousands of years. We’re used to it. And if someone wants out, they’re free to end their vows at any time.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Why stay together and make each other miserable if it doesn't work? Mistakes happen. That's part of the beauty of the seiwei relationship, of having pledged friends as well as a mate. For instance, if you don't get along with the father of your child and he leaves, you still have other dedicated companions to help you along.”
“Must be nice. If that’s how it worked for us, Awasa could leave me right away and I would be—”
Her ears pricked up. “Who?”
Turesobei blushed and cursed to himself. He'd made a mistake, but then it wasn't really a mistake, because he was going to have to explain that eventually. “My intended.”
Her eyes scalded him. “You're engaged to have a siwo…I mean a wife?”
“Yes, but don't look at me like that. It wasn't my choice. My mother arranged it when I was only three years old, and King Ugara approved it.”
“Do you like this Awasa?”
Turesobei shrugged. “I guess so. At least in some ways. She's beautiful, but she's also stuck-up and infuriating. But in other ways, I hate her.”
“Well, I'm glad to know this. You should've said so earlier.”
“I don't like to talk about it. My parents' marriage was arranged by the king and they didn't like each other. It was a mess.”
“Well, seiwei families aren't perfect either,” Iniru said monotonously as if she were trying to pretend she wasn't upset. “People are people, after all.”
“I guess I might like it if my sister could be my sawa. She's a great friend, and we've always connected well. A sibling could be a companion, right?”
“Of course.” She smiled a little and he relaxed.
“Do you have siblings?” he asked.
“Twelve of them. I'm not close with any of them, though. I'm the youngest by five years.”
“Wow! What about close friends?”
“I have some good friends, but we're not close enough to be sawa. Don’t really see each other that much.”
Turesobei sighed and glanced at Iniru furtively. “I wish that you and I could—”
Iniru put a finger to his lips and shook her head. “Don't say that. You know it could never happen. You're a High Wizard in Waiting and you have a fiancée. Besides, why would I want you?”
Iniru stood and walked back to the cabins. Her hips swayed enticingly as she went. Turesobei sighed and watched the moonlight reflecting on the undulating waves. He listened to the whistling of the night breeze through the sail battens. He felt the thump of sailors treading the deck. So many new ideas and emotions swirled through him. He couldn't focus on any single one, so he just let them flow through until his melancholy turned to fatigue and led him to bed.
* * *
Without a hitch they sailed into Batsa. Turesobei met the Chonda retainers at the house in the city and sa
w that Captain Tedeko was paid well, including a hazard bonus due to the pirates. The captain was grateful and wished him the best. They stayed in Batsa only a single night, long enough for Iniru to extract information on the docks. She found out that Haisero and Sotenda had indeed reached Batsa, but getting word on where they went next would've taken time, since Batsa was a city of a million people. So they paid for passage on a barge that transported them toward the Chonda lands.
Once they reached the river port of Dakanuru, they requisitioned mounts and an escort of Chonda soldiers, who all eyed Iniru nervously but quickly warmed up to Onudaka.
As they approached Ekaran, Turesobei reassured his friends. “We are not like other baojendari. I promise. Ask any of these men here. We don't make nazaboko, and we don't oppress our people.”
“My lord speaks true,” said the zaboko captain who led their escort. “I was lucky to be born here.”
“You're still rich nobles,” Iniru said.
“Well, I can't change how the world works. If we gave away our power and wealth, other baojendari would come and take it from whomever we'd given it to. That's why we try to do our best.”
“I'll believe it when I see it,” she said.
“Aye, lad,” said Onudaka. “Being from the south, I can't imagine a whole clan as liberal-minded as yourself.”
Chapter Forty-One
A messenger had carried word of Turesobei's return ahead, so when they rode into Ekaran, a crowd gathered around them. Zaboko families drew near, hoping for news about their sons and fathers who had guarded the expedition. Lord Kahenan, Wenari, and Enashoma stood among a number of cousins and friends to Noboro. Even elderly King Chonda Ugara and his son Prince Chien waited there with their bodyguards.
With a stern face, Turesobei dismounted. He kowtowed before King Ugara, touching his forehead to the ground. He barely knew the old man, even though he was the High Wizard in Waiting. Perhaps Ugara figured he'd die before Turesobei rose to the position. Ugara's heir Chien was friendly toward Turesobei and had always treated him like an adult. One day, they would be working together.
The king stepped forward. “Rise, son of Noboro, and tell me what has happened.”
Turesobei motioned, and a squad of soldiers brought forward Noboro's coffin. They set it down respectfully and Turesobei lifted the lid. “My lord, Chonda Noboro, son of High Wizard Kahenan, returns to Ekaran with his body in my care, his soul in the hands of the Great Deities, his spirit in the abode of our ancestors.”
With the ritual words spoken, he added, “He died to save me. Our expedition failed. All except me were lost.”
At that, zaboko family members cried out and wept. Some withdrew. Others crowded closer to learn more, but the king’s guard ushered them away with promises of soon being told everything they wanted to know.
King Ugara looked down on Noboro. “You have done well with this preservation, Turesobei. A proper funeral will be arranged immediately.” His sharp eyes focused on Turesobei. “Now tell me, who are these two people with you? Are they friends to the Chonda?”
“They are, your majesty. Obu Onudaka is a retired medic from the army of West Tagana. Iniru of Yasei-maka is a qengai who has sworn to aid me. Both saved my life more than once. Both helped me to strike down most of those who killed my father and our guards. Two enemies yet remain, but we will get them.”
King Ugara raised an eyebrow at Turesobei then turned and nodded to Iniru and Onudaka. “The two of you may rise. You are welcomed to Ekaran as guests of the Chonda.” Ugara put his fingers on Turesobei's cheek. “What is this mark you bear?”
Grandfather Kahenan stepped up beside the king. Ugara looked at him questioningly and Kahenan replied before Turesobei could.
“Blood magic, my lord.”
“I made a vow, that I would return Yomifano to Grandfather and take the Storm Dragon's Heart. Father drew the Chonda Goshawk on my face with his own blood when I made the vow. It didn't wash off afterward. I failed my vow, and so the mark remains.”
Grandfather Kahenan's face creased into a frowning web of wrinkles. Ugara observed this expression and made a vague guttural noise.
“Why have you not completed this vow, Turesobei?” asked the king.
“I tried to, with help from Onudaka and Iniru. We defeated many Storm Cultists, but by using the power of Naruwakiru's heart, the cult leaders escaped.”
“Who are these leaders?”
“Obu Sotenda, Onudaka's wayward brother. A murderer and a bandit. A nazaboko. He is their high priest. The sorcerer who wields the heart is Gawo Haisero.”
King Ugara clenched his jaw, and his eyes fell into narrow slits. “Where have these two gone?”
“To the lands of the Gawo, my lord. That’s our guess. We know they sailed into Batsa.”
Ugara looked meaningfully at Grandfather Kahenan then said, “There is certainly much for us to discuss later.” He motioned with his hand. “Take the body home and let the family mourn. Turesobei, I will see you in my garden for tea later this afternoon. You will fully brief me then. In the meantime, do not speak to anyone else of what happened.”
“Yes, your majesty.”
Grandfather Kahenan led a silent procession bearing Noboro's body. The home they carried him into wasn't really his. It was Wenari's, but it was as much of a home as he had anywhere. Once the body was placed on a bier in the main room, Grandfather Kahenan recited the Chonda Prayer for the Dead, followed by an invocation calling down the blessings of the Great Deities. Iniru and Onudaka stood against the back wall as far out of the way as possible.
As soon as the ritual was done, Enashoma ran forward and nearly tackled Turesobei. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I feared for you the whole time. I had nightmares once you were gone, and I just knew something terrible had happened.”
“It's all right,” he said hugging her close. “I'm home now, and Father died doing what he loved most.”
Enashoma backed away and Kahenan swept him up into a hug of his own. Tears now filled Turesobei's eyes. “I failed you, Grandfather. I lost the sword.”
“We will get it back. Do not worry. Besides, I never placed it in your keeping.”
“But I made a vow to father—”
“I am aware of that, and it was a foolish gesture for both of you. The magic that marks you is powerful. Noboro had the power of our family, he just never could focus it, at least not until death eased him, apparently.” Kahenan sighed. “No good will come of it, but we will do our best to manage what has happened. I am sure you acquitted yourself well.”
Turesobei tried to smile, but couldn't. “I learned more from you than I thought. I did well, actually.”
“Of course you did. I would not have sent you along had I expected otherwise.”
Turesobei looked to his mother. Wenari hadn't greeted him. This surprised him, despite the argument they'd had before he had left. She wasn't paying him any attention, though. She stood over Noboro. Her lips and hands trembled ever so slightly. She wiped a few tears from her cheeks and sighed. Turesobei had no idea what was going through her mind. He stood beside her and took one of her hands in his.
“Mother?”
She looked at him and smiled weakly. Then she kissed him on the cheek and drew him into a hug. “I am proud of you, Sobei. Thank you for bringing him back. My heart will rest better having seen him. I always assumed that he would disappear one day and we'd never see him again, never knowing what had happened. This way is better.”
Turesobei looked at her in confusion. She noted the expression and said mildly, “I know what you're thinking. No, we didn't love each other. But we cared in our own way. And we had children together. He was a fine man, and it's a shame that death has taken him so early.”
“Aye,” said Kahenan as he gazed down upon his son's peaceful face. “He was a fine Chonda. He had the adventurous spirit that so often runs in our clan, and he fed that fire well. It has burned out now, but brightly it burned in his time. We will not forget. My heart
is heavy, but I knew for many years this day would come. I am just thankful that his mother went before him.”
Lord Kahenan turned to Turesobei. “Go get cleaned up so that we can meet with the king for tea. It is important that we know all that has transpired.”
Enashoma had recovered quickly from the shock of Noboro's demise, having always been prepared for him not to come home from an expedition, and not really having known him anyway. Enashoma grasped Iniru's hand. A strange k'chasan and a frightening qengai she might be, but Enashoma didn't mind. She trusted any friend of Turesobei. “You can come with me. We'll get you cleaned up. I'm certain King Ugara will want to meet with you, too.”
Kahenan smiled as Iniru was dragged away. “Onudaka, if you will follow me, I will show you to my tower. You can refresh yourself there.”
Onudaka bowed. “Thank you, my lord.”
* * *
Imi and Shurada poured hot water into a stone bathtub set into the floor. They stood there shyly, waiting to attend Turesobei. They well knew that wasn't necessary. He blushed rather furiously as he said. “I'm not getting in until the two of you leave!”
Both of them giggled, and Shurada said playfully, “We've seen you bathe before.”
“You have not!” Laughter again as they backed away. Shurada, he noticed, was blushing. His eyes widened. “When?” More laugher. “Tell me!” Both shook their heads and he was halfway tempted to order them, but he couldn't. He would never do that to them. It was bad enough they waited on him and had to suffer his mother. He wouldn't demean them by treating them as if they were anything other than friends helping him out.
Perhaps Shurada sensed this temptation to boss them because she said suddenly, almost in a whisper, “You really should be careful where you bathe. Some places in this town have peepholes.”
With that said, the two of them dashed away. He glanced around suspiciously, wondering if there were peepholes anywhere within his bath chamber. He had stone walls all around him except for windows at the top along the two outside walls. He couldn't see anything. He'd bathed in other places. In Kahenan's tower, though a peephole there was impossible. And the training barracks where the other boys in training bathed after practice sometimes. That was the most likely place, he decided.
Storm Phase Series: Books 1-3 Page 21
