Spice of Strength - Chapter 8 - A'mara Books

Previously...

8
(Terraday, cont.)

Finally, D’zani had a few minutes in private with Vissia as they collected some supplies to take to the greenhouses.

“Did you feel all the questions?” D’zani asked Vissia as they walked through the first vestibule.

“What do you mean?”

“When we were eating. Everyone was thinking about us, asking about us…”

“So?” Vissia replied. “Were they jealous?”

“They were concerned,” D’zani tried to press the point home. “I am too. I don’t know what you got up to when you were alone with Breckan, but your clothes were a mess when you came back to me.”

“What were you up to with the other guy?” Vissia asked turning the tables.

“We danced and talked. He gave me a kiss when he dropped us home, that’s all. He treated me with the utmost of respect,” D’zani replied. “But you weren’t behaving like an A’mara.”

“How do you know? You weren’t there!”

“I could feel it! It was a little embarrassing, really.”

“But how many times have we been told about fast romances because of our susceptibility?” Vissia asked. “It’s normal for us!”

“That’s why we’re taught to guard our emotions!” D’zani retorted. “We are still meant to act responsibly.”

“What’s more responsible? To deny my emotions or to act upon them?!” Vissia shouted at D’zani, putting the things down and started towards the door again.

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt by giving yourself to the first man who gives you the charm song,” D’zani called after her friend. “At least talk to Kinokei!”

“What did you want?” the aged stella asked as she joined the young woman.

“To talk some sense into Vissia!” D’zani said, feeling quite upset.

“Please tell me what happened,” Kinokei said walking towards a small hut behind the greenhouses. D’zani hurried after the woman – for an aged woman, she sure was fast!

“We were at the club last night and she went off with this guy...” she continued relating the story.

“So, you think that Vissia was not behaving properly,” the stella restated. “And you hope that by telling her what’s good for her, you can make her behave.”

“Yeah… no, it’s not quite like that… yeah.. I guess so. I just want what’s best for her!”

“Sometimes, for all our best intentions, we have to make people make their own mistakes – and just hope that they don’t get too badly hurt from them. Long ago, I knew a young lady, head of these greenhouses, she was… she ended up in a bad relationship. Maybe having the right maqla would have made a difference – if you listen to the abári talk, anyway, but maybe she just needed the freedom to make her own mistakes. She had a very dark few years, but in the end she made it. The man ended up being expelled from the A’mara and later died horribly. Trust karma. It always comes back to us in the end.”

“So, trust Vissia to make her own mistakes, even if they are horrible ones? And trust that karma will repay in kind?” D’zani replied.

“That’s the gist,” Kinokei confirmed. “I know it’s a hard thing though. We all want what’s best for our friends, after all. Sometimes, it’s hard to trust their decisions… especially when it looks wrong from our point of view…. You also met someone last night, I can tell.”

“Yes,” D’zani said with a blush.

“And you’re also aware that some leya-sensitives aren’t to be trusted.”

“Yes.”

“Why is yours okay and Vissia’s not?”

“Elíaz treated me with greater respect than Breckan treated Vissia.”

“But in the end, it is Vissia who has to decide how far to trust Breckan – and your decision to work out how far to trust Elíaz.”

“How do you know that Elíaz is leya-sensitive?”

“I can feel it on his imprint – some of it is still on you where he kissed you. Be cautious, in case these are Balan you have found,” Kinokei replied.

“You don’t trust me?” D’zani challenged.

“There is a difference between you telling your friend ‘no’ and me simply reminding you to be cautious,” Kinokei replied going into her cabin and shutting the door.

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Finally, Ory got the buzz he had been waiting for. He hoped he would finally get the break he needed to solve the mystery of Zilan.

“Yes, Abári?” he asked Orun.

“We have not trained anyone named Zilan.”

“Oh,” Ory said, not hiding his disappointment.

“Were you looking for someone who trained as A’mara or someone who just trained shaze?”

“I sort of assumed he would have done both.”

“That isn’t assumed in Kri’enden. We are not the only people to train shaze here,” Orun informed. “Because our tribes run high in leya-sensitives, it is common to find people who can wield a shaze who either can’t or don’t want to train as A’mara or Balan.”

“How does that work?” Ory asked.

“In Joton, we have a special academy which trains all leya-sensitives regardless of affiliation. Obviously, we normally train the A’mara ourselves, but there are many who train at the Joton Shaze Academy. I have their code if you would like it.”

“Thank you, I would.”

The code was shared and greetings exchanged as the communication ended.

“It would be wise to find out if there have been any new students within the past week,” Obion said. “By any name. We cannot dismiss the possibility that Zilan isn’t using this name right now.”

“Who should I say I am?” Ory asked. “They may not be happy to deal with A’mara...”

“Be yourself and say you’re working on a case – as is the truth.”

“Okay,” Ory replied as he placed the new connection.

“Joton Shaze Academy,” the woman said, answering the call.

“I am Ory, one of the Towani A’mara. I’m working on a case and need some information on some students you may have or have had in the past.”

“I will see if I can help you,” the woman acquiesced.

“Have you ever had a student named Zilan?” Ory asked.

The woman typed in the name, he could see her hit the soundex key before she entered it. She looked at Ory. “I’m sorry, that name does not ring any bells.”

“What about recently? Have you had any students join in the past week? There would have been two, traveling together, they may be using aliases,” Ory suggested.

“Well, yes… I had two come in here last week. A student and a new trainer – he’s training in order to pay for the girl’s studies. They’re both really good too,” the woman shared as if she had been dying to tell someone about them.

“Can you tell me their names?” Ory asked.

“They are going by the name Shadow,” the woman replied. “We could not get anything else out of them. But we do try to take all comers.”

“Thank you,” Ory said as he cut the connection.

“Well done,” Obion said.

“But we didn’t learn enough to make any other connections,” Ory said frustratedly.

“Maybe not, but we have another dot and we know that the student is a female and that Zilan, if it’s him, is good enough to instruct in Kri’enden!” Obion replied. “Good work!”

NEXT CHAPTER

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Other Chapters of this set

Acting the Part - chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Building on Promise - Chapter 1

Acting the Part, part 2 - Chapter 10

Spice of Strength - Chapter 1

Maps and Guides

• continents of Alacantis and Kranisis (five maps)
• continent of Almara (five maps)
• countries of Kri'enden and Yezi'im (four maps plus "other places")
• characters, pronunciation and glossary

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