by TJ Muir
“Do you think Hak'kar will follow us? Follow me, I mean,” Jedda asked, turning toward Kirrin.
“Probably,” he said. “I don't really know, though. And he will be no less happy at my desertion. He is not a man who takes kindly to disloyalty. And I do not know how far his reach is beyond the city. Within the city, he can reach almost anywhere he chooses. At least it is far safer, out of the city,” Kirrin said.
“I don't think I really understood how dangerous he could be. Not until now,” he said, meaning Yaran's death. “I mean, you hear the rumors, and the stories... but I just thought that was all they were. Stories.”
Kirrin nodded. “He is like that, that way. He smiles and charms and laughs. But he has a way. He makes others do the dirty work, his hands never get dirty. But many know just how ruthless he can be, even when he is smiling.”
Jedda could tell from the sound of his voice, that Kirrin was speaking from direct knowledge, direct and personal experiences. Jedda knew Kirrin had been Hak'kar's man for a long time-- long before he became Jedda's tutor.
“So, despite what I said to Turner, I can probably never come back,” he said, with mixed feelings. Tatak Rhe was the only home he knew. The city, with walls and streets, landmarks that were familiar. And more recently, with friends. It was strange, that the place he felt safe, was not safe for him.
“And Diya,” he added. “And Trey. I made it sound like I would come back, knowing it was a lie.”
He worried for Trey, and he worried for Diya. Even though he knew that both of them had been raised with more experience, and navigated those troubled waters with far better understanding than he could.
“Diya?” Cham said, almost as an afterthought. “Don’t be surprised if she shows up in your life again. The gods have not done with the two of you. Your paths weave in and out of each other's lives, many times.”
“You can see this? You can tell? You know?” Jedda asked, realizing as he said it, how worried he was-- not just about Diya, but about his own future. If Cham could see something, then the future wasn't entirely unknown and therefore slightly less terrifying.
“Not really. I can see, though, in both your colors, that there is a bond- what that is, or how it plays out? I cannot say. But bonds are like magnets. The world draws them together. Sometimes in very unexpected ways.”
Jedda prayed that was true, that the gods were draw her back to him-- somewhere they could be safe together.
“So what am I supposed to do now?” Jedda asked. He had grown up living from moment to moment. But never had he been standing at the cliff of Unknown before. His head was spinning with everything that had happened. He felt completely lost, inside and out, as sounds from the woods reminded him again that he was far away from everything that was familiar.
“I don't really have a plan,” Cham admitted. “I mean, I didn't have a destination in mind. I felt the Lya chiqui, the flow, that tells when it is time to move on. And the Lya chiqui is most assuredly flowing now. But this is not my journey right now. This Lya chiqui is flowing around you,” Cham said, nodding at Jedda. “What do you choose?” he asked, giving the moment to the person where it belonged.
Jedda didn't have any answers. He reached for the brandy, which Cham handed back to him. He took a swig, and another, felt the burn of it as it hit his stomach. What did he want? What did he choose? At that moment, his other hand felt the small pouch in his pocket- the one he carried close to him.
He drew out the pendant, holding it up by its chain. It dangled delicately, catching flickers of moonlight that reached through the trees. He hoped it was just moonlight. Please, no more magic tonight, he prayed.
“Well, aren't you full of surprises,” Kirrin said, reaching for the pendant. “Where did you get that? A love token?”
“No. I've always had it, I think,” he said. “I think my mother gave it to me when I was little.” Jedda knew that Kirrin knew very little about his background, and Cham knew nothing except for his invented story.
“This is a tiqqua. They are very rare,” Cham said. “They are like heirlooms, gifted to the Beddo travelers a long time ago by the Faenyr. Or perhaps by the Tarish.”
“What's a Tarish?” Jedda has studied a lot of maps, but that name didn't sound familiar to him.
“The Tarish are the gods of the Faenyr. The Faenyr swear the Tarish exist. But no one can prove anything one way or the other. The legend says that the Beddo were granted these pendants, to mark a sacred covenant between them and the gods. Or something like that. The Beddo lore isn't very common; they keep to themselves mostly.”
“So why would my mother have one? And what does it mean?”
Cham just looked at Jedda, until Jedda looked away. “I don't know what it means. You are certainly a man surrounded by many mysteries. The Lya chiqui swirls around you.”
Jedda didn't know about that, or the Tarish, or any of it. All of that was far too big for him. He searched for something he could grasp. “I want to know who gave this to me, and why?” he said, with an air of finality-- knowing this was far from finished. The gods were only just beginning with him, and he knew it.
To the East of the city, Hak'kar sat in his study. Two men sat across from him, men he could rely on absolutely. Kip and Duffy, who had taught Kirrin. Now they sat, watching him sip very expensive whiskey.
“It appears the boy has fled. The rooms are vacant, and it appears they left together, and in a hurry.”
“And Kirrin?”
“Not on the premises. The stableboy said horses were saddled and sent up to the main house. Later than normal.”
Hak'kar nodded, listening. His stillness masked his displeasure. Both men knew this side of him well. The man was thinking, and was angry- feeling betrayed and thwarted.
“Find them. If they are on horses, they are leaving the city. The Da'har Zayam may be helping them. Relatives and friends outside the city. Track them down and eliminate them, and whoever is with them, helping them.”
Hak'kar was very good at controlling his emotion. But the two men knew exactly how deep the So'har's rage went when he tossed them a purse full of coins. It was heavy, very heavy. The two men looked at each other, understanding the task at hand. Then they looked at Hak'kar. The taller one, bald, spoke, “As the So'har wishes.”
Like this story? Can you take a minute to leave a review?
Authors count on readers like you. So please take a minute to leave a review- even if you just want to say “I liked this book,” and rate it on amazon, or goodreads or facebook.
More about TJ
TJ’s life experience is broad as well as deep. From making swords, to training horses, and even a fully initiated practicing shaman. As a writer, she draws on all of her past experiences to create rich and diverse worlds. Her world, of Chanmyr blends fantasy, magic, and deeper social issues. And she loves goats!
http://tjmuir.com, to find more stories and updates on latest writing- and see pictures of her goats!
Her facebook page at http://facebook.com/tjmuirauthor and twitter @tjmuirauthor
Look for the Sequel to Luck January 2017
In the meantime, you can enjoy a lot of free stories from the world of Chanmyr, and you can read the beginning of Kirrin's story, “On Dangerous Ground.”
Read for FREE on Amazon
Read for FREE on Amazon