But that’s not the way it was meant to be, or so I’ve been told. The only way I can keep my head on straight is to not worry about the way I’d like things to be, and deal with the way they are. As overwhelming as it all feels, I have to look forward. But that’s tough. I can’t help but think about home. And you guys. And wonder what happened to my family. And my dog, Marley. And wish none of this ever happened. But it did. I’m here. Chances are good Saint Dane is too.
And so we go.
“Enough,” Loor said sharply to Saangi. “It will heal.” Saangi put down the needle and thread, then slathered a sticky, clear ointment on the stitches. “This will protect the wound and keep it dry,” Saangi explained.
“I know what it does,” Loor said sharply. I got the feeling that she had been stitched up before. She slid a golden-colored cloth strap around her arm to cover the stitches, and just like that, she was good to go. “Thank you, Saangi,” she said sincerely.
“May I speak honestly?” Saangi asked. “Of course,” Loor said.
“Battle lines are being drawn,” Saangi said. “But you do not accept them. By trying to understand all sides, you have put yourself in a dangerous position. When the battle begins, by aligning yourself with everyone, you may find you are protected by no one.”
Loor nodded thoughtfully. “My loyalty lies with the royal family of Zinj,” she said. “I believe they are the best hope for restoring peace. But there is a larger concern, and that is Saint Dane. There is no doubt that he is out there, working to push Zadaa closer to war. Unless we find out how, it won’t matter whose side anyone is on, for all of Zadaa will be laid waste.”
“But every Ghee is choosing their allegiance-“
“It does not matter,” Loor interrupted. “If we are to find Saint Dane, we must be able to speak with all sides. That is why Pendragon and I must leave now.”
“I would like to join you,” Saangi said.
Loor stood up and stretched her long legs. It was hard to believe she had just been through a ferocious battle and been nearly killed about four times over. For her it was all in a day’s work. It was already ancient history. Unbelievable.
“No, stay here,” Loor ordered. “We will not be long. Pendragon, come with me.”
“You got it,” I said, and got to my feet.
“What if you need help?” Saangi complained.
Loor picked up the long, wooden staff that I’d seen her use so effectively as a weapon, and jammed it into the leather harness on her back.
“You are beginning to sound like a worrisome old woman, Saangi,” Loor said. “Pendragon and I are capable of taking care of ourselves.”
To be honest, I was kind of hoping Saangi would come along. The more the merrier. But this was Loor’s show, so I didn’t say anything. Loor walked toward her door, with Saangi right on her heels.
“Pendragon is not a warrior,” Saangi protested. “He cannot protect you as I can.”
Loor stopped short, and Saangi nearly ran into her.
“Do not make the mistake of underestimating Pendragon,” she said firmly. “You do not know him as I do.”
I was kind of thinking Saangi was right. I wasn’t a warrior. If anybody was expecting me to go all “warrior” and protect Loor if things got nasty, they were counting on the wrong guy. When things got rough, it was usually Loor who pulledmybutt out of the fire. Saangi whirled and shot me an icy look. She may have only been fourteen, but she was definitely not lacking in the self-confidence department.
“It is my job to serve Loor, as her aide and as her acolyte,” Saangi said with authority. “I respect your mission. Please respect mine as well.”
“Saangi!” Loor shouted angrily. “Do you realize who you are speaking to?”
“It’s okay,” I said to Loor. I looked to Saangi and smiled. “I can’t tell you not to worry, Saangi, but we’re all on the same side here.”
Saangi didn’t back down. She stared at me a moment more, then stepped out of the way to let me pass.
“I will expect you both back here by nightfall,” she said.
I walked past her to join Loor at the door and said, “Yes, ma’am.” I then said to Loor, “Yikes, she’s bossier than you are.”
Loor didn’t think that was funny. She held out the heavy, dark cloak I had worn to the zhou battle. “Put this on,” she said sharply. I think she was trying to prove that nobody could beat her in the “bossy” department.
“You’re killing me with this, you know?” I said, taking the cloak. I was already wearing the soft, white clothes of the Rokador-a lightweight jacket that crossed over at the waist and tied with a sash, along with simple white pants. And sandals. I hate sandals. To me sandals are for old guys who still think they’re hippies, or girls who wear plaid flannel shirts. But I didn’t have a choice. As bad as it would have been for a Batu to see a light-skinned guy like me hanging around the city, it would have been worse if I had been wearing Batu clothing. Then they could have accused me of being a spy or something. And for the record, I had my Second Earth boxer shorts on. After I had to go boxerless while wearing the disgusting, rotten rags of Eelong, it felt all sorts of good to be back in boxers and wearing the soft cotton clothing of the Rokador. I would have been nice and comfy… if I hadn’t had to wear the heavy, hot cloak as disguise.
Did I mention how hot it was on Zadaa?
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“To see what we are up against,” Loor answered.
We left Saangi looking teed off, and walked out of the apartment and across the large, central courtyard of the Ghee-warrior compound.
“She’s tough,” I said.
“She takes her duties seriously,” Loor said. “She wishes to be a warrior, but I fear she is too impulsive.”
“She had pretty good impulses when she bailed you out of that zhou fight,” I teased.
Loor didn’t even acknowledge this with a look. All she said was, “I told you. I would have found another way to defeat the zhou.”
“Right,” I said.
“You doubt me?” Loor asked.
“Me? Never!” I said with a chuckle. I liked needling Loor, but the truth was, I didn’t doubt for a second that she would have found a way to beat that beastie without Saangi’s help.
Loor led me across the compound, where we passed several Ghee warriors. Some were exercising, others were in small groups in deep conversation. Though the Ghee were divided, they all still lived in this same compound. I wondered how long this could last. If the conflict got worse, having all these macho types living together could get tense. Or violent. I kept hidden in the cloak. I must have looked like an idiot, walking around in this heat dressed like an Eskimo. But nobody stopped us. I guess nobody wanted to mess with Loor. Or an Eskimo.
She brought me to a horse stable that held some of the most beautiful, powerful horses I had ever seen. These were regular old horses, not like the zenzens of Eelong with their extra leg joint. Loor saddled up two with heavy, leather saddles that were very much like Western saddles at home. We both mounted up and were soon trotting through the streets of Xhaxhu. I was becoming pretty comfortable on horseback. Uncle Press taught me to ride when I was younger back on Second Earth, and I’d had many chances to ride on various territories. I really liked it. Somewhere in the back of my head I felt that when this was all over, if I had the chance to go home, I would get myself a horse.
“You’ve seen Xhaxhu at its finest,” Loor said as we rode side by side. “Now you are seeing the horror of what it has become.”
As I mentioned before, the city was dry. But man, “dry” didn’t cover it. Some water troughs still had a trickle of precious water running through, but it wasn’t near enough to quench the thirst of the hundreds of Batu citizens who knelt by the stone troughs, desperate for the slightest bit of moisture. Some even had their entire bodies inside the troughs to lick at the pathetic trickle. It was pretty sad.