“Most people who live in the Breken Desert have never ventured beyond it. The thought of a storm of that size that could last for hours on end, only to stop, offer a sunlit sky above that suggested an end, and then begin again? Well, that would be terrifying to them. They would never fathom surviving such a thing. But the people of Maj have experience with such storms, they know what needs to be done, and they do it. The storm is no less dangerous, but lives are probably rarely lost because the proper precautions are taken. It is the same in my world, Dearra. If you know what to expect and how to handle it, the reason for blind panic ceases to exist. You simply know what needs to be done, and you do it.”
The way he explained it made sense, and she guessed it would be the same with any new thing she was exposed to. The more she learned about it in advance, the safer she and everyone else would be.
“I’ve heard about deserts, but I’ve never actually seen one. What is it like?”
“There are many kinds of deserts, really, but my homeland is an especially mountainous region, and the area I live in is mostly sand and gravel. Daytime temperatures can easily reach over 120 degrees. You will all need to acquire clothing made of the much lighter, woven fibers of the region when we get there. It is a fearsome and harsh place, but also beautiful in its own way. Great dunes of sand tower from the ground like waves on the sea. In the salt flats, the wind has carved ridges and rifts into the ground in stunning rippling patterns. At night, the temperatures plunge to astonishing levels that can chill you through to the bone. You would not want to be left exposed on the flats without the warmth of a fire.”
Dearra was silent for a while as they continued to walk. Darius was quiet as well in order to give some time for the information to sink bit before he spoke again. “Well?” he said, finally breaking the silence.
“Well, what?”
“I have shared with you. I have heard of friends, and it has been my understanding that it is kind of a give and take relationship. I think it’s your turn.”
“Oh! What do you want to know?” she said, echoing the very words Darius’s had said to her.
“Tell me about when you were small. I can’t quite imagine you as a little girl.”
“I think you can. I wasn’t much different than I am now…except…well…you may find this hard to believe, but I used to have a terrible temper. Fortunately, I outgrew that less than desirable personality trait.”
Darius shot her a sidelong glance before they both burst into peals of laughter.
“So you want to know what I was like as a little girl, do you? I really was a lot like I am now. I was constantly in trouble. I always had to run and see, never to watch or be careful. I wore dresses all of the time. Mother was not in favor of my warrior ways. She hoped I would be a healer like her. I tried, I really did, but though I picked up the basics well enough, I never possessed even a hint of her talent. Father kept a small pair of breeches and a serviceable shirt hidden in a crate near the practice field, and whenever I could escape to watch him, I would slip into the much more comfortable clothes. Daniel would spend hour after hour showing me how to hold a dagger or short-sword. I could watch my father ceaselessly as he and Daniel had mock battles. Father always made me change and return to the castle before mother would miss me. To be honest, I think she always knew. She never said anything, but I thought I could see it in the way she looked at me when I got back. She was never exactly angry, just…oh, I don’t know…disappointed, maybe, or worried.
“One time I was at the stream. It was late spring, and the melting snow had turned the passive little brook into an angry river. A child from one of the farms had been out washing clothes for her mother. She should have just drawn the water from the well for her task, but I imagine she wanted to enjoy the fine day, and maybe she thought the turbulent water would do some of her work for her. There were so many people about, she probably thought she was completely safe. My family and a handful of others had gathered to clear some of the debris that had been swept along the water’s course after the thaw. I was playing with some of the smaller branches and sticks the men had fished out of the stream, building a scaled-down version of the castle. I was closest to her when the bank gave way, and as usual, I didn’t give any thought before acting. She fell into the wild water, and I wasn’t more than two seconds behind her. It was a very stupid thing to do. She was older than me, though not a good swimmer, and she must have outweighed me by a good ten pounds. I was able to reach her and keep her head above water, but not much else. Thankfully, my father got to us very quickly and had us both out of the water before we traveled too far down stream. I was left shivering from the icy water. I could tell my father was shaken by the incident, but I could also see the pride in his eyes. My mother’s eyes were wide, too, but with a totally different emotion. The fear she felt at my actions was plain to see. I felt terrible to have caused her such worry, but given the choice, I would have done anything to have my father look at me the way he did in that very moment. Afterward, he swung me up on his great shoulder and carried me back to the keep. That night I was not sent to the nursery, but allowed at the main table for supper with the adults.”
“The nursery? How old were you, Dearra?”
“Five. My birthday had been the week before, so I remember it pretty well.”
“What were you thinking? You could have been killed! Was your father insane to praise such behavior?” Darius said, fuming.
Dearra’s laugh bubbled to the surface once more. “Darius, I think it’s important for you to understand: I frequently do things I regret after the fact. You will have plenty to irritate you in the future without becoming so upset by something that occurred twelve years ago.”
Darius realized he was clenching his hands into tight fists and relaxed his grip. She was right, of course. Why was he letting something that happened so long ago, to a person he didn’t even know at the time, affect him so?
Darius cleared his throat as he regained his composure. “I think that’s enough stories for one day. We’ll never reach the lake at this rate.”
“We could run.”
“Run?”
“If you think you can keep up,” Dearra teased. “I wouldn’t say no to a race.”
“With my stride being about two of yours, and with Brin hanging at your side, I think we should save the race for another time, but we can still run for a while, if you like.” He flashed her a smile and the two of them set out at a much faster pace.
When they finally reached water, Dearra fell into an exhausted heap on the bank. The lake was large and fed by natural springs, which Darius found fascinating, as fresh water was rare in his homeland. Though there were underground springs that could be tapped into, and of course, the melting ice coming off the mountains which pooled in the springtime at the edges of the Breken Desert, there was nothing as large as this. He lowered himself to sit beside Dearra and enjoy the soft breeze that came in from the sea.
A new thought came to him as he sat gazing at the lake’s azure waters. They had come to swim. What were they going to wear? Breken boys who were fortunate enough to find a pool of water did not hesitate to strip down to nothing and romp in the rare treat, but he was not with Breken. He was with a very beautiful girl, who was not only daughter of the Lord of Maj, but also his jailor, and just recently, his friend. The thought didn’t seem to bother Dearra, it seemed, as she was in the process of removing the outer leather vest she wore over her soft under shirt.
Dearra saw his pained expression and paused, holding the vest in one hand, and bracing herself in an upright position with the other. “What is it? You look like you swallowed a lemon whole.”
“Nothing. I…” He paused, and then the words came out in a rush as he hurried to ask the awkward question. “I was just wondering what we would, well, what are we going to swim in?”
“Unless you want to walk all the way back in wet leather, I suggest we swim as the gods made us.” She said this casually, tossing the vest s
he was holding to the side. She giggled again when she saw the look of near panic on his face. “Relax, Darius. It’s a big lake. I’ll swim to the side, there, where the lake bows in and is hidden a bit by the shrubs that line the banks. You can go just a bit back the way we came, and you will find a sandy patch that offers a good spot for bathing. She unbuckled Brin from her hip and tossed the sword on top of the already discarded vest.
Relieved, Darius got up to search for the spot she had spoken of, but if he were to be completely honest with himself, he felt just the slightest pang of disappointment, too. He’d traveled no more than a few paces when the sound of terrified bleating came to his ears. He turned to Dearra, whose head was pivoted toward the sound. A massive grey wolf had taken down a helpless ewe grazing in a nearby pasture. The rest of the sheep scattered, but the wolf already had her prize. Taking the sheep in her grizzly maw, she trotted away and back toward the gnarn forest.
Dearra shook with anger and her eyes flashed fire. “Absolutely not!” she said. “This is the last straw! I should have killed her when I had the chance. Now she comes in, pretty as you please, and makes off with one of our sheep? In August? I think not!” She lunged toward the blade she had dropped only moments ago, but in her haste did not notice some of the blade had been exposed when the sword slipped in its scabbard, and she sliced her hand on its fine edge, and it fell to the ground.
Sorry about that, but really, girl, you should be more careful.
Darius was at her side in a flash. He scooped up her discarded vest from the ground and wrapped it around her injured hand.
“Are you alright? Let me see.”
She held out her hand and he examined it, almost tenderly.
“That’s quite a cut, Dearra. We should head back to the castle.”
“No! I am going after that wolf. Come with me or don’t, but I’m going.” Dearra pulled away from his gentle grip. She tore a piece of cloth from the bottom edge of her shirt, wrapped the strip almost violently around her injured hand, tied it off, and tossed the soiled vest to the ground.
Dearra had strapped Brin to her waist and was already moving at a steady trot when he shrugged and turned to follow after her. He hadn’t known her for long, but it was long enough to know better than try and stop her.
Chapter 13
Darius strode silently behind Dearra for two hours before they reached the trees and entered the gnarn forest. “Dearra, be reasonable. Let the wolf have her kill. It’s just one sheep.”
“No.”
“How are you going to track in the dark? The sun is already dipping low; it must be close to evening meal.”
“You don’t have to come along. I can handle this just fine on my own,” she said with a huff.
“I was ordered to go nowhere without you. I wouldn’t want to break my word.”
Dearra didn’t think he sounded very sincere. She imagined Darius was exactly the kind of man who followed rules as long as they suited him. After all, he hadn’t seemed so concerned with the rules this morning when he left his room and made his way, alone, to the Great Hall. True, she had left him alone much longer than she had planned, but she had been so engrossed in discussions over the building of the ships that she had lost track of time.
Darius was worried about more than the failing light, and he couldn’t help but voice his concerns to Dearra, no matter what it might do to aggravate her volatile temper. “I don’t like the look of that wound, Dearra. The blood has seeped clean through the bandage, and this running can’t be helping. It must be throbbing.”
Oh, for Tolah’s sake! We get a little adventure and the boy wants to run home. Tell him to mind his own business! We have work to do.
Dearra assumed the low growl she heard erupting from Darius was caused by her stubborn refusal to head back to the castle, but she honestly didn’t care. She was going to put an end to this particular wolf, one way or another. She was, however, pleased he had chosen to accompany her. True, he could just be looking out for his own neck, but she preferred to imagine it was because he enjoyed her company. She also took a small sense of satisfaction from the way Brin had called him ‘the boy’. It was nice to not be the only target of his condescension. “Don’t trouble yourself,” was all she said in response to the increasing volume of the growl. “I know what I’m doing.”
They continued to run in silence. Every once in a while, Dearra would pause, check the trail of sheep’s blood she followed, and resume her run. Darius simply watched as the sun dipped lower on the horizon and shook his head.
***
Back at the Great Hall, the situation was tense. The room grew quieter as Hugh’s mood grew blacker, until the only sounds were the occasional scrape of a cup as it was set down on the table, or the tinny clang of fork and knife against plate. Hugh sat straight in his chair, neither eating nor speaking. He stared, unblinking, at the entrance to the hall, waiting for the return of his errant daughter and the Breken warrior.
“My lord,” Daniel said, his voice breaking through Hugh’s ominous brooding. “I am sure they will be here at any moment. Dearra did say she was taking him for a swim. Perhaps she chose a pond a bit further from the keep. She will be along shortly.”
The scrape of a bench caught their attention, and they turned to one of the side tables where twelve year old Royce had stood and opened his mouth to speak, though no sound made it past his lips.
Hugh’s patience was nearing its limit at that point, and he spoke perhaps a bit more roughly to the child than he normally would have. “If you have something to say, Royce, spit it out!”
He tried, he really did, but all he managed was a small whisper. “The lake,” he said.
It was enough.
“They went to the lake?” Hugh roared.
Royce nodded once before his shaking knees gave out and he plopped back to the wood bench.
“If you knew that’s where they went, why didn’t you speak before now?” Hugh said, though he didn’t expect a response from the terrified boy, and he stormed from the hall followed by a half dozen warriors, and Daniel.
Daniel paused as he passed Royce, long enough to set a comforting hand on the boy’s shoulder. “You did fine, Royce. You’ll understand this moment better someday, when you are a father yourself.”
Royce didn’t understand, but he was glad to have the soothing words of the weapons master, just the same. He sat just a little bit straighter than before, watching Daniel leave the hall behind Hugh.
Hugh was the Lord of Maj now, bellowing orders to the warriors milling around him. “Get torches. We’ll be out for a while. I want dogs brought. Bring two or three of the hounds; their keen noses will help us in this darkness. Daniel, pick six warriors to accompany us, and Daniel…pick men.”
“Lord?”
If that Breken dog has touched one hair on Dearra’s head, I would rather not expose any of the women to what I will do to him. They may be warriors, but they are not likely to be prepared for— just pick men, Daniel.”
“Yes, Lord.” Daniel said, and he set about choosing from the all-too-eager men who surrounded him, leaving the women to shake their heads, disappointed at being left out, but also understanding Hugh was in no mood to entertain arguments on the subject tonight.
Faster than any would have thought possible, eight men and two hounds made their way out of Maj Castle and headed east, on the trail to the lake. There were many ponds on the island, some of them quite substantial, but only one lake anywhere nearby. The men traveled silently and in almost total darkness on this leg of the search. The way was well known, the path smooth and even, and no one wanted to waste the torches that might be needed later.
***
It was black as pitch when Dearra and Darius stumbled upon a wide stream that barred their way. Dearra’s hand was burning and throbbing now, and she dipped it into the cold, spring water as she bent to try to make out any signs of where the wolf had gone. The water felt good on her hand, but she knew the relief it offered would
not last long.
Darius came up behind her and set a steady hand on her shoulder. “You can’t see anything, Dearra. It’s too dangerous to go hunting blindly for giant wolves in the dark. If you truly wish to track the she-wolf, then we had best make camp for the night and start again fresh come first light. To continue now may serve to take us further and further away from the trail.”
She hated to admit defeat, even temporarily so, but he was right. “Alright,” she told him, “but let’s cross the stream here. I’m sure that she is making her way back to the hills that are home to the wolves, and they lie on the opposite side of the stream. That way we can find shelter and start a fire, and we will have dry clothes to begin again in the morning.”
Dearra couldn’t see his nod in the darkness, but his silence was enough to tell her he agreed with her plan. The stream was not especially deep, but it was wide and Dearra was wet to the hips when they emerged on to dry land. She slogged a ways onto shore and was pleased to find a small cave dug into the side of a hill. It had probably sheltered some animal at one point, but was currently abandoned and would suit her purposes quite well.
“Take off those wet pants, Dearra,” Darius said, “before you freeze.”
Dearra’s teeth chattered almost uncontrollably. “I w-w-w-will no-o-o-t!” she sputtered.
“Your shirt hangs down to your thighs. I assure you, your modesty will be quite protected. I’ll find some dry wood and get a fire started.”
She couldn’t deny she really was quite miserable. Her once soft, leather pants chapped and chafed against her skin, and she peeled the wet garment away from her legs and spread the clothing flat on the ground to dry. She was startled to catch the flicker of fire light and spun around in surprise. “Ho-o-o-w-w-w-w di-d-d-d you d-d-d-o that?”
Breathe (The Destiny Series: Book 1) Page 12