Quest for the Sun Orb

by Laura Jo Phillips

  “Don’t worry,” Karma said. “In time we will tell you everything. But for now we should be on our way.”

  “All right,” Tiari agreed with some relief. She needed time to assimilate all that she’d already heard anyway.

  “Stop!”

  Everyone spun to look at the people pouring from the trees into the clearing, led by a panting, red faced Una. “You will not take her!” she yelled. “You must take me. I am the Maiden of the Sun!”

  A beefy man with broad shoulders and graying black hair stood a few paces from Una, a huge hammer in his hand. He spent a few moments taking in the group of Hunters in the small clearing, then bowed deeply to Zakiel with recognition and understanding in his eyes.

  “Una,” he said without taking his eyes from Zakiel, “you told us that your niece was being stolen against her will. You failed to mention by whom.”

  “What difference does it make who they are?” Una demanded. “They have no right to take her!”

  “She looks pleased enough to be leaving that hut you’ve kept her locked in all her life.”

  “I told them they could not take her, and you see how they defy me,” Una screamed. “You must stop them!”

  The blacksmith looked at Tiari with kind eyes. “Tiari Zora, daughter of Orian, do you choose to leave with these people of your own will?”

  “Yes, I do,” Tiari replied.

  “Fair enough,” he said. “You are a woman, not a child, and may do as you will. Good fortune to you.” With that the man turned and began to walk away, the other villagers following him.

  “Wait! You can’t do this!” Una screeched. “You can’t let them leave with her! It is your duty to help me and I demand that you force them to leave my niece with me!”

  “Silence, woman,” the blacksmith said coldly, stopping to glare at Una. “You lied to us Una, yet again. As I am certain you are aware, this is the Orb Quest. No sane man or woman of Rathira would interfere with them. Even were they not, I would not interfere in this matter. The daughter of Orian deserves to be free of you. Now, leave us be, Una, or we will be forced to expel you from the village as an undesirable.”

  Una sputtered and gaped but didn’t quite dare to speak again. If she were expelled from the village she would be without a home, with nowhere else to go, and that was no good thing for a woman alone.

  “Blacksmith,” Zakiel said before the man turned away again.

  “Yes, Highness?” the man replied warily, but politely.

  “Does your village have a place where we might purchase supplies before we continue our journey?” Zakiel asked. “We left the Sirelina a few days ago, but did not wish to deplete their stores for the winter. We could use some more supplies, if it would not cause a hardship for your village.”

  “We have a dry goods market,” the blacksmith replied. “I am certain they will appreciate your custom, and they will not sell so much that it will leave the rest of us in need.”

  “Thank you, Blacksmith,” Zakiel replied. He turned and gestured to Timon, who in turn gestured to a few lower servants before coming forward to accept a bag of coins from Zakiel. “Sir Jenz, if you will accompany them to the village, we will wait at the crossroads.”

  “Of course, Highness,” Jenz replied.

  Zakiel turned to Karma. “Will we need another tent for Hara Tiari?”

  Karma glanced at Kapia who shook her head. “If Tiari does not mind, I would like to share my tent with her,” she said, placing a gentle hand on Tiari’s shoulder. “I have missed having a tent mate, and you would have your own sleeping chamber. Do you mind?”

  “I do not know what a tent is,” Tiari said, her voice trembling, “but if you are asking me to share living space with you, I would be most grateful, yes.”

  “As would I be,” Kapia said. “A tent is a temporary shelter made of heavy fabric that we sleep in at night while traveling. Karma and I shared a tent for several weeks, but now that she has married my brother, I find that I greatly miss having someone to share meals with and talk to.”

  “I have never had anyone to share with,” Tiari said shyly. “I thank you, Kapia.”

  “Lashi,” Karma called. Her personal attendant, a thirtyish woman with short red hair and hazel eyes came forward.

  “Yes, Lady Techu?” she asked.

  “Hara Tiari has no more than what she wears at this moment,” Karma said. “Please accompany Timon into the village and purchase what you can to outfit her.”

  “Of course, Lady Techu,” Lashi replied.

  “Caral, accompany Lashi, please,” Kapia said.

  “Yes, Highness,” Caral replied.

  “It is not necessary to purchase things for me,” Tiari said, her face red with embarrassment.

  “Tiari,” Karma said, turning so that only Tiari and Kapia could see her face as she spoke. “We will be travelling for a very long time on diploback, riding from morning to night, in all kinds of weather, and sleeping in tents in a different place each night. You will need more clothing than what you have, including boots, shoes, cloaks and other necessities, particularly now that the weather is growing cold. We are taking you from your home, where such things would not be needed. Please allow us to provide these things for you. It is no hardship for us, this I promise. Our personal attendants will do the work, and they will be happy to have something with which to occupy themselves.”

  Tiari knew that Karma was correct. The shift she wore was barely decent, and her shoes wouldn’t last much longer. She made baskets and mats of all shapes and sizes which Una sold in the village to help cover the cost of her upkeep, but Una always complained that they barely earned enough to cover her food, let alone luxuries like shoes and clothes. Tiari had certainly never had money of her own.

  “I thank you, both of you,” she said, lowering her eyes. “I do not know how I will ever repay you, but I will find a way, somehow.”

  “No repayment is needed,” Kapia said briskly. “Now, let’s get you a diplo so we can get out of here before your Aunt Una returns.”

  *****

  Sir Tomas of the House of Lorin was at the back of the pack of Hunters in the small clearing when the request for a diplo to be saddled came down, so he decided to ride back to where the drovers waited near the road to deliver the message himself. He knew that the diplo was needed for a woman only because that much information had filtered back to him, though he didn’t know who she was. He was curious, of course, but he had lately learned that, if he was patient, whatever news there was would come to him without effort on his part, a fact that frankly amazed him.

  Ever since the incident with Saigar, Tomas had made an effort to stay in the background and not draw attention to himself. He’d spent years trying to be noticed by his cousins, Zakiel and Kapia, and his uncle, King Rhobar, so it had been a difficult habit to break. He knew that he’d done many petty things over the years, and he knew that he had few friends because of it. But he’d never been convinced that his behavior was entirely his own fault. It was too easy to lay blame at the feet of those who had more than him, who had no idea what it was to be suddenly and completely alone in the world, to suffer the loss of not just one parent, but both.

  It didn’t make a lot of sense, but jealousy was not a logical emotion, and he’d never bothered to analyze his own feelings in that regard. Or any other. Until Saigar.

  Saigar had been his best friend, the one man on all of Rathira whom he trusted more than any other. And yet, Saigar had turned out to be cin-sahib. How was such a thing possible? How had a man that he’d known for the better part of his life turned out to be someone that he didn’t know at all?

  Of all the questions he had, Tomas knew only one thing for certain. Selecting Saigar as his best friend had been a choice he’d made and, for once, he could not blame anyone else for it. He had to accept the responsibility for this mistake himself, and the enormity of it shook him to the very core of his being.

  So, now, he hung back, did his job, and kept his mouth s
hut. He’d noticed that many of the other Hunters had looked at him suspiciously for awhile, but apparently they’d decided he’d had nothing to do with Saigar being cin-sahib and the suspicion had died. Not that any of them became friendly with him. But that was nothing new. He’d never been great friends with anyone other than Saigar. Which brought him back to his problem once again.

  Tomas accepted the reins of the newly saddled diplo from the drover and headed back toward the clearing, leading it behind him. When he got there, he dismounted and led the new animal around the edge of the clearing rather than trying to cut through the group of Hunters milling about. By the time he’d circled around to the tiny, primitive hut, Jenz, Timon, and several others were just leaving for the village, and Kapia and Karma were standing with another woman, their backs to him.

  “Lady Techu,” he said, addressing Karma rather than his cousin because he knew Kapia had little liking for him. “Here’s the diplo you asked for.”

  Karma, Kapia and the new woman turned to face him, and suddenly all of the air seemed to leave his lungs. He’d never seen a woman more beautiful than the one standing with Karma and Kapia, yet he couldn’t have said why he thought she was beautiful if his life had depended on it. She was covered from neck to feet in a coarse, black cloak with a deep hood pulled up covering everything but her face. He couldn’t even tell what color her hair was, but he guessed black from the color of the delicate brows that arched gently over large, pale blue eyes. Eyes that were very strange looking without pupils in the center of them, but he didn’t care. They were still beautiful with the dark ring of blue around the iris, and the thick black lashes setting them off. Her face was heart shaped, though too thin, with a sweet bow of a mouth that looked as though it wanted to smile, and a fine, straight nose.

  There were also dark circles beneath her eyes, and her skin was far too pale. He sensed that she was weak, and very nearly at the end of her ability to stand on her own two feet pretending to be calm. Answering a sudden urge to protect her, he did not wait to be introduced, but stepped forward and bowed politely.

  “My name is Tomas,” he said, for the first time in his adult life leaving out his rank and title. “Would you allow me to assist you into the saddle?”

  “I am pleased to meet you, Tomas,” she said, her voice so soft and sweet he had to struggle to focus on her words instead of the sound of them. “I am Tiari.”

  Tomas smiled and held his hand out to her. She hesitated a moment, glancing nervously at the diplo over his shoulder before reaching out to take it.

  “I’ve never seen one of these animals before,” she said.

  “This is a diplo,” Tomas said, making an extra effort to keep his voice low and gentle. “He is well trained, and will not harm you. I’m certain that Lady Techu and Princess Kapia will teach you all you need to know about riding. You’ll be an expert in no time at all.”

  “You’re very kind, Tomas,” Tiari said shyly, faint pink staining her cheeks.

  “Are you ready to mount now?” he asked.

  Tiari glanced sideways at Karma, then Kapia. Tomas followed her gaze, half expecting to see disapproval in the eyes of the other women. He was very surprised to see that they were both smiling at him.

  “You go ahead and let Tomas get you into the saddle, Tiari,” Karma said, surprising Tomas further. “You’ll be quite safe in his care until we return.”

  “All right,” Tiari said, stepping closer to Tomas. He gave her what he hoped was an encouraging smile, and led her the short distance back to the side of the diplo.

  “When I lift you up, swing your right leg over to the other side.”

  “All right,” Tiari replied nervously.

  Tomas placed his hands at her waist, noting that she was far thinner than he’d expected. When he lifted her, she seemed too light. He had the strangest sensation, as though he already knew this woman, or was supposed to know her.

  Once she was in the saddle he gave her a brief lesson on how the reins worked, then showed her where to put her hands on the saddle to help keep her balance if she felt the need. By then both Karma and Kapia had mounted their diplos and come to stand nearby.

  “We’ll ride with her between us,” Karma told him. “She’ll be safe.”

  Tomas wasn’t sure why Karma had said that to him, but he was grateful for the reassurance. He nodded his thanks, smiled at Tiari, and then, knowing he was no longer needed, he turned and headed back across the clearing for his own mount. He had an unfamiliar warm feeling inside of him, unlike anything he’d ever felt before. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he liked it.

  Chapter Four

  Bredon awoke feeling disoriented and confused. The sun’s position indicated that it was perhaps three hours before sunset, maybe more. He was lying in his bedroll with his pack beside him, and his diplo was tied by the reins to a nearby tree, still saddled. He had no memory of where he was, how he’d gotten there, what he’d done, or why he was alone.

  He sat up slowly, his body feeling unexpectedly weak and tired. Why he should be tired when he had just awakened he had no idea. He climbed out of his bedroll and got to his feet, noting that he was still wearing his boots, and looked around in confusion. Why had he chosen such a strange spot for a camp? There was no clearing, no sign of water, and nothing for him to use as a defensive position if he was attacked. The diplo pawed the ground and he went to it, noticing that it was tied so snugly against the tree that it couldn’t even graze. He untied the reins, wondering what would make him do something so thoughtless. He considered unsaddling the animal, but he wanted to find a better campsite. He picked up his bedroll and his pack, looked around for a moment, then grabbed the reins and began walking.

  An hour later he found a nice clearing with several boulders on one side. It wasn’t as secure as a cave, but it put a wall of sorts at his back, and there was a stream nearby. He unsaddled the diplo, frowning at the strange knots holding the saddle in place.

  After the diplo drank it’s fill at the stream, he set it on a picket in the grassy clearing and let it graze. A little while later he had a nice fire going, water heating for tea, and his bedroll laid out. He’d noticed that there was a food satchel tied to the diplo’s saddle that he didn’t remember seeing before. When he opened it up and saw what was inside, he smiled. There were several small loaves of bread, two roast fowl wrapped in leaves that would help keep them fresh, a bag of mixed dried grain, and another of dried fruit, and a few other items.

  The sight and smell of the food had his stomach grumbling loudly as hunger slammed into him. He forced himself to wait until he’d warmed the fowl in the fire before tearing into it. While he waited, he remembered that the Sirelina wrapped their fowl in leaves, and that memory triggered another, and then another, until he remembered meeting Worrow in the forest and camping with him and his men. He silently thanked the Sirelina for the food, relieved to know where it had come from.

  He hungrily devoured one of the fowl and two loaves of bread before making himself stop. He went down to the stream and washed up, drinking his fill of water while he was there. By the time he returned to his camp the ravenous hunger had left him.

  He fixed himself a cup of hot tea and nibbled on some of the dried fruit while he stared into the flames, thinking back to the day he’d awakened in the shallow cave and spoken to Marene. He’d travelled for most of that day, taking more time returning to the Sirelina than he’d taken when he’d left. He’d trotted, then walked, then trotted, realizing how lucky he’d been that the diplo hadn’t gone lame when he’d pushed it so hard the day before. He’d just begun to see signs that he was nearing the village when he rounded a bend in the forest path and pulled up short, face to face with Worrow and a handful of Sirelina.

  “Greetings, Sir Bredon,” Worrow said in surprise. “We did not expect to see you on your way back quite so soon.”

  Bredon was not the highest ranked Knight in Isiben for nothing. It took him only a few moments to put it all together. �
�They left this morning?”

  “Yes,” Worrow said.

  “Were they successful? Is Princess Kapia well?”

  “Yes, they were successful and they are all well, though there was a battle,” Worrow said.

  “Where have they gone?” Bredon asked.

  “I will give you that information after I have examined you,” Worrow said. “Please understand my need to be careful, Sir Bredon.”

  “I do understand,” Bredon said. “You came to help me, didn’t you?”

  “Yes,” Worrow replied. “We came to help you.”

  “I thank you.”

  “You are most welcome,” Worrow replied. He studied Bredon carefully for a moment. “You seem more relaxed than I would have expected, under the circumstances.”

  “Resigned, not relaxed,” Bredon replied. “I have things to share with you, and questions that I hope you are able to answer for me.”

  “I will help as I am able,” Worrow replied. “Shall we camp here?”

  “Yes,” Bredon replied. “Please.”

  Worrow turned and spoke to his apprentice, and within moments the other four men were unloading their packs and setting up camp. While waiting for Worrow’s tent to be set up, Bredon unsaddled his diplo and rubbed it down before setting up a picket line for it. After a quick bite to eat, he’d joined Worrow in his tent with his apprentice.

  Worrow had asked him to relate all that he remembered of what had happened, which Bredon had done after taking a quick moment to be certain that Marene was asleep.

  “Do you know what this artifact is that she speaks of?” Bredon asked when he was finished.

  “Before I answer, I must ask you a question,” Worrow said. Bredon nodded. “Is there a way for you to know whether or not Marene is listening to us right now?”

  “Yes,” Bredon replied. “She is asleep at the moment. Or, at least, unconscious. I don’t really know what to call it. I cannot read her thoughts, other than those she directs at me while speaking. I don’t believe that she can hear my thoughts either, unless I direct them at her.”