Pawn (The Pawn Series Book 1) Page 3

"Chiefs don't ask. They tell."

  She nodded. She looked around. "Life here is hard." I shrugged. Life is hard. "Life in Framara easier."

  I shrugged again but then asked, "We're going to Framara?" As soon as I asked it, I supposed it was obvious.

  "Yes." She pulled my wrists to her and examined the knots. "You cannot run."

  I could run just fine. But then I realized what she was telling me. "I promised to obey."

  "Arrlotta horse good this land. But Framara horse faster. We know fight from our horses. Do you?"

  "Girls don't fight."

  "Your horse is slow," she added. "Mine is much faster." I said nothing. "You good rider, maybe best rider Arrlotta horse. But not Framara horse."

  "I promised to obey," I muttered.

  "I talk clear," she said. "Best I can. You understand."

  "I understand," I agreed.

  "You run, we catch. You run, we punish. You run, we not trust. Understand."

  "I understand."

  She studied me a little longer before she began to untie my wrists. As soon as they were free, I rubbed them for a minute then stepped past her and took care of my most immediate needs. It was awkward in the unfamiliar clothing, but I managed. When I turned around, she had her back to me, and she was between me and her friends.

  "Are you done?" she asked.

  "Yes."

  "Good." She turned around. Then she reached to her belt and began to unbuckle it. I stared then slowly backed away. After a moment, the belt that held her sword was free, and she tossed it into the grass. I took two steps further from her, wondering what she intended. Then she knelt down and pulled a long knife from her belt. My eyes widened. Without a warning, she threw it, and I skipped backwards, but she wasn't throwing it at me. It landed in the grass just to the side of where I'd been standing, the blade sinking into the dirt, the handle sticking up.

  "Pick that up," she said.

  "What?"

  "You promise obey. Pick that up."

  I stepped forward and knelt down, pulling the knife from the earth.

  "Try to kill me."

  "What?" I spat. "No!"

  "I woman take you away," she said. "I woman take you from Mama. You want kill me."

  "No," I said. I didn't want to kill anyone.

  "You promise obey," she said. "Try kill. Now."

  "You are crazy," I said.

  "What word mean? Crazy."

  "You want me to kill you. That's crazy."

  "Ah. Understand. No. Want you try kill. Not same as want you kill." She smiled and made a "come here" gesture.

  I eyed her. I eyed the knife. Then I shifted my grip and ran at her, holding the knife out in front of me.

  I knew nothing about fighting. Arrlotta women do not fight. What I didn't understand at that time was just how little I knew about fighting compared to someone who had been trained to fight.

  Juleena waited for me. As I drew close, she stepped to the side, her hand sweeping out to grasp my wrist. She lifted then stuck a foot between my legs, tripping me. Then she held onto my hand, high in the air, and as I fell, I spun around, landing on my ass, the hand with the knife held into the air. I dropped the knife, and she caught it. Then she stepped away. A moment later, she threw the knife, and it embedded itself in the ground beside my hip.

  "Try harder."

  I grabbed the knife, climbed to my feet, and began moving towards her. As I got closer, I began to slash the knife back and forth between us. Juleena backed away, waited until one of my slashes went past her, then stepped in quickly. She trapped the arm with the knife and swept my feet from me, dropping me to the ground. She followed me down, still controlling the hand with the knife, and I found her shin across my throat. I blinked up at her, not saying a thing.

  But at least I didn't drop the knife, for what little good it did me.

  She lifted her weight from my throat then pulled me to my feet before stepping back. "Again."

  The third time, I wasn't quite sure what happened, but when it was over, she was behind me, one of her arms around me, the other holding my hand with the blade of the knife against my own throat.

  "Real fight, you dead," she said into my ear. Then she pushed me away from her. "Again."

  We did this six times in total. Each time she beat me, and she made it look easy. For the last, I found myself face down in the grass, my knife arm wrenched behind my back, her knee in my lower back pinning me into place. She carefully took the knife from me and moved away. By the time I was sitting up to watch her, she was buckling her sword belt back into place.

  "You understand?"

  "I can't fight," I said. "You can."

  "More. I not hurt you. I not let you cut you. I not let you hurt you. I help you safe. Understand?"

  I stared. "No."

  "Easy beat you," she said. "Hard not hurt you." She waited until I understood.

  I lowered my eyes. "I won't fight you." I wouldn't have even without the demonstration.

  "Good," she said. Then she stepped forward and held out her hand. I stared at it blankly for a moment before giving her my own hand. She clasped my wrist and readily pulled me to my feet. Then she set her hands on my shoulders, looking into my eyes. "This impor- impor-" She looked away. "What word?"

  "Important?"

  "Yes. Yallameenara, this important. You Framara now. I sorry, you not want." I lowered my eyes at that, but she crouched down so her face was still in front of mine. "I want you I friends."

  "You want us to be friends?"

  "Yes."

  I didn't understand this woman, and while I understood they were taking me to Framara, I didn't understand why. But I nodded. "Friends," I agreed.

  "Good," she said with a smile. Then she turned us back towards the camp, throwing an arm across my shoulders. That surprised me; no one had ever done that to me before. But she began walking, and I was helpless but to walk alongside with her.

  "No one walk this you before?"

  Her Arrlottan really was quite bad, but I understood what she asked.

  "No."

  "Ah. Your arm here," she said, her free arm reaching behind her own back and patting her waist. And so, tentatively, I slid my arm along her back until she captured my hand in hers, pulling me tightly against her.

  And so, with her arm around my shoulders, and mine around her waist, we made our way back to the camp.

  * * * *

  "You are part of a peace promise," she told me. From my monstrously tall mount, I looked over at her. She had decided to trust me, and I was now in control of my own horse. I had looked longingly at the more familiar horses, but she'd simply pointed to this one instead. But it felt better to hold the reins with my free hands.

  Even if the stupid horse didn't recognize the most basic of commands.

  "That not right word," she continued. "But is word I know. Arrlotta men come Framara. Take. Food. Horses. Kill, maybe. Understand?"

  "Raids," I said. "If you didn't like it, you should have defended better."

  She offered a harsh look. "Framara big place. Cannot be everywhere at same time. We in one place, Arrlotta men another place."

  I had little sympathy. Any raids would have been one clan, or two at most. The Framarans should have defended better.

  "Framara queen grow tired of-" then she stumbled over the next words, making it a question. "Raids?" I nodded that she had the right word. "Tell me make stop. I make stop. Know how?"

  I shook my head.

  "Understand," she continued. "Queen not say try make stop. She say make stop." I nodded understanding. "I send men. Many men, two here, two here, two here. Move fast. Men look. Find water. Find Arrlotta water. Come back to Framara. Tell where water. Then I take all men together to three water. Make water bad."

  "Bad?"

  "Drink water, be sick."

  I looked at her in horror. She recognized what my expression meant.

  "Arrlottans kill Framarans," she said. "Not tell me bad fight back."


  "You didn't just fight back," I said. "You poisoned the water!"

  "Arrlottans kill Framarans," she repeated. "But I kill no one. I make sick."

  "But the water!"

  "Bad one year, maybe two year," she said. "After? Good water. I not kill. We wait. We watch water. Clan come. Drink water. Horses drink water. Dogs." She looked away. "Some dogs died. Feel bad dogs." She was quiet for a minute. I was too shocked to say anything.

  Then she turned back. "Wait sick. Then we come. Give good water. Tell chiefs no raids. More raids? I poison all water. All water all desert. Tell chiefs they make war. Tell chiefs stop war, must pay." She pointed at me. "You."

  "But-" I struggled with the idea. "Why?"

  "Arrlottan not understand this," she said. "This for Framarans. Framarans angry. Peace in Framara other place always marriage have."

  "I don't understand."

  "Too hard words," she said, putting on her frustrated look. "Framarans angry. Understand? Right angry. Arrlottans make war."

  "They were just raids."

  "They killed! War. Is war. If just raids, then Arrlottans bandits. Framarans kill all bandits catch. You want?"

  I shook my head. "No," I said, my tone sullen.

  "Good," she said. "Kill not answer. Peace answer. I harsh be. Must. Arrlottans believe. War not stop I kill all. Must believe." She leaned closer. "My way. No one die."

  I didn't like her methods. I didn't like that at all. It would be a very long time before I was willing to believe a simple fact. Juleena had been between a rock and a hard place.

  "What about me?"

  "Ah. Peace promise. Arrlottan chief promise no more raid. I promise no more bad water. But must give gifts. Good gifts. Framara give food. Good food. Tools. Leather. All good. Arrlotta give horses. Good horses. And you. Must have. For peace. So Framara queen believe peace. No you, queen not believe."

  I stared at her. "If you didn't take me, she would make you poison all the water?"

  "Not know. Maybe. In Framara, war loser bride give always. Always. I bring you, queen believe Arrlotta admit loser. Queen happy. Other people happy."

  I stared for a while. The things she said were so foreign to me. To poison the water was unspeakable, and for a few simple raids? But then I remembered a word she had used.

  "Bride?"

  "Is right word?" she said. "Mean you marry."

  "I'm not old enough! We don't marry before our ten and sixth summer!"

  "Speak slow," she said. "Speak slow!" So I repeated myself, carefully saying each word.

  "Ah. Understand. Yes. Too young now. But you much learn. Learn talk Framaran. Learn..." She shook her head. "More words not know. Stop talk now. Too hard. Head hurts."

  "One more question," I said. "Please."

  "One more."

  "Who am I going to marry?"

  "Ah. My cousin. He too young, too. No more now."

  She turned away from me, and we both grew lost in our own thoughts. But it didn't last. The more I thought about it, the more questions I had. Finally I reached over and snagged her shirt sleeve with my fingers. "Juleena," I said. "What is your cousin's name?"

  She turned to me. "You said one more. This two more."

  "Please. What is his name?"

  "Jalek," she replied. "Now no more."

  "Jalek," I said to myself. "I'm going to marry someone named Jalek." I wondered what he was like. Was he a good hunter? Would he work hard for our family? Would he beat me? Would he beat our children? I muddled those sorts of thoughts for a while. Finally I couldn't take it any longer.

  "Juleena, what is he like?"

  She sighed and looked at me. "You understand my words?"

  "Yes."

  "You understand I say 'no more'?"

  I lowered my eyes from her. "I'm scared."

  "No," she said. She reached over and lifted my chin. "No scared be."

  "I'm scared!" I repeated. "How would you feel if I came to your home, tied your wrists, and dragged you from home to marry some man you've never met? Is he a good hunter? How often is he going to beat me? When are you going to make me marry him? What if he hates me? Then who will I marry?"

  "Too many words," she complained. "You talk too fast." She gave an exasperated look. "Three questions. You promise no more, and I answer three more. You promise. You speak slow. Then no more. Promise."

  "No more ever?"

  "No more today."

  "I promise," I said. "What is he like?"

  "He is a boy," she said, making a face.

  I didn't understand why she would make such a face, and I didn't think that was much of an answer. And so I said, "I promised only three more questions, but you promised answers."

  "Ach," she replied. "He is boy. You would say. This is his ten and second summer. I no know him well. He is boy. He does boy things."

  "That is still a poor answer," I said. "Is he a good hunter? Does he respect his clan chief?" Then I turned away. "Will he beat me often?"

  A moment later, Juleena hurried her mount and then stepped in front of mine, bringing us to a stop. Once I was stopped, she continued around to my side until we sat very close to each other, our knees actually touching. She reached out with one hand and clasped my chin, forcing me to look at her.

  "That was three questions."

  "That was one question," I replied. "What is he like?"

  "Yes, well. No, he is a poor hunter. Hunting in Framara not important. We farm. Not hunt. Understand?"

  I didn't, but I nodded anyway.

  "Next, clan chief is queen of all Framara. He damned well respects clan chief." Although she didn't say "damned well". Instead she used a Framaran curse, which I have since learned myself. And so I nodded.

  "Next. No, he will not beat you."

  "Ever?"

  "He will never beat you."

  "How are you sure? You said you barely know him."

  "He knows. He beats you, you tell me. And I whip him bloody."

  "But he will be man, and you are only a woman."

  "In Framara, I am not only a woman. There is no only a woman. That is all your questions."

  "No. That was one question. When will we marry?"

  "Ah. Easy. In Framara, women ten and eight to marry. Men ten and six."

  "Not for a long time."

  "Yes. Not for long time. Last question."

  I had nothing but questions, and I couldn't settle on one, but then one blurted from my mouth.

  "Why me?"

  "Why you?"

  "Why did you pick me? Why didn't you pick one of the other girls? Why didn't you pick my sister?"

  I could see her puzzle through my words for a moment, then she nodded. "I don't know who sister." I opened my mouth to describe her, but Juleena set two fingers across my lips. "You young. Closest age cousin. When eighteen, not wait cousin sixteen. You look different other girls. Stand out?"

  "Stand out? There's nothing special about me."

  "Hair short." She reached further and ran her fingers through my hair. "Eyes blue." Then she brushed fingers across my cheek. "Small here. Pretty. Different Arrlotta. Different Framara. Um. Not know word. Mean from far place. Some far place good come. Some far place bad come. Framarans not like Arrlottans. You not look Arrlottan." She smiled. "Your mama not Arrlottan. Altearan. Didn't know she your mama. Should guessed. Know now. Understand now. You mix Arrlottan, Altearan. Different. Good. Good mix."

  She patted my cheek. "You pretty. Bright eyes. Altearans all smart. You smart? Maybe. Will see." She smiled. "Now. No more Arrlottan. Want talk? Talk Framaran."

  "But I don't know Framaran."

  She patted my cheek once more then pulled her horse away from mine. "Learn."

  "Learn?" I asked. "How am I supposed to do that?"

  "Had three questions," she said. "Promised no more." She grinned at me and began to ride away. I shifted forward on my own horse. He didn't move. Stupid horse. I clucked at him. He didn't move. Finally I spanked his ass with my hand. That got him movi
ng.

  Stupid horse.

  Travels

  The rest of that day, Juleena refused to speak any more Arrlottan to me, except as necessary to give me directions. But she encouraged me to ride alongside her, and so it was still a form of company.

  I watched her. I watched her a great deal. She rode the large horse with such confidence, the same confidence she'd had when she gave me her knife and told me to try to kill her. She rode with her head held high, her eyes looking around, watching everything. When she spoke, the rest of our band listened to her.

  She acted like a man. But she wasn't a man. She was only a woman, and not even that old a woman, only a few years older than my sister.

  Who was she to act like this? Who was she that these people followed her?

  It was wrong. From everything I had been taught, how she acted was wrong.

  But she was tall, and beautiful. I could see that as I watched her. I thought the word she'd been looking for to describe me applied to her. To my eyes, she was exotic. They all were, really, but Juleena was the most exotic of them all.

  I didn't realize it at the time, but from that very first day I had a girl's crush on Juleena.

  I considered emulating her, the thought lasting barely a few heartbeats. I envisioned standing like her, my head held so high. I envisioned myself giving orders. And then immediately I imagined the beating I'd surely receive, and I shrank in on myself.

  It was never good for an Arrlottan girl to draw attention to herself. No, that wasn't good at all.

  We rode late into the day. That wasn't remarkable. What I noticed was how sore were my legs. I was not accustomed to such a wide mount. I didn't complain, and I hid the discomfort. I wouldn't give these Framarans the pleasure of my discomfort. Instead I found opportunity to stretch my legs.

  When we did finally stop, I tried to do what I always had done: tend to the horses. It was quite automatic for me, after all, but I found myself struggling to maintain possession of my mount's reins as one of the men tried to take him from me.

  He said something to me, but of course I didn't understand. Then he looked over his shoulder and said something to Juleena instead.

  "Yallameenara, what are you doing?"

  "Seeing to the horses," I replied simply.

  "No," she said.

  "It's my job."