by Sandra Lang
There are people everywhere when we land on the shores of Mosh’lak – the first people. The host tribe is large enough without representatives from the other six visiting tribes. Ten of us came from Kurtu’lak – the people of the sun – while the numbers vary within the other tribes. The most come from the southernmost tribe Prate’lak – the people of the plain – with a full fifteen in attendance.
Our group is one of the last to arrive, so the land surrounding the village is crowded by tents of different colors grouped together. The space Mosh’lak set aside is marked with a rope. We set up our tents in the space and haul our trading boxes into the small camp. At first, I help the men out by carrying the lighter bags. This becomes difficult, however, when I start to notice my friends from other tribes. I wave at them and they wave back at me.
I grab the bag that holds the hide for my tent when my father stops me.
“You will be sleeping in my tent, Akari,” he says.
I frown at him and begin rolling up the hide. “Why? I am capable of sleeping alone. I am not afraid.”
“It is the ‘alone’ part I am concerned with,” he says as another tribesman from Mosh’lak waves to me and I return the gesture.
“Okay.” I do not understand the concern my father has. The men who wave at me I have met before and am glad to see their familiar faces. They are friends and nothing more. My father does not see that; blinded by his protective nature.
Tarok walks up to us soon after and stands at my side. “Do you need help, Yakon?”
My father shakes his head. “I appreciate that, Tarok. But I need to show these young men that Akari is not to be trifled with.”
Tarok nods, understanding the man’s need to ensure the safety of his youngest daughter. He continues to stand beside me even as he talks with my father about the plan for trading and the materials we need most back home. His presence is unnerving and causing the men of the other tribes to give me wary looks when they see me.
“Wise Woman of Kurtu’lak,” the elderly Wise Woman from our host tribe, Mosh’lak, says holding her arms open to me. I walk into them with a smile. She holds me at arm’s length after a warm embrace and smirks. “Child, I think you have grown.”
She presses her hand to my belly, much to my father’s dismay. “No, I do not feel a baby. Have you not bound yourself to a man yet?”
My face flushes viciously. “No, I have not, Masha. And I did not come here to be re-introduced to the eligible sons of your tribe, either.”
She clucks her tongue and wraps her arm around my shoulders. “You do not mind, Yakon, do you?”
My father cannot say no because she is already pulling me away from our space. I catch Tarok watching me carefully and offer a reassuring smile. He does not know these people as I do. I spent two summers with them and am as close to family with them as a person can be without binding themself into the tribe.
“You will have to forgive me, Akari. With the way the young Chief has been standing around you, I assumed that you already belonged to him.”
I shake my head. “Tarok and I are just friends. The future Chief and the Wise Woman need some sort of relationship if we are to survive.”
She quirks her eyebrow up at me. “And what kind of relationship is one in which two lovers are separated?”
“Masha!” I squeak. “There is no love between us.”
“I can hear the sadness in your voice, Akari. How long do you plan on fooling yourself?”
“I am not fooling myself, Masha. Where are we going? I thought you were showing me off to the village.”
“Why would I do that? You seem to be blind to your own body as well.” Her hand moves to my small waist and the sash holding my clothes tightly around me. “All the men already know you are here.”
“Oh please,” I say to brush her off.
“Just you watch. I bet that each of the eligible men will come to talk with you. You know how rare winter children are. Let alone winter children who are born with the blessing of the moon and not the sun.” She tucks a strand of dark hair behind my ear as she chuckles. “Though I daresay that Tarok will not allow them much closer than a full tribe away.”
“You are making things up, Masha. And here I thought you were respectable.”
“When you get to my age, child, you will find joy in many things. Including the teasing of your favorite Wise Woman – just do not tell the others.”
I giggle as we continue walking through the bustling village.
“I thought you could stay with me in my hut. Let the men do their business while we do the real work.” She winks at me.
“I would love to, Masha. But my father is insisting I stay with him. Less trouble I can get into if I am sleeping in my father’s tent.”
“I doubt there will be any funny business regarding you with Tarok as your protector.”
“Stop seeing things where they are not.”
She slaps me upside the head. “Start seeing things where they are.”
I rub the spot and frown at her. “No I am not. He is the one who does not want me. He is just protective of me because I am the equivalent of his younger sister.”
“I see.” We stop walking in front of the Kurtu’lak space where my father is helping set out the items we intend to trade.
Masha kisses my cheek in good-bye and promises me she will see me at the celebration tonight.
My father and I then go to visit with the tribesmen from Prate’ilan – the village of the plainsmen – which is the village my mother was born in. Before my mother and father bound themselves together, Prate’ilan was under threat of raiders from the south. They called on the other six tribes for aid. My father went with the others from our tribe. He met my mother there and they fell in love. When the threat was dealt with, she went with my father and they have been together ever since.
“My brother,” one of the men says and holds his arm out to grasp my father’s.
“It has been a long time, Miwwat.” They saw each other last summer, but among our people that is a long time to go without seeing family.
“How is my sister?” he asks.
“She is well. And your family?”
“They are healthy. My son was given his first son this spring.”
“My congratulations. Will you be coming to the Summit held in Kurtu’ilan next summer?”
Miwwat smiles warmly. “And I plan on bringing my sister home with me.”
“I wish you the best of luck with that. She is very set in her ways.”
The two men laugh uproariously. My mother is known to them both as the most stubborn woman alive. Miwwat wipes a tear of laughter from his eye and hugs me. “It is good to see you again, young Wise Woman.”
“And you as well, Uncle.”
“Are you with child yet?” he asks as he lets me go.
“She is not even intended, Miwwat,” Father scolds.
“Why is everyone so obsessed with me carrying a child?” I ask. “You are not the first person today who has asked me this.”
“I just thought with how the young Chief watches over you that…” he trails off.
“No, we are not. And you can go around telling everyone that if you like.” I say.
To which my father adds, “Do not listen to her. Tell them all that Akari is not available to anyone.”
A loud whistle draws my attention. I look away from the two men and see the warrior I recognize as a friend from Mosh’lak. I place my hand on my father’s shoulder and say, “I am going to see some friends.”
He follows my gaze and sees the man I am intending to visit. “Find Tarok and take him with you,” he says.
“It is not my day to watch him, Father. I will see you at the celebration.” I lean up, kiss his cheek and run off.
My dearest friend from Mosh’ilan – the village of the first people – grins at me and opens his arms. I run into them and he spins me around. I inhale the scent of the forest earth clinging to his skin. He finally puts me down, cups my face, and p
resses his lips against my forehead. “Little Akari, how long has it been now?” he says looking at me with a toothy smile.
“Far too long, Erak.”
He holds me away from him and examines me. “You do not look like that little sixteen winter girl anymore.”
I blush. “People tend to change.”
He smirks. “Not like you have.” He peers at me a little closer. “Are those breasts I see?”
I fold my arms over my chest and gawk at his brazenness. “Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”
“No, only pretty women. Care to be one of them?”
I smack his arm playfully. “You might run out of kisses by the time you get around to finding the woman who deserves them.”
“Nah. I have some to spare and I will always have a special one just for you.” Before I can stop him he presses his lips to mine. All I feel is the familiarity of a friend and none of the sensuality of a lover. When he pulls away, he looks at me questioningly. “Still nothing?”
I shake my head. “Sorry, but no.”
“Ah well. It did not work the last time and I did not think it would this time.”
“But we had to try.”
“Just to get all this tension between us out of the way.”
“Of course. I would hate for it to interfere with the Summit.” We both break out into peals of laughter.
“How is your mother doing?” I ask putting a respectable distance between us.
“She is well, thank you for asking. She wanted me to tell you if I saw you before she did that she missed you and wishes you would hurry and bind yourself to me. I think she enjoys your company more than mine.”
I giggle and place my hand comfortingly onto his shoulder. “She enjoys your company, Erak. You know she just wishes the best for you.”
He smirks. “And apparently you are it.”
“She says that only for the time being. But I noticed you had eyes on that pretty girl, oh! what was her name?”
A tinge of red colors his darkly tanned cheeks. “Pari. She is… well, you have met her.”
I smile and give his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “And are you going to do anything about it? She cannot wait for you forever.”
“You cannot rush these things, you know. I have to take my time and-”
“If you do not ask soon, I think your mother will ask me herself.”
“Akari, I need to speak with you for a moment,” Tarok says, pulling me away from Erak.
Great! I groan. He came in on the wrong end of that conversation. Oh Spirits! What has he seen? Did he see the kiss that meant nothing? My mind spins rapidly. Stop it! The little voice in my head scolds. He does not want any more from you than friendship. So why should you care if he sees you kissing another man?
“I will be back in a minute,” I say. I am given no choice but to follow Tarok. “What is going on with you?”
Tarok releases his grip on my arm and turns to face me when we are out of listening distance. “What do you think you are doing?” he snaps, his warrior’s reserve breaking like kindling.
“What am I doing? What are you doing?”
“You were kissing him! And now you are telling him to ask for your hand?”
“What does it matter to you anyway? You have no right to tell me what I can and cannot do.”
“I am your Chief; I can tell you what to do when I please.”
A sardonic laugh escapes my throat. “You are not my Chief, Tarok. Your father is.”
I turn to walk away but he catches my arm and pulls me back. “I am as good as Chief and we are not done talking.”
“I can do as I damn well please!” I pull my arm from his grasp and straighten myself in an attempt to look dignified. “I am the Wise Woman and I have made friendships in other tribes that need tending to far more than your ego does.”
“I forbid you from prancing about like an animal in heat. You are acting disgracefully.”
“You had best remember your place, future Chief. You are not my intended nor my bond-mate. You have no say over my actions.”
“I may not be either of those, but you cannot go around kissing men of different tribes.”
I narrow my eyes and study him, choosing my next words carefully. What comes out was not carefully thought out. It was simply my mouth running off without my brain’s consent. “You are jealous! That is the honest truth, is it not, Tarok? You cannot stand that other men are looking in my direction.” He goes silent. He cannot meet my sure gaze. “Whatever your anger is from is of your doing, not mine.”
I turn on my heel and walk back to Erak. “I am sorry about that.”
Erak shrugs and smiles easily. “Are you sure you are not intended?” he teases.
“I am sure that I would know if I was or not.”
“Uh huh. Well, he has been watching you like a hawk all day.”
“Has he? I had not noticed.” I roll my eyes and link my arm through Erak’s for good measure as reminder to Tarok of my independence. “Care to escort me to anywhere else?”
Erak smiles gently at me. I can feel the tension within his arm and I know it is because of Tarok and his steady eyes following us. “I would be honored, Wise Woman.”
At the celebration, I dance with nearly every unbound man available. An unbound woman cannot refuse the opportunity to dance with an unbound man as is customary. Tonight this custom is just an excuse to anger Tarok and to show him that he has no say over my actions. Not only that, but I secretly enjoy all the attention. See, Tarok. I am a desirable woman and you should pay attention to me because of it.
I surprise my partners by remembering their names from the time I spent with their tribes – no matter how short that may have been. I laugh easily with each of them and smile enough that I know my cheeks will be sore tomorrow. My father is not too happy that I spend more time dancing with available men than I do sitting. Tarok sits next to him seething beneath his reserved mask, but I do not give either of them my attention.
Masha has gone around to all of the tribes before she gets to mine as a good hostess often does. I see her speaking with Tarok as I dance with Erak. She has her hand on his shoulder and it looks like he is actually listening to her.
“I think Masha is up to something,” I say to Erak as he spins me around.
“I am sure she is just talking to him.” He shrugs.
“You know what she is doing, do you not?”
The smile he gives me tells me everything. “But I would never tell you, now would I?”
The music stops and he bows to me.
I dismiss his oddness and walk back over to where my father is sitting with his arms crossed tightly over his chest.
Tarok stands when the music begins to play and asks if I would dance with him. I am about to say no – still upset about his actions earlier – when I am nearly pushed off the bench by Masha. Where did she just come from? She was not around when I came back, was she?
Tarok’s hands clasp around mine. Our bodies move to the music, then closer together. The dance is far more intimate than I have had with any of the other men I have danced with thus far.
“You and Erak, huh?” he says awkwardly.
“What about me and Erak?”
“You are going to leave the tribe for him.”
“Who told you that?”
“I saw him kiss you, Akari. And then you said that he needed to ask for your hand before his mother did it for him. It does not take much to understand what is going on between you two. You have not left each other’s side all day. He has been watching you all evening as well.”
“You are impossible, you know that?”
“How am I being impossible? You are my friend, Akari. The least you could do is tell me when you are planning on leaving the tribe for someone else.”
“Someone else? This is not about me leaving the tribe, is it?”
“So you are leaving the tribe! You admit to it.”
“Do you want the honest truth or shall I
lie to you?”
“Just give it to me straight. Are you in love with him?”
I could end this so easily. But I have no desire to. I want nothing more than to make him as hurt as I am. “So what if I am? Is that a problem for you?”
“Of course it is. Our tribe will not have a Wise Woman and his will have two.”
“Practicality. That is your concern?”
“As the future Chief of our tribe, that has to be my concern.”
“And what of you? What would you think if I left?”
“I would miss you. We are friends.”
I let out an exasperated breath. “Right. Friends. If we are just friends then why are you so concerned about who I choose to kiss or dance with?” I do not give him a chance to actually answer. “I do not really think it is any of your business anyway. You are the one who wanted to remain friends.”
“You do not want to be friends?”
“No.” I move out of his grasp. “I do not.” I bow my thanks for the dance and walk away from him. Erak casts a concerned glance in my direction, but I wave him off. I do not want company right now. I want silence.
I walk to where the ocean meets the land. I take off my shoes and walk into the cool water. The waves tug at my feet, beckoning me to come closer. I fold my arms across my chest, tilt my head to the sky, and watch the stars sparkle brightly.
Arms enclose around me and hold me tightly. I hang my head as my shoulders begin to shake. “You deserve better than this, Akari.” His chin presses against my neck.
“I tried not to like him, Erak. I really did. He wanted to be friends so I tried. I did not mean for this to happen.” I turn around in his arms and bury my face into his chest. He strokes my loose hair to calm me. We stand in silence until my sobs subside.
Chapter Twelve