by Dana Davis
A little girl carrying a harvest doll followed her mother into the barrel maker’s shop, and Cass watched a heartbeat. She had a similar doll like that once, made of cornhusks and cloth scraps, a gift from her mother the harvest before the woman died. The doll had been Cass’s prized possession and she wept for several sunrises when her father tossed it into the old well during one of his drunken tantrums.
Log wagons rumbled at the other end of the street on their way to the docks and Cass glanced behind at them. Two large statues monopolized the village circle, bronze figures of a fisherwoman and her husband.
What else would I expect in a sea city like Bankar? She chuckled to herself.
A tinker wagon rolled noisily toward her and she stepped aside to avoid getting drenched by muddy water. She was quick and managed to escape but another wasn’t so fortunate, and he ran after the wagon, cursing and waving a fist. Cass picked up her pace until she left the sea city behind.
She traveled long the road, until she was well past the small wooded area just outside Bankar. An unusual looking place, not very big by forest standards. The trees here were huge, perhaps centuries old, all but the large stumps that ringed them, and Cass wondered why the Bankari didn’t harvest them. Surely, they would provide more wood than those from an average forest. From the wear on the stumps and their slight size compared to the trees that grew within, they’d been cut long ago.
She traveled, rested, and traveled some more.
Several apple trees spread their branches with fruit. Cass looked around for a farm or cottage but saw none, so she picked several red and white apples and tucked them into her bag. Despite the weighted sack, she wished she could carry more. No, she could get a job washing dishes or sweeping floors in the next village, and her knives could kill a rabbit as well as a man.
Her father was out there somewhere. She could still feel him, a stench rising in the back of her mind. Her patience seemed endless now, as she had followed his scent for so long. She would find him. And she would remain calm while she gutted the blood-sucking mother of a goat and tossed his entrails to the dogs.
Wagon wheels churned behind Cass and she stepped to one side of the dirt road. She turned to watch the wagon pulled by a two-horse team, and saw that it came from the fork in the road. That direction led to Beggar’s Ridge. Mistress Norine had warned her about that place. At the bottom of the range was Beggar’s Flat, where many undesirables lived. They obeyed no laws but were afraid of Bankari and Hunters so they stayed away from the sea city and Hunter Forest.
The wagon slowed as it approached and Cass let one hand drift beneath her cloak to the knife in her belt. Two dirty, little men sat atop the wagon. One looked a bit older than the other. The younger one held the reigns.
“Well, well,” the driver said. “Looks like we’ve found a delicious treat along this bloody stretch of road.” He winked. “Climb up, sweet breath, and we’ll give you a ride. Where you headed?”
Strength from below rushed into her, making her aware of everything nearby. Stench clamped onto her senses. These men were not only trouble but dangerous as well. Of course, she had no idea whether they were murderers, rapists, thieves, or a combination.
She gripped the ivory handle and kept her distance from the wagon. “I don’t need a ride, thank you.”
The horses huffed and she noticed mud caked just above their hooves.
The older man spoke. “A pretty little thing like you shouldn’t travel out here all alone.” His grin showed several missing and rotted teeth.
Cass kept her pace and he kept the wagon moving beside her. “I’m not alone. Someone’s meeting me just ahead.”
The man squinted into the distance. “Don’t see a body nowhere. Now you wouldn’t be lying to me would you, sweet breath?” He pointed a dirty finger at her. “I don’t like no one lying to me, ‘specially no woman. You come up here and ride. Sit between me and my brother Jett.”
Cass’s chance would soon be up so she ran. Before she could get far, the horses stopped in her path and the men jumped down.
“We’re not gonna hurt you, pretty one,” Jett said. “It’s just we ain’t had pleasures of a woman in a long while. And Ritt here ‘specially likes pretty ones.” He stepped closer and Cass pulled the ivory-handled knife from her belt. He held up his hands. “Now, pretty one, no need for that.”
His breath smelled like sour wine and Cass gripped the knife harder. She might need one of her boot knives but she didn’t dare lean down to get it just yet.
“We’re just trying to be friendly,” Jett said.
Ritt circled behind her and she had to step to the side to keep both in view. Had the awareness not taken her, fear might’ve overcome her.
“Stay away from me, both of you.” She kept the knife in front of her body. With her other hand, she untied and tossed her cloak to the ground and twisted her bag to her back, prepared to fight.
“All right, pretty one. Come on, Ritt. Let’s find us a friendlier woman.” Jett started for the wagon but turned and lunged for Cass.
She was ready and sidestepped him, thrusting her knife toward his stomach. He lurched back with arms wide. “I’ll kill you!” she screamed. She felt powerful now. No fear, just anger and strength. “You puss ridden, son of a stinger bush!”
Ritt laughed, came at her from the other side and reached for the knife, but Cass took a swing that caught him on the arm. He cried out as blood oozed through the cloth and he staggered to the wagon.
“Ungrateful wench!” Jett reached down and pulled a large, hunting knife from his boot, but Cass kicked it out of his hand before he could do her any damage. When he stepped toward the fallen weapon, she brought her boot up and struck him hard in his gut.
He doubled over, groaning, and she took the opportunity to retrieve his knife. His was larger than hers, and dull. It would probably tear rather than slice, but she would have no problem plunging it into the man’s gut, especially with the rage she felt now. Ritt didn’t make a move from the wagon. He simply sat atop it and clutched his bleeding arm.
His brother finally staggered to his feet but stayed hunched over. Cass twisted both knives around in her hands, something she’d learned from a knife-thrower in her home village of Yolith. The motion was impressive to anyone without training. For a heartbeat, she thought the idiot was fool enough to try and take his knife back. Instead, he staggered to the wagon and joined his brother.
She jumped aside as they turned the wagon in haste and the horses galloped back the way they had come, the wagon bumping along the road. They turned onto the road to Beggar’s Ridge and out of sight. The awareness told her that no others were headed her way so she released the power and collapsed to her knees.
Once she stopped trembling, she tucked the ivory-handled knife back into its sheath. Her bag still hung over her neck and she swung it to her front to rummage for a scarf. She wrapped the attacker’s dull knife in the scarf and shoved it into her bag. Cleaned and sharpened, it would make a nice addition to her collection. Her cloak lay on the ground so she scooped it up. Faint Mountains beckoned.
This time she kept a good pace and darkness sat on the land by the time she passed Hunter Forest and reached the mountains and she decided to rest for the night. Since the breeze wouldn’t allow a candle, she had relied only on her awareness to find her way once the sun set. She needed sleep. The dirty brothers hadn’t returned but she felt much better now that she’d reached the safety of the mountains. They would offer her cover from the road in the morning.
She searched for a cave or niche, anything that would offer protection from the rising winds and keep her hidden, when something pulled at her. This was different, though. Not a person. Something else, subtle but urgent, and she followed her senses to a small opening, just large enough to get through without removing her bag or cloak, though she had to wriggle.
Once inside, she found she could stand. She wasn’t tall, but even with her hands reaching upward, she couldn’t touch the ceili
ng. The cave was dark except for a flickering light around a corner of the far wall. The place was deceptively roomy and it took longer to reach the bend than she would have thought.
Keeping one hand on her belt knife, she stepped carefully around the lighted corner. A waning torch illuminated a small cove. A gilded circle sparkled on the wall where dirt had been brushed away and inside was the carving of a hand.
Cass glanced around but she was alone. The circle drew her to it and she placed her hand in the carved center without thought. Strength seemed to flow out of her hand, or rather, it was pulled, and the carving moved, pressed inward. She jerked her hand back. Suddenly, a portion of the wall swirled and she closed her eyes against the dizziness. When she opened them, a doorway appeared next to the circle, revealing a bright tunnel, and Cass felt a strong need to step inside.
Chapter 23
“Please, Mother Haranda.” Taniras hated calling the woman that, especially since Haranda didn’t even look out of her twenties. The Gypsy had assured her she was much older but that didn’t make obedience easier. “I just want to see them. I’ve got to know they’re all right.” Tears flowed again and this time she didn’t try to hide them. If the Vedi had murdered her friends, she would never forgive herself. “I shouldn’t have joined them.” She was talking to herself now. “They would’ve been safely with the Hunters by now if I hadn’t come. Blazes! What have I done?”
Her bare feet were cold and she tucked them under her legs as she sat on the bed. For the most part, these Gypsies had been nice to her. Haranda had taught her how to build a wall in her mind and to keep her essence from intruding on others, even praised her for quick learning, but nothing changed Taniras’s sour mood.
Again, she thought of her friends and the beatings they had received. Haranda had assured her Snowy and the others were healed but she needed to see for herself. Her eyes welled up. She had waited all night. Her friends had spent the entire night somewhere in that bloody dome! No youngling was allowed out of the village boundaries. Guards roamed the area constantly. These bloody Gypsies even conducted bed checks!
When Taniras peeked from her cabin after Haranda had stuck her nosey head inside, she had seen a guard stationed just outside with a complete view of the cabins. She would’ve never made it past the large, imposing man, and had decided not to try. That might have earned her friends another beating. Sleep didn’t take her for a long while, either, and she’d remained awake most of the night with no idea what had happened to them. Even Birek had been taken away. She suspected he was all right, since no one had beaten him last night. Sleeplessness left her with a headache today.
“I told you, youngling, it’s not up to me. I’ll go to the Vedi after morning meal, when they accept inquiries.”
“I shouldn’t have come. Why did I bloody come with them? They wouldn’t have followed me here then. Why did I come?” This question, she had asked herself so many times.
Haranda stood. She was no taller than Taniras but there was something intimidating about her. And those eyes, such power there, intrusive strength that seemed to strip a body down to the bones. “That’s enough, youngling. You had no choice but to come here. When the Goddess calls her children, they must answer. The Vedi are fair. They will listen—”
“Fair!” Taniras could hardly believe her ears and angry heat filled her face. Ved’nuri had punished her last night with some frightening power that she saw as a blue light streaking toward her. It stung her skin on contact. “You call what was done to my friends, fair? The Vedi beat them. They’re innocent, coming after me because I was fool enough to give in to some bloody calling!” Her ears rang with Haranda’s slap and she caressed her blazing cheek.
“You’ll show respect to the Goddess, youngling.” The Gypsy’s calm tone belied the fire in her eyes. “The Vedi could have killed your friends for coming here without invitation. They’re alive. Now wash your face and get to morning meal. And you’ll practice your curtsy today for your formal introduction in the dome tonight.”
Taniras began to weep again. She had never in her life sniveled so much. The Gypsy pinched her chin and forced her to look into those penetrating eyes. The gaze softened slightly. “Your friends have been healed and given food and beds. You’re a Gypsy-child. You have a new family to think of now. We are your kin. I know this is difficult for you but you can’t go back to the life you had before. Not now. Not ever.”
That struck Taniras harder than the slap had and she pulled away from Haranda. “But I didn’t choose this. I want to go with the Hunters. Be a healer to them. Live with my friends.” Why was she pleading with this woman? Bloody Gypsies!
Haranda caressed her cheek and smiled. “The Goddess has other plans for you, youngling. She won’t let you go.”
This place seemed to vibrate with power, much stronger than what Taniras felt on the road with Fetter’s mutt. She’d been warned not to take it in, not that she would have known how. The incident on the road had been purely accidental. Which didn’t matter now because she had no intentions of using the Goddess Energy again. Ever! Tears threatened and she closed her eyes.
Don’t be stupid, Taniras. You’ll be no good to your friends if you can’t stand straight and act a woman. Now stop this childish behavior. What had gotten into her? She would oblige these Gypsies, for now, only to see that they freed her friends. Then things would be different. “All right, Mother Haranda.” She stood. “I’ll do as you wish and go to morning meal.” Obedience. Show these Gypsies obedience.
“Good.” Haranda gave her a curious look, and for a heartbeat, Taniras felt as if all her clothes had been stripped away.
Not that she would mind her hideous dress gone. The thing swirled with so many colors it hurt her eyes to look at it. She preferred her old dress but that was taken from her last night, along with her pack and her shoes. Blazes, she hated being barefoot! Even as a child, she hadn’t run barefoot in the warm weather like her friends.
Obedience. Acquiescence. “You’ll speak to the Vedi? Get me into the dome to see my friends?”
“I said I would go to them. Don’t question me about it again, youngling.”
“As you wish, Mother Haranda.”
Taniras would be compliant, so dutiful these Gypsies would forget about her insolence. And when they began to trust her, well....
She blew her nose and washed her face then followed Haranda outside to the tables where her clan sisters gathered to eat. It took much of her reserve not to groan at the feel of damp grass beneath her bare feet. On the way to her clan’s table, she caught site of Birek. He gave her a small nod to let her know that he was well, and she did the same before continuing to morning meal.
She’d met the other girls in her clan, Haranda’s younglings, during a brief introduction last night. With Taniras’s affinity for memorization, it didn’t take her long to learn their names.
The diminutive woman, Eletha Levine, caressed a tree as she sat on the bench. Strange, that one. The island woman, Tsianina Koni, had skin as dark as Taniras’s and had come through a short while before the Maricari group. The two shared a cottage so she had learned more about Tsianina than the others. The island woman wore her raven hair in a single braid down her back and a flower tucked over each ear. She had the ability to see in the dark, nightsight she called it, and came from a place called Fire Island. Taniras couldn’t understand why anyone would approach this place willingly but Tsianina seemed eager to be here, as though what she came from was much worse.
A thinner woman, Cass, had come through after Taniras’s group last night. She claimed she located the Land of the Goddess by accident, like Taniras, and insisted she needed to leave this place to find someone. She rarely smiled and a hand constantly drifted to her waist belt, as though something had been misplaced. She kept her russet hair pulled back in a leather lace, and brown eyes darted around as though she didn’t trust anyone. Taniras certainly couldn’t blame the woman. Cass sounded eager to get back on the road too.
Of course, Haranda and the other Gypsies would have none of that. Cass’s task sounded important and Taniras wondered if the woman might become her friend. Perhaps together they could find a way to rescue Snowy and the others and get out of this bloody place.
Taniras waited until Haranda crossed to the white-haired advisor, Wren, before taking a seat on the bench by Cass. She glanced over the hill where the dome protruded and wondered about her friends. Haranda and Wren watched her, she realized, so she turned back to her table as servants placed dishes around. Cass was on her left and her other clan sisters sat around the table. Most chatted and laughed.
She decided to give Haranda a good show of obedience, and she focused on the dark-haired girl to her right. “Good morning, Maesa.” She studied those sharp features that reminded her of a crow. The girl smiled and Taniras offered one of her own. No need to be rude to her clan sisters. They all probably came here much the same way she had, by force.
“Good morning,” Maesa said. “Taniras, right? How are you feeling?”
“As well as expected, I guess.”
“It takes a while to adjust. I’m a mind-healer in training. What’s your Energy?”
“Animal urging,” Taniras said with disgust. The dirty creatures always set her teeth on edge. The servants hadn’t brought the food, yet, so she pushed her plate back and rested an arm on the table.
Maesa nodded and studied her as Healer Mag would an ill person under her care.
“Mother Haranda cares about us,” Henny added. That one always had a smile on her lips, and Taniras liked her immediately. She seemed younger than her appearance suggested, which brought out Taniras’s protective nature.
Cass snorted.
Adelsik gave the alert woman a sour look. Taniras studied the doll-like face set against flaxen hair. Those large, brown eyes gazed at her, and she couldn’t help the feeling this one didn’t approve of many around her.