After the initial round of greetings ended, the true discussions began.
Just like that, Father is forgotten. She sighed. Not by me.
The first one to enter discussions with Jahi had been King Kafele. Surprisingly, the wizened old man hadn’t been as eager to put his arm around her. Too engrossed in his own concerns, she thought, listening to him go on and on about who Emperor Chuma might exalt to take command over Menetnashte’s lands. Dendera was thankful for his preoccupation and took the opportunity to stay at her brother’s side.
Jahi handled the situation well, recognizing it was too soon to make rash decisions. He did not want to appear indecisive or incapable of leading his people.
Mother and Father would be proud.
Having drifted off into thought, Dendera jumped as a cold, clammy hand touched her own.
“I beg your pardon, my lady. I didn’t mean to frighten you,” said Kafele. The old man was staring at her as if waiting for her response.
She composed herself with a hard swallow. “It’s quite all right, my lord. I apologize but I must still be weary from my time away.”
Jahi cleared his throat. “King Kafele was just saying that he wished your betrothal to him could have worked out, but in the end he understands that things don’t always end as planned.”
Dendera blinked, speechless.
“I admit your brother’s announcement was a bit of a blow, but he did well in providing a suitable replacement,” said the old man. He gave her a slight bow, then bowed once more to Jahi before excusing himself.
“You reneged on our engagement?”
“Of course. Father only set the thing up because he needed Kafele’s resources. With Emperor Chuma back in control and Menetnashte dead, there will be no war. Why make you suffer?”
“But what about offending Kafele? He may have seemed all right with your decision, but you don’t want to make a new enemy.”
“I know. Like he said, I found him a suitable replacement.” He gestured.
Dendera followed the move, watching as Kafele approached a strong young woman adorned in an expensive red gown, one that in her mind exposed far too much skin. Her mouth dropped. “Nailah? But she’s a commoner. A simple farmer’s daughter.”
“Kafele cares little about that. He wants only a beautiful young wife who can finally provide him an heir as his previous ones were deemed barren.”
Dendera shuddered. “But how could you force that on Nailah after all she did to help us escape?”
He chuckled. “I didn’t force her to do anything. Just watch.”
She did. Nailah placed an arm around Kafele, while pulling him close. She smiled while whispering something in the king’s ear. “You mean she wanted to marry him?”
“Jumped at the offer. As you said, she’s a poor farmer’s daughter. Marrying a noble and having the chance to raise up her family and her future children is an opportunity she could have only once dreamed of.”
“But he’s so old and disgusting.”
Her brother shrugged. “A means to an end in her mind.”
Dendera shook her head, unbelieving at the turn of events.
Jahi frowned. “I’m sorry I kept it from you, but I was working out the details until right before the dinner.”
“Don’t apologize. I’m thrilled. It’s just. . . I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with myself now.”
“Whatever you want. You’ve taken care of me for years. It’s my turn to take care of you. Take your time and look for someone you really want to marry.”
Dendera wrapped her arms around Jahi and squeezed him tight.
* * *
All heads in the dining hall had turned as Dendera embraced Jahi in a great hug. No one knew what to make of the break in protocol. As Rondel approached, he grinned at the sibling’s genuine affection for each other.
It’s good to see them doing well. And a lack of certainty among the nobility is always a good thing.
He slowed a few steps from brother and sister, clearing his throat. He hated interrupting their moment, but like Andrasta, he was ready to leave.
Dendera pulled away from Jahi. Though they looked tired, older even, they appeared their happiest since returning to Girga.
“I hate to interrupt. . . .” started Rondel.
“But it’s time that you are on your way,” finished Jahi.
Rondel nodded.
The boy sighed. “I’m not surprised. Though I was hoping you would both reconsider my proposal and stay on with me.”
Jahi had offered Rondel a position on his staff, making him chief advisor while placing Andrasta over the training of his army and defenses.
“We’re flattered, but neither of us are ready for something like that.”
“I understand.” He stepped off to the side and whispered something to one of his guards. The man hurried off and Jahi faced them again. “Come, let’s retreat to my father’s study to discuss your payment.”
Rondel’s heart tugged, torn with the thought of accepting payment or not in light of his relationship with the boy. Still, he followed.
They had just settled on the wicker chairs when a knock sounded. A guard entered the room carrying a chest that clinked with each step. Rondel couldn’t help but notice the eerie similarity of what happened with Horus.
Even the guard is the same.
Jahi took the chest and unlocked it while Dendera stood at his side. He flipped open the lid, letting it drop back to expose the contents. Where before Horus had filled the chest with random pieces of metal and trinkets, it now contained gold, silver, and several precious gems of sapphire and ruby.
“I think this should be satisfactory,” said Jahi.
Rondel blinked. “All of this is ours?”
“I think you and Andrasta have done more than enough to earn it.”
Rondel closed his mouth, realizing he probably looked like a fool. He cast a glance at Andrasta, expecting her to snatch up the chest as she had with the pouch of money Horus had given them. Her mouth gaped. “I don’t think either of us expected to see all of this since your men were unable to recover what the cult had stolen from your father.”
Andrasta grunted.
“The taxes from the Festival of Nut have come in.”
“So the coffers are full once more?”
Jahi hesitated. “Not quite. Revenues weren’t as high as expected since many fled the city after word got out about Father and Dendera. Many left the festival early rather than spend their coin here.”
“What does that mean for you?”
“Money will be tight for some time. I may have to borrow from King Kafele, but that shouldn’t be a problem since I’ve set him up with his new wife.”
“Being in debt to another is never a good thing.”
Jahi shrugged. “We’ll get by.”
We’ll get by. Code for this is going to be a struggle.
All the joy Rondel felt when first looking upon the open chest of riches faded. It was more money than he had ever seen in one place, but when he thought of where it would leave Jahi, its value meant little.
“Is something wrong?” asked Jahi.
Rondel leaned back, trying to mask the internal conflict that must have shone on his face. He tried to think how he could leave without putting Jahi in such a financial strain while also not upsetting Andrasta. He knew the money would easily finance their goals.
Rondel opened his mouth, closed it, paused, and opened it once again, hoping that by doing so, the right words might spill out.
“Rondel is thinking the same as I am,” said Andrasta, breaking the awkward silence. “We cannot accept the payment as is.”
What?
Jahi’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean? I thought this would be enough. Perhaps, I could sell off—”
Andrasta cut in. “No. We never talked specifics regarding our payment. This is too much.”
I don’t believe it.
Andrasta continued. “We can’t
be seen carrying around this much money. We’d be a perfect target for bandits.”
“Considering all I’ve seen you do, I wouldn’t think a few bandits would be a problem,” said Dendera, speaking for the first time.
“A few wouldn’t, but if word got out what we were carrying, more than a few would hound us.”
“I’m at a loss,” said Jahi. “What do you suggest?”
“I was speaking with your captain earlier. It seems you have quite a bit of extra armor, weapons, mounts, and other supplies left over from the war preparations. Let us have our choice from them to replace our own. Then give us three months of wages.”
Jahi shook his head in disbelief. “So, you don’t want all of this?”
Andrasta paused as if reconsidering. “No. It will only slow us down.”
Relief washed over Jahi’s face. Rondel eyed Andrasta but the warrior refused to meet his gaze. A thin smile formed as he realized how hard that had been for her.
Well, I’ll be.
* * *
Andrasta leaned forward, rubbing the neck of her mount while she and Rondel rode through Girga toward the eastern gate.
She had never been one to name her horse, but since hers had come with one, she didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. She liked to think she selected the animal from Jahi’s private stock because of the accolades the stable hand had rained on the young beast.
“The fastest creature I ever saw. And by the gods, she’s strong.” She could still hear the bald, little man listing her mounts attributes.
However, it was the name of the mount that first drew her attention.
“Jewel, huh?” Rondel had asked.
“A good omen,” was all she had said in response.
Jewel whinnied as she patted her side.
Andrasta felt like a new woman in the new clothes and armor.
At first, she thought the armor would take some getting used to, but already it felt as familiar as her old mismatched collection. She couldn’t wait to run through her drills in the lighter weight.
The only thing she had refused to switch out were her swords and daggers, knowing she’d find none that would satisfy her so well. She did however pick up a new shield and a pair of bolas.
Not a bad haul after all.
“So, are you going to tell me why you did it?”
Andrasta looked to Rondel. “Why I did what?”
He snorted. “Don’t play that game. You know what I’m referring to.” When she didn’t respond, he sighed. “Fine, I’ll say it. Why did you give up the money?”
“We left with far more than we had before.”
“We could have bought all this ourselves with the money Jahi was ready to give us and still have enough coin to buy our own hunk of land afterward. Why did you do it?”
Andrasta opened her mouth, then closed it. With the question before her, she found herself unable to answer easily. Maybe she did it because she felt the quality of mounts and supplies far exceeded what they could have obtained on their own. Maybe she did it because she had surprisingly grown to like Jahi and respect Dendera. As much as she hated to admit it, maybe Rondel’s weak decision-making had rubbed off on her. She clenched her jaw before her old master’s voice sounded in her mind, saying the same.
Then again, maybe I’m just a fool.
“I don’t really know,” she finally admitted.
“I do.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“The truth is you’re not really the cold person you like to pretend to be.”
She snorted.
“I’m serious. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure you can still be a real mule when you put your mind to it, but when the situation calls for a tough choice, you’ll do the right thing. That’s why you saved Dendera without my coaxing. That’s why you went above and beyond what you had to do to help Jahi develop his talents. That’s why you turned down the money.” He paused. “And that’s the same reason you didn’t leave me to rot in prison.”
“Some might say I just have a penchant for making poor decisions.”
Rondel chuckled. “Regardless, I’m glad for it.” He paused. “But something has been bugging me for a while.”
“What’s that?”
“Your attitude toward Dendera.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Why were you willing to risk your life to save some random girl when we first found her in the woods? Then once we discovered she was nobility, you wanted nothing to do with her. And now, you seem to be all right with her once more.”
They rode in silence as she mulled the question over. It wasn’t that she didn’t have reasons for her actions. She had plenty. What bothered her so much was whether or not she could or should share them. None of her reasons had been the result of pleasant memories.
Then words began to tumble out of her mouth, shocking her. “I was mad at myself. My father is a great chief in Juntark. My mother was his fifth wife, the daughter of a minor noble near Juntark’s northwestern border.”
“You mean in Cael?”
She nodded. “That is where the name Andrasta comes from. It is not the name I was born with. Amani is how I’m known among my people. It is the word for peace as my mother’s marriage to my father ended a long-standing border war. The marriage was not popular among my people, and neither was I, nor my mother. Just as I stand out in the rest of the world for my dark skin, I stood out in Juntark because I’m lighter than those who are of full blood. When I spoke of the women of Juntark being strong when it suits them, I said as much because they made my mother’s life, and my life, miserable.
“Anyway, I was my father’s sixth daughter and a half-breed at that. Yet still, I was to be married off to form an alliance with a smaller tribe nearby. It wasn’t much, but I was excited to finally prove my worth to my people. But, the man I was set to marry had a sister. She felt our marriage would be an insult and the day before our wedding gave me my scar.”
“What did your father do?”
“He wiped out the tribe in its entirety as the move was a grave insult to him more than it was to me. However, the point had been made that any marriage to me would only cause him problems. Marrying his half-breed daughter off was one thing. But scarred and also a half-breed, not even a pig farmer would want me.” She took a breath. “I had two options left. Live in hiding in my father’s house as a leech until one of us died, or make my own life. I chose the latter and with my father’s approval, I went to train with Master Enzi. But that’s a story I don’t care to get into.”
“I’m sorry.”
Andrasta shrugged. “It’s in the past. I hardly even think about it,” she lied, fighting the desire to spit the taste of it from her mouth.
They rode another two blocks without a word. The streets were relatively empty at that time of night so the sounds of their horses’ hooves filled the air.
Less than a mile from the gate, three men stepped out from a side alley, stopping in the center of the street. Andrasta’s hand quickly went to the hilt of her sword as did Rondel’s. The man in the middle raised his hands.
“Whoa. I don’t want trouble. I just want to talk.”
“Trying to corner someone in the middle of the night is a strange way of setting up a meeting,” said Rondel.
“I got word you were leaving the city. I didn’t see any other options.”
“What do you want?”
“My name is Utet.” He lowered his hands slowly. “Word is that you and your partner brought down an entire cult.”
“Maybe. We don’t like to brag.”
Andrasta refrained from choking at the comment.
“People who could do that are the sort who could also take care of a little problem I have.”
“What sort of problem?”
“Poachers stealing my cattle. I’ve tried to bring it before the watch, but they’ve ignored me.”
“So, you want to hire us?” asked Rondel.
“Yes.”
&nbs
p; “Hold on a moment.” Rondel edged his mount closer to Andrasta and began to whisper. “What do you think?”
She blinked and responded also in a low voice. “Are you serious? We have a goal.”
“Yes. But we could use the money to travel to Zafar.”
“What? The jewel is in Bashan.”
“Yes. But a great library is in Zafar.”
“Why do we need to go to a library?”
“Because there are things about the tower where the jewel is hidden that we can learn there.”
She gritted her teeth. “You told me you had the whole thing memorized.”
“Well, I have the entrance memorized. That’s it. No one knows for certain what the rest is like. I need to do research on the histories and legends surrounding it before we attempt something like stealing the Jewel of Bashan.”
Andrasta began to seethe, feeling like she had been deceived.
Rondel swallowed. “Look, what does it matter? Why not pick up a few jobs like this along the way, if it means we can continue honing our skills together? I don’t want to take a risk in thinking I’m ready for such a thing as the Jewel of Bashan before I really am and then blow the whole job.”
She let out a slow puff of air. As usual, his arguments made sense. “No deceptions. Not with me. Tell me the truth from here on or tell me nothing.”
“Of course. I—”
“I’m serious.” She spoke slowly. “Deceive me again and we’ll find out whether I’m as good a person as you think I am. Understand?”
“Absolutely.” He paused. “So, the job?”
She sighed. “Take it.”
Rondel turned, smiling at Utet. “Let’s find us some poachers.”
END
Thank you for reading my story. If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a rating or review at the site of purchase as well as other places such as Goodreads and Librarything. Like many other indie authors, I do not have a marketing team working for me and a positive review (even if only a couple of sentences long) can go a long way in enticing others to give my works a try.
The Epic of Andrasta and Rondel has been a fun world to create. I hope you'll consider reading the next two standalone novels which will both be released by the end of Summer 2014. I currently have plans for another five books in this world to be released over the next couple of years. I'll also be releasing more novels in other worlds during the same time period. If you’d like to know when these will be made available, please consider signing up for my mailing list. It is used solely to announce new releases or other major announcements.
The Cult of Sutek Page 28