The Oracles of Tomesh [ON HOLD]

7 | I Hope You Have a Plan

shek inah (shek i-na) idiom

an expression generally used to wish someone blessings or protection, specifically from the desert gods; often used in farewells

archaic; first found in the ancient temple of the third Oracle

***

She was not supposed to be with her rayeshka outside the village, and even if they were in the village, they could not spend the night together anywhere. That unspoken rule had been broken twice now, and both times Nascha was uncomfortable. Also this time, she was feeling many other things. She did not want to go—not without telling her family, not when she still had to save Karei, who may now be lost somewhere in the dunes. Not with the prince, and most definitely not with Kalesch.

They were accompanied by two guards. "Two of our best," the queen had said. Two guards to protect the crown prince and the Oracle. 'How good are they?' She wondered, stealing the two men a look. The fire from their little camp danced on their flat faces; a dark line was painted across their eyes and nose, making their gaze more intense and dangerous.

Prince Laku was talking, had been for hours now. If there was anyone excited about the journey, it was just him. After the queen told him he did not have to finish the rituals for his father's tomb, Laku was fast to order for his clothes to be packed. Hours since they left the Belt of Temples without word from anyone, with two guards, and five horses, the prince was still talking about his childhood in Kgosi, how the place was filled with canals of water, how he used to escape the castle to go on little adventures. "I will take you around," he told Nascha too many times since learning she had never been to the capital of the empire.

Nascha was awed by the man's narcissism. For someone who grew up with so much attention, shouldn't he be tired of himself? Strange, really. And tiring. Beside her, Kalesch was silent. What could he be thinking?

"How have you ever lasted this long?" she asked.

"My ears learned faster than my will," he murmured back.

She smiled at Laku, nodding when the prince raised his brows at her while he talked, probably asking for a sign that she understood what he was trying to explain about the canals.

"I hope you have a plan," she murmured to Kalesh. "Taking me away from the tomb is not a good idea. I really need to get to the arnucc."

As she expected, he did not answer. He, too, was pretending to listen to Laku. They had just eaten a good meal of roasted elker prepared by one of the two guards. "As the queen said, we'll talk once we reach Kgosi," Kalesch said, taking the wooden skewer from her. "Why don't you rest?" And to Laku, he said, "We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow, Your Highness."

They said it would not take long to reach Kgosi. They would not be crossing the desert. The queen had told them to go north and travel by sea. Not the safest, but if they traveled in disguise, they would be fine. That's why she was in a gray cloak and her hair wrapped in a dull green cloth. Kalesch was wearing the same cloak, but his hair was tied back like any common villager around Tomesh. Laku was in a darker cloak, his hair also wrapped in the most unassuming white cloth. He enjoyed being in disguise, as he said.

Nascha looked behind her, at the small tent erected by the guards just for her. Their camp was nestled behind a sloping mound of sand to hide their fire from any other travelers.

Laku asked Kalesch questions about their journey ahead, most of them already answered hours ago. He eventually stopped talking, yawning and crawling back into the tent he had to share with Kalesch. One guard was already asleep, while the other would stay awake to keep watch.