Quest for the Moon Orb: Orbs of Rathira

by Laura Jo Phillips

  He wore leather braces trimmed with gold on both forearms that glinted in the sunlight, and the strange, beaded leather band on his upper arm that all the men wore, and which served to accentuate his bulging biceps. He also wore the usual pair of short curved swords, one on each hip.

  After a long moment she realized she was still gaping at him, although at least her eyes were no longer on his...pant laces...and spun back around to face the diplo, her face burning with embarrassment. She’d been staring at him as though she’d never seen a man in a pair of pants before. Yes, he was gorgeous. But she’d seen gorgeous, well built men before, she reminded herself. Plenty of times. This was the first time she’d ever made a fool of herself staring at one though.

  She couldn’t deny that the way that soft, buttery leather hugged every bulge and curve of his body sent hot shivers through her. But she didn’t want to think about that. Not right now. Maybe not ever.

  She struggled to think of something ordinary to say. The diplo nudged her hand, and she automatically rubbed its ears, the gentle motion soothing her as well as the animal. “Do you know what this guy’s name is?” she asked, turning her head just far enough to see Zakiel.

  “Name?” Zakiel asked, his eyes fixed on her mouth.

  Karma wondered if she had something stuck between her teeth. She closed her mouth. “Yes, it’s name,” she repeated, trying to talk without opening her lips too much.

  “It does not have a name, as far as I know,” Zakiel said, turning away from her. He stepped up to the enormous saddle on the back of her diplo and began checking the straps.

  Karma found herself staring again and turned back to the diplo. It was the only safe thing to do. With her back to him, her mind cleared enough that she remembered there was something she wanted to discuss with him.

  “Prince Zakiel, I would like to speak with you about something Nikura said this morning,” she said.

  “Of course, Lady Techu,” he said without turning to face her.

  “He said that, beginning today, I should carry the Ti-Ank at all times rather than keep it hidden. I wanted to ask what you thought of that.”

  Zakiel frowned as he tightened the perfectly adjusted straps on her saddle and considered her question. “Did he say why?”

  “No,” Karma replied, admonishing herself to keep her eyes above his waist as she turned to face him. He still had his back to her, but she quickly changed her mind. She would keep her eyes above his neck. “There are some questions that he refuses to answer, and that’s one of them.”

  Unable to remain with his back to her any longer, Zakiel turned around, admonishing himself to keep his eyes off of her delectable mouth. And that little dent in her bottom lip that was, quite simply, driving him crazy.

  “What are your thoughts, if I may ask?”

  “I don’t like the way people react when they see it,” she replied.

  “What do you mean?”

  “They’re either in awe of it, or frightened by it,” Karma said. “Either way, it draws attention, and I’m not comfortable with that. On the other hand, I feel it would be a mistake to ignore Nikura’s suggestions regarding the Ti-Ank.”

  “I agree that ignoring him would be unwise,” Zakiel said. “I also understand your hesitation in displaying it. For the next few weeks there will be a limited number of people around you. This may be a good time for you to become used to carrying it openly.”

  “That’s true,” Karma said with a sigh. “I’ll put it together after I get on this beast.”

  “There’s a set of loops on your saddle designed for holding spears. They should work well for the staff,” Zakiel said. He fell silent for a moment and stared off into the distance before taking a deep breath and meeting her gaze. “I would like to ask you something as well, if you don’t mind.”

  “Sure,” Karma said. “What is it?”

  “It’s about Kapia,” he said. “I convinced my Father that you and I would keep an eye on her and that Marene’s presence on this journey was not needed. I know that it was presumptuous of me to volunteer you for such a task, for which I apologize.”

  Karma waved her hand and smiled. “It’s not a problem, Prince Zakiel. Your Father mentioned it, and I assured him that I was happy to help. Besides, I enjoy Kapia’s company very much, and she is not exactly a child.”

  “However, it is still necessary that she be watched over,” Zakiel insisted. “She is very young and in the company of many men. I do not know how things are where you are from, but here, a young woman’s honor and reputation are everything to her, and they must be carefully guarded for her own sake.”

  “I understand better than you think,” Karma said. “Rathira is not the only world where such matters are important.”

  “I apologize, Lady Techu,” Zakiel said, flushing with embarrassment. Why did everything he said to this woman come out wrong? “That was not my meaning, I assure you.”

  “I know it wasn’t,” Karma said with a wistful smile that piqued his curiosity. “While I don’t believe Kapia would do anything she shouldn’t, I’m sure that there are those who can’t be trusted to have her best interests in mind.”

  “Exactly,” Zakiel replied, relieved by Karma’s insight and understanding, as well as her forgiveness. As always, he didn’t understand everything she’d said, but he was getting used to that. “I thank you, Lady Techu. Are you ready to mount?”

  “Yes, please,” Karma said. She gave the diplo one last pat on the head, then moved to stand beside Zakiel. There were no stirrups on the saddle like she was used to, and no mounting blocks in sight. The diplos were only a bit taller than an average horse, but that was still too tall for her to leap onto as she’d seen the men doing without benefit of stirrups. She wasn’t even sure how some of the men managed it, the animals were so tall.

  Zakiel placed his large hands at her waist and her breath caught in her throat at his touch. She reached up to grasp the saddle as he lifted her so easily she might have weighed nothing at all.

  “Swing your leg over,” he said, his voice so low and deep that it made her shiver. She swung her leg over the saddle, sighing softly at the strange sense of loss she felt as he released her and stepped back.

  “Comfortable?” he asked.

  Karma forced herself to concentrate on what she was doing. She picked up the reins looped over the saddle horn and shifted herself a bit. The saddle sat several inches higher than the animal’s back, making it possible to have a much narrower seat. As broad as the diplo’s back was, she’d have to practically do the splits in order to sit on it without the saddle. As it was, the saddle was actually quite comfortable, if it did put her even further from the ground.

  “Yes, this part is very much like the type of riding I’m used to,” she said. “I assume the controls work the same way?”

  “Controls?”

  “Use the reins to turn, left, right, stop etcetera?”

  “Yes, that’s correct,” he said. “Your mount, and Kapia’s, have been specifically selected for each of you. I assure you they are both very well trained, gentle natured, and among the fastest in our herd.”

  “What about Nikura?” she asked, suddenly realizing that the Sphin was nowhere to be seen. She twisted in the saddle, looking frantically around her, the memory of their shared distress when they were out of each other’s sight making her mouth dry with fear.

  “Calm down,” Nikura said, his familiar voice filling her mind. “I’m right here. You humans are so excitable.”

  Karma turned the other way and saw a diplo step up beside her, Nikura sitting calmly atop a modified saddle which held a red cushion on a large flat platform that covered most of the diplo’s back, with a silk shade over it. “Comfortable?” Karma asked archly, hiding her relief.

  “It’ll do,” Nikura replied.

  Karma grinned and turned back to Zakiel, only to find that he had left. She looked around for him, noticing for the first time that all of the warriors wore the same outfit of l
eather pants, vest, boots, bracers, and one of those beaded leather bands on their arms. She studied several of them at random, noting that all were large, muscular, well built men in their prime. But no matter how long she stared, none caused the slightest reaction in her. She went back to searching for Zakiel to see if looking at him again would cause her to experience the same feelings she’d felt earlier, but was interrupted when Kapia rode up beside her. “See?” she said. “It’s not so bad.”

  “I’m sorry?” Karma asked, startled out of her thoughts.

  “The diplo,” Kapia said.

  “No, Dippy’s very sweet,” Karma said, patting the animal’s neck.

  “Dippy?” Kapia asked.

  “Yes, that’s what I’ve decided to call him,” Karma explained. “Prince Zakiel said he didn’t have a name, so I gave him one.”

  “You named your diplo Dippy?”

  “Yes. Does your diplo have a name?” Karma asked.

  “I don’t think so,” Kapia replied. “Karma, these are not pets, they are military mounts, trained for use by Hunters.”

  “They are also beings with hearts, minds and feelings,” Karma said. “Giving your diplo a name and showing it a little affection in return for its hard work can’t be too difficult.”

  Karma looked forward as her diplo began walking in response to the rest of the train, and she focused on becoming used to the animal’s gait. It was much smoother than a horse, with a gentle swaying motion, even though it walked much more quickly than a horse.

  Kapia urged her mount to keep up as she considered what Karma had said. She patted her diplo on the neck and leaned forward a bit.

  “She’s right, you know,” she said to the diplo who turned its head and looked at her curiously with one large golden eye. “You do deserve a name. I wonder, what shall I call you?”

  The diplo rumbled softly as it walked and Kapia wondered if it was in response to her voice. She scratched its neck lightly and it closed its golden eyes in pleasure. Kapia had the distinct impression that, could a diplo smile, it would have.

  “I like those golden eyes of yours,” she said as she patted it again. “They remind me of the sun, all bright and golden. That’s what I’ll call you, Goldy. Would you like that, Goldy?”

  The diplo rumbled again, and Kapia decided to take that as an affirmative. She’d never named anything before, and she liked the happy feeling it gave her. Suddenly Goldy wasn’t just another diplo in the herd. He was distinct from the others now, and from that point on, she would consider him hers.

  Once she’d settled into Dippy’s rolling gait, Karma looped the reins around the horn of the saddle and reached for the rod and ankh in the pockets of her skirt. A moment later she’d extended the staff to its full five feet and attached the ankh to the top of it. She slipped the bottom of the staff through the loops on the saddle, pleased that it fit, and that it was within easy reach if she needed it for anything.

  “Should I extend mine as well?” Kapia asked.

  “Yes, I think you should,” Karma said. “It won’t do you any good on your belt if you should need it.”

  Kapia reached for her staff and began to assemble it. “I doubt I’d be much of a danger with it,” she said. “I’ve only had a few lessons.”

  “The nice thing about a staff is that it’s essentially just a big, solid stick,” Karma said. “You don’t need any special skill or training to whack someone over the head with it.”

  Kapia laughed as she slipped her staff into the loops on her saddle as Karma had. “You are most correct, and so very wise, Lady Techu,” she said with a deep nod, her light brown eyes sparkling with humor. “I shall remember that.”

  “You ladies appear to be enjoying yourselves,” Sir Tomas said, reining his diplo to a walk on the far side of Kapia. “I could use a good laugh if you’d like to share.”

  Kapia’s smile fell from her face and she dropped her eyes to her diplo’s head.

  “I’m sorry, Sir Tomas, but we would prefer not to,” Karma said, smiling to take the sting out of her words. “I’m afraid it was between the two of us. How are you this morning?”

  “I’m well enough,” Sir Tomas replied. “Thank you for asking. I see that you have lost your fear of the diplo.”

  There was something insinuating in his tone that grated on Karma, though it wasn’t enough to put her finger on. She forced a smile she didn’t feel and nodded.

  “That’s good,” he said. “I wonder if Prince Zakiel is going so slowly because of your inexperience?”

  Kapia turned to frown at Sir Tomas. “Lady Techu is riding quite well, Cousin.”

  “Yes, I see that,” Sir Tomas replied. “I suppose that Cousin Zakiel must have another reason for this pace.”

  Kapia opened her mouth, then closed it and turned her face forward, one hand going to the staff on her saddle.

  “What is that, Cousin?” Sir Tomas asked with humor in his voice. “Do not tell me you are carrying a weapon.”

  “It’s a staff,” Kapia replied without turning to look at him. “Lady Techu has been so kind as to begin teaching me its use.”

  Sir Tomas chuckled in obvious disbelief, earning glares from both women. He realized his mistake at once and wiped the smile from his face.

  “I apologize,” he said. “I thought that you were joking.”

  “I was not,” Kapia said, facing forward again.

  “I apologize to you as well, Lady Techu,” he added.

  Karma lifted one shoulder in a shrug, not really caring about herself so much as she did Kapia. Obviously Sir Tomas had hurt his young cousin’s feelings.

  “Your apology is accepted,” she said, glancing at him as she spoke, catching the moment his gaze fell on the staff on her own saddle. She saw his eyes widen, and his entire body tense.

  “Is that the Ti-Ank?” he asked, his voice little more than a whisper.

  “Yes, it is,” she replied.

  “May I hold it?” he asked.

  Karma looked at him sharply, one hand going to the staff, hardly able to believe he’d even asked such a thing of her. “No, Sir Tomas, you may not hold it,” she said coolly.

  Tomas flushed, whether with anger or embarrassment, Karma wasn’t sure, though his smile remained in place. “After hearing stories about it my whole life, I only wanted to see it more closely.”

  “I understand,” she said, but did not offer him the Ti-Ank.

  His smile faded. “I assure you, I would do no harm to it.”

  “I did not think that you would,” Karma replied. “I am responsible for the Ti-Ank, Sir Tomas, and have been warned to keep it in my possession at all times. It is advice I will follow.”

  “Advised by whom?” Sir Tomas asked.

  Karma held the man’s gaze, but did not respond. She was not going to debate this with him, or explain herself further. She didn’t know why, but the idea of Sir Tomas holding the Ti-Ank made her feel tense, as though she were about to be attacked. She knew that she would never willingly hand it to him.

  Sir Tomas struggled to hold his temper, but he knew himself well enough to know that it was a losing battle. “If you ladies will pardon me, I must return to my post," he said, forcing a smile. Karma and Kapia nodded, but neither of them said anything as they watched him turn his diplo and trot back down the line.

  Biting her lip nervously, Kapia turned to Karma.

  “What is it?” Karma asked.

  “Do you know what a strikel is, Karma?” she asked, making up her mind. She would be careful, as Zakiel had suggested, but if Karma asked her directly, she would not lie about her true feelings for Tomas, Blood or not.

  “No, I don’t,” Karma replied thoughtfully. “Would you like to tell me about them?”

  “A strikel is smaller than a diplo, with only two legs, a long thin neck and a narrow, pointed beak. It has small, leathery wings, but it cannot fly. It runs very fast, as Tomas said. However, it is not a desert animal. It lives in the grasslands and requires frequent waterin
g, particularly when heavily exercised. Nor are they strong enough to use as pack animals.”

  “I see,” Karma said with a humorless curve of her lips. “So while they are, in fact, faster than diplo, attempting to cross the deep desert with them would be foolhardy at best.”

  Kapia nodded, not trusting herself to say more. If she began speaking about Tomas, she would not be able to stop.

  “I suspected as much,” Karma said in a low voice that only Kapia could hear. “But I thank you for the clarification, Kapia.”

  Kapia’s eyes widened in surprise, then she smiled. Karma was no fool, she realized, and had not been taken in by Tomas after all. She should have given her more credit, but her relief was too great to feel too bad about her doubts.

  They rode in silence for awhile, taking in the vast landscape around them. This desert was far different from the one Karma had experienced on Earth. This one was all white sand and rolling dunes with occasional piles, hills or mountains of rock, sometimes reddish, sometimes gray, but always bare. There were no cacti or bushes or trees in this desert. To Karma, the Duat looked, and felt, sterile.

  Karma turned to Nikura who appeared to be sleeping. “Nikura,” she said, sending her thoughts so that Kapia would not hear her.

  “Yes?” Nikura responded, though he did not open his eyes.

  “I have the feeling that letting Tomas touch the Ti-Ank would be a very bad thing to do.”

  “That seems sensible to me,” Nikura replied.

  “Why?” Karma asked. “Why would it be bad?”

  “I am not a reader of palms or portents,” Nikura replied.

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that I cannot see the future,” Nikura replied. “Nor can I see into the hearts and minds of men. Or women, for that matter.”

  “Then why did you suggest that I carry the Ti-Ank openly?” she asked.

  Nikura opened his eyes and stared at her for a long moment. Then he closed them again. “I believe I shall take a nap now.”

  Karma rolled her eyes and gave up. She didn’t understand Nikura, and doubted that she ever would, in spite of the fact that he was unable to lie to her. She shook her head as she thought about the people around her.