Quest for the Sun Orb

by Laura Jo Phillips

  The kadjet screamed and Tomas tensed, knowing it was about to attack again. He kept it in his sights, hoping that he’d been right, and that Lady Techu would find a way to destroy the thing. Just as that thought ran through his mind twin beams of brilliant light shot skyward and the kadjet vanished in a blinding flash.

  Tomas blew out a sigh of relief, but didn’t lower his bow until he’d scanned the entire sky one last time. When he was certain that there was no more danger he released the tension on the bowstring, lowered his bow, then looked to the injured Hunter still lying unconscious on the ground. He was surprised to see Kapia kneeling in the dirt beside the man. She’d already wrapped a long strip of lavender colored cloth, obviously torn from her skirt, around the Hunter’s arm to stop the bleeding, proving that she’d gone to help the Hunter before the final kadjet had been destroyed. Tomas wondered how it was that he’d failed to notice how courageous his young cousin was. Which reminded him. He turned to face Tiari.

  “I thought that you were supposed to climb under your diplo, not stay on it and stand in the open,” Tomas said, trying not to sound accusatory.

  “I had no means of getting down,” she replied simply. “Not that it would have mattered. I was meant to see what others could not see.”

  “Meant?” Tomas asked. “Someone told you this?”

  “Yes, in a way,” Tiari replied. “When I was a little girl, my mother used to tell me that my eyes were this way because I was meant to see what others could not. I remembered that as I sat there in the trees, listening to Karma. Somehow I knew that I was supposed to see their hearts for her, that it was my responsibility, and that if I didn’t do it, people would die. So I got Nosy to move out of the trees so that I could see these...things...whatever they’re called.”

  “They are called kadjet,” Tomas said. “They’re demons. And I’ve changed my mind.”

  “About what?” Tiari asked.

  “About having a stirrup put on your saddle,” Tomas replied. “I’m going to personally make sure that tomorrow morning you have a stirrup, and that you know how to use it.”

  “Thank you, Tomas,” Tiari said, smiling. “I will feel better if I can get up and down on my own.”

  “As will I,” Tomas said.

  Chapter Eight

  Bredon awoke the morning after finding himself in his bedroll feeling better than when he’d gone to sleep, though still a little sluggish. After eating breakfast, thanks again to the Sirelina, he’d retraced his steps to where he’d awakened the previous afternoon and located his back trail. He’d definitely been moving south so, with no better idea of his current location, or where Darkly Fen actually was, he continued in that direction.

  He tried repeatedly to get more information from Marene about the location of Darkly Fen, or even how long it would take to reach it, but she refused to respond to him no matter how hard he pushed at her. Eventually he gave up and just kept traveling south.

  As he rode, he thought of Kapia. He knew that he didn’t deserve her. Knew that he had betrayed her, in body if not in heart and mind. He wondered if it would have made a difference if he’d told her the truth from the beginning. After spending some time considering that question, he came to the conclusion that it would have been a mistake. Kapia would never want anything to do with him if she knew the truth. No, what she didn’t know could not hurt her. Or him.

  Bredon stood in the middle of the palace corridor, gazing blankly at nothing as he wondered where he was, and how he’d come to be there. He felt an itch on his left shoulder blade and attempted to scratch it, but he couldn’t quite reach it. He tried to ignore it, but it got worse the more he thought about it so he tried to reach it again. Finally he backed up to the wall, looked in both directions, then leaned back and rubbed his shoulder blade against it. He closed his eyes in relief as he shifted back and forth until the itch was gone.

  “Sir Bredon?” Kapia asked, coming around the corner just as he stepped away from the wall. He wondered for a moment if she’d seen him, then his mind went blank as he watched her walk toward him. She was so beautiful it took his breath away every time he saw her. He smiled, and just as she returned it, he remembered.

  Marene visiting Zakiel in the palace library.

  Marene tripping on the stairs.

  Marene insisting that she needed help to her quarters before calling for a physician.

  Marene scratching him on the back of his hand with something...a fingernail?...her ring?...and a growing sense of lightheadedness. By the time he’d reached her rooms, he’d needed more help standing than she had.

  She’d made him a cup of hot tea, insisting it would make him feel better, but it had made everything hazy and dreamlike. And then....

  “Bredon, are you all right?” Kapia asked, frowning as she stopped in front of him.

  “Yes, I’m fine, Cousin Kapia,” he said, putting a smile back on his face.

  Kapia’s frown deepened. “You look ill.”

  “No, I’m not ill,” he replied. “Tired. I was up tending to duties until quite late last night. The quest begins tomorrow morning, and there is still much to be done.”

  Kapia’s eyes narrowed slightly as though she knew he was lying, and for a moment he was sure she was going to call him on it. But the moment passed, and she only nodded. “Very well,” she said. “If you will excuse me, I am to meet Karma for breakfast and I’m already late.”

  Kapia walked away, glancing over her shoulder at Bredon just once before turning the next corner. He was still standing in the same place, back against the wall, his face so white and pasty that the smattering of freckles across his nose stood out starkly. She wondered what was really wrong with him. She didn’t buy his story of being tired for a moment. His forehead was beaded with sweat, his red hair damp with it, his lips nearly as white as his face. And he was trembling. Big, strong, solidly reliable Bredon was actually trembling. That shook her more than anything else.

  But there was nothing else she could do. She’d asked him what was wrong, he’d told her, and she could not ask him again without accusing him of lying, and she would not do that. If he didn’t trust her enough to tell her the truth, there was nothing more to be said. Propriety dictated that she accept his words as truth no matter how obviously untruthful they were. So, she walked away. But that didn’t stop her from wondering why he looked so bad. Or why he’d lied to her. Or why he was standing in the hall outside of Marene’s rooms shortly after dawn.

  “Kapia?” Zakiel called again. “Are you all right, Sister?”

  Kapia jerked back to the present and turned to look at her brother. “Yes, I’m fine,” she replied. “Just daydreaming. How’s Karma?”

  “She’s tired, but otherwise well,” Zakiel replied. “Would you like to see her?”

  “Yes, if she’s up to it,” Kapia said. “

  “I’m up to it,” Karma called out from within the tent. “I’m also fully able to hear through the walls of the tent.”

  Karma shared a smile with Zakiel, who held the tent flap open for her. “I’ll let the two of you talk,” he said.

  “Thanks,” Kapia said, relieved that she wouldn’t have to make her admission in front of her brother. She paused just inside the tent to give her eyes a moment to adjust to the dim lighting, then moved to sit on a cushion across from Karma. “Zakiel is right, you do still look tired,” she said.

  “I am a bit,” Karma admitted. “But I’ll be fine by morning, I’m sure. You look worried.”

  “I have to tell you something, and I don’t want you to be angry with me,” Kapia said.

  “Why would I be angry with you, Kapia?”

  “Because I should have told you this sooner,” Kapia said, not quite daring to meet Karma’s eyes.

  “Something you learned when you and Tiari held the Moon Orb?” Karma guessed.

  Kapia looked up at her in shock. “How did you know?”

  “I didn’t know,” Karma said. “Not for sure. I just felt as though you were
holding something back at the time.”

  “I was,” Kapia admitted. She paused and looked around to be sure that they were alone, then spoke in a low voice. “When Tiari and I held the Moon Orb I heard two voices, not just the one I told you about.”

  “Do you know who the other voice belonged to?”

  “Yes, I do,” Kapia replied. “I just don’t know what it means. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you right away, Karma. I just wanted to think about it first.”

  “Kapia, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Karma said. “You have a right to keep your own counsel.”

  “I’m glad you’re not angry with me, but I think this is something I should have shared with you. The voice I heard was Worrow’s.”

  “Worrow’s?” Karma asked, stunned. “Is he dead?”

  “Dead?” Kapia gasped, shocked in return. “Why do you ask that?”

  Karma smiled. “Because when I talk to people no one else can see or hear, it’s because they’re dead. That doesn’t mean that the same is true for you. I’m sorry, Kapia. What did he say?”

  “He said that my feelings about the Moon Orb were correct, that I should trust them, and try harder,” Kapia said.

  “Do you know what he meant by that?” Karma asked.

  “Yes, I think so,” Kapia replied. “The night I got the name of that village where we found Tiari, I thought that I might be able to check on Bredon using the orb. I tried, but nothing happened. I think Worrow meant that I should try again.”

  “And did you? Try again, I mean.”

  “No,” Kapia said, dropping her eyes to her hands which were clenched tightly in her lap. “I’m afraid, Karma. I’m afraid to find out that Bredon is hurt, or suffering, and I won’t be able to help him. Or, even worse, I’m afraid I’ll find Marene instead, and discover that Bredon is...gone.”

  “I understand,” Karma said. “You have good reason to be afraid, Kapia. Special powers aren’t easy to have, and they are even harder to use.”

  “You don’t think I’m a coward?” Kapia asked.

  Karma shook her head. “No, Kapia, sister of my heart,” she said. “I do not think you are a coward. You have no cowardice in you.”

  Kapia relaxed a little and took a deep breath. “Thank you,” she said. “I bet you’re never afraid.”

  Karma laughed softly. “You would lose that bet. When I realized that I’d suddenly developed the power to speak to the dead, I was determined never to use it. It scared the nine hells out of me.”

  “You weren’t born with the ability?” Kapia asked.

  “Not that I was ever aware of,” Karma replied. “I could put people to sleep, most people anyway. But that was all.”

  “When did you find out you could speak to the dead?”

  “During a very difficult and stressful period of my life,” Karma said, not wanting to think about that time. “Once it started, it didn’t stop, but I pretended that it had. I didn’t want that particular ability, and I was determined not to use it. I suppose I was hoping that if I didn’t use it, it would go away. Of course, things don’t always turn out the way you want, or even the way you think they will. Now, here I am, using that very same ability in an effort to save Rathira, which makes me a firm believer that some things, at least, happen for a reason.”

  “You aren’t afraid to use your ability now,” Kapia said.

  “Sure I am,” Karma admitted easily. “I’m afraid every time I send out a call for someone that I know is dead, or see a figure materialize that nobody else can see.”

  “Why?” Kapia asked.

  “Because there is simply no telling what someone who is dead might say,” Karma replied. “What if they tell me something that I don’t want to know? Like when I’m going to die? Or when someone I love is going to die?”

  “I never thought about that,” Kapia said. “Yet, you do it over and over again without hesitation.”

  “It needs to be done,” Karma said. “It’s the reason I’m needed here, it’s why I’m the Lady Techu. What good can I do if I don’t use the powers I am meant to use?”

  Kapia nodded slowly. “I understand what you’re saying, Karma. You do what you have to do. And I have to do the same.”

  “Kapia, listen to me,” Karma said, waiting for Kapia to meet her steady gaze. “I am not trying to tell you any such thing. Do not compare yourself to me, or anyone else. It is up to you, and you alone, to decide how and when to use any special gifts that you may have. You must listen to yourself, and no one else, when making decisions like this because you are the one who must live with the consequences.”

  “I understand, Karma,” Kapia said. “I won’t do anything I’m not ready for.”

  “Good,” Karma replied. “Now, tell me, how is Tiari doing?”

  “She’s doing great,” Kapia said with a grin. “She’s sure got Tomas wrapped around her little finger.”

  “Yes, though I doubt very much that she knows it,” Karma said.

  “No, I’m sure that she doesn’t,” Kapia replied. “If she did, I’d probably be worried about how easily she was able to do it. I like her, Karma, and I think she’s very good for Tomas.”

  “So do I,” Karma replied. “I want to talk to her about how she knew where the hearts were on those things we killed today, but that discussion will have to wait until tomorrow.”

  “Which reminds me that I should go now and let you rest,” Kapia said, getting to her feet. “Thanks for your help, Karma. You are such a wonderful sister to me, and I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Kapia,” Karma replied. “Goodnight.”

  Kapia left Karma and wandered slowly back to her own tent in the fading light, thinking about the small orb in the pocket of her skirt. It was encased in a leather coin bag that was pinned into the pocket so that there was no chance of it falling out, though Kapia wasn’t sure it was possible for such a thing to happen without her knowing it. She was aware of it on some level all of the time, and had been since pulling it from the Orb Cradle on the atoll.

  Thinking of the Orb Cradle reminded her of Bredon’s knife, Mintaka-Til, and how she’d left it behind, but safe. That in turn had her thinking of Bredon, and wondering how he was, where he was, and what he was doing. Had Worrow been able to banish Marene from his mind and body? Was he, even now, trying to catch up to them? Or was he going in the opposite direction in an effort to keep the rest of them safe? She slipped her hand into her pocket and wrapped her fingers around the Moon Orb. Maybe it was time to set aside her fears and find some answers.

  She entered the women’s tent and pulled her cloak off, folding it neatly before laying it on a basket nearby.

  “Good evening, Tiari,” she said as she sat down on her own cushion.

  “Good evening, Kapia,” Tiari said. “How is Karma?”

  “She’s still tired, but after dinner and a good night’s rest, I think she’ll be fine,” Kapia replied. “How about you? Are you all right?”

  “Oh yes, I’m fine,” Tiari said. “I did nothing more than see.”

  “Do you feel more tired than usual?” Kapia asked, noting that there were dark patches beneath her eyes. They were faint, but they hadn’t been there before.

  “Yes, I do,” Tiari admitted. “I’m sure it’s because I am not used to so much excitement and exercise. Tomas said that I would get stronger though.”

  “He is correct,” Kapia said. “You will get stronger. But I don’t think that’s the reason for your tiredness. Not the only reason, anyway.”

  Tiari paled. “Did I do something wrong, Kapia?”

  “No, of course not,” Kapia replied quickly. “I only meant that I think you used more than just your eyes today. I think you have a power, or talent, that requires more of your own energy than you realize.”

  “Do you mean like Karma’s use of the Ti-Ank? Something like that?” Tiari asked.

  “Yes, exactly,” Kapia replied.

  “That would be wonderful,” Tiari said. “I very much liked being of use to
day. It would be nice if I could do it again.”

  “Even without extra talents, you are of use,” Kapia said. “You are the Maiden of the Sun, and that is no small thing to be. You are the only one who can claim the Sun Orb. Without you, Rathira will cease to be.”

  “I know, Kapia,” Tiari said. “And I am grateful for the honor, truly I am. I suppose it is selfish of me to want more.”

  “You think it is selfish to want to help others?” Kapia asked, laughing. “I’m not sure you understand the real meaning of selfish, Tiari.”

  Tiari smiled ruefully, as she reached for her tea. “I must seem silly to you.”

  “Not at all,” Kapia replied. “I just want you to realize that you are already unique. Already of great help. And you are already cared for by many of us. You need not worry so much.”

  “You...care for me?” Tiari asked hesitantly.

  “Very much,” Kapia replied. “There is something about you that makes me feel as though I’ve always known you. Maybe it’s because we are both Orb Maidens. I don’t know, and I don’t really care. I like you, and I care about you. Just so you know, I’ve only once before cared so much for another person so quickly, and that was Karma. You are much like her.”

  “Me? Like Karma?” Tiari asked doubtfully. She shook her head. “I want to be as strong, brave, and kind as you and Karma one day. But I have only just begun to learn.”

  “You do not have to learn to be who you are,” Kapia said. “You are strong, Tiari, and very brave. You agreed to join us, complete strangers, on a quest you knew nothing of aside from what we told you. You rode a diplo, which you’d never seen before, allowed us to take you away from the only home you ever knew into a world filled with things you know nothing about. Because of you, the battle with the kadjet ended without the loss of lives, and with only one injury. And you are very kind. You must believe me when I say that, Tiari. I’ve had many years of experience with someone who was not kind, so I know a kind person when I see one.”