Compis: Five Tribes (5 page)

“Oh, does that happen?” she asked. She hadn't thought about going into a tribe, only to be unhappy with it.

“More than you might think,” he said. “Would
you
want to be Terris?”

“Well, I'm sure they're very nice. I can think of a few people I know who would fit right in. But for myself? I don't know. I don't picture myself being Terris.”

“I couldn't either, so I'm afraid I chose to leave them,” he said. He took her elbow and steered her away from the chaos where they could hear each other better.

“My name is Keran,” he said. “I'm what your people call tribeless.”

“I know of you. My friend Luka met one of your group yesterday.”

“What, if you don't mind my asking, do you think of Initiation?” he asked.

“Well, although it is hard on some, like my cousin and her beloved, Luka, it seems to make the greatest sense to me. I don't know if everyone here would agree though. Have you talked to any of the Ignis yet?”

He shook his head. “No, but I admit to being intrigued by their plight. Theirs is a problem that could use a little unconventional thinking.”

“I think if you go to their display tent and ask for Adjudah, you will find a willing ear,” she said. Maybe someone with an outside perspective could give them the edge they needed to find a way to save their tribe.

“Thank you, Miss. What was your name?”

“My name is Nikka. I'm not Ignis, but I did meet Adjudah yesterday, he seemed a kind and reasonable man.”

Keran held out his hand and Nikka placed hers in it. He raised it to his lips and placed a courtly kiss on the back of her hand.

“Thank you for the help, my dear. I'm trying to form a working relationship with all the tribes, but so far only the Sanguis have been interested in hearing what I have to say.”

“Well, I wish you luck in your endeavors.”

With a wave, she went off to find her friends.

~~~~~

When the three friends arrived at the Great Hall, they found that it was filled with chairs for them to sit in—all in a circular formation around a podium set up in the middle of the room. As they and the other Initiates ambled in, a tall Divinaris woman went to stand at the podium.

“Look,” Nikka said, “It's Adra.”

Adra, a long, lean woman with gold hair that fell in multiple braids down her back was dressed in the traditional silver robes that hallmarked her vocation. She was a Divinaris for the Aeris and many of the young Aeris Initiates had called her sister, educator, and friend. She was a kind woman with a sparkling sense of humor with many a story or fable to tell on the sacred days.

Nikka remembered the last time she had seen Adra was right before they left on their journey to the Citadel, when she was hugging her mother goodbye.

~~~~~

“Nikka, behave yourself and be the daughter I have raised you to be,” her mother was saying.

“Mother, I'll miss you so much. I promise that no matter what happens, I'll write to you.”

They hugged again, one last time, each one wiping the tears from her eyes as they parted.

Nikka walked over to the horse that was hers to ride for the trip, looking back one last time.

“Remember her face as it is now, young Nikka,” said a soft voice to her left. She looked over and saw Adra sitting atop her own mount, a placid mare of pearl gray.

“I remember my Initiation. I was nervous and sad to leave my family. At least your father can go with you. My parents weren't important enough to have a reason for going to Market, as your father does. They stayed behind and all I could do when I was Initiated as Divinaris was send them a short letter telling them of my news.”

“How did you feel, not being an official tribe member?” asked Nikka.

“It was an honor to be named Divinaris. As you know, it's only once every 10 years or so that one is named.”

Divinaris were perhaps the most mystical of all the Inducted, if not the most rare. They were the teachers, the spiritual leaders, and the peacemakers of the Five Tribes. They served on the High Council, acting as impartial judges during long and heated debate. They instructed their tribes on the importance of unity between the Five Tribes and counseled members to remain devoted to their duties as citizens.

“It's a wondrous vocation, Nikka, but somehow, I don't see it as the path you will walk down,” Adra said, studying the girl. Her horse shifted sideways and she guided it back into line with the others who were leaving for the Gathering.

“Why not?” Nikka asked.

“Each person has a purpose that only Iam can gauge, but you strike me as someone who will one day attain a place in the High Council. You have a strong will and a kind heart. Those are a combination that will serve your future well,” she said, and with that she urged her horse forward and was off down the long line, speaking to each person, making everyone feel peaceful and ready for the trip.

~~~~~

Nikka brought herself back to the present as Adra started to speak.

“Welcome, Initiates. This is only the first in a series of educational sessions to help you on your journey as new Initiates. This week you will spend either a morning in classes or you will join your fellow tribe members at one of the High Council meetings to get a greater picture of how our government works and how it helps the tribes to interact. We will inform you which is to be which each day.

“If there is one thing we want you to learn before you are Inducted, it is that we Five Tribes must work together to keep the peace. We must be responsible, productive citizens and it is up to each of us to fulfill our duties for our tribes and for our people.”

“We encourage you to mix at the market. Get to know peoples from different tribes and study them. Learning about where you might fit in is part of the inner process you must go through before being Inducted into the tribe you are chosen for. Go to each display booth for the Five Tribes, see what each tribe specializes in.”

“Most of what you'll find merely hints of is what we'll be discussing this week and during the next year in great detail, but it is still important to hear it from the tribe that bears this rich history. Every tribe has a story and you should consider it your task this week to find out each one.”

Nikka thought about what she'd learned so far this week about each of the tribes. It wasn't much, she had to admit. She knew almost nothing about the Terris and Aquis, and yet there was a chance she might end up in either tribe. She knew some of what the Sanguis did, since they were the healers of the Five Tribes, but other than that, she had no idea.

For the next two hours, she paid close attention as Adra outlined what the next year would bring for the Initiates. The Initiation at the end of the week was only the beginning. The year, which had 5 seasons (one for each Tribe), would become a pentare, a 5-sectioned year where each season would be followed by a journey to the Citadel for a special week of learning sessions. There were normal gatherings every season at the Citadel, these sessions would simply coincide with those.

The learning sessions would last a full year before the final Induction ceremony would occur, in a secret and shrouded ritual overseen by the Divinaris, the Duor for the tribe, and the High Council member of each tribe. Only the Initiate's Inducted tribe would be present, because each tribe had its own ritual and its own sacred rites to perform. This was how it had been done for centuries, back before the Five Tribes had even been combined into one government.

At this point, after a year of schooling, and after the final ceremony, an Initiate would no longer be an Initiate, but a true tribe member. They would be given work that best suited their talents and would bring most benefit to their tribe, along with a place to live within that tribe's jurisdiction.

She thought of the city where she had lived all her life, overlooking the Cliffs of Iverside. The trees drifted over everything, and even the houses became intermingled in the twisting trunks and bending bows. The birds, so many varieties of song birds, were a treat that she would miss if she were chosen for a different tribe. She wondered where the other tribes lived and what their homes looked like.

She'd find out tomorrow, anyway, since going over the details of the Five Tribes was the main point on the agenda for the week.

~~~~~

“What did you think of that speech?” she asked Alea, after they'd filed out of the building and were off for their afternoon of freedom.

“It was interesting, of course, but there's really no need to for me to find out that much about the other tribes, now is there?”

“Oh, you mean because Ignis begets Ignis?” she asked.

“That
is
what they say,” said Alea, smiling and shaking her head, which made her long black braids swing back and forth like wiggling snakes.

“Well, it should be even more interesting for you then,” said Nikka, “Because you're never going to have the chance to interact with any of the other tribes unless it's for a gathering or if you need a healer. So I should think you'd want to soak up all the information you could while you're here.”

Alea stared at her. “You have such an interesting point of view, Nikka. I can see why my brother is fascinated by you.”

Nikka felt her face flush with the hot blood of her now pounding heart.

“I-” she fell silent, unable to think of a response.

“It's okay,” said Alea, “We all know it's just a gathering romance. Enjoy it while it lasts.”

She smiled down at Nikka and gave her a half hug, then led the way down the path to the market.

Could she have a simple romance without getting her heart broken?

Zyander was sitting at the front entrance of the Ignis display tent when Keran strolled toward him. He'd heard of the tribeless leader through the gathering grapevine, that the man had paid a visit to a few of the other tribes in an effort to establish goodwill and trade agreements.

I wonder how it feels to remove yourself from the government of the Five Tribes,
he thought.

“Hello there,” said Keran, when he saw Zyander sitting in front of him.

“Hello,” said Zyander.

“I'm looking for a man by the name of Adjudah,” said Keran. “A young woman -Nikka- said I might find him willing to talk.”

Zyander perked up at that. “Nikka? When did you talk to her?”

Keran laughed. “This morning. You know, our group—what many of you call the tribeless—is always open to new members,” he said. “We don't discriminate by tribe. An Ignis would find himself a welcome place with us.”

Zyander sat back in his chair, feeling a sense of inevitability washing over him.

“Your offer is kind, but I have a responsibility to my people.”

“Both admirable and respectable. What is your name? I'm Keran.”

“I'm Zyander, but most call me Zyan.”

“Well, Zyan, you seem a grand representative of your tribe, and I have a feeling we'll be talking again.”

“Here, let me go see if my father is around. Can I ask what your visit is regarding?”

“You surely can. I'd wish to talk to him about opportunities for your tribe to find methods of income other than magical. I've talked to a few of the other tribes, but they aren't open to the idea of a trade that doesn't involve Iam and mysticism.”

“I'll just be a moment,” Zyander said, as he stepped through the curtain. He found his father in the relic room, marking down their inventory and estimating the amount left to sell to make their yearly budget for supplies.

“Father, Keran, the leader of the tribeless, is here and he wants to speak to you. Nikka told him that you might be the one he wanted to talk to, so he asked for you by name.”

Adjudah looked up from his list, startled out of his deep concentration.

“What?” he said, paying more attention to Zyander.

Zyander repeated his sentence, more quickly than was decorous.

“I'll meet him in the front room,” said Adjudah, “Zyan, ask Daen to join us, as well. This could end up being an important meeting. And why don't you come? You need to be a part of the decisions we are going to make for the Ignis. They depend on their representatives to make the well-being of the tribe their first priority.

“Bring the refreshments, such as they are, into the room when you come in.”

Zyander ushered Keran into the meeting room and pointed to one of the soft chairs surrounding the meeting table. Then he left the main tent and walked around to the sleeping tents looking for Daen.

Zyander found him sitting next to his mate, talking softly to her while they shared of meal of soft cheeses, fresh fruit from the market, and the flat bread so popular among his tribe. Daen was the youngest representative in the High Council's secondary tier—a Duor.

The High Council was made up five High Council members, each representing a tribe. Along with these were five Divinaris—each assigned to a tribe—and an alternate Divinaris for times when a vote was tied. Then, in the secondary tier, representing the tribe members by population count, were the Duor. The Aeris and the Sanguis had the most of these, as their tribes were the largest, and of course, for the Ignis there were only six representatives. Daen was one of them.

He had recently married Kala, a short—for Ignis—woman with exotically tilted eyes and a wide smile, which she was always wearing, especially when she was around her husband.

“Daen, sorry to interrupt lunch with your lovely wife,” he smiled at Kala, “but my father wants your input on a conversation with Keran of the tribeless.”

“Can't I bring Kala? She's a Duor, too.” Kala was the second youngest representative.

“You know, I'm sure he meant for you to bring her,” lied Zyander. He knew his father would be pleased to have Kala's input. She had a level head, which balanced out Daen and his youthful enthusiasm. Kala was a few years older than Daen, but she had been available, which was hard to come by these days. Zyander thought about his choices for a mate and Keran's offer sounded more appealing than ever. He'd walked by the wagons and seen the variety of girls within the group, talking and laughing together as they sold their wares. It was an attractive picture and he could see himself with any one of those girls.