The Awakened Book Two (18 page)

“Of course, a fine specimen. Hard on the eyes, but strong as an ox,” the man nearly shouted, trying to stir the crowd into a buying frenzy.

Kael turned to face the man and stared deep into his eyes.

The trader shifted uneasily and shot glances around to the stunned crowd that had grown eerily quiet.

“On second thought,” Kael responded. “I’ll take them all.”

The man looked stunned, then quickly replied. “…such generosity. I can see that you are a man of great importance…”

Kael interrupted. “You are correct, Sir!” Now it was Kael who was shouting. “And I believe that you have misinterpreted my meaning. I will take all of these men and women. And my payment will be the sparing of your life!”

“But…” the man stammered.

“Leave this city quickly or I will have to reconsider the terms of our arrangement!”

Instantly, Kael was aware of three men hanging back in the crowd to his left and another behind the slaves to his right.

Kael leaned in close to the man, whose face was red with anger. “Call off your men or they will die in front of you today.”

The trader’s eyes shifted toward the crowd and then back to Kael.

The hesitation in the man’s body language was telling, as Kael shot out a hand and gripped the man by the throat. The citizens scattered, revealing the trader’s hired thugs standing in the open. They began to approach cautiously until the sound of marching footsteps filled the courtyard.

“What is the problem here?” called a voice from the
Leoran
soldiers, who were now fanning out to contain the skirmish. “Caleb, sir, these men have a right to be here.”

“Of course they do, and we’ve just made an arrangement. He has agreed to give me all of these slaves and I have agreed not to kill him and his men.”

There was no reply from the
Leoran
guard. Kael slowly released his grip and the man gasped for air. Seconds of tense silence passed and finally, the trader backed away with Kael’s piercing stare boring into his skin. Eventually, the man and his hired muscle left the courtyard and headed for the southeastern city gate.

Kael asked the guards to unchain the slaves. And as the shackles fell off of Ajani, Kael stepped forward and embraced his childhood friend, who seemed confused and unsure of how to react.

That evening, a knock brought Kael to the entrance of his quarters. He opened the door to find Dacien with an agitated look on his face.

“Come in; we need to talk,” Kael said.

“You’re damn right we do!”

In all the time he’d known Dacien, which admittedly wasn’t very long, Kael had never known him to swear or lose his temper. Even during times of extreme pressure, which constituted the majority of their friendship, Dacien was calm and even tempered.

Kael poured two glasses of wine and gave one to Dacien. Both men drained their cups quickly, after sitting down to make themselves comfortable.

“First you attack a man in the city square, then you steal his property. And now…”

“Now wait a minute,” Kael interrupted. “If I’d attacked the man, he wouldn’t still be alive. And those people you refer to as his property weren’t rightfully his to begin with.”

Dacien continued with a quieter tone of voice. “And now I understand that your slaves are presently at the baths, being attended to as if they were Orud royalty…and feasts prepared for them from the winter food stores built up by the citizens of this city.”

“I will repay the cost, whatever it is.”

“I don’t care about the cost, Caleb; this city is indebted to you. What I care about is that a man whom I call a
friend
is losing control of himself.”

Kael was immediately struck by the awkward sound of his fake name. He was holding back a part of himself and his secrets were interfering with his friendship. “He was my childhood friend…my first friend. What was I supposed to do?”

“What are you talking about?”

Kael couldn’t find the strength to answer. How could he explain the happiness of his childhood, contrasted with the sadness of his time at the monastery, all pivoting upon a single moment of desperation to defend his friend against the beatings of an evil man? How could he explain without having to explain his entire past? He wished it could all just go away.

“Caleb. You’re not making any sense these days, ever since the battle. You’re angry and it’s eating you up inside. Whatever the problem is, learn how to deal with it and stay out of trouble. I grow weary of making excuses for you.” Dacien rose to his feet and stormed out of the room with a slamming door to emphasize his exit.

Chapter 12

Maeryn stood at the prow of the ship and pulled her thick cloak tight against her chin. The driving wind was bringing a large storm cloud from the east that tried to block the rising sun. It was ominous and should have worried her, but the return trip was almost concluded and they would soon arrive at the island. She hoped that her friends had fared well in her absence and was excited to be bringing food and winter supplies.

Gradually, the rocky coast on their port side passed into their wake and
Tur’cen
came into view. Maeryn was surprised at the amount of elation she felt. But she quickly realized that, though she was cared for while in the Empire’s capital city, she dearly missed her daughter and had come to think of the slaves as her family.

Former slaves
, she corrected herself.

Swinging around to the southern tip of the island, the man who had taken the role of her husband piloted the ship into a partially hidden cove. With the island now blocking the wind, all became silent. Maeryn scanned the shoreline for signs of movement, but no one could be seen. It seemed an eternity before the boat slid to a stop in the soft shore.

Without waiting for help, Maeryn jumped down to land with a splash into water reaching to her knees. The three men aboard, quickly attended to the sails and dropped anchor. Maeryn waded to the dry sand and walked inland, glancing around.

Maybe they’re hiding.
But after several minutes, she started to feel a sickness in her stomach. She wouldn’t even dare to think or utter the fear in her heart, instead pushing her emotions aside. Her two traveling companions and mock husband now joined her on the beach.

“So where is everyone?” he called, his arms wide.

“Mother!” came a yell from the trees.

Maeryn spun around to see Aelia running out from the protection of the forest. Her swift feet left gentle impressions in the sand as she ran for her mother. Maeryn threw off her cloak and met Aelia, the two embracing with tears in their eyes.

“Are you alright?” she said, pulling back from her daughter and taking the girl’s face in her hands.

“I’m fine, Mother; I missed you.”

“And the others…are they well?”

“Everyone is fine!”

Maeryn pulled her close again, holding tight.

“Mother!” exclaimed Aelia, pulling away embarrassed as she noticed the handsome stranger only a few paces away.

“Oh,” Maeryn mumbled as she noticed the source of her daughter’s concern. “Don’t worry about him; he’s here to help us.” She knew that Aelia wasn’t concerned about a stranger in their midst, but she wasn’t ready to acknowledge her daughter’s budding interest in men. She knew it would come eventually, but she wasn’t about to encourage it.

Slowly, other familiar faces began to materialize on the beach. And it wasn’t long before they all had the boat unloaded, the supplies moved to the camp and the ship stowed out of sight. The hours passed quickly as Maeryn settled back into island life. Everyone was eager to hear of her trip, and it was all she could do to put them off until the evening meal, when she could recount her story for all to hear.

Later that evening, after assessing the food storage, it was decided that they could easily spare enough food for a celebration feast. Maeryn thought it completely appropriate, given the trials they had endured. Immediately, word spread through the camp and was met with smiles and tears of joy. Fires were built and the smell of food enveloped the camp. Roast lamb, fish, and all manner of fruits were prepared so that all could eat their fill. And as the activity of dinner slowed all of the island residents gathered around their respective fires and stared at Maeryn, anxious to hear her story. Maeryn wiped the tears from her eyes and stood before her friends.

She recounted their entire journey, from the time they left the island. And even though she couldn’t adequately express it as she wanted, it didn’t seem to matter. Her friends listened with rapt attention to every word. They shared in her struggles and envisioned themselves at her side as she traveled to secure their freedom. And though it should have occurred earlier, Maeryn didn’t fully realize the weight of her responsibility until halfway through her tale. It dawned on her suddenly and she had to concentrate to keep from trailing off and ruining the moment. She knew, even as she continued, that she would have to ponder that thought at a later time and give it her full attention. But this moment wasn’t that time. So she moved on to the climax of her story.

“…and that’s when he told me that we would be given a larger ship to carry all the supplies we would need for winter. And in the springtime, he would send a ship large enough to carry us all to
Orud
.”

Cheering went up from the crowd at the mention of their rescue. Maeryn waited until their applause died down.

“He will send a slave ship and we will travel in broad daylight under that disguise. Once we reach
Orud
, he will stage a pretend market where powerful men of the Resistance will purchase you and take you away to your respective posts throughout the Empire. Now I know that this sounds suspicious, but it’s actually quite brilliant. There will be no cause for any citizens to suspect what is happening, because it is a common occurrence. The difference is that you will not be owned by anyone, but will be spreading throughout the Empire to help free your own people from bondage. The Resistance has made great progress recently, but they can use all the help they can get.”

Slowly, the looks of concern changed into smiles as they considered the plan. After a few minutes, nods of approval could be seen all around.

“Now, let us all get some rest and we can talk more in the morning.”

As the crowd began to disperse, several came to Maeryn and offered their thanks. The women embraced her, while the men simply put a hand on her shoulder. Maeryn felt awkward, knowing that it wasn’t her provision that would save these people. That honor would go to the leader of the Resistance. Still, she felt blessed that what she did have to offer was put to good use for their cause.

* * * *

The thick, humid air made breathing difficult. Coupled with the constant buzzing of insects, it made Saba feel as though everything around him was alive. Indeed, the rich and moisture laden earth beneath his feet seemed capable of growing anything. He was stripped to the waist and following a dark-skinned man through a dense jungle of vines and broad-leafed trees. After nearly three days of walking on a more or less flat grade, they began to descend steeply into a valley. The trees seemed to close in on him and the light grew dimmer as the sun was choked from view. They moved quickly despite the lack of a defined walking path. The man ahead of him was weaving and darting through the foliage, relying upon memory to guide him. And from the increasing noise in the air, Saba suspected that the man’s memory was good.

Steadily, the faint sound of water grew to a deafening roar. And just when it seemed as though the sound couldn’t get louder, the trees opened to show a magnificent view. They were standing on a precipice with a narrow gap separating the cliff on which they stood from a wall of vegetation only thirty feet away. Craning his neck, Saba estimated that the opposite cliff face reached a hundred feet above them. The most amazing sight, however, was the frothing white water cutting through the vegetation to plummet hundreds of feet below them.

Saba’s guide moved along the cliff to the right, not showing any hint of the amazement that Saba felt. It was to be expected, he thought, considering that these sights would be commonplace to the man. Saba followed and after several minutes they came upon a strange sight—a thick rope, tied to the branch of a tree, extending across the gap between the cliffs to disappear into the middle of the waterfall. Though it was woven from vines, it was thick and appeared sturdy. The guide stopped and looked to Saba with a questioning expression.

Saba held out his hands indicating that he didn’t understand.

The man responded by shaking the rope and pointing to the waterfall across the chasm.

“Behind the water is what you seek,” said the man in his native tongue, a hint of anger in his voice.

“I don’t understand. Can you show me?”

“NO! I am not permitted to walk the holy ground. ‘Only holy man’ say the elders.”

Saba looked back to the waterfall and the realization of what he was about to do began to set in. The sacred burial ground for the holy men of this tribe was located in a cave behind the waterfall. He would have to use the rope to swing across the chasm and through the water to get to it. It was all starting to feel familiar.