Quest for the Sun Orb

by Laura Jo Phillips

  “All the more reason for you to hurry,” she said. With that she withdrew, cutting off further conversation.

  Bredon didn’t care. He’d gotten his point across, and learned a thing or two in the bargain. His greatest concern was that she would discover his talks with Kapia. But even that wouldn’t matter too much. Kapia was careful never to talk about where they were, or their destination, and if she began to veer into dangerous territory, he warned her back. He would not allow her to say anything that might be dangerous to her, or the Orb Quest, if it were overheard.

  He was relieved that Marene had agreed to stop taking over his body. He hadn’t been exaggerating his worries on that subject. He’d been growing weaker by the day and had only just realized that Marene was the cause of it. If she continued as she had been, he truly didn’t think he’d live to reach the center of Darkly Fen.

  From the information he’d given Kapia, Zakiel had been able to provide him with a good idea of his current location. If the calculations were right, he had only a three more days to travel before reaching Darkly Fen. Marene had to stay back and let him regain some strength before he reached it.

  ***

  Tiari decided to retire early since Tomas had to attend a meeting with Prince Zakiel and the Hunters. She was surprised to see that Lashi had already prepared a bath for her, which she eagerly stepped into with a sigh of pure pleasure.

  She’d always washed regularly with water she warmed over the fire in her hut, but she’d rarely had the time to haul in enough water for her to indulge in a full bath before Una locked her back inside. Now, she enjoyed the luxury nearly every day, thanks to Caral and Lashi.

  “Do you want to wash your hair tonight, Hara Tiari?” Lashi asked from behind her. Tiari turned her head to see Lashi kneeling on the floor, gently unbraiding her long hair.

  “You and Caral spoil me shamelessly, Lashi,” she said, smiling.

  “You deserve to be spoiled, if I may say so,” Lashi said.

  “I’m not so sure about that,” Tiari replied. “However, I won’t argue with you because I like it too much.”

  “Good, then we are doing it correctly,” Lashi said with a grin.

  “The new outfit you finished today is amazing,” Tiari said, thinking of the deep, golden colored skirt, top, and vest that made up the usual attire for the women. She’d never had a single item of clothing half so beautiful as any of the basketful of clothes she now had, thanks to Caral and Lashi. “I think it’s too beautiful to wear every day, though.”

  “We are most pleased that you like it,” Lashi said. “It is meant to be reserved for a special occasion, should one arise. I confess, I wasn’t sure if it would work with your coloring, but Caral was correct, as always in such matters. It’s quite flattering to your skin and hair.”

  “Lashi,” Tiari said suddenly, “what would you say if I asked you to cut my hair?”

  Lashi studied her face for a long moment, then ran her fingers through the long tresses in her hands. When unbraided, Tiari’s hair fell to the floor in a puddle of black silk. “I would first ask, why have you never cut it before?”

  “Because I never had a way of cutting it myself, and there was no one to do it for me,” Tiari responded.

  Lashi smiled. “In that case, I would say that it is your hair, and you should do as you please with it. Why do you wish to cut it, if I may ask?”

  “It is so much work, as you know since you’ve been helping me with it, and so long that it must always be braided or drag on the ground. I noticed that Karma’s hair is to the middle of her back, and Kapia’s is to her waist, so shorter hair must be acceptable.”

  “It certainly is,” Lashi agreed.

  “So, will you cut it?” Tiari asked hopefully.

  “Yes, if that is your wish,” Lashi said. “I will say that Caral is much better with hair than I am, though. May I suggest that she be asked to do it?”

  “Of course,” Tiari agreed excitedly. “Do you think she can do it tonight?”

  “I will ask her as soon as you finish your bath,” Lashi said.

  Tiari reached for a cloth and soap, for the first time in a hurry to leave the hot water. Still, it was an hour later before she found herself sitting on a stool in her chamber with Caral, Lashi, and Kapia standing around her, staring at her hair.

  “I had no idea your hair was so long,” Kapia said. “Not only long, but beautiful. Are you sure you want to cut it?”

  “Absolutely,” Tiari said firmly.

  “How short do you want it?” Kapia asked.

  “I think the same length as yours would be good,” Tiari said. “Then I can wear it loose for a change instead of always having it bound so I don’t walk on it.” She heard a soft intake of breath and turned to see Caral gazing at Kapia with round eyes. “Is something wrong?”

  Kapia started to shake her head, then changed her mind. She had decided from the start to answer Tiari’s questions honestly, and she meant to stick to that rule.

  “In Isiben only those women of the royal family are allowed to have long hair unless they keep it bound,” she said. “It’s an old fashioned tradition, and it has nothing to do with you. I intend to do away with it, or ask Karma to do it, when we return to Ka-Teru anyway.”

  “Are you certain?” Tiari asked.

  “Positive,” Kapia said. “Now, Caral, what do you think? What would be the best length and style for Tiari?”

  Caral rubbed a lock of Tiari’s hair between her fingers, then smiled. “Given the texture of her hair, I think that cutting it to her waist, then adding a bit of layering will result in masses of long, beautiful curls.”

  “Truly?” Kapia asked, feeling a little envious. Her own hair was perfectly, stubbornly, permanently straight. “What do you think, Tiari?”

  “I think I cannot wait,” Tiari replied. She had no real idea of what they were talking about. She just wanted it shorter.

  Caral picked up a comb and a pair of scissors, and began cutting.

  ***

  Bredon was pleased to find a small creek just before sunset, and set his camp up there. After tending to the diplo, he gathered wood and started a fire, then spitted the hare to roast. He felt a little better already since Marene had stayed out of his body that day, proving his guesses were correct. The smell of the cooking meat was not as appetizing as it should have been, but it didn’t turn his stomach either, which was an improvement.

  Tonight was the night Kapia would speak with him. How he looked forward to these days. Without them, he didn’t know how he’d have managed to come as far as he had without giving up.

  While the hare cooked he put two pots of water over the fire to heat, then took several plants that he’d gathered that morning out of his pack. He tore them into small pieces in a shallow dish, then used a smooth, rounded stone to mash them up. He added a little hot water to the mixture, then mashed it some more until it became a smooth paste. He set that aside, then added some grain to one of the pots of boiling water, put a plate over the top of it and pulled it to the edge of the fire to cook slowly. Then he made his evening tea and checked the hare. It wasn’t done all the way through, but the outside was done enough. He cut off a portion with his knife, then returned the hare to the fire to finish cooking while he ate.

  He was relieved that the food wasn’t completely repulsive as it had been the past few days. He wasn’t really hungry, but he ate anyway, making certain to eat a full portion before letting himself stop. He sipped his tea and relaxed for a few minutes, then he pulled the cooked grains off the fire, and the now fully cooked meat. The grains were for breakfast. The remainder of the hare would serve for lunch tomorrow, and perhaps dinner as well.

  When he was finished with his tea he stood up and began removing his clothes. He treated all of the sores that he could reach with the paste he’d made, then stood close to the fire, waiting for it to dry, ignoring the mild burn and itch. Then he got dressed and covered the remainder of the paste carefully. He’d reapply it
in the morning. He went to check on the diplo, then returned to the fire and made himself another cup of tea while he waited for Kapia to contact him.

  He was trying to decide whether or not to tell Kapia about Worrow and his men. Now that Marene had confirmed the truth of the matter, he could no longer pretend it was just his imagination as he had been doing for the past couple of days.

  What if he told Kapia, and she blamed him for it? She knew that Marene took over his body, and that he wasn’t responsible for what she did, but what if she still blamed him? What if she couldn’t get past the fact that it was his body that had committed such unpardonable acts, regardless of who was in charge of it at the time? What if she was unable to bear his touch because of it?

  His limited contact with women had taught him that they could be very illogical and unreasonable about the strangest things sometimes. Even though Kapia had never demonstrated illogical behavior herself, he couldn’t help but worry that in this instance, she might.

  In the end, he asked himself just one question. Did he want to risk losing Kapia because of something Marene had done? The answer, of course, was an emphatic no.

  Once again he found himself forced to keep a secret from Kapia because of Marene. He felt a twinge of guilt, but he quickly stifled it. It wasn’t as though he was lying to Kapia. Not really. He was just going to refrain from telling her something. Big difference.

  Besides, what possible good would it do to tell her anyway? It wasn’t as though she’d ever see Worrow again in her lifetime. Once the quest was over, she would return to Isiben and likely never venture from Ka-Teru again.

  “Hello Bredon, can you hear me?”

  “Hello Kapia,” he said, ignoring one final stab of guilt. “As always, your voice is a balm to my soul.”

  “As yours is to mine,” Kapia said. “How are you feeling? Any better?”

  “Yes, I am better,” Bredon replied, still surprised at himself for admitting to her that he was growing weaker by the day. Luckily she hadn’t reacted badly to the news, though he was very glad that he’d refrained from mentioning the sores. That would surely have disgusted her.

  “I convinced Marene to stop taking over,” he said. “Already I see an improvement.”

  “That’s a relief,” Kapia said.

  “How about you, surna? Are you well?”

  “Yes, I suppose so,” she said, but Bredon heard the weariness she was trying to hide.

  “Tell me what is wrong,” he said. “I can tell that you are tired.”

  “Not tired so much as weary of missing you,” Kapia said. “There are so many things I wish I could share with you, but I can’t without giving away things that neither you, nor Zakiel, would want me to speak of.”

  “I know this is difficult for you, and for that I am sorry,” Bredon said.

  “It is not your fault,” Kapia said firmly. “It’s Marene’s.”

  “Yes, I know,” Bredon replied, not wanting to get into that discussion again. “On a happier note, if our calculations are correct, I should reach the outskirts of Darkly Fen in just three days.”

  “I’m not sure that’s happy news,” Kapia said. “Darkly Fen is a dangerous place, Bredon. I am afraid for you to enter it alone.”

  “So long as Marene behaves, I will be strong enough to deal with whatever I must face there,” Bredon said with more confidence than he felt. There was no need to worry Kapia over what could not be changed. “The sooner I collect this artifact for Marene, the sooner I can return to you.”

  “I know,” Kapia said. “I’m looking forward to that more than I can say, but it does not ease my worry.”

  “It will be all right,” Bredon soothed. “I will allow no other outcome. I will return to you, Kapia. I have promised you this, and I do not break my promises.”

  “I know, Bredon,” Kapia said. “I’m counting on that more than anything else.”

  “It grows late, surna love, and as much as I wish we could speak together all night long, you sound weary. I think we should both get some rest now.”

  “All right,” Kapia agreed. “Take good care of yourself, Bredon.”

  “I will,” Bredon said, smiling. “You do the same.”

  “I feel the connection slipping now so I must go. I love you.”

  “As I love you,” Bredon replied. He sat staring into the fire for a long time after Kapia left him, thinking of her. She’d seemed a little distant, but perhaps it was as she said. She was growing weary of their separation. He would find a way to make it up to her, one day, he decided. Then he banked his fire and crawled into his bedroll.

  Chapter Seventeen

  It was a huge relief to everyone when they finally left the forest behind them. There was a lot to be said about traveling through the forest, not the least of which was the inexhaustible supply of firewood. But even that did not outweigh the sensation of claustrophobia that had begun to plague the desert dwellers. Even Tiari was relieved when they reached the plains and she saw how much easier it would be to spot impending danger in the wide open sky.

  The servants had begun collecting extra firewood several days earlier and tying it into tight bundles which they loaded on the spare pack diplos that had been used for hauling water in the desert. They would have enough firewood for many days if they were careful.

  A couple of days later they came upon a wide river teeming with fish that ran alongside a grove of ancient trees. Zakiel decided to call an early halt, and everyone was excited at the prospect of fresh fish for dinner.

  Tomas and Garundel spent a few minutes deciding where the tents would be set up, as had become their habit. Then Tomas set the guard schedule for the afternoon and night, smiling to himself at the long list of volunteers for extra duty around the royal tents. Before the announcement of Karma’s pregnancy no one minded guarding Lady Techu, Princess Kapia and Tiari. After the announcement, they all but tripped over each other for the honor.

  When he was finished with his duties he joined Tiari, Karma and Zakiel where they sat in the shade of a gigantic tree on a low rise overlooking the campsite.

  “Hello, Tomas,” Tiari greeting him with a smile, the masses of long, spiral curls framing her face still startling him. The shining, bouncing curls accentuated her beauty, and gave her an air of carefree happiness that matched her personality perfectly. She patted the grass beside her in invitation. “It’s beautiful here, is it not?”

  “Yes, it is,” he agreed, his eyes not leaving her face, “very beautiful indeed.”

  Tiari blushed, as he’d known she would, and he smiled as he sat beside her. He greeted Zakiel and Karma, then looked around for Kapia.

  “She went fishing,” Zakiel answered the unspoken question.

  “She’s always loved to fish,” Tomas said. “Always caught the most and the biggest fish too, as I recall.”

  “Which is why neither of us care for the sport,” Zakiel admitted with a laugh.

  “You don’t fish because a girl is better at it than you?” Karma asked in surprise.

  “Not just a girl,” Zakiel said. “A little tiny girl who had only recently learned to walk, and who couldn’t be trusted to bait her own hook for fear she’d eat the bait herself. Yet she managed to catch more fish than the both of us together.”

  “I swear she could have caught fish without bait,” Tomas said. “They all but leapt from the water to land at her tiny feet.”

  Tiari and Karma laughed, one low and husky, the other high and sweet, each complimenting the other so that it sounded like music to the ears of those who heard them. “Too bad we can’t see the river from here,” Tiari said. “It might be fun to watch her.”

  “Why didn’t we camp closer to the river?” Karma asked.

  “Because this old grove of trees is too overgrown with brush for us to set the tents among,” Zakiel explained. “It was either camp on this side of the grove, or cross the river and travel another hour to get beyond the boulder field over there.”

  “Good reaso
n,” Karma said, happy to be sitting on the grass in the shade rather than riding Dippy over a field of boulders.

  “Excuse me,” Tiari said, “but may I ask, who is that man over there?” All eyes followed her gaze to a lone man sitting at the edge of the grove, his knees drawn up, head hanging.

  “That’s Marl,” Tomas said. “The Hunter who was taken, then rejoined us some days back. Why do you ask?”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone so sad before,” Tiari replied, tears in her voice for the man she’d never met.

  “His aura?” Karma asked.

  “Yes, it’s so small and yellow, with gray running through it. And a little red, too. I think he’s suffered some trauma so horrific that he cannot bear it.”

  “He cannot remember what happened to him,” Tomas said, wishing he had the right to put his arms around her to soothe her. But they were not even promised yet. To do such a thing without a gold bead on his egora to announce their intentions would damage both of their reputations.

  “The weight of his sorrow will soon destroy him,” Tiari said, turning her gaze on Tomas. “Is there nothing that can be done to help him?”

  “Is there darkness in him?” Karma asked.

  “There is no darkness or evil in him that I can see,” Tiari said. “That is the best I can tell you because I’ve only seen darkness in demons, and he is not a demon.”

  “Marl went missing the same night that Saigar did,” Tomas said. “We’ve been uncertain as to whether he posed a danger or not.”

  “I don’t think he poses a danger to anyone save himself,” Tiari said. “I cannot be positive of course, but that is what I believe.”

  “Thank you, Tiari,” Zakiel said. “Marl has always been a good and honorable man, but we had to be careful of him. I see now that our doubt has fed his own, making his situation worse. I promise you that I will see that he gets all the help he needs.”

  “Thank you, Highness,” Tiari said. “If I can help in any way, please let me know.”