Respite
1290 Words
Kaia was stunned into silence. How long had Azra suspected her of being able to understand Razaaki? She had always known the Ma'Kala'ree was no fool but she had thought she had been careful enough to disguise it. Azra watched her calmly, all traces of her former rage had vanished. Kaia suspected that she had just been trying to provoke Kaia into giving herself away. And it had certainly worked.
"How is it possible that you can speak our language?" Azra asked curiously gazing at Kaia's face as though studying it. Kaia's shoulders slumped, she did not think she had the heart to lie to Azra, and she also wondered if she was even capable of doing so. The Razaak woman's eyes seemed to penetrate her very soul as she looked upon her. Finally Kaia answered,
"I've been able to speak Razaaki since I was very little, along with some other languages. I don't know who taught me them, I have no memories of before I went to Bleakburn- Uh my town, I mean." She said slowly in Razaaki, choosing her words carefully as she could. Azra's head c****d to the side curiously, as though thinking hard. She stood and walked around Kaia slowly, examining her from every angle. She touched a strand of Kaia's hair gently before releasing it. She then grasped Kaia's chin and moved it from side to side, as though looking for something. Kaia felt awkward under the steady gaze. But finally Azra returned to her seat looking satisfied.
"We will keep this between you and me for the time being," She said reverting back to Creesan. "You may go clean up Ratee'ka, then we will begin our lessons." She dismissed Kaia who bowed her head and moved to leave the room before Azra called out to her, " And Kaia, I was serious about Lord Zahir. You must step carefully around him. I hold no sway over him. While the other Ula'mor must obey my wishes, Zahir is a prince and does as he pleases. Watch yourself when he is around." Kaia felt a stab of fear but nodded again and left the chamber.
She walked through the main pavilion where Kala'ree still milled about looking relaxed. A few glanced up at her with curiosity as she left the Ma'kala'ree's private quarters. Ever since Azra had picked Kaia as her own apprentice she had noticed a shift in the way some of the women looked at her. There was less hostility in most of their gazes as they watched her pass. Many of the Kala’ree seemed to be relaxing and socializing. A small group of blue clad women appeared to be gossiping in the center of the room. They were whispering in hushed voices and giggling, they suddenly reminded Kaia of schoolgirls huddled around during a lunch hour. They glanced up at her briefly and resumed their chatter but one girl, younger than most of the others appeared to be around Kaia’s age. She had a kind face and smiled hesitantly at Kaia when she looked up, Kaia was taken aback. She quickly tried to return the smile but hurried along to the entrance of the tent.
Kaia quickly found Ratee’ka and rubbed the great stallion’s face affectionately. He nuzzled his black muzzle into her hands in greeting and then resumed munching on the nearby grass. Kaia settles into her grooming ritual, feeling herself relax as she brushed the horse down. She could see several Ula’mor nearby, all busy in various stages of caring for their horses. Some were cleaning and oiling their saddles, others appeared to be repairing bags or carts. A large group seemed to be milling about around a large bonfire beside the lake. They appeared to be drinking and laughing as they ate their lunch. All of the Razaak seemed to be taking full advantage of this day of rest.Kaia did not see Aseem anywhere. She couldn’t help feeling a twinge if disappointment as she had come to find his kind, quiet presence soothing when surrounded by these unknown men. As she finished her work and walked back to the pavilion Kaia was surprised to see several Kala’ree emerge and make their way to the lakeside fire and start to intermingle with the men. Unable to stop herself she stopped walking to watch. Some of the Kala’ree draped themselves over the lap of a man, others simples sat down between them. They produced various instruments and began to play. The jingle of a tambourine sounded alongside the jingle of tiny symbols. One Kala’ree even had a flute and started to play a slow haunting melody. Two women dressed in purple silks strode confidently to the center, one on each side of the fire. There they began to dance in time to the music, their hips swayed luxuriously in time to every beat. Kaia had never seen anything like it. The only dancing she had ever seen was at weddings in Bleakburn, and the music and moving had certainly not been anything like this. The way the Kala’ree moved was almost hypnotizing as they swirled with their long black hair bouncing over their shoulders. Long strands of beads hung from their wrists and waists, adding more music to the symphony. Even the Ula’mor has quieted down, watching in rapture as the music swelled and waned like an ocean storm.
Kaia had been staring open mouthed at the scene for several minutes and she probably would have continued doing so if a sudden commotion hadn’t appeared at the edge of the clearing. Guards stationed all around the encampment began shouting, a woman screamed from somewhere behind Kaia. To her dismay the mesmerizing music was cut off sharply and the Ula’mor around the fire stood suddenly, crowding protectively around the surprised looking Kala’ree. Kaia whirled around toward the sound of panic just in time to see a huge black horse galloping out of the trees. The stallion looked wild with panic, it’s eyes wide and snorting furiously. It appeared to be injured, with large bleeding gashes along its flank. Kaia suddenly realized the horse was not the cause of the panic but instead it was the sight of the body it dragged behind it. The figure, shrouded in black was motionless, apart from the leg that had been tangled in the reins. The memory of the group of men riding off into the woods earlier flashed in Kaia’s mind. The men leaped into action, some charged straight past the figure and into the woods where it had appeared, off to see if a threat approached. Others raced to their horses and then galloped after them. Finally those that had not followed set to disentangling the limp man from his horse. As the group crowded around, Kaia lost sight of the figure. She turned to see Azra march purposefully out of the Kala’ree pavillion. The men parted Instantly for her to pass through, accompanied by the Kala’ree in yellow. Although Kaia wanted to see what would happen she thought she should probably get back to the tent and out of the way, rather than have another uncomfortable encounter for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She hurried toward the entrance, pausing only for a moment to look back at the scene. Through a gap in the crowd around him Kaia finally got a glimpse of the man’s face. Although it was bloodied and covered in dirt, it was undeniably the unconscious face of Aseem.
- Writer
