Spectator

Chapter Twenty-Three: Now

When Zakariah finally returned, he was in a cheerful mood, which only soured Kali's further. Since Sh'an had left her, she'd twisted herself into a coil of confusion, not sure if she should yearn for his protection or resent it. That encounter with Ghaen had shaken her, and she knew it wasn't over yet. Whatever the challenge was, it was yet to take place. And if Sh'an lost... well that would be bad. And if he won? What exactly would that mean, either?

"You look cheery," Kali said, trying to shake herself free of the encumbering thoughts. Perhaps Zakariah would finally want to contribute something for once, instead of disdainfully holding out on her. "Find out something useful?"

"One of us has to," Zakariah sniffed, plopping down into the woven sack that was probably supposed to be a chair. There was the disdain again. "I was with the shaman," he continued, and the gleam in his eyes was enough to still her own disgruntled comments.

"You were? What happened?"

"She took me to her secret cave - they have a considerate knowledge of the medicinal, herbs and healing, surprising for being so primitive."

What wasn't surprising was Zakariah managing to be insulting and admiring in the same breath. "And?" Kali prompted when he seemed to be lost in thought.

"Priestess Nisa is a good judge of character. She recognizes intelligence when she sees it, and spoke to me at length through their processes here."

Kali had more than a few disputes to add, but she forced herself to keep them to herself. "And? Do you think she has enough influence to convince the chieftain that we should be allowed to roam freely?"

Zakariah scowled at her. "Keep making demands like that, and they'll keep you locked up forever. Patience, Zha-Neri. She said she would show me more of their ways tomorrow. Let them think us eager to learn, to be beneficial pillars of the community first."

"We don't have forever," Kali reminded him. Zakariah's eyes flashed.

"I know that. Look, how about you try your way, and I try mine. But when you get drowned in the lake for being a witch, don't involve me."

It was Kali's turn to scowl. Frustratingly, she really didn't have another plan. She just felt at the whim of everyone else's decision. Every day they were separated from Jae and Nari made everything all the more dangerous, but was there really another way? The rescue ships should have come by now, if they were coming.

There was one positive from Zakariah's apparent new rapport with the medicine lady - the next morning, their bindings were removed from their wrists. The guards were there to stay, but it was still partial freedom and Kali would take it, as well as the salve from shaman Nisa, which took away the sting of tender skin. She had hoped that Zakariah would bring her with him, give her something to do, but he smugly brushed her off and flounced away, leaving her alone.

Sh'an didn't come to visit, but she discovered she could go more places than just the baths; when she asked, albeit clumsily, her two guards took her for a walk through the camp. As undesirable as this situation was, she had to admit that there was beauty here. It was so green, so wild, not carefully cultivated and monitored and arranged. Birds flew back and forth with vigour, cicadas buzzed, and fish leaped up and out of the water. Kali could have done without the giant spiders she caught sight of, but she was immediately endeared by the short eared canines they had romping through the undergrowth.

She learned the names of her guards, Olev and Amea, and that they were bonded to each other, an equivalent of marriage, a surprising but welcome discovery. They didn't talk much, probably due to her poor communication skills, but they did answer questions here and there. Eventually, Kali discovered where Sh'an and the others were.