Quest for the Sun Orb

by Laura Jo Phillips

  Tiari smiled happily and headed out of the tent. Even though she’d been hoping to find him, she was surprised to see him standing right there with Nosy, waiting for her. He looked so beautiful with the morning sun glinting off his golden, unruly curls, his deep brown eyes riveted on her the moment she stepped out. She had to struggle to keep her eyes on his face, though. She was going to have to ask Kapia and Karma what these strange sensations were she got every time she looked at his body. Why she wanted to touch his sun-kissed velvety skin, or why watching him walk, the snug black leather of his pants revealing the smooth flex and bunch of his muscles, made her feel hot and shivery at the same time.

  “Good morning, Tiari,” he said, his voice so warm it made the breath catch in her throat.

  “Good morning, Tomas,” she replied. “It is a nice surprise to see you here.”

  “I wanted to be certain that the drovers remembered to add the stirrup to your saddle,” Tomas said. “And make sure you are able to use it.”

  “That is very thoughtful of you,” she replied. She reached out to rub the diplo’s nose. “Hello, Nosy,” she said as Nosy pushed his nose further into her hand for more petting.

  “Nosy?” Tomas asked, arching one brow at her, though she heard the humor in his voice.

  “Yes, Nosy,” she replied. “Is there something wrong with that name?”

  “No, not a thing,” Tomas replied with a straight face. “It’s a perfectly nice name.”

  “No, it’s a perfectly silly name,” Tiari said with a grin. “Which is exactly what I wanted.”

  Tomas chuckled, enjoying her playfulness. “In that case, you succeeded. Now, let’s get you acquainted with this stirrup so I can get exactly what I want.”

  “What is it that you want?” she asked.

  “Making you as safe as I can without wrapping you in feather pillows and putting you in my pocket,” Tomas said.

  Tiara’s smile faded. She stepped closer to Tomas, struggling for the right words. “I know that you mean well,” she said slowly. “Truly, I do. But I spent my whole life locked in a tiny, dark hut, entirely alone save for visits by my aunt. She always said it was for my own safety, that people would think me a witch and kill me for it. Tomas, I will face all the danger this world has to offer before I will ever return to that hut, or any other place like it. I want to live my life, not be protected from it.”

  “I understand, Tiari,” Tomas said. “I cannot help wanting to keep you safe, but I would never do such a thing to you. On this, you have my word.”

  “Thank you, Tomas,” she said, relaxing. For a moment there she had been frightened, but she had no doubt of his sincerity. “May I ask you a question?”

  “Of course,” Tomas replied.

  “I’ve noticed that all of the men wear beaded bands around their upper arms, like yours,” she said, gesturing toward the band on his arm. “Yet only the Hunters wear the wide bands around their wrists. Is there a meaning to them, or is that something I’m not supposed to ask about?”

  “There is meaning,” Tomas said, “and it is not secret. These bands around our wrists are called bracers. All Hunters wear them as a form of protection. Hunters wear bracers made of leather. Knights, those who are in charge of a pack of Hunters, have higher rank so wear silver bracers. Only he who is in command of all Hunters and Knights may wear gold bracers.”

  “Your bracers are leather, but have silver trim and markings on them,” Tiari pointed out. “What does that mean?”

  “It means that wearing sold silver bracers all the time is impractical,” Tomas said, smiling. “They are heavy and uncomfortable to wear, so are saved for important or formal occasions. The rest of the time, we Knights wear leather bracers with silver trim. The blue background indicates my color. All of my Hunters wear blue kilts, and have the same blue background on their bracers. The markings indicate battles fought, men lost, things like that.”

  “So you are a knight?” Tiari asked. “Which men are yours?”

  “Yes, I’m a knight, but none of my men are here,” Tomas said. “This is the Orb Quest, and only a select few men were chosen to be part of it. It is a great honor just to be here, Tiari. Many of the men here are Knights, but, like myself, agreed to take the role of Hunter in order to be included.”

  “I see,” Tiari said, fascinated. “And the beaded band? Does that have meaning as well?”

  “Yes,” Tomas said, surprised to find that he enjoyed explaining these things to her. “This is called an egora, and all men of Isiben wear one. The different colored beads, their position, and even the knots used to tie them, tell just about everything there is to know about a man at a glance. So long as you can read bead sign, that is.”

  “What sorts of things does it tell?”

  “Rank, position, occupation, family, marital status, or if he is intending to become married, number of children, their ages and sex, that sort of thing.”

  “All of that from a few beads wrapped around your arm?” Tiari asked in surprise. “Will you tell me what your egora says about you?”

  “It says that I am a Knight Hunter of seven years, that I am a close cousin of the royal family, that I am neither wed, nor lucky enough to have found a woman to accept me yet.”

  Tiari blushed, though she wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was the way his eyes bore into hers when he said that last part, or the way his voice softened, becoming almost...intimate.

  “Will you teach me to read...what did you call it?” she asked.

  “Bead sign,” Tomas said. “Yes, Tiari, I will teach you anything you wish to know.”

  There it was again, the deep, intimate note in his voice. Tiari cleared her throat and looked around, startled to see that all of the tents had been taken down and everyone was nearly ready to get started.

  “I think it’s time to get you in the saddle,” Tomas said.

  Tiari nodded in agreement and walked around to the side of the diplo, eyeing the looped leather strap that now hung from the saddle. She could see that she was going to have to raise her foot very high to get it in the loop, but she didn’t care, so long as she could do it.

  “Hold on to the bottom of the saddle, here, and here,” Tomas said, demonstrating. “That will help you keep your balance when you raise your left foot up and put it into the loop. Instead of swinging your right leg over the diplo’s neck, you’ll need to swing it over the back end.”

  “All right,” Tiari said, watching carefully. When Tomas got down and stepped back she took his place and reached up to place her hands as he had. “Is this right?”

  “Yes, perfect,” Tomas said. “Now lift your left foot.”

  Tiari raised her left foot, lifting up on the toes of her right foot to get the height she needed to slip the toe of her boot into the loop. She felt Tomas’s hands at her waist, supporting her lightly so that she didn’t lose her balance, but letting her do the work.

  “Now pull yourself up using your arms and legs,” he said.

  Tiari took a breath, held it, and pulled herself up. She got about half way and her momentum ran out, forcing her to pull harder to get all the way up. She knew that without Tomas’s help she wouldn’t have made it, but she didn’t mind. She’d come very close on the first try. She swung her right leg over the saddle and let her breath out in a big relieved whoosh.

  “Thank you,” she said, grinning. “Maybe after a few practices I’ll be able to do that on my own.”

  “I think the loop needs to be just a bit lower,” Tomas said, eyeing it carefully. He turned and examined the stirrup on Kapia’s saddle and nodded. “I’ll talk to the drover this morning. Perhaps he can fix it when we stop for lunch. For now though, you can get down on your own if you have to.”

  “Thank you, Tomas,” Tiari said as Kapia joined them on Goldy. “Will I see you later?”

  “Yes, if you like,” Tomas said, smiling at Tiari’s quick nod. He waved at Kapia and hurried back down the line for his own diplo, not even realizing that he was still s
miling.

  “You like Tomas, don’t you?” Kapia asked.

  “Yes, I do,” Tiari replied. Her smile faded as a thought occurred to her. “Do you mind?” she asked.

  “Of course I don’t mind,” Kapia replied. “Even if I did mind, it wouldn’t matter to Tomas, nor should it. He is a grown man, free to care for whomever he wants.”

  “Do you really think that he cares for me?” Tiari asked.

  “Yes, I do,” Kapia replied. “I’ve never seen him pay any attention to a woman before. It makes me happy to see him happy.”

  “He is a good man,” Tiari said.

  “You’re certain of that?” Kapia asked, trying to keep her voice light.

  “Yes, I am sure. I can see his aura, of course, and while it has only one color, like most people, it is pure and bright.” Tiari hesitated a moment, dropping her eyes.

  “What is it?” Kapia asked.

  “Well, the other day, when I first met Tomas, his aura was not so bright as it is now. And it was small. He was very sad, I think, and very unhappy. But the sadness is less now. Today his aura is a vivid blue, and quite large.”

  Kapia nodded, hiding her immense relief. Tomas had always been jealous, and often petty, but she had never believed him to be evil. When it was discovered that his best friend and companion, Saigar, was cin-sahib, she’d worried about Tomas, as had everyone. But she’d never been able to convince herself that Tomas was truly evil. She was glad that Tiari was able to confirm for her what she’d believed to be the truth.

  “Kapia, may I ask you a question about Tomas?” Tiari asked in a low voice.

  “Of course,” Kapia replied. “You may ask me anything. I may not always be able to answer you, but I will never mind you asking.”

  “To be honest, I think you may not be able to answer this, but I will ask anyway. Why was so Tomas sad? Did he like another woman?”

  “No,” Kapia replied. “It was not a woman. Tiari, I’m sorry, but aside from that, I’m afraid this is something you should ask Tomas about directly.”

  “Do you think he will mind if I ask him?”

  “I honestly don’t know,” Kapia replied. “But if you really want to know something, I think you should ask him.”

  “Good morning Kapia, Tiari,” Karma said as she joined them on her diplo, Nikura right behind her. As soon as they took their places Zakiel signaled and the caravan began moving.

  “I wanted to speak with you about what you did yesterday,” Karma said to Tiari once they had settled into their usual pace. “Well, first I want to thank you. Without your help I’m not sure what would have happened.”

  “I am very glad that I was able to help,” Tiari said.

  “How were you able to see the hearts on those demons?” Karma asked.

  “I don’t know,” Tiari said, her brows drawing together as she remembered what had happened the day before. “Even though I could see them like everyone else, I could also see something...more, something that I knew the rest of you couldn’t see. Something dark, that pulsed.”

  “I think that it’s more than just seeing with her eyes,” Kapia put in. “She was tired last night, the way you are sometimes tired when you overuse the Ti-Ank.”

  Karma nodded, but she wasn’t surprised. She’d already thought of that. “I suspect that you saw their hearts because that was their weakness,” Karma said. “You saw their vulnerability.”

  “I suppose,” Tiari replied.

  “You’ve never seen a demon before, have you?” Kapia asked her.

  “No, not until yesterday.”

  “Does it bother you, the idea of having extra talents?” Karma said. “I know such things can be frightening.”

  “Not at all,” Tiari said. “I hope you are right about this as it allows me to be of use. I want to help, like you and Kapia do.”

  “I have no special talents, Tiari,” Kapia said with a shrug. “I still manage to make myself useful at times.”

  “You are Maiden of the Moon,” Karma pointed out. “That makes you special all by itself. And you are able to harness the power of the orb, as you’ve discovered.” She shifted her gaze to Tiari. “Still, Kapia is right. Special abilities are not required for one to be useful.”

  “I understand,” Tiari said. “Nevertheless, being able to see a demon’s weakness would be a handy talent to have. I have no objection to it.”

  “Good,” Karma said. “The next time we come across a demon, let me know if you see anything different, something you suspect the rest of us can’t see.”

  “Gladly,” Tiari replied.

  “By the way, I owe you an apology for not beginning your lessons last evening,” Karma said. “If you like, we can begin tonight.”

  “Yes, I would like that,” Tiari said. “Unless you have to use all of your energy saving all of our lives again, of course.”

  Karma and Kapia both laughed, enjoying Tiari’s sense of humor. “Yes, in that case, I may need to beg off again. Hopefully, that will not happen today.”

  “Now that you are both here, I would like to share something with you, if you don’t mind,” Tiari said.

  “Of course,” Karma said. Tiari looked at Kapia who nodded.

  “Anything,” she said.

  “Do you remember when I said that I had only seen one other object that had an aura?”

  “Yes,” Karma replied.

  “The first night, when you saw the Moon Orb,” Kapia added.

  “Well, this is the object,” Tiari said, reaching into her pocket and removing the same small package she had taken from the hut the day she’d first met them. She unfolded the coarse cloth, revealing a drawstring bag of softer fabric that was stained and yellowed with age. She untied the knot and opened the bag, then reached in and pulled out a metal ring about the same width as her hand that flashed and shone in a rainbow of colors in the sunlight.

  She held the ring in her palm for a moment, then carefully passed it over to Karma, who took it with equal care. “This is beautiful, Tiari,” she said, turning the ring over in her hands. “I think this is rainbow titanium. I haven’t seen anything like this in a very long time.” She handed the ring back to Tiari, who passed it to Kapia.

  “Where did you get this?” Kapia asked, running a finger around the smooth metal.

  “One of my earliest memories is of this ring,” Tiari said. “My mother kept it hidden in the woods, buried beneath an oddly shaped stone. Sometimes she would play a game with me. If I could find it, she would give me a sweet. She told me over and over again that I could never, ever let anyone know about it, especially Una. She said that one day I would need it, and that I should keep it hidden until then.”

  “Did she tell you what it was for?” Karma asked.

  “No, not that I recall,” Tiari said. “After she died, I remember Una tearing the hut apart in search of it, but she never asked me about it. It was a very difficult and confusing time for me, and I forgot all about the ring for many years. Then one day, about two years ago, I was out gathering wood and I came across that same rock, and remembered. I dug it out and took it back to the hut with me. After Una left, I unwrapped it and that’s when I saw that it had an aura. White and gold, like the Moon Orb.”

  “But you don’t know what it is, or where it came from?” Kapia asked, handing it back to Tiari.

  “Actually, I was hoping you two would know something about it,” Tiari said. “I feel that it’s important, but maybe that’s because it belonged to my mother.”

  “No, I think there’s more to it than that,” Karma said. “It’s made from a metal that, as far as I am aware, requires a level of technology not available on Rathira.”

  “Really?” Tiari asked in shock. “How could you know that?”

  “I will share that with you another time,” Karma said, smiling to let Tiari know she was not offended by the question. “I think that ring may be quite important.”

  “I shall continue to keep it safe then,” Tiari said, starting to put i
t back in the bag.

  “Why don’t you wear it?” Kapia suggested. “It would be safer than that bag, and you wouldn’t have to worry about carrying it with you all the time.”

  “Wear it how?” Tiari asked, turning the ring over in her hand. It was too small to wear around her neck, and too large to wear on a finger.

  “On your wrist,” Kapia said. “I think it’s just about the right size for a bracelet.”

  Tiari shrugged. It was worth a try. She held it in her left hand and slid it over her right hand. She had to squeeze her fingers together, and raise it carefully over the gold ring Kapia had given her, but it slipped on easily enough. She held her wrist up and smiled, pleased with how nice it looked. She turned her hand down and shook it experimentally, but there was no danger of it falling off accidently.

  “Thank you, Kapia,” she said. “I never would have thought of that.” Then she frowned. “Are you sure it’s safe to wear in the open? Mother did say to hide it.”

  “And you did,” Karma said. “This is the Orb Quest, though. I think that if there were ever a time for it to be revealed, this is it. The fact that it has an aura the same as the Moon Orb is, I suspect, significant.”

  “I like wearing it,” Tiari said. “It feels good to have a reminder of mother out in the open rather than hidden away.” She lowered her wrist and looked at Karma. “May I ask you another question?”

  “Of course,” Karma said. “But, let me see if I can guess first. You want to know if I can speak with your mother, right?”

  Tiari flushed. “I apologize, Karma. I suppose you get asked that all the time.”

  “There is nothing to apologize for,” Karma said. “It is a perfectly reasonable question, and I don’t get asked as often as you think. I cannot summon spirits though. Some that I have spoken with frequently, such as Techu Samyi, or Zabeth, the woman who married Zakiel and I, will sometimes come if I call to them. But it is their choice, always. I have no control over them.”

  “I see,” Tiari said. “Do many of them come to you?”

  “Not any more,” Karma said. “Since beginning the Orb Quest, I see only those spirits who wish to aid us.”