Quest for the Moon Orb: Orbs of Rathira

by Laura Jo Phillips

  “I just need a moment,” Karma said. Her head began to pound and she struggled against a wave of dizziness. “I don’t think it would be a good idea for me to remain in your lap when everyone knows I am now awake.”

  Zakiel gritted his teeth. He wanted to tell her that he didn’t care what anyone thought, that her well being was all that mattered, but at the same time he could not fault her concern for her own honor. “Just give it a minute or two,” he said. “When you’re ready, let me know and I will call a halt so everyone can take a break.”

  Karma nodded, not trusting herself to speak at that moment. She focused on breathing deeply as she waited for the dizziness to pass and the hammers in her head to quiet. After a few minutes, the dizziness faded. She took one last deep breath and blew it out.

  “I’m better now,” she said to Zakiel. “I’d like some water though.”

  “Here,” he said, reaching down for his own water bag and handing it to her. She pulled the stopper and took a long drink. She paused for a moment to be sure the water would stay down, then took another drink.

  “Thank you,” she said. “I assume we killed that...thing...whatever it was?”

  “No, you killed it,” Zakiel corrected. “Without you we may have eventually killed it, but it would have cost lives to do so. You do not remember?”

  “No, I don’t,” she said. “Not yet anyway. Maybe when this headache eases up a little I’ll be able to think better. For the moment, I’m just glad to know that it’s dead.”

  Zakiel gestured to Bredon, who immediately called a halt. Zakiel shifted Karma in his arms, then swung his leg over the saddle and slid to the ground. He set Karma on her feet, remaining close to her in case she suffered another dizzy spell.

  “How are you feeling?” Kapia asked anxiously after Bredon helped her to dismount.

  “I think I’ll live,” Karma said with a smile. “Where is the Ti-Ank?”

  “It’s on your saddle,” Kapia replied. “Do you want it?”

  “Yes, please,” Karma replied.

  Kapia hurried over to Dippy, Bredon at her side. He reached up to grab the Ti-Ank for her, then hesitated before stepping back and lifting Kapia up so that she could retrieve it instead. As soon as he put her back down she hurried back to Karma and handed the Ti-Ank to her, releasing it as quickly as she could.

  “It makes me a little nervous to hold that thing,” she admitted ruefully.

  “I understand that,” Karma said. “But, as you are one of only two or three people I would trust with it, I am glad that you got it for me.”

  Karma looked up to see Lashi hurrying toward her, a smile on her face. She held a tray loaded with food and several cups of cool water, and bowed carefully while holding the tray high so nothing would spill.

  “Thank you so much, Lashi,” she said, not caring what anyone thought about her for thanking a servant. The woman’s obvious relief at seeing her standing up and awake required some acknowledgment on her part.

  Lashi’s tan cheeks turned pink, and her eyes warmed. “If I may say so, Lady Techu, on behalf of all of the servants and drovers, we thank you for your courage, and are most happy that you are well.”

  Lashi bowed again, this time even lower. When she straightened again Karma selected some food from the tray and began eating, suddenly realizing how hungry she was.

  “You are well?” Nikura asked, leaping down from his diplo after she had a chance to silence some of her hunger.

  “Yes, Nikura, I’m fine,” she replied, speaking silently to the Sphin. Whether it was because she was standing up, the water, the food, or a combination of all three, she was feeling better and starting to remember more of what had happened. “Thank you so much for your help, Nikura.”

  “You did very well against that demon,” he replied, watching Lashi as she prepared a plate of food for him.

  “Thanks, but how did I do what I did?” she asked.

  “How did you use the Ti-Ank?” Nikura asked.

  “No, I get that part,” Karma replied. “I channel my energy through it which magnifies abilities I already have. What I don’t understand is how did I pull energy from the sun? I never did anything like that before.”

  “The Ti-Ank does more than magnify your abilities,” Nikura explained. “It also reacts to the demon it faces, using your energy to wield natural powers of Rathira to destroy a demon.”

  “Does it work only against demons?” Karma asked.

  “It only wields the powers of Rathira against demons, yes,” Nikura replied. “It will also magnify your own abilities against whomever you direct them.”

  “How does it know if it’s facing a demon?” Karma asked. “It’s an inanimate object.”

  “It is, and it isn’t,” Nikura replied. “The Ti-Ank was created over a thousand years ago both of, and from, Rathira.”

  “Of and from?” Karma asked, confused.

  “When the tear was discovered, and the means of blocking it understood, all of the sentient races of Rathira were gathered to build the pyramid. At that time, the most powerful shamans of each race used metals, minerals and magic to create the Ti-Ank. It is made of Rathira, for Rathira, using the combined magic of Rathirians, guided and powered by the Fire Bird. As such, the Ti-Ank recognizes that which does not belong on Rathira. Demons.”

  “I am not of Rathira,” Karma pointed out. “Yet it works fine for me.”

  “You are a natural being, of human descent and, I believe, also of Rathirian descent at some point in your distant ancestral past,” Nikura replied. Lashi set his food down and he dug in hungrily.

  “But Rathira does not have the technology to explore the stars,” Karma pointed out. “How would my ancestors have left Rathira?”

  “The question is not how your ancestors left, but who took them,” Nikura replied.

  “Ancient alien abductions?” Karma asked. “That seems a bit far-fetched to me.”

  “Did you forget, Lady Techu, that the Ti-Ank itself was brought here by you from off-world?”

  Karma frowned. “Yes, actually, I did. I mean, I didn’t forget, I just hadn’t thought about it. In my world interstellar travel is common, so it just didn’t occur to me to think about that. Now that you mention it though, how did it get off of Rathira? And why?”

  “The how is uncertain,” Nikura said. “The why, however, is simple. Those who created the Ti-Ank did so because they intended it to be used as you are now using it, in this time, in this place. They also realized that one thousand years is a very long time, and the demons knew of the Ti-Ank’s existence. It was decided that it would be best to hide it off of Rathira.”

  “How do you know that?” Karma asked.

  “How do I know what?”

  “What is it that you are not telling me, Nikura?”

  “What makes you think I’m not telling you something?” Nikura asked.

  Karma rolled her eyes. “Anything that makes you try to sound innocent is clearly something I need to be suspicious about. Besides, Nikura, when you have something to say to me, you generally come right out with it. You’re dancing around this issue of how the Ti-Ank, and possibly some ancestor of mine, left Rathira.”

  “I would think that, for now, you’d be more interested in resting yourself so that you will be ready for the next demon attack,” Nikura said.

  “Is there another coming?” Karma asked, her heart skipping a beat at the thought. She had slept, but she didn’t think she could manage a repeat of the morning’s activities without at least one good night’s sleep.

  “As I have said before, I cannot see the future,” Nikura said.

  “How did you know that other thing, that Ken-No-Kel, was coming?”

  “Because I could smell it and hear it,” Nikura replied. “Apparently the failure of the harpies in their attempts to steal the Ti-Ank is known. We may encounter more demons such as the Ken-No-Kel before we reach our destination.”

  “Lady Techu,” Zakiel said, not realizing that Karma was talkin
g to Nikura. “Do you think you are able to travel another couple of hours, or shall we camp here for the night?”

  “I think we should continue,” Karma said after a quick glance at Nikura. “We should get as far as we can before stopping.”

  “Is time becoming an issue?” Zakiel asked.

  “Nikura thinks that the Ken-No-Kel was only the beginning,” Karma replied, not answering the time question. She sensed that time was a very big issue, but they could not move faster than they were, so there was no sense in worrying the others about it.

  “I will order outriders,” Zakiel said.

  “What are outriders?” Karma asked, accepting a cup of water from Lashi.

  “Men who will ride in front of us, to the sides and behind to watch for demons,” Zakiel explained. “We are lucky Nikura sensed the Ken-No-Kel before we led the entire caravan into it. I have no wish to rely on luck a second time.”

  “Tell him to keep the outriders in sight of the caravan,” Nikura said. “If they go too far afield, they will be picked off without our knowing it.”

  Karma repeated Nikura’s warning and Zakiel nodded. “Thank you, Nikura,” he said, speaking to the Sphin directly.

  There was a brief commotion as Tomas pushed his way through the circle of Hunters surrounding them. Karma saw the expressions on the faces of the Hunters, and realized that without his blood connection to Zakiel to protect him, his rudeness would not go unpunished. After all, they were not simply Hunters. They were also knights, and the same in rank as Tomas. A fact he seemed to have forgotten.

  “Cousin Zakiel, I would speak with you a moment, alone,” he said, offering the Prince the barest possible bow.

  Zakiel stared at Tomas for a long moment before nodding slightly. “If you will excuse me, Lady Techu? Sister?”

  “Of course, Highness,” Karma replied, while Kapia merely nodded without looking at her cousin.

  Zakiel turned and walked away, moving through the Hunters with a polite request in sharp contrast to his cousin’s behavior. When they were far enough away that Zakiel was sure they could not be overheard, he stopped and turned to face Tomas.

  “What is it you wish to speak with me about?”

  “Aren’t the demons after the Ti-Ank?” Tomas demanded.

  “Yes, we believe so,” Zakiel replied.

  “Then I don’t know why you risk our Hunters by sending them out as outriders,” he said. “It makes more sense to send her ahead of us. The demons want her and what she carries, and she obviously is able to fight them. If she wins, we can keep going. If she loses, then the demons will take what they want and leave.”

  “And if the demons succeed in taking the Ti-Ank, what then?” Zakiel asked.

  Tomas flushed red as he cast about for a reasonable response. “How do we know it’s really the Ti-Ank?” he demanded. “She lets no one examine it.”

  “You mean she refuses to let you examine it,” Zakiel said.

  “She lets no one touch it,” Tomas insisted. “I doubt it’s even real. How do we even know she is the Techu? I think you and King Rhobar have been taken in by a pretty face.”

  Zakiel could hardly believe his ears. His dislike for Tomas was deep, but even he would never have suspected him capable of such thoughts. “I watched her use it to destroy the Ken-No-Kel,” he said. “Do you question my word?”

  Tomas clenched his fists in frustration, and decided to retreat from that particular path. But he wasn’t ready to give up.

  “I still say we should not risk our men for her. She is an off-worlder. Do you have so little care for your own Hunters that you would throw away their lives for her?”

  “You believe that we should make Lady Techu carry all of the risk and all of the danger, with no assistance on our part?” Zakiel asked.

  “Why not?” Tomas asked, struggling to sound reasonable rather than belligerent. “She is not of our world. It’s the most logical thing to do.”

  “You are correct, Cousin Tomas, she is not of our world. Even so, she has agreed to help us. Do you not think that we should help her to help us?” Zakiel was shamed to remember Nikura saying much the same thing to him not so long ago. But even he had not gone so far as Tomas.

  Tomas shrugged as he met his cousin’s eyes, finally noticing that, even though Zakiel’s voice sounded calm, his eyes held undiluted fury. He was tired of being ignored, and he wanted attention and respect from his cousin. Perhaps this was not the best method of getting it. But it was too late to back down now.

  “She volunteered,” he said. “Nobody forced her. You have to admit my idea makes the most sense.”

  Zakiel stared at Tomas, considering the consequences of striking a Blood relative and fellow knight. He was beginning to think that the shame would be worth the satisfaction it would give him.

  “No, Sir Tomas, I do not admit that your idea makes sense. I do, however, admit surprise that even you would conceive of such an idea. I also admit that should any of my Hunters voice this idea again, I will strip them of their rank and banish them from Ka-Teru. Permanently.”

  Tomas nearly gasped, the blood draining from his face so quickly he felt dizzy. He clearly recognized the threat to himself and it infuriated him. That his own cousin would threaten to strip him of his rank over an off-worlder made his blood boil, but he dared not say another word. He bowed to the Prince, and stormed away, to angry to notice his own Hunter, Saigar, glaring at Zakiel as he returned to his place down the line.

  Karma watched Tomas walk away from Zakiel, fully aware of every word that had been spoken between the two men thanks to Nikura and his extraordinarily good hearing. She was surprised that Tomas was so angry with her, and wondered at it. She watched Zakiel as he approached, waiting for him to get close enough to hear her as she softly voiced her biggest question. “What I would like to know most is, how do the demons know about us, or where we are going?”

  “That is an excellent question,” Zakiel said. “It is also a question which must, eventually, be answered.”

  ***

  When Zakiel called a halt a couple of hours later, Karma was exhausted. Even though Zakiel had offered to hold her so she could sleep while the caravan was moving, she could not bring herself to accept the offer. It was one thing to be carried when she had no choice. But she was not unconscious now, and insisted that she was perfectly able to ride on her own. Though she did her best to hide it, the short ride drained her still meager resources.

  What disturbed her was not her physical weakness, but the strong sense that there was something very important that she could not seem to remember. By the time the caravan stopped for the night she had concluded that it was something that happened during the battle with the Ken-No-Kel, but she couldn’t remember any more than that.

  Karma asked Kapia if she would mind skipping their usual evening practice. Just holding the Ti-Ank seemed to require effort, and she couldn’t imagine trying to spar. Kapia agreed at once, as Karma expected, though she was still grateful. They waited quietly together for their tent to be set up, and for Lashi and Caral to begin dinner and make up their beds. When she was sure that Kapia was occupied in her own chamber after dinner, she headed for Zakiel’s tent.

  “I would like to speak with you in private, Prince Zakiel, if you don’t mind,” she said, when he came to the entrance of his tent at Timon’s call.

  “Of course, Lady Techu,” he replied, stepping outside. He led her a few yards away from the Hunters gathered at the fire near his tent, gesturing for them to stay back.

  “How may I help you?” he asked, wishing they had more privacy. The darkening sky offered some relief from prying eyes, but not much.

  Karma hesitated. Now that she had him in front of her, she wasn’t sure how to say what she wanted to say. Maybe she could lead up to it.

  “We are getting close to our destination, aren’t we?” she asked.

  “Yes, we are,” Zakiel said. “Another two weeks of desert, then a week through the mountains to the Kytheria
n Sea. From there, a few days to the Sirelina.”

  “Oh,” Karma said, disappointed. “I did not realize we still had that far to go.”

  “Just over three more weeks,” Zakiel said. “The journey to the sea has never been made in less than five weeks, and the usual time is six weeks. We are doing very well.”

  “I am glad we’re making better time than expected,” she said, reminding herself again that this was Rathira. There was no reason to share her worries about time when there was nothing to be done about it.

  “Is that all you wanted to ask me about?” Zakiel asked, sensing there was more to her request for his attention than a time line. She could have asked for that in front of the Hunters.

  “I wanted to discuss Tomas’s comments,” she said.

  “You heard him?” Zakiel asked.

  “No, I didn’t, but Nikura did. He told me what Tomas said.”

  Karma’s eyes widened and she froze, staring at something over his shoulder. He spun around, drawing his swords as his eyes searched for danger.

  “No, Highness, there is no threat,” Karma said in a shaky voice.

  Zakiel turned to look at her, frowning at her pale face and tense posture. “Something has startled you.”

  “Yes, that’s true,” she said, attempting to smile with trembling lips. Her eyes shifted to something beside him and he followed her gaze, but there was nothing there.

  “Yes, I am Lady Techu,” she said, bowing slightly at the empty space. “May I ask your name?”

  Suddenly, Zakiel understood. He returned his swords to the scabbards at his waist and moved so that he was standing beside, and slightly behind Karma as she stood quietly, listening to whomever was speaking to her. He was not surprised when Nikura trotted toward them out of the firelight and sat down on Karma’s other side, his head at her hip.

  “How will we know when to turn west?” Karma asked. After listening for another few moments, she said, “I ask that you remain while I speak with Prince Zakiel about this.”