Amiri of Caro

Birthday

Iset swept open the door, and Amiri tumbled into the dust, sprawling flat upon his face. He still didn't quite have the nuances of his Skill perfected, and creeping unseen across the open plains from Outer Caro had used up what little energy the blazing sun hadn't scorched away.

So Iset saw him plain as day with sand and grit and grass all clinging to him, a stinging scrape on his forehead testifying loudly about his ungainly stumble.

"Are the beetles that interesting?" she called, making her way over to him. Amiri spat out the chaff that left a bitter taste on his tongue.

"I was trying to see the camels―you said they'd be whelping today!"

"Aye; they're in this stable." Iset beckoned to the wall opposite the one Amiri had fallen from. "But best keep quiet―these are his lordship's racing camels, and we don't want overseer Nerron to catch us peeping."

They stole through the narrow opening in the limestone wall, Amiri wrinkling up his nose at the foul stench. Iset had drawn up her scarf to her eyes. She motioned to a rope ladder, and Amiri scrambled up after her, crawling along a narrow ledge until they were just over the grunting cows.

One calf had already been born and cleaned off, and it lay mostly still, twitching at random intervals while it recovered from its trying ordeal.

"Plet ka was going to buy us a camel," Amiri whispered. He wriggled a little, trying to get comfortable on the hard surface. "Now we can't even acquire a lame donkey."

"He didn't leave you his horse?"

"Mother says it must have perished with him on the battlefield." Amiri peered curiously at the men clustered around one of the other camels. They yelled at each other,each taking turns tugging on the limp calf that was half-way into the world. "D'ya reckon they'd notice if one were missing?"

Iset smacked Amiri, then froze as a shower of dust drifted down at the action. But the men below them were too preoccupied to look and notice the two sets of dark eyes peeking through the gaps in the rafters.

"You'd be thrown in the deepest dungeons the city guard could manage if they caught you! No―worse―they'd send you to the fires of the Black Mountains."

Iset's tone implied that Amiri had sounded just serious enough to worry her, but surely she knew he wouldn't dare steal from one of the most powerful nobles in Caro? He quickly reassured her otherwise, and they lay in silence for the better part of two hours, grins stretching from ear to ear, as one by one, the little newborn camels staggered to their feet and began to suckle, bleating and snuffling through the whole process.

"It's weird, but wonderful." Iset kept her voice low, even through the men had left some time ago.

"Weird, but wonderful." Amiri agreed. "Like our friendship." That earned him another boff to the head and he backed away, laughing as Iset swatted at him. They tip-toed out of the stables and parted ways at the wall Amiri had initially fallen from.

"Tomorrow at noon?"

"Wouldn't miss it." Then he clambered over the smooth stone and set his face on dusty Inner Caro as Iset disappeared back into the house towards her chores.