The Witch Woman's Prophecy

13 | Return to Brandis |

After two days of Soni's care, I had recovered much of my strength and moving my battered limbs caused me less pain.

'I was lucky not to have taken a fever,' I said as I limbered up my shoulders and feeling the ache in my back where the blows had landed.

Soni laughed. 'Do you not remember the spiky plant I made you eat? It is well known for staving off fevers and other sicknesses.'

'I grew up on a mountainside where there was a spring my family used to water a couple of small fields of root vegetables. I wasn't allowed to leave the farm so I've never seen one of those spiky desert plants before, although I did eat a fleshy leaved plant that made me have strange dreams.'

Soni nodded and thought for a moment. 'This evening we will go and find this Brandis. We must discover how he knows the location of the relic and why he is out here trying to find it. I have been thinking about him. My father spoke of him once. He is a merchant whose fondness for alcohol has meant he has never been very successful. I am puzzled as to why he should be here.'

We took down the tent as the sun began its journey down the sky. It was a simple construction of cloth which was pulled over the top of some poles. The cloth was held down by pockets which were filled with rocks or sand and by ropes which were tied to pegs which were driven into the ground. It would be useless if it were very windy, but as the wind was blocked by the dunes around us, it was not a problem.

Soni assured me that when the wind got up in the desert it would blow down any tent. If that happened we would lay down, wrapped in the cloth of the tent, and hope that we survived. The great sandstorms that could carry a man away only came every few years, and we would die if we were foolish enough to be out in the desert when one of those struck.

My heart dropped inside me when I saw Soni's two camels. They were grumpy and aggressive and flopped down on the ground as soon as their halters were released. I didn't like to be too close to them as they spat and kicked out at me. Soni was used to dealing them, he crooned to them as he loaded them up and they were happy to let him handle them. We loaded them up with the tent and remaining supplies.

Soni asked me if I would prefer to ride on one of the camels rather than walking. I looked at them and they glared back at me as though daring me to come close. I decided I would rather face another beating from Brandis than to climb up on one of them, so I politely refused and I am sure one of the camels smirked at me.

We set off to find Brandis by following the footprints I had made as I staggered away from him. It was a different journey in the cool, blue light of early evening from when I had run blindly into the dazzling rays of the setting sun. We walked at a pace that did not pain my injuries and talked about Merthgem. I told him about Tasmi and how fine the market was. Soni laughed and told me to suspend my judgement of Merthgem until I had seen Polemmy. He did not intimidate me with silence and this made me feel happier. However, as we travelled on, I became more tense and anxious. Would Brandis jump out at us with his stick when we were least expecting it? Soni was slim, and, despite his confidence, would not be able to put up much of a fight if Brandis chose to attack rather than to listen.

I was surprised at how far I had managed to travel when I had run away from Brandis. We pitched the tent again as the sky began to darken and my limbs grew sore. I knew that in the morning my shoulders would be stiff again, and I was glad that Soni prepared our meal that night. We ate bread and some cheese which had the foulest taste I have ever encountered. Soni did not tell me where it had come from, but I suspected that it might be made from the milk of a camel. I wondered who might be brave enough to milk a female camel; I certainly wouldn't risk it.

Dawn woke me from an uneasy dream about being chased by a camel over dunes because it wanted to ride on my back. Relief flooded over me when I broke the surface of the dream and emerged back into everyday life. As I sat up and stretched out the stiffness from my limbs, I hoped that Brandis suffered the same discomfort when he woke.