Draggah (14 page)

The older woman of the group was directing the others, and Tiberius approached her first.

“
Ah, Tiswanee, it is good to see you again,
”
she said.

Ti held up his hands. 
“
I don
’
t want to give anyone the wrong impression,
”
he said. 
“
I know that you were all married to Moswanee, but Lexi is the only woman for me.
”

“
She is your Sorwan,
”
the woman said.

“
Sorwan?
”
Lexi asked.

“
The Sorwan is a man
’
s first wife, his lover.  She has great esteem among the other wives.
”

“
No, she is my only wife,
”
Tiberius said, ignoring the look of shock on Lexi
’
s face at the word wife. 
“
I don
’
t want any others.
”

“
That is good,
”
said the woman. 
“
But among the Hoskali a man takes a wife for many reasons, not just love.  A man looks after and protects a wife.  She in turn helps the family.
”

“
It
’
s just...
”
Tiberius wasn
’
t sure what to say.

“
What would happen if Tiberius rejects you?
”
Lexi asked.

“
I would be shamed,
”
she said, lowering her eyes. 
“
I would have to leave the tribe.
”

“
But there must be some other way for us to work this out,
”
Tiberius said.

“
Sometimes wives are traded,
”
she said,
“
or given as gifts to other members of the tribe.
”

“
It sounds a little demeaning,
”
Lexi said. 
“
You aren
’
t property to be bartered with.
”

“
No,
”
the woman said. 
“
We are partners with our husbands, but sometimes we must be shared.  If a warrior earns great honor, he must be given a wife.  If resources are scarce, wives may be shared to ensure that everyone is cared for.
”

“
What is your name?
”
Tiberius asked.

“
Filsa, it means graceful wind,
”
she said, looking down again.

“
Do the other wives have intimate relations with their husbands, or just the Sorwan?
”
Lexi asked.

“
That is up to the husband, but traditionally only the Sorwan fills that need.
”

“
Will the other women try to seduce Ti?
”

Tiberius felt his face flush.  He couldn
’
t believe the conversation he found himself in the middle of.

“
No, not if the Swanee declares you to be his Sorwan.
”

“
I do,
”
Tiberius said quickly.

“
I will inform the others,
”
Filsa said.

“
Good,
”
Lexi said.

“
Yes,
”
Tiberius added. 
“
Very good.
”

Filsa smiled and bowed, then turned away.

“
I think that went very well,
”
Tiberius said.

“
We
’
ll see,
”
Lexi said, but she sounded doubtful.

Chapter 10

Tiberius

The rain came just before sunset.  There was no warning, no movement of dark clouds across the sky.  The rain clouds were high above the mist that covered the blighted lands and the cold rain fell in soft fat drops that refreshed everything they touched.

Tiberius, Lexi, and Rafe sat huddled together around a small fire.  Ti
’
s wives had quickly erected an awning over their heads to keep the rain off.  Many of the tribe members worked in the rain.  They didn
’
t seem to mind the cold water falling on them and Olyva was among their number.  Unlike the tribe members who were busy working with the Tamaka hides or bones, Olyva was simply letting the rain fall on her upturned face.

“
Why are they so happy about the rain?
”
Lexi asked.

“
My experience is that they seem happy about everything,
”
Rafe said.

“
How is Olyva?
”
Tiberius asked his friend.

“
Physically, she seems okay.  The tree parts don
’
t seem to be taking over or spreading,
”
Rafe said. 
“
She
’
s been more social too.
”

“
That
’
s good,
”
Tiberius said.

“
She kept me calm when we couldn
’
t find you.
”

“
You were looking for me?
”
Tiberius said. 
“
I thought you were just coming to the watering hole.
”

“
We were,
”
Rafe said. 
“
Although I was trying desperately to get the Rogu out searching for you.
”

“
You didn
’
t think Tiberius could make it on his own?
”
Lexi asked, with an impish grin.

“
He
’
s not the most self-sufficient person,
”
Rafe said.

“
Hey, I did okay,
”
Tiberius said.

“
I
’
m not arguing,
”
Rafe said. 
“
I was worried about you, that
’
s all.  I know you
’
re a wizard and all, but I don
’
t like it when you disappear.
”

They all laughed.  As night fell, the camp became more subdued.  Most of the tribespeople had shelters and lived in family units.  They retired early, retreating to the dome tents made of animal hides to escape the cold rain.  Rafe used one of his blankets to dry Olyva, who was lethargic.  She would have curled up on the muddy turf and slept, but Rafe made her stand near the fire.

Tiberius and Lexi decided that the best solution for the night was for Olyva to join Lexi and the group of wives Ti had inherited inside the Swanee
’
s shelter.  Rafe and Tiberius would sleep by the fire just outside the entrance to the tent.  Once everyone was settled for the night, Rafe and Tiberius stretched out on either side of the fire.  They had thick Tamaka hides to lay on.  The animal skin wasn
’
t completely waterproof, but was better than a blanket.

The members of the Rogu stood guard around the camp, although Tiberius couldn
’
t imagine being able to see anything in the darkness that shrouded the tribe.  The rainfall would also muffle any sounds of approaching danger.  Still, he rested better knowing that the group of hunters were watching over them.

The rain finally let up around midnight.  Tiberius could only doze by the fire.  If he lay for too long in any one position, water soaked through the Tamaka hide and woke him up.  It was still warm in the blighted lands, but the wet ground was cold, and the fire did little to keep him warm.  Another hour passed before the commotion started.

“
What
’
s going on now?
”
Tiberius said when he heard the women in the tent making noise.

“
Huh?
”
Rafe asked, propping himself up on his elbow.

They could hear the women trying to keep Olyva from coming outside.  She seemed frantic.

“
What
’
s happening?
”
Tiberius whispered into the shelter as loudly as he could.

“
There
’
s something wrong with Olyva,
”
Lexi said.

“
Let me out, please,
”
Olyva pleaded.

“
Let her out,
”
Rafe said. 
“
It
’
s okay.
”

Olyva came crawling out of the shelter, her eyes wide with fright.

“
Did you have a nightmare?
”
Rafe asked.

Olyva ignored him and hunched onto the ground.  Her long, scaly toes dug into the soft turf.  Tiberius wasn
’
t sure what to do.  Olyva seemed upset, but she wasn
’
t throwing a fit. Instead, she seemed to be calming down.

“
What happened?
”
Rafe asked, trying to conceal the anger in his voice.

Lexi had followed Olyva out of the shelter along with several other women.  She looked frightened.

“
I don
’
t know exactly,
”
Lexi said. 
“
We went in and she was sleepy.  There are lots of pillows to sleep on and thick fur rugs.  She pulled them all out of her way and got as close to the ground as she could.
”

“
The shelter has a thin, woven bottom,
”
Filsa said.  The older woman was smoothing down her hair. 
“
She seemed content to sleep on that.
”

“
Wouldn
’
t she get wet?
”
Rafe snapped.

“
There isn
’
t much moisture under the tent,
”
Filsa went on. 
“
Around the edges there might be, but she was in the middle.
”

“
I think she wanted to be as close to the ground as she could get,
”
Lexi said in a soft voice. 
“
She doesn
’
t like being separated from the ground.
”

“
Why?
”
Rafe asked.

“
Her roots,
”
Lexi said pointing at Olyva
’
s toes.

Tiberius felt strange to be staring at Olyva, much less talking about her.  The young noble-born woman was close enough to hear everything they were saying, but she seemed to be oblivious to their conversation.

“
That isn
’
t funny,
”
Rafe said.

“
I
’
m not joking,
”
Lexi said. 
“
You told us she predicted rain.  How could she do that?
”

“
I have no idea,
”
Rafe said, his temper simmering just below the surface.

Tiberius put his hand on Rafe
’
s shoulder, hoping to calm his friend down if possible.  Rafe was trembling slightly, and Ti didn
’
t know if it was from anger or fear.

“
She
’
s changed,
”
Lexi said. 
“
And maybe she can sense something we can
’
t.
”

Everyone looked at Olyva.  She wasn
’
t moving, but her eyes were open.  She had both palms flat on the ground, and her feet were still squirming down into the turf.