Standing before our clan High Leader, Ngangi, I remained silent and waited for him to speak. Thoughts crowded my mind. Terror seized me of him accusing me of an ulterior motive, abandoning our clan for another, defection of the worst kind. But it wasn’t true. I’d been summoned to Tarmon Farrin through a night vision.
Ngangi, sitting at his driftwood table, stared at me with hard, dark eyes. There was a sliver of interest there, there always had been. He was a good ten years older but that had never stopped his fascination of me. Even though Ngangi already had a coverling, her name was Boyana, his gaze kept creeping over my frame, his desire always shining from his brooding eyes.
When I was younger, a teenager and in intense training, he’d tried to take advantage of me. He was one of the instructors then and he came upon me unawares as I turned my back to leave, when most of the other warriors in training had left for the day. I’d repaid him for his indiscretion by leaving a mark, a knife wound across his chest. He’d never touched me again. Although his hunger remained, a degree of respect now forced him to keep a distance.
It’s not that I found him unattractive but his coverling, Boyana, was a vicious warrior and dangerous when crossed. There were other women who’d been pursued by Ngangi. Many gave in to his advances and were now lying in the graveyard farther down in our valley. Even some of the harlots who refused to be covered weren’t safe from Boyana’s fury. I wanted to live so I avoided Ngangi as much as possible.
Ngangi had moved up in the ranks quickly. He’s been in the clan leadership for ten years. When he was inducted in, shortly after I’d left a mark on his body, my fear increased. I didn’t know what he’d do with that kind of power. Our last High Leader was killed in battle with a neighboring farrin and that’s when the clan leadership chose Ngangi to take his place. His power increased again and my fear of him did the same.
He could make life miserable for me now. This was his first real opportunity to put me in my place, although he did attempt to demote me once to the level of his farmers. What he was really saying is that I wasn’t fit to be a warrior. Infuriated, I took things into my own hands, accosted him while he was alone on the far side of our land mass. With stealth, I followed him and, at a place I knew no one would see or hear, I called his name. When he turned to face me, he withdrew a knife and held it out defensively. I gave him an ultimatum. I could take the position of farmer but I would then end the life of one his offspring. Or, I remained a warrior and his children would live. Although he fumed in fury at my audacity, he did give in to my demands and I kept my status as an Akoni Warrior.
Now, as I stood before him, I hoped he’d see the wisdom in letting me live. The whole clan was curious about Tarmon Farrin. I counted on Ngangi’s inquisitiveness to outweigh any craving for revenge. I also expected that he’d see the benefits in sparing a fighter.
After Ngangi did a careful head to toe inspection of me, my ire increasing as I endured his lustful oggling, he cleared his throat thoroughly and lifted his eyes to meet mine.
“So, what is this I hear about you, Xiomara?”
“What have you heard?” I asked.
“Where are the night visions coming from?”
“I don’t know.”
“Both Ahiga and Turab saw you in a dream. What do you have to say for yourself?”
I gave him a hard stare, resenting his insinuation that I was somehow to blame for the dreams.
He stood and came toward me. My hand instinctively went to my back where my knife was tucked into my belt.
“Put your hand down!” he demanded.
Cautiously I removed my hand from my back and lowered it but I stayed on guard.
Walking to my left, he stopped and I could feel his eyes on me. “You know what I could do, don’t you?”
I swallowed and said, “Yes.”
“No one threatens the High Leader without reprisal.”
I remained quiet as I fought to maintain my composure. I couldn’t allow him to see my fear. He’d caused me enough grief already. Following my threat of killing one of his children, he’d placed my only living parent on the front line of a war shortly after. He’d virtually killed my mother and I hated him for it.
She’d been everything to me, my teacher, my protector and the one I loved like no one else. Every day I thought of her and the ache of missing her never left me. Living on my own was lonely and nearly unbearable.
“There’s been enough retribution already,” I said, hoping I sounded brave and unmoving.
He let out a short laugh. “I’m not nearly finished.”
I turned to glare at him. “Be careful.”
“Don’t you dare threaten me! I could ruin you in an instant!”
The overwhelming desire to lunge and thrust my knife into his sick heart came over me but reason won out as I held my tongue and returned his hard gaze.
After a minute of staring each other down, he finally turned and walked back to his chair. Sitting, one leg resting on his knee, Ngangi said, “Ahiga and Turab both saw you in their sleep. You were heading into the mist of Tarmon Farrin. What do you think of this?”
I said, “It confuses me and I don’t understand it.”
“Have you had a night vision? Have you seen any of this?”
I wasn’t sure how to answer. I sensed I needed to be truthful with him or else I might lose the chance of visiting Tarmon altogether. Although it still frightened me, my curiosity over being summoned to the mystery farrin outweighed my hesitation. Finally I said, “Yes.”
“Did Tarmon Farrin summon you?”
“Yes.”
“What did you see in the mist?”
“A form appeared and spoke with me.”
“It said you’d be given safe passage?” asked Ngangi.
Ngangi was repeating things I’d seen in my sleep and I wondered how much he knew.
“Yes.”
“What else did the mist creature say?”
I had to be careful, not reveal too much. “I was assured that after my visit I would return back here, to Akoni Farrin.”
“Were you told how long your stay on Tarmon would be?”
“No.”
Ngangi stared at me for a time, caution in his eyes. Our mistrust for each other was mutual.
He asked, “Why should I let you go?”
“Did I say I wanted to go?”
“I can see it in your eyes. I see eagerness there.”
I couldn’t deny it. I felt keen for his permission. “I’m curious like everyone is. No one has ever been summoned before.”
“We can’t afford to lose another warrior.”
So he did acknowledge me as a warrior despite his previous attempt at disregarding my skill and attempting to relegate me as a farmer. “If what the mist-wraith said is true, I will not perish. I will return.”
After contemplating this for a moment, Ngangi said, “I was also given a night vision of you.”
My heart rate picked up and I waited. This is what the mist-wraith had told me in my dream. It assured me that my clan leaders would allow me to visit Tarmon Farrin. The foggy apparition said that some clan members were also receiving night visions and that they would permit me to go.
Ngangi looked reluctant to share. “I don’t know why you were chosen.”
I decided not to answer.
He said, “Why not me? Why didn’t Tarmon Farrin summon me?”
“Perhaps the mist-wraith knew that we’d never let you go. We need our High Leader and the clan would never sacrifice you.”
His eyes softened some and he nodded. “Good point. But why you?”
“I don’t know. I never asked for this.”
“You won’t receive any preferential treatment because of it.”
“I don’t expect it.”
“You will continue to fight in every war like before.”
“Of course. This is what I’m trained to do, who I am.”
“There’s a battle brewing. I’m sure you’re aware of this.”
“Yes.”
“Guion Farrin has been much too daring over the last few weeks. With attempting to steal our crops and sheep herd they must be taught a lesson.”
I’d heard the rumors of night stalkers visiting our island. Our guard duty killed a man that we suspected was from Guion Farrin, the land mass situated not far from our own.
Thievery is always a danger. Food is horribly scarce on some farrins and the only way to survive is to steal. Our farrin, Akoni, has some advantages. We receive more rain than some land masses, allowing for crop growth in our valleys. There is more greenery on our land mass than many of the others I’ve visited. We still don’t have much but it is sufficient. Most of our farrin consists of mountains, sand and dry dirt that attributes to the constant debris in the wind-swept air. We even have a small area where trees grow, where some of our precious parchment paper comes from.
We guard our trees well, keeping greedy clan members from chopping down our limited supply. Neighboring clans would be eager to get at our commodities. Now that we suspect Guion Farrin is responsible for thievery, we are eager to take revenge.
Ngangi said, “When you return from Tarmon, you will assist in this war and be the first line in.”
I knew he was threatening me with death. Allowing me to visit Tarmon Farrin would cost me. I’d have to prove him wrong, show him I couldn’t be killed that easily. I’d been in many wars and was still living. I must be doing something right. But first I needed to survive a visit to Tarmon.
I asked, “What did you see and hear in your night vision?” I was curious as to what was motivating him to let me go.
“I’ve told you enough. You will go in two days time. We are expecting a shipment of weapons from Dwarkaa Farrin soon. If you leave now, they will know that you’re missing. We can’t risk that.”
Dwarkaa Farrin is the place where our diabolical ruler, Casimer, governs from. His Apolake Warriors don’t come to our land mass very often. We are a long distance from each other and the trip too laborious for them to come on a regular basis. None of our clan members have ever been to Dwarkaa. It would be an impossible voyage with our small vessels on the vicious seas that separate us. We’d never survive such a feat. Dwarkaa has a large ship, a sailing vessel that can withstand the thunderous waves of the ocean.
I said, “Yes, that is what I was told. I was instructed to go visit in two days time. My friends are to journey with me.”
“Only two are allowed to go.” Ngangi was agreeing with me my night vision again. He must have seen a fair amount in his dream.
“I will take Tilly and Viveka.” I’d thought over whom to ask to accompany me. These two were my closest allies and there was some trust between us.
After staring at me for a moment, Ngangi finally nodded and said, “All right. In two days you will head out in your vessel toward Tarmon Farrin. Tily and Viveka will travel in their own vessels and return here when you have entered the mist. They must not follow you. We cannot afford to lose warriors now.”
Ngangi was repeating what the mist-wraith had instructed me to do. I was astonished by how the way had been prepared for me. What the mist-face told me in my dream was happening just as he said. Ngangi was not resisting Tarmon Farrin’s plan but was rather working with it, agreeing to it and allowing me to leave without reprisal.
I nodded and said, “I will follow your instructions.” To admit that my direction was coming solely from Ngangi would feed his ego and soften him toward me.
“You will speak to no one about this until I allow it.”
“But I must mention it to Tilly and Viveka so that they can prepare.”
“They are the only ones you are allowed to speak to concerning this.”
“All right.”
His eyes held a strange, faraway look that I couldn’t discern. I held his gaze and wondered what he was thinking.
