“You mean March?” Markos’ jaw pointed in my direction.
“Her name is Nora,” Dahr cut him off. “And she will be addressed by her own name from now on. Is that clear, cousin?” Dahr’s voice dropped an octave, the threat deep in his tone.
“Are we going training or what?” The tribe lord ignored the threat and expertly shifted the conversation to where he needed it to be. Dahr’s gaze turned to me in question, as if to ask me if I was finished with breakfast. Sensing my discomfort, he took the lead again and answered for me. “I will take her to Karisha first, and meet you in the training camp,” his voice carried such a deep tone of command, that Markos had no choice but to nod and leave the tent.
“Duty calls,” I pressed my lips together in acknowledgement of the ending of this stolen moment. Without making the movement seem of any importance, I stood from my seat and moved back towards my bed to grab my shoes and get ready for the day.
Dahr did the same and, a few minutes later, we were walking out of the tent and towards Karisha’s, where the tribe lady was already waiting for me, buzzing with energy, her golden hair gleaming in the sunlight.
“Finally,” she scolded and moved over to my side to offer me a quick hug. “I thought you abandoned me completely,” she croaked in admonishment, but smiled nonetheless to both me and Dahr.
The warrior turned to me then and grabbed my hand in his to lift it slowly and press it to his lips.
“I look forward to seeing you tonight,” Dahr said as his lips left their mark on my knuckles.
My friend started giggling and I barely contained my chest from taking flight at the deep smile he shared with me before he nodded a farewell to the both of us.
I spent the rest of the day with Karisha, but all my thoughts kept running back to Dahr.
“Why did you try to run the other day?” Dahr asked after he cut a piece of the dried meat from the breakfast table and placed it on my plate.
“When?” I wasn’t sure what answer he was looking for. As far as memory served, he’d been the one who’d released me and told me to go. And I had been the one who decided to stay.
“When Myrcell and Bradth got involved,” he placed the comment attentively, careful not to jostle old wounds. I didn’t need further clarification; I knew exactly what he was referring to. And what he wasn’t saying.
“I didn’t run,” I clarified, once and for all. “I didn't try to, at least. All I wanted to do was to go to the sea. I needed to feel free for just a little while longer. And when Karisha gave me the afternoon off, at first, I wanted nothing to do with anyone. But then I realised this was my opportunity to do something I loved. And be free, even if only for a little while.”
“Why do you love swimming so much?” Dahr posed the question, both intrigued and slightly unnerved. By the tone of his voice, he didn’t seem to be a fan of the sea himself, which wassurprising, especially since their training camp was right by the beach.
“It’s my home,” I said without having to think about it. “It’s my friend. The only thing I ever had in my life that was inherently mine,” I confessed and let thoughts of the waves and floating within the embrace of the sea take me over.
“My parents died in a car accident when I was four, so I don’t remember much about them. I don’t have any other family, only an aunt, who got married a year later and took me to the school for girls, where I was given shelter until I became of age. Life was… hard,” I pressed my lips together, not wanting to overwhelm the moment.
“And the sea was always there,” Dahr replied in my stead.
“I must have learnt to swim with my parents, because I was never afraid of water. The school for girls was just on Sheep Street, less than five minutes from the beach. When the other girls went to bed, I escaped and went for a swim. I can’t even tell you the number of times I caught a cold because my hair didn’t dry quickly and I was always getting my pillow wet.”
Dahr kept quiet for a long time after my confession, to the point where I thought I needed to apologise for something I had said. I gave him the space he needed, and followed his lead, eating in silence and letting only the sounds of chewing and slurping interrupt the calmness of the tent from time to time.
We spent long minutes like that, until both our plates were empty and neither of us reached for another serving. Only then did Dahr stand, the abruptness of his moment making me jump.
“Are you ready?” he finally looked at me, paying me full attention and letting me see the playful gleam in those obsidian eyes.
“Ready for what?” I asked, feeling like I missed something.
“We’re going swimming,” Dahr’s grin widened as he reached for me, offering me his hand to stand and follow him.
We came out of the tent hand in hand, Dahr’s presence stopping the daily commotion in the camp. I expected him to let me go and start walking ahead, as I had seen many of the other warriors do, but, to both my surprise and my excitement, he kept my pace and walked slowly through the lines of tents. Furthermore, he took it upon himself to present the camp and its people to me, his description so different compared to the first introduction with Karisha.
“The warriors of the camp remain towards the western area, flanked by the sea and the line of tents. This is to help them become stronger and tie better bonds with their tribe. There is nothing more important in battle than trust and knowing that your tribe has got your back can push a man to grow unthinkably strong. I had to stay in the warrior’s band for the first seven years, until my powers commanded me to advance in position,” Dahr explained as he pointed towards the furthest and most isolated side of the camp and the horizon of blue behind it.
“Hunters are to the north and merchants to the south,” I told him what I already knew and waited for further explanation on that, suddenly sharing in the fervour of the daily camp activities.
“Merchants and workers are free to go back and forth and bring whatever materials they need to continue their work and trades. You must have already guessed by now that we are heading towards the capital, so the southern regions are cleared of danger.”
That information twisted a knife to my stomach. Is that what my town will be remembered as?A region cleared of danger?
As if reading my thoughts, Dahr continued. “We tried to stay clear of larger towns and create lesser damage if we advance through a straight line. It also prevents detection.”
