Shalia's Diary Book 10

by Tracy St. John

  There was a huge bonfire that we all sat around, the soft beach sand pillowing our butts as drinks were served on the low tables before us. Nobek crewmembers gathered between us and the fire to perform one of the historical dances that consists of a bunch of stomping, chest beating, yelling, headbutting, and slapping the hell out of each other. It’s an impressive display, though I always cringe at the smacking part.

  It turned out Stidmun is a part of the historical society of warrior Nobeks. He jumped up and joined in. Within minutes, his nose, freshly healed from a break during the morning and afternoon’s kurble games, was bleeding afresh after a particularly brutal swat from one of the other Nobeks. Stidmun was quite delighted, though I saw Candy rolling her eyes at the display. She sat on the opposite side of Larten, who chuckled and nudged her at the reaction.

  “Which is worse; that your breed is crazy or that I’m crazy about your breed?” she sighed.

  After the dance, which we all applauded wildly, the Zelt band played as dinner was served. And what a dinner. The meat of an island animal called the olrib had been roasted to perfection, the tender flesh falling off the thick bones. There were also two different fish dishes and any number of fruits and vegetables. It was a feast, made exquisite by the fact we sat on the beach with the surf rumbling nearby and the star-filled canopy of the night sky.

  Maybe Candy’s earlier comment about her fixation on Nobeks had been overheard, because during the meal, Bazi brought up the subject of clan laws. “Some are petitioning the Royal Council to change the three-man clan requirement, at least where Earther women are concerned.”

  Clan Orim’s Nobek Ral, a bearded behemoth who’d broken Stidmun’s nose during the kurble match, grunted as he speared a chunk of olrib on a knife. “I’m betting my breed is in the vanguard of that proposal. There are too many of us to guarantee we’ll enjoy the benefits of traditional clanning.”

  “Actually, I’m hearing most of the complaints are coming from the Earther women,” Bazi said. “Their culture is based on the idea of one man and one woman.” She gazed at Candy with friendly curiosity.

  Candy stared back, her eyes wide. “Will the Royal Council consider such a thing?”

  Erom snorted. “Maybe in a century or two. That kind of thing takes forever to catch on with the masses. We can be pretty stubborn when it comes to changing the status quo.”

  “Not if our numbers drop off to the point where we’re desperate for any configuration that will allow us to save our culture,” Imdiko Tir opined. “If the only way we can escape extinction is to give Earther women what they want, it will happen.”

  “What do you think of the idea of clans not being required?” I asked Seot.

  He mused. “I concede that having a clan is perhaps not for everyone. I see the happiness Stidmun and Candy have with it just being the two of them. I think their situation is right for them. For my part however, I would be saddened to see clans disappear. My life has been so enriched with Larten and Cifa that I can’t imagine not having them.”

  “Not to mention having the sole responsibility of caring for someone as precious as a woman,” Larten said. He smirked at Stidmun. “I don’t envy you the responsibility that sits on your shoulders where that is concerned.”

  Candy gave him a withering look. “I can take care of myself, thanks. I prefer Stidmun rather than need him. He’s around because he makes my life a little better than it would be without him.”

  Stidmun scowled. “A little better?”

  That got us all laughing as Candy kissed him to take the sting out of her inadvertent slight. When we’d quieted, Cifa’s sister Ila spoke up. “But who says the clan system has to be abandoned entirely? Before Kalquor mandated clans to keep the men from fighting over too few women, our ancestors had relationships that could include any number of people from both sexes.”

  Candy’s eyes lit. “So there is a precedent for non-clan relationships that are legally recognized.”

  “In the past. The present situation is not likely to change any time soon,” Erom counseled her. “There are still too few females are arguing for change. The Royal Council is in no hurry to take the idea seriously.”

  “But if we Earthers had the option of being with one man, more Earther women might come,” Candy argued.

  The conversation was lively and respectful as points for and against traditional clans were debated. Cifa whispered in my ear, “I certainly hope Candy’s views on multiple-partner relationships haven’t swayed your interest.”

  “Actually,” I said, pretending to muse over the matter, “I was thinking maybe having more than one clan might be a worthwhile consideration.”

  Seot choked a little on his fish. “Woman, we have a problem.”

  I cracked up. “Don’t worry, big guy. If last night was any indication, I can barely keep up with three of you. No way I’m adding to the numbers.”

  December 15

  Another happy day on our tropical island paradise. Captain Carip came ashore right after breakfast this morning to announce he’d set up a challenge for us.

  “Hidden somewhere on this island is a treasure,” he said in his booming voice. “You are to pair off to search for it.”

  Fortunately, we’d been warned before coming to shore to dress for hiking off the beach, I wore sturdy shoes and light clothing instead of a skimpy soaksuit and sandals. The rest were similarly dressed.

  Captain Carip continued his spiel. “Matara Joelle, since you have not brought a partner, you may join the team of your choosing.”

  I think Joelle was a bit overwhelmed when everyone instantly invited her to be a part of their team. She even seemed choked up a little when she said, “Whoever Shalia isn’t going with from Clan Seot.”

  My guys whooped to be chosen. They are so wonderful. As is Joelle. She took Anrel from me and said in an undertone, “Let me keep the baby, Shalia. Just in case your partner wants to discover a more personal ‘treasure’.”

  “You are beyond bad,” I laughed at her. “No wonder we get along so well.”

  “Who’s the lucky man, Shalia?” Seot asked me. “I would like to point out that as a leader, I can make good command decisions during our search.”

  “If it’s to be a hunt, I think my choice is clear,” I said, grinning at Larten. “I’m going to stack the deck in my favor and partner with the Nobek.”

  “Of course you are,” he said, smirking in triumph at his groaning clanmates.

  Joelle smiled brightly at Cifa. “Did she just make a mistake? You do know the island you own, don’t you?”

  “Better than Larten does,” he said. “Good luck, my Nobek.”

  “Ah, but I know this island too, don’t I?” Ila called from her position next to Ral. “Plus I have a Nobek to help me hunt. See you later, losers.”

  Good-natured jibes were traded back and forth before Carip called us all back to order. “I have a clue to get you all started,” he said. “Born of blaze, I run the river; shaped like the arrow that flies in the wind. Now beneath the darkened glass I shelter what you seek. Were you born there? Good luck.”

  I had barely time to register the enigmatic words before Ila grabbed Ral by the wrist. “I know where it is! Let’s go!” They were gone in a twinkling, using the supernatural speed that comes with being Kalquorian.

  “She thinks she knows,” Cifa snorted. “Our dear captain is never so obvious with his riddle games.” He smiled at Carip, who bowed with a little laugh. “No, I think it’s subtler than Ila believes…but I might have an idea. Come on Seot, Matara Joelle, and Anrel. Let’s see if I’ve paid better attention than my sister.” They were off too.

  Erom gave Bazi a shrug. “I never really explored the island,” he said. “Ila and Cifa said it was a good buy, so I went along with it.”

  “We’ll see what we can do,” she said in a light tone. “Anyway, the fun is in the search, not the win. Let’s go.”

  Each pair drifted off, chattering happily. I looked up at Larten. “I ha
ven’t a clue,” I sighed. “What about you?”

  “No, but if past games are any indication, Carip would give Cifa, Ila, and Erom as little an advantage over the rest of us as possible. I think you and I should search for some landmark,” he said. “And the best way to find that is to seek higher ground. Let’s do that. We’ll get the lay of the island and work from there.”

  It sounded like a good plan to me. I had no illusions of us winning the challenge, but as Bazi had said, the fun was in the search. Plus, I would get to be alone with Larten. Thinking of how enchanting my swim with Cifa had been, I wanted to know if alone time with the Nobek would lend itself to as much charm.

  Which seemed kind of silly, I decided as we left the beach to trot through a thick, almost jungle-like growth of trees. Nobeks can be captivating, but enchanting? Magical? I couldn’t hold Larten up to that kind of ideal.

  Yet I was happy just the same, jogging at his side, laughing and talking as we went. As always, he was ready with entertaining stories of his reviled trainees. He was quick to warn me of obstacles in our path, such as a vine that might trip me or a branch that could clothesline my head off. I appreciated that he looked out for me without insisting on sweeping me in his arms and doing all the work. I stumbled on the uneven ground a few times, especially as we began to go up a hill that we hoped would afford us a good view of the landscape. Larten was quick to steady me. I noted how his touch lingered a little longer than was needed as his gaze met mine. Once more, I was aware in a profound way of the man I was with…perhaps because I wanted to experience that kind of sensation again.

  When he’s being intense, Larten gives me that anxious-aroused vibe that I tend toward with dangerous men. He jokes more than most Nobeks I’ve known. Yet when he wasn’t regaling me with tales while wearing that amused smirk of his, or softening with concern as some obstruction loomed in my path, he was as lethal-looking as Oses, Jaon, or Stidmun. Add that to his gloriously muscled body, and it wasn’t just exertion that made me pant as we made our way up the steep hill.

  I like that he has a decent sense of humor. It may not be typical for a Nobek, but the fact Larten doesn’t mind laughing…even at his own expense…gives him an extra layer of fascination for me. Not that any of the Nobeks I’ve adored are one-dimensional or anything, but Larten has a little extra in that sense.

  Ah hell, I’m jabbering here. Back to our treasure hunt.

  We got to the top of the hill and had a look around. Beyond the jungle-ish woods we’d gone through, I could see the ocean with our ship bobbing on it like an arrow-shaped cork. That made me think of the clue Captain Carip had given us. He’d mentioned an arrow. Wouldn’t that be hilarious if the treasure was on the boat while we chased all over the island?

  “How did that clue go again?” I asked.

  Larten quoted, “’Born of blaze, I ran the river; shaped like the arrow that flies in the wind. Now beneath the darkened glass I shelter what you seek. Were you born there?’”

  I scowled. Except for the arrowhead-shape, our ship didn’t fit any of the rest of the riddle. I turned to look at the rest of the island.

  Most of what I could see was more tangled vegetation. The island had been kept wild, probably because of its proximity to the government-protected reef. Then there’s that thing the Kalquorians have about keeping their surroundings natural when possible.

  Only the sight of a slate-gray mountain rearing about two miles away interrupted the dense canopy…that and a stream that ran from a ridged channel coming from the peak. The stream parted the trees down to the ocean, glittering as it made its path. I saw Ila and Ral moving alongside it less than a mile from my hill. There was movement further along, closer to the little mountain. I figured most everyone was concentrating the search along the trickle of water. Was that the river where we’d find something born of a blaze? We were far behind the pack of searchers, it seemed.

  “Not much to see from here,” I said. I noted the smallish mountain again, erupting like an abrupt tumor from the skin of the leaves. I thought had a dip in the middle of the peak, though the supposed fissure angled away from me so that it was hard to be sure. “Larten, is that a mountain or a volcano?”

  “A volcano, though it’s been dead for a long time. His eyes suddenly brightened. “Hey…’born of blaze’…Shalia, you’re a genius.”

  “I don’t know about that,” I snorted. “I could be way off on this. But we’ll assume the treasure would be close to the volcano. What about the second part of the clue? ‘I ran the river’? That’s no river coming from it. Too small. The stream is over there, and there are at least two or three groups investigating it already.”

  “As Cifa said, that would be too obvious. But lava can run like a river,” Larten reminded me. “So maybe Carip’s riddle has to do more with that than the stream. Let’s go and have a look.”

  Off we went, running down our hill and then back into the cover of the trees. There were no real paths, only thin trails probably made by the animals living on the isle. Larten insisted on taking the lead, and I let him, trusting his sense of direction better than my own. I’d trained as a fighter, not an explorer.

  I slowed him down, but he didn’t complained. He kept the jogging pace steady, but I never got winded. The paths were winding, however, so it took us at least an hour to reach the bottom of the volcano.

  “From the hill, it looked like the western side of the cone got blown out,” Larten said as we looked up the craggy incline. “That’s where lava would most likely have flowed.”

  His look was intense. I could tell he was enjoying unraveling the puzzle. I smiled as he led the way around the base of the volcano. He’s such a Nobek.

  Those sharp Kalquorian senses clued him in on the next discovery way before I would have figured it out. He suddenly ran ahead, exclaiming. I couldn’t keep up, but I hurried after him as best I could.

  He stopped, staring up the slope, his eyes wide. “There it is! We’ve found it, Shalia!”

  I made it to his side and looked up the triangle of rock. My mouth dropped open.

  When the volcano had erupted ages ago, it had blown the entire side out from the midpoint of its height all the way up to the peak. It gaped open like a raw, angry wound. It even appeared to have bled, as shiny black rock ran from the bottom of the fissure, contrasting sharply with the dark and dull granite of the mountain itself.

  Rock formed of lava long cooled, made glossy and jewel-bright. Its path was straight down to a ledge. There, outcroppings of rock had disfigured its course, forming it into an upside-down triangle that pointed to the ledge. Like an arrow.

  Larten quoted, “’Shaped like the arrow that flies in the wind. Now beneath the darkened glass I shelter what you seek.’”

  “Volcanic glass,” I grinned. “Obsidian, we called it on Earth.”

  “Shall we climb? I see a lot of decent foot- and handholds.” Larten was already starting forward.

  I climbed behind him, admiring the way his ass flexed as he made his way up. Now that was a spectacular view. It was only later that I realized had we been truly climbing a mountain, the lovely distraction might have been the death of me. Luckily for me, the ledge wasn’t too high, and as Larten had said, it was an easy ascent. Otherwise, that Nobek might have made the idea of a ‘killer ass’ reality.

  We made it to the ledge safely. It was large and flat enough that a man Larten’s size could have slept on it if he’d needed to. Some rocks had fallen from greater heights to sprinkle the surface. With the exception of one chunk of obsidian stone big enough for me to use as a seat (which I did), the rest were just pebbles.

  There was no sign of a treasure.

  “Damn,” Larten scowled, looking up, down, and around. “This place is the perfect fit for the clues. It has to be here.”

  “Maybe Cifa, Seot, Joelle, and Anrel got here first,” I sighed. “Cifa thought he knew the answer to the riddle.”

  “If he had, he’d be waiting for us. Or he’d have searche
d us out to celebrate besting me,” Larten laughed. “He’s smart, but he doesn’t do well with challenges that pit him against others. He gets flustered over competition and trips himself up. It’s a big deal when he can score a win.”

  “Poor Imdiko,” I said. I looked our surroundings over. “This has to be it, Larten. It fits all the clues. Or did I miss something?”

  He recited again, and I puzzled over it. Born of blaze, I ran the river; shaped like the arrow that flies in the wind. Now beneath the darkened glass I shelter what you seek. Were you born there?

  “Who would be born here?” I mused. “That part makes no sense.”

  “It does, but not to me,” Larten said. “Carip is good with these kinds of games, so it will be logical once we figure it out. Were you born—where?”