The Quest for the Heart Orb (The Orbs of Rathira)

by Laura Jo Phillips

  “I was nearly attacked on the trail, just a few minutes ago, by a bear-cat,” she said in a breathless rush. “A man named Marl wounded it with a spear and requests assistance in tracking it through the ravine. It’s just a few minutes fast walk from here. There’s a deadfall at the side of the trail across from the place he went into the ravine.”

  Tomas immediately called to the nearest Hunter on duty, Sir Jenz, who hurried toward them. He spoke quickly, and moments later Sir Jenz rounded up a half dozen men who took off down the trail at a run.

  While the Maiden of the Heart Orb watched Tomas and the other men, Karma took the opportunity to study her. She was young, maybe twenty, and taller than herself, Kapia, and Tiari, but Karma had known many tall women so gave little thought to that. The three gemstones she wore on her forehead were unusual and attractive. Her face was narrow, with a generous mouth and bold nose, her eyes large, almond shaped and light, clear green. Her hair was several shades of blonde from almost white to nearly brown, worn in dozens and dozens of thin braids that hung to her waist, each one ending in a shiny silver bead, and her skin was so pale that it appeared to have a light greenish tint. Although some of her features seemed a little unusual individually, the overall effect was one of striking, if not classic, beauty.

  Karma noted the growing wariness in the young woman’s eyes once the men were gone, as well as her stiff, almost defensive posture when she realized she was being stared at. Karma offered her a friendly smile. “Are you injured?”

  “No, not at all, thanks to that man,” the young woman replied. She took a deep breath and met Karma’s gaze steadily, then pressed her palms together and bowed her head briefly. “I apologize for my bad manners. My name is Ren. I seek she who is known as Lady Techu.”

  Karma reached for the Ti-Ank at her waist where it was covered by her cloak and squeezed the retractable rod in the center so that it expanded into a five foot long staff. She set the bottom of it against the ground with the winged ankh at her shoulder and said, “I am Lady Techu, Ren, and your manners are perfectly fine. Are you the Maiden of the Heart Orb?”

  “Yes, I am,” Ren replied.

  “You are very welcome, Ren,” Karma said warmly, wondering why she hadn’t given a surname. “This is Princess Kapia, Maiden of the Moon, and Lady Tiari, Maiden of the Sun. The man carrying Tiari is her husband, Sir Tomas.”

  “We’re so happy to meet you,” Tiari said. “We’ve been waiting for your arrival for days.”

  “I apologize if I kept you waiting overlong,” Ren said.

  Tiari’s eyes widened. “Oh, no, that’s not what I meant,” she said quickly.

  Ren’s expression didn’t change, but somehow Karma knew that she was painfully embarrassed. The ability to hide her feelings so completely gave Karma a glimpse into Ren’s life that made her sad.

  “Come, let’s go inside and get you settled,” she said, stepping closer to Ren’s side and urging her forward without touching her. “Have you been walking all morning?”

  “Yes, Lady Techu, since sunrise,” Ren replied. Kapia and Tomas, holding Tiari in his arms, fell into step behind them.

  “Did you come from very far away?” Karma asked.

  “From Nu Senna,” Ren replied, gesturing to the west. “Just a couple of day’s journey.”

  “You travelled so far alone?”

  “No, Lady Techu, I had companions from Sanctuary who accompanied me to the foot of the Hidden Sister.”

  “And they left you to climb the mountain alone?” Karma asked in surprise.

  “They had no choice, Lady Techu,” Ren explained. Lady Techu’s disapproval was making her nervous, but she owed the Braii too much to let her think badly of them. “It’s forbidden for the Braii to step foot on the Hidden Sister until the Orb Quest leaves. As Maiden of the Heart Orb, it was my task to come the final distance alone.”

  “I see,” Karma said, though she didn’t. Not really. Sending a young woman who was so important to the future of Rathira to walk up a mountain alone was, in her opinion, foolhardy and extremely dangerous. She’d nearly been killed! One glance at Ren’s face told Karma that she was growing increasingly nervous, so she set her outrage aside. What was done was done.

  “Shall we go to my place?” Kapia asked from behind Karma. “Caral was putting a large kettle on for tea when I left.”

  “Good idea,” Karma agreed, veering toward the larger house that Kapia would share with Ren until they left the Hidden Sister. Just as they reached it Zakiel and Nikura approached them.

  “Zakiel, please meet Hara Ren, Maiden of the Heart,” she said. “Hara Ren, this is my husband, Prince Zakiel of Isiben, and Nikura the Sphin.”

  “You are welcome to the Orb Quest, Maiden of the Heart,” Zakiel said.

  “Thank you, Prince Zakiel,” Ren replied after pressing her palms together and bowing. Then she turned toward Nikura and bowed again. “I greet you, honorable Sphin,” she said. Nikura stared at Ren for a long moment before dipping his head in a regal nod.

  “Hara Ren was nearly attacked by a bear-cat not far from here,” Kapia said. “Sir Marl was, thankfully, close enough to intervene, and is now tracking the wounded animal.”

  “Have men gone out to aid him?” Zakiel asked, his brow furrowed.

  “Yes, Highness,” Tomas replied. “Sir Jenz took several men.”

  “Good,” Zakiel said, nodding in approval. “You are sure that you’re unharmed, Hara Ren?”

  “Yes, I’m perfectly fine, Highness,” Ren replied, though she paled as she thought about how close she’d come to a violent death.

  “We’re going to get Hara Ren settled,” Karma said before her husband could demand to know why Ren had been alone.

  “Of course,” Zakiel replied, casting her a knowing look. Karma smiled, then waited while Kapia opened the door for them to enter.

  “If you have no need of me, I shall sit in on the meeting with Prince Zakiel and the other men,” Nikura said.

  “All right, Nikura,” Karma said. “I’ll see both of you later.” She watched Zakiel and Nikura walk away, then followed Ren through the doorway. Tomas entered last with Tiari in his arms. He set her carefully on a cushion, then left.

  “Let me help you with this,” Karma said, stepping behind Ren to lift the pack off.

  “No, Karma,” Kapia said, gently nudging her out of the way. “You shouldn’t be lifting anything heavy.”

  “My injuries are healed, Kapia. I just need to get stronger now.”

  “I wasn’t talking about your injuries,” Kapia said with a wink and a smile.

  “Oh, well, I’m only a few weeks along. I’m quite sure it’s safe.”

  Kapia shook her head and lifted the pack anyway, then handed it to Caral, who carried it into the room that would be Ren’s.

  “Come and sit,” Karma said after Lashi took their cloaks, leading the way to the circle of cushions where Tiari waited. Ren sat where Karma indicated, and a moment later Kapia joined them.

  “I know you’ve had the formal introduction, outside,” Kapia said. “Now that it’s just us women, please call me Kapia, that’s Karma, and she’s Tiari. We’re very happy to finally meet you, Ren.”

  “I am happy to meet all of you, as well,” Ren said nervously.

  “Are you sure that you’re all right?” Tiari asked worriedly.

  “I’m a little shaken. I haven’t let myself think on it too much until now, but I’ve never come that close to dying before.”

  “Of course you’re shaken,” Kapia said. “Anyone would be. Would you like to lie down for a while and rest?”

  “No, thank you,” Ren said. “I’m sure I’d just lay there and think about it over and over.”

  Caral approached with a tray laden with refreshments, while Lashi brought tea. While they poured the tea and passed out plates, Ren took the chance to study the other three women. They were all so beautiful.

  Karma had long dark brown hair and striking gray eyes. She was the shortest of the three
women, but not by much. She moved with an unconscious grace Ren had never seen before, and exuded such confidence that Ren was nearly mesmerized by her. Kapia’s hair hung to her waist in a fall of glossy black silk, and although she looked very young, her eyes were serious beyond her years. Where Karma’s grace was poised and calm, Kapia’s grace made her think of a great cat. Smooth, almost boneless, and powerful. Tiari was the tallest of the three, but she was also the thinnest and most delicate looking. Her black hair fell down her back in a cascade of curls that caught the light whenever she moved, and her smile was bright and unaffected. But it was her eyes that caught Ren’s attention. They were the palest blue, with a dark blue ring around the iris, and they contained no pupil. For a moment she wondered if Tiari could see, but watching her study the fruit on a tray before selecting a slice indicated she had no problem in that regard.

  “These two ladies are Lashi, and Caral, our attendants,” Karma said as the two older women retreated to the far side of the room with their sewing. “The six of us are all the women of the Orb Quest.”

  “The rest are men,” Ren said, reaching for her cup. “I might as well tell you that I have very little experience being in the presence of males.”

  “There aren’t any where you come from?” Kapia asked.

  “There are many in the village, though I had almost no contact with them. There are some boys in Sanctuary, but no men.” Seeing the curiosity on the other’s faces she added, “Sanctuary is an orphanage and school on Nu Senna. It’s where I grew up.”

  “I see,” Karma said. “Is that where you learned of the Sphin?”

  “Yes,” Ren replied simply.

  Karma tilted her head, sensing that Ren wanted to say more but held herself back. Instead of questioning her further, she decided to continue with the first subject. “The majority of the men are warriors. They are good men, and honorable, but if anyone makes you uncomfortable, please do not hesitate to let me or Kapia know.”

  “I thank you,” Ren said, wondering if Karma really had the authority or influence to stop anyone from causing her harm once the truth about her was revealed. She was married to Prince Zakiel, so it was possible, and from her studies she understood the power a Lady Techu could wield in her own right. Then again, once Karma learned the truth, she’d probably change her mind about protecting her. Ren struggled to push the unhappy thoughts from her mind as she sipped her tea. “It feels strange to me to be sitting here, on the Hidden Sister,” she said, changing the subject as she set her cup down.

  “Does it?” Kapia asked, then laughed softly at herself. “Silly question. Of course it must seem strange since, until a handful of days ago, it didn’t exist.”

  “Exactly,” Ren said. “I have often sat atop Nu Senna and looked down upon the empty valley where legend said the Hidden Sister had once been, trying to imagine what it would look like. And then, suddenly, it was here.”

  “Actually, it was always here,” Karma said. “Vatra Gariel shifted it to a different space-time plane, and please don’t ask what that means because I’ve no idea. I just know it was here, but not.”

  “But why?” Ren asked curiously. “Why hide a mountain?”

  “Because the Sun Orb was hidden here,” Tiari said. “In an enormous cavern inside the mountain.”

  Ren smiled, an expression that lit up her entire face. “I’ve asked that question, and others like it, for years, but no one, not even Brai Adaya, ever knew the answer. I’m afraid I’ve always been curious to a fault.”

  “Since we’re a rather curious group ourselves, we don’t mind your curiosity in the least,” Kapia said.

  Ren studied Kapia carefully, but saw only sincerity. She decided to take her at her word, and ask another question. “If the Hidden Sister was here, but not here, how did you find it?”

  Much to Ren’s surprise, Karma, Kapia, and Tiari took turns relating the story of how they’d found the Hidden Sister, and of the Argiari who’d guarded it. While they spoke, Ren felt an unexpected affinity begin to form with all three women that was completely alien to her experience. She wasn’t altogether sure she should trust it, but she couldn’t deny that she liked it. Was this what it felt like to have friends? Not that she could call them friends so soon after meeting them, but if this was a taste of what might come, she looked forward to it very much.

  “That was an amazing story, and I thank you all for sharing it with me,” she said when they were finished. “You lead very exciting lives.”

  “As will you, now,” Tiari said, smiling. “There is danger, of course, as we’ve just told you. But I wouldn’t trade a moment for my old life.”

  Ren nodded, but said nothing as she sipped her tea, considering. She’d had lots of worries since learning she was Maiden of the Heart Orb, but there was one in particular that had been gnawing at her more than any other. Given how welcoming and kind these women had been so far, perhaps this was the best time to share her concern. Before she could talk herself out of it she took a breath, lifted her chin, and said, “I have a confession to make.” All eyes turned expectantly to her, and she swallowed hard, reminding herself firmly that she was not a coward.

  “I had no idea that I was Maiden of the Heart until Brai Adaya told me after the reappearance of the Hidden Sister. Unfortunately, she did not know the location of the Heart Orb and, I’m sorry to say, neither do I. It’s possible that my mother gave me some hint of it, but she died when I was six. I have some memories of her, and I remember some of the stories she used to tell me, but nothing regarding the location of the Heart Orb.”

  “We never expected you to know that Ren,” Karma said. “In fact, we’d have been quite shocked if you did know. The locations of the orbs were kept secret to prevent demons from finding them. We’ve gone from place to place, learning bits and pieces as we go.”

  “That’s a relief,” Ren said. Then she frowned. “How do we learn its location?”

  “The orbs will tell us,” Tiari said. “I suppose we should do that now.”

  “Yes, I think so,” Kapia agreed.

  “The orbs?” Ren asked in confusion. “I thought they were used to recall the pyramid.”

  “They are, but we’ve discovered that they have other uses as well,” Kapia said. “After we found Tiari, the two of us put our hands on the Moon Orb and through it we learned the location of the Sun Orb. Now, we hope, the two orbs will tell the three of us where the Heart Orb is.”

  “How?” Ren asked.

  “We’ll show you,” Kapia said.

  “Lashi,” Karma called.

  “Yes, Lady Techu?”

  “Will you please close the shutters, then lock the door so that no one comes in for the next few minutes?”

  “Yes, of course, Lady Techu,” Lashi replied, setting her sewing down before moving toward the window. She closed the shutters, darkening the room, then locked the door and knelt in front of it.

  Curious, Ren watched Tiari and Kapia reach into a pocket of their skirts. A moment later they held their hands out, each revealing a small orb. Kapia’s was white, and Tiari’s was yellow. But they were far too small to be the Orbs she’d read about in her studies. Had the stories been wrong?

  Even as the thought crossed her mind, she saw Tiari and Kapia do something to the orbs, twisting them in some way. The orbs immediately grew before their eyes until they were double the size of her fist, and almost too bright to look at.

  “Surprising, isn’t it?” Karma asked quietly.

  Ren nodded and let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. “Yes, very.”

  “Also handy,” Kapia said. “Before I figured out how to do that, I carried this thing around in a pouch tied to my waist and believe me, it can get heavy fast. It’s hard to hide when it’s big too, especially with it glowing like this all the time. When it’s collapsed, it doesn’t glow, and obviously it’s a lot easier to carry around in a pocket.”

  “I would imagine so,” Ren said, awed by the sight of the legendary Orbs of Ra
thira. Well, two of them anyway.

  “I think we should move a bit closer to Ren,” Kapia said to Tiari, “so we can all touch both orbs.”

  Tiara shifted closer to Ren’s left, while Kapia moved to her right. Then they set the orbs on the floor in front of Ren and leaned forward to place one hand on each orb. Ren’s hands trembled as she reached out to touch the orbs as they did, then hesitated.

  “Don’t worry, this won’t hurt, and they’re not hot,” Tiari said. Ren was relieved by Tiari’s assurance, and stretched that last little distance until her fingers touched the orbs.

  Karma watched the three women as they sat motionless, staring into the bright lights of the orbs. She wondered if Ren, like Tiari, had any special abilities or powers. Not that it was necessary. Kapia had none, other than her uncanny skill with a staff. It would be interesting to find out though.

  Suddenly, all three women sat up straight, their hands leaving the orbs. Karma refilled all of their cups with hot tea as they blinked and stretched as though awaking from a dream. After a few moments Kapia and Tiari picked up their orbs and returned to their own cushions.

  “That was interesting,” Kapia said as she collapsed her orb and returned it to her pocket. As soon as Tiari did the same, Lashi got up from her post at the door, unlocked it, and opened the shutters on the window to let the sunlight in.

  “I saw a huge building,” Tiari began, “a palace I think. It had enormous walls that were covered with colorful paintings and carvings, and it was filled with beautiful things I didn’t recognize. There was a gigantic tower in the center of it, filled with water. I’ve no idea where it is, though.”

  Ren nodded in agreement with Tiari and everyone looked at Kapia. “Home,” she whispered, smiling wistfully. “I wonder how Father is.”