Breathe (The Destiny Series: Book 1) (12 page)

The people of Maj were hard at work. Children flitted about, busy with small chores that were easy work for young backs. The buttery was a hum of activity as was the spinning room where wool was being worked. A large herb garden was being tended by some elderly hands. Normally, the people would have greeted Dearra and passed a word or two with her before returning to their labors, but today the only indication that they even recognized her passing were the quick glances sent her way as she and Darius walked out of the gates of the keep and onto the path that would take them to the practice fields.

The typically friendly people of Maj seemed to be keeping their distance today. Dearra and Darius walked along the normally bustling path in relative silence. Birds squawked and fluttered, and the occasional squirrel or rabbit darted in front of them as they progressed, but people were strangely absent. Darius was unaware how odd it was to be so alone on this particular trail, but Dearra knew differently, and kept glancing around looking for her friends and neighbors.

As they neared the practice field, the sound of steel on steel rang through the air. Dearra could see the eager light that burned in Darius’s eyes. This was something he understood, something he had been around all of his life. Truth be told, she was just the same. Her pulse quickened at the prospect of holding a sword in her hand and doing the deadly dance she loved so well.

“Daniel!” Dearra’s excited voice called over the din of sword play.

Heads turned. Everything came to a sudden halt as men and women stood staring at the Breken warrior who had strolled into their midst.

Daniel continued walking toward Dearra and spared not a glance for the warriors frozen about him, but his great voice bellowed, “Did I say stop? Carry on, or I will come instruct you myself!” As one, they continued with what they were doing, no one caring to be honored with personal instruction from Daniel.

He came to a stop in front of Dearra, but then he took two subtle steps back from the Breken at her side. It was annoying he had to tip his head quite that far back just to make eye contact with the man, and a little distance seemed to help. His words were for Dearra, though his eyes never left the mighty warrior. “So, finally come to play, have you? I would think that with your new sword you would have been here much sooner, but I guess you have been busy with less pleasant tasks.”

That Dearra’s sword was new surprised Darius. The way she swung it at his throat had given him the impression she was more familiar with the blade. The maneuver she had used to subdue him was dangerous under the best of circumstances, as a slight miscalculation in distance could quickly turn the threatening gesture into a deadly one.

“Yes, Daniel. I have been busy, but I’m ready for my lesson. Darius, could you please have a seat there by the tree while I work? I know watching will be a bit dull for you.”

“Not at all, Dearra. I look forward to watching you train. Truly, this is the most at ease I have felt since coming here, but…” Darius’s voice trailed off.

“But?” Dearra said. She waited for him to finish his thought.

“Well, maybe another location to watch from would be best?” he said, looking to the spot where he had been told to wait.

Dearra glanced to the large gnarn tree at the edge of the clearing and took in the wide eyes of a dozen Maj warriors waiting their turn in the practice matches. If their discomfort hadn’t been enough to get Dearra to change her mind about the seating arrangements, the fact they were all holding extremely lethal weapons was. Best not to push them too far too fast. “Yes, maybe you’re right,” she said, clearing her throat slightly. “The grass over there is much nicer. You will be able to enjoy the day and feel the warm sun while you watch,” she suggested.

Darius made his way to the patch of grass while Daniel and Dearra took their positions. He actually did prefer to have the sun on his face out in the open. The shade of the gnarn tree may have been pleasant to some, but Darius had grown up in the blazing heat of the Breken desert and was far more comfortable in the sun. The grass, he did not mind. Greenery being a bit foreign to him, he smiled and ran his hand through the grass around him. The ground was hard from the late summer heat, but the vegetation softened his seat and the lush flora smelled sweet.

There were no words spoken as Dearra’s sword leapt to her grasp, and Daniel’s appeared just as quickly. They had danced this dance too many times before to bother with unnecessary banter. Daniel’s strong arms crashed his blade down in a crushing blow. Darius was worried that surely such a tiny girl could not deflect so powerful a hit. Worry was unnecessary, as Dearra pivoted and spun with the hit, robbing it of much of its power. She stepped back and feinted to her left, then immediately changed direction and came in hard from the right. Daniel anticipated the move, though, and deflected the blow.

Daniel’s voice was steady and tolerant. “Patience, Dearra. You’re trying too hard to win with the first stroke.”

As he spoke, the whirring of blades continued, never pausing for the instruction.

Not that way! Go to the side. There! There! Bah, you could have had him there. Too slow!

The sound of the heated combat sang in Darius as he watched the two skilled combatants with awe. Their style was different than that taught by the Breken, more subtle, somehow.

Daniel’s breathing came faster with the exertion of the fight. “Keep the tip up, Dearra. You’re exposing your side.”

No, no. Go in low! He’s not expecting it! Low, girl! We can take him!

“Dearra! Watch that blade! Keep it higher!”

Dip low. Now you fool!

The voice was so overwhelming, Dearra couldn’t concentrate. When Daniel parried and spun in a graceful turn, it was all she could do to remain standing. The stinging slap to her rump as the flat of Daniel’s blade made contact, was just too much, and she angrily cast the blade to the dirt.

I told you, up! Keep the tip up,
came the blade’s haughty reply.

“Damn it, Brin!” Dearra’s voice broke as her anger surged. Leaving the blade where it landed, she stalked off.

Darius scrambled to his feet to follow, but Daniel put a hand to his arm to stop him.

“I have orders to stay with Dearra. I wouldn’t want to end up dead my first day.” Darius sounded sincere enough, but Daniel guessed it was more likely that the young man was more concerned about Dearra’s abrupt departure than with the safety of his own hide.

“Leave it be, boy. She will be back when she has her temper under control. I will watch over you myself, so you will be safe enough,” Daniel said, his tone mocking.

Darius snorted and rolled his eyes. “Does she do that often? She is an excellent fighter, but letting her temper get so…well, it puts her at a disadvantage.”

“You are hardly in a position to criticize Dearra! When I coshed you on the head you were staring at her like a moonstruck boy. Hardly worthy of a warrior. But yes, I concede that her temper does get the better of her sometimes. I haven’t seen her respond this way, since she was a little girl, though. Throwing her blade down like that and trotting off in a huff, that’s a bit extreme, even for Dearra.”

“It’s the sword, Brin. He was giving instruction at the same time you were, and it confused her,” Darius said, his eyes absently following the path Dearra had taken.

“What? How do you know this?” Daniel said.

“Oh, well…” Darius said, stammering. “I can see the blade is obviously a powerful magical item. My people are more attuned to these things than your own, perhaps. And I have witnessed her speaking to it on occasion. The rest was just a guess.”

“But how—” Daniel’s train of thought was interrupted by the sight of Dearra making her way back to the sword she had cast aside.

Dearra looked at neither man as she slipped a toe beneath the sword’s hilt, and with the flick of her foot, brought the hilt up to her hand.

“Again,” she said flatly. “But perhaps this time, Daniel, if you wouldn’t mind a slight change in our usual style, could you refrain from instruction until the end of the session and offer advice then?” Her tone was somewhat tight as she fought to maintain control, but it was respectful enough. Daniel nodded and he took his position.

And you,
her thoughts started out a bit sharp, but mellowed as she took a mental breath, and then continued.
Could you do the same? Please?

Well, I suppose I could refrain from speaking during the fight, but you really are missing out on the very best of instruction.

Darius let out an abrupt bray of laughter, and Dearra turned to see what had so amused him.

Darius met Dearra’s questioning look and he said, “Oh, ah, nothing. I was just, ah, amused by the antics of some …squirrels I saw fighting over some nuts.”

Dearra didn’t believe one word of it, but had no idea what really had prompted his laughter. It was irritating, but she let it go, and turned to face Daniel once again.

The practice went much more smoothly, now. Daniel managed to gain the advantage twice, once coming around behind her and holding his blade to her exposed neck. Even knowing this was just practice and that Daniel would never hurt her, Darius couldn’t help the violent shudder that swept through him at the site of Dearra so unprotected. Dearra quickly found her rhythm, and on the following four attacks took the advantage over Daniel. On the last, she swept around him in a graceful twirl and returned the slap to the rump he had given her earlier.

Instead of the angry reaction Darius expected, Daniel laughed out loud, a hearty, friendly sound that spread to Dearra, causing her to join in with her own delighted giggle.

“Peace, Dearra!” Daniel said, with a twinkle in his eye. “I need a break!”

The day had turned very warm, and Dearra’s braid hung limply down her back, tendrils of hair escaping and plastering themselves across her forehead and down her neck. She panted slightly from her recent exertion. A smile lit her face and her eyes shone brightly. Her cheeks were flushed from the sun, but she had been enjoying herself.

“Enough for today! I can’t spend all of my time with you!” Daniel spoke gruffly, but Dearra knew it to be all bluff and bluster. He had enjoyed himself as much as she had.

“Come on, Darius. Let’s go back to the castle for the mid-day meal, and then we can go for that swim I promised.”

Daniel watched the way Darius sprang to Dearra’s side, his eyes glowing with enthusiasm over the thought of a mid-day swim and…something else. Something about the way he looked at Dearra, something a little too attentive. “Bah!” he said aloud, “I’m an old man imagining things.”

Dearra and Darius headed west out of the castle. It was a long walk that led them past outlying farms. A few bold youngsters came out of hiding long enough to catch a glimpse of the fearsome Breken, only to disappear almost as quickly, or to be shooed away by nervous parents.

Dearra was becoming annoyed by their reaction to Darius. “I don’t know why they are behaving this way,” she said in a huff.

Darius stopped mid-stride, turned to her and said, “Dearra, I am Breken. I came here with a host of Breken warriors to kill, kidnap, and destroy. Our name is infamous. We are hated and feared wherever we go. We have taken from these people a little boy who is greatly loved.” Darius paused at the pained expression that crossed her features, but continued unhindered. “And now, after sitting prisoner, I am allowed to stroll about, to walk among those very people. My temperament is not yet known, so I am perceived as a threat. I have been trained since childhood to kill without mercy, to see what I want and take it, and they know it. I could turn on them, or you, at any moment, and what could you do about it? If you ask me, they are the ones acting wisely.”

“You would never do that.”

The way she responded caught him off guard. No hint of question was in her voice. It was a statement of fact. To her it was like saying, “The sky is up,” as if it were simple observation that should be plain to everyone.

Darius shook his head at her faith in him and wondered if he was as confident; a lifetime of hate and brutality was a lot to overcome.

“It’s a long walk, Darius. Tell me something about yourself,” Dearra said, hoping to change the subject.

“I hate spinach.” He spoke with complete solemnity, then grinned at the scowl that marred her face.

“I’m serious. I don’t know anything about you. It’s going to be a long, tedious winter, and we may as well get to know each other better.” Suddenly nervous she had overstepped, she blushed a bit and said, “Unless you would prefer not to get too personal. I mean, I guess I shouldn’t assume you want to be friends.”

Again he stopped. She had a way of saying things that utterly confused him. She wanted to be his friend? This little warrior, this delicate beauty, this fascinating creature who stood before him, wanted to be his
friend
. He was confused. He was caught off guard. He was…as happy as he could ever remember being in his life.

Unable to show how he felt, he simply tilted his head, gazed down at her and said, “What do you want to know?”

Dearra smiled and said, “Oh, anything, really. About your family, or your home, or when you were a child.”

The thought of telling Dearra about his childhood or his family as a first attempt at friendship seemed an ill-conceived notion. He decided instead to tell her about his home. It was a safe enough subject and those making the journey there would need to know about it before they went.

“Darius?”

“About my home, then.” He looked down to see if this met with her approval and was greeted with an eager nod of encouragement. “My home is about 4500 miles from here, Dearra, which means, if the winds are favorable and we can do about 8 knots (roughly 100 miles a day), we would be there after about a month and a half.”

Dearra moaned at the thought of over a month at sea going, and again coming back. Her stomach preferred dry land to the swell of ocean waves. “So long!” she said.

“It’s not so long, really. Some of my kin have been out to sea for a year or more at a time.

“The country I come from is called Parsaia, but like the Maj, we refer to ourselves by the specific area we live in, rather than the more common name of our country. The Breken Desert is a vast place and filled with many dangers. There are giant sand serpents that appear from beneath the feet of unwary travelers to swallow them whole. There are great tawny cats that roam the desert at night in search of easy prey. If they were to stand on their hind feet, they would be taller than I am. They hunt in groups to bring down game.” Darius saw her look of nervous apprehension and decided he had given enough information about the local wildlife for the time being. “For us, it is merely a part of everyday life. Do not let it concern you, Dearra.”

“Oh, of course not. Why would monsters and deadly predators concern me?”

“What would happen if a hurricane hit here, Dearra?”

Not sure where this was leading, and somewhat taken aback at the abrupt change in conversation, she did her best to answer his question thoughtfully. “We would board things up as best we could to prevent as much damage as possible. Many of the people would take shelter in the castle. Others would go to the caves until the storm had passed. Then we would clean up and go on as we had before.”

“Most people who live in the Breken Desert have never ventured beyond it. The thought of a storm of that size that could last for hours on end, only to stop, offer a sunlit sky above that suggested an end, and then begin again? Well, that would be terrifying to them. They would never fathom surviving such a thing. But the people of Maj have experience with such storms, they know what needs to be done, and they do it. The storm is no less dangerous, but lives are probably rarely lost because the proper precautions are taken. It is the same in my world, Dearra. If you know what to expect and how to handle it, the reason for blind panic ceases to exist. You simply know what needs to be done, and you do it.”

The way he explained it made sense, and she guessed it would be the same with any new thing she was exposed to. The more she learned about it in advance, the safer she and everyone else would be.

“I’ve heard about deserts, but I’ve never actually seen one. What is it like?”

“There are many kinds of deserts, really, but my homeland is an especially mountainous region, and the area I live in is mostly sand and gravel. Daytime temperatures can easily reach over 120 degrees. You will all need to acquire clothing made of the much lighter, woven fibers of the region when we get there. It is a fearsome and harsh place, but also beautiful in its own way. Great dunes of sand tower from the ground like waves on the sea. In the salt flats, the wind has carved ridges and rifts into the ground in stunning rippling patterns. At night, the temperatures plunge to astonishing levels that can chill you through to the bone. You would not want to be left exposed on the flats without the warmth of a fire.”

Dearra was silent for a while as they continued to walk. Darius was quiet as well in order to give some time for the information to sink bit before he spoke again. “Well?” he said, finally breaking the silence.

“Well, what?”

“I have shared with you. I have heard of friends, and it has been my understanding that it is kind of a give and take relationship. I think it’s your turn.”

“Oh! What do you want to know?” she said, echoing the very words Darius’s had said to her.

“Tell me about when you were small. I can’t quite imagine you as a little girl.”

“I think you can. I wasn’t much different than I am now…except…well…you may find this hard to believe, but I used to have a terrible temper. Fortunately, I outgrew that less than desirable personality trait.”

Darius shot her a sidelong glance before they both burst into peals of laughter.

“So you want to know what I was like as a little girl, do you? I really was a lot like I am now. I was constantly in trouble. I always had to run and see, never to watch or be careful. I wore dresses all of the time. Mother was not in favor of my warrior ways. She hoped I would be a healer like her. I tried, I really did, but though I picked up the basics well enough, I never possessed even a hint of her talent. Father kept a small pair of breeches and a serviceable shirt hidden in a crate near the practice field, and whenever I could escape to watch him, I would slip into the much more comfortable clothes. Daniel would spend hour after hour showing me how to hold a dagger or short-sword. I could watch my father ceaselessly as he and Daniel had mock battles. Father always made me change and return to the castle before mother would miss me. To be honest, I think she always knew. She never said anything, but I thought I could see it in the way she looked at me when I got back. She was never exactly angry, just…oh, I don’t know…disappointed, maybe, or worried.

“One time I was at the stream. It was late spring, and the melting snow had turned the passive little brook into an angry river. A child from one of the farms had been out washing clothes for her mother. She should have just drawn the water from the well for her task, but I imagine she wanted to enjoy the fine day, and maybe she thought the turbulent water would do some of her work for her. There were so many people about, she probably thought she was completely safe. My family and a handful of others had gathered to clear some of the debris that had been swept along the water’s course after the thaw. I was playing with some of the smaller branches and sticks the men had fished out of the stream, building a scaled-down version of the castle. I was closest to her when the bank gave way, and as usual, I didn’t give any thought before acting. She fell into the wild water, and I wasn’t more than two seconds behind her. It was a very stupid thing to do. She was older than me, though not a good swimmer, and she must have outweighed me by a good ten pounds. I was able to reach her and keep her head above water, but not much else. Thankfully, my father got to us very quickly and had us both out of the water before we traveled too far down stream. I was left shivering from the icy water. I could tell my father was shaken by the incident, but I could also see the pride in his eyes. My mother’s eyes were wide, too, but with a totally different emotion. The fear she felt at my actions was plain to see. I felt terrible to have caused her such worry, but given the choice, I would have done anything to have my father look at me the way he did in that very moment. Afterward, he swung me up on his great shoulder and carried me back to the keep. That night I was not sent to the nursery, but allowed at the main table for supper with the adults.”

“The nursery? How old were you, Dearra?”

“Five. My birthday had been the week before, so I remember it pretty well.”  

“What were you thinking? You could have been killed! Was your father insane to praise such behavior?” Darius said, fuming.

Dearra’s laugh bubbled to the surface once more. “Darius, I think it’s important for you to understand: I frequently do things I regret after the fact. You will have plenty to irritate you in the future without becoming so upset by something that occurred twelve years ago.”

Darius realized he was clenching his hands into tight fists and relaxed his grip. She was right, of course. Why was he letting something that happened so long ago, to a person he didn’t even know at the time, affect him so?

Darius cleared his throat as he regained his composure. “I think that’s enough stories for one day. We’ll never reach the lake at this rate.”

“We could run.”

“Run?”

“If you think you can keep up,” Dearra teased. “I wouldn’t say no to a race.”

“With my stride being about two of yours, and with Brin hanging at your side, I think we should save the race for another time, but we can still run for a while, if you like.” He flashed her a smile and the two of them set out at a much faster pace.

When they finally reached water, Dearra fell into an exhausted heap on the bank. The lake was large and fed by natural springs, which Darius found fascinating, as fresh water was rare in his homeland. Though there were underground springs that could be tapped into, and of course, the melting ice coming off the mountains which pooled in the springtime at the edges of the Breken Desert, there was nothing as large as this. He lowered himself to sit beside Dearra and enjoy the soft breeze that came in from the sea.

A new thought came to him as he sat gazing at the lake’s azure waters. They had come to swim. What were they going to wear? Breken boys who were fortunate enough to find a pool of water did not hesitate to strip down to nothing and romp in the rare treat, but he was not with Breken. He was with a very beautiful girl, who was not only daughter of the Lord of Maj, but also his jailor, and just recently, his friend. The thought didn’t seem to bother Dearra, it seemed, as she was in the process of removing the outer leather vest she wore over her soft under shirt.

Dearra saw his pained expression and paused, holding the vest in one hand, and bracing herself in an upright position with the other. “What is it? You look like you swallowed a lemon whole.”

“Nothing. I…” He paused, and then the words came out in a rush as he hurried to ask the awkward question. “I was just wondering what we would, well, what are we going to swim in?”

“Unless you want to walk all the way back in wet leather, I suggest we swim as the gods made us.” She said this casually, tossing the vest she was holding to the side. She giggled again when she saw the look of near panic on his face. “Relax, Darius. It’s a big lake. I’ll swim to the side, there, where the lake bows in and is hidden a bit by the shrubs that line the banks. You can go just a bit back the way we came, and you will find a sandy patch that offers a good spot for bathing. She unbuckled Brin from her hip and tossed the sword on top of the already discarded vest.

Relieved, Darius got up to search for the spot she had spoken of, but if he were to be completely honest with himself, he felt just the slightest pang of disappointment, too. He’d traveled no more than a few paces when the sound of terrified bleating came to his ears. He turned to Dearra, whose head was pivoted toward the sound. A massive grey wolf had taken down a helpless ewe grazing in a nearby pasture. The rest of the sheep scattered, but the wolf already had her prize. Taking the sheep in her grizzly maw, she trotted away and back toward the gnarn forest.