Chapter One

Ciaths

“Is she dead?”

“Why would they have brought her back here if she was dead? No. I think she’s gone to speak to the gods.”

“You heard Brook, she said that she’s already died once – why not again?”

“This time she’s still breathing – it was just an arrow wound.”

Andreya could hear nothing other then the voices and they made little sense to her. She couldn’t open her eyes, she was much too sleepy, but she was extremely curious to know where she was. The bed she was lying in felt comfortable, though a little hard, and she was warm, very contently warm as though she was in a sauna. The voices were chattering again, they seemed to be talking about someone. Perhaps they were talking about her. She tried to listen but could understand little, her mind was so foggy. Perhaps they were gods? She vaguely remembered that she had spoken to one before, so why not again?

Then another voice entered the chattering ones.

“What are you all doing here? she needs rest, go on, out. Go out and play.”

That didn’t sound like a goddess’ voice to Andreya. She opened her eyes and saw a clay ceiling. She raised a hand to her head, but it seared with pain, causing her to gasp.

“Andreya!”

Brook’s face appeared and smiled, Andreya attempted to sit up, Brook grabbed her uninjured arm and sat her up.

“What happened?” Andreya asked.

“What do you remember?”

“Being at Vaio,” Andreya said looking around.

The house she was in was a low mud-brick design with a thatched roof and a packed earth floor. There was a fire in the middle of the floor that was burning low, and there was low table and small shelves with containers beyond the table.

“Well,” said Brook, “it’s been a long time since you were at Vaio.”

“How long?”

“About three weeks, maybe a bit longer,” Brook replied.

“Three weeks? What happened?”

“You were struck by an arrow,” Brook answered, “I know that we were supposed to send you to the East, but we were under such heavy attack and you were injured. The ship was leaving and so we brought you with us.”

“Where?”

“To Ciaths, of course, where else?”

“Ciaths?”

Brook nodded and gave Andreya an arm to lift her to her feet. “Come see.”

Brook led Andreya to the small door, an opening that was covered with a blanket. Brook opened it up to show the world outside.

To Andreya’s right was a vast jungle, full of trees that she had never seen before, large plants and shrubs lined their feet. A broad river was running out of it, tumbling over the rough clay ground that the village was placed on. To her left was a vast desert, ones of the likes that she had only read about in novels. The village was full of people, all walking back and forth, going about their business. Cooking, cleaning and minding the children. There were a handful of young and old men sitting around a fire cooking food, and chatting merely. Beyond them was a woman who was scolding two children, one of them who was soaking wet having just been pushed into the river by the other.

“Welcome to my home,” Brook said with a smile.

Andreya smiled and watched the bright blue sky; the sun was high and seemed to be bigger than she would have expected.

“This is amazing! I didn’t think that the world could be so different,” Andreya said. “how long did it take us to get here?”

“About two weeks, you’ve been in and out since we brought you on the ship, but never properly awake.”

“I remember dreaming about swaying, but that’s about it,” Andreya answered. “Is Robin around?”

“He’s off with a hunting party. He left three days ago, hopefully they will return soon.”

“What about Fox and Sparrow?” Andreya asked.

“They are with their old friends, boasting about their names,” Brook replied with a smile. “They will be glad to know that you are awake again. They’ve been in here everyday since we came home.”

“I didn’t think that Sparrow and Fox were from you’re village.”

“Neither did we, but we’ve been in Hirota a long time and it’s hard to differentiate between children when you’re constantly away, even when they do have names.”

“I can understand that,” Andreya answered and looked to her shoulder. Her arm was in a sling and there were bandages padding her shoulder. “How is it doing?”

“Better than your leg will ever be. It would have been nice to have a bat around to help us with it.”

Andreya smiled, “are they’re any bats in Ciaths?”

“Only ones that are larger than you,” Brook said.

“There are bats bigger than me?” Andreya asked looking shocked.

“There are many things here that you have no idea of,” Brook answered. “Come on, you must be hungry.”

Andreya limped back inside and sat on her bed as Brook pulled out some food and began to cook it over the fire.

“You will not be prepared for this,” Brook said handing her a plate when it was done. “It’s nothing like Hirotan food.”

Andreya took the flat utensil that Brook gave her. The stew had what looked like some sort of meat, and there were vegetables that Andreya couldn’t name. She picked some up with the flat utensil, blew on it and then tasted it.

There was so much flavour that she didn’t know whether she liked it or not. It was unexpected, hot and spicy. But once she had swallowed it, she couldn’t help take more.

“You like it?” Brook asked.

“I’m not sure,” Andreya replied with a giggle, “but it’s certainly interesting.”

Brook giggled as well but they were interrupted by the sound of a horn.

“What’s that?” Andreya asked putting down the food.

“Either the return of the hunting party or the arrival of the Hintra,” Brook explained.

“The who?”

“The Hintra, they are a group of people who run Ciaths,” Brook explained. “My people are semi-nomadic, but many are not. They live in a city, similar to yours on the other side of the jungle. There are other nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes all along this desert. That is something that you have to watch out for.”

Andreya and Brook stood up again and Brook walked to the door and poked her head out.

“It’s the hunting party,” she said with a smile, “you can come out and see them.”

Andreya followed her out of the house into the centre of the village.

There were twelve men riding back, many with large creatures slung over the back of their horses. One of them was Robin, he smiled when he saw Andreya and Brook standing there. He jumped off his horse when a woman took the head and went to Andreya to hug her tightly.

The rest of the village seemed to notice that she was standing there. There were whispers and Andreya felt herself blush. Suddenly a young boy about the age of four came up to her and took her uninjured hand.

“Is it powder?” he asked running a finger along her white palm. “Does the colour come off?”

“No,” Andreya said with a smile. “It’s always been like that.”

Another child came out towards her and looked at her hand as well.

“I think it’s a pretty colour,” she said turning Andreya’s hand over. She laid her own hand on top of Andreya’s. “It’s so different.”

“Thank you,” Andreya replied. She was unsure about what to say or do in this situation. Other people from the village walked out to see her, shaking her hand or bowing and saying a word of welcome in Hirotan. Andreya looked to Brook very surprised.

“What?” Brook said. “Did you expect to find a group of Barbarians?”

“No,” Andreya answered, “I didn’t know what to expect.”

Brook smiled.

A woman of great age walked towards them, leaning on a wooden staff. The children and adults made room for her. She walked up to Andreya and looked at her closely.

“You are the Swan?” the woman asked squinting at her.

“Yes, I am,” Andreya answered.

“Then you are welcome in our village,” the woman replied. “I am Sage. Our home is your home while you recover.”

“Thank you,” Andreya said a little nervously, she looked around to see Brook.

“Come on,” Brook said, “You need rest.”

Brook took Andreya’s hand and led her back to the house that she’d come from in the first place. There was a chair outside in and Brook let Andreya sit in it. The children around the village all scampered off and the adults went back to their duties, occasionally looking towards Andreya as she sat in her chair. Robin and Sage followed Brook and Andreya to the house and Sage took up a set beside her.

“How do you feel?” she asked, “any pain?”

“A little,” Andreya replied, “but it’s nothing compared to my leg.”

“Does that still hurt you?”

“Oh, no, not any more, I was comparing to when it did hurt, my leg that is, when my leg was hurt, but the bat did good work on it, he helped it heal a lot,” Andreya suddenly blushed as the medicinewoman merely watched her.

“You don’t have to be nervous around me,” Sage said slowly, “I didn’t mean to unnerve you.”

“No, of course not,” Andreya answered, “I guess I’m exactly sure what to expect. I mean I was raised to hate your people, it was hard adjusting to knowing Brook and Robin.”

“And it will be a lot harder being here now,” Sage answered. “Though you will not find one in this village, there are others – in the main cities, that do not like your people, nor will they accept you easily.”

“I suppose not,” Andreya replied as Brook came outside with a clay cup full of water. “But I doubt I’ll be heading towards the city, I still have to figure out what I’m going to do with the rest of my life.”

“You are young,” Sage replied, “and you have a great deal of time to decide.”

“What do you mean?” Andreya asked looking at her closely.

“You’ll find out in time, come, are you hungry?” Sage asked.

“Starved,” Andreya replied. Sage hobbled over to a hut just next door to them and Robin lent Andreya an arm.

“You know that my leg is all better right?” Andreya said smiling and accepting the offer.

“That doesn’t stop you from limping, or from having a wounded shoulder,” Robin answered.

“You should let him,” Brook added smiling on Andreya’s other side, “it will make him feel useful.”

“Or useless,” Andreya corrected and she and Brook giggled.

There were still children milling about watching Andreya walk over to Sage’s hut.

“It’ll take them a while,” Brook said watching Andreya’s gaze towards the children, “they are unused to see someone like you.”

“Someone with white skin you mean?” Andreya asked, “I must look like snow to them.”

“Less like snow seeing as most of them have never seen snow,” Brook replied, “they do not have their names yet.”

“What do you call them?”

“Usually by their parent’s names, So-and-so’s daughter or son,” Brook replied. “Or first-born, second-born, that kind of thing.”

“Interesting,” Andreya replied, “I guess that every place is different.”

“You wouldn’t have the name of Andreya had you been born here,” Robin said looking out. “You would have been Swan, and that’s it.”

“I kind of like my name,” Andreya replied, “it reminds me of Andreyas, and adventures.”

Andreya suddenly smiled and laughed.

“What is it?” Brook asked as they reached Sage’s house.

“A long time ago, before I left Veii, Solcin told me that because I was named after the God, Andreyas was sure to give me an adventure,” Andreya explained. “I didn’t believe her at the time.”

Brook spread out her hands, “is this enough of an adventure for you?”