Future Dreams

by T. J. Mindancer

  “I know. I’ve always been a part of that pack.” Jame looked at herself one more time in the long mirror and straightened the braid so it wouldn’t be hidden in the patchwork of leather.

  Jadic came up behind Daneran and stared dumbfounded at Jame. “By the Children of Bal.”

  Daneran looked over her shoulder and laughed. “Pick your jaw up off the floor, Jadic. I have the feeling she’s taken.”

  Jame studied the floor boards, praying the statement was true.

  “The lucky warrior is headed this way,” Jadic said. “She’s not looking too bad herself.”

  Jame smiled at her friends. It had taken weeks but her colleagues had finally overcome their fear of Tigh and had even gotten used to her quiet shadow.

  “I’d better get out there,” Jame said. “She’s still shy about coming in here.”

  “Have fun.” Daneran waved as Jame stepped into the common room.

  “I plan to.” Jame glanced back with an impish grin.

  She skipped down the few steps of her quarters and waited for Tigh to approach, admiring the way the light-colored leathers clung to Tigh’s sleek muscular body.

  Tigh strode with a graceful strength and seemed oblivious to the startled stares from the clusters of people gathered to go to the festival. Jame couldn’t keep away a silly grin and it was answered by a shy smile from Tigh.

  “Those leathers look really nice on you,” Jame said when Tigh stopped in front of her. The strong confidence that was apparent when Tigh walked turned into a bashful slump.

  Tigh cast furtive admiring glances at Jame. “You’re beautiful.” She blushed that she had said it out loud and studied the adobe bricks beneath her feet.

  Jame forgot to breathe. Those were bold words from the reticent Tigh and they went straight to her heart. She grasped Tigh’s hand and waited for her to lift her eyes. “Let’s go enjoy the festival.”

  Jame lead Tigh to the city gate into the already surging brightly dressed crowds. Street corner magicians summoned multicolored displays of lights. Wandering jugglers kept balls and odd shaped trinkets in the air. Children with long rainbow ribbons fluttering out behind them darted around clusters of adults.

  “Singing.” As if pulled by the music itself, Jame tugged Tigh in the direction of the melodious voices. The listeners surrounding the choir were so packed together that Jame couldn’t see any way to winnow through them to get a clearer view. She stared forlornly at the backs of the listeners and sighed.

  Tigh leaned into Jame’s ear. “Do you want to see the choir?”

  “I’d like to but . . .” She waved her hand.

  Tigh backed Jame up several paces while glancing at a second floor balcony. Before Jame had a chance to ask, Tigh scooped her up, took two long steps, and launched them into the air. They made a tidy flip and landed on the balcony. A splattering of delighted laughs erupted from the bystanders who witnessed the ingenious trick.

  Jame could only laugh at the outrageous feat. Her body felt the imprint of where hard muscles had held her close and she experienced an immediate ache to feel those arms around her again. Then she remembered they had to get down from the balcony.

  “Thank you.” Jame squeezed Tigh’s hand. “You’re pretty handy to have around.”

  Tigh delighted her with a pleased smile.

  As she listened to the voices soar with ancient desert inflections, Jame couldn’t help but be reminded of the last time she stood with a warrior enjoying a choir. Unlike Argis, Tigh was not afraid to hold her hand in public and she actually paid attention to the music.

  AS THE LAST musical tones faded into the adobe walls around them, they waited for the audience to wander on to other venues before they attempted their descent. Tigh remembered how Jame felt cradled in her arms and shyly picked her up again. Much to her discomfort, Jame slid her arms tighter around her neck than before. The herbal fragrance from Jame’s hair and the closeness of her face to her own, weakened her knees.

  Concentrating on making the leap without breaking both of their necks, Tigh launched them upward, cleared the balcony with a flip, and landed on the unforgiving adobe bricks. Jame was agonizingly slow in slipping out of her grasp. She was sure the assault to her mind and body would kill her on the spot.

  “Let’s go this way.” Jame pulled a bemused Tigh down a lane lined with vendors selling everything from exotic food to festival ribbons.

  GOODEMER FELT THEIR energy before she saw them. She turned from her study of friendship tokens and took in the sight of Tigh and Jame sauntering hand in hand from vendor to vendor. Finding them more intriguing than any friendship token, she shadowed them when they wandered out of the lane and into a quiet sculpture garden.

  “It’s just nice to get away from the crowds every once in a while,” Jame said.

  They roamed past a winding avenue of giant statues of the Children of Bal into the garden of guardian beasts.

  Goodemer subtly probed their psyches and was surprised to discover they were still hesitant about expressing their full feelings for each other.

  How could they not see how the other feels?Their bodies are practically shouting at each other. She sorted through her newly acquired spells and found one that could nudge them to the place they obviously wanted to be in their relationship. She could give them just a harmless boost.

  Jame ran ahead of Tigh into a field of clipped grass with what appeared to be a partially buried statue of a woman scattered about. The only parts that showed were hands as tall as Tigh and even larger feet, and further down the field, a head crowned with a garland of stone flowers.

  Tigh climbed into the palm of one of the hands.

  Jame laughed in delight. “Clever.”

  Tigh jumped off the statue and trailed Jame to a huge foot. Both laughed at the big toe arching over them.

  Tigh gave her head a quick shake as if bothered by a flying insect. As she watched Jame’s climbing skills, she whipped her hand next to her ear and looked around perplexed.

  “Why doesn’t the spell work?” Goodemer muttered. The second attempt had been strong enough to penetrate the most stubborn brains. Not one to concede defeat, she spun an even stronger spell and aimed it right at Tigh’s heart.

  Tigh slapped her chest and glanced all around, looking a little frantic.

  “Are you all right?” Jame jumped off of the stone foot and approached a frowning Tigh.

  “A bee or something is bothering me,” Tigh said.

  Maybe she wasn’t weaving the spell right. Goodemer flung the same spell at Jame.

  A shocked Tigh saw the sudden predatory look of desire on Jame’s face, took a step backwards, and tripped over the little toe of the statue. She landed with a grunt on her back and could only stare as Jame deftly cleared the toe, fell on top of her, and captured her lips with her own.

  Goodemer realized she had hit Jame with too strong of a spell and stood frozen with her hands to her mouth. She would never cast another spell again if she had ruined this magical relationship.

  She watched as Tigh relaxed and wrapped her arms around Jame. They seemed to be quite content to explore each other’s lips.

  They finally broke apart. Jame sheepishly climbed off of Tigh. They grinned and laughed from relief and happiness.

  Goodemer let out a long held breath and raised her eyes in thanks to Bal.

  Chapter 12

  Jame was relieved to see only a handful of curious spectators in the audience for Tigh’s second hearing. That alone should let the Tribunal know everyone thought this was just another routine case.

  Tigh’s parents sat in the front row. Jame didn’t quite know what to make of them. The idea that they lied about their daughter’s age for an extra one hundred and twenty silver pieces appalled her. Although the amount was a fortune to her, Tigh had said it was a trifling sum to her parents. But merchants were compelled to work for the best deal no matter how small the increase in profit. Tigh had insisted her parents were truly concerned about her, they just d
idn’t understand she wasn’t interested in inheriting the family business.

  No. Tigh had shyly admitted she was interested in pursuing a life with Jame, wherever that happened to take them. Tigh had a quiver full of skills that could bring in extra silver if need be. She had been further surprised by Tigh’s admission that she would have offered to be her companion, if Jame had wanted only friendship.

  Now Jame was about to go before the Tribunal and once again persuade them to allow Tigh to go on to the next step in her rehabilitation. Only this time the outcome impacted on both their futures.

  “There’s Bede,” Tigh said in Jame’s ear, sending a shiver of memories of the night before when she had sat against Tigh and watched fireworks fill the sky with magic.

  Jame gave Tigh an amused look. “Did you ever tell him about the practical joke you played on him?”

  “Uh, no,” Tigh said. “I thought I’d wait until after this hearing.”

  Jame nodded. “Good thinking.”

  The small door to the Tribunal chambers opened and the seven Tribunes filed in and sat at the bench. Jame was relieved to see that the presiding Tribune was Ewan and not Onderal. At least, Ewan gave the impression of being fair.

  The thin Tribune fidgeted with a pile of papers and then cleared her throat and turned to the defendants’ box. “Our first case today is the hearing for Paldar Tigis to pass on to step four of the Guard rehabilitation program. Assistant arbiter, Jamelin Ketlas, will present her case. You may take the floor, Jamelin.”

  Jame stood. “Thank you, Tribune Ewan.” She noted the curious interest on the Tribunes’ faces. So they thought she was going to pull another trick on them. Interesting. “Since the last time I presented Tigh’s case before you, she has proven all the fears and doubts concerning her cleansing are unfounded. She has excelled in her training as a healer. So much so that she was given an assignment in the children’s ward. Yes. In the children’s ward where her young patients ask for her to take care of them because their friends liked her. No other Guard has been assigned to work with children, but healer Bede recognized Tigh’s gentle nature and knew that children would respond to it.” She paused to take in the surprise that flashed across the Tribunes’ faces. “But if you want to make the proceedings more interesting, I could try to present it according to Pilor’s Contradiction this time.”

  The reactions from the Tribunal ranged from Sitis’s amusement to Onderal’s outrage.

  Ewan cleared her throat. “As much as that would be an intriguing exercise, I don’t think it’ll be necessary. For the record, we require Healer Bede to speak on the defendant’s behalf.”

  Bede Komlic presented the Tribunal with a pile of papers in a neatly tied folio. He then took his place before the bench.

  “I have only one thing to add about Paldar Tigis,” Bede said. “I’ve never seen a more successful cleansing. I commend Loena and Pendon for their fine effort at restoring to us this gentle, beautiful soul. It’s been a pleasure working with her these last few weeks and all of us in the infirmary will miss her.”

  Jame glanced at Tigh’s parents, enjoying their astonished and confused expressions. She knew the last thing they wanted to hear was their too softhearted daughter would not be returned to them a hardened fighter.

  “Thank you, Bede,” Ewan said and the Tribunes engaged in a conversation of murmurs. By simple body language it appeared that Onderal still had strong reservations about Tigh and held his ground on what looked like a small point.

  Ewan returned her attention to Jame. “Onderal is concerned about the incident at the Emoran safe house.”

  “What kind of concerns does he have?” Jame was fully prepared for a discussion on the subject.

  “Concerns that she’s broken her pledge not to engage in behavior that is dangerous to others,” Onderal said.

  “Actually the behavior in question was only dangerous to Tigh,” Jame said. “The reason she was in that position in the first place had to do with me rather than her. An old friend from Emoria took offense to us sharing a meal together. She struck Tigh, but Tigh made no violent move toward my friend. I gave my friend an angry lecture and sent her back home. I’m sorry, Tribune, I don’t understand your concern.”

  Onderal straightened with a challenge in his eyes. “She invites violence and that makes her just as dangerous to others.”

  “Can you prove that?” Jame asked. “Or are you basing this assumption on what you think may happen when Tigh is back in society? My friend didn’t strike Tigh because she used to be Tigh the Terrible. She attacked Tigh because she was sharing a meal with me. So actually, your argument is more suited to me than to Tigh. I’m the one who invited the violence. In the weeks that Tigh has been free to wander this compound and to visit Ynit, no one has ever been compelled to do violence against her.”

  Onderal stared at Jame for several heartbeats and then sank onto the bench.

  The Tribunes muttered a fast exchange.

  Ewan turned to Jame and Tigh. “Will the defendant rise?” Tigh stood. “Paldar Tigis has successfully passed the third step in her rehabilitation. We now place her back into the care of her counselor so she can begin step four.” Ewan turned to the Keeper of the Bench. “Next case.”

  Jame and Tigh grinned and just stopped from hugging. Jame felt as if they could conquer the world together. One more step and one more hearing and Tigh the Terrible would be put to rest forever.

  THE MILITARY ARCHIVES was probably the best maintained archives in the Southern Territories outside the University of Artocia. Many of the cleansed Guards had been archivists and librarians and the military archives was a monument to their skills.

  Enjoying the musty silence, Tigh returned armloads of books, folios, and scrolls to their proper places on the narrow ranges of shelves. The mindless activity allowed her thoughts to roam into a future that had looked bleak just a few moons earlier and was now filled with delightful possibilities. All it took was a single person to bring hope back into her life. She just had to find a way of contributing to their keep. Maybe she could be a healer . . .

  “Tigh?” Jame’s soft searching voice drifted over the tall ranges of shelves.

  “Here.” Tigh stepped into a narrow aisle that divided the ranges.

  She watched as Jame picked her way around the piles of books and scrolls waiting to be reshelved. She could tell that something was bothering her. Why else would she be seeking her out in the middle of the afternoon?

  “Hey,” Tigh said as she put down her folios. The sweet smile Jame gifted her with was enough to brush away the lingering insecurity about their relationship that occasionally needled her.

  “I got my assignment for my field case.” Jame sighed and plopped down on a low stool used for reaching the higher shelves. “I wish I’d just let a pair of Emoran guards follow me around. There were plenty of cases in Ynit and in some of the villages around here, but the school thought they presented too much of a danger for me. So they assigned me to a case in Glaus.”

  “Glaus?” Tigh already felt the sting of separation. “But that’s a day’s journey by coach.”

  “I tried to convince Ingel it was too far away, but she felt it was a simple enough case and shouldn’t take more than a few days.” Jame slumped against the end of a range of books. “A sandmark is too long to be away from you.” She looked up into Tigh’s eyes.

  Tigh knelt in front of Jame. “If they’re worried about danger they shouldn’t be sending you so far away.”

  Jame shrugged. “They’re sending a peace warrior with me. It’s the last thing I have to do before I get my arbiter’s medallion. Although I hate the idea of being away from you, it’ll only be a few days.”

  “Peace warrior.” Tigh settled her thoughts on these soldiers of the legal system. “I thought it wasn’t a dangerous case.”

  “It’s just a precaution. A concession to the school’s agreement with my aunt.” Jame pushed stray strands of hair away from Tigh’s face. Tigh closed her eyes
at the tender touch. “I’ll be leaving in the morning.”

  Tigh opened her eyes. “There’s a place in town that serves the best Ingoran food outside of Ingor. It also has intimate balconies that overlook the Rih River.”

  “Are you asking me out for a romantic evening meal?” Jame wrapped her arm around Tigh’s neck.

  Tigh stole a kiss. “It’s more of a meal in a romantic setting.”

  “You’ve been spending too much time with these books.” Jame laughed and stole the kiss back.

  “Is that a yes or a no?” Tigh breathed in her ear.

  “Yes.”

  A throat cleared. Tigh and Jame pulled away from each other and looked up.

  An amused Pendon Larke, with arms crossed, looked down at them. “I really hate to interrupt but you’re between me and the book I’m after.”

  Tigh stood, dragging Jame up with her. “Sorry.”

  Pendon strolled past them then turned around. “You can continue your discussion. I’ll be a while.”

  JAME PEERED OUT of the coach window with relief as they finally broke free of a thick humid forest with trees that reached as high as the cliffs of Emoria. Glaus, fashioned from these extraordinary trees, looked as if a rainbow exploded over the patch of cleared land clinging to the western edge of Glaus Harbor. A typical seaport city, Glaus sprawled away from the Cerasus Ocean in a patchwork of painted wooden buildings leaning against each other with all the grace of the drunken sailors that roamed the waterfront.

  “Have you ever been to Glaus?” Jame asked her quiet companion.

  Indot, a lean and muscular woman, closer to Jyac’s age than Jame’s, pulled away from own thoughts to focus on Jame. “Once or twice,” she said with the economy of words that was as much a characteristic of warriors as their weapons skills.

  Jame settled back into her seat and studied the peace warrior assigned to her. A chaperone more like it, she scowled to herself. She wished Tigh sat across from her.