Rakam smiled. Then he froze. Upon his face was an expression of horror, wide-eyed and slack jawed he sat on the rock, unmoving. Negara was immediately enraged, remembering the joke he had played on her before. She was about to unleash her anger in bitter words when Rakam raised his hands and yelled, “Look out!”
Negara turned to see what had sparked fear in her husband. Racing toward them was the katabo. It was down on all fours, running headlong as it would do when it meant to overwhelm its prey. The beast was black as night, its shaggy mane striped with gray. Its yellow eyes glowed in the near darkness and its wide maw was open, showing knife like teeth and a lolling tongue as it rushed toward them.
As Negara dived out of the katabo’s path, reaching for her discarded weapons, a stick hit the ground behind of her. A wall of red flame bloomed out of the darkness, shielding the Princess from harm. There was a miserable howl of pain from the beast, but the fire had not stopped the katabo’s mad rush.
When the Princess looked up, she saw the katabo coming toward her through the flames, all ablaze itself, pawing the ground like mad and snapping its wide jaws this way and that, trying to catch whatever flesh it could in its mouth as it ran. Her bow in hand, Negara grabbed at her arrows, taking the feathered shafts of three from the quiver in her haste. She let the others fall as her fingers settled upon the one she desired, her hand knowing by practice and skill where the arrow should go.
By the power of some instinct, the katabo found her through its haze of pain. Growling menacingly, it closed the distance between them. A rock flew through the air and struck the burning katabo in the head. It yelped and was for the moment stunned, shaking its head as it struggled to regain its senses.
Negara in the meantime had found her legs. She raised her bow, coolly setting the arrow and taking aim. In her mind there was only her target and the deed that must be done. She knew the spot she was looking for, knew the arrow could only do its work if shot precisely into the great beast’s weak spot.
The katabo could not be stopped by a single rock. Shaking off the blow of the stone, it saw one of the little striders close by. It was the smaller of the two. The little thing had raised its quill defiantly, but only one would be no threat. In times past, the katabo had been struck by several such quills even in its soft places, and it had not only survived but had conquered. The blood lust and the hunger burning in its stomach and pushing all else from its mind, the katabo leaped up and made its last attack.
The arrow from Negara’s bow shot straight and true, the tip of the shaft shining as if made from the very stuff of the stars in the heavens above. The arrow struck the beast in the eye, making a terrible crunching sound as it sunk deep into the skull. The katabo was dead instantly. The power of its limbs destroyed, it crashed to the ground, skidding to a stop as Negara jumped lightly to the side to avoid it toppling down upon her.
Coolly brushing the dust from the sleeve of her silk undergarments, Negara sighed and said, “The females often hunt in packs, but this one is a male, a big one, too. I don’t see any more, do you?”
The excitement over, Rakam began looking about them, realizing they could still be in danger. “What in the world was that?” he said wonderingly, coming down from the perch he had made on the rock to stand near her.
“What was what?” the Princess said indifferently.
“What happened to that arrow?”
“Nothing,” she said with a grin.
“Remember that I am a Kasisi. I know the working of magiks when I see them.”
“The shaft was tipped in the metal of the heavens. That is all. You must have seen a reflection of the sister moons.”
“Reflection of the moons?” Rakam said incredulously as he waved his hands skyward. “With these rain clouds?”
Negara only shrugged.
“That’s not it at all,” Rakam went on relentlessly. “I know better. As mighty as the stuff of the heavens may be, I’ve never seen the like of that before. That was your doing, and I’d like to learn how it was done.”
“May a new wife have no secrets from her husband?” she said, smiling the smile that made Rakam wonder about the very nature of women. “Yes, spoil my fun if you must. That was a little addition of my own. I came to it quite by accident. It was on my first scouting expedition. The others, boys, were playing a trick on me. They thought to lose me in the deep forest in the coming of night, but they did not see the signs that the katabo was near. Neither did I. Then I found myself alone and in great peril.”
“But you are the King’s daughter. Who would do such a thing to you?”
“The sons of other nobles, spoiled brats thinking it was all some great joke and the dangers of the world our fathers warned us against did not exist.”
“No wonder you found no husband from the men of your city.”
“For that reason,” she said, taking his hand, “and others. But we should find Betu and make sure she is unharmed, and then start a fire, just in case it was not alone.”
Calling for Betu, Rakam nodded his head toward the burning carcass, saying, “Will fire keep us safe? It didn’t slow that one much. Fire scares most animals, is the katabo so different? I marvel at the pain it must have endured before it died.”
As if suddenly remembering something about the katabo as it lay before her, Negara began scooping handfuls of the rocky sand from the riverbank, using it to put out the portions of the beast that were still ablaze. “The katabo was in the thrall of the hunt, already committed to the attack. It was given utterly to its instinct and could do nothing else but act in the way of its kind.”
Betu appeared from the water on the opposite bank. She turned to face them, chattering angrily as she had before. Negara laughed, but Rakam wasn’t equally amused. He called for Betu to return to them, but she did not, having found a fish in her hurry to escape. She ate the meal as Rakam made a gesture of frustration and walked away.
Rakam bent to the ground, taking up the sand as Negara had done. “Here, let me help you. Is it edible?”
“A little crispy maybe.”
“But is it poison?”
“No, it’s very good. The liver is rich and the meat has a wholesome flavor. The sinews make the best bowstrings. We will save some of those. It is too bad that we won’t have time to cure the hide, though. The fur is exceptionally warm.”
About to spread his second handful of sand upon the flame, Rakam came to a realization. “Wait,” he said, focusing his mind. The flames flickered. A small portion of the fire died, but the rest continued burning. “Well, it was worth a try.”
“Easily kindled but not so easily controlled,” said Negara, sounding like she was repeating a lesson.
“True, but I always wondered why it must be so. Even though the fires dance for Kolojo like none other, he still does hardly better than I do in quenching the flame.”
“Maybe it’s because once a fire begins, it has a life of its own. It’s like a river that way, always moving on.”
Thinking for a moment, Rakam said, “Fire and water are so unalike, but it’s strange to me that in this way they are not so different. That’s an interesting observation. I will have to talk to Mabetu about it.”
“Not so fast,” said Negara, taking Rakam’s hand as he made to extinguish the last of the fire, “you will want to save some of the fire you have made. I think we’re safe enough here. Do you want to begin dressing the kill or collecting wood?”
“I would feel better if you were here. It’s protected, and I’ll leave Betu,” Rakam said, standing, but he could not hide the weariness he felt as he came to his feet. He had to steady himself, regain balance, and a dark haze shadowed his eyes as ever the darkness of the Long Night had done. The efforts against the katabo had taken a toll. Now that he no longer had the dangers about him, he felt the effect of working so much magic fire.
A pained look on her face, but not yet ready to confront her husband with her concerns, the Princess said, “I don’t think Betu likes me ve
ry much.”
“Don’t be silly,” said Rakam, his strength returning.
“But you are so important to….”
Rakam cut her off. “And, you are important to me. But listen, if you want me to stay here I will.”
“Will you heed my warnings of the dangers of the Long Night?”
Rakam nodded. “For that I owe you an apology. I was being foolish.”
“And, I was too much concerned, for that I owe you an apology.” Deciding, the Princess said, “Then you will go, and I will stay.”
“Why don’t we finish what we started instead,” said Rakam. Smiling, he took her hands in his and brought her to him. They kissed.
“It smells pretty bad,” said Negara, meaning the burning fur of the katabo.
Laughing, Rakam said, “Yah, I can taste it in my mouth.”
“We can make more fire, later. Why don’t we both get some wood?”
“And give Betu some time to herself.”
Turning from the smoldering carcass, they gathered their weapons and headed into the forest. The skies remained dark, promising a storm. Far off, thunder rumbled.
“We had better be quick. I’d like to explore that cave. It would be nice not to sleep wet again,” said Rakam, gathering a few dead branches into his arms.
Negara, only a half dozen paces off, found a branch of significant size. She had her axe, but the limb had fallen long ago. Placing her foot at about the middle, she lifted an end, neatly breaking the branch in two. The sharp crack of the dry wood made Rakam start, but realizing what it was that made the sound, he relaxed again. Seeing his caution, Negara smiled, satisfied.
When they had filled their arms, they returned to the waterfall. The rain was just beginning, but threatened to increase steadily. What was only a light drizzle soon became torrents. Exhausted from their efforts, they gave up on the preparation of the carcass and took shelter in the cave.
The cave was in a good spot, above ground level. They found the water flowed down the cliff and away from the cave to the river through a shallow channel, leaving them dry and thankful for having found such a refuge. Soon they had a good fire blazing, and they sat down to enjoy some food and some much earned rest.
“So why didn’t you use your new talent?” Negara asked, cutting the katabo’s heart into small pieces.
Piercing the meat with green bows, Rakam said, “I tried. It didn’t work. That’s when I threw the rock.”
“But you were able to work fire.”
“Yes, and while you were collecting your things, I broke a small rock to pieces.”
“Then why didn’t it work on the katabo? You could have broken its bones or suffocated it like you did me.”
“The katabo wore no armor,” said Rakam after a moment of thinking.
“What?”
“When I attacked you, I thought you were a Shaintani, and tried to crush your armor like squashing a bug.”
Setting the meat to roast over the fire, Negara said, “So you acted upon what was not living, like stones or dead wood, or the metal of weapons and armor.”
“I never thought about it before, but you may be correct. But I can kindle flame on live flesh, or on dry ground where no fuel exists, if only for a short time.”
Negara placed the last of the meat and came away from the fire so she would not cook herself. Rakam gestured to her, and she sat down with him, resting in his arms, watching the flames at play. Lightning flashed, and they saw that Betu had returned. The river dog, unaffected by the rain because of her wonderful, oily fur, entered the cave, going slowly at first, smelling her way doubtfully. Once inside, she found Rakam’s satchel and settled herself inside.
“Someone’s still upset with us,” Negara said. “When the rain stops, I will get her some of the katabo liver. It is much better than fish.”
“If the rain ever stops.”
She nodded in agreement, satisfied with their cave and the welcome protection it gave them. “We should test this new gift of yours, find out what it works against, and what it doesn’t. It is always best to know the limits of your strength.”
His kissed her neck, saying, “You are speaking as a Champion now, but that sounds like good advice, just as long as I can have a little food and rest first.”
“If I do not always speak as a Champion, that is how I think and act. Being a Champion is a part of who I am.”
“And, I love you for it, but right now, as the meat is cooking and we are dry, I would rather have the part of you that is my new wife, and that would please her husband in their lover’s time when all other concerns are far behind us.” Negara rolled over and made good on his request.
Chapter 20
Leaving the cave and waterfall, Rakam and Negara followed the course of the stream to its source high in the mountains where they struck out across the ridge on their way to the Gray Rock Village. After the encounter with the katabo, they were more wary than ever of the dangers of the Long Night, but whether because of their new diligence or because of luck, no dangers found them.
“Do you think this road is safe?” asked Rakam. “I don’t see any tracks and with all the climbing, it certainly would save us some effort and speed us on our way.”
“You call this a road?” Negara replied to Rakam’s question with a snort, her eyes shining dully in the night.
“Yes,” said Rakam brightly, tearing himself away from her gaze and pointing toward the ground. The rain clouds persisted; and it was especially dark, but he could still make out some detail in their surroundings. “Look here, there are wheel ruts. This is a cart path, better than a lot of roads I traveled on, though I suppose nothing compares with the stone pavements they use in your city.”
“It is our city now, remember?”
Rakam shrugged. “I don’t know if I’m ready to think about that yet.”
“Get used to it. The notion won’t grow any sweeter with dread.”
“Each problem in its time. There are other things to occupy my thoughts.”
“You had best do your thinking now, as well. When we reach the village, our precious quiet and privacy will come to an end.”
“And what of our lover’s time?”
Negara smiled, blushed, “We shall see.”
* * *
The path improved as they went on, servicing what looked to be a number of small mines cut into the mountainside. Finally, they came to a road wide enough for two carts to pass and were encouraged they were headed in the right direction. After a long march they came to a well, where they sat and drank and rested.
“Wait,” Rakam said in a whisper, putting up his hand and sitting very still. Betu was lying across his lap and had stiffened, the food clutched in her small paws uneaten.
Standing, Rakam slipped the river dog into his satchel and readied himself for whatever creature he might be about to face. Negara put down her pack in a night shadow behind the well, and drawing an arrow from her quiver, bent the bow to ready.
With a nod of the head, the Princess indicated to her husband they should take cover nearby. Deciding she must have heard or guessed something he hadn’t, Rakam followed Negara’s instructions without question. When they made the safety of a copse, Negara said nothing, but stared fixedly at the road. Rakam wished he knew what she was thinking. He tried to get her attention, but she flashed him a look of irritation that was surely practiced for young, willful warriors.
Stifling a moment of anger, he focused his efforts on finding out what the concern was, hoping perhaps to point out the cause before his wife could give it form. No sooner had Rakam thought he had heard the sound of men’s voices than Negara broke from their hiding spot, calling out, “Hail, good soldiers, the Princess Negara of the Marsh City greets you. Hail!”
Rakam followed after his wife, trying not to trip over the dead branches that lay on the ground. Never had he made such a formal greeting, and he suddenly realized she had said nothing about him. The thought made his temper flare.
“Hail, Negara, Princess of the Holy Lands,” a man replied. “I’m Bantu of the Gray Rock and Warrior Chieftain to the Army of Timbo, Kasisi of the Sacred Grove. We welcome you and seek news of your strife with the Shaitani hordes.”
“What is this of Timbo and his people?” asked Negara, giving Rakam a meaningful look. “We feared they had been lost.”
Closing the distance between them on the road, Bantu strode forward. He was a good-looking man, tall and muscular, and he wore the dress of the warriors of the mountains. His arms were adorned with more trophies than Rakam had ever seen collected in one place. Not even a warrior of the Marsh King had ever been so honored.
With him, Bantu had perhaps fifty men. They all looked as proud and as fierce as their Chieftain. They were armed with bows and spears, and the metal teeth of the weapons shined like ice in the darkness. They followed their leader in perfect formation, looking to Rakam like ordered pins in a child’s game.
Making a deep bow, Bantu said, “We feared the same for you. Have the MaShaitani not yet attacked your lands?”
“Not since we left, at the falling of the Long Night. My husband and I are under orders from the King to gather all of our people to the safety of the Marsh City.”
As he came to stand before her, Bantu bent to one knee before Negara, sweeping off his head what had been the helm of a Shaitani once, but what was now plumed and painted in the honoraria of his rank. With a sudden look of surprise, he recognized the many teeth and claws Negara had sewn upon her hauberk, saying with admiration, “Are those from the katabo? No, they couldn’t be.”
Returning the handsome man a smile of pride, Negara said, “Yes, these are the canines, two for each kill.”
The man was nearly struck dumb. “That would mean…”
Laughing, she said, “Yes, I have a certain knack for finding trouble.”
“But all by yourself?”
“Yes, and these are new,” she said, displaying the largest of her collection, those from the waterfall katabo.
Rakam mumbled, “I helped a little with those.”
Reign of the Nightmare Prince Page 18
