by Bridie Blake
“How do I do it?”
“Be honest with people, and they will trust you as a leader. If not, show them what you can do with a sword.”
Tempani kissed the older woman’s hands. “I will make you proud.”
“You already have, my daughter.”
“I guess this is goodbye,” she whispered, trying to hold back her tears.
“For now. May the Goddess protect you,” she said. “And promise me something?”
“Anything.”
“Keep Darby safe. He is an old friend.”
Tempani nodded, and as she walked away from her mentor, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding. A sense that she really was leaving the protective circle of Mother Chennai forever. She wiped away her tears and whistled for Tilaw to join her. He bounded over and launched himself into his place in Mincha’s saddle.
As she approached the gate she heard raised voices. She quickened her pace and found Chae and Teddy staring each other down.
“You’re not staying here,” Chae said. “You’ll be safer with us.”
“I’ve told you, I’m not going. This is where I belong.”
Chae swore at him and then pointed at a horse. “Get on.”
“What’s going on?” Tempani asked as she shouldered her way through.
“He thinks he’s staying here,” Chae said and pointed at Teddy. “Tell him how ridiculous he’s being.”
Teddy rolled his eyes and turned to Tempani. “You know why I have to stay. I belong here.”
“Are you sure?” She asked him.
He nodded and pulled her into a hug. “If anyone comes for you here I will give a false lead. I’ll be fine. This is a sacred place. No harm will come to us.”
“All right,” she said. “But if at any point you think you’re in danger, leave. Get everyone out of here and go.”
“I will,” he promised. “And when you’re ready to lead the fight, I will be there.” He turned to Chae and offered his hand. “I appreciate the concern, but I’m staying.”
Chae took his hand and patted his back. “Just be safe.” He then turned and helped Dahlia climb into her saddle, missing the fleeting sadness that crossed over Teddy’s face.
Teddy turned to Colbert. “Leandra is fine. She has been sent to a safehouse.”
Colbert nodded and gripped Teddy’s hand in thanks.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Madoc muttered.
Tempani bit back a smile. Bhatia rode up to join them, Thara right behind her. Bhatia had picked up a sword from somewhere, and it bounced against her leg as she trotted along.
“She doesn’t need to come with us,” Madoc said. “We’ve got more than enough people already.”
Bhatia scowled at him, her green eyes flashing with dislike.
“She’s my charge,” Tempani responded. “I need to train as many women as I can.”
“And the other girl?”
“She’s with me,” Bhatia hissed. “Someone needs to keep an eye on things since your men don’t seem to be doing a very good job of it.”
Madoc stepped forward, but Tempani placed a hand on his arm. “Leave it.”
He muttered a string of obscenities and then cleared his voice. “Let’s go.”
Tempani mounted Mincha and turned to Darby. “Where are we heading?”
“South,” he said. “Let’s start gathering your followers.”
Tempani bid a silent farewell to the convent and kicked Mincha into a gallop, sending a prayer to the Goddess to keep them safe as the wind sent her hair flying.
~8~
FAMILY TIES
The sun beat down on them as they pushed on. They moved quickly, desperate to put space between them and the convent. Tempani just hoped they wouldn’t be tracked south.
Madoc led the way with Rando, while Chae brought up the rear with Keane, their eyes alert for any signs of trouble.
Zadi rode close to Tempani, her eyes as alert as the men’s. Tempani often wondered what Zadi’s role in all of this was. She seemed to be deeply invested in the rebellion, and it couldn’t just be because Tempani was her mistress. There had to be more, but she couldn’t work out what it was. And like most Kalaowins, Zadi was good at giving nothing away.
Not like Tempani. Her eyes gave everything away. And now so did the weather. She had gotten better at controlling the effect her emotions had on the weather, but when she was hit by a sudden, strong feeling, the control dropped. Just the other day her anger got the better of her and a cluster of storm clouds rolled in. She fought it and once she went inside herself and calmed her anger, they slowly passed.
She wondered what would happen in the heat of battle if she felt a sudden rise of anger or despair. Would she be able to harness that and use it to her advantage or would it grow out of control and be to her detriment?
This was the problem of endless riding. Her mind ran rampant. It moved from one thought to another and it was tiring. By the time they retired to rest at the end of each day, she fell fast asleep, only waking when Zadi shook her each morning and they started all over again.
It had been four days since they left the convent. Darby had told her they were going to reach out to the Kalaowins but that was all he would say. She assumed they were headed straight to the Shiasa herself. It made sense. Get her on side and all other tribes would follow.
They sat around the fire after a long day of riding. Normally they would have broken off into groups to discuss tactics or practice healing, but tonight they were content to sit among friends and switch off from their task.
Out here they were all equal. The commoners sat with the nobles and shared the brandy as it was passed around the fire. The men joked with their commander and teased her for tripping over a rock that morning.
Watching them all, she felt a sense of hope that she could succeed in building the Kamara she wanted.
“I wonder what we’d be doing if we were back in Fenella,” Dahlia mused from her spot on the ground, where she sat leaning against Chae’s legs.
“Probably at some ball or feast where we’d have to make nice with everyone in the room,” said Chae.
“And dance with every insufferable man that asks me,” she laughed.
“Gee, thanks,” Madoc muttered as he passed the brandy to Chae. “And here I thought my conversation skills had improved.
“You’re definitely one of the few gems in that snake pit,” said Tempani.
“Did you just call me a gem? Am I not your fearless commander?”
“Well you do shine from top to toe,” Keane said as he joined the circle. “Indiro, you’re on watch.”
Indiro grumbled as he got to his feet. “If I climb up your butt like Keane, do I get a break from watch?”
Madoc glared at him.
“Clearly not,” he mumbled as he wandered off.
“Bhatia, what would you be doing?” Dahlia asked.
The fiery brunette raised an eyebrow at her. “Entertaining the men who grew tired of your ball.”
Dahlia blushed as she looked away. “Oh, well, that’s... um, that’s lovely.”
“Lovely?” Tempani whispered to her friend.
“What else am I supposed to say?” She whispered back.
She squeezed Dahlia’s hand. She never had a harsh word to say about anyone or anything.
“Don’t worry Dahlia, your man never came looking for some fun.”
“I wasn’t worried,” she stammered.
Chae squeezed her shoulder. “You will never have to worry with me.”
Bhatia rolled her eyes. “The younger ones are all the same. So full of promises of faithfulness and love. Wait a few years, and then you’ll see how the world works.”
“Some men do remain faithful,” said Tempani.
“Yes, in fairytales. I’ve seen too much to believe in happily ever afters.”
“Then I feel sorry for you.”
“No need to feel sorry for me. I don’t.”
“So, Colbert,” Da
hlia said, desperate to change the subject. “What would you be doing?”
He looked at her and smiled. “Sitting with Leandra. Possibly thinking of names for our baby.”
“Now, that’s lovely,” Tempani said and nudged Madoc with her foot. “Madoc, what about you? Fighting off all those ladies who swoon over you, no doubt.”
He groaned and stretched his legs. “Those men you call insufferable have nothing on the ladies. I’ve never heard so much nonsense in my life.”
“Watch it,” Tempani warned. “One of those girls may well steal your heart.”
“Not for me.”
“You need someone who can hold their own against you. Who won’t bore you to tears with mindless chatter.”
Dahlia nodded. “She will need to have some fire. And be intelligent.”
“You know,” Tempani said slowly as she turned to Bhatia. “I think I know of someone.”
“Over my dead body,” Bhatia said through gritted teeth.
“Mine first,” said Madoc.
“See you’re already bonding,” Tempani laughed.
Bhatia rose abruptly. “I’m going to bed.”
Thara followed her wordlessly.
“Great, now I’m going to have nightmares about her sneaking up behind me and slicing my throat,” he groaned.
“I wonder what Nic and Xanthir are up to,” said Chae. “It’s strange not having them around.”
“Hopefully they’re keeping an eye on Hallam. If Teddy’s right about him...”
“Don’t even say it,” Tempani interrupted Madoc. “They will be fine. Papa was dedicated to the king so now he’ll look after Nic.”
“It’s weird to think of him as king now,” Chae said. “Just think, if you’d stayed there, you’d be queen.”
“I’d be dead,” she corrected him. “If Hallam could kill his own brother, he’d have no problems getting rid of me. I’m surprised he hasn’t come after me yet.”
Madoc stared down at his hands as Chae suddenly found the tree behind him very interesting.
“He’s come after me?” She exclaimed. “Why hasn’t anyone told me?”
“There’s only been two men,” Madoc said quickly. “We caught them and disposed of them quickly.”
“We didn’t want you to worry,” said Chae. “You’ve got enough to deal with.”
“You should have told me,” she snapped. “I’m supposed to make the decisions around here, aren’t I? Next time, get me.”
As she stormed off she heard Madoc mutter to Chae. “I knew we should have told her.”
On her way to her bedroll she noticed Darby sitting alone, leaning against one of the trees as he drank. He had been distant since they’d left the convent. He was with them in body, but his mind was elsewhere.
She trudged over to him and sat beside him. “It’s quiet out.”
“Oddly peaceful,” he murmured.
“It’s all right to be sad about it, you know.”
“I was relieved.” Darby shook his head and sighed. “The first thing I felt was relief. How horrible does that make me? Pure relief that one of my oldest friends was murdered. The problem was now out of my hands.”
Tempani reached out and squeezed his hand.
“He wasn’t a terrible man,” he said. “He accepted me and I was a commoner but the older he got the more his beliefs changed. He changed. The influence of myself and Tryphena became diminished as he surrounded himself with people like Hallam and Ricton.”
“Try to remember the man who befriended you and not the weak king he became. As a man, I’m sure there were good things. Look at Teddy and Nic. They are a product of him.”
“Oh no,” he said. “Teddy is all Tryphena. Without a doubt. Nic, on the other hand…”
“Could become his father,” she finished for him. “I worry about that too.”
His hands shook as he brought the wineskin to his lips. “I have to tell you something,” he said before taking a long drink. “I’ve wanted to tell you sooner, but we couldn’t afford for you to lose control at the palace.”
Her body tensed.
He glanced at her. Tears swam in his eyes. “Hamalia’s death. They weren’t ordinary bandits. Wimarc didn’t order it directly. He knew how much his wife loved her, and he truly did care for your father... he could have stopped it but he didn’t.”
Tempani’s eyes widened in horror. “So that makes him blameless does it? He didn’t want to do it himself, but he didn’t want to stop it either? Does my father know about this?”
Darby lowered his head, and Tempani had her answer.
“How?” She cried. “How could he be friends with a man who did that? She was his wife!”
“Tempani, please calm down.” He anxiously looked up at the sky as the thunder roared.
“Calm down? You just told me that the palace ordered the murder of my mother!”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
She glared at him. “If Wimarc didn’t order it then who did?”
Darby shook his head. “I shouldn’t have told you.”
“Who was it?” She demanded. “Darby!”
“Hallam.”
“We’re going back,” she snapped. “I want him dead.”
“If you go back, you will be dead. Don’t you see that? He went after Hamalia because he thought she was the one. The only reason you’re still alive is because of Nic. The protection his courting you brought was too much. You were never alone. He just needed to drive a wedge between you.”
“That night Nic turned up drunk.”
“Hallam’s doing. With Nic out of the picture, you would be easier to take out. We killed an assassin on our way to the convent. And two scouts since we left there.”
“But if we kill him, it’ll all be over.”
“And Lord Ricton?” He asked. “He’s powerful. You can’t just march up to the palace and expect to kill them both. You’re not ready.”
She glared at him, knowing he was right. If she tried to take them on now, she would be killed in an instant and the people suffering now would continue to suffer. Her revenge would have to wait. “I’ll get ready. And when I am, he will pay.”
“Tempani,” he called out after her as she started to walk away. “I’m so sorry.”
“You told the truth in the end,” she said. “That counts for something.”
—
Today their pace was slower as the ground grew rockier. They were close to the mountains that belonged to the Kalaowins. Tempani sat up straighter in her saddle. Finally, she and Chae would be among their mother’s people.
The sun was high in the cloudless sky, and it burned her skin. She saw the dense forest ahead and was anxious to reach it and have a break from the heat. She let out a sigh of relief once she was completely immersed in the forest.
She leapt from her saddle and waded into the cool stream, Tilaw at her heel. She bent over and threw her head into the water and quickly out again. She flung her head back and shook out her wet hair, loving the feel as it trickled down her neck and back. Tilaw jumped up on her, his paws resting on her shoulders, and licked her face.
“Bleh!” She cried and wiped the back of her hand over her mouth. “I love you too,” she laughed sadly. The chat with Darby was still fresh on her mind. She was trying not to dwell on it when there was nothing she could do about it. Not yet anyway. In the meantime she would do everything she could to prepare herself for battle.
Tilaw pushed off her and ran after a butterfly that was flapping near his nose. She was about to run after him when she heard it. An arrow being strung to a bow. She spun around to the group, some were wading in the water, and others were stretching out their muscles after hours spent in the saddle. They hadn’t heard it. Tempani shrugged, assuming she’d imagined it. She was on edge after all. She reluctantly pulled herself from the water and strode over to Chae, just to double check that he hadn’t heard anything.
She had chosen not to tell him about Halla
m. Knowing Chae he would want to act straight away, and unlike her he may not be able to see the bigger picture. His commitment to their journey was not as strong.
He looked at her like she was crazy when she asked. “How can you possibly hear a bow being strung? The person stringing it can barely hear it.”
“You’re right,” she said. “I guess I’m more tired than I realized.”
“How about we set up camp here for the night?” He suggested as Madoc wandered over.
Tempani shook her head. “We haven’t gone far enough today.”
Chae rested his hand on her shoulder. “We’ll have someone on watch all night,” he said. “You need to rest. This whole thing will be pointless if you die of exhaustion.”
“I’ll do a quick check of the perimeter,” Madoc offered and walked off, calling for Rando to go with him.
“We’ll be fine,” Chae said.
She nodded but couldn’t shake the feeling in her stomach that something was wrong.
Tempani sat quietly around the fire and picked at the rabbit Thara had prepared for them all. Tilaw was stretched out at her feet, happily chewing on a stick. Darby was deep in conversation with the men. Tempani would normally have thrown herself into their talks of strategy, but tonight she just didn’t have it in her.
Dahlia was with Bhatia and Colbert, learning the uses of certain herbs. She had taken to it like a duck to water. Tempani knew she would be a healer if they won. She had the compassion for it. Bhatia, on the other hand, had the knack for it, but her heart seemed devoted to fighting with her Power. To protect those who couldn’t defend themselves.
She looked around and wondered where Thara had disappeared to. Tempani understood she still wasn’t comfortable around the men and contemplated whether she ever would be. The treatment she’d received from her former master ran deeper than just physical scarring. She couldn’t imagine ever being able to come back from something like that. But Tempani would try to help her. Of that she was certain.
Her thoughts drifted back to the convent and the friends she’d left behind. She respected Teddy’s decision to stay behind and follow his calling to the Gods. Now that his father was no longer with them, there was nothing stopping him from pursuing his dreams. Did he perhaps see his father’s death as a blessing?
