Whisper

by Christine Grey

  “Perception. Too many witnesses. If they could sneak in an assassin during the night, they might try that, although they wouldn’t be likely to get their ransom that way. Things could get interesting once they have been paid, or they may just let us go, there’s really no way to tell. It all depends on how bored they are and if they are dealing with any other threats at the time.”

  Hugh shook his head. “Being a father is the scariest thing I have ever done. It’s worth it, mind you, but it’s terrifying none the less. Just you wait until you and Dearra have little ones of your own.”

  Darius almost choked on the words of comfort he was about to offer the man. Never in a thousand years would he have anticipated that statement coming from Hugh’s lips, and he could only stand there, dumbstruck as a result.

  Hugh clapped a hand to Darius shoulder and offered him a small smile as Daniel returned. “Ah, Daniel,” he said. “Wonderful timing. You had better get going. That horse Carly rides is faster than your mounts, and you don’t want to fall too far behind. Good luck, and be safe.”

  “Thanks, Hugh,” Daniel said, swinging awkwardly into his saddle. “Come on, Darius.”

  Darius had recovered from his conversation with Hugh enough to mount as well. Before leaving, he looked down at Hugh and said, “I’ll protect her with my life, Lord Hugh.”

  “I know you will, Darius. See to it that you protect yourself as well; I’ve grown used to having you around.”

  The two men nodded at one another, and then Daniel and Darius urged their horses forward.

  Daniel and Darius settled into an easy pace and left Bandar behind them.

  “Darius, are you sure we shouldn’t speed things up? Your range with Brin isn’t very far is it?”

  “It’s a lot better here, Daniel. We’ll be fine.”

  “What do you mean it’s better here? Do you mean here in the desert?”

  Darius nodded. “Exactly. This is the place of my birth, and where the magic comes from. The closer we get to Darak, the stronger my ability. It’s not anything I can give you a specific answer to. After all, I’ve never known a dragon before now. Brin is very powerful, and he is doing what he can to amplify his voice for me. That will help too. On Maj, I was too far away from home to get much range with my ability, even with Brin helping.”

  “I always thought magic was magic,” Daniel said. “I never realized there were all of these rules.”

  “Don’t feel bad. It’s my ability, and I didn’t really know either, although, my trainers did warn that distance from Darak would impact those skills to some degree.”

  “Gives me a headache,” Daniel complained, rubbing his forehead with one hand.

  “Come on, Daniel. Let’s catch up to the girls a little. Maybe trying to stay in the saddle will give you something else to think about.”

  ***

  “This is miserable, Carly,” Dearra complained. “I don’t know how you can stand it. It’s so hot, I’m sweaty and sticky in places that were never meant to be sweaty and sticky. My bottom is sore, I think I’m getting a rash, and no offense, but have you ever noticed that Khan smells?”

  Khan threw his head back and snorted, but continued forward at a steady pace.

  “Dearra, I understand that you don’t care for horses much, but we don’t really have much of a choice. I could let you down if you really want to try and run alongside us, but we both know that isn’t very practical.”

  Dearra sighed heavily. “I suppose not,” she said. “It’s just so hot! How much longer do you think we have to go?”

  Carly shrugged. “Darius said it would take us about a day and a half, maybe two, and since we’ve been traveling for…maybe a whole hour now, I would imagine we have a little ways to go yet.

  “Stop complaining so much, Dearra. It will only make the trip longer.”

  “You don’t have to be so mean about it, Carly.”

  “I’m sorry, Dearra. I guess I’m just nervous about the meeting. I want everything to go well.”

  “You? Nervous? I can hardly believe it. This sort of thing must be almost boring for you. You’ve been to court about a hundred times. That’s got to be at least as intimidating as the Breken.”

  “I suppose, but no one has ever tried to kill me at the court of King Jaymes. I’m not quite as confident of my chances in Darak.”

  “They have nothing to gain from harming us,” Dearra said. “True, I feel better being here with you, just in case, but really, this should just be a grand adventure. When you think about it, what makes this any more challenging than any other mission Father has sent you on?”

  “You,” Carly said under her breath.

  “What was that? I couldn’t hear you.”

  “Nothing, Dearra,” Carly said, but in her thoughts she added, Brin, I know you can hear me. Don’t you dare tell her. Since Dearra hadn’t launched into a tirade on the benefits of having her along, Carly could only assume Brin had held quiet.

  Though it was comforting to have Dearra along on the lonely trek across the Breken Desert, Carly worried about how the Breken might tolerate Dearra’s temper, seeing as she wasn’t exactly known for her cool-headed diplomacy.

  Even more of a worry was Carly’s own temper. It was a little frightening to lose control and have no memory of it afterward, though Aesri had assured her the memory loss was only temporary. All Etrafarians went through something similar when they came into their full powers, but the process had been delayed with Carly, due to her Maj upbringing. Also, Aesri had said that Carly had possessed powers from all four elements, making her awakening a little bumpier than most. When Carly had asked Aesri what she’d meant by “bumpy”, she only patted Carly’s hand and told her not to worry about it, Rah knew what He was doing. Carly wished she were as sure about that as Aesri was, but other than trusting her Etrafarian sister, what choice did she have?

  ***

  Brin? Are you there? Dearra thought.

  You always do that. You and Darius both. Where in Tolah’s name would I go?

  Wow, everyone’s bad-tempered today.

  Maybe it’s the company we’re keeping.

  Funny, Brin. You’re a funny, funny dragon. So what I wanted to ask was, what’s Darak going to be like?

  Like?

  Yeah, you know, big? Little? Loud? Quiet? What’s it going to be like?

  Dangerous, Dearra. It’s going to be dangerous.

  ***

  “Darius,” Daniel said.

  “Yes, Daniel?”

  “Are they there?”

  “Yes, they’re just a few dunes ahead of us. Brin says that with so few people to show off for, Khan is setting a more reasonable pace.”

  “That’s good, I was worried for our horses. Strong as they are, they wouldn’t be able to keep up that speed in this heat for long. Do you think they’re all right up there? The girls, I mean.”

  “You think Brin would keep it a secret if they weren’t,” Darius asked.

  “Well, no, but…”

  “But, you worry anyway.”

  “Like you don’t?” Daniel shot back.

  “Peace, Daniel, peace. Yes, I worry, too, but I have Brin feeding me information, and that helps.”

  “Meddling sword.”

  “Well, technically, he’s a dragon.”

  “Bah! Sword. Dragon. Whatever. Magical nuisance if you ask me.”

  Darius laughed aloud, but didn’t argue with his friend. “Daniel, can I ask you something?”

  “Yes, that’s one of your specialties: asking me things, usually things you already know the answer to.”

  Darius glowered, his jaw grew stiff, and he frowned at Daniel’s teasing.

  “Oh, Darius, don’t be that way, now. You know you can ask me anything.”

  Darius stared straight ahead, refusing to meet Daniel’s eyes.

  “Stubborn Breken. I was just giving you a hard time. Don’t be so touchy.”

  Yes, Darius. Don’t be so touchy, Brin said.

  You re
ally want to get involved? Really?

  Um, maybe not. I better just stay focused on the girls.

  Good thinking, Brin.

  “Are you going to ask me, or would you rather just pout?”

  “Breken don’t pout,” Darius said confidently.

  “Really? Not a lot of mirrors where you come from are there?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Just ask the question, Darius.”

  “Well, I know you and Carly are planning on joining when we return to Maj.”

  “That’s not a question, but yes, we are.”

  Darius almost laughed out loud at the wistful expression on Daniel’s face, but good judgment caught him before he made that mistake. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I was wondering, I mean…it must have been…well…when you asked her, did she…How was…What did you—”

  “Spit it out, boy. I’m not getting any younger.”

  Darius made a sound like a low growl.

  “And none of that nonsense, either. I neutered the last dog that growled at me myself. Now he chases rats out of the corn bins all day.”

  Darius snorted and rolled his eyes. “You could try it, old man.”

  “You think you could stop me?”

  “I think fear and common sense would stop you.”

  “Hah! Like I would be afraid of you? Don’t flatter yourself, boy.”

  Darius shook his head, and a knowing grin formed on his face. “Not me, Weapons Master.”

  “What, then?” Daniel asked, truly interested in what Darius thought would scare him.

  “Do you really want to tell Dearra you’ve had me neutered?”

  Daniel thought about the consequences of that conversation for a moment and he shuddered.

  “See what I mean? Scary, right?” Darius asked.

  “Yeah, okay, you win. Not neutered, but there are other things I can do. You don’t get to be Weapons Master of Maj without learning a few things, things that don’t leave marks. Now—what, in the name of Cyrus, do you want to ask me?”

  Darius held up his hands in surrender. “I wanted to know how you asked her. How did you propose?”

  “Well, I—” Daniel stopped abruptly and rubbed his chin absently. “Huh. You know, I don’t think I ever did.”

  “What are you talking about? You are going to join, aren’t you?”

  “Of course we are. I already said that.”

  “Well then? She didn’t ask you, did she?”

  “Certainly not. Don’t be stupid,” Daniel said, his anger rising. “Do you think I would be so inept as to rely on her asking me?”

  “Well…”

  “Careful, Darius.”

  “Well then, what?”

  “I think, if I remember correctly, after we kissed, I told her I would speak with her father. That we would be joined was sort of…understood.”

  “Understood? Do you think that would work? After all, Dearra and I have been inseparable, virtually since we’ve met. Certainly she recognizes that I mean for us to be joined. To require a formal declaration of it seems kind of silly at this point, don’t you think?”

  “I think I never took you for such a dreamer, Darius. Have you completely lost your mind? I told you once not to assume where women were concerned, and never to assume when that woman was Dearra. Do you remember?”

  “Well, yes, but…you said it worked with Carly, and—”

  “Dearra is not Carly. If you try to get away with anything less than an all-out proposal, I think you’re asking for trouble.”

  “Then what should I do? What should I say?”

  “How should I know? I’m joining with Carly; I didn’t have to bother with all of that.”

  “Thanks. Thanks a lot.”

  “Don’t mention it, boy.” Daniel paused before continuing. “Relax, Darius. When the time comes, just speak from your heart. Women love that.”

  “You make it sound so easy.”

  The frustration in his voice was plain and Daniel couldn’t help himself. “I’ll tell you what, Darius, if it will help, you can practice on me. Tell me about my eyes.” Daniel laughed wickedly. Satisfied at the annoyed look on Darius’s face, Daniel gave his horse a nudge and trotted ahead of him.

  Chapter 27

  Phillip

  Father, why are girls so strange? Zuzu came to me last night and asked if I was going to go home for real and leave here. I said sure I was. I mean, that’s kind of the whole point of you coming to get me. She asked if I was really going to ask you to take her with us, and I said I told her I would, didn’t I? She got up and started pacing back and forth really fast, and talking to herself under her breath about fathers and sisters and duty, then she flopped down next to me and asked me to tell her about Maj again.

  See what I mean? Weird.

  She asked if the women on Maj really get to do whatever they want. So I told her, yeah, of course; why wouldn’t they? She asked me if the men ever tell the women no. I told her, sure they do, all the time, but the women usually just laugh and do what they want anyway. Zuzu just shook her head and started mumbling to herself again. She asked if it was true that Dearra really carried a sword and fought just like one of the men, and I said, yeah, it was true. She asked if it was really true that men sewed dresses and cooked food and took care of children. I told her, yeah, that’s true too. She asked if kids get beat on Maj. I told her that sure, sometimes we get spanked on our butts.

  She looked at me like I was crazy when I said that. She said to me, no, she means beat, like with boards, or whips, or…stuff. I didn’t even know how to answer that. I told her one time I heard about someone who got spanked with a switch, but that you told the man that the stick wasn’t the parent, he was, and if he needed it to prove his point, then his case was pretty weak.

  She stared at me for like, two minutes, with those pretty black eyes of hers, and then she just sort of drifted out of the room.

  See, Father? Strange.

  Chapter 28

  The fabric of Dearra’s pants rubbed against her legs as Khan moved beneath her. She was grateful that he had ceased the trotting and switched, instead, to a steady walk. She hadn’t been able to match Carly’s easy grace in the saddle, and Khan’s faster gait had caused a number of painful bruises. Though she wouldn’t add to her bruises with Khan walking, the ones she already had nagged at her constantly, prompting her to shift positions frequently, which only added to the chafing.

  “Dearra, for Cyrus’ sake, sit still! Are you dancing back there?”

  “No, I…I think I may have a problem.”

  About time you spoke up.

  Hush, Brin. In all my discomfort I haven’t complained, not even once.

  Out loud, no. But I can hear you screaming, just the same.

  Carly brought Khan to a halt and turned to face Dearra. “What kind of problem?”

  “I think I may be a little chafed,” Dearra admitted.

  They had been riding for almost ten hours by that time, and while it had been a long day, Carly had hoped they would make a few more miles before they lost their light.

  “When did this start?” Carly asked.

  “Our last visit to Aesri. It was pretty mild then, but it never really healed, and now with all the traveling we’ve done today, I think it’s gotten a lot worse.”

  “Dearra? Why didn’t you say something sooner? Get down. I’ll have to take a look at it.”

  “Oh, no, Carly. Please, it’s so embarrassing.”

  “You’re right, Dearra. Don’t show me, I’ll just stand here and imagine the problem, and you can imagine it being treated, and then you can imagine it feeling better, and we can imagine being on our way. Now, stop being stupid and take your pants off.”

  “No offense, Carly, but I think your inner Etrafarian is a little bit sarcastic. You could be nicer about it.”

  “No offense taken, Dearra, but it’s not my inner Etrafarian. I’ve just been spending a lot more time with you.” Carly quirke
d an eyebrow almost daring her friend to argue the point, but Dearra remained silent, and the moment of anger passed.

  Khan lowered to the sand to allow the girls to dismount, and Dearra gingerly slipped out of her pants. When she removed the soft undergarments, she felt pulling and tearing. Her skin had been rubbed completely raw in spots and the cloth ripped from her skin where the blood had dried.

  “Oh, Dearra,” Carly said sucking in her breath as she spoke. “Now, what are we going to do?”

  “It’s fine. I’m fine, really. If I can just have a small rest, I know I can go on again.”

  Yes, I’m sure ten or fifteen minutes will make everything all better. I wonder what Darius would have to say about that? I bet he would— Oh, Damn!

  What, Brin? What is it?

  Nothing, I uh, I just remembered something. You just let Carly help you.”

  Dearra thought Brin was behaving strangely, but for him, strange was almost normal, which made no sense, but was true none the less. He could be exasperating, but she loved him anyway. If she could have heard what he was thinking at that moment, however, her love might have faded just a bit.

  Darius! Stop!

  What is it, Brin? Is Dearra okay?

  Yes, she’s fine. Just stop! Don’t take even one more step. They are just over the next dune and…just stop.

  You nearly scared me to death, Brin! Don’t do that anymore. What’s the worst that could happen? So they see us. I would prefer we travel together anyway, at least until we get nearer to Darak. Are you really so worried about them seeing us?

  No, I worry about you seeing them.

  What?

  Just, trust me.

  “What’s going on? Why are we stopping?” Daniel demanded.

  “Brin says we need to hold up here. The girls have stopped up ahead.” Darius stood in the stirrups and swung a leg over his horse’s back and dropped to the sand. It had been a long time since he had needed to ride, and he was starting to notice the protest of muscles not often used. “You might as well take this opportunity to get down, Daniel. If I’m feeling it, I know you are.”