The Quest for the Heart Orb (The Orbs of Rathira)

by Laura Jo Phillips

  Zakiel repeated the message, word for word, that Zabeth had delivered. While he spoke, he noticed how weary Bredon looked. “Shall we continue, Bredon, or would you prefer to rest?”

  “We need to continue,” Bredon said. “There is much to tell you and I cannot rest until I’ve done so. I will begin at the beginning, and tell you everything from the first day.”

  It was growing late and Bredon was hoarse by the time he finished his story. They’d long since switched from brandy to tea, but now Zakiel reached for the flask again. He needed another drink after all he’d just learned.

  “You’re certain of all this?” he asked, handing the flask to Bredon, who poured a healthy splash into his cup and handed it back.

  “I’m positive,” he said. “It’s not just Rathira that’s at risk if we fail to hold back the Djinn. Our world is only the beginning. From here, they will spread until they’ve destroyed every living being on every planet within the Thousand Worlds and beyond, just as they’ve done to countless universes in their own dimension.”

  “Finally, I understand why Riata sent me here,” Karma said.

  “Who is Riata?” Zakiel asked.

  Karma sighed, almost wishing she hadn’t said that out loud. It was late and everyone was tired, including herself. She didn’t feel up to telling the whole story, but she couldn’t leave them hanging either. “Before I came to Rathira I was on a world called Jasan. That’s when I was given the winged ankh. A Spirit Guide named Riata encouraged me to follow my feelings and come here, to Rathira. She appeared again the first time I spoke with King Rhobar alone. She told me how to use the Ti-Ank to call on Techu Samyi, and she said a few things that helped me to decide to stay here and help. I never understood why though. Don’t get me wrong, she was very kind and very helpful, but she’s a Spirit Guide for Jasan, and they have quite enough problems of their own to keep her busy. I couldn’t figure out why she took such an interest in me, or Rathira. Now I know.”

  “Do you think you could contact her?” Kapia asked. “Maybe she could help us somehow.”

  “I’ve tried before and will certainly try again,” Karma said. “But I’m not going to hold my breath. What I really wish is that I could contact Jasan somehow. They have both magic and technology, and I know they would help us.”

  “Perhaps Samyi or Zabeth could carry a message,” Kapia suggested.

  “They’re not Spirit Guides, so I don’t think they could do that,” Karma said. “Even if they could, there’s no one on Jasan capable of seeing or hearing them that I know of. Worrow will eventually be a Spirit Guide, but it will be some time before he can advise us.”

  “It seems that we are meant to handle this on our own,” Zakiel said, then sighed. “It is a strange thing to be thankful for but I am, nonetheless, thankful that Marene has that accursed scepter.”

  “Yes, I am too,” Bredon said. “Thankful, and horrified.”

  “You have the ability to speak with her, and to see through her lies,” Zakiel said. “Those are marks in our favor and we will count them as such.” He raised his glass and finished his brandy. “It grows late, and you are in need of rest, Cousin, as are we all. Whatever is left to discuss will have to wait until tomorrow. Go and get some sleep.”

  Bredon set his empty cup down and got to his feet, then offered Kapia a hand up. “I’ll walk you home,” he said. Kapia nodded, her head buzzing with all she’d learned. After they said their good nights to Zakiel and Karma, they stepped outside and paused to breathe in the cold night air.

  “I know you’re holding something back, Bredon,” Kapia said softly as she slipped her hand into his, her gaze on the stars overhead.

  “Yes, I am,” Bredon admitted. “I will not lie to you, Kapia. Not again. But there are some things I’m not ready to reveal just yet. I’m sorry.”

  “You don’t need to be sorry,” Kapia said. “I ask only that you don’t keep secrets from me because you don’t trust my ability to accept the truth.”

  “I promise, my love,” Bredon said.

  “Good,” she said, relaxing. “Come on. It’s very late, and you need to get some sleep.”

  Chapter Three

  Sir Marl of the House of Muran stood on a rocky ledge overlooking a deep ravine on the western face of the Hidden Sister, leaning lightly on his spear as he gazed unseeing at the view below him. Several weeks had passed since his mysterious absence from, and equally mysterious return to the Orb Quest. In that time his face had lost the gaunt, almost skeletal appearance he’d had on that day and, thanks to many hours of sparring with his fellow Hunters, he’d regained his former strength and speed as well.

  To look at him, some would think he was completely recovered from his long ordeal. Those who knew him well, knew better. Marl had always been a fierce warrior, but a thoughtful man, never talkative, but not silent, either. These days he spoke only in response to a query, or to give a required acknowledgement to a command.

  He knew that everyone was worried about him, and he appreciated their concern. He just wasn’t sure what to do about it. He didn’t know how to explain his feelings, or how to describe the fear that nearly suffocated him at times. If only he could remember. If only he knew what he’d done, or where he’d gone, or what had happened to him. But, aside from one, brief memory that he worried and picked at during most of his waking hours, all he had were vague, shadowy recollections of darkness and pain, anger and despair. And the eternal, infernal questions over the state of his honor. Had he lost it? Had it been torn from him? Or had he given it away as though it were a cheap trinket in exchange for something he couldn’t even remember, or worse, nothing at all?

  He felt a moment’s resentment toward Sir Bredon who’d returned a few days earlier. He’d been too thin, and there was something in his eyes that spoke of hardship and horror, but at least he’d known where he’d been and what had happened to him.

  An unexpected movement interrupted his dark thoughts, and he shifted his gaze down and a little to the east, instantly alert. Most people used the trail down the southern face of the mountain to the river that snaked around the foot of the Hidden Sister when they left the settlement. That was, of course, precisely why he always chose to seek solitude on the western side. Therefore, he was surprised to see a lone figure following the little-used western trail up the mountain.

  The figure was completely covered in a long brown cloak with a deep hood raised against the cold mountain air, but he felt certain it was a female. There was something about the way she moved, in spite of the bulky pack strapped to her back. He watched for a few moments, surprised to find that he was actually curious about the unknown woman. What did she look like? How old was she? Why was she climbing the Hidden Sister?

  The answer to his last question came to him the moment he thought it. She had to be the Maiden of the Heart Orb that everyone was waiting for. But why was she alone? A woman critically important to the future of Rathira should not be walking alone and unguarded up the side of a mountain teeming with dangerous wildlife. It made no sense. Maybe he’d made a mistake. Maybe it was a man.

  He studied the figure again, but as much as he wanted it to be a man, he knew that it wasn’t. He looked down her back trail, searching the twists and turns of the path for more people, hoping she’d just decided to walk ahead of her companions. But, as far as he could tell from his vantage point, she really was alone.

  He frowned when a stealthy movement about a half mile behind the woman caught his attention. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he waited, trusting the sharp warning of his instincts more than his eyes. A short time later his patience paid off when a patch of what had appeared to be an area of dappled shade beneath a tree began to move stealthily up the woman’s back trail.

  Marl growled softly. A bear-cat. Big, fast, and deadly dangerous even to an armed and experienced Hunter in his prime. His gaze shifted back to the woman, mentally calculating how much time he had. For a fraction of a second he considered, and discarded, the i
dea of shouting a warning. Even if it didn’t frighten her, the sudden noise could incite the bear-cat into stepping up its attack. If she was, as he suspected, the Maiden of the Heart, he couldn’t take the smallest risk with her safety. That left only one option, and he’d have to move very quickly in order to implement it.

  Ren knew that she was being followed. She glanced behind herself several times, but with all the twists and turns of the trail as it wound its way up the mountain, she couldn’t see very far. She hitched her pack higher and kept walking, forcing herself to breathe evenly and keep her pace steady. Although dangerous wildlife was sparse on Nu Senna because of the humans who’d lived there for so long, there were some predators. She knew better than to start running. Only prey ran.

  She scanned her surroundings as she walked, searching for a suitable place to make a stand. A small cave, a large boulder, even a good sized tree. Anything solid that she could put at her back and, hopefully, convince whatever was stalking her that she was more trouble than she was worth. A stick or branch, something sturdy enough to use as a weapon, would come in handy as well. Unfortunately, with a deep ravine on one side of the trail, and a steep wall of dirt on the other, her options were severely limited.

  She rounded a turn and let her breath out in a relieved whoosh when she saw a deadfall at the side of the trail. She hurried to it, selected a likely looking branch already broken from the trunk and picked it up. It was heavy enough to use as a weapon, maybe too heavy for her to swing around for very long, but it would do.

  Straightening with the branch in her hands, she looked up to see a tall man with shoulder length black hair appear from around the next bend, running toward her with a spear poised at his shoulder. She froze, caught between shock and fear.

  “Down,” he shouted, emphasizing his command with a sharp, palm downward gesture of his free hand. Ren didn’t hesitate. She flung the branch aside and dropped to her stomach, the heavy pack slamming painfully into her back. A blood curdling roar sounded from behind her, matched in fury by an answering roar from the man still running toward her. She dared a peek back over her shoulder in time to see an enormous bear-cat crouch down, readying itself to lunge. She knew with an odd, cool clarity that there was no escape. She was seconds from death, and there was not one single thing she could do about it.

  The man’s spear abruptly blossomed from the animal’s wide chest. The bear-cat screamed in pain and rage, then leapt off the trail, the spear still in its chest as it disappeared into the ravine. The man ran to the edge of the trail and stood there, his back to her, marking the bear-cat’s progress through the heavy brush.

  Her near death in the jaws of a vicious animal was momentarily forgotten as she gaped at the vision of sculpted male flesh incased in tight black leather. Never in her life had she even imagined such a creature existed. She’d seen men before, of course. There were no adult males in Sanctuary, but there were many in the village. None of them looked remotely like this one, though. Or, if they did, their manner of dress certainly did a commendable job of hiding it.

  The man turned around to face her and she immediately faced forward, her face burning with embarrassment at being caught staring. She struggled to her feet somewhat clumsily with the heavy pack, then busied herself with brushing the dust and leaves from her cloak while trying to collect herself. She heard him walking toward her, but kept her eyes on her hands. After reacting as she had to his…back…she was almost afraid to look at his…face. Her cheeks burned hotter with her wayward thoughts.

  “Are you injured?” the man asked, stopping several feet away from her.

  She automatically looked up when he spoke, straight into the most haunted pair of eyes she’d ever seen. Her breath caught in her throat and all of her nervousness and awkward embarrassment slipped away as, without stopping to consult her common sense first, her whole heart went out to him. She had no idea how long she stood there, staring into his deep black eyes, not even noticing that he was just as ensnared as she was. Eventually she remembered that he’d asked her a question.

  “I’m fine,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She cleared her throat.

  “Are you seeking the Orb Quest?” he asked.

  “I am,” she replied.

  “You are the Maiden of the Heart Orb?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you travel alone?”

  “Yes,” she said, sensing his growing disapproval.

  “Why?”

  Ren opened her mouth, then closed it. The story was rather a long one, and this, surely, was not the time for it. But, how could she answer in a few words without sounding rude? Before she could decide how best to answer, he either ran out of patience, or decided she wasn’t going to answer, because he spoke again.

  “The Orb Quest is camped a few minutes’ walk up this trail,” he said. “You should be safe enough since few predators would dare encroach on a bear-cat’s hunting grounds. I apologize for not escorting you, but I must track the bear-cat. A wounded animal of that size and temperament will be a danger to all, and I cannot allow his suffering to continue because of my poor aim.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” Ren asked, relieved that she’d managed an entire, coherent sentence consisting of more than two words.

  “When you reach the settlement, please tell them that I’m tracking a wounded bear-cat through the ravine off the western trail and would not object to help.”

  “Of course,” she said. “May I ask your name? So that I can tell them who you are.”

  “I am Marl.” He looked as though he was about to say something else, but after a long moment he closed his mouth and remained silent.

  “Thank you for saving me Marl,” she said. “My name is Ren. I’ll go as quickly as I can.”

  “Thank you,” he replied. He stood there silently for another moment, then abruptly turned around and ran off in the bear-cat’s wake.

  Ren stared after him in surprise, then began looking around for the branch she’d tossed aside earlier. Spotting it, she picked it up, determined to be ready should another predator dare to show itself to her. She took off uphill, walking as fast as the heavy pack allowed.

  While she walked, she tried to sort through the wide range of emotions careening through her. She was grateful to Marl for saving her from what would have been a truly awful death. For that she owed him her heartfelt thanks. Her physical reaction to him was surprising, confusing, and extremely disturbing since she had no idea why she’d reacted that way or what it meant. But, most startling of all, was the sure and certain knowledge that Marl was very important to her future. No, she corrected herself. He was her future.

  That terrified her nearly as much as the bear-cat.

  ***

  Karma sat alone after Zakiel left to meet with Bredon, Garundel and some of the other men, sipping her tea while wondering what she was going to do with herself for the day. Strange as it seemed, she was getting tired of staying in one place. Or maybe not so strange, she thought. After all, she’d spent her entire childhood moving from place to place on New Levant. She’d left that life behind when she’d gone to Earth, but the Orb Quest had brought it all back.

  She emptied her cup and politely declined Lashi’s offer of more. She had to find something to do with herself. Unfortunately, she was still too weak to begin sparring with Kapia again. Unlike Lashi and Caral, she had no talent for sewing, nor any inclination to learn. What she really needed to do was build her strength back up. She got up to fetch her cloak. A walk around the settlement once or twice would be a good start.

  As soon as she stepped out of the tent she saw Nikura trotting toward her. “Is something wrong?” she asked silently.

  “She comes,” Nikura replied, stopping in front of her.

  “Where?” Karma asked, looking in the direction he’d come from.

  “She’ll reach the village in a few minutes,” Nikura said. “She’s alone and on foot, coming up the western trail.”

 
“Alone?” Karma exclaimed in surprise as she began walking toward Kapia’s dwelling. “Why is she alone?”

  “Why ask me?” Nikura asked. “As I’ve told you repeatedly, I cannot read minds. Nor would I if I could. Why is it that you have so much trouble remembering that?”

  Karma rolled her eyes. Apparently the Sphin had gotten up on the wrong side of his red velvet cushion this morning. Not long ago she would have tried to soothe his testy mood. Now she knew better, and just ignored it. “Nikura, will you give this news to Zakiel for me please?”

  Nikura made a point of sighing heavily. “Since you said please, I will,” he replied. “This time. Just don’t get in the habit of sending me on errands. I’m a Sphin, not a courier bird.”

  “I wouldn’t think of it,” Karma said dryly. Nikura turned away, then paused and looked back over his shoulder.

  “Do not push yourself, Lady Techu,” he warned.

  “I won’t,” Karma she replied warmly. She wouldn’t embarrass Nikura by saying anything too directly, but she did appreciate his concern.

  Karma knocked on Kapia’s door as she watched Nikura trot toward one of the larger buildings in the settlement that Zakiel used as a makeshift meeting hall. The snow that had covered the Hidden Sister for the Argiari’s comfort had long since melted, but it was late in the season, and quite cold most days.

  She turned around when Caral answered the door. “Tell Kapia that she’s arrived, and I’m going to get Tiari,” Karma said shortly, then hurried away, heading for Tiari and Tomas’s place. By the time she reached it, Kapia had already caught up with her.

  “Where is she?” she asked while Karma knocked on the door.

  “Nikura says she’s walking up the western trail, alone, and will be here soon,” Karma said. Tomas opened the door in time to hear the last part of her reply, carrying Tiari in his arms.

  “She’s here?” Tiari asked, only catching the last few words.

  “Yes, or will be in a moment, according to Nikura,” Karma said, then turned and headed toward the western side of the settlement. Since the Argiari had been very large beings, their houses and furniture were also big. On the other hand, there had only been eleven of them, so the settlement itself was rather small. It didn’t take them long to cross to the western edge of it, which they reached at the same time that the newcomer did. The woman tossed a large branch aside as she paused to look around, then walked straight toward the small group of women.