The Last Sundancer

by Quinney, Karah

  In that moment, he would have done anything to wipe away the look of fear from Amara’s wide eyes. If he lived, he swore that he would never again miss an opportunity to fill his wife’s eyes with gladness.

  Kaichen became like the sand upon the ground. He was completely still, utterly quiet. He listened as the man bellowed for a time in frustration, though he could not understand his words. He waited as his enemy searched the darkness around them and then picked up Kaichen’s weapons and left.

  Kaichen did not move. He knew the man’s actions to be a tactic of a hunter. He was not so easily fooled though the man seemed to think that he had the upper hand. Kaichen had one advantage. This land was known to him.

  He was his father’s son and before his father walked upon the land, his ancestors walked before him. His enemy walked with bold steps as if he possessed the very ground beneath his feet, as if he owned the land that no man could claim for himself.

  Kaichen could only hope that Antuk would not race to his aid. His friend was loyal to a fault and he would not hesitate to rush to Kaichen’s aid.

  Kaichen wanted Antuk to remain silent and hidden. He was relieved to find that after Amara’s one shrill scream, she had remained silent.

  He could only hope that his companions continued to use guile and stealth to remain hidden from their enemy. Kaichen studied the ground where the warrior sat as he waited for his prey to show himself. The man had silently fallen to his knees directly in front of him and he waited without motion or sound.

  Amara felt her palms burn as she slid and clawed her way to the bottom of the high bluff where she had seen the attack upon Kaichen. Her scream had been enough to warn him of the threat. It was only by chance that she saw the injured warrior that pursued them as he stepped out into the open.

  Ignoring her burning palms and the way that the rocks bit into her flesh, Amara ran toward Antuk. She heard the pounding of feet and for a moment, she thought that the worst had happened and that their enemy had killed Kaichen. When she saw Antuk running toward her, relief coursed through her body.

  “The warrior that you injured is trying to harm Kaichen.” Amara pointed toward the place where she had last seen Kaichen.

  “Go hide.” Antuk spoke roughly, as he clasped her shoulders and then ran off in the direction that Amara had indicated.

  It was only as he disappeared into the darkness of the night that Amara remembered that Antuk could not have possibly understood her words, uttered in a foreign language. It was obvious from the way that he had urged her to run that he expected her to seek a place of refuge until the battle was over.

  Amara started to do just as he had directed and then she heard the first battle cry. She raced toward the sound even as she considered what chance Kaichen had of fighting a well-armed warrior. Her breath came in ragged gasps from her hurried journey through the rocky canyon. She had been shocked to feel her feet fly out from beneath her body as she came down into a hidden pool.

  Water had sluiced over her body, causing her to gasp in shock. Life-giving water bubbled up from the ground in a place of concealment. Even though Amara feared for her life as well as the lives of her companions she could not stop her body’s visceral response to water.

  She swallowed convulsively before she stood in the small pool and clawed her way free. She stumbled onward, heading toward the area where Kaichen faced the enemy warrior.

  She slowed as she approached the place where their enemy hid. She feared that both men could hear the harsh sound of her breathing.

  After a time, her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she was able to see the outline of two men. One man knelt like a spider behind the other as he crouched with coiled energy, ready to spring from his hiding place. Amara could not tell which man was friend and which was foe.

  Kaichen was in danger because he had saved her life without knowing anything other than that she was a woman in danger. Amara remembered the moment before Kaichen had ambushed the warriors that held her captive.

  During that one endless moment she looked up at the sun and felt a presence there just as surely as if her eyes could see the image of a man looking down at her. Kaichen had been that man, though she did not know it. He had willed strength into her, just as she willed strength into him now.

  Amara stared at the unmoving figures and she knew that one or both men would die. She would gladly take the life of the lead warrior but she was not skilled with a weapon of any sort. She knew that her strength was no match to the raw power of a mighty warrior. Yet, she refused to be the cause of Kaichen’s death.

  With a shaky exhalation of breath that caused her entire body to tremble, Amara stepped into the moonlight.

  Kaichen had never seen a more beautiful sight than the woman that appeared before him wreathed by moonlight. Water trickled over her glistening skin, and her long black hair hung over breasts that stood out proudly in the eerie light.

  She was First Woman recreated. Her waist tapered in only to blossom at the swell of her hips and his eyes traveled over her in an instant as water pooled at her feet.

  Kaichen forced himself to remain still as his enemy sucked in his breath and sprang forward in eager anticipation. He saw Amara tremble violently as the raider stood before her like a great beast of the land, finding amusement in the weakness of his prey.

  Amara shook from head to toe but she did not run. Her lips parted and Kaichen saw the flash of white teeth as she sneered at the man before her. His brutal grasp brought a flush of pain to her face.

  “I will go with you.” Amara spoke loudly so that Kaichen and Antuk could hear her.

  She knew that Kaichen was close by and she would not see him sacrifice his life for her. The man sneered and for a moment, she thought that he might strike her. But a sound from the pine-scented forest stole his attention.

  “The woman is mine.” Gazhin spoke loudly, staking his claim. He was certain that the man he hunted was hiding nearby.

  Amara shuddered as the guttural sound of the man’s words slid over her. She took in his words though her ears rejected them. She understood the possessive gleam in his eye as he looked at her. He felt as if he had already won.

  She would not fight him. She no longer had the will to fight, not if it meant sacrificing Kaichen and Antuk. Kaichen had saved her when she could not save herself and she thought perhaps that it was enough. It was enough. There would be no more bloodshed, no more hiding, no more loss of those that she called friend.

  It was too late to share her thoughts with Kaichen. However, in her heart she knew with a certainty that she had held in her hands the precious chance of a life spent with a man that she could have loved fully and completely.

  “Come out! Show yourself!” Gazhin did not release his hold on the woman, but he turned to face the shadows.

  All was quiet.

  “Do not come out.” Amara’s words were meant for Kaichen.

  She did not look at the place where he crouched. She did not dare give away his hiding place, not even with the direction of her gaze. If Kaichen understood the man’s words then honor would demand that he show himself. But Kaichen could not know, he had no way to possibly comprehend that their enemy would not fight fairly.

  As the man slid his hand over Amara’s arm, she cringed. He grasped her firmly by the neck and closed his hand into a rock hard fist. Amara felt herself thrash against the strangling hold, though she had promised herself that she would not fight when Kaichen’s life was in danger.

  The warrior shook off her attempts to claw at his face. She saw black stars as she gasped for life-giving air and out of the corner of her eye, she saw the warrior lips tilt into a cruel grimace that spoke of his pleasure over her suffering.

  Kaichen knew that he ran toward his own death but he could not stop himself. It was for this reason that his enemy worked to flush him from his hiding place, but even with this knowledge, Kaichen was determined to die fighting. He could not allow Amara to suffer, though he knew true humility of spiri
t as she offered herself to the man that she feared above all.

  “I would have given you to my leader as a gift. Yet, you have shown your true weakness and I will kill you now just as I killed your mother.” Gazhin squeezed his hand around the woman’s throat even as her eyes widened in understanding.

  He had spoken in her language so that he could be certain she understood his words as she entered the world of darkness forever.

  Kaichen flew toward his enemy, hoping that surprise would give him the advantage. The warrior sensed his presence just as Kaichen released his hunting knife sending it hurling through the air. Amara felt the wind created by the spinning knife as it flew past her face.

  She heard the warrior that held her howl as the knife entered the flesh of his arm. Kaichen ran forward without giving his opponent a chance to rally and he hit the man as hard as he could, landing a glancing blow to his midsection. Amara was flung aside as the warrior released her.

  A knife flashed as Gahzin stabbed through the air, aiming for Kaichen’s exposed back. Amara clamped her hands over her mouth in an effort to hold back her scream. Kaichen rolled away from the raider, but he took his blade with him, causing an enraged shriek to bellow forth from his opponent.

  Antuk’s war cry split the air, causing all eyes to turn his way. Kaichen held up a warning hand as his friend ran forward with his short spear raised.

  “You are outmatched and outnumbered. You are injured and weak.” Kaichen knew by the look in the warrior’s eyes that he understood his words. “You are defeated.”

  He did not hope to reason with the enraged warrior, the man’s eyes spoke of his hatred and his thirst for vengeance. Just as he expected, the warrior charged forward again and this time Kaichen did not hold back as he whirled toward his opponent, stepping into the space of the warrior and thrusting his knife toward his heart.

  The raider grunted as Kaichen’s knife entered his heart. Kaichen stepped back, pulling the blade free and accepting the slash of the man’s knife as it blazed a fiery trail across his torso. The raider took two steps before he fell to the ground, releasing his life’s blood in an ever-widening circle.

  Kaichen immediately knelt beside his wife, clasping Amara to his chest in relief.

  She trembled in his arms like a leaf flailing in the wind and without thinking, he pressed his lips to the top of her head. Suddenly, he realized that Amara was soaking wet and he remembered the water that had pooled at her feet.

  “You found water.” His words were a statement, not a question.

  Her eyes were wide with shock as she stared down at the body of the man that had sought to kill Kaichen and take her with him. She shook with grief as she remembered his final words. He had killed her mother.

  Amara did not want the man’s words to be true. However, she had seen her mother fall and she had heard the silence that should have been full of her mother’s voice as she screamed.

  “I am sorry about your mother.” Kaichen’s chest heaved as he stood beside Amara. He wanted to pull her into his arms but she held herself stiffly as if she would crumble at the slightest touch.

  Amara raised sad eyes to look at Kaichen. “I have nothing to return to now.”

  “I will keep you safe. You belong with us now.” He knew that his words would offer little comfort in the face of her overwhelming loss.

  He saw her glance at him and then Antuk. She simply nodded in acceptance as her eyes filled with tears. Kaichen wondered how long it had been since Amara had felt truly and utterly safe? He braced her shoulders as she swayed unsteadily.

  Kaichen did not have to ask her if she was well, he saw her body go limp and he lifted her swiftly into his arms to keep her from falling. Her weight was a balm to his soul and he did not wish to release her but common sense told him that he needed to make certain that their enemy was dead.

  “Hold her.” Kaichen gave Amara over to Antuk’s safekeeping. His friend murmured about butterflies and took Amara into his arms.

  Kaichen returned to the fallen warrior and he stood looking down at his enemy for a long time. The man had refused to die, not once, but twice. Kaichen could not risk the return of such a vengeful enemy.

  He knelt at the man’s side, while holding his knife ready to thrust and checked the man for signs of life. There was no breath left in the man’s body. There was no thrumming beat of his heart when he placed his hand upon his chest.

  Kaichen stood slowly as he stared at the man covered in dust and grime. He had been relentless and it was just as Amara said, the man would not stop until he had her in his grasp or died in the attempt. Kaichen took his weapons and broke the bow of his enemy.

  “If you rest in the world of timelessness, then you will do so without weapons to cause harm.” Kaichen backed away until he stood beside Antuk and then he accepted Amara’s slight weight.

  “You brought the rain.” Antuk indicated Kaichen and Amara.

  He was soaked from the chest down, after holding Amara close. The woman in his arms was wet from head to toe. Kaichen did not have the heart to disabuse his friend of his strange notions. He was not the one that his people waited for and he had not brought the rain with his dance.

  He accepted Amara’s gentle weight into his arms and he looked down upon her as she slowly awakened. Her luminous dark eyes reflected the moonlight as she stared up at him in confusion.

  “You should not have risked your life for me, little one.” Kaichen stared down into Amara’s upturned face.

  “I could not let you die.” Amara whispered the words softly as Kaichen d at her. He did not speak. He simply held her closer to his chest and continued walking.

  It did not take Antuk long at all to return to Kaichen with both waterskins brimming with life-giving liquid. Kaichen thanked his friend for his efforts. Antuk was skilled in the woods even in the dark, he had been able to follow Amara’s trail and find the place where she had fallen into a pool of water.

  Kaichen poured a bit of water into his palm and pressed this to Amara’s face and neck. She blinked until her eyes opened fully as she took in their surroundings. Her body still trembled though she had grown calm and utterly still.

  “I cannot return to my people. If my mother is truly no longer amongst the living, I would only be a burden to anyone that escaped the attack on our village.” Amara’s thoughts crashed into each other as she tried to determine her future.

  She panted softly as she tried to catch her breath. If she closed her eyes, she could still feel the press of the enemy warrior’s hand upon her throat. Fear trickled through her body making her stiff and cold at the same time.

  She should not feel so cold when the air was dry and warm. Amara felt her knees buckle as she struggled to breathe. She felt the furious pounding of her heart as she tried to fill her lungs with air.

  “I cannot breathe.” Amara gasped as she spoke to Kaichen.

  “Take slow, deep breaths. I have seen men react this way after almost losing their lives.” Kaichen’s voice was a soothing murmur.

  Amara tried to find comfort in the silent confidence that he exuded. Yet, deep inside, she knew that he was angry with her for risking her life.

  “You will not ever again put yourself in danger to protect my life.” Kaichen tried to wait until Amara was fully alert and no longer panicked and shaking before he spoke, but he could not.

  Amara did not respond to Kaichen’s quietly delivered order. His voice held something that she could sense but could not name. Was it only that he had feared for her life or was it something more?

  “You speak to me as a man speaks to his wife. We were joined as lifemates by Azin, but I am not your wife in all ways.” Amara knew that she should keep her thoughts to herself, but her mind was a jumble of thoughts, sounds and words. She could not stop herself from speaking.

  “You are correct. You are not my wife in all ways. But you are my responsibility and I will not let harm come to you. If it is your wish, I will return you to your people.” Kaichen waite
d without breathing as Amara’s eyes widened and she considered his offer.

  Amara believed Kaichen when he told her that after he completed his quest he would see to it that she returned to her band even though there did not appear to be any survivors. He had considered his purpose so important at the time that he would not have turned back for anything and yet he offered to do so now. For her.

  “No. I cannot go back.” And even if she wished to try she would not ask it of him. Not now. Not when she knew that he had a special purpose and that he felt honor bound to follow the path set out before him until the end.

  “Your blood would have been on my hands for all time.” Kaichen’s murmured words were anguished and they silently stared at one another with nothing more to say.

  “Twice now, you have saved my life. If you had not survived the fight with that vile man, Antuk and I would have still met death, only later. We are not equipped to survive without you. I knew that the land of my birth was full of dangers, but in truth, I have never faced those dangers until now. You seem especially equipped to survive.” Amara studied Kaichen as she tried to find the courage to ask him for his help.

  “There is a question hidden within your words.” Kaichen’s raspy voice was unyielding. He would never forget the sight of Amara bathed in streams of water as she stood in the moonlight facing death for him. For him. In that moment, he had wanted her more than words could express and he was struck anew at the way that she unintentionally drew tender feelings from him.

  “Teach us. I ask that you teach us how to survive, just as you have been taught, just as you have been trained.” Amara was certain that the ground would open up and swallow her whole for asking such a thing, but she boldly continued. “Teach us the warrior’s way.”

  Kaichen remained silent as he considered Amara’s request. He could understand that her quest for knowledge was born of fear, but there was an eagerness and determination in her eyes that called to him. Azin had given him much and he did not ask Kaichen to keep such things a secret.