Esther's Innocence

by Benjamin Boswell

  He shook his head. “You will need your money to finance your journey. You save the King and that will be payment enough. Now, let us clean up and get going. If we are fortunate, you could start your journey before noon. Ajit will want to head out as soon as possible. Pack your things and bring them with you as you will most likely not be returning here.”

  After helping the Hahn’s cleanup breakfast, Esther followed Nkiru back to their room to pack up their things. Her collection of clothing and items kept increasing and Esther had to throw some of her Easterner clothing into the trunk that they had given her. She thought about strapping on the sword that Adaeze and Amadi had given her, but thought that she would probably stand out and she didn’t want to draw attention to herself. She settled for her dagger instead.

  The marketplace in Deyr was not very large with only a few stalls set around an open area on the north end of town, just before the landscape dropped down to the docks. A livestock merchant at one end of the market had camels, horses, cows, and sheep that could be purchased. Tired, Esther just stayed back and tried not to be involved as Joel used the money she had received from Ikenna’s earnings to purchase the provisions they would need to carry them across the desert. Such an expedition was expensive and Esther had gladly donated her money to the cause. Hopefully they’d be able to sell the reusable supplies and animals when they reached Harappa to regain some of that coin. They’d need it again to book passage on an airship to Al Farnaka, and that could be very expensive.

  Esther sat on the table of an empty stall, leaning her shoulder against its side, and stared off into the distance. It was already starting to get hot. She didn’t close her eyes because she was afraid that she’d fall asleep. She was comfortable enough though and she let her eyes glaze over as she let her mind drift freely, wherever the currents of her thoughts cared to roam. She wasn’t thinking about anything in particular, just…resting. Her mind had been engaged with one thing or another for quite a while now and it felt nice to sit back and not think about anything. Not sleeping much the last couple of nights may have something to do with it as well. It was more restful to sit here—leaning against the wall of the stall—and let her mind get lost in thought than it was to lay down at night, only to wake up screaming over and over again while her heart raced and cold sweat soaked into her nightgown from the nightmares.

  “Esther?” she heard Nkiru say. Esther opened her eyes slowly—she must have dozed off for a moment after all. She sat up and turned to look at Nkiru. They both wore the dupatta draped over their heads now that they were outdoors. Esther thought the light colored dupatta contrasted quite nicely with Nkiru’s bronze colored skin and she thought again how much Nkiru reminded Esther of her friend Marigold—in appearance at least. Their temperaments were much different.

  “Yes?” Esther said.

  “Oluchi teach me Hadiqan some,” NKiru said haltingly, “You…teach me too?”

  “Of course,” Esther replied.

  For the next couple of hours, while the others were meeting with Ajit and gathering the supplies, Esther and Nkiru sat on the empty stall in the marketplace, working on Nkiru’s Hadiqan. Since Esther didn’t know Easterner, Nkiru probably could have learned faster from Oluchi, but Esther enjoyed spending the time with her and Nkiru seemed to feel likewise. Fortunately, Nkiru was a bright girl and seemed to pick it up quickly. As young as she was, and being immersed in the language and culture would help her learn it faster. Esther wouldn’t be surprised to see her speaking almost fluently in just a couple of months. Esther was learning quite a bit of the Easterner language as well, so the time spent benefited them both.

  Eventually, the others finished with the preparations and Oluchi gestured for them to come. It had grown quite warm now and Esther could feel drops of sweat running down her spine from the humidity and heat. She hoped that getting away from the coast would help make it a little more bearable. She felt a little guilty for not helping Joel and the others with the supplies, but she had been exhausted and really needed the rest. Helping Nkiru with her Hadiqan had been a nice distraction.

  Esther hopped off of the stall and she and Nkiru followed Oluchi over to where the others stood next to a number of camels. They had all changed into the Hadiqan outfits that the Satrap had provided and all of their gear had been loaded aboard three camels. Two other camels with saddles sat kneeling on the ground nearby. The wind had picked up and was blowing sand everywhere.

  “Esther, Nkiru,” said Joel, “this is Ajit. Ajit, this is Miss Esther and Miss Nkiru.”

  Ajit nodded to them both. He was not a very tall young man, but moved with confidence.

  “Esther,” continued Joel, “We were able to save money by renting two camels with saddles and gear. Ajit will use them to return to Deyr afterwards. We had to purchase the three other camels to carry our supplies and equipment. We will have to try and sell them when we get to Harappa. We don’t have enough money to purchase camels for all of us to ride, so we’ll have to take turns riding the two with saddles while the rest of us walk.” Joel took a step closer and leaned toward her, “I heard that you had a rough night last night, so why don’t you and Nkiru ride for a while.”

  Esther nodded gratefully.

  “Alright, I think we’re ready to go,” said Joel.

  The Satrap and the Hahn’s gave everyone a hug and said goodbye, then Joel and Oluchi helped Esther and Nkiru climb into the saddles. Ajit directed the camel’s to stand and Esther felt butterflies in her stomach as the camel stood beneath her and she rose into the air. She’d been on horses before, but these were big camels. It felt exhilarating. Ajit held her camel’s reigns and started walking forward. The other camel’s followed while Joel and her other companions walked next to them. Ajit led them south around the edge of town, climbing the rock and sand. Esther pulled the dupatta across her face as they headed out into the desert and the wind began to blow in earnest.

  CHAPTER 23

  Journey

  Traveling on foot is not nearly as exhilarating as traveling by airship, but it has its own unique beauties…

  Traveling across the desert is hot, dry, and boring, Esther thought to herself several days later. At first, when they’d initially headed out from Deyr, it had been fun, especially sitting up on top of the camel. The landscape was new and enchanting, and so was the ride on the camel—but Ajit had set a grueling pace that first day and hadn’t stopped until well after the sun had set. He had said that it was because the pace set on the first day would determine the rhythm for the rest of the journey. It seemed a bit odd to Esther and a little too whimsical, but who knew, maybe he was right. After taking care of the camels, they had eaten dried meat and bread, and then simply laid down on some blankets. They had purchased a tent, but Ajit said they didn’t need it right now and it would only delay them. Joel developed a rotation for someone to always be awake and keep watch on the camp. Geoffrey had volunteered to go first, Baird would take the second shift, and Oluchi the shift just before dawn. Esther had been so tired, she had just nodded, climbed onto her blankets and quickly fallen asleep, waking to nightmares only twice.

  Morning had come early. Ajit had pushed them to eat, get their blankets stowed, and had them moving again by the time the sun finished rising above the horizon. Other than the periodic breaks to refill their canteens and eat more dried meat and bread, the days were full of sand and rock. The pace had not been nearly so grueling as the first day, but Ajit had kept it steady. They would stop and rest during the heat of the day, then continue on late into the evenings.

  Oluchi and Esther continued teaching Nkiru the Hadiqan language. Baird mostly just grumbled about having to cross the desert, but in a lighthearted, non-distressing way. She and Geoffrey had talked for a while about medicine and herbology. He said he had learned several things from the Easterner surgeon while aboard the Ngozi and was excited to try them out. He also spent a lot of time talking about local plants, herbs, and medicines with Ajit while Esther discussed airships,
rigging, and the duties of a bosun with Joel. Riding the camel was always a treat when it was her turn, but she knew that she’d have to climb down before too long and that was always hard.

  Now, the late afternoon sun of their fourth day of travel brought waves of heat shimmering across the desert sands. It was much drier than it had been in Deyr without the oppressive humidity, but the air was even hotter than it had been on the coast. Esther trudged along in the rock and sand, her canteen strapped to her waist flopping against the fabric covering her thigh. It was empty and needed to be refilled, but Ajit said they were almost to the next watering hole and could fill up there instead of taking the time to stop now to refill it from the jugs of water strapped to the pack camels.

  Esther wasn’t used to traveling during the heat of the day and her feet felt like they were on fire. She was sure that blisters were forming on blisters. As they topped a rise, the most beautiful sight came into view. If it wasn’t a mirage, then Esther was looking at a small oasis in a little valley set between hills of orange and red sand, dunes, and rock. The green was a beautiful contrast to the backdrop of orange and red.

  “It is three days to the next watering hole,” said Ajit, “We will rest here for the rest of today and tonight.”

  They all nodded, relieved and tired, and made their way down into the little valley. No one else was anywhere in sight and Esther breathed a sigh of relief. Having to sleep near strangers out in the open like this, with no door to latch would have made her feel…insecure. It was hard enough just with her companions.

  The oasis consisted of small groups of palm trees surrounding a pool of water, with a spring flowing into one end. After days of only the desert to look at, seeing the beauty of the oasis and hearing the sound of water filled her with a sense of wonder which didn’t diminish as Esther helped setup camp, unload and hobble the camels, and refresh their water supplies. Ajit even unpacked and setup the tent for Esther and Nkiru to sleep in.

  After they finished unpacking, Baird started a fire and Joel, Mac, and Nkiru began preparing a stew. Esther sat down for a moment on a rock beneath the shade of a palm tree and used the inside portion of her already filthy dupatta to wipe her forehead. She looked up as a shadow fell across her.

  “We should practice with sword and dagger,” said Oluchi, standing over her.

  Esther let out a sigh. After traveling most of the day and then unpacking and setting up camp, she was tired. However, the shade of the palm and the greenery around the oasis had helped rejuvenate her a little, so she nodded and stood. She walked into the tent and retrieved the practice swords from her trunk.

  Another benefit to having the oasis alone to themselves is that even though they were outdoors, Esther could freely remove the dupatta without attracting attention. Ajit might frown on it, but trying to practice swordplay with it on would have been impossible unless she secured it by veiling her face, and today—after traveling with her face veiled to protect it from the sand—she didn’t much want to do that.

  Esther walked over to where Oluchi stood in a clear area between the camp and the water’s edge. She handed him one of the wooden practice swords and listened while he gave her some additional instructions. When he finished, she nodded and they began to practice. It took a few minutes for her to get back into it because it had been a while since they’d last practiced, but she gained momentum quickly.

  Oluchi continued to build on what he had taught her, showing her some movement patterns and ways to combine multiple strikes into one fluid motion. He showed her one maneuver where he moved so fast, she couldn’t tell exactly what he was doing—and it left her lying flat on her back on the sunbaked sand.

  In addition to the swordplay, he taught her several different unarmed strikes. He showed her where to hit, and how to take advantage of her abilities. “Given your small size,” he told her, “your opponents will be stronger than you, and you will need to rely on speed and knowledge of where to hit to overcome your weaknesses. The eyes, the nose, the groin—find vulnerability and use it.”

  Fighting with him unarmed was very different, but exciting in its own way—and very challenging. It had terrified her when he showed her some grappling moves. He had wrapped his well-muscled arms around her so that she couldn’t move, and she almost panicked as her thoughts flicking back to those horrifying moments with Ikenna, but after taking a few long, deep breaths, she forced herself through it. She trusted Oluchi and knew that he cared for her, and she needed to learn what he was teaching her in order to be better able to break free from a grapple if someone tried to hurt her again. It helped to think of him as a trusted friend giving her a hug. The fact that she found him quite handsome helped too. Her horrifying experiences hadn’t wiped that appreciation away, thank goodness. She had heard that some women, after having gone through what she had, couldn’t look at a man and feel that anymore and she felt fortunate that hadn’t happened to her.

  They continued to practice and by the time dinner was ready, she was exhausted. She grabbed her dupatta and wiped her forehead, then stowed the equipment back in her trunk and made her way over to the pool of water to clean up.

  The dupatta veil had helped keep the blowing sand from stinging her face and chest while they had been traveling, but sand still ended up working its way in everywhere to combine with sweat and make her feel miserable. She had been spoiled aboard the Ngozi and the Nautilus at having the opportunity as a guest to bathe as often as she had.

  Esther set the dupatta on the ground and knelt down at the edge of the water. She leaned over, splashing its cool moisture on her face. It felt wonderful to at least wash the sand and dirt off of her face and arms. She leaned back, sighing contently, letting the water drip down her neck and chest when a sudden thought entered her mind. It was her turn to stand watch tonight, right after Nkiru. If she had Nkiru wake her a little early, she could come down to the pool while everyone was asleep and bathe before her turn on watch started. It would feel really nice to get clean and this would probably be her only chance until they reached Harappa, or maybe even longer. With the real possibility of a bath now set firmly in her mind, the sand, sweat, and dirt which was only a nuisance before, now became almost unbearable. Well I have a plan to remedy that now, so all I have to do is wait. Her stomach growled with hunger and she used that to distract herself from the itchy sand. She picked up the dupatta and draped it over her head and shoulders, then stood and walked back to the camp.

  A pot sat over a fire with a wondrous aroma issuing from it. Joel stood over the pot, dishing stew into bowls. When he saw Esther walk over, he held a bowl out to her.

  “Thanks,” she said and Joel nodded.

  She sat down on the ground and spooned stew into her mouth. It was still piping hot and she had to juggle it in her mouth to keep it from scalding her tongue, but she was so hungry and the hot food tasted so good compared to what they’d been living on the last few days, she didn’t care.

  “Watching you and Oluchi fight was very impressive,” Geoffrey said, coming to sit down next to her with his own bowl of stew. “No one will expect such fierce capability from someone like you.”

  “I still can’t beat Oluchi,” said Esther.

  “Yes, but he has been training as a warrior his whole life, where you have only picked it up just recently. You’ve made remarkable progress.”

  “Thank you, Geoffrey, that’s nice of you to say.” After a moment and a few more bites of stew, she continued, “It’s a little like working out a muscle that you haven’t used much before. It’s sore, but the growth and progress is fairly rapid at first, but then your progress begins to slow and each additional level of progress takes more time and effort to reach. You don’t get quite as sore as you progress either, so it’s harder to see the growth. I think I’ve achieved the easier tasks. Now, it will take a lot more work to make further progress.”

  “Well keep it up. Given what you’ve been through so far, those are skills you very well may need.”

/>   Ajit stood up as everyone was finishing their stew. “I know it is early yet,” he said, “but I encourage everyone to retire early this evening as we will be starting again at first light. The next part of the journey is the most difficult and, as I mentioned, there won’t be any fresh water for three days. We’ll be drinking from the water stored in the jugs.”

  “Alright everyone,” said Joel, “You heard the man, let’s get this mess cleaned up and hit the sack.”

  Esther and Nkiru took the bowls and the large pot over to the oasis to wash them out. While they washed, Esther told Nkiru about her plan to wake up a little early to bathe. It took a few tries to get her to understand what she was saying, but Nkiru’s Hadiqan really was improving.

  After they packed up the bowls, Esther walked into the tent and lay down on the blankets. It was still too warm to climb under them, but she knew that later, it would be quite chilly. In fact, her late night bath might be downright frigid—but it would still be worth it.

  Even though it had been an exhausting day, she still had a difficult time settling her mind and falling asleep. She thought a lot about her family, where they may be, and how they were doing—especially her father. She hoped and prayed that he had made it back on one of the transports safely. She thought about her friends, Charity, Tanya, and Marigold. And she thought about her new friends—Joel, Mac, Baird, Oluchi, Nkiru, the Satrap of Deyr, Chidi and Adaeze—and of course Geoffrey. Soon enough, she drifted off to sleep.

  It seemed like she had been asleep for only a couple of minutes when she felt someone shaking her. Adrenaline immediately rushed through her veins as the shaking triggered the memory of Ikenna’s attack, and Esther leapt up off her blankets, her hand pulling her dagger from her belt that lay next to her, preparing to strike whomever had touched her. Poor Nkiru stood there, her eyes round with fear, unable to move.