The Last Sundancer (13 page)

“It is called a flute.” Amara did not wish to
speak but she was forced to reply. 

She did not seek
to anger Kaichen nor did she wish to have the instrument taken away from her. When he grimaced, she feared that he saw the flute as an unnecessary encumbrance.

She saw that
Kaichen and Antuk traveled with only their sleeping blankets and waterskins.  If they had more than a small carrying pack and their weapons, she did not see it. As it was, Kaichen was well armed.  He carried his quiver of arrows upon his back and his bow was strapped down as if it was another appendage.

His lean hips were encased by a pair of skin leggings that were cut off at the knees
and at his waist was the hilt of a bone knife.  The walking stick that he carried also worked as a hunter’s throwing spear. The strap that covered Kaichen’s chest held a medley of small knives and at his waist, there were three small pouches, the same color of his leggings.

“Have I met with her approval?” Kaichen did not turn back to
Amara, though he felt her eyes upon him, he did not speak in her language.  Antuk laughed openly just as Kaichen intended.

“She does not understand your words.” Antuk looked past Kaichen to see that A
mara still studied his friend.

“This I know well
, but it is a good thing for a woman to find delight in her husband.” Kaichen motioned for Antuk to follow him. 

Th
ey needed to find water soon.  Their situation was dire, but a bit of levity relieved the concern that both men felt.

“Perhaps it will rain.” Antuk spoke quietly a
s if afraid to voice his hope.

Drought was common in this land of arid desert floors
and forests that sat on high. Small pools of water could be found, but it was often saturated with grime and the droppings of small animals.

Kaichen would not allow his horse to drink such filth or Antuk’s foul tempered don
key. But his concern was for Amara, his wife.

He felt the urge to question her arise and he forced
himself to control his inquisitive nature.  Amara had been through a hardship, he was certain.  He would not force her to reveal her shame to them.

As a man with knowledge of healing, his first concern had been rape.  It was possible that
Amara had been violated and anger surged through him  at the mere thought of her fragile body crushed under the strength of a warrior bent upon taking her.

If she had been violated in such a way perhaps she had endured it without fighting back.  Perhaps thi
s was why she was still alive.

Kaichen spied one of the plants that his people
used to treat burns and rashes.  He cut a large leaf filled with juicy pulp and crushed this in his hands.  He left the rest of the plant intact. Who knew if another person would come along and need its restorative powers?  Kaichen drew abreast of Amara as she walked forward.

“We will rest here for
a time.”  It was dangerous to travel in the full light of the sun, without water.

Kaichen had to set a slow pace and keep alert for any sign of the
life-giving liquid that would strengthen them until the next day.  Amara looked up at Kaichen before lowering her eyes.

“Why do you hide your gaze?” Kaichen
kept his voice pitched low so as not to be overheard.

Amara could not think of an appropriate response to his question and so she remained silent.  She was relieved when Kaichen looked up and gazed at Antuk with concern. 

“My friend, what are you doing?” Kaichen resisted the urge to sigh. 

Antuk had gathered several long reeds in his large hands
and he held them reverently. He appeared to be in deep thought over some unknown matter.  Kaichen recognized the signs of anxiety in his friend, but he did not know what to make of it.  There was nothing here to cause Antuk any concern except for their evident lack of water.

“I am gathering reeds so that I can make a long basket that will hold water without spilling even a drop.”  Antuk’s gaze remained upon the tall grasses that they walked through, most were discolo
red and dry from lack of water.  His face was flushed from the heat.

Kaichen urged Antuk to rest.
Antuk often forgot small things, like the need to drink and eat to provide nourishment for his body. Such things did not bother Kaichen at all.  He simply made certain that Antuk ate when he ate and drank when he drank.

He realized that
Amara had no intention of answering his question.  But her silence had been answer enough for him.  He sensed a deep well of grief inside of her.  She hid her eyes because they were unusual.

Kaichen clenched his teeth together in an effort to keep silent. 
When he had taken Amara as his lifemate, he had also taken on the burden of her troubles and worries.  He thought to give her more time to become accustomed to all the changes in her life.  Yet his body did not wish to listen to his mind.  Never before had he been tested by the loss of self-control.

Azin had put him through every test imaginable and Kaichen had never broken. 
Yet, Amara looked up at him with the resilient spirit of a desert flower and her intense gaze tested him like never before.  He wondered if this was her power and if she wielded it purposefully or with true innocence.  Either way, the light in her eyes posed a danger to his heart.

“Rest here.” Kaichen made certain that the ground was safe before he indicated a place where Amara should sit. 

Antuk plopped down beside
Amara, crowding her without any thought to her discomfort.  It was obvious that she did not like to be touched.  

Kaichen ignored her gasp of protest even as he grasped one small, delicate foot in his palm.  She soon saw the futility of trying to pull away.  His hold was firm. 

Though it was unreasonable, Kaichen knew a moment of disappointment.   Amara’s eyes burned with silent fire, but perhaps she did not have the will to fight. 

He knew that he would not cause her harm
but it was obvious that she was afraid.   The light sheen of sweat that covered her face came from fear instead of the inescapable heat. 

It was good that
Amara’s fatigued body could produce any moisture at all.  Kaichen knew that this meant that her body was still holding water.  

Her face glistened in the sunlight as Kaichen encompassed her heel with his hand and rubbed the pulp over the bottom of first one foot and then the other.  He felt the resistance in her body, though he knew that his hands moved in a soothing pattern.  

Her calves were well toned and the color of newly drawn honey.   He studiously ignored the perfection of her form and went about wrapping both feet in hastily made foot coverings. 

Amara tri
ed to hold still, but she was surprised by the intense feeling brought about by Kaichen’s hands upon her feet.  She could not stop the words of appreciation that she spoke without thinking.  

“I offer my thanks to you.” Amara bit her lip as she waited for
his response.

“I accept your thanks
but there is something that I will ask of you.” Kaichen saw that his words caused his wife to grow tense and fearful.

He sighed but kept his expression the same.  Amara inclined her head
as she waited without speaking.

Kaichen motioned that he would lift her and when she did not protest his arms engulfed her soft weight.  He walked a few steps and set her beside a lone sapling that had been battered by wind, rain and the elements. 

“Do you know how to whisper this tree into the ground?” Kaichen’s words were soft, like a gentle touch upon Amara’s skin. 

She shook her head back and forth, drawn to the quiet lull of his voice. 

“A young tree will need help to grow.  Perhaps one day a part of this tree will become a bow and another part will become an arrow. But first someone must sound this tree down into the ground.” Kaichen saw that his words had captivated his wife and so he continued.  “I will not ask you to share all of your sorrow with me but I will ask that you speak of all that you have endured and suffered.  Tell this young sapling of life’s woes and it will respond by digging its roots deep into the soil, speak to it in a whisper and take on the burden that you carry.”

Amara’s eyes filled with tears for no reason that she could name.  She had been overwhelmed by all that had befallen her and now Kaichen gave her an opportunity to release the emotion pent up inside of her.  He did not demand that she tell him all that had befallen her and in this
way, she knew that he feared that she had been dishonored. 

“The warriors did not take my honor, for some reason they spared me that disgrace.”
Amara met his eyes and did not look away. 

Kaichen nodded in acceptance, taking her words as the truth simply because she said it was so.  But there was grief, anger and pain in Amara’s spirit and if she did not release it soon, it would poison her spirit. 

“Sound down the tree into the ground. Talk until there are not any more words left inside of you and when you are finished speaking, leave the hurt and pain of the past behind.” Kaichen said nothing more. He touched the gentle turn of her chin so that she would look into his eyes and then he walked away. 

Amara sat for a long time beside the young sapling.  Her head was bowed but at times, she reached out a hand to touch the base of the tree.  The long fall of her hair covered her face from view, but Kaichen found that his gaze returned to her time and time again. 

When she raised her face to the
sun, he knew that she was ready to return to them.  Kaichen was by her side faster than thought and he lifted her into his arms with care.

“I can walk.” Amara knew that Kaichen worried about the cuts upon her feet, but
because of his help and the soft padding of her moccasins, she would be fine. 

She could not express with words the relief inside
of her spirit as she spoke of her grief and fear.  Kaichen had been right to tell her to talk until there were no more words left inside of her.  Amara gazed into the face of the strong man that carried her and she wondered what measure of man she had been given as a lifemate. 

“P
erhaps you will play a melody for us, while we wait out the heat of the day.” Kaichen could not hide his curiosity about the relationship between Amara and the instrument that she carried. 

At his words,
Amara’s back stiffened and she stared down at her hands, which clutched the flute.  He carefully settled her upon the same blanket that he used to shield his body from the ground.

“I will not call the music forth for you.” Amara knew that she could not do what Kaichen asked
, not now, perhaps not ever.

Kaichen raised his eyebrows, but he did not speak further.  He did not understand what
Amara meant by her words and perhaps she meant nothing at all. 

He was not fluent in her tongue and though she listened to every word spoken between him and Antuk, she showed no reaction.  He was almost certain that she did not understand his language and she did not try to speak to them in response. 

Antuk gazed at Amara with hopeful eyes and Kaichen felt laughter build in his chest.  He cleared his throat though it only brought to mind how thirsty he was, how thirsty they all were.  

“I will search for water.  Remain here.”

Amara watched as Kaichen walked away.  She could not tear her gaze from him though she wanted to look away.  

When he had not responded in anger over her refusal to heed his politely formed request she felt something tear loose inside of her.   A small seed of hope had been planted in her heart. 
When she thought of all that Kaichen had said and done she marveled over her good fortune.  Her own mother would not have been able to select a better lifemate for her.   

Kaichen had not taken advantage of her with his superior strength or by use of force.
He had helped her and guided her footsteps even though a journey of great urgency was underway. 

Antuk looked at her the way that others viewed a newly opened flower.  He admired her
for an instant and then looked away.  

Amara did no
t know what to make of the behavior of either man.  At first, she had been afraid to hope and then she had refused to give her trust.  But the longer she remained with them, the more that she realized that she had made a mistake.  Her judgment was not what it should have been.

Perhaps she had been more affected than she had thought possible by her ordeal with the warriors that had raided her
village.  When had she begun to look into the face of kindness and see only harm?

She wanted to call Kaichen back and explain everything to him.  But
he was fleet of foot and agile, before she could form her mouth to speak, Kaichen was well out of sight.