by Sandra Lang
How stupid was I? How could I have forgotten everything the woman in white said to me in my dreams – which I am not convinced really were dreams anymore. She told me I would experience great happiness until the end of my days. Given that end may be closer than I had realized, why did I resist so heavily?
Because you always have, her words sound in my ear. I wish I had paid more attention. She could have given me more wisdom that I did not understand or appreciate her words enough to commit to memory. Why did I not listen? Why do I never listen?
I run from Sharp Stone searching for Tarok with Nura close at my heels. Animals would take far longer to heal and would not have healed this quickly, yet Nura is not a regular animal. It may have taken me this long to realize, but now I know her secret.
I run past each of the Houses including Rising Sun without seeing him. What a sight I must be: the Wise Woman running through the village followed closely by a once-injured gray wolf. I come to the edge of the village when I spot Tarok with a group of warriors walking to the training field.
“Tarok!” I call out.
He looks over his shoulder, scanning the path until he sees me and stops. I continue running until I stand in front of him.
“Why?” I say breathlessly. My lungs burn in my chest as I try to catch my breath.
“Why what? Are you okay?”
“Yes, I am fine. Why me?”
“I thought you would have figured it out by now.”
“Clearly I have not.”
The swiftness with which he moves never ceases to amaze me. One second I am looking up at him, waiting for some sort of answer. The next my body is being held tightly against his muscular torso; his lips pressed firmly against mine. And for the first time in my life I feel home. I feel completely at ease. I never want this moment to end. Everything vanishes from existence. I am only aware of Tarok and myself. The awareness is overpowering; yet at the same time my senses are dull. It is all so confusing but invigorating.
Tarok releases me too soon and sets me back down onto the ground. My breath returns to me slowly. Whether from the run or from the most intense kiss I have ever experienced, I do not know and doubt I ever will.
“Does this mean you accept?” he asks.
“Only if you will have me.”
A smirk plays on his lips. “It would be too difficult to find someone who annoys me half as much as you do.”
“It is a good thing I have accepted to be your bond-mate then.”
The smile that crosses his face reflects my own. He hugs me, lifting me into the air and spinning me around. Cheers and whistles come from the warriors who waited to see what would happen.
“What are you doing?”
It is truly amazing how four words can ruin the best moment of your life. Four words can change everything in an instant. The pure elation of the moment is broken. All because four words were uttered.
Tarok sets me down and we look to see Aeria standing behind us with her arms folded. She stares at us with anger in her eyes. I should feel guilty. Tarok has gone against the Matrons’ wishes by asking me to be bonded with him. However, I do not feel anything other than joy.
“Do not make me ask again.” Despite her aged appearance, she can be a terrifying woman. Instinctively I begin to take a step away from Tarok to avoid getting in trouble even though we are doing nothing wrong.
As if sensing my movement, Tarok circles his arm around my waist and pulls me closer.
“Akari has accepted to be my bond-mate,” Tarok says smiling down at me, not skipping a beat.
I watch the color drain from Aeria’s face. I can see her hatred for me flaring behind her light brown eyes. I wish Tarok had not said what he just did. He does not know what Aeria did when the Matrons decided who his bond-mate would be. Still, I know and I do not like the way she is looking at me.
“Impossible. Namira is your intended,” Aeria says without a single hint of malice dripping into her voice.
At this moment in time my mind wanders to the audience of warriors behind us. They probably do not have a clue as to what Aeria means when she says Namira is Tarok’s intended. Tarok and I know. Aeria knows. What must they think?
“I never announced Namira would be my intended. I believe she announced that without talking to me about it. If she had, she would have known my intentions were to ask Akari.”
“I am afraid you are misunderstanding me, Tarok. Namira is your intended.” There is no mistaking her meaning now. I want to make myself as little as possible against Tarok’s side. Or better yet, I want to completely disappear.
Tarok’s warrior reserve shifts to control his face. His tone is low and dangerous, exactly like a Chief’s tone should be. “I am afraid you are misunderstanding me, Matron Aeria. Akari is my intended, not your granddaughter.”
Aeria narrows her eyes at the both of us. I can feel the weight of her stare pressing me down into the earth. “We shall see about that.”
She turns on her heel and walks away. No doubt to convene the Matrons and put an end to Tarok’s decision to have me as his bond-mate. For the moment, however, we have won. Regardless, there is a long road ahead of us.
In order to become a bonded pair, the couple must seek approval from every family in the village. I can think of a few off the top of my head that will disapprove the match. There are two Houses that will side with me and Tarok, one that will side with Aeria, Liuka, and Namira. The other four will be the deciding battleground.
“I feel like we have started a war,” Tarok says quietly so that only I can hear.
“No one ever said this would be easy,” I reply.
“True, but where is the fun in things being easy?”
I turn my attention to Aeria stomping away. I cannot look at him; I do not want to see the look on his face. “You are not doing this because I told you I was sick, are you?”
From the corner of my eye I see the turn of his shoulders and his arm moving, presumably to tell the other warriors to go on without him. His hand finds mine and our fingers interlock.
“If you had been willing to listen to what I was planning on telling you yesterday, you would not be asking me that.”
“Why not?” I drag my gaze away from Aeria and look up at Tarok.
“While you were away things were simple. I learned my duty to my tribe and who the woman I was supposed to bind myself to was. For thirteen seasons, I tried to get to know Namira and find something to like about her. I tried to get a better understanding of the Houses and make relationships within each of them. Then you came back last fall and everything changed. You were not the strange girl who left. There was something different about you. I could not figure it out. So I tried to figure out what it was, but still, I could not. We became friends and you were so easy to be around.
“When you got hurt, I realized I had been shirking away from my duties because every thought I had was consumed by you. So I decided – and not too easily – that maybe we should be friends only as the Wise Woman and Chief. Only it made things worse between us and I did not like that. Leaving you alone was the better choice.
“Then seeing you kiss that man from Mosh’ilan and you dancing with all those other men… it made my blood boil. I did not handle that properly and for that I am sorry. When you fell into the water on the way home and were pulled under, I was losing my mind with worry. Instead of telling you how much I worried and how much I cared, I told you that I was going to make Namira my intended. It was the honorable thing to do, but I could see how hurt you were.
“You told me to talk to Namira and I did. I did not want to believe her, but I knew there was something between you two. I thought a lot about what you said about her. She did see us walking to the river together the day you got hurt. She wanted me to go with her but I said no. And I do remember seeing your arm bandaged the day you left, but I did not know why at the time. And only recently did I realize why you were different when you came back.”
“You were going to tell me all of this ye
sterday?”
He frowns. “You really enjoy interrupting me, do you not?”
I smile a little. “Only sometimes. Please go on.”
“I realized that you make things absolutely difficult.”
“That is not what you were going to say.”
“I know, but it is true. It was true even before you left.”
“You love me for it though.” Heat rises to my face at having said something I did not mean to. I hope he does not notice it. I wish it was not so easy to just say things I do not want coming from my mouth in front of him.
He breaths a laugh and nods. “Yes, Akari, it is. I love you. I do not care if you are sick. I do not care if you are healthy. All I care about is you.”
My heart warms and a soft smile makes its way across my lips. I have longed to hear those words and now that I am hearing them, they are just as sweet as I imagined. I put my arms around his middle and hug him tightly. “I love you, too.”
Everything feels like it is moving in a blur. There is so much to be done and so little time to do it in! My mind is racing with all the things we will need to do as Tarok and I walk down to Rising Sun House where we will tell his family first then mine before announcing to the village our intentions. If not for Tarok’s steady hand holding me firmly to the ground, I am sure that I would be floating.
“What if Aeria causes trouble?” I ask.
“She will. There is nothing we can do to stop her.”
“No doubt she has already convened the Matrons,” I say jokingly.
We arrive into the village and are immediately summoned to the lodge. Outside we can hear the shouting, even though the words are hard to understand. Tarok drops my hand as we enter the lodge but not before giving me a reassuring smile. Inside, the seven Matrons sit with Namira and Chief Narot.
“There is a clearly defined tradition, Chief Narot,” Aeria protests.
“If you had not been so eager to improve your family’s station, we would not be having this discussion at all,” argues Matron Sera of Fertile Earth.
“I was never trying to improve my family’s station, Sera. How dare you!”
“We all know you tried, Aeria. In fact, I do not recall seeing Namira’s name among the seven stones we all drew,” says Matron Mekara of Deep Forest.
“Matrons, please, can we have a calm discussion about this?” Matron Pema of Rising Sun pleads.
Tarok clears his throat to announce our presence. The women quiet down and look in our direction.
“Good, you have arrived,” Pema says. “Why has Matron Aeria brought us all here?”
“You already know why we are all here, Pema,” Aeria says as she stands. “This woman has bewitched the future Chief of our tribe into going against the tradition we have held for longer than all of us have been alive.”
Pema simply holds up her hand to quiet Aeria. “I did not ask you, Matron Aeria. Please remain silent.”
I see a satisfied look cross the faces of Granny, Mekara, and Sera.
“Tarok, dear, would you care to tell us what has upset Matron Aeria?”
“Honored Grandmother, I have chosen to make Akari my bond-mate.”
“You are aware that Namira is to be your intended.”
“I am. I cannot love Namira and will not bind myself to her.”
“You do understand then that there will be problems with this decision.”
“I am very much aware of that. I do not care, Grandmother. I love Akari and she will be my bond-mate whether I have your approval or not.”
Pema frowns slightly. “So be it. Wise Woman Akari, do explain to us all why you will be a fit bond-mate to the future Chief and mother to his children.”
I cast a worried glance to Granny who nods her head encouragingly. “Matron Pema, did you love your bond-mate?”
“Akari, my relationship with my bond-mate, rest his spirit, is not part of this discussion.”
“You were chosen by the Matrons to become the bond-mate of the future Chief. It is very much a part of this discussion because Tarok’s mother Juni, rest her spirit, is no longer with us.”
“Do explain.”
“As Wise Woman it is my duty to listen to the spirits of everything around us. I am tasked with listening to the hearts and spirits of all those we come in contact with. Tarok’s spirit calls to me. Did Chief Marak’s spirit call to you?”
“She has duties to the tribe other than bearing children and being a mate. She cannot make a suitable bond-mate for our future Chief,” says Aeria.
“Matron Aeria, when I want your opinion, I will ask you for it. Please, remain silent,” Pema says. Aeria slumps in her seat and scowls. “Despite Matron Aeria’s outburst, she makes a good point,” she adds. “You are the Wise Woman for this tribe. Your duties to your tribe will differ from those to your bond-mate and children.”
“You may think so. My duties are to this tribe as are Tarok’s. Do they not fit together? Will we not be performing the same duty?” Several of the women talk amongst themselves, agreeing with my point.
“I see. Very well. Namira, will you please explain to us why you would make a fit mate and mother to the future Chief of Kurtu’lak and his children.”
Namira steps in front of me and smiles innocently to all of the Matrons. “I have always been a part of this tribe, Matrons. I care deeply for this tribe and have never felt the need to leave or stay away.” The muscles in my jaw tighten at her direct insult at me. “Tarok and I had a wonderful friendship before Akari returned to our tribe. Since she has returned, Tarok has not been himself. To be completely honest, I am not entirely sure Akari is available to become Tarok’s intended and bond-mate.”
“What knowledge do you have that would confirm your last statement?”
I can see the sneer of a smile settle on Aeria’s face.
“My cousin, Rurik, went to the Summit. He told me that he saw Akari kissing another man from Mosh’ilan.”
A few women gasp and the whispering becomes nearly deafening.
“Matrons, please calm yourselves.” Pema looks at me. “Is this true, Wise Woman Akari?”
I hang my head. “Yes, Matron Pema.”
“Do you have a relationship with this man that would be cause for concern?”
“No, Matron Pema, I do not. He is a friend only.”
“Tarok, did you know of this?”
“Yes, Grandmother. He was a friend she made while on her Wise Woman journey. I saw nothing between them but friendship.”
“Wise Woman Akari, do you have anything to say about the other implications Namira made as to your character?”
“Matrons, I stayed away for so long because I needed to learn how best to perform the duties of a Wise Woman. Our tribe has been without one for so long that there is no knowledge about the duties she is supposed to perform. Everything I have done has been to help my village and the people within it. I have made lasting friendships with the other six tribes that are stronger than any alliance. I do not hope we will ever have to, but if we needed to call upon our brothers and sisters from other tribes, they would be there to help us. I can assure you of this.”
“I thank the three of you for your time. We will summon you once we have reached a decision.” Pema shoos us out of the lodge so the Matrons can speak and reach a decision.
The three of us move outside. Nura stands to greet Tarok and I then growls at Namira.
She jumps back and begins yelling. “Keep that animal away from me.”
“She will not harm you, Namira.”
“I do not care. Keep it away from me.” She stomps off and sits near the central fire.
“I think that went very well,” Tarok says putting his arm around my shoulder.
“I hope so,” is all I am able to say and think.
An hour passes slowly. All the while we can hear muffled yelling and shouting from inside. Occasionally, I hear Granny’s voice rise above the others. After all the struggles Tarok and I went through, I would think that some spi
rit out there will finally take pity on me and allow me to be happy.
You will know great happiness until the end of your days, the woman in white had said. Her words repeat in my head bringing me comfort.
Another hour passes.
The door flap opens and Kana of Painted Hide draws our attention. “Wise Woman Akari, future Chief Tarok, Namira. The Matrons have made their decision. Please come inside.”
Chapter Twenty