Tanza Read Free Page B

noticing the warm light shining on my damp, dark skin.
    ‘Do you mind?’ I asked Sarlice. ‘This isn’t exactly formal dinner attire.’
    She laughed. ‘I should think you know me well enough by now not to ask that.’
    I concentrated on her for a minute, trying to see if there was any way I could discern what she was really thinking. What had the emotions Kestric passed to me earlier really meant? Was Sarlice attracted to me or was she only fond of me in a brotherly way? My heart sank as I realised the thought of being with a younger man might be abhorrent to her. I berated myself for letting my thoughts turn to physical things when I had so recently been led astray. I turned my back on the Lythian ambassador, slouched and hooked one thumb into the Jarian belt I was wearing.
    A glass-covered window revealed the storm outside where lightning streaked across the sky above a rain-lashed river. Despite my self-recrimination, I continued brooding over Sarlice, wishing there was some way I could tell if we had a romantic future together. I decided that even if I had to wait until all the drama with the Zeikas was over, it would be worth it.
    Illustrating how tired and foolish I was, forbidden shapes appeared in the rushing river outside—I saw myself with no shirt on reach out to an unseen woman, pull her towards me and kiss her passionately. A well of warmth rose up from the soles of my feet and I stepped back, raising my hands in surprise, but the vision vanished.
    When I turned back around, Sarlice was seated at the table looking at me curiously.
    ‘Are you coming to eat?’ she asked.
    ‘Aye.’
    She waited for me to join her before saying a quick thanks to Krii for seeing us safely into Tanza.
    It was the finest meal I’d had for a long time and I made a mental note to introduce myself to the cook. A roasted chicken dominated one end of the table, surrounded by clay pots of lukewarm potatoes, boiled vegetables and herb syrup. A covered dish in the centre revealed the full body of a Lowry fish stuffed with fresh nyno eggs and lemon slices.
    I filled my belly fast, barely leaving room for spicy hot rolls of lamb, turnip and squash in plum gravy. It was a hearty meal with obvious thought given to the fact that we were wild Rada—who were thought to indulge the carnivorous nature of their animal selves more than city Rada. When all the eating was done and we were able to retire to our beds, I fell asleep dreaming of Sarlice.

Chapter Two—Our People
     
    R ekala pushed the door open and nudged me awake.
    ‘You are oversleeping, Talon.’
    ‘I could say the same to you on many occasions,’ I grumbled, not rousing from my pillow and blankets.
    ‘There’s no such thing as oversleeping for tigers,’ she retorted.
    ‘Hmmpf.’
    My back ached. It was unlike me to sleep in. After years of working for Bessed, with many a night spent outdoors, I was accustomed to rising with the dawn. I had also trained myself to awaken at the slightest sound out of place, but this room was quiet.
    A small fire had burned itself out during the night and gave off a faint smoky odour. A rich green rug covered the flagstones on the floor and fresh clothes and a washbowl sat ready on a small, rubywood table.
    Rekala stopped nudging me suddenly and sat bolt upright. The stink of fear rose from her like a cloud. I sensed the screaming of voices in the waves far away, calling desperately for help.
    ‘Anzaii, oh Anzaii where are you?’
    ‘Here I am.’ I replied, coming fully awake in my panic.
    It was Uola the ram. Despite the fatigue of age, he had fought bravely in battle. Now he lay wounded by the ruins of a Jarian warcamp.
    ‘It cannot be!’ I cried out.
    ‘We tried reaching you,’ Uola sobbed, ‘but it was as if you were dead. Now it’s too late for your mission.’
    ‘It must have been just when I stepped through the barrier,’ I replied desperately, ‘blocking the waves.’
    ‘Bessed and Drea have been captured,’ Uola said.