The Last Sundancer (15 page)

He had only to look at her and he was well aware of her feminine grace.  

“We are in great danger.” Amara lowered her head and shook it sadly from side to side.  “The man that was injured by Antuk’s arrow will not stop until he has completed his quest.  If the raider still lives he will not be able to return to his people unless he has me at his side.  The warrior that you wounded will not cease until he has kept his promise to his leader. If he still lives, he will find me, of this there is no doubt.” Amara’s gaze was fathomless, endless and full of despair.

Kaichen took in
Amara’s grief stricken words and he placed a comforting hand upon her arm.  It pleased him when she did not shrink away from his touch.  He cast his eyes away to search out their surroundings.  They were unprotected and at risk as they waited out the hottest part of the day without anything to use as cover should they need it. 

His movements were carefully controlled as he rose and walked to his horse.  

“Leave the fire burning.” Kaichen said nothing further as Antuk looked at him quizzically. 

A fire was never left alone to burn without end.   The dry land around them could easily
ignite and burn without cease.   Antuk was not so lost in his own world that he did not know this simple truth. 

He made his displeasure known by grunting several times and mumbling under his breath.  Kaichen would have been amused at any other time to hear his friend call him
slow-witted and abnormal.  But his neck prickled and the hair at his nape stood on end. 

“Come to me
, slowly.” Kaichen spoke to Amara in her language. 

Kaichen spoke quietly
and she did not know what she expected, but she thought that he would at the very least search the area for a threat.  

She stood and walked toward him and only as she drew closer
did she realize that he kept hold of his horse’s mane.  She also noticed that he kept his horse between them and the place where she had seen the shadow that did not belong. 

“Kaichen, how many worlds do you think there are?” Antuk went about the task of seeing to his donkey as if nothing was amiss. 

“I don’t know Antuk.  Load up and we will talk about it on the way.” Sweat beaded upon Kaichen’s upper lip as he considered their options.  Danger was near and they were out in the open, unable to defend themselves against their unseen enemy.

They could make a run for the rock formations that were barely visible in the distance or they could head for higher ground and seek the advantage.  

“I thought that you would know the answer.” Antuk’s sigh was heavy with disappointment.

“I think that there are three worlds.  The world of flesh and blood, this world that we live in and the world of the spirits.  But there is also a world of timelessness where there is no past, no present and no future.  That world is not one that we can enter except through death.” Kaichen responded quietly and Antuk nodded sagely as if he were in complete agreement, though he stroked his donkey’s nose
absentmindedly.  

Amara stared at Kaichen in confusion for his words were not known to her.   Kaichen had purposely responded to Antuk in their tongue.  He
held her upper arm and she thought for a moment that he meant to lift her, but instead he held her steady. 

Sh
e could not understand his language and for the first time her inability to comprehend his speech frustrated her.

“What did you say to Antuk?” Her question seemed to catch Kaichen by surprise and he glanced at her for an endless moment before looking away without answering. 

His eyes moved left and right over the land around them.  Amara was momentarily distracted when Kaichen’s grasp tightened upon her arm. 

“There is danger.  Remain quiet.” In truth
, Kaichen did not see anything amiss, but he followed his instincts and he could not afford a distraction. 

Amara had given him insight into the minds of the raiders. If
the injured warrior still lived, he would not simply go away, counting his losses.  It was highly likely that they were being pursued, even hunted.  His senses were alert and though he felt foolish for dismissing the danger posed by the raider so easily, he did not allow shame to sway his current actions. 

“Antuk, do not touch your weapons for a time.” Kaichen called out as Antuk walked beside his donkey.  Antuk always imitated Kaichen.  If Kaichen did not ride, then Antuk would not ride.

“I have no use for weapons.” Antuk responded with a shake of his head. 

Kaichen knew that his friend
referred to the lack of animals to hunt.  There were not any herds of buffalo, bison or deer nearby.  Antuk enjoyed eating, just as all men did, even if he refrained from making the kill, he contributed in other ways. 

Amara
remained silent and watchful.  Kaichen released her arm as she tried to understand her body’s response to Kaichen’s nearness but she could not make sense of it.  

“Tell me more about the music that you
call forth with your flute.” Kaichen’s words were a quiet command and Amara jerked her head up to study his face.  She could only see the thick mass of black hair that hung past his broad shoulders.  He kept his face turned away as he walked ahead of her but she knew that his stare was hard and unyielding.  Amara considered how much to tell Kaichen.

Her mother had always urged her to keep silent and never
share her talent with anyone.  As a small child, she had been allowed to play her flute for the village when her father died but Amara could barely remember that time or the day of her father’s death.

When she closed her
eyes, she saw flashes of times past.  She remembered her mother’s laughter and her father’s deep chuckle. She could hear her own childish giggles as her father lifted her into the air. 

She opened her eyes, returning to the present as Kaichen waited for her to speak.

“At times, it is almost as if I have a fire inside seeking to escape.  The urge to fill the world with music overcomes me.  I do not make a claim of great skill.  The instrument is a part of my spirit, but sometimes I fear that it uses me.” Amara ducked her head as Kaichen glanced back at her.  

Amara thought that she had said too much. 
Perhaps she should have said less or given more thought to her words.   Even as the thought occurred to her she wondered when she had begun to seek Kaichen’s favor. 

She told herself that she should be careful, it was foolhardy to rest her hopes in one person
, even if that man was her husband.  

“Your words are confident,
but you will not draw forth a song for us.  Why do you hesitate?” Kaichen did not want Amara to stop speaking, he admitted to himself that he was utterly captivated by the soothing sound of her voice.

“
I call forth the music only when my flute speaks to me.” Amara ducked her head as she considered her boldly spoken words.

Antuk could not understand her
words and yet his head snapped up and his eyebrows drew together in concern over the tone of her voice.  Amara started to apologize but she glanced up at Kaichen and gasped instead.

His stern features were relaxed and his lips were tilted at the corners as if he held back a smile. 
Surprise surged through Amara even as she held her breath in the hopes that he would not only smile, but also laugh. 

The moment was lost when Kaichen spoke a few soothing words to his horse.  

“Where are the people of your birth? What are they called?” Her words were quiet and contrite but she was eager to hear his answer.  

She wanted to know more about the man that had taken her as his mate. 
She had decided to give Kaichen her trust.  But how was she to know whether or not they belonged to the same village claimed by the raiders that plagued her people?  Perhaps they walked toward it even now. 

“My mother’s people do not have a name.  They are simply people of the desert sand and red rock.” Kaichen no longer felt the imminent threat of danger
and he allowed the tension to drain from his body. 

Without another
word, he turned and lifted Amara to rest astride his horse.   She did not tense as he lifted her and when her deerskin dress brushed his face she did not pull away.  

Kaichen forced his eyes away from the sight of her
well-toned legs as they instinctively guided his horse.   He knew that she was slowly learning to trust him and he did not intend to give her a reason to fear him. 

“Where
will our journey take us?” Amara frowned as Antuk’s donkey stopped walking. 

Antuk pushed at the animal’s hindquarters and Amara gasped.  The donkey could easily buck and kick him, but Kaichen did not appear concerned.

“Do not fear for Antuk, he is larger than his donkey.  If the animal kicked him, then he would simply kick it back.” Kaichen did not expect to coax a smile from Amara and he called himself a fool as his heart sped inside of his chest when her lips twitched. 

She had to know that he spoke with the deliberate intention of calling for
th her smile.

Amara glanced back to see that Antuk continued to push the stubborn donkey forward as the animal
cried piteously.   Antuk’s head was perilously close to the donkey’s hind parts.  

“This
is the reason that Antuk often cuts off his hair.” Kaichen did not have to look up to see Amara’s smile, her burst of startled laughter rang out in the silence.  Amara threw her hands over her mouth, surprised over her outburst.  

Antuk studiously ignored them as he sought to convince the donkey to heed his commands. 
For a moment, all was well and the dark cloud that followed them had given way to the sun’s light.

Amara touched her bruised ribs gingerly and she grimaced at the dull ache.  Kaichen had drawn the day’s journey to a stop far earlier than she expected.  She hoped that he did not think she was too weak to continue.  It was true that her thirst was great but her sides ached continuously. 

Riding upon the horse was both a blessing and a curse.   Amara could not have made it this far without the animal’s help, but the constant rocking motion caused her to clench her teeth in agony.  

“I will make a fire.” Antuk seemed to enjoy the task of creating a fire each time they rested.  

Kaichen nodded though Amara noticed that he chose an area that would conceal them from sight.   When Antuk gathered sticks, twigs and brush to burn, Kaichen was there to sort out anything that would cause dark smoke to burn.

“I will search for water.” Kaichen spoke in Amara’s language and she glanced up at him.  “I will make a strong brew to dull the pain in your ribs.”

Amara did not deny that she was in pain.  She knew that it was etched upon her face.   She simply nodded and then glanced worriedly at Antuk.

“He will be fine for awhile.  If you sense danger, simply call out, I will not be far.” Kaichen rose and walked with silent steps until he was out of sight.  Amara felt her face flame as she realized that Antuk had noticed her watching him.

“You are a butterfly.” Antuk spoke his thoughts though Amara could not possibly understand him.  

She smiled in return to his words and hand gestures.   She thought that perhaps he called her a bird or an owl.   Antuk smiled with happiness as she nodded.  

Amara hoped that Kaichen would find water.   She knew that he was concerned about the threat of pursuit and yet he left them to seek out the life sustaining liquid.   His concern over their ability to survive another day without water was obviously greater than his concern for their safety. 

If the warrior that Kaichen had wounded was near Amara only hoped that he suffered from lack of water and food, just as they did.   In truth, she hoped that the enemy warrior had already fallen never to rise again.  Amara felt no shame over her desperate thoughts.  The time for shame was long past.  Now she looked to the future with only one hope in mind.  Survival.

“If you dance, then we will find water.” Antuk’s lips were cracked and dry, though he did not complain. 

“I will not dance.” Kaichen felt anger rise inside of him but he quickly tamped the emotion down. Antuk was his loyal friend and he did not know what he asked of Kaichen.  Whenever Kaichen danced, memories of his father flooded through his mind, drowning out all thought. 

They had both given up on the small round stone that was used to pull moisture into the mouth and throat.   Long ago, as boys they had learned how to find a perfectly round stone, small enough to roll upon the tongue and yet large enough to imitate a morsel of food.  Such a stone was used to draw water into the mouth from cheeks that had gone dry and a tongue that lacked moisture.   The tactic was used to stave off the first effects of overwhelming thirst.  

Sundancer.
Kaichen felt a bitter smile bend his lips downward.  Only after his father’s death had the sacred words been uttered amongst the people.