Draggah (4 page)

“
Leave it to the Rogu,
”
Te
’
sumee said.

He turned to the men around him and began giving orders.  The men rose up, stretching and yawning, then followed Te
’
sumee toward the area of the camp where the animals were kept.

“
Do you know how to saddle a horse, Quntah?
”

“
Oh, yes, Swanee.
”

“
Do it then,
”
Tiberius said. 
“
One for me and one for Rafe.
”

Quntah bowed and hurried away.  Tiberius was about to find Rafe so they could leave when three women approached.  One was older, the other two younger than Tiberius.  They smiled shyly.

“
Swanee,
”
the older woman said. 
“
Come, eat, we have everything prepared for you.
”

“
I can
’
t eat,
”
Tiberius said. 
“
My friend is missing.  I have to go and find her.
”

“
We do not please you,
”
said one the girls, looking ashamed.

“
No,
”
Ti said. 
“
It
’
s not anything like that.
”

“
Come, eat,
”
the older woman repeated.

“
Fine,
”
Tiberius said. 
“
I
’
ll eat a little, but then I really have to go.
”

The younger girls looked excited.  They led him back to the large shelter.  A fire had been built outside the entrance and two more women were cooking breakfast.  They had flatbread, cheese, berries, and a thick porridge that bubbled in a small kettle.

“
Swanee,
”
the women said, standing and bowing.

“
Call me Ti,
”
he told them.

“
Tiswanee,
”
said the older woman.

She wasn
’
t quiet his mother
’
s age, but it was hard to tell for certain.  The Hoskali women had dark skin and dark hair, which they grew long and wild.  Unlike the men who only wore pants, the women wore simple dresses that covered them from their shoulders to their knees.  Their arms and lower legs were bare.  No one in the camp seemed to wear shoes of any type.  Tiberius couldn
’
t help notice that all the women around the large shelter, even the older ones, were very attractive.  He had a nagging suspicion that the women were Moswanee
’
s harem of wives, but he didn
’
t want to offend anyone by asking.

They sat him down and brought him a bowl of food.  The cheese was soft and melted onto the bread.  They dropped berries into the porridge and Tiberius stirred the concoction around.   The porridge was gray and bland, but the berries gave it color and sweetness.  Tiberius ate his fill while the women watched him, eager to make him happy.

When he finished, he handed the bowl back to the older woman.  She bowed as she took the dish and Tiberius stood up.  He could see Rafe approaching with Olyva in tow.  He was leading her by the hand, but her other arm was raised up and she walked with her head thrown back so that her face was pointed up toward the sunlight.

“
Are you alright?
”
Tiberius asked.

“
Fine,
”
Rafe said, his voice gruff. 
“
Everything
’
s peachy.
”

“
Is Olyva worse?
”

Lady Olyva seemed not to notice that Tiberius was talking about her.

“
The little twigs are growing,
”
Rafe said irritably. 
“
But the patches haven
’
t seemed to spread.
”

“
Let me see,
”
Tiberius said.

Rafe lifted the back of Olyva
’
s shirt.  Her skin, unlike the women of the Hoskali, was pale, making the contrast between her white skin and the brown stems seem shocking.  The women around Tiberius began to whisper when they saw Olyva
’
s back.

“
That
’
s so odd,
”
Tiberius said as he touched the soft, fibrous growth.

“
Yeah, odd,
”
Rafe said. 
“
She
’
s growing sticks right out of her skin, Ti.  It
’
s more than odd.
”

“
Well, at least it
’
s not getting worse.
”

“
I
’
m not sure it could get worse.  I told her I would protect her, that she could trust me.  And now look at her.  Half the time I don
’
t even think she hears what I
’
m saying.
”

“
I hear you,
”
she said in a voice that seemed light and happy.

“
Lady Olyva, don
’
t you care about what is happening to you?
”

She turned her head, blinking a few times, then looking straight at Tiberius.

“
I can feel the magic around you,
”
she said. 
“
It feels right.
”

“
What the hell is that supposed to mean,
”
Rafe demanded.

Tiberius shrugged his shoulders.  The older woman from the chief
’
s harem stepped forward and put her arm around Olyva, leading her away from Rafe.

“
Where is she taking Lady Olyva?
”
he said.

“
I
’
m sure they
’
ll be fine,
”
Tiberius said. 
“
Look at them, they revere her.
”

He was right, the women gathered around Lady Olyva, who was looking up at the bright, amber sky once more.  She had both hands raised up as if in supplication.  At the older woman
’
s direction, they brought water and poured it over Olyva
’
s feet.

“
It looks to me like they
’
re trying to plant her,
”
Rafe growled.

“
They
’
re giving her what she needs,
”
Tiberius said. 
“
They know more about this than we do.  I promise you I
’
ll find out all I can as soon as we get back.  But first we have to find Lexi.
”

Rafe nodded, but didn
’
t speak.  Tiberius waved one of the girls over.  She was young, her face still round, but very attractive.

“
Can you tell me what happened to my tunic and boots?
”
Tiberius asked her.

“
I will fetch them for you,
”
the girl said.

“
What about our weapons?
”
Rafe asked.

“
That
’
s next on my list,
”
Tiberius assured his friend.

The girl brought Ti
’
s clothes, then they left Lady Olyva with the group of women and went in search of their weapons.  It didn
’
t take long to find the partially burned wagon that Moswanee had traveled in.  Ti grimaced at the damage he had caused to the wagon as they attempted to escape the day before.  Wood was scarce on the prairie, so it would be difficult to repair it, but the bed of the wagon was still intact and filled with items including the spears, swords, and daggers that the tribe had taken from Tiberius and his friends.  He had to dig for a minute, but he breathed a sigh of relief when he found his whip.

Tiberius couldn
’
t help but notice the wealth of items still in the wagon.  There were many finely tanned animal skins, including the hides Rafe had cut from the Graypees they had killed.  There were baskets of food, jewelry, tools, clothing, weapons, and blankets.

“
What is all this stuff?
”
Rafe asked.

“
Looks like supplies for the tribe,
”
Tiberius said. 
“
It
’
s too bad about the wagon.
”

“
It will still roll, that
’
s what
’
s important.
”

Quntah came to Tiberius leading two horses.  One was Mars, the horse that Rafe had named, the other was Olyva
’
s horse, but she hadn
’
t had a chance to name hers yet.

“
Why didn
’
t he use our saddles?
”
Rafe said, obviously displeased.

“
I
’
m sure there
’
s a reason,
”
Tiberius said calmly.

Quntah was smiling broadly.  He had saddled the horses with what looked like thin, leather coverlets, not the heavy, molded saddles with high backs and a study horn that the two men from Avondale were used to.

“
The horses are ready,
”
Quntah said happily. 
“
The Rogu are on the hunt.  If you leave now you can catch them.
”

“
What happened to our saddles?
”
Rafe snapped.

“
There was only one left,
”
Quntah said. 
“
Ours are better.
”

“
Why was there only one left?
”
Rafe asked. 
“
Lexi wouldn
’
t take an extra saddle?
”

“
I guess we
’
ll find out,
”
Tiberius said.

He stepped forward and pondered for a moment how to pull himself up into the strange little saddle.  He was used to grabbing the saddle horn and the back of the saddle, but the Hoskali saddle had nothing to hold on to.  The saddle was little more than a padded blanket with stirrups.  He placed one foot in the stirrup and then took hold of a handful of the horse
’
s mane.  It took a little more coordination that Tiberius was used to, but he got up onto the horse on his second try.  He grimaced a little at how easy Rafe made it look.  The young warrior bounded up onto his horse on the first try, almost as if he
’
d been doing it forever.

“
Quntah, what is all this?
”
Tiberius asked, pointing to the large pile of goods in the wagon.

“
That is yours, Swanee.
”

“
Mine?
”

“
Yes, you won the Tuscogee.  You are the new chief.  Everything that was Moswanee
’
s is now yours.  His animals, his wives, his treasures.
”

“
Wives?
”
Rafe said, and Tiberius saw the smirk on his face.

“
Shut it,
”
he told his friend, then looked back at Quntah. 
“
Doesn
’
t the tribe need these things?
”

“
The Swanee should have great treasure.  It has always been thus.
”

“
Well, I don
’
t need it,
”
Tiberius said. 
“
I want you to disperse everything to the tribe except the weapons.  Rafe will see to that.  Make sure the people with the most need get first pick.
”