Quest for the Moon Orb: Orbs of Rathira (25 page)

“I agree,” Karma said with a smile.  “I think you chose the perfect time for a little something to break the monotony.”

“I know this journey has been difficult, Lady Techu,” Zakiel said, his smile fading. 

Karma held up one hand to stop him, the smile on her face taking the edge from her gesture.  “Please, Highness, do not apologize to me.  I did not mean to complain.  This has, in truth, been a much easier journey than I expected it to be, thanks to your careful planning.”

“Thank you,” Prince Zakiel said, surprised by her kind words.  “I admit that I expected you, and Kapia as well, to have difficulty adjusting to such rough conditions, yet neither of you have complained.”

“What you really mean is you thought I would have a difficult time traveling so slowly across the desert on diploback rather than a speeder,” Karma said with a grin.

“Yes, I admit that is true,” Zakiel replied, smiling just enough for his dimple to peek out at her.  “I would not have blamed you for it.  It must be hard to adjust to traveling so slowly after being accustomed to flying like the wind.”

“I am more accustomed to this sort of travel than you think,” Karma said.

“Really?” Zakiel asked curiously.  “I find that surprising.”

“I grew up on a world much like this one,” Karma said.  “Your people, customs, and culture are not so different from my own.”

“Captain Singer, from the Welfare ship, showed us images of giant cities on other worlds,” Zakiel said.  “To my eyes, they appeared cold and bleak.  I saw nothing remotely like Rathira.”

“There are many worlds like this,” Karma said.  “Worlds where people live simple lives.  Most worlds have technology, but the level of its use differs from world to world, people to people.”

“Will you tell me of your world?” Zakiel asked.

Karma sipped her wine as she considered whether or not to tell him her story.  A story she had never shared with anyone else.

“My home world is called New Levant,” she began before giving herself time to reconsider.  “It’s a colony of Earth, populated centuries ago by people who desired a world of their own where they could preserve their culture, their beliefs and their way of life. 

“As I said, the culture I grew up with is much like your own.  The people on New Levant live without much technology.  If you took Ka-Teru and set it down on New Levant, the biggest difference, aside from some customs, food and dress, would be the way females are treated.”

“Do you think we treat our women poorly?” Zakiel asked, uncertain whether he felt insulted or disappointed by the thought.

“Oh no,” Karma replied, surprising him.  “Not at all.  Just the opposite.”

“Your culture treats women poorly?” he asked.

“In some respects, yes, I think so,” she replied.  “At the same time, I have to admit that the majority of the women who live there are satisfied.”

“But not you?” Zakiel asked, noting the sadness in her eyes and wanting so much to ask the reason for it directly.  But that would not be polite, and he did not want to say anything to this woman, on this night, to make her angry with him.

“I suppose I had little to complain about for the most part,” she said.  “My people, the
Chanapor
, are wanderers.  We have our own country, quite a large one in fact, but we constantly moved from place to place, visiting different areas depending on the seasons, and visiting other countries as well.  As a child, I loved spending days on end riding my horse, always seeing exciting new places and meeting new people.” 

Karma stared blindly into the fire as she spoke, as though seeing herself as that happy little girl.  She blinked, then turned to look at him with a smile.  “Shall I tell you a secret, Highness?”

“Yes, please,” Zakiel said, surprising himself with his response.  “I promise I will not betray any trust you offer me.”

The smile Karma bestowed on him was warmer than any he had ever been the recipient of, and it made his heart beat faster. 

“Very well,” she said, lowering her voice and leaning toward him.  “I am a Princess.”

Zakiel smiled, not completely surprised by the revelation.  “That explains much,” he said.

“Does it?” she asked.

“Yes, it does,” he replied.  “I have often thought that my sister could not do better than to see you as an example of what a Princess should be.” 

“I thank you, Prince Zakiel,” she replied, “but don’t be too impressed.  I was the third, and least favorite, daughter of a King who had little interest even in his favorite daughter.”

“I find that difficult to believe,” Zakiel replied.

“In my culture, women exist to please men,” she said with a hint of bitterness.  “We are raised to know all there is to know about dress, cosmetics, scents, hair styling, jewelry, food; whatever might be used to make ourselves more attractive to men, and to serve men.  In place of history and math, females learned how to dance, walk, talk, sing...you get the idea. 

“To be honest, unlike myself, most of the other girls were content with their lot in life.  But I was far more interested in the subjects taught to my brothers than those deemed important for females.  My lack of femininity was a major disappointment to my mother and father, and a source of resentment and anger to my sisters, brothers, and just about everyone else.”

Karma fell silent for a long moment, and Zakiel tensed, sensing that she was attempting to summon the courage to go on.  He wanted to encourage her, but knew he had to be patient, and let her do this, or not, at her own pace.  Her silence lasted so long that when she began speaking again, he was surprised, having concluded she had decided not to continue.

“My mother died when I was fourteen,” she said, her gaze held once more by the flames of the dying fire.  “Just before I turned sixteen, my father’s eye was caught by the sister of a neighboring king during a visit.  Negotiations began and before long I was informed that I had been traded for the woman my father wanted as his new wife, along with three horses, a small chest of jewels, and seven bolts of silk.”

“You were traded?” Zakiel asked, appalled at the idea.  He tried to think of something charitable to say without insulting her culture.  “At least you were to be Queen,” he said finally, uncertain if that even mattered under the circumstances. 

“Oh, no,” Karma laughed.  “Not at all.  The country I was traded to had vastly different customs from my own.  The man who was to be my new husband was three times my age and had an extensive harem, including over a hundred wives.  I was to be added to his harem, as a very minor addition I assure you.  In truth, I believe the real price of my father’s bride was the horses, silks, and jewels.  I think he threw me in just to be rid of me.”

“I am sorry, Lady Techu,” Zakiel said, his lips numb with shock.  He could not understand how anyone could treat their Blood in such a way. 

“Well, I’m not sorry,” Karma said.  “It gave me incentive to do what I had wished to do for years, which was run away.”

“You ran away?  From your family?” Zakiel felt a conflicting sense of shock and satisfaction at the idea.

“I was being sent away from my family anyway, so what difference did it make?” she asked reasonably.  “I had no money, but I
was
a Princess, after all, and my father was quite wealthy.  I owned many jewels that had been given to me by my Mother.  I collected all of them, along with a few clothes, and left.”

“You just left?” Zakiel asked.  “Weren’t there guards to watch over you?”

“Yes, but I have this little ability to put people to sleep,” Karma said with a grin.  “It came in very handy that day.”

Zakiel shook his head.  This woman continually surprised him.  Was there no end to her talents?  “Where did you go?” Zakiel wondered.

“I sold the jewels, bought passage to Earth, and went to school, which was what I’d always wanted to do.  The money from the jewels was more than enough for me to live comfortably and pay for my education.  Eventually I earned a degree and was able to teach children, which I loved.”

“Were you happy?” Zakiel asked.

“Mostly,” Karma said.  “Happier than I would have been living in a harem on New Levant.”

“Yes, I imagine so,” Zakiel said, trying to return her smile.  It was difficult for him just to hear about all she had been through.

“I loved the children,” Karma continued.  “I was lonely, of course.  It was hard learning to live in a culture so different from what I grew up in.  It took me years to begin feeling comfortable, and I was always afraid my father would find me and force me to return.  Eventually I got up the nerve to make some careful inquiries and learned that my family had disowned me.”  Karma shrugged.  “At least I knew they weren’t looking for me, so I no longer had that worry.”

“I commend you, Lady Techu, for taking your life in your own hands,” Zakiel said.  “I cannot imagine the courage it must have taken for a sixteen year old to do what you did.”

“I am not so sure about the courage,” Karma laughed ruefully.  “I was terrified, hurt and angry.  I believe those are the emotions that fueled my actions more than any others.”

Zakiel nodded.  He had a warrior’s understanding of courage, and knew that fear, anger and pain were generally the emotions behind acts seen by others as courageous. 

“So how is it that you came to be here, on Rathira?” he asked.

“That, Prince Zakiel, is a story for another time,” she said with a smile.

“I hope that you do not regret confiding in me, Lady Techu,” Zakiel said.

She looked at him in surprise.  “Not at all,” she said.  “In fact, I thank you for listening to my sad and sordid story.  I have never told anyone before, and in a strange way, it felt good to share it after so many years of silence.”

“I am glad you chose to share it with me,” Zakiel said, gazing into her eyes for a long moment. 

Karma felt held by the warmth in Zakiel’s gaze, and had no desire to break away from it until she heard soft, feminine laughter nearby.  She blinked, then turned to watch Kapia and Bredon for a moment.  They sat on the opposite side of the fire, their heads together as they talked softly.

“I believe it is time that Kapia and I said goodnight,” she said.  She didn’t really want to break up their conversation, but she had promised to look after Kapia, and it was getting too late for them to remain without it raising eyebrows.

“Yes, I believe you are correct, as much as I would wish otherwise,” Zakiel said, following Karma’s gaze.  He rose to his feet and held a hand out to Karma, who took it.  Their movements were noticed by Bredon and Kapia, and Karma was relieved to see them rise as well rather than force her to interrupt them.

“Thank you for joining us tonight, Lady Techu,” Zakiel said.  “I enjoyed our time together greatly.”

Karma felt her heart speed up, but she wasn’t quite ready to let him see how much his words meant to her.  “Just remember,” she said with a grin, “next time, you get to tell me the story of your life.”

“In that case I shall have to think of ways to make it seem more exciting,” he said, returning her grin.  “Otherwise I risk putting you to sleep.”

Karma laughed, happy that he seemed to understand her need to end the evening on a lighter note.  A moment later Kapia and Bredon joined them, and after saying their goodnights, the women returned to their tent.

“Goodnight, Karma,” Kapia said softly.  Karma saw the stars in the girl’s eyes and knew how she felt.  She wanted to get into her bed so she could replay the evening herself. 

“Goodnight, Kapia,” she replied.  “Sweet dreams.”

Kapia grinned then stepped into her chamber, leaving Karma to do the same.

Chapter
14

The caravan got a late start the next morning, but nobody minded.  After hot baths, laundered clothes, and the relief of having all of their water replenished, there was a lightened mood throughout the line.  Even the diplos were high spirited after filling themselves with fresh water and grazing on the lush foliage around the pond. 

“Did you have a good time last night?” Karma asked Kapia once they were back in the saddle and moving again, retracing their steps from the day before.

“I had a wonderful time,” Kapia said, smiling happily.  “Did you?”

Karma nodded, but kept her smile to herself.  Her opinion of Zakiel had changed greatly over the past couple of weeks but she had no intention of discussing that with Kapia. 

“Bredon seemed to enjoy himself as well,” she said, keeping the subject on Kapia rather than herself. 

“Yes, I thought he seemed happy,” Kapia agreed shyly.  “I only wish....”

“What do you wish?” Karma asked.

“I only wish I were older,” Kapia said in a low voice, dropping her eyes.

“Do not wish that,” Karma said, laughing.  “Why would you wish away a single precious day of your life?”

Kapia looked at her in surprise.

“Everything happens in its own time,” Karma said.  “Do not waste your days wishing them away, as that is a wish that will not be granted until you step into the Beyond.”

“Good morning, Princess, Lady Techu,” Sir Bredon said, reining his diplo in beside Kapia.