Diversity Is Coming

by Nicolas Wilson

  ***

  Troubled sleep and a lackluster morning meal didn’t make for a great start to the day. Kohau let the horse follow Yelve as it wished, his eyes closed against the sun in hopes it wouldn’t make the ache behind his eyes worse. He slowly cracked one eye to a slit when they came to a sudden stop.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Farrow root.”

  He blinked in confusion. “What do we need farrow root for?”

  “We don’t, unless you wish to suffer further from the pain in your head. You fussed and fidgeted all night.”

  Yelve pulled a scraggly looking weed from between a cluster of rocks. She cut the top of the plant off with one of the many knives kept secreted about her body. A second slice gave her a piece the size of a thumb joint. He watched as she peeled the outer skin from the bit of stem to expose pale green pulp. Kohau tried not to cringe as she held it out to him.

  “Chew on this, but don’t swallow it. And drink plenty of water.”

  He gave the pulp a wary sniff before popping it onto his tongue. It tasted of bitter dirt, though it hadn’t smelled like much of anything. The bitter tang seemed to fade as he chewed. Kohau still felt like he had a mouthful of dirt, no matter how many swallows he took from his water bottle after he finally spit the lump of pulp out. Yelve offered to fix him another piece, but he decided the pain was lessened enough.

  “What are we going to do if we come across the raiders?”

  “Prevent any of them from riding off for help. Hopefully leave a few alive and get them to talk.” She laughed at what he assumed was a proper look of horror on his face. “In all honesty I would probably hold them at bay long enough for you to get away.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “Because someone needs to return to the temple and let manyol know what we’ve come across. And the world needs someone like you more than it needs yet another me.”

  He scowled. “Don’t talk like that.”

  “Kohau, a gentle, learned man like you adds to the world. All I do is take from it.”

  “Well, I need you. So no dying yet.” He realized he sounded like a spoilt child right then, but he didn’t care much.

  “You’re sweet, little scholar.”

  It was shortly after midday when Yelve nudged them off the road. Kohau followed her to a cropping of boulders that looked down on part of the ruins. He wished he could go explore to his heart’s content, but that would have to wait for another day. Being left behind with the horses wasn’t his second choice for right then either. But there was no denying Yelve knew what she was doing in this particular situation.

  The sun had nearly set before she returned. She dropped a bundle of dark red fabric at his feet. Kohau knew his sister could have told him more than he ever wanted to know about the weave and possibly even where the wool to make them had come from. He was more interested in the symbols stitched in grey around the bottom of the garment.

  “They just leave clean robes lying around?” He glanced up as she sat next to him.

  “I may have raided a laundry line or two. You should have smelled the unwashed ones.” She shuddered. “I snagged two, so you’ll have one to take back with you.”

  “Alright. Wait – aren’t you going to come back with me?”

  “Calm yourself; you can return to the temple on your own without me. Talk around the camp down there was that the leader wouldn’t be here for another few days. I’d rather not risk you being found between now and then.”

  “But Yelve –“

  She silenced him with a finger to his lips. “Tonight I’m going to slip back into the camp and see if I can find anything else useful to send back with you. This group doesn’t seem like the most well organized bunch. Which is odd if Renat is in charge. You’ll return to the temple while I stay here until I outstay my welcome.”

  “I don’t like this.”

  “Do you have a better idea?”

  Kohau had to admit defeat at that. “No. That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

  “I never said you had to. Wake me when it’s dark.”

  He watched as she settled further into a nook between two boulders. Yelve’s face didn’t look a great deal more relaxed in sleep, but then he supposed he wouldn’t either in their current situation. The thought of leaving her behind made him ill. Except there weren’t very many arguments he could come up with to stay. Kohau knew it would be easier for her if he was safely out of the way.

  Yelve woke with little prompting, making him wonder if she ever did more than nap lightly. She removed a few outer layers and he found himself somewhat surprised at the number of weapons she had hidden around her body.

  “You should get both horses ready after I leave. If you switch between them every so often you’ll be able to ride farther than if you just stick to one horse. Take the main route back to the temple; shouldn’t take long.” She pulled a bit of fabric from one of the packs sitting nearby. “Wear this. People won’t question why you’re in a rush.”

  “What is it?”

  “Official messenger sash. Only an idiot would try and hold you up wearing one of these.”

  Kohau busied himself with the sash while Yelve redressed herself in the borrowed robes. Without the hard leather armor and the padding underneath, it was easier to see a woman standing there. Even if it was a woman both taller and stronger than he was. She flashed him a grin before securing a grey veil across her face, leaving only her eyes showing.

  With the shadow of night around them, and the dark red of the robes, it was hard for him to keep Yelve in sight as she made her way back to the camp. Kohau couldn’t say how long he sat waiting for her to return. It probably wasn’t as long as it felt, but it certainly wasn’t as soon as he would have liked. The breath caught in his throat as he saw a shadow moving towards him, before he could make out her face from beneath the hood.

  “We’re in luck. I overheard a couple drunken idiots complaining that they’d have to clean up as the head of the order would be arriving in a couple days.” Her excitement at that fact felt odd to him. “I found a few messages that might help, but I didn’t take the time to read each of them. I also stumbled across this, and thought you might like it.”

  Kohau took the piece of stone she held out to him. He couldn’t tell what was etched into the surface, but he could feel something was there. “What –“

  “It could be something they stole from somewhere else, or nothing of any actual importance.”

  He reached out with his free hand to stop her from putting the veil back in place. There was the softest hint of a smile he could barely make out on her face. It was enough to fuel his actions and he leaned forward to press his lips to hers for the briefest of moments. Kohau felt it hadn’t been enough, and Yelve must have felt something similar because she pulled him back into an embrace. Before he knew it she had pushed him towards the horses, vanishing down the hill again without a backwards glance.