by C. Gold
“I demand satisfaction!” Maleko seethed.
“Enough!” yelled Ekewaka. He walked slowly over and stood between Maleko and Radcliff. “We have bigger problems right now.”
Maleko refused to back down. “You told me he was harmless!” He pointed a finger at Ekewaka.
Ekewaka drew himself to his full height and glared at the warrior leader. “And he is harmless. What he did only helped here. Are you challenging me?”
Maleko looked ready to explode but he bit back his reply.
Ekewaka turned to address the crowd. “We need to find out where this cat has been and see if there is more corruption.”
“Why?” the warrior standing next to Maleko asked.
“The council has its reasons.”
Maleko rattled off something in his native tongue. Others followed suit until several warriors were talking over each other. Ekewaka finally looked perturbed. Radcliff snorted. Only Maleko could make that happen or turn their flowery language into something that sounded menacing.
Suddenly weary, Radcliff walked away from the argument to find his quarters. A nap sounded like a great idea even if it was only early afternoon. Between the physical exertion and his magic casting, he was wiped out. That was another thing left out of the journal—how much energy magic takes out of a person.
“Radcliff, wait up,” Ekewaka called out.
He paused. What could the spiritual leader possibly want with him?
The crowd parted and Ekewaka walked past them to stand in front of Radcliff. He said, “I want you to go with the hunting party.”
“No!” Maleko shouted as he shoved his way to them.
“A wizard’s magic may be useful,” Ekewaka explained.
“We don’t need him,” Maleko bristled.
Ekewaka ignored the outburst and scanned the crowd until he spotted someone. “Kaholo, you’ll be his guide.”
“W… What?” the young man stammered and pointed at himself incredulously.
“Yes you, come over here.”
He stumbled closer but kept away from Radcliff.
Radcliff sighed in disappointment. Even though he predicted this, it still hurt.
Ekewaka gave the man’s shoulder a gentle squeeze before addressing the smaller group around him. “Maleko, you’ll be in charge of the hunting party. Radcliff will accompany you in case his magic is needed. Kaholo, you’ll prepare Radcliff and join him.”
“I’m coming too,” Amira said from next to Radcliff’s ear.
He started and turned to stare at her. Where did she come from?
She didn’t bother looking at him. Instead, her steely glare was set on Maleko.
As expected, Maleko roared in anger. “I am not taking these outsiders along. They will just get in the way.”
“His magic may save lives,” Ekewaka replied, a bit testy.
Maleko chopped his arm in the air in a flagrant dismissal of the suggestion. “We’ll be prepared this time. We don’t need his magic and I don’t trust him.”
“Very well. You’ll head out first, but he will follow behind and use his abilities if required.”
When Maleko opened his mouth to argue further, Ekewaka had enough. “No!” he shouted in Maleko’s face. “I am not salving your pride at the cost of lives. There is an unknown threat out there and I will use all the resources given to me to see this village safe. If you can’t handle that, I’ll appoint a new warrior leader to take your place.”
Maleko glared at Ekewaka and his face turned redder than the brightest sunburn. Yet he swallowed whatever he wanted to say and stalked back to his warriors.
Ekewaka turned to Radcliff. “I’m sorry about that but I have a feeling your magic will be needed.”
“That one is not done causing trouble,” Amira added, nodding at Maleko.
“I realize that. But you’ll keep him safe.” Ekewaka shared a knowing glance with Amira.
Radcliff wondered what passed between them. He didn’t like not knowing most of what happened around him, he hated having no memory, and he definitely detested being the center of turmoil. “Are you sure it wouldn’t be better for me to remain here? I don’t want to cause trouble.” He was likely to be more of a hindrance if it caused further arguments. Radcliff also wouldn’t put it past Maleko to arrange an ‘accident’ when they were away from the village and he rather liked living, even without memories.
Ekewaka patted his arm. “Ignore Maleko. He holds grudges far longer than they are useful. He won’t act on his anger, not yet. He’ll probably ignore you to save his pride.” Then he leaned in closer to Radcliff and whispered, “I need you to go with them.”
Radcliff got the sense that Ekewaka was holding back something big. There was more to this than just one dead cat. He stifled a sigh and asked, “When do we leave?”
“After lunch.” With that pronouncement, Ekewaka walked off to join the group of warriors who sounded like they were still arguing back and forth.
So much for a nap.
CHAPTER 11
Hunting Preparations
“Here, catch.” Kaholo tossed Amira a black and gray beaded tunic. “Since you were granted warrior status, you can wear the tunic my sister wore before she joined another village.”
When Amira put it on, it went down past her knees. The stripes and swirls were vibrant and dizzying. “Why did she leave?” she asked, curious about his culture.
Kaholo’s nose scrunched up. “She married a warrior from outside our village and gave up her place here to be with him.”
“You sound as if you don’t like him very much.”
Kaholo shook his head in denial. “No, it’s not that. They are both great warriors and they work well together.” Then he paused and sighed. “I just miss her is all.”
“Do you see her anymore?”
“During the harvest festival when every village comes together.”
They both jumped at the sound of the door banging shut. When Kaholo’s face shifted from expressive to stony mask, Amira sighed and turned around. Sure enough, Radcliff stood just inside the door with his arms crossed and a glower that would make even the sun sink.
“I have the paints you sent me to fetch,” he grumbled and thrust one hand out, palm open, to display two small clay pots in his palm.
Kaholo took a hasty step back and stared at the offering with stark fear in his eyes.
Amira touched his arm. “Hey, it’s ok. He’s not going to hurt you.”
Radcliff slammed the paints on top of the table.
Kaholo jumped and looked ready to bolt.
“Radcliff, you’re not helping,” Amira chastised. Gah, he was normally so mild mannered. What was up with him today?
Radcliff began pacing and yanked his hair in frustration. “I cast a spell. Big deal. I’m still the same as I was yesterday and the day before.” The hurt and anger crackled in the air around him. “Everyone wants something from me or hates me.” He shot a heated glance at Kaholo before adding, “Or fears me.” He stopped pacing and turned to face Amira with his palms up in supplication. “I’m sick of this.”
Amira slowly reached out to touch his wrist as though soothing a wild animal. “I don’t hate you. I like you,” she said in her most convincing tone. She smiled past the worry. Did something else happen when he was away to trigger this or is this just an accumulation of many things?
He jerked his hand away from her touch and jabbed a finger at her face. “You fled from me this morning, so I don’t believe you.”
Oh. It finally dawned on Amira. Today, for whatever reason, the people Radcliff relied upon had abandoned him in some way. And she was first on that list by running from her own feelings this morning without thinking of how it would impact him.
She needed to repair his trust. Once again she reached her hand out and lightly stroked his cheek. Looking right into his eyes and praying he saw how remorseful she felt, Amira explained. “I was ashamed of what I said the other day. About your past. You didn’t need to hea
r that or in such a manner. That’s why I rushed out.” She paused and then said, “I’m sorry.”
Radcliff’s stony façade crumbled, revealing the depth of pain he normally kept well hidden. “I can’t keep existing like this,” he confessed.
Amira’s heart felt ripped and torn to shreds until it lay bleeding. Without really thinking she wrapped her arms around him in a hug and whispered in his ear, “I promise, it’s only for a little longer. I’ll get you fixed.” It was a terrible promise to make given the uncertainties and obstacles in their path, but it was one she resolved to keep. Not only did the world depend on her success, but now her heart did as well.
Radcliff stiffened at the intimate contact and Amira thought he’d pull away. Then he sagged against her in a rare display of vulnerability that left her teary eyed. “I care for this man,” she realized with no small amount of distress. This would not end well.
The sound of a throat clearing broke the spell, and they both jumped back. Radcliff went back to his stiff, arms crossed pose and all traces of his emotions were carefully tucked away behind his fresh glower. Amira turned towards the source of the interruption.
Kaholo still refused to look at the wizard but he held the two pots in his somewhat unsteady hands. “I need you to take off your shirt,” he mumbled before turning around and fumbling with a pack he’d brought in earlier.
As Radcliff took off his shirt, Amira couldn’t help but stare at his improved physique. Just a few days ago she could count his ribs. Now he sported a thin layer of muscle and his skin had a healthy glow to it. He was still too thin, but he no longer resembled a walking skeleton.
“Like what you see?”
Amira jerked her eyes back up to his face and instantly regretted it. Radcliff’s eyes held an amused glint and his lips twitched upward into a slight smirk. There was no sign of his earlier anguish. Like a fire shooting out a spark, he flared into full blown flirt mode and left her completely unprepared.
“What? No, I just—” she stammered and her face started to burn as she pictured his reaction when she told him she was just examining his muscles. Ugh. She tried again. “I mean, you look healthier than you did just a few days ago.” She blew out a breath. There, that wasn’t so hard was it?
Radcliff shrugged and looked down. “At least something is improving.” And like that glowing ember descending, his good mood flickered out.
No, no, no, go back to flirting. Wait, maybe she could help. “Yeah, I heard you were so bad at spear fighting, they thought you were trying to trim your toe nails on your first spear toss.” Hopefully teasing him would improve his mood.
At that, Radcliff’s head popped up, mouth open slightly in surprise. “What?”
She nodded with fake seriousness. “And you almost put out your own eye when trying to run with it.”
Radcliff’s eyes narrowed. “I am bad, but not that bad.”
In the background, Kaholo made a snorting sound.
Encouraged, Amira thought of a better one. “When you finally got the hang of throwing the spear, you managed to miss the target completely. It sailed right over the impossibly high fence and clipped Ekewaka’s belt through his tunic. Right there, in the middle of a council meeting, his pants fell down, and he was standing there stark naked.”
Radcliff looked at her in utter disbelief.
Amira kept a straight face while he began looking less confident at the impossibility of the event. It was far too easy to pick on him like this but her crazy idea was working. She was trying to come up with something even more outrageous when Kaholo erupted into a full blown belly laugh. A smile twitched her lips but before she totally lost control, she pointed at Radcliff and said, “You should see your face.” Then she joined in, laughing so hard tears streamed down her face.
“Ha, ha, very funny. Way to pick on the man with no memory.” Radcliff shook his head and began to chuckle under his breath before growing thoughtful. Finally, when there was a pause in all the laughter, he asked, “How is it that I am so terrible with the spear despite the practice?”
Amira clutched her aching sides, wiped away her tears and pondered his question over another fit of giggles. When she could breathe again, she replied, “Radcliff, since you are naturally gifted with magic, I bet you never tried picking up a weapon before.”
He cocked his head to the side as he considered it. “Perhaps, but I still find it odd.”
“It takes a lot of repetition before something becomes muscle memory. Give yourself some time.”
Radcliff frowned and gave it some thought. “I suppose,” he conceded.
That slightly off tone in his voice set off new warnings and Amira became desperate. Like a predator wolfing down its prize, the despair part of the spell wasn’t letting go. Is this normal or is the spell getting worse over time? She shoved aside the troubling thought and zeroed in on the pounding sound coming from behind, grateful for something else to try. “Kaholo, what are you doing?”
Kaholo’s fist was raised in the air clenching a palm sized oblong rock. He brought it crashing down into a large clay bowl and ground it around before raising it again and repeating the action. In between pounds, Kaholo explained. “I’m mixing the dye in with the sacred clay. When I am finished, I will paint the warrior pattern on his chest, like your tunic.”
“What is the warrior pattern exactly?” she asked, her eyes lit up with excitement. There wasn’t much known about the Alashaesen despite their reluctant absorption into the empire centuries past. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Radcliff listening attentively with no evidence of his previous gloom. Amira breathed a bit easier. The distraction was working.
“When warriors go on the hunt, they paint the black and gray design on their chests. Well, the men paint their chests. The women wear beads, cause… well… you know...” His face reddened, and he snatched his eyes away when she caught him blatantly staring at her chest.
Radcliff’s sudden molten death glare looked ready to burn Kaholo to ash. When Kaholo noticed, he cringed and swapped back to looking at Amira. Unfortunately, his gaze landed right on her chest again. Turning completely scarlet, Kaholo snapped his eyes back down to his clay bowls and fidgeted with their contents.
Amira shook her head at their obvious male behavior. Was Radcliff actually jealous? Her stupid heart fluttered at the thought. Stop that! He won’t even remember you tomorrow! Pretending to take an interest in the clay pots while shoving aside her uncomfortable feelings, Amira thought of something else to ask. “So why this particular design?”
Kaholo replied, this time keeping his eyes from wandering into trouble. “The pattern confuses a blink cat’s vision and makes them dizzy long enough for a war party to surround it. Once they stand side by side, the pattern immobilizes the cat and the warriors can close on it and kill it.”
With a final stir, Kaholo scraped the clay off the rock and stood. With the two bowls clutched in his hands, he froze after taking just one step towards the wizard.
Radcliff glanced away but not before Amira caught a brief flash of hurt at the boy’s reaction. She wished there was something she could do to mend their friendship.
Finally, Kaholo screwed up the courage to close the distance and slowly applied the first line. Shaky at first, he grew more relaxed as time passed and began to paint with bolder, more confident strokes.
Amira watched with rapt fascination as the design came to life before her eyes. What began as a few separate lines was now connected by zigzags and whirls that made the image jump out at her. She could only stare open mouthed at the effect.
“It makes me dizzy just looking at it,” she said.
Kaholo gave her a wicked grin. “Just think what it does to a blink cat.” He moved to the back of the room and began repacking his bag. “Just give that a minute to dry and you can join the other warriors.” He hitched the bag onto his shoulder and turned to Amira. “Let me drop this off and I’ll join you.”
“Don’t you need to get painted too?”
Amira asked.
Kaholo scowled and his fist tightened on the bag strap like he wanted to hurl it. “Not as a guide,” he said, anger punctuating each word.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t know enough about your customs. Ekewaka made it sound like a special status.”
“It is but…” Kaholo’s eyes flicked briefly to Radcliff then back to her.
Amira’s lips thinned with disappointment. The boy glanced down at his toes, finally showing at least some shame for the way he was treating his friend.
Apparently she wasn’t the only one cued to the boy’s body language. Radcliff growled as he announced, “I’ll meet you at the practice area,” before ripping the door open and making a hasty escape.
Both of them jumped as the door slammed shut. Amira curled her hands into fists and whirled around to face Kaholo. “What is wrong with you?” she yelled. Her eyes were two bright, angry flares. “He is your friend.”
Kaholo’s face turned red. “His magic’s not natural. And he’s been playing us for fools. Maleko says—”
“Stop right there! Why would you listen to that man? All he spews is angry bile.”
“But he makes sense.”
“No he doesn’t.” Then she took pity on him and released her anger in one breathy exhale. Of course the Shae would fear the wizard’s magic, even if he wasn’t the Destroyer. Their magic was subtle and worked within their natural abilities, while Radcliff’s was a raw display of power. Then they were told he was helpless without his memory, and now he’s working magic. So naturally, they think he’s lying. While she couldn’t repair the damage done to the entire village, she could at least try to patch up his friendship with the boy.
“Listen, can you keep a secret, especially from Maleko?”
Kaholo slowly nodded.
“Each morning he relearns the basics.” Amira refused to mention the journal, but she deemed it safe to reveal this much.
“How?” Kaholo’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I show him,” Amira lied, though it wasn’t a big stretch of the truth since each morning she shoved the book in his lap and told him to study it.
