Chapter 5 #3
“Yes,” Veru said, licking her spoon. “How long, exactly, do you expect us to stay in this dreamworld?”
“Dreamworld?” Danik replied, his brow knit together. Then his eyes cleared, and he turned to Kadam. “My friend, if you could part with enough supplies for a few days, I’m sure I’ll find my parents’ village. I just need to pick up the trail, you see. And then—”
Kadam put his hand on Danik’s shoulder. “Son, I’m afraid you aren’t here to find your parents.”
“I’m not?”
“No.”
“Your job is to protect this young lady.”
Danik peered at Veru and swallowed, then jerked his thumb at her. “But she’s—”
“I know,” Kadam said soberly. “She’s royalty, son. Can I rely on you to see her safely home?”
“Really?” Veru sneered. “We’re going with that?”
“Hush now. Deep-seated memories rooted by emotion stay longer than anything else. It’s why he searches for home. It means something. The heart doesn’t forget. The mind may, but the heart never will. Trust me. I have some experience with this. The two of you will need each other.”
“Okay, fine,” Veru replied stiffly. “A forgetful minstrel blasting his trumpet to announce my victorious return to the empire it is.”
Danik folded his arms. “I don’t play the trumpet.”
Veru waved an arm. “Doesn’t matter. How do you expect us to get out of here, anyway? And what happens if we die in this place?”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, shall we?” Kadam hedged.
“I can die now, can’t I? Without my tiger, I won’t heal like before.”
“I suspect you’ll soon discover that.”
“What?” Veru asked, now panicked. “The death or the healing?”
“None of this sounds like anything I want to be a part of,” Danik said. “I appreciate the breakfast and all, but—”
“Son,” Kadam said, stopping Danik by catching hold of his arm. “I know this place is strange and you don’t remember this woman, but you’ve walked with her before. You know her heart. It’s a good one. She’s protected you, and you’ve watched over her. She knows your songs.”
“She does?” Danik turned to Veru, who nodded to him and rose as well.
“I do. I quite enjoy listening to you sing at dusk when the fire burns down. My favorite is the song about the snow falling in the trees.”
“That—that was my mother’s favorite too!” he exclaimed.
“So you’ll help her find her way?” Kadam asked.
Danik studied Veru’s face as if looking for something he recognized. Then he nodded. “It’s the right thing to do.”
“It is,” Kadam said. “Now that that’s been decided on, let me give you your supplies.”
“Wait a minute,” Veru said quickly. “You’re not coming with us?”
“Not at all. This is your journey. Not mine.”
“But what about the others? Iriko? Stacia? Nik? Zakhar?”
“You’ll run across them eventually. The various paths all lead to the same place.
Now then, I believe I have cheese, honeycomb, porridge, bread, some stoppered bottles with which you can draw and store water, some blankets, and a bit of soap.
I’ve placed the knife you seem to like so much in this pocket. ”
“Do you have a change of clothing in there?”
“Not as such, no. Your White Shaman didn’t seem to believe you’d need that.”
“Wonderful. Would you thank him for me?”
“Yes . . . well, sorry about that. He was rather insistent and gleeful regarding your attire. I’m afraid I couldn’t talk him out of it.
Nor could I convince him to provide either of you with a decent weapon other than the small knife.
Very confusing. There is a fire starter, though, so you should be warm enough. ”
“Look, just give us the supplies and be on your way, then. I’m sure you did all you could. Tell him we think you’re an excellent guide. We couldn’t have asked for better,” Veru said, turning away from Kadam as if in dismissal.
“Now, see here, young lady. I understand you’re used to ordering others around—and I’d be a bit touchy myself, were I in your place—but vinegar never caught flies.”
Veru frowned. “Why would I want to catch flies?”
“Don’t they use that expression here?” Kadam asked. “Well, regardless, I will be monitoring your progress. Try to remember this is for your own good. You are to learn and be tested. Should you do well, I believe you will acquire various gifts.”
“Did this happen with your tigers?”
“Actually, yes. Miss Kelsey was given weapons by the goddess Durga, and she won prizes—the Golden Mango, the Divine Scarf, and so forth.”
“A scarf? What kind of a prize is that?”
“I’ll have you know that scarf saved our lives many times over. When we wrapped it around ourselves, it changed our appearance. We could look like anyone. When she was chased from the world tree and fell, it carried her to safety.”
Veru’s mouth fell open. “Tell me more about these weapons given by the goddess,” she demanded.
Kadam waved a hand. “I’ve already said too much about my world and my tigers. None of this applies to you anyway. Your tasks will be very different. Your gifts unique. Your challenges your own.”
Rising, he handed Danik one knapsack and placed the recently cleaned pot in the top, then fastened it and tossed a second one to Veru.
“Just remember,” Kadam said, parting a bush and indicating they should begin on the path near the stream, then placing his hands on each of their shoulders, “the strongest weapons you have will always be your minds and your friends. Learn to trust them.”
The pair stepped through, and the bush snapped back to shape behind them. Veru turned and parted it again, saying, “But what about . . . ?”
When she looked past the greenery, she saw nothing there. The little camp where they’d been sitting a moment before had vanished. The fallen logs, campfire, collected firewood, and even their boot prints were missing. “Kadam?” she said.
The only reply was the wind rustling the leaves. A slight shiver went through her. Taking his hand, Veru said, “Come on, Danik. I guess we’re on our own now.”