This is one of the chapters about the trip to the boarder! I hope you enjoy! I know it's really short, it's just to hold you over until I can write a longer one!
The trip to the boarder was…well…long. Kel woke the first morning to find Neal in her face pestering her. This of course led her to believe that Neal was sick or possessed, after all,when in the entire time that she had known him, had he gotten up before her. Neal, of course, had assumed Kel was sick; after all, he was awake before her. Needless to say, Dom, who had yet to say anything, didn't aid that the havoc this misunderstanding had created. He simple sat on the other side of the fire and stared off into the woods. The rest of the day had been fairly uneventful, but the second day dawned in a rather different way.
"Kel! Wake-up!" Kel rolled over onto her back and looked at the person shaking her shoulder. Raoul stood over her. Kel sat up quickly.
"What's wrong Milord?" Raoul looked concerned.
"Where in trouble…look around you." Kel's eyes scanned the clearing where they slept. Out at the edge of the clearing was a tall gold and red tent, with thirty guards sleeping around it. For some reason the tent looked familiar.
"Raoul, Wait here." Kel rose from her bedroll and drew the medallion over her head. Walking softly, she approached the tent.
"I would come any closer if I were you."
A rough voice broke the silence of the clearing. Kel stopped and turned toward the speaker. A tall pale man stepped from the bushes. His arms were decorated with tattoos and his hair was wild long and pitch colored. A leather vest covered his chest and his legs were encased in soft buckskin breeches. A naked sword rested in his hand and a dagger was clutched in the other. Kel raised the medallion and spoke.
"Who are you?" The man didn't respond, instead he let out a resounding whistle and moved closer. When he was only a little ways from her, he stuck out his hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Lady Knight. My name is Madik O'Abe. His Majesty Poet, the King of the Thieves, sent me. He asked me to escort his wife and her players to you and to protect them."
Kel smiled; of course, Kali wasn't going to let her go. Kel laughed as she slipped the medallion over her neck. Madik's whistle had rouse three other guards from their places, they stayed just long enough to be introduced before they disappeared back into the forest. Raoul walked over to join Kel and Madik a look of deep concern and confusion marring his features.
"Milord" Kel didn't get to finish.
"It's Raoul, Kel. You had better tell me what's going on here, and why you have a medallion of the Rogue." Kel sighed.
"This is Madik O'Abe, he was sent by the currently leader of the Rogue, a man named Poet. In that tent is his wife, Kali. They are both my friends. Poet sent Kali here so that I wouldn't get out of practice," Raoul look briefly confused, but Kel plunged forward before he could interrupt her, "They are going to travel beside us, but they won't get involved. Their primary goal is Kali's protection." Raoul smile tightly at her. He opened his mouth to say something but a happy laugh from the tent interrupted him.
"Kel!" Kali moved swiftly across the space and hugged her.
"Hi, Kali!" Kel said stepping back. Kali smiled and looked over at the people in the military camp who were now getting up.
"Well, if it isn't Nealan." Kali smiled as she waved at an obviously half-awake Neal. Neal waved back slowly, then suddenly came charging across the field.
"What are you doing her Kali? Does Poet know? What about the Whisper Man?" Kali looked annoyed at the questions.
"I don't answer to the Whisper Man. My husband let me go, and you Neal are not allowed to talk to me. We're not friends any more!" Kali smirked playful and crossed her arms over her chest. Neal's face scrunched up in frustration for a moment before he return to his normal self.
"I'm sorry, Madame Kali," Neal swept into a gallant bow, half mockingly, " but my confusion over came my good sense. Just as your good sense seems to be…lost." Neal smiled sarcastically, at least until Kel, who was tired of this ridiculous exchange, smacked him firmly on the back of his head. Neal stumbled and Kali giggled, Raoul just looked confused.
"Milord Raoul, I would like to request permission to travel with the company but to stay with my friend Kali. To help protect her and gain whatever information I can from the thieves in the areas we travel through." Raoul, who was still dazed from these strange developments, sighed deeply.
"Fine, Kel. However, I want you to know that I don't like this and when we get back to Corus, I intend to speak to this Poet fellow." Raoul walked away shaking his head. Kali grabbed Kel's hand and dragged her into the tent, whispering secretly. Neal was still standing in the clearing wondering what had just happened when Dom walked up behind him.
"What's going on Meathead?" Dom tried to sound teasing, but Neal recognized that something was wrong. Decided to confront Dom later, Neal answered.
"That tent and this company," He motioned to the group of players and thieves who were still sleeping despite the previous noise. " Belong to the Queen of the Rogue. Madame Kali. She is as dangerous as she is beautiful, almost like my own Yamani Blossom. Kel and her are apparently thick as thieves, pun intended. Madame Kali has come to travel with us, Kel will be spending most of her time with them. Raoul already agreed." Dom looked a little pale as Neal finished speaking.
"Neal, I have to tell you something…." Dom leaned in to his cousin, "The night before we left the palace, I saw Kel…dressed….in…" Dom paused searching for the words. Stumped on what to call the scant garments he'd seen Kel in, he motioned with his hands and mumbled. "A top like this…and this was all bare…and her skirt started like here, it was all gauzy and puffy. Her feet were bare and…there were all these coins. It was the most shocking color red, but damn… There was this veil, covering part of her face, it was so…I have no words for it. I saw her down the hall and though that it was Kel, but when I got closer I though that it had to be someone else. So, I apologized. She yelled at me. She hates me now, she told me so." Neal looked at his cousin in confusion for a second, before a smiled broke out across his face.
" Did she have a lot of thin bracelets up her arms, all of them silver?" Dom nodded, and Neal's smiled widened. " And, did she have a slim chain around her ankle with another chain connecting it to a ring around one of her toes?" Dom though for a second before nodding slowly. Neal began to laugh.
"Kel can dance the Slaves dance. That's wonderful, Yuki will be so happy!" Neal walked off toward the Rogue's tent with a huge smiled on his face. Dom just felt his confusion grow…
'Maybe I should find out for myself.' Dom though as he began to roll up his bedding.
Please Review! nad hold on for the next chapter! P.S. I own none of Tamora Peirce's characters (Just figure I should say that again!)
