Path to Destiny

Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Sand billowed around us, stifling even the faintest of gasps at the beasts that met us.

The Tia'in, clad in sweeping, shimmery red robes, rode gargantuan feline mounts. Though the beasts sported stripes and spots, they were all the color of a burnt rose. One of them could easily consume a human for a snack.

Our group stood back to back. Clarice and Hadrian flanked either side of me. There were four of the Tia'in. Their mounts made vicious screeches that sounded like a snake's hiss coupled with a dog's growling.

Clarice shrank against Mayra's back. "Hey, witch lady," she said in a terrified whisper, "you can use your windy powers to blow them away, can't you?"

I could not see Mayra's face, but even I cringed at witch lady.

Her tone was crisp as the four Tia'in came to a stop. "My 'windy powers' would not be enough to 'blow them away,' you twit," she replied.

"Shh," Baruch muttered behind me, his soft voice barely audible. "Don't make any sudden movements."

One of the Tia'in dismounted. "Who are you?" she asked, her accented voice clipped. It was muffled by the vibrant multicolored scarf she wore to conceal her features. All I could see were angular brown eyes glaring out from beneath her hood. "State your business."

Ezra stepped from our circle and held out his hands to show he was weaponless. "We are desert travelers in search of sanctuary," he said. "We fled Drush."

The lead Tia'in looked at each of us, her eyes narrowed. Our hoods and scarves concealed our appearances, so I didn't know what she was looking for.

She motioned to one of her fellow riders to dismount beside her. "Queen Jada Harari of Drush has fallen to evil magic," she said. From the smooth sound of her voice, she was using the eastern language of Nor and Drush. Being a Harbinger had its perks of translation, so I'd started to learn the nuances of languages by the way individuals spoke. She continued, "You could be refugees. But we have closed the desert and ocean passages to all refugees."

She pulled a wooden staff from her mount and unraveled the cloth binding to reveal a sharp, curved blade. The rest of the Tia'in did the same.

"There is no way you came here by normal means," she said. She pointed the weapon at us. "You are spies of the Dark Queen."

In the span of two seconds, the leader shot forward and attacked Ezra, who dodged and pulled a spear from his back. They exchanged fierce blows, one after the other.

Hadrian pushed Clarice and me into a protective circle of Baruch, Mayra, and Synnove. "Wait," Hadrian called in Baluan to the three remaining Tia'in. "Do not attack! We have women and a child with us! We mean you no harm."

"What is he saying?" Clarice whispered to me.

"He called you a kid," I said quietly.

"Tavi, Nobil, Kush," the leader called as she fought Ezra, "ignore them. They are Drushite spies!"

Hadrian spread his arms angrily. "Are the Tia'in so foolhardy as to attack innocent travelers?" He pulled a scimitar from his belt, and I almost jumped out of my skin. Hadrian had a weapon? Did he even know how to use it?

"Silence," one of the Tia'in said to him. The beast beneath him growled, angered by his master's emotions.

Baruch tensed behind me, and I saw the glint of Mayra's dagger, the clenching of Synnove's fists.

"Why don't we tell them," I said loudly, "the truth?"

"We did tell them the truth," Synnove snapped over the clash of Ezra's blade against the leader's spear. Synnove's eyes, deadly with anger, were set on the Tia'in before her, two men and a woman stalking closer. "They didn't believe we were travelers. Do you think they'll believe the real story?"

"I'm with Synnove on this one, Lannie," Mayra said. "And those aren't just kittens they're riding."

But something inside of me felt a calmness to all of this, like a gentle wave washing over me. There was no malice in these people. They were protecting their people, their homeland.

I pulled down my hood and touched Synnove's arm. "Just let me try," I begged her.

She relented and let me out of the circle.

"What are you doing?" Hadrian snapped.

I unwound my scarf and held out my hands. There was one Tia'in, a man, standing directly in front of me, and the other two stood to my left and right. "We are not Drushite spies," I told him.

The man's eyes darkened. I realized I must have been speaking Baluan, so he understood exactly what I told him.

"Then what are you?" he asked, extracting a dagger from his belt. He urged his mount forward, and the great feline beast stopped inches away from me. It sniffed the air, whiskers twitching, and tilted its head.

"Don't be an idiot!" Ezra cried out in frustration as the sound of their blades clashing continued. I didn't have anything to prove who I was, so I just did what I did best.

I told the Tia'in the truth.

Everything, from what happened in Drush to my identity as a Harbinger, to what we intended to accomplish. To save the people of this world and stop the Shadow, I told him, we needed to see the Baluan monarchs.

"I know you are good people," I told him. "You have every right to attack and even kill us. We are trespassing on your land. But we have no ill intentions here. We only want to protect our world, just as you do."

The man sat on his feline mount, silent at my words. I couldn't read his face behind his scarf. He could be contemplating to kill me or sending his mount to attack.

I did not expect him to dismount, remove his hood, drop to one knee, and bow to me.

All I could do was stare, slack-jawed at the Tia'in bowing to me. "Uh, you don't have to..." I began, but I could find no words. The feline, seeing its master at ease, sat down on the ground and flicked its long tail over the sand.

"I apologize for my conduct, my lady," the man said. The sun danced off his dark, bald head. "I ask for punishment later for my disrespect as you see fit."

What was going on? The other Tia'in had dismounted as well, but they didn't seem to know what was happening, or why one of their own was kneeling to a foreigner. The blade clashing stopped as the man in front of me rose.

"Dagra," he called to his leader as she rammed her blade against Ezra's, "the Harbingers have arrived."

***

A/N: Aha! The Tia'in have a surprising twist to their allegiance...

awesomesauce desert photo (c) Jared Evans via Unsplash