The morning air was cold and heavy with a fog that blanketed the dew-laden ground. The domain of the night was just beginning to surrender to the first light of the sun as it neared its appearance on the horizon.
They camped in a clearing inside a dense knot of trees, bedding down for the night beside old trunks and fallen branches. The floor was littered with generations of fallen leaves and delicate ferns.
Tavis and Gedris slept soundly as the night faded away. Ayawa sat on a log twenty paces away and looked down a slope to a small stream below. She had changed into her hunting leathers and taken the nights watch. She was tired from a long night of staring into shadows and yawned into a hand. She had taken great care to hide the camp, choosing a site well off the roads and hidden from prying eyes. They had even used Gedris to cause fresh growth to conceal the passage of the horses through the fields.
She hoped it would be enough. After the debacle at the wagons, she knew it would only be a matter of time before their pursuers were scouring the countryside. They would undoubtedly find some of the women and would learn who had rescued them.
She yawned again and shook her head to throw the pangs of sleep aside. The land around them was quiet and calm as the dark shapes moved in. She had her back to them when she heard a branch crack. Quickly she turned with her bow in hand and readied an arrow testing the string with her fingertips. She saw nothing but the trees with branches swaying in a gentle breeze. The air smelled of damp soil and distant wildflowers. Nothing to raise concern, but her eyes continued to search.
She crept on her toes, stepping with care as she walked back into the camp. Coming to stand with Tavis to her left and Gedris to her right and still all she saw were trees.
With a sigh, she dismissed the sound as a falling branch or an acorn and turned to Tavis. She knelt beside her pack and set her bow down as she went to wake him.
All at once, there was a sudden cracking noise, and a white light illuminated the air as the ward Gedris had woven around the campsite was broken.
Ayawa sprang up at the sudden disturbance and saw a man in all black appear from behind a tree. He took aim with a crossbow as his menacing eyes narrowed on her. She grabbed her nearby pack and threw it over her back as she threw herself over Tavis the bolt burying itself into the leather.
Three other black forms rushed in as Ayawa quickly recovered. They were too close for the bow, so she grabbed the knives at her waist instead. She rushed out to meet them with the familiar curved bone handles pressed to her hands.
Tavis was woken when Ayawa fell on him. He didn't understand what was going on until she leaped away with her knives and he saw the forms in the camp. He quickly struggled to his feet as Ayawa began to trade slices with three people.
He reached for his swords stacked against his pack beside him as a man stepped out of the trees and leveled a crossbow his way. He looked up at the man just as he grabbed a sword and the bolt loosed. It all happened too quickly, and he wasn't even sure what he saw. A green glass-like substance formed before him and the bolt bounced harmlessly off.
He didn't give the man a chance to reload and charged him. The man threw the crossbow at him and went to draw a blade but found his legs being wrapped by suddenly growing vines. Tavis understood immediately it was Gedris and wasted no time in cutting the man down. He turned to see Ayawa as she now had four black-garbed forms around her, trying desperately to land a blow.
Gedris was beyond her hiding against the trunk of a tree calling on divine power. A green shield formed to Ayawa's side blocking a man from reaching her. Instead, the man followed the green lines back and turned on Gedris.
Tavis bolted across the camp and reached Gedris just as the assassin did. They collided in a tangle of cursing and blades as Gedris yelped in fright.
He struggled to pin the man and overpower him, and the two glared at each other with murder in their eyes.
Gedris fell away from the tree as Tavis tackled the man that was coming to kill her. She hadn't thought to keep her weapon close while she slept, and now realized how unprepared she was. She groped around the ground for a branch or a rock to strike the man with as they fought beside her.
She found a thin branch and went to beat the man over the head with it, but as she got close, he kicked out and hit her knee, toppling her back. From the ground, she looked up and gaped in awe at the woman with copper skin and death painted on her face.
Gedris watched as if in slow motion as Ayawa danced with four men. Her knives were moving so fast that she easily deflected cuts and slashes all the while pushing them back. Gedris didn't even notice Ayawa had landed a hit until a man fell away clutching the inside of an arm. A moment later, a second man twisted and fell groping at a throat as he bled into the dirt.
She couldn’t look away as Ayawa worked like a master of death. Her blades found a third man stabbing him through his weapon arm and causing him to drop his dagger. He stumbled back as she turned on the last man who held a short knife of his own in each hand. For just a moment they seemed equally matched, and then it fell apart. Ayawa landed a series of sudden stabs working her way up the man's chest. He couldn't even fall as her blades punctured him and she finally released him with a slash to his neck.
She quickly turned on the two wounded but living men. They tried to stand against her with weapons in off hands, but they lasted only a moment.
Ayawa raced past her and buried a knife in the back of the last man’s head as he wrestled with Tavis.
In seconds it was over, and Gedris hadn't even gotten up.
Ayawa stood her chest heaving with her arms held out and a dripping red blade in each hand. She whipped her head around and locked her gaze on Gedris with a face that lacked any compassion.
Gedris froze and wasn't sure how to breathe anymore. The look of death the woman gave her made her feel as if she was next.
“Are you alright?” Ayawa asked, but Gedris was frozen.
“Answer me, girl!”
Gedris jumped and came back to her senses. “I’m fine!” she yelped rapidly.
Tavis stood up behind Ayawa and began to dust himself off.
“How did they find us?” he grumbled.
“I don't know! We are well off the road and hidden in dense brush!” Ayawa remarked. “We even covered our tracks with her growth.”
“Well, they found us anyway,” he said.
“What was that sound and light?” Ayawa asked as he picked up his sword.
“I suspect that was a ward,” he said and nodded to Gedris.
Ayawa turned back around to glare at her and Gedris wished she had never learned what a ward was.
“You did that?” Ayawa asked.
“I thought it would be safer,” she stammered.
“When did you place a ward?” Ayawa demanded.
“When you went out to the stream. He was in his weave, so I walked around the camp and placed one. I set it to ignore you two, so it would not be tripped accidentally.”
Ayawa still breathed heavily as Tavis rolled the body closest to him over.
“These were not as well trained as the first one,” he said.
“That one was an elite hunter. These must be rank and file cannon fodder,” Ayawa replied as she turned her back on Gedris.
“That means there must be more nearby,” Tavis said. “If these found us the rest must know we're here.”
Ayawa turned on Gedris again, and the woman jumped. “I want the water filled quickly. If you see anything, you run back here.”
Gedris nodded as she stumbled to her feet and practically tripped over the water skins.
“Are you angry at her?” Tavis asked when Gedris as well down the hill.
Ayawa whirled around and wrapped him in a hug. “The woman laid there like a stone while we nearly died! She has no backbone for killing, yet charges into battles with no weapon and no plan. She is reckless, irresponsible, and a danger to us both.”
“She is young and confused. She planned to spend her life tending a garden in a temple, now she’s hiding in the wilds with us,” Tavis said as he pulled away. “You should have sent her east with the other women if you feel like this.”
“She begged me to let her stay,” Ayawa said. “I don’t know why I let her.”
Tavis saw something in her eyes. It was a glance of concern that hinted she was thinking of something. He wanted to pry at what was going on in her mind but decided that searching the bodies might be more prudent.
He picked through the hidden pockets of the men and discovered two of them were women. They carried more knives and a little coin but nothing that told them anymore. Gedris ran back into the camp with the full bottles just as he finished searching the last one.
“Tie them to the horses and get saddled,” Ayawa barked at her.
Tavis watched almost amazed as Gedris bowed and did precisely as she was told.
“What else did you two talk about?” he asked.
“Nothing,” Ayawa replied.
“Then why is she suddenly doing what you say?”
“She promised to obey me,” Ayawa said. “She is doing what she agreed to.”
“She may have saved our lives,” Tavis said. “We should all be dead right now.”
Ayawa sighed and looked over at the woman as she tied a bottle to Tavis’s horse. He noted that her eyes narrowed and the concern he saw a moment ago returned.
“Let’s get moving before more show up,” she said and walked for her horse.
They quickly mounted, making their way to the edge of the trees, and looked out over the sea of grassland they had crossed the night before. Ayawa cursed as she saw the mistake they had made.
“I’m so sorry!” Gedris cried.
“Well, at least we know how they found us,” Tavis said.
Ayawa shook her head as she looked across the land. It was mostly wild growth of brown grasses and weeds, but there was a line of bright green growth leading across the land right to where they had camped. Gedris's blessing had hidden the horse's passage but left an even easier trail to follow.
“It was dark. I didn't realize it stood out!” Gedris cried.
“None of us noticed,” Tavis said from the back of his horse.
“We are making careless mistakes!” Ayawa scolded. “Let’s move before somebody else finds that trail!”
They rode through the early hours with Gedris trailing behind them. His mind was plagued with concerns about what was happening here. Ayawa was preoccupied with a thought she wasn't sharing. His mind was on what he had seen the night before and what it meant. He decided he would have to tell Ayawa, but he would wait until Gedris was safely gone. Once the last two men were on their way, they could head north themselves. Somewhere along the road, they might be able to leave her at a temple. If not they could almost certainly leave her behind at Windcrest. He made it up in his mind to put Gedris out of it and instead figure out what was bothering his wife. He glanced at Gedris to see she was safely twenty paces back before speaking to Ayawa.
“So do you want to tell me what’s bothering you?” he asked.
Ayawa huffed. “I worry I have made a mistake with her.”
He glanced back again and nodded. “I agree, but you had a second chance to get rid of her.”
Ayawa set her jaw in a firm scowl. “I wanted her to stay.”
“Why?” he asked.
“Ayawa shook her head. “She reminds me of myself before our lives went so wrong.”
“You were nothing like that,” Tavis said. “When I first met you, you could take three men with bare hands and drop them without spilling your drink.”
Ayawa shook her head. “I mean, I had a desire for a gentler life. I wanted a home and family.”
Tavis nodded and took a moment to think through his thoughts. He remembered the early days when they talked about building a house and raising chickens. He chuckled at the thought of seeing Ayawa in a farmer's dress casting seed for the birds.
“So now that’s funny?” she asked.
“I was just imaging you as a farmers wife,” he said. “It suits you.”
Ayawa sighed.
He saw her expression change to one of pain, and he leaned over a little.
“We still have plenty of time to have a family. Were both very young,” he said.
“Look at Gersius,” she said. “When we first met him, he was already trying to find a way to leave the order. Now eight years later he's marching off to another war. No matter what his heart desires, he never finds the peace he wants.”
“He is marching off with a wife. He has started building his family,” Tavis pointed out.
“He has a wife, but a family,” Ayawa corrected. “He could have a family if he ever finds a way to lay down his damn sword!”
Tavis sat back and sighed. “Our plans haven't gone the way we hoped, but that is no reason to assume they never will. Our hearts will never give up on our dreams.”
Ayawa turned her head to face him. “Do you have the same heart you once had?”
He remained silent as he returned her gaze.
“That woman you knew all those years ago. She wasn't burdened by wars and death. She didn't know how to leap out of bed and kill five men before she was even fully awake. She was more like that girl behind us. She wanted other things, and she didn't worry about closing her eyes at night. I don't know if I want those dreams anymore. I don't know if I am that woman, she reminds me of.”
Tavis saw her pain but wasn't sure how to help her. They had a traumatic past that had indeed changed his heart and hardened him to the world around him. None of that changed how he felt about her, however, and at this moment, all he cared about was her pain.
“I would walk away from all of this if you wanted,” he said. “We could find someplace quiet and have that life.”
“We can’t walk away, that damn fool needs us,” Ayawa replied.
“He has Lilly now, he will be happy,” he suggested.
He saw Ayawa's face twitch, and her eyes darted away at the mention of the name. He wondered why had that bothered her? He kept an eye on her as she straightened in the saddle.
“We should be to town in less than an hour,” she said, changing the subject.
He decided to let this go and not pursue it. He glanced over his shoulder to see Gedris riding with her face cast down as Ayawa went silent beside him. Something was wrong here, something he couldn’t put his finger on. They were as far apart in personality as they could be and yet Ayawa wanted to keep her?
The town of Jutland was cramped and full of sheep. The hills around for miles had been grazing land and the towns major export was the wool. They had split up again with Gedris walking ahead while Tavis and Ayawa trailed behind. The two men they were looking for were both hiding here working a warehouse that handled trade to the west.
They had been easy to locate and even easier to convince. They were more than ready to stop throwing bales of wool and join Gersius instead.
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An hour later and the three of them were making their way out of town. Ayawa was preoccupied with inspecting every shop they passed until she suddenly stopped.
“You come here,” she said to Gedris.
Gedris walked silently up to her, and Ayawa took her hand and dragged her into a shop. Tavis looked at the sign above and shook his head.
“What training with a weapon do you have?” Ayawa asked as she dragged Gedris to a wall of swords and spears.
“I know how to use my staff,” she said with concern in her voice.
“You know nothing else?” Ayawa asked with narrow eyes.
“I have a little sword training,” she admitted. “I know how to hold it and swing it without losing my balance.”
“What fighting styles do you know?” Ayawa pressed.
Gedris shook her head. “I only know what the temple showed me years ago. I haven’t held a sword since then.”
Ayawa ran a hand down her face and glared at her. “So you know how to hold a sword, but no actual fighting styles?”
Gedris shrugged.
Ayawa muttered to herself as she turned to the wall and picked a thin light sword. She handed it to Gedris and stepped back.
“How does that feel?” Ayawa asked.
Gedris lifted the blade and held it out in her right hand. “It’s a little heavy. It hurts my wrist.”
“That’s a horseman’s saber. They don’t get any lighter than that. You must have no muscle in your arms if that’s too heavy.”
“I’m sorry!” Gedris snapped back. “I didn’t join the order of Ulustrah to fight!”
“If you plan to travel with us you're going to have to. You need to learn how to fight with a proper weapon. I can't keep worrying about your safety.”
Gedris paused a moment and lowered the blade. “You worry about me?”
“It was a figure of speech,” Ayawa said with angry eyes.
Gedris held the sword up. “This is too heavy.”
“Perhaps the lady would like a rapier,” a man behind the counter suggested.
Ayawa glanced over at him with a scowl that told him everything he needed to know, and he scurried away.
“What about that one?” Gedris asked as she pointed to a thin foil.
“That's not a sword,” Ayawa said with a shake of her head. “People use that for practice and duels. In combat, it is functionally useless.”
“Well, what about knives like yours then?” Gedris asked. “Those must be lighter.”
Ayawa let out a pfft as she smiled. “It takes years of training to master knife fighting. You have to teach your body to respond without having to think.”
“So my body can’t learn?” Gedris asked.
Ayawa shook her head. “You would have to commit yourself to a very dedicated regimen of training. I am not going to waste my time on a girl who will not follow through with it.”
“I already told you I would do what you said,” Gedris pointed out.
“You promised not to rush into battles and risk getting us killed. This is a whole different level of commitment,” Ayawa replied as her hands folded over her chest. “I’m not wasting my time.”
Gedris flared her nostrils and locked the woman’s gaze. “I will prove to you that I will do it!”
“How do you plan to do that?”
Gedris stood tall and set her jaw to look defiant. “I will give you the oath of service and become your Rokki.”
Ayawa leaned back and scrunched her face. “Why would I do that?”
“Because then you will understand my level of commitment!” Gedris argued.
“You have no idea what you're asking,” Ayawa laughed.
“I am asking to be your slave,” Gedris said. “I will swear the oath your people use and give myself to you. Will that be proof enough?”
“I don’t want a slave,” Ayawa said.
“Then what do you want?” Gedris asked. “I know you want me to go, but I want to stay. I will learn how to fight if it will ease your concern. I will carry the water and cook the food and clean your saddles and packs.”
“You know how to cook?” Ayawa asked.
“A little,” Gedris admitted. “But we have nothing to cook with, and you never light a fire.”
“Tavis could use a cooked meal once in a while,” she said. “I cook them when we can, but it is a chore I don't care for.”
“Then let me do it. I will cook for you both!”
“Why are you being so agreeable?” Ayawa snapped. “When we first me you days ago you were spitting angry and ready to fight the order of Astikar alone with your stick. Now you're practically begging me to keep you at our side. What are you playing at?”
Gedris tried to stand tall and look brave as she replied. “I was angry in those early days because I thought I knew what I was doing. I was going to fight them and win because I was so sure I had what it took. All the women I have ever served with were like me. We always believed we were ready for any challenge.” She looked Ayawa in the eyes and frowned. “Then I saw you, and I saw what being ready looked like.”
Ayawa raised a brow as the women began to twist in discomfort.
“I doubted myself after I saw what you could do. I realized I wasn't ready, I didn't know what to do, and more importantly, there was nobody to take care of me.”
“This is why you insisted on staying with us,” Ayawa said.
Gedris nodded. “I feel safe around you. Your the strongest woman I have ever met. I felt I needed to prove to you I could be brave like you were. That's why I ran into that fight. I just wanted to prove I wasn't a coward.”
“Why would you think of yourself as a coward?” Ayawa asked.
Gedris turned away. “Because all I have ever done my whole life is run! I joined the order of Ulustrah because I was running away. I came to love the Goddess and her faith; it was the perfect match for me. They taught us a little fighting, but we never expected to need it. I thought I could live my life in my temple blessing the trees and the crops, and one day, a man would win my heart, and I would be a mother.”
“So what’s wrong with that?” Ayawa asked.
Gedris looked back at her. “I only wanted to be a mother to run and hide again! I wanted somebody to take care of me! If I stay at the temple, I will eventually climb the ranks and have responsibilities I don't want!”
“The life of a wife and mother is hardly a lack of responsibility. It takes sacrifice and dedication to care for a home and children. If you approach it with that attitude, you will make a poor wife and even worse mother.”
“I know that,” Gedris said. “I know it, and I am tired of running away. Now the order I love is under attack, and I am powerless to do anything about it. You saw that wagon train. All those women were captured by farmers and laborers looking to make quick coin. Our order doesn't know how to fight.”
“We saw plenty of soldiers of your order in Eastgate, they knew how to fight,” Ayawa said.
“That’s a major temple with a standing garrison,” Gedris said. “We have two small companies of soldiers we keep at the ready. The order of Astikar keeps ten times that at the ready and their companies are larger. The rest of us are no better in combat than I am.”
Ayawa shook her head. “I could teach you to swing a blade, but you need the temperament to go with it. You are reckless and headstrong! You act before you think! Adding a sword to that mix is only going to get people needlessly killed!”
“I will give you the oath,” Gedris said. “Please teach me how to fight with the knives.”
“You don’t have what it takes,” Ayawa said firmly.
Gedris sniffed and looked away. “Your right, I don't. That's why I run from everything. I never believed I could be anything but what I am. At first, all I wanted to do was go back to my temple and forget all this. But then I watched you, and I saw who you were. You are the strongest woman I have ever seen, and I wanted to learn from you.
Ayawa sighed. “Listen. This road I walk isn't for girls; it isn't even for women. You lose yourself when you start shedding blood. You lose who you are inside, and it's replaced by something else. I would rather keep you safe and keep you who you are. You have no idea what you are trying to give up.”
“A coward who runs away all the time?” Gedris asked.
“There is no shame in running from a fight you can't win,” Ayawa said. “You couldn't beat your parents, and you couldn't change your fate. You had the strength and courage to run into the unknown and try to start over. That is not cowardice; it speaks of a woman who has deep passions, but doesn't know what to do with them.”
“I am sick of running,” Gedris said.
Ayawa chuckled. “You think we're done running? Do you think we always stand our ground? We run from every fight we can, and only stand when we have to. Even Gersius runs from fights he knows he can't win.”
Gedris sighed and looked back to the wall.
“So you brought me in her to buy me a sword because it would be quick to teach me some basic combat with it.”
“Far easier than the knives,” Ayawa said. “I would feel better if I knew you could at least pose a threat.”
“What about the bow?” Gedris asked.
Ayawa laughed again and wiped her smile with her hand. “Do you think you could even draw a bow?”
“You can draw a bow, why can’t I?” Gedris asked.
Ayawa put out her arm and bent it back. Her tight skin revealed a pattern of firm muscles. Gedris looked at her own arms and frowned.
“You found the sword too heavy to hold. You won’t be able to use a bow,” Ayawa said.
Gedris sighed at her. “So I am useless then?”
Ayawa dropped her smile. “Girl I am trying to help you here. I agreed to let you stay, and that makes you my responsibility. If you get killed out there, it will be my fault now.”
Gedris wiped a tear away with a sniff.
Ayawa growled and shook her head. “If I teach you to fight with knives, do you promise me you will train every day?”
Gedris nodded her head as she wiped the other eye.
With a sigh, Ayawa took her hand and dragged her to the counter where they kept daggers and short blades. She had the man get out several pairs of blades so Gedris could handle them, and so Ayawa could make a few cuts. The settled on a set of four well balanced thin bladed daggers.
As they exited the shop, Tavis was leaning against the wall with his hat pulled down.
“An odd place to make a stop,” he said.
“She needed a weapon,” Ayawa said. “Her stick isn’t going to impress a soldier in armor.”
“So you bought her a sword?” he asked.
“I bought her some knives,” Ayawa replied as they started walking. “I will teach her how to use them.”
Tavis sighed and shook his head. He glanced back at Gedris, who was smiling and holding a small belt with four blades to one side. He didn't like where this was going. He had been hoping her time with them would be short and that once they completed the mission, they could dump her off on Gersius. If Ayawa was committing to train her in knife fighting that meant the girl was staying. If she was staying, then he needed to speak to Ayawa about last night.
“I need to talk to you alone,” he said.
“What about?” she asked.
He gestured to an alleyway, and she stopped and turned to Gedris.
“You wait here, we will be right back.”
Gedris nodded, and Tavis led Ayawa away. He took a deep breath and told her what he saw the night before and how he was sure it was intentional. Ayawa stormed out of the alley and walked right up to Gedris, grabbing her by her dress collar.
“On your knees now!” Ayawa barked at her drawing stares from people on the street.
“What's wrong?” Gedris squeaked.
“On your knees or I will cut your lower legs off to get you there!” Ayawa shouted.
Gedris fell to her knees and looked up into the angry eyes of Ayawa.
“You give me the oath, or I am leaving you here to rot!”
“You? You want to make me your rokki?” Gedris stammered.
“Now!” Ayawa shouted.
Gedris trembled as her mouth started to move. Tavis walked up behind her mystified as to what was going on. He heard Gedris swear an oath that made her Ayawa’s property. She became a woman with no rights and no purpose but to obey.
Ayawa grabbed her and pulled her back up. “From now on you will bathe when I tell you to bathe. If you want Tavis to watch so badly, you can do it in front of his face!”
Gedris jumped as her skin flushed as she glanced at Tavis.
“He told me,” Ayawa said. “Did you think he would keep that a secret from me?”
“I didn’t mean any harm,” Gedris whispered.
“I will beat this impulsive nature out of you,” Ayawa said. “You are not free to do what you want anymore. You will do things exactly how I want them, and you will do them where we can both watch!”
Gedris trembled and dropped the belt of knives at her feet.
“Pick that up!” Ayawa growled. She waited until Gedris was standing clutching the belt to her chest. “Now, let's find a shop. You're going to start doing exactly what you said. You will cook, you will clean, and you will serve!”
Tavis stood by amazed as the woman was led away like a child being dragged by her mother. That night Ayawa allowed a fire so the woman could cook while they sat snuggled together. After the meal was over, Ayawa pulled Gedris aside and made her kneel. She took a knife and began to cut the woman's hair. Gedris started to cry as her long hair was cut short and Ayawa braided what was left into a band on the back, a symbol for a servant in her peoples traditions.
“Do you need a bath by chance?” Ayawa asked.
Gedris shook her head.
“Are you sure? You can take one right here. There is plenty of water if you go slow.”
Gedris started to sniff, and her mouth broke in a silent cry.
“Go and sit on your bedroll and be quiet!” Ayawa demanded and then stalked back to Tavis.
“This has got to stop,” Tavis said as she sat back down. “You are humiliating her.”
“She wants to prance around naked for you then let her,” Ayawa said. “She’s lucky I don’t make her do her chores naked.”
“Why did you have to cut her hair?” he asked.
“She knows my people's traditions. Only a woman is allowed long hair. A slave has short hair woven at the back to show ownership.”
“Ayawa, you're taking this far too seriously. You need to take a moment to think about what you're doing,” he suggested.
“That girl over there nearly got us killed!” she hissed while pointing at her. “She begged me to let her stay, and she begged me to train her. She offered to be a rokki in the shop to prove her commitment. Then I find out she is putting on little shows for you. She wants to be with us that badly she can commit completely!”
Tavis shook his head. “That woman set a ward around us last night that saved our lives! I understand why you're mad at her, but a slave?”
“She was the one who offered it. I simply took her up on her offer.”
“She wanted to show you she was committed! I am sure she never thought she would be an actual slave for you to abuse,” he argued.
“Tavis!” she snapped louder than she intended. She glanced at Gedris and then back to him to whisper.
“Trust me on this. I am doing this for her own good. I just need to make the next couple of days uncomfortable for her. I need to break down some of this silly impulsiveness. Offering to be my slave in the shop was just more of it. She speaks before she thinks about what she is saying. Trust me, let me wear her down a little, and then I will train her properly.”
“So you do mean to help her?” he asked.
“How could you think I would do otherwise? I told you she reminded me of myself. If I were really that mad at her, I would have grabbed the knives and left her in the street. What she did with you is more proof she doesn't think. She needs somebody to take her firmly in hand and show her how to control herself.”
“I can't stand to see you be so hard on her,” he said. “What are you going to do with her when you're done?”
Ayawa smiled. “She is a good cook. Maybe I will keep her.”
“Ayawa!”
“The girl can’t fend for herself. I will teach her and set her free. What she wants to do after that is her business.”
“It will take you years to teach her how to fight like you.”
Ayawa nodded. “I know. She needs it, though. She will be happier knowing somebody is making the choices for her.”
“I can’t believe I am hearing you say these things!” Tavis said.
“Why?” Ayawa asked.
“Because you fled your people and your family for saying the same things about you,” he said.
Ayawa was silent a moment and then looked across the camp to where Gedris sat curled up crying.
“She really does remind me of myself,” Ayawa whispered as the memories of her youth came back. “What have I done?”
Tavis smiled. “You reacted impulsively and trapped a poor girl in her own words for being just like you.”
Ayawa put a hand to her face. “I am just as bad.”
“No, you're not. You have experience and wisdom to temper your impulsiveness now. She managed to push you where you're very sensitive and brought you to a bad decision. But I think it will work out in the end so long as you do intend to help her.”
Ayawa looked over at the woman. “She does need to be taken into hand and trained. I will be gentler on her, but I am keeping her to her oath for a little while. I want to make sure she learns from this mistake.”
“You should go talk to her,” he said.
“What am I supposed to say to her?” Ayawa said.
“I don't know. Tell her you're proud of her for making such a hard decision. Make her slavery feel like she did something special, not a torment.”
Ayawa sighed and got up. She walked across the camp and knelt beside the woman. Gedris was laying on her side now with her knees pulled up, crying gently. With another sigh, Ayawa put her hand to the woman's waist to steady her.
“I forgive you for what you did,” Ayawa said. “I am keeping you as my rokki for a little while, but I want you to know I am not angry at you.”
“Your not?” Gedris sniffed.
“You would be surprised to know how alike you and I are,” Ayawa said. “I was just as impulsive as you are. If I weren't, I wouldn't be with Tavis.”
“But you're so strong and capable?” Gedris whispered.
“That came later,” Ayawa said. “Years of struggling on the run. I knew how to fight already, but the mindset and the experience came from long days of hardship.”
Gedris sat up and wiped at her eyes.
“I have not been in my right mind since they dragged me from my temple. I keep making one mistake after another. I am not normally this foolish.”
Ayawa put her hands to the woman's shoulders. “Relax. You have been struggling with uncertainty since that day. You don't know what the right decision to make is, and you have nowhere to run to for help or guidance. So you latched on to us because we were some measure of stability. I understand how you feel, now you understand in return. I have taken you as my rokki. You have a place at my side now. You have somebody to run to for help and guidance. If you promise to commit to your new role, I promise to take care of you. That is what you want after all?”
Gedris lurched over and wrapped her in a hug.
Ayawa glanced over to Tavis, who looked back with a confused expression. She relented and put her arms around the woman and held her.
“When we get to Windcrest, there should be a safe place for you. If you want I will set you free, and you can go your own way,” Ayawa said. “Until then, I expect you to adhere to your oath. I will tell you what to do and when to do it. If you ever find yourself unsure about anything you come to me.”
“Thank you,” Gedris whispered.
“Relax girl. I will take good care of you. It won’t be a country house with floors to sweep, but you will have plenty to do.”
Gedris took a deep breath and closed her eyes as Ayawa stroked her head.
The next morning Ayawa woke to discover Gedris still clinging to her chest. She looked up and saw Tavis smiling down at her.
“You really do know how to apologize,” he laughed.
“Oh for the love of the earth mother!” Ayawa quipped. “Girl get up!”
Gedris stirred with a yawn and lifted her head. She realized where she was and bolted upright with alarm.
“I’m sorry!”
“Quiet!” Ayawa said firmly with a raised hand. “Just clean up the camp and pack the bedrolls.”
Gedris nodded and rushed off.
“So you two made up?” Tavis teased.
“Did you sit there all night watching us?” Ayawa barked.
“You looked comfortable,” he laughed. “I didn’t want to disturb you.”
Ayawa shook her head as she got up and dusted off her dress. “At least I can take this off. We don’t need to go into any more towns.”
“I thought you looked good in it,” Tavis said. “You used to like dresses.”
Ayawa sighed. “That was a long time ago; times have changed.”
Tavis nodded. “Yes, but sometimes they change back.”
She smiled at him. “You’re playing with me. You haven’t been like this for a long time.”
“I spent the night doing a lot of thinking while you played with your new girlfriend.”
“I did not!” Ayawa shouted, causing Gedris to look over from the horses.
“I am teasing you,” he said with a smile. “You fell asleep a minute after she did so I watched the camp.”
“Did you get any sleep?” she asked.
“Not really, but you both needed the rest,” he said.
“You sleep tonight,” she said as she ran a hand down his chest. “I will have her set a ward, and I will watch the camp.”
“So you appreciate her wards now?” he asked.
Ayawa looked over at her and sighed. “She means well and has a good heart. She is just out of her element and scared. It will do her some good to feel useful.”
“Well at least she has a good teacher now,” Tavis said with a smile.