Quest for the Sun Orb

by Laura Jo Phillips

  Karma stared at his ears for a long moment, keeping her face perfectly straight. Then she raised one shoulder in a half shrug. “I suppose you’re safe,” she said in the most serious tone she could manage. “For now.”

  Nikura’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I suspect that this is one of your leg pulling exercises.”

  “I’m impressed, Nikura,” Karma replied. “You are much smarter than you look.”

  “Hmmph,” Nikura replied. Karma grinned at him as he turned his back on her, curled up on the broad platform that served as his saddle, and pretended to go to sleep.

  “Karma,” Kapia called. She turned away from Nikura and leaned forward to see Kapia on the far side of Tiari.

  “Yes?”

  “How did Zakiel take the news of our destination?”

  “He thought I was joking at first, but eventually he took me seriously.”

  “Did he figure out how far it is?” Kapia asked.

  “He told me this morning that we’ll need to travel north through these forests that border the Kytherian Sea,” Karma said. “When the forests veer west to follow the coast, we’ll continue north across some open plains, then cut between a range of hills that surround the Three Sisters. About three weeks, he said.”

  “That’s far less time than it took for us to cross the desert,” Kapia said, smiling.

  “Yes it is,” Karma agreed. “Since we won’t have to weigh down the pack diplo with barrels of water as we did while crossing the desert, we’ll be able to travel faster.”

  “And bathe more often too, I hope,” Kapia said.

  “Yes,” Karma said. “Zakiel says that there’s plenty of water to be found in streams, rivers and creeks along our route, even at this time of year.”

  “That’s great news,” Kapia said. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the desert. It’s my home. But traveling for weeks on end while wearing, eating, and breathing sand is not pleasant.”

  “No, it isn’t,” Karma agreed. “Especially when every drop of water must be used for drinking only. By the way, I thought that since we’ll be traveling again, we should return to sparring on a regular schedule.”

  Kapia dropped her eyes and turned her head away, surprising Karma. “You don’t want to continue working with the staff?”

  Kapia swung back toward Karma. “Yes, I do,” she said emphatically, though she looked unhappy. “Very much, in fact. I’ve learned a lot, but I’d really like to learn more.”

  “Then why the sad face?”

  “It’s just that Bredon was going to start teaching me how to use a sword,” Kapia said in a low voice.

  “Zakiel wanted to teach me the same thing,” Karma replied. “I’ve tried blades before and have no talent for them. I know it won’t be the same as learning from Bredon, but I’m sure that your brother will be happy to teach you, instead.”

  Kapia thought about that for a few moments, then nodded. “Yes, I think I’d like that,” she said. “Until Bredon returns.”

  “Yes, until Bredon returns,” Karma replied, trying not to sound as doubtful as she felt about that. Kapia was holding up very well so far, and she had no wish to make it any harder for her by revealing her doubts. If Worrow was able to help Bredon, he would, and Bredon would rejoin them as soon as he could. If Bredon never showed up, then the worst would have to be accepted. Until then, there was still reason to hope for the best.

  “Excuse me,” Tiari said. “What is sparring?”

  “Karma has been teaching me the use of a weapon called a staff,” Kapia said, reaching for her own staff and slipping it from the loops on her saddle to show Tiari.

  “This is made of wood,” Tiari said as she reached out to take the staff. She ran her hands over the smooth surface, and weighed it in her hands before handing it back. “Why is there a hinge in the middle?”

  “Before we left Ka-Teru, one of the weapons instructors made this for me so that I could carry it at my belt if I wanted to,” Kapia said, working the mechanism and folding the staff in half to demonstrate. “Most of the time I keep it extended and in the loops of the saddle, but it does come in handy sometimes.”

  “That’s very clever,” Tiari said, watching Kapia unfold the staff and lock it into place before returning it to the loops on her saddle. “Is it a good weapon?”

  “Very,” Kapia replied. “Plus, it doesn’t have any sharp edges so it’s safe to learn. You can’t really hurt yourself with it unless you bonk yourself on the head.”

  “That’s good,” Tiari said, grinning at the sudden mental image she had of herself doing just that. “Did it take you a long time to learn?”

  “No, it didn’t,” Kapia replied. “Karma is a great teacher.”

  “Kapia has a natural talent for it,” Karma said. “She’s learned exceptionally fast, and she’s very good.”

  “You are lucky,” Tiari said wistfully. “I cannot imagine what it must be like to know you can protect yourself.”

  “Would you like to learn?” Karma asked.

  Tiari’s eyes widened in surprise at the offer. “I would love to learn,” she said. “Do you think that I can?”

  “There’s only one way to find out,” Karma replied. “When we stop to camp this afternoon I’ll give you a lesson, and we’ll see how you do.”

  “Karma,” Tiari said, “I’m very grateful that you would do such a thing for me. But, please, don’t feel that you must. You have all done, and are still doing, so much for me already. It would be wrong of me to accept more.”

  “I understand, and appreciate, what you’re saying, Tiari,” Karma said. “But I like teaching, and if you’re able to defend yourself, nothing but good can come of it. Even if you never have to use it, you’ll know that you can if you need to.”

  “The only problem is, we don’t have any extra staffs,” Kapia said. “Zakiel has one, but his is too big for any of us. She can borrow mine, of course, but if she’s going to learn, she should have her own.”

  “Actually, I do have an extra one,” Karma said. “I have a special rod that extends into a staff that I haven’t been using on our journey because I worried that it would draw too many questions. I think people are familiar enough with me now that I can use it without raising too many eyebrows. I’ll give Tiari my staff, and use the other one.”

  “Yes, I remember that,” Kapia said. “That’s a great idea. Then all three of us will be able to do more than cower beneath our diplos in a fight.”

  “Not that there’s anything wrong with doing that,” Karma said. “Staying out of the way and letting the Hunters do what they do best is usually the smartest thing to do.”

  “I know,” Kapia agreed. “And when it’s best, that’s what I’ll do. But there are times when fighting for yourself may be your only choice.”

  “Exactly,” Karma said. “It’s the reason why I learned, why I taught you, and why I will teach Tiari.”

  Tiari listened to Kapia and Karma talk as they rode, feeling happier than she’d ever felt in her life. Both women made an effort to draw her into their conversation, which she appreciated. They understood how limited her experience of the world was, and didn’t treat her with contempt, as Una always did, when she asked questions that probably seemed silly.

  She was even enjoying riding the diplo, though by the time Prince Zakiel called a halt for lunch she was more than ready for a break. She was surprised when both Karma and Kapia got off their diplos without any help. She hadn’t noticed that the day before.

  “How did you do that?” she asked Karma.

  “Do what?”

  “Get down off your diplo without help?” Tiari asked, looking down at the ground doubtfully. “I’m sure that if I jump that far, I’ll injure myself.”

  “Yes, you probably would,” Karma said. “See this loop?”

  Tiari nodded, studying the thick strap of leather hanging from Karma’s saddle. “Kapia and I both have one now, as do Caral and Lashi. You just put one foot in the loop, and it helps you get down, and
back up again. You want to try one?”

  “Yes,” Tiari said at once. A lifetime of dependence on Una had taught her to rely on herself whenever possible. She did not like being helpless in any way. Though she enjoyed speaking with Tomas, and liked that he came to help her, she didn’t like that she needed the help. Since getting on and off of a diplo was clearly going to become a regular part of her day, she very much wanted to be able to manage the task on her own.

  “It takes a little practice to master, but it’s worth it,” Karma said. “I’ll ask the head drover to add one to your saddle tonight.”

  “Thank you,” Tiari said happily. “I can hardly wait.”

  “You can hardly wait for what?” Tomas asked, suddenly appearing in front of her. As soon as the words were out of his mouth he frowned and gave his head a little shake. “I apologize. I should not have intruded on a private conversation.”

  “It’s all right,” Tiari said, seeing his sudden tension and wondering about it. “It was not a private conversation.”

  “We were just discussing having a stirrup put on Tiari’s saddle so that she can mount and dismount without help,” Karma said.

  “Oh,” Tomas said, disappointed. “Well, if you like, I can help you down now.”

  “Yes, please,” Tiari said.

  Tomas smiled and walked around to the side of the diplo, reaching up to catch Tiari as she slid down. “If you don’t mind my saying so, I will miss helping you up and down.”

  “As will I,” Tiari said. “But at the same time, I will enjoy knowing that I can manage getting on and off of this beast on my own if necessary.”

  “I can certainly understand that,” Tomas replied.

  “Yet, I sense your disappointment,” Tiari said guilelessly. “Something is bothering you.”

  Tomas looked at her in surprise, but saw nothing but honest concern. Her isolated life had not taught her to be sarcastic or cruel. He decided to be as honest with her as she was with him. “Yes, I am disappointed,” he said, “but only because I will no longer have a good excuse to visit with you every time we start or stop.”

  “Is there a reason we cannot talk if you aren’t lifting me onto the diplo, or helping me off of it?”

  “No,” he replied. “So long as we are in the open, in full view of everyone, there is no reason we can’t talk as much as we like without it harming your reputation.”

  “Reputation?” she asked. “I’m sorry, Tomas, but I do not know that word.”

  “It’s the way people think of you,” he said, trying to explain in a way that he thought she’d understand. “If you went off into the dark with a man that you are not promised to, or married to, then people would most likely think the worst of you for it.”

  “I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Tiari said. “Why would anyone care what I do, or with whom?”

  “I’m not sure I know how to explain that,” Tomas said, suddenly feeling very out of his depth. He wanted to answer all of Tiari’s questions, but realized this was an area best left to other women. “Lady Techu, or Princess Kapia will be able to explain far better than I.” As he spoke, he looked at Karma with a faintly frantic expression on his face.

  “Of course we will, Tomas,” she said.

  “Thank you,” Tomas said with a sigh of relief that he didn’t even try to hide. “In the meantime, Tiari, I promise that I will guard your reputation carefully, and never lead you into anything that would cause you the slightest harm in any way.”

  Tiari wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but she had no doubt that it was an important subject, and that he was sincere. Just then Lashi and Caral approached, each of them carrying trays loaded with food which they began offering around.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll leave you to your lunch now,” Tomas said with a short bow.

  “There’s plenty of food, Tomas,” Kapia said. “Why don’t you stay and eat with us?”

  Tomas froze in surprise at the unexpected invitation. He realized that everyone was watching him and felt his face heat with embarrassment. “Thank you, Cousin Kapia,” he said. “I would like that.”

  Kapia smiled, a genuine smile with just a hint of sadness in it. He didn’t know what caused the sadness, but he relaxed in the knowledge that the invitation was honestly meant. He accepted a plate from Lashi with a soft thank you, then watched as Tiari did the same. He tensed up a little when Zakiel joined them, but his greeting was polite. He wasn’t as warm as Kapia, but then, he never had been.

  It suddenly struck Tomas that what he’d always perceived as Zakiel’s coldness toward him was, in fact, simply part of who Zakiel was. He was less cold now than he’d been before meeting Karma, but that was due to Karma’s influence and had nothing to do with Tomas.

  Why did I never realized that before? he wondered.

  “Are you all right?” Tiari asked in a low voice when Karma, Kapia and Zakiel were engrossed in their own conversation. “You seem...distracted.”

  “I am very well, actually,” Tomas said, gazing into her strange, pale blue eyes. “I did not expect to have the honor of lunching with you today.”

  Tiari blushed. “You are a kind man, Tomas,” she said.

  “I am pleased that you think so,” Tomas replied, not wanting to spoil things by telling her that she was in a minority of one with that opinion.

  “I do not think it, I know it,” Tiari said with a casual certainty that baffled him. How could this woman sound so positive about something that even he was in doubt of? He considered correcting her again, but decided not to. It didn’t make much sense to convince her to think badly of him. Instead, he wondered if he could live up to her opinion of him.

  He noticed that Tiari stopped eating long before she’d finished even half of her food, and he frowned worriedly. She was so thin already. “Is that all you’re going to eat?”

  “Yes, I’m afraid so,” she said, glancing down at the plate in her hand ruefully. “It’s wonderful food, but I really can’t eat another bite. To be honest, between last night, this morning, and now, I’ve eaten more food than I generally have in a week.”

  Tomas clenched his jaw tightly to hold back the words that wanted to escape him. He’d broken his new rule of letting news come to him the evening before and made a point of learning all he could about the scene in the clearing before Tiari had joined them. What he thought of Tiari’s aunt was not something she needed to hear. He cast around, looking for something better to say, a different subject to turn to. He saw her diplo a few feet away nibbling on the grass, and it came to him.

  “With the exercise you’ll be getting now, and the fresh air, your appetite will increase soon,” he said.

  Her eyes brightened and he knew he’d said the right thing. “Do you really think so?” she asked.

  “Yes, I do,” he said.

  “Karma is going to begin teaching me how to use the staff,” she said, much to his surprise. “She’s going to try, anyway. I’m very excited about that. The ability to protect myself is something I never dared to dream of before.”

  A sudden image of Tiari being attacked flashed through his mind and he had to swallow hard against the wave of fear that swept through him. Yes, Tiari learning to use a weapon was a very good idea.

  “Do you think I’ll be able to do it?” she asked him in a low voice, her eyes on the ground, her hands clenched tightly on the plate she still held. He realized with some surprise that his opinion mattered to her. Very much. And she’d read his reaction as disapproval.

  “I think you can do anything you put your mind to,” he said, meaning it. She looked up and smiled brightly at him, and once again he knew he’d said the right thing.

  He felt eyes on him and turned to see Kapia watching him with an arched brow, and a little smile, and he remembered laughing at her for wanting to learn to use the staff. He smiled wryly at her and nodded his head. Yes, he’d been a fool. He admitted it. Kapia grinned at him and winked before turning back to her conversation with Zakiel
and Karma.

  “I would like to watch your lessons with Karma, if you don’t mind,” he said to Tiari.

  “I don’t mind,” Tiari said, feeling shy again. “I don’t mind at all.”

  Tomas was surprised by the strength of feeling he had for this woman after knowing her for so short a time. He wondered if his feelings were real, or if he should trust them. He hadn’t done a very good job of judging such things so far, but, he decided, for Tiari, he was willing to take the risk of making another mistake.

  After lunch Tomas helped Tiari back into the saddle, and Zakiel returned to the front of the line. Shortly after they’d resumed travelling, Nikura trotted out of the woods and leapt onto his diplo where he sat on the platform saddle, giving himself a bath. Karma was tempted to tease him about it as she sometimes did, but decided to leave him be. After all, she thought, he never bothered her when she was taking a bath.

  Suddenly Nikura’s head came up, one paw still raised as he stared into the sky with his wide, blue eyes, ears straight up, whiskers quivering. Karma took one look at the Sphin’s posture, and immediately reached for the Ti-Ank, slipping it out of its saddle loop as she looked up into the sky herself. She didn’t know what she was looking for, but she had a feeling she’d know it when she saw it.

  “It’s a kadjet,” Nikura said.

  Karma glanced down at him, then back up at the sky. “What’s a kadjet?” she asked.

  “It’s a very nasty demon,” Nikura said, continuing to watch the sky though he’d sent a mental command to his diplo to stop walking. Karma reined Goldy in, following Nikura’s lead, not noticing as the rest of the caravan stumbled to a stop around them.

  It took Garundel only a moment to see why the line had stopped. He raced forward to Zakiel, not wanting to shout when he didn’t know what the danger was. That there was danger, he had no doubt. Both Nikura and Lady Techu had long since proven themselves.

  Zakiel heard the diplo running up behind him and turned around, his eyes going to Garundel’s face, then down the line to Karma. He turned his diplo around and galloped back, glad that everyone had moved out of the way so he had a clear path to his wife’s side.