Winter held the land of Kelèn in a tight grip during Dánirah's trek north. She kept warm by walking, taking long strides, glad when the sun gained enough strength around noon to warm her limbs. At least the Haòn valley was snowless this year, and the king's road allowed her to move fast. But living off the land was impossible on this trafficked route.
Evening mists thickened over the river Keli when she reached Sitaja. In the golden light of the sinking sun, Dánirah climbed a small hill beside the road to admire the famous bridge constructed by royal engineers. The broad wooden passage rested on five enormous stone pillars built in the rushing torrent. In summer, she would use a ford a day's walk upriver. But with the snowmelt beginning, the water would be too dangerous and cold.
Should she cross today and try to find a place to sleep on the far shore? A cluster of houses with sloping reed roofs squatted close to the bank. She might find an empty barn or a place in a stable warmed by the body heat of the animals. Or she could go to the guesthouse on this side of the bridge and ask the landlord to let her entertain the customers by singing—in exchange for a hot meal and a sleeping place by the hearth.
She had done this twice since she left Penira, in places she remembered from voyages with her mother. Dánirah didn't like these arrangements and hated fending off the advances of travellers who thought a young Tanna travelling alone easy prey. But now and then, she needed to eat. At least the Keleni appreciated her voice—and probably her exotic appearance.
She sighed, undecided.
"A magnificent sight, the bridge."
The speaker used the old language. Dánirah turned to greet the Tanna who had joined her on the lookout. "It is, and less dangerous than to cross by boat."
The woman shook her mane of black braids and laughed. "I'm sure it is. The rapids of the Keli river are considered too dangerous for navigation for a reason." She reached out a hand. "Well met, daughter of the dawn. I'm Orinai."
"Oh." Dánirah knew the name. While she wore the black shawl of a respected member of the dawn people, the healer was younger than she had thought. "My name is Dánirah. Well met, Orinai."
"You are Shonai's daughter?" Orinai raised her brows. "Is the dreamer with you?"
"No, we had to separate. We plan to reunite farther north." Dánirah wasn't sure how much she should disclose, but Orinai accepted her answer with a nod.
The healer shaded her eyes with a hand and then waved towards a group of people down on the road. "If you travel north too, we can cross the bridge together. It will cost less for a family."
Dánirah had saved a coin to pay for the passage, but she suspected Orinai was right. Keleni would always try the get the better of a tribe member. The pending decision taken from her hands, she followed Orinai to the road where a dark-skinned man waited. Like Orinai and herself, he wore the traditional garb of the dawn people. A toddler slept in his arms, the head snuggled against the man's neck.
With a warm smile, he reached out a hand. "So my wife was right when she insisted she spotted a fellow tribeswoman. I'm He'sha, and this is our son A'shei." The boy opened his wide eyes and suckled on his thumb while he studied Dánirah.
She touched He'sha's palm. "Hey, I'm Dánirah. Well met." The boy reached out to grab her braid and pull it. She laughed and freed her hair. "And nice to meet you too, A'shei."
He'sha exchanged a glance with Orinai. "The dreamer's daughter. What an interesting coincidence."
Dánirah shook her head. "I don't have my mother's gift, so I follow her instructions."
Orinai watched her with an unreadable face. But before Dánirah could ask if something was amiss, her smile returned. She took the child from her partner. "Your way leads north, so we can travel together for a while. The future will show if our meeting has a deeper meaning."
The healer led the group to the guard post and handed the soldier on duty a coin. The man studied it before he let his gaze wander over the four Tannarí. With a shrug, he pocketed the money and waved them on.
Dánirah waited until they were out of his earshot. "I can pay you back."
He'sha shook his head. "No need. The price for a family remains the same if they are three or four. Keep your money for a time of need."
"Thank you."
Orinai turned back with a smile. "It is just a piece of metal. Keleni value them far too much. Most of the time, they are so preoccupied with coins they miss the beauty of the surrounding nature." She stopped and pointed to the west, where the sun sank behind the mountains. The snow and ice caps of the peaks gleamed a bright orange in concurrence with the clouds.
Dánirah gasped. "There."
"A dragon." He'sha stepped to the railing and squinted. "It's been many summers since I saw a shadow dragon."
Orinai rocked her son. "I wonder why a creature of the night travels so close to sunset. They don't like daylight and seldom leave their mountain nests since the queen of the night perished."
"It's headed to the highlands of Eshte." Dánirah thought of the night on the roof with Liha. "I saw two of them flying north half a moon ago."
He'sha rubbed his chin. "Extraordinary. I wonder what this unexpected activity signifies."
Orinai embraced her son and kissed him on the head. "Between running into a gang of mercenaries and shadow dragons travelling, I prefer the latter. Alas, they ride on the wind of change."
Dánirah couldn't help but wonder while they continued the crossing. Like He'sha, she had hardly seen creatures of the night for years. Why were they active now? She craned her neck to catch a last glimpse of the dragon before it disappeared into the growing shadows.
They crossed Sitaja in the dusk. Warm light in several of the hamlet's windows chased the mist and gloom away, but Dánirah shivered in the evening chill. She still didn't know where to pass the night.
Orinai seemed to read her mind. "There is a camp of my family on the old road. We plan to spend the night there. We would be pleased if you joined us."
Dánirah's mood lightened. A Tanna camp was far better than a barn or a stable. Even if in the harshest storm and the coldest night, a tribal campsite was the best place to be. "That's wonderful. It's been almost two moons since we left our winter camp."
He'sha grinned. "It's always good to come home."
Past the village, Orinai led them from the main road onto a narrow path they followed upriver. Soon, the fields made room for a forest. When it became denser, they had to walk in a line. Orinai handed the sleeping child to her partner and took the lead.
Well after dark, the smell of wood smoke tickled Dánirah's nose.
"Almost there." Orinai quickened her steps.
The sight of about a dozen domed tents clustered in a small clearing around a flickering fire sent Dánirah's heartbeat soaring. Laughter and the cheerful sound of a flute hung in the air.
A dog barked when the travellers reached the camp, and the voices and music faltered. Moments later, a group of men and women approached, bundled up against the cold. Orinai and Dánirah slipped back their shawls so their faces could be recognised in the firelight.
"Orinai, you're back." A diminutive woman with grey streaks in her long hair stepped forward to take the healer's hands. "Welcome, my niece, and you too, He'sha." When her gaze wandered to Dánirah, her eyes widened. "Dánirah-ana-Shonai, it's been a long time since our paths crossed. Welcome home."
At the sight of the known face, a warm rush of joy washed through Dánirah's veins. "Senai, it is wonderful to see you."
She remembered the winter the seer spent with them in a camp in Atara. Senai was a close friend of her mother and the best storyteller she knew. She invited the newcomers to her tent, where her daughter Naoràn prepared dinner over a pan filled with glowing coals.
As soon as they sat around the fireplace and A'shei slept under the furs on a cot, Senai turned to He'sha. "I am afraid to bring bad news, but your uncle left us during the frost moon."
"Uncle Jona?" He'sha lowered his head.
"Yes, he never recovered from the fever he caught during the famine." Senai adjusted her shawl around her shoulders as if the memories made her shiver. "You are the uncrowned king now."
"Oh." He'sha looked up and exchanged glances with Orinai. "I didn't know the title would pass on to me."
"You are the next in line, and then, your son A'shei."
"What does it mean?" Dánirah remembered hearing the title before, but she couldn't grasp its significance. A council of Elders guided the Tannarí groups she had lived with, and none had a formal leader. Also, for everything else, inheritance went along the female lines.
"By an old tradition, the uncrowned king is believed to be the keeper of the dawn people's destiny." Naoràn distributed bowls with spicy stew while she spoke. "It's true. These days it is mostly formal, and as it says, our king is never crowned. But in times of need, it is said, he will lead the people to a new morning."
"I'm not sure I can carry this weight." He'sha stirred his stew with a lowered head.
Senai placed a gnarled hand on his arm. "You will, He'sha, and you will carry it well."
Dánirah cleared her throat. "If you are the official leader of the people, He'sha, I have a message for you." She pulled Katin's letter from her bag and handed it to him.
He'sha placed his bowl aside and studied the seal with a frown. "Is this the seal of the king of Kelèn?"
Dánirah nodded. "I got it from his counsellor, and he asked me to deliver it to the leader of the Tannarí. I hoped my mother could tell me where to go with it, but now I think it was meant for you all the time."
Orinai leaned over to study the seal. "So our meeting wasn't a coincidence after all."
Senai shook her head. "You know well there is no such thing as coincidence."
"That's what I told Dánirah today." Orinai reached for the letter and placed it aside. "But there is a time for eating and a time for politics. Now, we eat."
Senai smiled and continued her meal. The others joined her, but Dánirah felt the change in the atmosphere. The conversation died down, and the stew disappeared in record time. She was glad when Senai collected the bowls and He'sha broke the royal seal.
He held the letter close to the light to read the angular writing. Everyone waited in silence until he handed the parchment to Senai. "This needs to be spread to the tribes."
Senai studied the parchment and handed it to her daughter. "Please, read it for me. My old eyes fail me."
Naoràn took the letter and read it aloud.
"To the leader of the Tannarí people living in Kelèn. These last moons, we received concerning reports about bands of mercenaries crossing the borders to rob and kill. The council of Lelai assembles a host. While we will do everything to defend this country, we cannot guarantee the safety of the wandering tribes. We believe the Tannarí treasure their freedom as much as we do and invite them to join the royal army. Only together can we win the upcoming war. Signed, Mirim-isha-Kerim of the house of Diun, king of Kelèn."
(2017 words)