Deadly Fate [Book 1 of the Teadai Prophecies]

by Dana Davis

  Maesa turned on Taniras and grabbed her wrist. “If you get me into trouble, Taniras Ei’sele, I’ll just have a little talk with Snowy.”

  Taniras bristled at this girl’s audacity. If they were in Maricar, she would have Maesa shucking barns. Snowy was Taniras’s business. She leveled a gaze and Maesa released her wrist. At least the girl had the smarts to back down.

  “You tell Snowy anything, Maesa, and I’ll have my own little talk. With Birek.” Maesa was sweet on Birek and he was fond of her. One would have to be blind as a toadstool not to notice the way the two looked at each other. And Taniras had grown up in Maricar with the young man.

  Now was Maesa’s turn to look appalled. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  Taniras raised a brow at her. “You certainly do, girl. If you think for one heartbeat your feelings about Birek are secret then you’re sorely mistaken. Every sister here knows how you brood over him.”

  “You shut it, Taniras.” Maesa gave a quick glance toward Haranda. The woman didn’t seem to notice and she let out an audible breath.

  Taniras smirked at the girl’s relief. “I wager you’ll both get hauled to the Vedi if you’re caught in Birek’s bed.”

  Maesa’s cheeks reddened. “I never said I would do such a thing.”

  “No. But you think about it, don’t you?” She leaned closer so one of the approaching servants wouldn’t hear. “I may be stuck with disgusting animals all day but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten how to comprehend people.”

  Maesa’s cheeks flamed now. “Oh, Taniras. You won’t say anything, will you? Please, tell me you won’t.”

  At least the girl’s demeanor had changed. “Calm yourself. I won’t embarrass you.” Despite the situation, Maesa was a clan sister, a younger sister, and Taniras felt protective of her.

  “Thank you. And I promise to stay out of your business.”

  That surprised Taniras and suddenly she had more respect for the girl. Younglings had no choice but to remain in the Land of the Goddess and obey all the insufferable rules that went with this repressed life. She offered the first smile since sunrise. “Then it looks as though we have a truce.” She held up the smallest finger of her right hand and waited until Maesa hooked her own around it.

  The girl giggled. “Truce.” The two released fingers as a servant passed them and walked toward one of the fire pits. “Taniras?” This girl resembled the large crows that frequented the gardens in Maricar. Funny how there were no crows here in the Land of the Goddess. “I could use a friend.” She glanced at Adelsik, Cass and Kal but brought her eyes back quickly.

  Taniras placed a hand on her arm. She must feel abandoned by Adelsik. The two were inseparable before. “I think we can remedy that problem.” She grinned. “I could use a little sisterly attention myself.” And she meant that.

  Maesa’s eyes sparkled above that sharp nose. “Perhaps I can learn to mind-heal animals. The barns would probably take my thoughts off Birek.”

  Taniras chuckled. “I doubt that. Not that I wouldn’t enjoy your company, but some of the animals seem to think now is mating season.”

  “Oh.” Maesa’s face grew red again and Taniras patted her hand. Birek walked by with his knife and a piece of partially-whittled wood and glanced at them. Maesa watched until he sat at his clan table with his back to her then she leaned toward Taniras. “Why does everything have to be so difficult?”

  Taniras sighed. “Because we’re Gypsies, Maesa. Because we’re bloody Gypsies.”

  Chapter 33

  With lessons over for the day, Thad walked with Nym toward the games. This place had become home for them both and there were plenty of Gypsies about, but Thad still watched over Nym. Part of him missed the scrawny lad who trailed after him and forgot to take off his boots when they fished. It hardly seemed fair that Nym’s childhood was ripped away. His mind seemed closer to his physical age now but he still had a while to go, according to Father Xiath. Nym watched girls now but didn’t seem interested in much more, not yet anyway.

  Thad, on the other hand, felt quite different about women. He’d been attracted to Maesa at the caves, probably because they worked so well together as healers. Saldia and Haranda had intrigued him then too. But his eyes always fell on Cass now. The truth-seeker didn’t seem very interested in him, though, and barely said two words in a conversation. She wasn’t rude, just distant. Something had happened to her, something horrible, but no one talked of it. Whatever had occurred was between Cass and her clan.

  She smiled more often now and Thad enjoyed the way her eyes lit up. Her russet locks attracted him too. Such a beautiful woman! She joked around with groups of men but preferred not to be alone with any, at least that he had noticed, and one hand always seemed to drift to her waist, where she used to keep one of her knives. He missed his own boot knives and sympathized with her.

  Nym tapped his arm and he realized he’d stopped to stare in Cass’s direction. She spent increasingly more occasions with Adelsik and Kal, and the three were inseparable after lessons and chores. Thad glanced at Nym and smiled then continued to walk toward the games. Eletha ran as fast as any of the men, chasing the air-filled goat bladder, and she had no misgivings about knocking down any who got in her way, no matter how big. Thad smiled. The little treewalker had grown up around a slew of brothers and it showed.

  When she wasn’t in the games or classes, the trees were her home, and he thought back on the vision he’d had at the cave. This place could very well be the one he saw in that vision. Eletha and Saldia both were here and there were numerous trees. He didn’t know where the shade walker was just now but that didn’t matter. Xiath had him write his visions in a book, every detail. The task seemed to help make them clearer in his mind, though he would never control them like he could his healing Energy. No Gypsy in all of history had control over visions. They just—happened.

  Nym waited off to the side until one of the other men offered his spot then he took off on Eletha’s heels. The woman was as short as Mother Predula, and the lanky lad towered over her. Eletha was swift, though, as she made a quick turn and kicked the bladder to one of her teammates, causing the flood of bodies to scurry in the opposite direction. Thad watched for several heartbeats then made his way to a group of hunters, who rested beneath one of the larger trees.

  These three hunters had experienced brutal whippings at the hands of the Vedi. Thad had watched from his cottage window and thought perhaps they were thieves. He never imagined mere intruders would be treated so harshly. Of course, he understood that rule now. Prophecies told of challenging days ahead for Gypsies, and most middlings couldn’t be trusted to keep this home a secret if they somehow happened upon it. Which was impossible without someone who harnessed to accompany them. Gypsies had enemies everywhere it seemed.

  “Thad, old boy.” Snowy leaned on one elbow in the thick grass. “Take a seat.”

  Thad liked these three servants and had little difficulty taking occasional orders from them, unlike their friend Taniras. “Thank you.” He chose a spot where he had a clear view of Cass but elected not to stare in her direction. Instead, he plucked a blade of the plush green carpet and put it between his teeth. “How was the hunt today?”

  “Prosperous, as usual,” Camlys said. “Seems the Land of the Goddess is never short on prey.” She smiled and nudged the man next to her.

  Greges blew out a noisy breath. “That’s the truth. Not much of a challenge, really.” He wore his shoulder length, black hair pulled back much the way Thad always wore his. “Any child who knows how to use a bow and arrow could kill something around here. The rabbits and deer seem to multiply overnight.”

  The three hunters laughed.

  “How about you, Thad?” Camlys studied him with gray eyes that seemed out of place against her dark skin and black hair. “How are youngling classes?”

  “Well enough.”

  Mostly, he watched and logged his visions and spent many occasions focused on body-healing and sparkin
g Energies. Mother Predula had already taught him a couple of techniques he hadn’t thought of when healing a person. She was very efficient and he was learning a lot from her and Elder-Father Finlor. The stout Elder, though not as strong in the healing Energy, had many useful things to teach.

  Despite his talent for double orbs, sparking gave Thad a bit more trouble, and he still felt guilty about singeing Father Xiath during one of his lessons. An attempt at a third orb had failed and his sparking had grazed the man just before he pulled it back. Xiath had been healed by the Elder and harbored no resentment, but Thad still regretted what had happened.

  “Are you well, youngling?” Snowy wasn’t quite three years older than Thad but carried himself as a seasoned Gypsy. Despite his youth, his black hair was streaked with white and made him seem older than his years.

  Thad wondered if others perceived him that way because of the lines on his face. “I’m not ill. Just thinking. That a fact.”

  The hunter pulled at a leaf that had lodged in his hair. “Well, that doesn’t seem to agree with you. You probably shouldn’t think too much.”

  “Yes, Snowy.” Thad smirked. He liked these Maricari.

  “That’s a good youngling.”

  The group laughed.

  Thad caught Camlys watching Taniras. The animal urger confided in Maesa now and the two sat on one of the benches, talking. “How ‘bout you, Camlys? Any luck with her?”

  The young hunter shook her head as she gazed in Taniras’s direction. “I don’t know what else to do with her. She’s so upset about my higher station here. I thought I’d enjoy berating her the way she used to do to me back in Maricar but I hate it. I want to remain friends but Taniras isn’t making that easy.”

  Thad studied her a heartbeat. “Maybe you’re attempting what can’t be.” The woman looked shocked and guilt flooded him. “My apologies, Camlys, but Taniras will be a youngling for a while. You’re a Gypsy servant. That worthy of her respect and obedience.” He had little trouble adjusting to Gypsy rules and spent most of his days learning all he could. The Gypsies promised he wouldn’t die like his mother but part of him still had doubts. “If she can’t accept that maybe you should look elsewhere for friendship.”

  Camlys gawked at him.

  “I mean no offense. That a fact.” Thad had learned that most people appreciated the truth and he had never been one to lie, but perhaps he should have kept his mouth shut about this.

  “I’m not offended, Thad. It’s just, well, that thought has crossed my mind but I’ve pushed it away. To hear you say it aloud—why is she so stubborn?”

  “Same reason you are.” Snowy was lying with his eyes closed now. “I think stubbornness runs in the rivers near Maricar.”

  Greges laughed at that. “Well, I don’t let Taniras get to me. If she wants to act a child and throw tantrums then so be it. I’ll simply keep to the servants and the new-oathed women.”

  “Yes, we’ve noticed you noticing the women, Greges,” Camlys said.

  He grinned. “Well, they notice me too.”

  Snowy opened his eyes and pulled up to one elbow. “You’re also responsible for younglings, Greges. Remember the oaths you took.”

  “Yes, I know, and I’ve scolded a few. But Taniras is Maricari and as old as I am. We’ve always been equals.”

  “You’re no longer equals. I’ve noticed she gets away with things she shouldn’t when you’re around. Perhaps you should act a Gypsy servant and put her in her place.” Greges sighed and Snowy narrowed black eyes on him a heartbeat. “I’ve seen some of the Gypsies watching you of late.”

  That got a snap of Greges head. Gypsies could discipline a servant, though it was rarely needed, and they usually sent a wayward servant directly to the Vedi.

  “Next time Taniras gets out of line with you, give her a chore she hates or haul her to one of the Gypsies.”

  “Just don’t bring her to me.” Camlys held her hands up in defense. “I’ve disciplined her more than anyone besides Haranda.”

  “That promise basket was the best idea you’ve had, yet.” Snowy gave the girl a sly grin. Thad thought he saw something else in the man’s eyes whenever he spoke of Taniras. Attraction, perhaps?

  Camlys chuckled and her eyes drifted to Taniras. “She gathered sticks for my arrows faster than I’ve seen her move in quite a while.”

  Snowy focused on Greges again. “Let her know her station. She’s still a youngling. A woman who can get into serious trouble with the Energy if she’s not reined in.”

  “I know,” Greges said in a weary voice.

  “Chin up. Once you steer her to Haranda, I wager she doesn’t act a child in front of you again.”

  The hunters turned the conversation to night meal but Thad’s eyes drifted to Cass. She was only as tall as Maesa, with both barely reaching above Kal’s shoulders, but she was a woman, and Thad enjoyed the way she moved when she walked. She missed her knives, which is why she and Kal became friends in the first place. Both women spent time throwing stones because younglings were forbidden to carry weapons here, even for sport. Again, Thad missed his boot knives. He’d never used them for protection, just hunting and fishing, but he still longed for them. Blazes, he longed for his boots, too! His large feet always seemed to get bruised on rocks and jutting tree roots.

  Cass glanced at him and he smiled. She smiled briefly then turned her attention back to her clan sisters. But she had smiled at him and that was enough for now. He lay back on the thick inviting grass and closed his eyes.

  * * * *

  In his dream, he stood by the Tandiar River and looked for something. Something he had lost. He wasn’t certain what, but there was a great need to find it. Suddenly, he sat atop a horse, a golden brown mare with a white mane. His mount began to run and he smiled as the wind brushed against his exposed face and arms. A figure came into view in the distance and he squinted as his horse ran in that direction. There were no other people anywhere along the river. Strange.

  Thad slowed the mare as he approached the figure, a woman in a long, blue cape. She waved to him. He thought of dismounting and suddenly found himself on his feet near the bank. The mare was gone now and he took steps toward the woman, who seemed to beckon him. She was beautiful, and as he got closer, he recognized her. Hard eyes, russet hair. Cass.

  Before he could raise a hand in greeting, she held her arm out toward him, and he was suddenly naked, wrists and ankles bound to a pole. Long fingers entwined his hair and jerked his head back. The face he saw was Cass’s but something inside him doubted this woman was actually her.

  The woman’s lips moved and at first he heard nothing. Then the words finally made it to his ears. “I said, where are they?”

  “Where are what?”

  His neck cramped as the fingers pulled harder. “Don’t toy with me, youngling. Where are the others? I know you’ve been with them.”

  Thad still didn’t understand and he studied the woman. Something in her eyes told him that she was definitely not Cass. He also felt he wasn’t in control here. Was he dreaming? Yes. He had slumbering Energy, however slight, but he realized he was dreaming, not slumbering. Nothing was brilliant around him except the woman.

  “You will talk, boy.” She released him as a whip appeared in her hand, and she stepped back enough to get a good swing at his exposed flesh.

  He cried out as fire ripped into his back, buttocks and legs consecutively. He tried to twist away from the woman but felt lightheaded and nauseous from the pain. Why couldn’t he break free from this awful dream? That was something he’d trained himself to do long ago. I’m dreaming.

  “Tell me what I want to know,” the woman said in a syrupy tone. “And I’ll release you.”

  “I don’t know who you’re searching for. That a fact.” Why was she doing this to him? Who was she? He tried to see through the guise but he only saw Cass.

  Fire cut his skin over and over until he was hoarse from screaming. Sweat mixed with his bloody wounds and stung his f
lesh and he felt as though he would pass out. He wished for that.

  “This one is useless. Just a youngling,” another woman said.

  Thad didn’t know the voice and his vision had blurred with his tears and sweat. The ropes binding him suddenly came loose and he fell toward the ground. He cried out as he landed on raw injuries. He abruptly opened his eyes found himself lying in the grass under a large tree.

  “Thad? You all right?” Camlys leaned over him.

  The hunters had gathered around him. Blazes, it was a dream! Thank the Goddess! Why did he still feel pain? He tried to stand but fire burned him from his shoulders to the backs of his knees, and all he could manage was to fall on his side and whimper.

  “He’s bleeding, Snowy.” Camlys held him. “Don’t move, youngling.”

  Thad closed his eyes against nausea and pulled the Energy from the earth below, sending his senses inward to his own injuries. Soon he found the slices in his flesh and began to draw sinew together and create new skin. Another presence joined him and he recognized the lilac scent of Predula’s healing Energy. Together they turned his wounds into scratches and finally thin scars, then Thad pulled his awareness outward and released the Energy into the earth.

  He opened his eyes to see the small body-healer next to him on the grass. “Apologies, Mother Predula. I harnessed without permission.”

  “Quiet, youngling. Let’s get you to bed.”

  Two fathers helped Thad up and supported him on the way to his cottage. Why did self-healing always leave him so exhausted? They stripped him of the blood-stained clothing then washed him and put him under the covers.

  Predula sat nearby and placed a brief hand on his brow.

  “What happened out there, youngling?” Xiath said as he stood near the bed. Elder-Father Finlor was present and the stout healer wore a frown that accentuated his jowls.