Cursed: Traitor's Trail

Chapter 11 part 2

Within moments, Kierra returned, working her way beneath the skins and back to where the supplies lay.

“Do you know you have little white ants in your bones?”

Kierra glanced up. The light from the opening highlighting her bewildered features.

“Not your bones, but your latticework.” She kicked the fragment the creatures had been working on for emphasis.

“Termites? They've been in here before, but they didn't cause this. Termites riddle holes throughout the bone, naturally. These are straight cuts. This was planned, intentional.”

Aya was about to insist that these creatures were indeed working on the cuts, but the inflection of Kierra's last word caught her attention.

“You think I did this?”

“You have the only reason.”

Aya frowned. She'd been working for three days to prove whatever this woman wanted to see. And it resulted in Kierra thinking she sabotaged the tent? She wanted to throw up her hands in exasperation, but they were still full of heavy tent skins.

“I've been training with the women this morning. When would I find time, even if I wanted to do such a thing?”

Kierra didn't answer, but strode past, arms filled with burdens, and exited the opening.

“I'm finished,” she told the men.

“Gah!” Aya growled, dropping her hands in frustration. Unfortunately, the move was poorly calculated and the skins fell farther than she planned, whacking her in the head. Hard. She imagined the blow would cost her a headache later.

She stomped from beneath the skins in as dignified a manner as she could while hunched over and wincing. Kierra's back was turned from her when she stepped out, but Bane and the other man faced her. They had to have heard the entire conversation. What about them? Did they believe she somehow managed this feat?

Bane's face was unreadable, as always. The other man cleared his throat uncomfortably and looked away. The corner of his mouth twitched suspiciously.

“Where do I collect the new poles?” Aya demanded to Bane, guessing he would help her, or at least stay neutral.

“There is a stack for use at the north edge of the village...”

Aya didn't wait for him to finish, she stalked northward, separating herself from the healing tent and that infuriating woman.

If the tent wasn't used for healing Aya would be inclined to say it served her well for the attitude she carried to have her tent collapsed. Maybe she made another Magi angry enough to do the deed.

But it hadn't been just Kierra's tent. A crop and the mouse enclosure also suffered, if she heard Jaob correctly. Who would gain by decimating the Magi's resources? Everyone in the village depended on them to survive, so these actions created trouble for them all. Could the saboteur be from outside the village? Did they get visitors? New Hope was a secret, but she supposed it was possible they had some not-so-trustworthy allies. She hadn't seen any, but she had only been around for a week.