Whisper (17 page)

“Hah! Like I would be afraid of you? Don’t flatter yourself, boy.”

Darius shook his head, and a knowing grin formed on his face. “Not me, Weapons Master.”

“What, then?” Daniel asked, truly interested in what Darius thought would scare him.

“Do you really want to tell Dearra you’ve had me neutered?”

Daniel thought about the consequences of that conversation for a moment and he shuddered.

“See what I mean? Scary, right?” Darius asked.

“Yeah, okay, you win. Not neutered, but there are other things I can do. You don’t get to be Weapons Master of Maj without learning a few things, things that don’t leave marks. Now—what, in the name of Cyrus, do you want to ask me?”

Darius held up his hands in surrender. “I wanted to know how you asked her. How did you propose?”

“Well, I—” Daniel stopped abruptly and rubbed his chin absently. “Huh. You know, I don’t think I ever did.”

“What are you talking about? You
are
going to join, aren’t you?”

“Of course we are. I already said that.”

“Well then? She didn’t ask
you
, did she?”

“Certainly not. Don’t be stupid,” Daniel said, his anger rising. “Do you think I would be so inept as to rely on
her
asking
me
?”

“Well…”

“Careful, Darius.”

“Well then, what?”

“I think, if I remember correctly, after we kissed, I told her I would speak with her father. That we would be joined was sort of…understood.”

“Understood? Do you think that would work? After all, Dearra and I have been inseparable, virtually since we’ve met. Certainly she recognizes that I mean for us to be joined. To require a formal declaration of it seems kind of silly at this point, don’t you think?”

“I think I never took you for such a dreamer, Darius. Have you completely lost your mind? I told you once not to assume where women were concerned, and
never
to assume when that woman was Dearra. Do you remember?”

“Well, yes, but…you said it worked with Carly, and—”

“
Dearra
is not
Carly
. If you try to get away with anything less than an all-out proposal, I think you’re asking for trouble.”

“Then what should I do? What should I say?”

“How should I know? I’m joining with Carly; I didn’t have to bother with all of that.”

“Thanks. Thanks a lot.”

“Don’t mention it, boy.” Daniel paused before continuing. “Relax, Darius. When the time comes, just speak from your heart. Women love that.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

The frustration in his voice was plain and Daniel couldn’t help himself. “I’ll tell you what, Darius, if it will help, you can practice on me. Tell me about my eyes.” Daniel laughed wickedly. Satisfied at the annoyed look on Darius’s face, Daniel gave his horse a nudge and trotted ahead of him.

Phillip

Father, why are girls so strange? Zuzu came to me last night and asked if I was going to go home for real and leave here. I said sure I was. I mean, that’s kind of the whole point of you coming to get me. She asked if I was really going to ask you to take her with us, and I said I told her I would, didn’t I? She got up and started pacing back and forth really fast, and talking to herself under her breath about fathers and sisters and duty, then she flopped down next to me and asked me to tell her about Maj again.

See what I mean? Weird.

She asked if the women on Maj really get to do whatever they want. So I told her, yeah, of course; why wouldn’t they? She asked me if the men ever tell the women no. I told her, sure they do, all the time, but the women usually just laugh and do what they want anyway. Zuzu just shook her head and started mumbling to herself again. She asked if it was true that Dearra really carried a sword and fought just like one of the men, and I said, yeah, it was true. She asked if it was really true that men sewed dresses and cooked food and took care of children. I told her, yeah, that’s true too. She asked if kids get beat on Maj. I told her that sure, sometimes we get spanked on our butts.

She looked at me like I was crazy when I said that. She said to me, no, she means beat, like with boards, or whips, or…stuff. I didn’t even know how to answer that. I told her one time I heard about someone who got spanked with a switch, but that you told the man that the stick wasn’t the parent, he was, and if he needed it to prove his point, then his case was pretty weak.

She stared at me for like, two minutes, with those pretty black eyes of hers, and then she just sort of drifted out of the room.

See, Father? Strange.

The fabric of Dearra’s pants rubbed against her legs as Khan moved beneath her. She was grateful that he had ceased the trotting and switched, instead, to a steady walk. She hadn’t been able to match Carly’s easy grace in the saddle, and Khan’s faster gait had caused a number of painful bruises. Though she wouldn’t add to her bruises with Khan walking, the ones she already had nagged at her constantly, prompting her to shift positions frequently, which only added to the chafing.

“Dearra, for Cyrus’ sake, sit still! Are you dancing back there?”

“No, I…I think I may have a problem.”

About time you spoke up.

Hush, Brin. In all my discomfort I haven’t complained, not even once.

Out loud, no. But I can hear you screaming, just the same.

Carly brought Khan to a halt and turned to face Dearra. “What kind of problem?”

“I think I may be a little chafed,” Dearra admitted.

They had been riding for almost ten hours by that time, and while it had been a long day, Carly had hoped they would make a few more miles before they lost their light.

“When did this start?” Carly asked.

“Our last visit to Aesri. It was pretty mild then, but it never really healed, and now with all the traveling we’ve done today, I think it’s gotten a lot worse.”

“Dearra? Why didn’t you say something sooner? Get down. I’ll have to take a look at it.”

“Oh, no, Carly. Please, it’s so embarrassing.”

“You’re right, Dearra. Don’t show me, I’ll just stand here and imagine the problem, and you can imagine it being treated, and then you can imagine it feeling better, and we can imagine being on our way. Now, stop being stupid and take your pants off.”

“No offense, Carly, but I think your inner Etrafarian is a little bit sarcastic. You could be nicer about it.”

“No offense taken, Dearra, but it’s not my inner Etrafarian. I’ve just been spending a lot more time with you.” Carly quirked an eyebrow almost daring her friend to argue the point, but Dearra remained silent, and the moment of anger passed.

Khan lowered to the sand to allow the girls to dismount, and Dearra gingerly slipped out of her pants. When she removed the soft undergarments, she felt pulling and tearing. Her skin had been rubbed completely raw in spots and the cloth ripped from her skin where the blood had dried.

“Oh, Dearra,” Carly said sucking in her breath as she spoke. “Now, what are we going to do?”

“It’s fine. I’m fine, really. If I can just have a small rest, I know I can go on again.”

Yes, I’m sure ten or fifteen minutes will make everything all better. I wonder what Darius would have to say about that? I bet he would— Oh, Damn!

What, Brin? What is it?

Nothing, I uh, I just remembered something. You just let Carly help you.”

Dearra thought Brin was behaving strangely, but for him, strange was almost normal, which made no sense, but was true none the less. He could be exasperating, but she loved him anyway. If she could have heard what he was thinking at that moment, however, her love might have faded just a bit.

Darius! Stop!

What is it, Brin? Is Dearra okay?

Yes, she’s fine. Just stop! Don’t take even one more step. They are just over the next dune and…just stop.

You nearly scared me to death, Brin! Don’t do that anymore. What’s the worst that could happen? So they see us. I would prefer we travel together anyway, at least until we get nearer to Darak. Are you really so worried about them seeing us?

No, I worry about
you
seeing
them
.

What?

Just, trust me.

“What’s going on? Why are we stopping?” Daniel demanded.

“Brin says we need to hold up here. The girls have stopped up ahead.” Darius stood in the stirrups and swung a leg over his horse’s back and dropped to the sand. It had been a long time since he had needed to ride, and he was starting to notice the protest of muscles not often used. “You might as well take this opportunity to get down, Daniel. If
I’m
feeling it, I know
you
are.”

Daniel stayed where he was and shrugged. “I’m sure they’ll be on their way soon. It hardly pays to get down only to have to get right back up again.”

“I would agree with you, but Brin says it’s going to be a while.” When Daniel stayed where he was, Darius began to suspect the real reason for his hesitation, and despite his best efforts, he began to laugh. “You…you’re stuck, aren’t you?” he asked between broken chuckles.

The stiff nod from Daniel prompted Darius to a fresh wave of laughter so great, Darius had to lean heavily against his horse to keep from dropping to his knees.

“Shut up and help me!”

“I’m sorry, Daniel,” Darius said, wiping a tear from his eye.

“You’re not sorry yet, but you will be if you don’t quit braying like an ass and help me off of this thing.”

“All right. Come on then.” Darius held his arms up to the proud weapons master as he would to lift a small child. Daniel’s face turned almost purple at the Breken’s actions, and Darius started laughing once again.

“Darius.” Daniel said, his voice icy cold. “You realize that I will get down at some point, and that eventually, you have to go to sleep, right?”

Darius gradually got control of himself and held up his hands in surrender. He took hold of Daniel’s booted foot, and while Daniel leaned back, Darius helped him lift the leg up and over the horse’s neck so that Daniel sat sideways, with both legs hanging over the same side. Next, Darius went around to stand next to the horse. Daniel braced a hand on Darius’s shoulder while he slid off the animal and onto his own two feet.

Darius was about to offer what he thought was a very witty comment, when Daniel’s hand smacked him sharply at the back of the head. Under the circumstances, Darius decided that maybe he would be wiser to stay silent.

The two men stretched the stiffness from their weary muscles and took the opportunity to water and feed their horses before settling down to enjoy a bit of refreshment themselves.

Daniel couldn’t guess what had caused the girls to pause, but he was grateful for the rest, nevertheless.

***

“Carly,” Dearra said, somewhat impatiently, “what are you doing? I feel like a haunch of venison laid out on cook’s table. This is just embarrassing.”

Carly sighed before speaking. “If you would just keep still for a moment, I might be able to accomplish something.”

“Yes, but what
is
it you’re doing?” 

“I’m trying to pull water from the air to bathe your wounds. We have water in the skins we brought, but I am hesitant to use it. I figure if I have to learn how to control this…whatever it is, I might as well start now.”

“That’s very practical, Carly, but could you try to hurry? I feel a little…exposed.”

Carly didn’t answer. Her eyes closed as she held the cloth out before her, trying to coax the water out from the air around her. A soft sound escaped her lips, and she began to chant to herself in a sing-song sort of way.

The words were completely unfamiliar to Dearra, but she watched, wide-eyed, as what appeared to be wisps of clouds formed just over their heads. “Uh, Carly?”

Carly did not respond, but only swayed from side to side and continued her quiet song. All the while, the cloud formation grew darker and more ominous.

“Um, Carly?” Dearra said again.

Finally, Carly seemed to hear her, and her eyes flew open. “What?” she snapped. At that exact moment, the cloud above them let loose and rain pelted down upon the girls in a torrent only six feet in diameter. “See? I
knew
I could do it,” Carly said loftily.

It was obvious to Dearra, however, that Carly was just as surprised as she was. “Do what? Drown us?”

Carly sniffed indignantly and shoved her dripping hair away from her eyes. “Let’s see you do better.”

“All right. I’m sorry. You are very, very impressive.”

Yes, but can she stop it? That’s the real question. I can feel my fabulous blade rusting as we speak.

You don’t rust, Brin. Brag, complain, and nag? Certainly. But rust? Never.

Hey!

Peace, Brin. You do have a point. It
is
getting a little wet.

Carly was busy on her ministrations to Dearra’s wounds when Dearra asked, “Carly? Not that you aren’t, you know, wonderful and everything, but do you think you could maybe try to turn it off?”

Carly rocked back on her heals, closed her eyes again, and the rain tapered to a soft drizzle before finally coming to a halt. Carly smiled in triumphant satisfaction.

Even Dearra had to admit she was pleased and proud of her friend’s success. “That really was good, Carly. We’ll need to stay put for a while to dry off before we begin again, but it was worth it.”

“Thanks, Dearra. I was really nervous. I wasn’t sure I would be able to make it stop. When I tried, it felt like…like pulling back. No, that’s not right. Like…like turning inside-out, or pulling into myself—I don’t know how to explain it. It wasn’t really painful, but…uncomfortable, like trying to fit into a skin that’s one size too small for my body.”

“It sounds disgusting, really.”

Carly laughed. “I’m just not explaining it right.”

“I find that comforting. The whole skin thing was just odd.”

The two friends moved to a dry patch of sand, and after laying their garments out to dry, stretched themselves out to soak up the warming rays of the sun.

***

Darius stared at the way the water moved as he swirled it around in the cup in his hand, grateful for the distraction. Sitting there with nothing to do and nowhere to go left him with time to dwell on the current state of affairs. Lately, it seemed like he was constantly running from perceived danger into certain danger, from destruction, headlong towards annihilation, and when he thought about it, he realized that it was because he had been following Dearra. Wherever she went, he went, and almost without exception, she chose the direction that promised the most peril.

Darius shook his head, and the corners of his mouth curved upward. If nothing else, at least she was consistent. He thought again about his plan to join with her, or at least his plan to ask her to join with him. She had become such an important part of him that he could no longer imagine trying to function without her. Logically, it only made sense for them to join, to share all aspects of life with one another. She was a warrior, albeit unlike any he had known before. She understood him on that level, and he felt comfortable with her. She was a friend, a true friend, and he trusted her with his life. For a Breken, there was no higher compliment.

But there was more to Dearra than that. She wasn’t just his friend; she was his world. The way her eyes lit up when she had an idea always made him smile in response to her almost childlike enthusiasm. The way her lower lip trembled when tears threatened to spill from her magnificent eyes was enough to make him want to promise her the world if only to save her from any hint of sadness. And when she looked up at him through those long lashes and smiled, his heart beat like a hummingbird’s wings until it felt like it would fly apart into a million pieces if he didn’t take her in his arms and kiss her. He could almost feel the warmth of her breath, feather soft on his face, as he remembered the way she twined her arms around his neck to hold him more closely to her. He could feel how she felt when she would press herself against—

“Darius!”

He was startled from his thoughts by Daniel’s harsh call. A little embarrassed to be caught daydreaming, he felt himself flush as he looked up to meet the weapons master’s eyes.

“Honestly, boy. What am I going to do with you? What were you thinking about, anyway?”

“Nothing, really. Why?”

“Nothing, huh? Had the cup offended you personally? Something it said, perhaps?”

Darius looked down at the lump of twisted tin he held in his hands and flushed more deeply than before. He hoped the natural copper of his skin would protect him from Daniel’s scrutiny.

“You know what? Never mind. I don’t want to know. It’s either something stupid, or something I would have to kill you for. In either case, it’s too hot to waste that much energy.” Daniel stood, brushed the sand from his sides, and walked over to check on the horses.

I agree with Daniel,
Brin said, his voice petulant.
It’s too hot for such nonsense. It doesn’t do anyone any good for you to think like that, besides. You’ll just wind up driving yourself crazy. History has already shown us it’s too dangerous for you to let your imagination run away with you like that.

It’s hardly dangerous, Brin. You can’t believe for one minute that I would ever put Dearra in danger again. I would never—                  

Bah! Words! Had I asked you before it happened you would have said the same thing. People have no control over their instincts. If you knew how important…how you could have ruined…what might have…well, never mind what could have. I need you to focus!