Sun's Heart

Chapter 9 - Games

Gale stretched catlike and yawned. A stir of dust rose from the movement and met her nose, prompting a sneeze.

She was alone in the tent she'd been given to use, and by the brilliant slip of light beneath the tent flaps, it was still daytime. Children were laughing outside, feet scuffing in the dirt as they played, and hammering beat a rhythm against metal somewhere on the other side of the large camp. A woman hummed contentedly nearby. Men conversed with one another in friendly tones. Clacking of wood, sometimes the ring of metal on metal, echoed from a training session.

She rubbed grit and sand from her eyes and dug at the pile of clothes given to her by the suddenly friendly tribesmen. They treated her like an old friend, or a long lost relative. Warm smiles and gracious offers of assistance whenever she struggled with their customs. None of it made any sense after their earlier hostility.

She pulled on the loose trousers and tied the belt. Selias and Haburnah could translate, but they were important to the tribe. Tribes, she corrected.

Selias' tribe, Kunnafedib, was camped with Bahittsami for the time being. They'd been waiting for their shaman's return. From what she understood, Haburnah was the temporary head of the two tribes, and Selias was close behind. Duties depended on title, but she couldn't figure out why neither tribe had a chief. They'd mentioned chiefs before, so why didn't they have any?

Selias and Haburnah couldn't translate if they'd be busy with tribe matters the entire time. Maybe their chiefs were away with other tribes?

The knee-high boots, laced to the tops of her calves and soft-soled, were surprisingly comfortable. Hopefully they wouldn't give her too many blisters. She'd had a taste of how much distance the desert people's long legs were capable of eating in a short amount of time, if Selias' impossible pace was anything to go by.

If she couldn't find a translator, there'd be no knowing what she, Dain, and Wil were supposed to do while they were there. Gugiys, hellravens, whatever else the tribes saw as "shadowbeasts," it was undeniable they were a problem, but there were no clues about how the tribes wanted them to fix the barrier.

The beasts attacked wherever they saw a chance, and according to Selias, they didn't eat what they killed. If they didn't hunt for food, why would they risk themselves like that?

She tucked the loose brown shirt into her pants. She wished the sleeves were short, but at least her arms would be protected from the sun.

The leather cuffs were hot as well, though she left them laced on. They covered her arms from wrist to mid-forearm, but she doubted their ability to protect her from much of anything.

How dangerous were these animals? How many were dangerous enough to excuse killing on sight? Why did the barrier keep them all inside the desert? Was it superstition that the barrier kept the animals inside the desert, or was there truly a threat?

Those birds weren't native to Hildor. They had to come from somewhere.

And how does something turn into soot when it's killed?

A magical disease of some sort? Perhaps an ancient curse. More in the realm of fairytales and legend.

Too many questions for the time being, but she was going to find answers through Selias and Haburnah, whether they were busy or not.

She sighed and carefully wrapped the hood-like black cloth around her head as Haburnah had demonstrated earlier. Tying a thin sash around her temples to hold it in place, she pushed through the tent flaps and straightened outside with blinks against the blinding light.