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

by Laura Jo Phillips

“Corona stones?” Marl said in much the same tone of voice Karma had used.

  “Yes, I know, Karma told me yesterday that corona means crown,” Ren said. “All I know is that my mother called them corona stones. She died when I was six, and no one at Sanctuary knew any more than I did about them. Hearing them called beautiful is…unexpected. I’ve spent my life hating them because they marked me as a fr…as different.”

  Marl turned his face away from her to hide the sudden violence of his feelings, but not quickly enough for her to miss the sudden fury in his eyes. Somehow, she understood that his anger wasn’t directed at her.

  “You were born with them?” he asked.

  “No,” Ren replied. “The green stone I’ve had since my sixth birthday. The second one, the red one, appeared on my thirteenth birthday and the pearl just a couple of weeks ago, on my twentieth birthday. I don’t know what they mean, or what purpose they serve, if any.” Without thought, she reached over to lightly touch his hand. Marl immediately turned toward her again, his dark eyes filled with an emotion she could not identify.

  “You will one day learn the meaning of the stones if it is meant to be so,” he said. “If not, well, as I said, they’re beautiful. I’m sorry that you were given cause to dislike them so much.”

  Unable to meet his eyes when she knew her cheeks were pink with yet another compliment, she averted her face and looked away. She gasped in surprise at the sight her eyes fell upon.

  “What is it?” Marl asked, shifting so that he could follow her gaze.

  “Is…what is…?” She glanced at him, then away, and cleared her throat. “What is it that Prince Zakiel and Lady Techu are doing?”

  “Doing?” Marl asked, confused. He was looking right at them and they were doing nothing more than talking quietly together.

  “Not now,” Ren said. “A moment ago they were…there, do you see? They’re doing it again.”

  Marl’s eyebrows shot nearly to his hair line. “They’re kissing, Hara Ren,” he said. “Have you never seen two people kiss before?”

  Her expression turned thoughtful as she searched her memory. “Not like that, no,” she said finally. “I have a vague memory of my mother kissing my forehead at night before I went to sleep, but that is certainly not what they’re doing.”

  “No, it isn’t,” Marl agreed. “You speak of a kiss from parent to child. They are married, so their kisses are far different.” Marl studied Ren’s expression. “Does it offend you?”

  “Offend?” Ren asked in surprise. “No, of course not. I’m just curious.”

  “Public displays of affection are unusual, but between two people who are married there is no shame in it,” Marl said. “I suppose the customs regarding such behavior are different where you’re from.”

  “I don’t know,” Ren said. “There are no married people in Sanctuary, and whenever I passed through the village I kept my eyes down and walked as fast as I could.”

  Her statement raised so many questions in Marl’s mind that he couldn’t decide which one to ask first. Unfortunately, the call to remount came before he made up his mind. He guided Ren back to her diplo and stood ready to help while she mounted, hating the stirrup since he really wanted to place his hands at her waist again. When she was settled he returned to his own diplo, his mind in turmoil as he wondered just what sort of place she’d grown up in that the last time she’d been kissed was by her mother when she was six. Or how it was that a woman her age had never witnessed a married couple kissing before.

  ***

  “Are you well, Ren?” Karma asked after watching the younger woman ride in silence with a frown on her face for nearly half an hour.

  “Yes, thank you, but there is something I’d like to discuss with you,” Ren replied.

  “Of course,” Karma replied.

  “When those demons attacked, I had no idea what to do,” Ren said. “I didn’t know if I should remain on the diplo, or try to jump down and hide, or if there was something I could or should do to be of assistance. I felt completely useless, and that is not a feeling I enjoy. Please tell me what I can do to help or, if not that, at least tell me what I should do so that I don’t get in anyone’s way.”

  “That depends on you,” Karma said. “Now that you’ve seen a demon attack, what do you think you’d like to do? Would you like to learn to use a weapon to protect yourself?”

  “Yes, I would, when you’re well enough and the weather allows,” Ren said. “In the meantime, there must be something else I can do to help.”

  “How about we put you in charge of our diplos?” Kapia suggested. “You can keep them together and out of danger when we’re attacked. Would you mind doing that?”

  “Not at all,” Ren said, brightening.

  “I’ll feel better knowing that Goldy isn’t about to follow me into danger,” Kapia said, patting her diplo affectionately. “I know these diplo are battle trained for the Hunters, but I still worry about him sometimes.”

  “I promise that I’ll do whatever I can to keep him, Nosy, Dippy and Spot out of danger,” Ren said, feeling much better. She was still afraid of the diplos, including Spot, but they seemed docile enough. Besides, she had no intention of allowing fear to stop her from doing her share. “If you think of anything else you’d like me to do, no matter what it is, please let me know.”

  “We will, Ren,” Karma said. “Just remember that if we’re attacked, your primary duty is to keep yourself safe. Rathira cannot afford to lose you.”

  “How am I to do that when I don’t know how to defend myself?” she asked.

  “You’ll be fairly safe if you remain with the diplo,” Kapia said. “If demons are flying around or get too close, get beneath Spot. That’s the safest place you can be.”

  “It makes me feel cowardly to think of hiding when everyone else is fighting.”

  “I often feel that way too,” Kapia said. “But I still do it.”

  “But you know how to fight,” Ren said, surprised.

  “Yes, I know how to fight, but that doesn’t mean I should fight every time we’re attacked,” Kapia said. “For example, today we were attacked by satyrs. The smallest one I saw was at least two heads taller than me, and they all carried steel swords while I use a wooden staff.” She shrugged. “I could have probably disarmed them, but there were plenty of Hunters ready, able, and eager to fight them, and they have far more skill and strength than I do. It would have been extremely foolish of me to join that battle since there was absolutely no need for me to do so.

  “If I’m forced to defend myself, or you, or anyone else, I will do so without hesitation. But that wasn’t the case today. I’m an Orb Maiden and, like you, Ren, my biggest responsibility is to stay alive. Sometimes, hiding beneath Goldy is the most sensible thing to do, no matter how much I might wish to do otherwise.”

  “I see,” Ren said thoughtfully. “Wielding a weapon carries with it a lot more responsibility than I expected.”

  “It does,” Karma said, nodding in agreement.

  A few minutes later the trail narrowed, forcing everyone to ride two abreast. Karma rode beside Nikura with Ren and Kapia in front of her, and Tiari and Tomas behind her. It was, Karma decided, a perfect opportunity for her to have a conversation with Nikura.

  “Nikura, are you awake?” she asked silently, glancing over to where the Sphin lay curled on the cushion atop his diplo.

  “I am,” Nikura replied, though his eyes didn’t open.

  “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”

  Nikura opened one eye and stared at her for a long moment. “No.”

  “Will you tell me how the Ti-Ank left Rathira?”

  Nikura stretched and sat up before responding. “Vatra Gariel did it, of course.”

  “Who went with it, and why was it necessary?”

  “Do you want the short answer, or the long one?” Nikura asked, then blinked slowly. “I withdraw the question. Of course you want the long one.”

  “If it doesn’
t interfere with your busy schedule.”

  “Not at all,” Nikura said flatly. “I live to serve.” Karma let out a completely unladylike snort which she hid behind one hand while waving at him to continue with the other.

  “As you now know, Quentin, Lord Techu and Samyi, Lady Techu were twins,” Nikura began, the tip of his long tail twitching irritably, belying his calm tone. “Samyi was wife to King Gariel, the Vatra before Prince Zakiel. Quentin was also married, but his wife died of fever shortly after giving birth to their daughter, Deena. Samyi and Quentin had one sister, Lorl, who was a powerful shaman. She was the first Maiden of the Moon Orb.

  “Quentin never recovered from the loss of his wife. By the time the pyramid was complete, he had no interest in continuing his life. He gave Deena to Samyi to raise, and joined Ankiru in the pyramid.”

  “He went into the pyramid, knowing he would die, even though he had an infant daughter?”

  “Yes,” Nikura said. “It was his choice. He refused Vatra’s repeated offer of a suspension spell that would have spared his life within the pyramid.”

  “That’s so wrong, Nikura,” Karma said, shaking her head slowly. “He had a responsibility to his daughter.”

  “He mourned the loss of his wife,” Nikura said. “Would you have felt differently?”

  “I certainly hope that I would,” Karma said. “I love Zakiel very much, and I do not care to imagine my life without him. But our children need and deserve our love and commitment, regardless of the state of our own hearts.”

  “I agree,” Nikura said, his tail stilling.

  “Nikura,” Karma asked hesitantly, “does Ankiru suffer hunger and thirst in the pyramid?”

  “No, she does not,” Nikura replied. “She did not decline Vatra’s spell as Quentin did.”

  “That’s a relief,” Karma said. “All right, so what happened after the pyramid was sent?”

  “Some years later it became known that the demons had somehow learned of the Ti-Ank, and they were trying very hard to find it. Vatra Gariel retrieved the Ti-Ank from its hiding place, then took it and Deena, who was a young woman by then, to another world called Earth. This is the world I’ve heard you speak of, is it not?”

  “It is,” Karma said. “So that explains why my mother looks so much like Samyi in that tapestry. I’m a direct descendant of her twin brother, Quinten.”

  “Yes, you are,” Nikura said.

  “And Lorl? The original Maiden of the Moon…what happened to her?”

  “She married King Gariel’s brother.”

  “Kapia is her direct descendent of course, since she is the current Maiden of the Moon.”

  “Yes, of course,” Nikura said.

  “I’m glad a thousand years have passed, otherwise I’d be a bit too close of a relative to marry Zakiel,” Karma said.

  “I suppose,” Nikura said, resuming his usual bored tone.

  “Thank you, Nikura, for telling me this,” Karma said. “May I ask one more question?”

  “If you must.”

  “How does the stasis spell work? Is Ankiru asleep?”

  “No, she is awake and aware of her duty to guard the tear,” Nikura said. “She is unaware of her identity or her life, and her body remains without hunger or thirst.”

  “I can’t quite decide if I think that’s a blessing or a curse,” Karma said.

  “That is a question which troubled me, as well,” Nikura admitted. “Until I realized that the stasis spell on Anki was all that remained between me, and insanity.”

  “I don’t understand,” Karma said.

  “When the pyramid returns to Rathira, I am the only one that can end the spell. Should I allow myself the luxury of insanity, she will remain locked within its grasp for eternity.”

  “King Gariel was a clever man,” Karma said, though it didn’t sound like she meant it as a compliment.

  “Yes, he was,” Nikura agreed. “I can only hope that he wasn’t too clever.” Karma pondered that as she watched Nikura lay back down on his cushion. He closed his eyes and, within moments, was fast asleep.

  Chapter Six

  By the time Zakiel called a halt at the end of their first day back on the trail, everyone was exhausted. Tents were pitched, meals were cooked and eaten, and beds sought out much earlier than usual. The next few days followed the same pattern as everyone settled back into the routine of travel. Ren became accustomed to her new environment fairly quickly. She was sore and tender from days in the saddle, but was assured it would soon pass. Being among so many people was still difficult, but it was getting easier.

  She thoroughly enjoyed her growing relationship with the other women, but Marl’s behavior toward her was disturbing. After that first day, when he was so kind to her after the demon attack, he’d withdrawn from her completely. She doubted he’d said ten words to her since. Having no experience with men whatsoever, she didn’t know if this was normal behavior for a man, or not. Having almost as little experience with women, she also wasn’t sure if it would be deemed acceptable, or not, to ask questions about him. So, she kept her questions to herself, and hoped he’d eventually decide to talk to her again.

  Then came the day, near the end of their first week of travel, when they awoke to a dark, cloudy sky and a cold drizzling rain. It was too light to justify waiting for it to pass, but constant enough to make everyone miserable.

  Ren’s misery was tempered by fear. She kept the hood of her cloak up and pulled forward, grateful that it was deep enough to hide her face so long as she didn’t move around too much. She made sure the sleeves of the woolen top she wore beneath her cloak were tucked into the wrist bands of her gloves so that no skin showed, and said a silent but heartfelt thank you to Brai Adaya for the new knee high boots and divided skirts.

  She knew that she was putting off the inevitable, and that eventually everyone would have to know the truth about her, but she couldn’t help herself. She’d hidden for too long, and had suffered too much to boldly display her Mareon blood in front of so many strangers all at once.

  The rain continued throughout the morning, never growing heavy enough for Prince Zakiel to call a halt, but constant enough that her cloak and hood eventually became drenched, just as she’d feared. The water seeped into her hair and not long after that, it began to run down her face. She didn’t need a mirror to know what her face looked like, but there was nothing she could do about it other than continue to stay hidden. When Prince Zakiel called a halt for lunch, she nearly panicked.

  “Don’t worry,” Kapia said in a low voice. “We’ll allow no harm to come to you. You have my word as Princess of Isiben.”

  “Thank you,” Ren breathed, momentarily stunned. She turned her head and saw Karma nod solemnly. She suddenly realized that, for the first time in her life, she had friends. Real friends who would actually stand by her. She sat up a little straighter in the saddle and lifted her chin. She would not shame them by acting like a coward. With Kapia’s promise firmly in her mind, she dismounted.

  She’d had no practice using the stirrup while both it and her boot were wet. Her foot slipped almost completely free of the loop, so she was off balance when her other foot touched the ground. She reached out and grabbed hold of the saddle to keep herself from falling and, just as she’d feared, the violent movement caused her hood to slip backward, revealing her face. She reached up to tug the hood forward, but it was already too late. Her sudden slip and near fall had drawn attention.

  An inarticulate shout, followed by the unmistakable zing of metal against metal, sent her heart into her throat. She spun around to see a Hunter holding both of his swords at the ready, his eyes glaring at her, his mouth twisted with disgust.

  “Lady Techu, Highness, get back!” he shouted. “It’s a demon!”

  “How dare you make an unfounded claim against an Orb Maiden?” Kapia demanded as she moved to stand beside Ren, her voice so cold that Ren shivered. Before anyone else could say a word, Marl stepped directly in front of her, both
swords drawn as he faced her accuser.

  “Sir Corbon,” he said, his voice making Kapia’s seem warm. “Sheathe your steel, or accept my challenge.”

  Corbon stared at Kapia, then Marl in surprise and confusion. Lady Tiari moved her diplo close behind Ren, and Sir Tomas moved to stand beside her, hands on their weapons as they glared at him. “I do not understand,” he said. “Why do you protect her?”

  Ren looked at the other Hunters who were crowding around, and knew they didn’t understand, either. Her fear for herself shifted to concern over the rising tensions of the men surrounding them.

  Then Karma moved to stand between Marl and Corbon with Nikura at her side, holding the Ti-Ank so that the winged headpiece rested at her shoulder, every inch the Lady Techu of legend and myth. Even the lowest of the servants and drovers felt her power, and Corbon was hard put to stand fast when her angry, starry eyes bored into him. She continued to stare at him until absolute silence fell, and every eye was upon them.

  “If you have good reason for your objection to Hara Ren’s Mareon blood, Sir Corbon, I will hear it now,” she said just loud enough for everyone to hear.

  “Mareon?” Corbon repeated numbly. His eyes returned to Ren’s face, still shadowed by the wet hood, but by no means hidden. He flushed red with what Ren feared was fury, but turned out to be embarrassment.

  Corbon had never seen a Mareon, had barely heard of them, and had no knowledge of what one looked like. But he would never for an instant doubt Lady Techu’s word. Or Sir Marl’s swords. He shoved his blades back into their scabbards and bowed as deeply as possible. “You have my abject apologies, Hara Ren,” he said. “I saw something unexpected, and acted carelessly and rashly.”

  As soon as Corbon put his weapons away, Marl and Karma both stepped aside so Ren could face her would-be attacker. The Hunter’s sincere apology was a total shock to Ren. For a long moment she stood frozen, uncertain what to say. She looked around at the angry faces now directed at the confused and embarrassed man, startled to see that Garundel was staring at him with far more than anger. He looked as though he were ready to kill Sir Corbon where he stood. Then she met Lady Techu’s expectant gaze, and understood what she had to do.