The young Whitehill tribal leaned heavily onto his crutches. He had thought the effort of coming to the Swiftwind compound would result in him witnessing Demetri Swiftwind's demise. But, instead, what had actually happened made him sick to his stomach. Dem had efficiently and ruthlessly killed someone well-versed in knife fighting. "Damn... It was like he was slaughtering a chicken."
"You say something, Tier?" The Whitehill Shaman glanced at Tier, disapproval clearly evident in her eyes. The young tribal had two black eyes and walked with a bad limp since he had managed to get hurt during the circut hunt.
Tier shook his head. "What's a good gift to give someone as an apology?"
The Whitehill Shaman's eyes shifted to Dem; Tier had obviously seen what everyone else had. Demetri Swiftwind had been toying with them during their spar because they were novices. "He's from the city, so he lacks common things that most tribals have."
"I have some live traps I never use; perhaps that would be good?"
The Shaman nodded. "That would be fine. There isn't really any bad blood between you. This is a good decision on your part."
Dern waited until the outsiders departed before looking around for Dem. If the entire clan could learn Sybasi knife fighting, their strength would increase significantly.
Dem found his shirt, which had been folded neatly and put aside for safekeeping. He had camouflaged his advanced advantage position as a neutral stance; Sully responded with an advantage stance that left him wide open to an attack. When they clashed, the error left the city dweller with no options.
"Wait!" Rave Frostridge's pretty face was somewhat paler than usual, perhaps a result of the recent violence. She used her canteen to pour water onto a small cloth before handing it to Dem. "Wipe that paint off before you put your shirt back on; shaman paint never comes out of clothes."
Dem accepted the cloth and started removing the clan symbol. "You seem recovered."
Rave smiled; her face was bruised, but she realized how lucky she was. "I wanted to invite you to walk with me, but I couldn't find you."
"I was training with my clan this morning; then I walked with Yena Redfox for a bit."
Rave pursed her lips slightly. "Yena Redfox? I don't know her."
Dem finished cleaning up and pulled the leather shirt over his head. "Pretty girl with red hair and freckles. I am good friends with her dosu."
"Are you free now, Dem?"
Dem shook his head slightly. "I've been invited to bear witness to Telo's Masaat tonight. Perhaps we could walk tomorrow?"
Rave's smile widened considerably. "I will find you in the morning, but not too early..." Her glance fell on Ai, but she didn't comment further. The Swiftwind women were known for their aggressive, prickly nature.
A familiar face put Dem at ease; Telo held a spear in one hand. He had rushed over when the disturbance first started. "Will those people come back?"
Dem shook his head slightly. "They shouldn't. This was resolved in a way that could be reported to their superiors."
Telo leaned on his spear. He didn't ask what started it; the rumor was that Yada Swiftwind attacked one of the outsiders. "Your new family seems pretty fierce."
Dem snorted. His mother and Ai had bested an advanced Sybasi fighter with some stew, an iron pot, and a bow. Matrea would have died had her captain not stepped in. Nevertheless, it was a good lesson about dropping your guard. "Yada likes yellow flowers. Do you know where I might find some?"
Telo tapped his chin with a calloused finger. "I'm unfamiliar with this area, but those usually grow in the foothills."
"You okay, dasai?" Ai approached with Tam; both were armed with bows.
"I'm fine." Dem accepted a hug from Ai; she stroked his short hair, smiling at the former street rat.
"How about the four of us walk together? We don't have much time, but we can cut it short by finishing at my clan's camp." Telo flashed the group a bright smile. "I brought some highberry."
For the second time in a few hours, Dem found himself walking the worn path around the perimeter of the gathering. Telo was good at conversation, easily drawing the Swiftwind women into talking. He walked beside Tam while Dem and Ai led the way.
"I accept!" Telo glanced at Dem; when Tam mentioned the upcoming archery contest, he declared his intention to challenge her. "You should also join, dasai."
Dem rolled his eyes. "I just learned archery a few days ago..."
Ai nudged the smaller Swiftwind with an elbow. "I'll join too! Last year I was eliminated in the second round." She gestured toward Tam, who was smiling. "Tam beat Reyka and a Bearclaw tribal in the finals."
"Fine... Don't expect much," Dem relented.
"My dasai can pick pockets?" Ai's dark face became animated when Dem admitted he could. He spent the next few minutes relieving his three companions of random items they were carrying.
Dem returned a polished stone that Tam kept tucked in her hip pocket. "Grab them and check your coin pouch whenever someone touches you."
Ai clapped excitedly and attempted to pick Telo's pocket. She didn't quite manage it, mostly because she laughed too hard to focus properly. "Let's walk through the Frostridge compound! I hear some of them carry gold nuggets."
Telo's dark eyes lit with humor. "We are going to get in so much trouble."
Neither Tam nor Ai seemed concerned; young tribals were given some leeway during the gathering. A certain level of mischief was expected.
The rumors were correct; many of them carried gold nuggets. After an hour, they managed to pickpocket several of Frostridge's younger generation. They returned to the Swiftwind camp shortly before the evening meal.
Unexpectedly, Tam offered Telo a hug. The Redfox tribal hid his surprise when Ai did the same.
Telo grinned widely; meeting Demitri Swiftwind had been a good omen for him. He paused and waited as the three walked away, suddenly freezing in place as he patted his pockets. "Hey! You two robbed me!"
Ai held up a single nugget while Tam displayed two.
Telo tried not to laugh at the faces the two Swiftwind women made when they returned his loot. "It was a decent effort, but then I remembered what Dem said."
A short while later, the three Swiftwind members found Yena and took a seat in preparation for Telo's second story.
Dem marveled at the crowd of Redfox Clan members. So many of them had lighter skin and freckles, which would have been odd in his adopted clan. He found himself looking forward to the second month of Telo's masaat.
Telo stood by the central fire, the ground around him packed with other tribals, sitting cross-legged on the ground.
[Telo's Second Tale]
After spending most of my first month in Thaigmaal, I worked as a caravan guard heading west through Galieo to the port city of Quona. We spent more than a week navigating the foothills leading to the northwestern section of the peninsula.
When we arrived in Quona, I was asked to stay on as a caravan guard. They were heading south, following the coastal trail to Dhrygal. However, I decided not to stay with the caravan and hopped a freighter bound for the Independent Isles.
The crowd, which had been somewhat quiet until then, suddenly erupted, with several people voicing their surprise.
"You left the continent during your Masaat?"
"Independent Isles? You've seen them?"
"Were there pirates?"
Telo held his hands out, quieting the crowd with a wide smile. "I won't continue if you keep talking!"
[Telo Continued]
We headed west toward the Isles. You may not know this, but merchants, pirates, and warlords have claimed many of the islands. Those leaders have a delicate stalemate; gaining control over a territory is much easier than keeping it.
While at sea, I spent much of my day helping net fish. Ocean fish are quite large; most of our catch was as long as a person's arm, but some... Some were bigger than our ship. I saw one twice the length of a freighter; it surfaced right beside us, blowing water high into the air.
I was scared at the time, but the sailors cheered when they saw it. It turned on one side, staring with a black eye bigger than me. My fear vanished, and I was filled with a sense of awe. The captain told me that some bigger ones are hundreds of years old.
During the morning, two weeks into the voyage, the first land was spotted. It was then that we found the pirates.
"Unfortunately, the pirate attack occurred in the third month, so I must stop here." Telo ignored the disgruntled looks from the captive audience, bowing to the elders before rejoining his friends.
Tam wrinkled her nose at him. "Now we're going to have to come back to hear the rest!"
Telo's smile widened. "All three of you are invited; tomorrow night with be the third month."
Ai nodded. "It was a good telling. I'm looking forward to hearing more."
Since it was getting late, the Swiftwind trio said their goodbyes and returned to camp.
"Hmm?" Dem stopped when he entered his family's area. "Did we get a new tent?"
Ai noticed that both her mom and Gram seemed to be watching as three members of the Frostridge Clan put up a new tent where their old one used to be. "What's going on?"
Yada glanced up when they approached. "The Frostridge Clan has gifted us this tent." She pointed to a large stack of items. "Tier Whitehill brought Dem some live traps, Reyka Frostridge brought some leather, and Rave brought a white wolf pelt."
"Rave was here?" Dem picked up the white-furred pelt, painstakingly cured by someone who knew their craft. "Did she say anything?"
"Only that she'd be back tomorrow," Yada replied.
For once, the other three members of Dem's family chatted after everyone turned in. A new tent, fur blankets, and partitioned spaces for changing and cooking excited them all. Dem didn't share that level of enthusiasm and fell asleep almost immediately.
Dem dressed quietly, folding his sleeping clothes on his blankets; he exited the tent while the rest of his family slept.
A seated figure near the central campfire stood and faced him. "Demitri Swiftwind," Rave's split lip had healed, but the skin under her eye was discolored and swollen. Her pale blond hair was pulled back in a braid that hung halfway down her back.
"Morning..." Dem smiled politely. "Were you waiting for me?"
"Yes," Rave admitted. "Would you follow me?"
"Sure," Dem fell in step beside her, noting that she wasn't nearly as tall as Ai or Tam, merely a hand-width above him.
Instead of leaving the Swiftwind area, Rave led him to the flat rock that overlooked their temporary pastures. She sat on the edge, letting her feet dangle over the side. "Could I see your dagger, Demitri?"
"Just Dem, please." He handed her the newer blade; although its silver handle denoted mid-rank, it was in no way inferior to his black one.
She placed the blade flat against her palm and covered it with her other hand. Her blue eyes become unfocused as the temperature around them suddenly plummeted.
Dem stared in fascination; he could see her breath like it was early winter; without thinking, he moved closer and put an arm around her shoulders. The process took several moments to complete; by the time it was finished, Rave was shivering from the cold.
She sat the blade on the rock slab and leaned against him while rubbing her hands together. "This is the worst part; my fingers will numb most of the morning."
Dem grabbed her hands, bringing them against his chest before covering them with his own. "It won't work with gloves on?"
Rave shook her head slightly while she basked in the unexpected heat that radiated from her companion.
They stayed like that for several minutes until the sound of someone clearing their throat caused them to move apart.
Ai offered the pair a polite smile before handing Dem a bowl. "You're still recovering, dasai. Make sure to eat."
"Thank you, dosu," Dem replied and began eating; he could still feel the cold the silver dagger was putting out.
When he was half done, he handed the bowl to Rave and picked up the silver dagger by the hilt. It felt the same in his hand, but when he placed the blade against the slab, the rock instantly frosted over. He whistled under his breath. The sound of a spoon scraping against ceramic caused Dem to glance up.
Rave handed the empty bowl back to him. "Thank you," she hugged him quickly and then sprang to her feet. "Let's walk at midday."
"Sure," Dem agreed.
The Frostridge girl took two quick steps before skidding to a halt. "I almost forgot, a special sheath is required after a blade becomes cold steel." She handed him a carved wooden scabbard. "This is black oak, no one knows why, but it neutralizes the effect."
Dem slid the knife home, instantly feeling the chill in the air vanish. "Thank you, Rave."
Dem sat on the slab between Ai and Tam, talking amongst themselves until the Swiftwind Huntmaster appeared with several tribal members.
"I guess it's time to start."
After training Sybasi, and a midday walk with Rave, Dem spent the rest of the day with Telo. The Redfox tribal was an old hand at setting live traps and willingly shared that knowledge with his younger friend.
Sundown found Ai, Tam, and Dem at the Redfox compound, patiently waiting for Telo's third telling.
[Telo's Third Tale]
I said yesterday that we spotted land two weeks into the voyage. However, I should have mentioned that this was several days too early, and we were off course. I learned later that we had strayed south and entered her territory, the pirate queen.
Their ship was small and much faster than anything I'd ever seen. Our captain reversed course and attempted to flee, but within a quarter hour, the vessel broadsided us and opened fire.
Our main sail mast was blown apart, and with several hits at the waterline, we began to take water. Grappling hooks clawed at our rails, attaching us to the smaller ship as a crew of a dozen or so boarded us within an hour.
I stood in knee-deep water, armed with my spear, and waited as they came aboard. Instead of attacking, they formed a line and waited for their leader. She looked like an average person, a woman with light brown hair. Dressed in black leather, she was unarmed, but no one dared attack her. She spoke a single word, "Escadomai."
Instantly, her crew changed into beasts. The air around me thickened until I could not move and could barely breathe. Then, the slaughter began; most of the pirates were feline predators, but I did see some wolves and some sort of reptile.
The deck ran red with blood; the smell of it thickened in my nostrils until I was overcome with fear. It was my panic that broke the hold on me. Without thinking, I clubbed the nearest pirate and then stabbed at their leader. She brushed it aside with a bare hand, and suddenly I was buried beneath several beasts.
DO NOT HARM HIM! She shouted at her crew while ignoring the slaughter going on around us. A short while later, I was bound and placed in a small shoreboat. I remember the last few minutes like it was yesterday. I sat quietly on the boat; although tied securely, they left me a pack with several water canteens and a knife.
Everyone was dead except for me; the bodies of the people I had worked with for two weeks bobbed on the waves. I should have been scared, but I could barely contain my anger. I shouted at them. "Who are you? Why did you spare me?"
She stood at the rail, casually like someone who had just finished breakfast. Then, she answered me. "You know why I spared you, little brother. However, that freighter was a supply ship for the Slaver Isle; normally, they give us a wide berth."
When she spoke, I began to remember small pieces of conversations I had overheard. Looking back, I see the right of it. In all likelihood, I would have been enslaved had we made it through. She pointed toward the land in the distance and told me if I kept the island on my portside, I could make land in a day or two. I thanked her and told her my name. Her last words to me were. "Well met, Telomere. My name is Ember."