The Unfettered Child

by Michael C Sahd

  Varisha frowned. When Samara noticed, she stopped smiling too. Varisha said, “Samara, why don’t you stay with us, and when we get to the ocean, we can ask around. I will help you figure out what to do when we get there.”

  Lunging forward, Samara hugged her around the neck, then curled into the soft bed. She watched Varisha pull a blanket out of a cupboard and lie down on the couch.

  Before long, she could hear the woman’s sleeping breath. She turned around and stared at the wall.

  I believe this Varisha. If she gets her way, she’ll help us, but we need to get away if the others want to leave you with the river people, Illtud said.

  I know, Samara responded.

  When we get over the mountains, we’ll need to part ways with these people.

  Okay. Pulling the covers up to her neck, Samara shifted onto her back.

  You’ll have to do whatever it takes, Illtud said.

  Thinking over what this meant, Samara studied the individual planks in the ceiling. She would not kill to get away.

  Responding to her thoughts, Illtud said, Magic doesn’t just kill things, love. You could use illusions or teleportation spells, which can move you from one location to another in the blink of an eye. The possibilities are endless. With your power, you could do anything. You still have much to learn.

  Samara smiled. Her mother and father called her “love” all the time.

  I can’t wait to tell Sigmia. Maybe she could come with us too, Samara said.

  I’m afraid not, Illtud declared. Sigmia told me she was returning home and that the spirits told her you were to find a new life that she can’t be a part of.

  This news saddened Samara. Do you think she meant Omar and Varisha?

  Illtud chuckled. Actually, I think she was talking about my home.

  Oh, Samara said, but she still wondered if perhaps the old shaman had meant her new friends. I’m sorry, Illtud. I’m sorry I yelled at you. Not all Havallans are bad though.

  It’s alright, love. You’re right, and I was wrong. I guess who I really need to go after is Havelle himself, Illtud said.

  Yes, Samara told him and rolled onto her side again. After we get to my mother, I’ll help you go after him.

  Thank you, love, Illtud said, and Samara fell asleep shortly thereafter.

  Chapter 15: Badr Al’din

  Long before the sun came up, Samara listened to the sounds of sleep from those around her. Because she was unused to the softness of a mattress, her own rest had been fitful.

  Varisha had let her sleep in her bed, and Samara could see her silhouette curled up on the bench they called a couch. She could hear Omar sleeping below her. Propping herself up on an elbow, she peeked out the window and watched the sun come up.

  When the first ray of light peeked over the mountains, she heard a muffled voice outside. Another voice joined the first, and soon, she heard many voices as the Khaliji woke. Watching the morning activities, she saw some people tending the animals while others packed up belongings they had left out the night before.

  Hearing Omar stir beneath her, she turned in time to see him climb out of his bed. Varisha, also awake, gazed sleepily at her son. Smiling, she said something in Havallan. Then, stretching and yawning, she noticed Samara peering down at her and repeated what she had said to Omar.

  Her lack of understanding must have been written all over her face, because Varisha laughed. “Sabah al Kheeri,” she repeated. “It means good morning, jameel.”

  “Oh,” said Samara, and she parroted the phrase, smiling. Swinging her legs off the bed, she leaped down and almost stumbled into Omar, who steadied her.

  She watched him and his mother gather up some folded clothes, and then followed them out of the wagon, grabbing her bags on the way out the door. The delicious aroma of something cooking struck her as soon as she exited the carriage, and her mouth began to water. Before they walked toward the pleasing smells, however, Varisha guided the children over to some cloth tents that reminded her of the yurts of her people. She shadowed Varisha into one of these marquees, but Omar separated from them at the entrance.

  She noticed other women similar to Varisha washing themselves over tubs of water. A few of them glanced at her, but they primarily focused on their task at hand. She dropped her gaze to allow them their privacy. Varisha undressed and picked up a rag from an unused barrel. Samara found an unoccupied tub and copied the older woman.

  When they finished freshening up, they found Omar waiting for them outside, looking clean. He grinned at Samara and she returned an uneasy smile, feeling awkward in the baggy, blue robe that Varisha had lent her. He grabbed her hand and led her to a cauldron hanging over a fire pit with several people standing or sitting on stubby three-legged stools nearby.

  Everyone turned to inspect the newcomer, and Samara felt incredibly uncomfortable. They were all smiling at her gently, but they were all strangers and not all of them had the olive-colored skin of the Havallans.

  Of her people, she had the lightest skin coloring, but some of these folks had much lighter skin than hers and hair the color of dry grass on the plains. One girl, almost as pale as the snow, flaunted reddish-orange hair, with freckles covering her face. Standing out amongst the crowd stood a tall, skinny man with skin almost as dark as the ogres’.

  Clinging to Omar, Samara felt out of place. She disliked all the unfamiliar eyes staring at her as if she were some new curiosity or outsider, some new arrival. When Varisha motioned for the children to follow her, they navigated through the crowd toward her wagon, where she pulled out a hinged plank that locked in place as a table.

  Retrieving three steaming bowls that were sitting on a shelf above her head, she placed them onto the newly made bar, then directed Omar to set up three of the triangular folding stools. Sitting down, Samara kept glancing back at the man with the ogre-colored skin.

  “What is it you are looking at, Samara?” Varisha asked.

  Pointing at the dark man, Samara said, “That man. He has dark skin. Is he half ogre?”

  Putting her hand on her chest, Varisha laughed loudly. Samara couldn’t figure out what was funny, and she noted that Omar was regarding his mother with a raised eyebrow as well. Others glanced over at them, and Samara wanted to sink under the table.

  When Varisha got her laughter under control, she shouted something to the man. He smiled and walked over. “This is Badr Al’din,” Varisha said, “He comes from the South, far, far away, on the southern tip of Havalla.” She said something to Badr, then returned her attention to Samara.

  “Badr is our cleric. He’s here to make sure that we follow the laws of God, Najima’uwe’Alqamar min Samawi.” As she said this, she, Badr, and Omar placed their hands in front of them, palms skyward.

  Badr smiled a huge, toothy grin at Samara. The man wore white, bloused pants held up with a red sash. He had a light blue vest over his bare torso, and he wore a white sash wrapped many times around his head. The headpiece had a red sun and a silver moon pinned over its folds. “Sabah al Kheeri,” he said.

  “Sabah al Kheeri,” Samara replied, slowly, trying to enunciate the words. Varisha conversed with the man in Havallan a little more, then he bowed and went back to the fire.

  “The Havallan Empire is very large, Samara, and claims everything from the Hunting Grounds all the way to lands that are so hot, people wear hardly anything at all. The city that the emperor lives in is surrounded by many miles of sand and rocks, with hardly any plant life.”

  Like I’ve told you, they take whatever they want, like ants. Illtud spoke for the first time that morning.

  “They’re like ants,” Samara paraphrased.

  Varisha looked at her inquisitively and said, “Well . . .” drawing out the word. “Maybe our empire was once like that, but Khalil is a good emperor and brings peace to the citizens of Havalla and our neighbors.”

  We should leave these people. We’ve done very well on our own. They’re going to slow us down, Illtud said.

 
“No!” Samara said.

  Varisha appeared dismayed. “Are they teaching you different on the plains? I thought the empire was on good terms with your people.”

  Aghast, Samara said, “No, I didn’t mean that. I-I wasn’t talking to you.”

  Careful, Illtud warned.

  “Then who, jameel?” Varisha said, gently; however, Samara could see the perturbation in her furled brow.

  Heart beating heavily, face flushed with embarrassment, Samara leaped off of her stool and ran around the wagon toward the edge of the road. The forests here were thick, and dense brambles created a thorny wall along the path’s threshold.

  She dashed to the foliage but couldn’t find a way through, so she curled up into a ball in the grass and hid her face in her hands.

  Varisha rushed over and enveloped the young girl in a hug. Samara resisted, but not for long. “Hey, hey. It’s okay, jameel,” Varisha said, petting her hair. “I’m not mad at you, Samara. You are unfamiliar with the ways of our people. I assure you, we are not like ants. Come back and eat.” Samara nodded and allowed herself to be led back to her spot.

  I’m sure they honestly believe that, but be careful of the Havallan soldiers. They are less honest, and they’re the ones that spread the lies these people believe, Illtud explained as Samara followed Varisha.

  While they ate, Varisha asked about the food she was used to eating with her own people. Samara, glad for a change of subject, explained that her people mostly ate mammoth, cheese, and milk from the horses, as well as various fruits and vegetables from harvesting wild plants.

  Her explanation evolved into an excited lesson on her people’s way of life, and she bragged about her tribe, specifically. She spoke of her father’s blacksmithing and how her tribe was the strongest on the Hunting Grounds because of it.

  As the trio finished eating, Samara almost went into the story of her birth, but Varisha stopped her, laughing. “Let’s go see Heyam. The troupe will be ready to go soon.”

  They marched over to the wagon, and Varisha opened the door for Samara to walk in. Heyam sat in the back, carefully braiding his beard. Showing his yellow teeth in a huge grin, he greeted Varisha and Omar. He then addressed Samara in her own language. “Good morning, jameel.”

  “Heyam,” Varisha said, guiding Samara forward. “Samara would like to share something with you.” She stepped aside so that Heyam would have a clear view of the girl. Omar sat down on Heyam’s couch.

  Heyam’s mouth spread into a wide grin, again displaying his yellow teeth behind his dense hair. “Oh?” he said.

  While he and Varisha spoke, Samara examined his carriage, noting the differences between it and Varisha’s. The back of the cart only housed one bed and seemed wider than Varisha’s bunk beds. His wagon also seemed significantly more cluttered with possessions. Heyam sat on the bed and pointed at the couch with all his fingers, palm up. “Please sit.”

  Removing her bags, she sat down with Varisha and Omar, placing her backpack in her lap. The bags she had shown Varisha sat on top of everything else now, so she didn’t have to dig to get them out. The first thing she removed was the licorice root. She broke one piece in half and put a chunk in her mouth.

  Handing the other piece to Heyam, she said, “This is licorice root. If you chew on it, it’ll clean your teeth.” She broke another piece in half and handed one half to Omar and the other to Varisha.

  Chewing on the root, Heyam smiled at Samara. “I know of licorice, jameel, but it is costly, so we do not buy it often. We usually buy it as a candy.”

  Samara wrinkled her nose. “Candy?”

  The two adults gaped at Samara. Varisha said, “What child does not know of candy?” Although he couldn’t understand the speech, Omar recognized the word “candy,” and his eyes lit up.

  Standing, Heyam said, “Let me get this child some candy. Would you also like some tea?” He went to the stove to start the tea.

  “Sure,” Samara said. Removing more items, she tried to find something that Heyam wouldn’t know about. She wanted to impress him with her knowledge.

  She pulled out some ginseng root from the eastern Hunting Grounds just as Heyam withdrew a clay pot and some wooden plates. Holding the ginseng up, she almost blurted out her knowledge of the root, but hesitated when she saw Heyam scooping gooey blobs onto a plate. To Samara, they looked like some kind of fruit, but the goo around them was new to her.

  Wrinkling her nose again, she asked, “What are those?”

  Chuckling, Heyam said, “Candy, jameel.” Bringing two plates over, he asked, “What is that?”

  “Ginseng,” she said, absently. Putting the ginseng down, she took the dish. Handing the other platter to Omar, Heyam picked up the ginseng and sat down.

  “What does it do, jameel?” he asked.

  The goo was extremely sweet. Samara had never tasted anything like it. Licking her fingers while still chewing on her candy, she said, “It gives energy and well-being.” However, it came out as, “It givmphs emmergy anmmd wellmmbeinmmph.”

  “Welmbeinf, what is that?” Heyam asked, chuckling.

  Giggling through her lips, Samara covered her mouth. When she could, she swallowed the rest of the treat. “Well-being!” she said, crossing her arms across her belly as she laughed.

  Heyam ruffled her hair and said, “Your knowledge will be greatly appreciated, young one. In return, we can teach you our language. How would you like that?”

  Smiling, Samara said, “I would.”

  Varisha stood up, followed closely by Omar, and said, “Well, excellent. We will start some lessons today.” She glanced toward the door. “We should get moving. The troupe will be anxious to be on the way.” She took the two plates and placed them on Heyam’s counter.

  Samara leaped off the couch and said, frowning, “I have something else to show you.”

  Heyam smiled again. “Alright, jameel. What else do you have?”

  Looking around, she picked up the plate she had just used and cast the light spell that Illtud had first shown her. The plate glowed with a blue light that matched the color of the troupe’s outfits. As it lit up, the adults gasped, and Omar clapped vigorously, saying something in Havallan. Then Heyam and Varisha exchanged some words between themselves.

  Varisha face fell into a frown, and Samara suddenly wondered if she had done something wrong. Illtud spoke up. You shouldn’t have done that. It’s best to keep your powers a secret. Don’t show them anything but the simple magic I first taught you.

  Feeling as if she were in trouble, Samara started to cry. Both adults stopped talking, and Varisha bent down to the girl’s level. “What’s wrong, Samara?”

  Fresh tears surged forward, and Samara sniveled, “I don’t know. Did I do something wrong?”

  “No, not at all. We are very impressed.” Hugging the child, Varisha said something to Heyam, then picked Samara up and carried her out of the wagon. As they walked back to their cart, Varisha said, “Hey, cheer up.” Stepping inside, Varisha sat her on the couch.

  Lifting the girl’s head by her chin, Varisha said, “Smile, jameel.” Samara wiped her tears away and rewarded her with a disingenuous smile. “No, I want to see your pretty smile.” Liking the compliment, Samara gave her a grin. “That’s it,” Varisha said. “I’m going to get you some new clothes. Wait here, and I’ll go get them.”

  While Varisha was gone, Omar put everything loose away. The bowls he had picked up on their way in were placed in a small tub with water, while other miniature items went into cupboards. Getting up to help, Samara started to fold the blankets on the bed. When her people moved, they packed everything.

  Omar put a hand on her shoulder. He shook his head and took the blanket from her. Bundling the rest of the coverings together, he dropped the parcel on the couch and extracted only one.

  With a flick of his wrists, he whipped the quilt over the bed, spreading it out mostly flat on the bottom bunk. Then he straightened the wrinkles out and tucked the edges under the mattress. Tak
ing another cover from the pile, he handed it to Samara. He said something and pointed at the bed.

  She tried to whip the bedspread into the air as Omar had done. It pulled out of her hands instead, landing on one corner of the bed. Laughing, Omar playfully tossed the last cover over her head.

  Shocked, Samara wrestled with it until it came off. Smiling, Omar stood in front of her with the blanket she had fumbled. Pulling it over his head, he wore it like a cloak. In the deepest voice he could muster, he said something, projecting his voice. The edges of the blanket lifted as he raised his hands in the air, fanning it out behind him.

  Then he wrapped the blanket around himself again and waltzed around. The way he held his head up high and strutted around reminded Samara of a bird. Suddenly, he tossed the blanket at her again. This time, as it descended on her, she laughed.

  This was how Varisha found them when she returned, a pile of clothes folded in her arms. Laughing, she rattled off something to Omar, who groaned with disappointment. Removing the blanket from the girl’s head, he finished making the beds. Varisha placed the clothes on the couch and called Samara over. “I left your dirty clothes with Ghazal for washing. These are for you,” she said, indicating the garments she had set on the divan.

  Varisha exited the wagon while Samara flipped through the piles without unfolding them. Most of the outfits featured the light blue that the Khaliji wore, but a few other colors stood out to her, such as a deep red dress with flowers embroidered into the skirt. When Varisha returned, she sat on the couch and started grooming Samara’s hair.

  “I can do that,” Samara said, reaching for the tool. Smiling, Varisha handed her the hairbrush and began laying out clothes on the couch, while the girl tidied her mane. Having worn the mammoth wool and leather all her life, Samara coveted the soft, colorful garments.

  Outside, she heard someone climb onto the front of the wagon, and she stumbled as the vehicle lurched forward shortly thereafter. She glanced around at the other two to check their reactions, but they seemed not to have noticed the sudden movement, so she relaxed.