Quest for the Sun Orb

by Laura Jo Phillips

  “I see,” Zakiel said. They rode in silence for a few moments while he considered the matter. “Valia,” he said finally, “I think it best that I speak with Tomas about this. Their connection is quite strong, and I cannot help but feel it would be wrong to leave him out of this. It must also be noted that she is the Maiden of the Sun. That makes the fact that she is a maiden very important.”

  Karma’s eyes widened. “Seriously? I didn’t know that.”

  “Few do,” Zakiel replied. “Clearly Una was unaware of it.”

  “Well, you don’t really know that for certain,” Karma said.

  “She is a bit old to be a maiden,” Zakiel said doubtfully.

  “Age has little to do with it,” Karma said dryly. “The fact that she is unkind and sour faced speaks more eloquently than does her age.”

  “I must admit there is truth in that statement,” Zakiel said with a grin.

  “I think you best be certain that Tomas is aware of that fact as well,” Karma said.

  “Do you think that Tomas would dishonor Tiari?” Zakiel asked, his eyes going cold again. But Karma merely smiled.

  “Zakiel,” she said, “do you think that what we did before we married was dishonorable?”

  “Of course not,” Zakiel replied at once. “But we did not go that far.”

  “No, we didn’t,” Karma agreed. “But we could have, quite easily, and if we had, I would not have considered it a dishonor.”

  “Nor would I,” Zakiel agreed.

  “I believe that Tomas and Tiari feel much the same about each other as we do,” Karma continued. “He will never do anything to cause her harm. The key here is that he must know beforehand that it will cause harm.”

  “You are correct, of course,” Zakiel said. “I will see to it that he is fully aware of the consequences of certain...actions that they may take.”

  “I want to ask you something else, since we are on the subject,” Karma said.

  “Yes?” Zakiel asked warily. Now that he knew the subject, he was almost afraid of what she was going to ask.

  “When Tiari asked me to tell her about men, Kapia was there. We were having tea together. Kapia’s expression was...eager.”

  Zakiel frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  “It was obvious to me that Kapia’s level of knowledge on this subject isn’t much higher than Tiari’s. Personally, I find that objectionable. There is an excuse for Tiari’s ignorance, but not for Kapia’s. Why has she be kept in ignorance about such things?”

  Zakiel shook his head and sighed. “Poor Kapia,” he said. “She has suffered from my inattention, as well as our father’s. Such things are taught to girls by their mothers, or the eldest female in their family. That should have been Marene. I am ashamed anew that my sister was so neglected, and I never noticed it.”

  “There is no need for you to feel ashamed,” Karma said. “But I do think that since both Tiari and Kapia are adults, and since they are both in love with men, they not only deserve answers, but are sorely in need of them.”

  “Agreed,” Zakiel said. Then he smiled smugly at her. “You are the eldest female in Kapia’s family now. That makes it your duty, as her eldest female relative, to provide her with the answers she seeks.”

  Karma scowled. “Finally, you have revealed your true reason for marrying me.”

  Zakiel’s mouth dropped open in shock, sending Karma into peals of laughter.

  ***

  When Zakiel called a halt for lunch he rode back to where Karma, Kapia, and Tiari were dismounting their diplos, as had become his habit. He got there just as Tomas arrived, and decided that it would be best to have their discussion sooner, rather than later.

  “Cousin Tomas,” he said, “I would like to speak with you, in private, if you have a few minutes.”

  “Of course,” Tomas said, his face a mask of calm neutrality, though Zakiel saw the wariness in his eyes.

  “Karma, we won’t be long,” he said. “Please save some food for us.”

  “We’ll try,” Karma said, rolling her eyes at the pile of food on the tray Lashi was carrying toward them.

  Zakiel led Tomas apart from the others so that they could speak in some privacy, wondering why his cousin seemed so worried. The answer came quickly. Tomas was probably afraid that he was going to ask him to stay away from Tiari. Zakiel smiled to himself. Perhaps he would have, before meeting Karma. Now that he knew what it was to be in love, he would never consider doing such a thing.

  “I know that you have feelings for Tiari,” he began.

  “Yes, Cousin Zakiel,” Tomas said. “I do have feelings for her. Strong ones. I wish that I could explain how that is possible considering the brief time we’ve known each other, but I cannot.”

  Zakiel smiled, surprising Tomas greatly. “You need not explain, Tomas,” he said. “I understand perfectly.”

  “Do you object?” Tomas asked stiffly.

  “Of course not,” he said. “Tell me, Tomas, do you believe that Tiari is the woman meant for you to share your life with?”

  “Absolutely,” Tomas said with quiet conviction.

  “In that case, I hope that you will find the happiness that I have found,” Zakiel said, clapping Tomas on the shoulder. Tomas relaxed and returned Zakiel’s smile.

  “The problem,” Zakiel continued, “is that Tiari has no knowledge of men. At all.” He looked at his cousin significantly.

  “Yes, I suspected as much,” Tomas said with a sigh. “I tried to explain to her the importance of one’s reputation not long after she first joined us. At that time I realized that her innocence is...complete.”

  “She has asked Karma to teach her about sex,” Zakiel said. He smiled faintly at Tomas’s shocked expression. “She did not put it that way, of course, but that is what she wants to know. Karma came to me to ask what would, and would not be, appropriate to tell her since she comes from a world where the customs are somewhat different than ours. I have taken it upon myself to discuss the situation with you before giving Karma an answer.”

  “I appreciate that very much, Cousin,” Tomas said, surprised and pleased. “The truth is, Zakiel, that I love her. I have loved her from the first moment I laid eyes on her, though I suppose that sounds strange.”

  “I do not think it strange at all,” Zakiel replied. “The same thing happened to me the first time I laid eyes on Karma. But, the situation with Tiari is different in one very important respect.”

  “What do you mean?” Tomas asked, his stomach tightening with sudden fear.

  “She is the Maiden of the Sun, Tomas,” Zakiel said. “That means that she must remain a maiden in order to claim the orb.”

  “I did not know that,” Tomas said, surprised at the information, and relieved that he wasn’t being told to stay away from the woman he loved. After a few moments the full implications of Zakiel’s statement hit him and he stiffened. “Cousin Zakiel, I assure you that I would never...harm...or dishonor Tiari.”

  “I realize that, Tomas,” Zakiel said with a smile. “You love her. Of course you would not dishonor her. Besides, what two people who love each other do is their own business, and not the least bit dishonorable. I would not even broach this subject were it not so important that she remain a maiden. Unfortunately, it will prevent the two of you marrying until the orb is claimed, should you wish to do so.”

  “I apologize, Cousin, for my reaction.”

  “No need, Tomas,” Zakiel said. “I would have reacted the same way were I in your place.”

  “Zakiel,” Tomas said, “there is a big part of me that wants to introduce Tiari to...everything...myself. But I fear that is a selfish reaction. Will you tell me, please, what would you do in this situation?”

  Zakiel hid his surprise. That Tomas was actually asking him for advice was an absolute first. He took the request seriously and spent several moments considering his answer.

  “What I would do, I cannot say, as it is not possible for me to think of such things in terms of
any woman other than my beloved Karma,” he said. “That said, I will tell you my thinking, if you wish to hear it.”

  “Please,” Tomas said.

  “Tiari works hard to learn as much as she can, as quickly as she can, so that she can find her place among the rest of us in what is, to her, a new and strange world. Knowledge is the one thing she craves above all things. The more knowledge she has, the more normal she can be. To deny her request for this knowledge, especially in light of the fact that she is not a child, but a grown woman, would be a difficult thing for her to understand.”

  “Yes, I see what you mean,” Tomas said, nodding in agreement. As much as he preferred to tell her such things himself, he could not properly broach the subject until after they were wed, and there was no telling how long that might be.

  “Keep in mind, Tomas, that this is knowledge given to other women long before they are her age,” Zakiel said.

  “Yes, I know,” Tomas said. “I just don’t want her to be afraid.”

  “That’s understandable,” Zakiel said. “However, remember who we are speaking of. I do not think Tiari is the type of woman to allow fear to rule her.”

  “That’s true,” Tomas said with a smile.

  “Besides, I assure you that Karma will not say anything to unnecessarily frighten her.”

  “That is also true,” Tomas said, making up his mind. “I ask that Lady Techu explain those things Tiari has asked about, if she does not object.”

  “I am sure that Karma will not mind,” Zakiel said. In truth, knowing his wife as well as he did, he suspected that she would answer Tiari’s questions regardless of what Tomas wanted, but he kept that to himself. “Now, how about we go get some lunch?”

  “Great idea,” Tomas said. “I confess that Lashi and Caral’s cooking far exceeds the fare that the camp cooks have been serving up. I find myself looking forward to lunch almost too much of late.”

  Zakiel frowned as he and Tomas walked back to where the women stood beside their diplos, eating lunch. “Are the meals below standard?” he asked Tomas.

  “I would not like to say so,” Tomas replied carefully. “I will say that they are certainly not above standard.”

  “This is disturbing news,” Zakiel said. “The men deserve better after spending endless days and nights constantly on alert for danger. I will have to speak with Garundel on this matter. Thank you for bringing it to my attention, Cousin.”

  “I cannot take credit for that,” Tomas said. “It was an absent comment, though I am now realizing that I should have told you sooner.”

  “It is my responsibility to know these things, not yours, Tomas,” Zakiel said, letting him off the hook. “I should have paid more attention.”

  “I’m not sure what can be done about the situation,” Tomas said. “It isn’t as though the cooks can be replaced from out here in the wilderness.”

  “I selected the cooks, drovers and servants as carefully as I selected the Hunters and Knights who would come on this quest,” Zakiel said. “They were the best of the best. If the food is less than very good, I will soon know the reason for it.”

  By this time they had rejoined the women, but stood aside so as not to interrupt their conversation as they each accepted a plate of food from Caral. After eating in silence for a few moments, Tomas picked their discussion up again.

  “The head cook was one of those killed when we crossed the Wide a few weeks back,” he said. “The food problems began shortly after that. I heard rumors that there is a hierarchy war going on in the kitchen, so to speak.”

  “If that is true, then it is a war that ends today,” Zakiel said, his blue eyes cold. Then he smiled.

  Tomas rose a brow in question and was shocked when Zakiel chuckled, then turned and scanned the clearing. Seeing who he sought, he gestured, and a few moments later Garundel joined them.

  “Sir Garundel, Sir Tomas has been telling me that the quality of the food prepared by the camp cooks has dropped considerably since the unfortunate death of the head cook,” he said without preamble.

  “It is true, Highness,” Garundel replied. “Two of the remaining cooks are in opposition for the position of head cook, and the other four are divided between the two. They’ve been using our meals as a battle ground. I hoped to allow them to sort it out themselves, but they haven’t and the food is becoming worse by the day. It’s barely edible any more.”

  “This is unacceptable, Sir Garundel,” Zakiel said. “I would have preferred to learn of this situation sooner.”

  “Yes, Highness,” Garundel said, accepting the gentle reprimand. “I thought it too minor to trouble you with, but I did mean to bring the problem to you this eve.”

  “I have a solution,” Zakiel said, grinning again.

  Garundel smiled. He’d known the Prince since his boyhood, and he knew that grin well. Whatever solution his Prince had in mind, the cooks would not be pleased with it.

  “Please inform the cooks that should they not select a head cook before this evening’s meal, I will be forced to take the choice from them,” Zakiel said. “In that event, I will put Lashi and Caral in charge over them.”

  Garundel’s mouth dropped open in shock, as did Tomas’s. After a moment, Tomas grinned. Garundel did not.

  “You cannot mean to put women in charge of the Hunter’s meals,” he said in disbelief.

  “Why not?” Zakiel asked. “I’ve been eating their fare for weeks now and it is quite good. Since they already have other duties, I will ask that they take turns overseeing the cooks so that they are not too overburdened. But they will be in charge, do not doubt me on this, Sir Knight.”

  Garundel frowned. If Zakiel put women in charge of the men who had trained their entire lives to cook for hungry Hunters over the open flames of a campfire, they would revolt. Or would they? This was, after all, the legendary Orb Quest. It was a great honor for each and every one of them to have been chosen. No, he realized, none of them would willingly walk away from the Orb Quest.

  “I shall inform them at once,” Garundel said, smiling now. “They have until this evening’s meal, correct?”

  “Yes,” Zakiel replied. “They have had long enough to resolve this issue. I will be partaking of the evening’s meal with the rest of the camp, and it had better be very good.”

  Sir Garundel bowed, grinning widely now. “If you will excuse me Highness, I will speak to them now.”

  Zakiel nodded and watched him go. He didn’t really want to eat with the Hunters now that he had Karma to share his meals with, but he still had responsibilities to his men, and this was important.

  “Are you really planning to put Lashi and Caral in charge of the Hunter’s meals?” Karma asked.

  Zakiel looked up and saw that all of the women were watching him, waiting for his answer. He looked around to be sure that no one was close enough to over hear his answer.

  “It depends,” he said. “I believe that the threat will work. If not, then I will need to ask them to oversee a few meals in order to get my point across. I trust they will not mind.”

  “I’m sure they won’t,” Kapia laughed. “However, they have enough duties as it is. I hope that, should they be needed, that it will be temporary.”

  “It will be,” Zakiel assured her.

  Just then there was a shout of dismay, followed by the sound of several men all speaking at once. Zakiel turned toward the sound, smiling as he realized that the cooks had just received his ultimatum. He watched Garundel walk away from the small group, ignoring the questions being flung at him as he mounted his diplo and trotted away. Excellent. They did not deserve answers to their questions.

  Zakiel handed his dish to Caral, then walked Karma to her diplo. “How did your discussion go with Tomas?” she asked quietly.

  “Very well,” Zakiel replied. “He requests that you tell her all that she wishes to know.”

  “Of course,” Karma replied, relieved. She wouldn’t have allowed Tiari to remain in the dark regardless of w
hat Tomas, or even Zakiel, wanted. She’d gone to Zakiel to determine the degree of knowledge she should share, not whether or not to provide it at all. Still, she was pleased that they were all in agreement. “Kapia will be included.”

  “She should be,” Zakiel agreed. “I thank you for taking this on, Karma.”

  “I don’t mind,” Karma said. “I’m not embarrassed by the facts of life, and have no hesitation in sharing the knowledge with Kapia and Tiari. They should know these things.”

  “Yes, they should,” Zakiel agreed. He placed a steadying hand on Karma’s back as she mounted her diplo. Not that she needed it. He just liked to touch her. “I’m sorry, valia, but I must eat with the men tonight.”

  “Yes, I heard,” Karma said. “I’ll eat with Kapia and Tiari. We have a lot to talk about, and I doubt you’d enjoy being part of that conversation anyway.”

  “True,” Zakiel said, trying to keep a neutral expression on his face. The idea of listening to such a discussion was mortifying to him, let alone engaging in it. He’d rather face a pack of desert harpies with dull swords.

  As promised, Zakiel ate dinner at the main camp fire with his men that evening. The meal was good. Not as good as Timon’s cooking, nor as good as Lashi’s, or Caral’s, but it was good. From the comments of the Hunters around him it was a vast improvement over what they’d been getting. Zakiel was ashamed that the situation had gone on for so long without him knowing about it.

  When everyone was finished eating he stood up and called all of the servants, cooks and drovers to join them. When all of the men of the camp were present in the large circle around the campfire, save those currently guarding the women’s tent, he took a few moments to meet the eyes of many of the men present.

  “I would begin by apologizing to all of the Hunters and Knights,” he said, using his booming, field voice so that all could hear him clearly. “It is my responsibility to ensure that you have your basic needs met while you risk life and limb each day to guard the Orb Quest. In that respect, I have failed.” There was a low rumbling of dissent, but Zakiel held up one hand for silence.