by Alan Black
Tanden nodded and settled back onto his rock. Tilting his head back against the tunnel wall, he closed his eyes. He was tired, but not as sleepy as he should be. He rested quietly until the girl brought him a handful of sliced saurus meat. The meat was not as raw as he imagined. Hanging next to the heated side of a running saurus for most of the morning had warmed it.
I-Sheera seated herself next to him and began chewing on her meal. She looked up at him twice as if to speak, but said nothing.
Finally, Tanden said, “Speak, girl. You have a question?”
Between bites, she said, “Yes, Captain.”
“I think you should call me Tanden over such a fine meal.” He was no longer surprised at how much he had come to like the girl. She was certainly not the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, but she was more attractive than conventional standards dictated. She had proven herself in more ways than he could remember in the last two days. His feelings toward her had started changing with the stabbing of the mutinous dog Obert back on the White Wind.
“Captain, I can’t call you by name. It isn’t proper.”
“Why not?” he asked. “Maybe in your country a girl wouldn’t call a man by name, but we aren’t in your country, or mine, for that matter.”
I-Sheera said quietly, “I’m just a maid and you’re a master, it wouldn’t be right.”
Tanden shouted into the cave, “Does anyone here look on this girl as a servant or a slave?”
A chorus of “no” echoed back to them.
Tanden said, “Neither do I. Whether you’ve been a servant or a slave in the past, from this day forward it doesn’t matter. I give you your freedom.”
I-Sheera said, “I’m bonded to Lady Yasthera il-Aldigg. I’m not yours to set free.”
Tanden said thoughtfully, “You were on a Holden vessel under my command. Did your mistress do anything to save you from being cast into the sea to drown?”
I-Sheera shook her head, “No.”
Tanden continued, “I thought not. She probably sat there and peed on herself. By Holden law, any master who doesn’t protect and care for his property doesn’t deserve to own property. Besides, Yasthera il-Aldigg is a woman, if I’m not mistaken, in your country, women can’t own slaves, land or even hold the bond on a servant. You weren’t given to King Krebbem or his kin. Therefore, the moment you left your country, you stopped being a slave. You’re a servant girl by your own desire, if you choose to be a servant, but you aren’t property.”
“Please, Captain, don’t tease me. I don’t want to be a maid or a servant, but I don’t know what else to be.”
“Call me Tanden, girl. That’s my name.”
“Why? You’ve never called me I-Sheera. That’s my name.”
Tanden thought for a moment and then said, “I-Sheera. It’s a nice name. I like it. Call me Tanden and I’ll call you I-Sheera. I’ll even set you free from being a servant.”
“Stop teasing, Captain.”
“No, I-Sheera. I’m telling the truth. Say my name and prove me.”
“Tanden. There I said it. Tanden. Tanden. Tanden.”
He laughed. Reached into his tunic, he pulled out the small pouch he took from the dead Hummdhar. He dangled it in front of her, holding it over her hands.
She placed the remainder of her meal in her lap and with a questioning look, gently took the bag. “What is it?” She asked.
“It’s yours. Look inside, see what it is.”
The girl loosened the drawstring and peered inside. The light was too dim to see what was inside the bag. Shaking it gently into one hand, out spilled a few of the worn beads into her palm. She held her hand out to catch more light.
A small “oh” escaped her lips. She said, “They’re pretty. Are they valuable?”
Tanden laughed and said, “No. Not particularly. All the beads in this bag strung together wouldn’t buy you more that two pigs and a goat, at best, and skinny pigs at that.”
I-Sheera’s eyes grew wide with awe, “Two pigs and a goat? Don’t tease me. I’ve never had that much. They are mine? Really?”
“Really. Everything inside that bag is yours to do with as you please. Look farther.”
She looked at him quizzically and emptied the bag’s contents into her open hand. A few more beads dropped into her palm along with the green, ivory, and gold jewel he had taken off the dead man. It caught the light, sparkling and shimmering even in the dimness of the cave. Her mouth dropped open. She tried to speak, but nothing escaped her lips.
She cupped both hands around the bag, the beads, and the jewel. Scrambling to her feet, mindless of the remainder of her meal, she scooted around the corner, moving back into the main cave. She carefully cradled the jewel in her hands all the way to the light.
Tanden picked up the dropped saurus meat. Dusting it off, he bit into it and chewed. Rising to his feet, he followed the woman up the tunnel. As he drew next to her, I-Sheera opened her hands revealing the green gem surrounded by a handful of beads. The inlaid gold reflected shafts of light across the roof of the cave. The polished ivory glowed deeply, reflecting the colors of the old worn beads, as if in envy.
I-Sheera said, “I’ve never seen such a jewel. Not even in the courts of the Red Wizard. It must be worth a magician’s ransom.”
Tuller said, “May I see?”
I-Sheera looked to Tanden and asked, “Can I show him?”
Tanden snorted in mock gruffness, “Why ask me, girl…I mean, I-Sheera? It’s your bauble. Do what you want with it. Gadon, come on up and take your brother’s watch.”
I-Sheera offered her open hand to Tuller like she was afraid to touch the jewel with her fingers. The light refracted across the cave roof in whirls, winking in and out with each movement. Tuller gently took her hands in his and carefully twisted them, moving the light around the cave.
Gadon glanced at the jewel on his way past, raising one eyebrow at Tanden in question. He shrugged and moved on to the cave mouth, settling down to watch the canyon.
Tuller said, “May I?” He poised his fingers over the gem to pick it up, looking questioningly into I-Sheera’s eyes. At her nod, he laid it in the palm of his hand, rolling it gently with a finger. With a practiced eye, he evaluated its value, both practical and artistic.
After a moment, Tuller said, “Tanden, this is a work of beauty.”
Tanden replied, “Aye. I thought so. Such a beauty should go to buy I-Sheera her freedom from any man’s service. Do you think it’s worth enough to support her?”
Tuller stepped closer to the cave entrance and squatted down next to Gadon in the bright light. “What do you think, brother?”
Gadon said, “I think it would support all of us for a lot of years. I also think our good Captain Tanden has been holding out on us. We’ve been his good and loyal friends for more years than any of us can remember. Yet, he doesn’t give us gifts. What do we get for our troubles? Raw meat and hard rock. Tanden, Mother always said that you were no good.”
Tuller didn’t take his eyes off the jewel. “Yes, she did. Fortunately, neither one of us ever listens to Mother. If we’d listened to her, we’d be in the manure and farm tool business.”
Gadon said, “Oh? Like that would be worse than this day’s been? Ha!”
“Tanden,” Tuller said, finally looking up at him and the girl, “The emerald is nearly flawless, the gold is some of the purest I’ve ever held, and the ivory isn’t from an oliphant. It’s from a giant sea beast. I’ve only seen this ivory from traders in the very far north. See how it glows? That’s just the value of the parts. The jewel is worth far more than the parts alone. It’s been carved, molded, and polished by a master jeweler. Gadon, this is the business for us, not manure.”
Tuller continued, “I-Sheera. This little trinket won’t just set you free from serving others, but you’ll be able to have servants of your own. If we ever get out of here, I know people who’d buy this. I can get you a good price.”
Gadon said, “We can get you a good p
rice, for a small fee, of course.”
“Of course,” Tuller agreed. He offered the jewel to I-Sheera.
She shook her head and backed away waving her hands. “I can’t take it. It’s too much. I wouldn’t know what to do with it. Please, Captain.”
Tanden said, “No. It’s yours. It’s a gift.” He took the jewel from Tuller and dropped it back into her hand. As he spoke, he turned her hands and poured the jewel and beads back into the pouch he was holding. He pulled the drawstring closed and folded her fingers around the bag. “You can’t return it. I won’t take it back. You do what you wish with your gift. This jewel can set you free from servitude, but freedom takes work. You decide. You can leave it here in the dust. You can keep it and do nothing with it for your entire life. You can save it. When you marry, you can give it to your husband and marry well.”
Gadon said, “In that case, I may change my mind about letting you have my children.”
Tuller turned, heading toward the back of the cave. Over his shoulder he said, “I-Sheera, if you decide to ever sell your prize, let me know, I’ll be more than happy to see that you get your best price.” He walked past a sleeping Seenger, continuing toward the cave tunnel until he was out of sight.
I-Sheera looked up at Tanden, “Thank you, Tanden.”
Gadon said, “Tanden, if you’re giving out presents, I’d like a drink of water. My mouth is as dry and dusty as the corners of my grandmother’s heart.”
Tanden said, “I would that I could, but I have no water to give.”
Gadon pointed at the bag in I-Sheera’s hand and said, “Last I knew, you didn’t have any riches to throw around either. You’re always sending wishes to the six gods. Call on them now asking for water for your parched friends.”
Tanden smiled, going along with the joke, “Ah, you mock me once again. You still doubt the power that confession of belief yields receipt of confession? That’s too bad. One day you’ll see that a man’s own thoughts, determination, believing action, and the confession of his beliefs can accomplish as much as a few moments of magic.”
Gadon shook his head and continued watching the canyon.
I-Sheera asked, “Captain…Tanden, can I watch you call upon the six gods? Or do you have to do that in private? I don’t know anything about the six gods.”
“Follow me.”
They returned to their seats in the dim tunnel. Neither noticed that Tuller was not there. Tanden sighed as he leaned back against the cool rock. He only had one slice of meat left. He offered it to I-Sheera.
She shook her head, clutching the bag to her chest. “Can I ask you a question?” she asked.
Tanden answered, “Of course, you can ask. Whether I answer or not is yet to be seen.”
“When you call upon your gods, how do you know they listen?”
Tanden smiled, “Gadon jokes. There’s no one to answer. The six gods are a myth, the old beliefs of ignorant savages worshipping the six moons in the sky. I do it more as a way to focus my own thoughts than as a supplication or meaningful worship to any deity. It’s believing action that brings about what I desire.”
She looked at Tanden with wide eyes, “You must be a god yourself. You always know what to do, where to turn. We wouldn’t be alive today it weren’t for you. You never waver or doubt. You’re always there to show us the way. You…you pull riches from the air, like magic.” She held the pouch up as if it was proof of her statement.
Tanden laughed, “No, I-Sheera. I’m just a man like the others. I have doubts and worries like every man. Scientists and magicians alike have tested me many times, but I don’t have any magic or magical skills. However, I know above all, I serve a goal that guides me forward.”
I-Sheera said, “In my country, no one speaks to a maid of their gods or their magic. They say their gods are too busy to hear the cries of someone like me. Everyone knows magic is useless in the hands of women.”
“I don’t know the limitations of the Red Way, or Blue, or Green for that matter. I do know that everyone has the ability to control their thoughts to help bring about their own desires.”
“Even me?”
“I-Sheera. Good thoughts don’t care whether you’re a man or a woman, a slave or free, rich or poor. Control and focus work for everyone, they’re required for using magic. They aren’t any less necessary for controlling your thoughts.”
“Teach me?” she pleaded. “Show me how to think.”
Tanden took the pouch from her hands and hung it around her neck by its drawstring. He took both of her hands and folded them in his. He closed his eyes and spoke quietly, remembering how their lives had been saved over the past few days, how they had been saved from the hazards they encountered, and lastly, how they must find water to drink.
Tanden finished, “Water. We must find water.”
I-Sheera was quiet for a second. Taking a deep breath, she asked, “Water? Yes. Where do we look for water?”
Tanden thought for a few moments but didn’t have an answer. He was about to speak when Tuller shouted out of the dark tunnel. “Tanden? I’ve gotten turned around in the darkness. Call out to me.”
“Tuller?” Tanden shouted. “Where are you?”
“Keep talking, Tanden. I can follow your…ouch…I hit my head. I can follow your voice out of the dark.”
Tanden shouted, “Tuller, sometimes I don’t know which of you is more of a problem: you or your brother.”
From the cave mouth, Gadon’s voice echoed back to them, “I heard that.”
Tanden continued shouting, “Tuller, I would’ve thought you’d have enough sense to not go wandering around the dark in a strange cave. What’s the matter with you? Have you lost your mind? And to think that your mother calls you the smart one.”
Gadon shouted again, “I heard that, too. Keep it up and I’m going to have to come back there and thump someone.”
Tanden shouted again, “Tuller, I can’t come find you in the dark. Can you still hear me?”
Tuller stepped into the dim light where Tanden and I-Sheera sat. He said, “I can hear you quite well, Tanden. There isn’t any need to shout in my ears.” When Tanden started to speak, Tuller cut him off, “I know it isn’t wise to explore too far into a dark cave, but I found water.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Tanden asked in surprise,“What? You found water where?”
Tuller rolled his eyes, an expression of exasperation apparent even in the dim light, “What do you mean where? Where could I have gone? You’ve been hanging around Gadon too long. That question is so stupid I would expect it from him.” Tuller paused briefly. He cupped his hand to his ear, and said, “No, I guess he didn’t hear that one.”
Tanden prompted, “Water? Remember? Or am I going to have to throttle you to find out what you’re babbling about?”
Tuller said, “When I stepped around this corner, I thought I would see how far I could walk into this cave before there wasn’t any light. I moved slowly on my knees, with my left hand along the side. Once I had gone where I couldn’t see the light, I thought I could go farther if I kept my hand along the side. Then, it looked brighter ahead. It was like the light was drawing me forward. I thought I’d gotten turned around and crawled in circles. Tanden, I hadn’t gone backward. There was a crack above in the cave letting light leak into a small cave. There, in the light, was a spring, with cold, clear water bubbling up from the ground. It formed a little pool and flowed off through a tunnel back into the hill. Clean water truly more delightful than any wine I’ve ever tasted.”
Tanden asked, “Can you take us there and find your way back again? I don’t want us lost forever wandering around in the dark.”
Tuller said, “I’m ashamed to say I became so excited that I did get turned around. I thought to follow the tunnel back using my left hand on the wall.”
Seenger, having heard, came back. He crouched down next to them and said, “So?”
Tuller explained, “When I went into the cave I had my left han
d on that wall.” He reached out and patted the wall at his back. “But when I turned around, I followed with my left hand on this wall.” He turned around and demonstrated what he meant patting the opposite wall.
Tuller continued, “Switching walls was foolish of me. We follow the left hand in and follow the right hand out. Tanden, there’s enough water for all of us. I think the Coodhars outside will have a long wait for us. Better yet, we take everything with us and we move back to the pool. When they get tired of waiting for us, they may sneak down to look into the cave. They’ll find us gone like we disappeared. I’ve heard the Coodhar are as superstitious as the Hummdhar. I don’t believe they’ll follow us into the dark for fear of Gadon’s trolls or worse. They may believe that one of us is a wizard and he’s transported us out of their reach. Once they see we’re gone, they may leave, and we can escape.”
Tanden felt I-Sheera squeeze his hands. He realized he still held her hands in his. Neither Seenger nor Tuller gave any indication they noticed, yet Tanden was sure neither man could have avoided seeing. He should let her hands go, but he did not release them.
He looked down at her with a questioning look, “Yes?”
I-Sheera whispered to him, “The water. You asked for water. It comes from your thoughts? You have made it appear like magic?”
Tanden said, “Almost, I-Sheera. All good things come to those who seek rightly and believe. I have no talent for magic.”
He turned to Tuller and Seenger, “Gather up everything we brought into the cave. We’ll leave no trace of our presence. It should completely baffle the Coodhar.”
Seenger added, “Captain. We can rub out our footprints in this dust. If we’re careful, it’ll look as if we’d never been here. I fear little in my life, but I wouldn’t go into a dark cave to follow a man who leaves no tracks.”
Tuller nodded and patted the ogre on the shoulder, “Seenger, you’re a strange one, but I like the way you think. If everyone in your tribe is like you, I wonder how Holden ever defeated your people.”
Seenger turned to gather up their meager possessions and said, “I have often wondered the same thing.”