The Cultivated Girl

Chapter 17 - Ohangwena, Namibia

The sun was unforgiving, staring down at the undulating orange dunes with its hot, angry eye. It watched a leopard trudge up and down the shifting hill for miles until the big cat stopped in a hunting pose, watching intently. A few grains of saffron shifted, then more until the sand trembled. The leopard crouched, waiting to see what was on offer for lunch. Maybe a sand snake or a tasty gecko snack.

Something bigger than a reptile started rising slowly from the dune. It rose until what looked like a baby brown dune was birthed. The brown dune shook off its mantle of orange dust, revealing a stunning woman with chocolate curls. Her amber eyes met that of the leopard and after a moment it loped away over the dunes.

Soon a convoy of jeeps rumbled across the Namib, drawing closer to the woman who was standing as still as a baobab planted in the sand.

"Walalapo meme Lady Kjallman!"

"Ee-ee."

"Nawa."

"Ee-ee."

Elizabeth repeated the drawn out hello from her side. Have you spent the morning well? Yes. Really? Yes.

"Here are your clothes. It will take approximately sixteen hours to reach Ohangwena."

The people in the jeeps were all mahogany skinned women in fatigues. When Elizabeth finished changing she was dressed in a primary coloured floor length, loose dress, gathered under her breasts. It was patterned in geometric blocks and covered her shoulders. A fitted, matching head-piece hugged her crown.

Elizabeth looked down. Not what she would normally have chosen but it served its purpose. She was there in a diplomatic capacity after all. There wouldn't be time later to dress appropriately.

As they whipped through the desert her mind returned to the grilling she had just received from the Principal about Simone's rapid healing. Ladies Hazel, Brody and Godiva each had their own way of extracting information and Elizabeth was drained. There was no time to rest, as the Principal had made clear. The time of the Dragon crept ever closer. She sighed, closer and closer, which meant even more work.

There was no point in trying to talk. The wind wasn't refreshing, more a hot, dry heat, like being fan-baked in an oven. She could conjure up a wind break to protect them, all it would take was a slight shift in the position she was sitting in, the right words and they would be comfortable. But it would be an unnecessary waste of resources. Amira would, but then Amira was young and brash, still to be tempered by the force of the Goddess over time.

Elizabeth smiled slightly as she thought of her protege. She'd come so far from the emotionally and physically scarred young girl Elizabeth had taken in so long ago. There was still a brittle edge to her but Elizabeth thought that was likely to soften with time. It was the right move to make her deputy, it tied her closer and a grateful ally was a strong one. And she'd done a sterling job of looking after Simone - especially during these troubled teenage years. Exasperating child.

Who knew, perhaps one day long after Elizabeth had joined the Elders, Amira might even make the Principal. The Goddess knew Elizabeth needed all the allies she could get right now. Maybe it was time to trust Amira with more of her secrets. Like Ohangwena II.

The 10,000 year old aquifer was immense, a freshwater boon from the Goddess. Five billion cubic meters of water could support Sub-saharan Africa for 400 years but it had to be carefully managed. One wrong move and the pocket of salt lying above it could contaminate the supply. But that wasn't all there was to know about the Ohangwena region on the border of Angola. There was a reason Elizabeth was driving over a thousand kilometres to reach the small village of Ongenga, without using the paidirean. A reason she wasn't prepared to dwell too long on, even in the privacy of her own thoughts.

*** I'm not sure how much more I'll be able to get up before I leave. I'll try for one more chapter! :-)***