Curse men and their libidinous urges! Shendla thought fiercely. He could not have kept his breeches on for another minute to get the girl, could he? She felt embittered and annoyed at Bao's foolishness. She expected better of him. She thought she'd made it clear just how important the ulikar was. Of course, Bao didn't know why she was important. Shendla thought it best to leave that part out and feign ignorance – at least for the time being.
She could not fathom why men did that. What could possibly be Bao's excuse? With a gateway, he could have fetched the girl and be back in his bedroom before a minute had gone by! How she hated this. It brought back memories she would have rather kept buried. Her father had been such a man, never able to keep it in his breeches. Unfortunately, isolated as they'd been, Shendla, his only daughter, had been the only female he could lay his hands on.
She shook her head determinedly. Better not to think about that. Her father was dead fifteen years now, and good riddance. It was no use dwelling on the past. She had to focus on what was to come. The future of her people – of mankind itself – depended on it.
She strode past the rows of tents until she spotted the girl. She was talking with a middle-aged, frail-looking woman. It had to be the midwife, Nyamukuta. She had almost forgotten about that. The girl was pregnant with another man's child. Shendla had not expected that. Thankfully, it didn't seem to bother Bao - which was odd, but Shendla wasn't about to complain.
Both women turned to her as she came into view. The girl glared at her, as she often did. What had Shendla ever done to her?
"What are you doing here?" the ulikar demanded crisply.
The midwife nodded to Shendla before leaving them. Shendla ignored her. "We need to talk."
The girl snorted. "He sent you, didn't he? Burn the man. Can't be bothered to come himself." She put her hands on her hips. "There's nothing to talk about, Shendla. I don't care what he does. I don't have time for this, anyway. I have many things to see to."
She turned to depart, but Shendla grabbed her arm firmly. "Don't be foolish, girl. There is too much at stake. Let's go to your tent," she added imperiously, gesturing for her to lead the way.
The ulikar rolled her eyes dramatically but finally gave in. "This is my tent," she pointed at the one behind her. They made their way inside and sat on the ground. Before Shendla could open her mouth, they were interrupted by Torn, who lifted the canvas without warning. "Ina, we have a–" He spotted Shendla, and a wide grin broke upon his face. "Hello there," he greeted her in coarse Sharan dialect. They had been friends for years; he was the one who'd freed her from her father's clutches when she was just a girl.
Shendla returned his smile briefly. "Torn, can it wait a moment? I need to talk with this one. It's important." She inclined her head toward the girl.
"Of course, of course. It's nothing we can't handle. I'll come back later. See you around," he told her genially.
Shendla returned her attention to the ulikar. "You must make peace with Bao, girl."
"I must make peace with him? Why? What's it to you?" she demanded.
"It's nothing to me, personally. I could do without you, believe me," Shendla replied with a grimace. Good grief, she was annoying. Couldn't the Tapestry have chosen a more amenable person to see this through? "But Bao needs you to accomplish his destiny. I have seen it," she went on matter-of-factly.
"And why would I want to help him achieve that? Why would you, for that matter? You do know who he is, don't you? You must know what he truly intends to do. Isn't it obvious that he's manipulating you, all of you? Or are you so blindly in love with him that you do not see that?" the girl asked with a sneer.
Shendla let her rant with all the patience she could muster. Better if they got it all out of the way once and for all. When the girl was done, she spoke quietly. "I am not in love with him, although I have become quite fond of him, it's true. I do know who he is and what his plans are. I know them better than you do, girl," she said flatly. "I do not believe he is manipulating us, however. Oh, he was at first," she added when the ulikar scoffed, "but it's different now. He's changed. He may not believe in the Prophecies, not entirely, but he knows this is the path that he must follow to achieve his objective. I also know that he has become quite attached to this land and its people, although he will not admit it. He continually claims that he doesn't care for anything or anyone, but he is only deluding himself. He is not as heartless as he seems to think, or would like to be." Shendla paused for a moment, eyeing the young woman thoughtfully. She remained blessedly silent. "I need you – no, we all need you – to make sure that he fulfils his fate, because the alternative is unthinkable. This world needs Bao to become the Wyld, if it wants to prevail at the Last Battle."
"You're not making any sense," the girl broke in. "If you know who he is, why do you want him to prevail? Are you a Darkfriend?" she asked with a frown.
"I am not, nor have I ever been," Shendla said firmly – and as calmly as she could, in the face of such a grave accusation. Obviously, the girl had no idea how insulting her question was. Were all Westerners so casual about these matters? Calling someone a Darkfriend like this… Unless one had solid evidence to back that claim, spreading such tales was punishable by death. Mintel should have taught her that. "Bao does not see it yet," Shendla went on, "but before the end, he will save the world. That is why you are here. The Tapestry has put you in Bao's path for this very purpose."
The girl stared at her as if she were mad. Shendla let out a small sigh. She was quite used to these looks. "Shendla, he's called the Wyld. That means Dragon Slayer, doesn't it?" Shendla nodded. "Then how will accomplishing the Prophecies help save the world? If Bao kills Rand – the Dragon Reborn – the world is doomed. Unless your Prophecies claim otherwise?" she asked dubiously.
"It is simply stated that the Wyld will unite the people of Shara and lead them in the Last Battle, where he will accomplish his fate. It says that exactly. There is no mention of him actually slaying the Dragon."
"I don't get it," the girl said, looking puzzled. "Why would he be called Dragon Slayer if his purpose was not to slay the Dragon?"
"Prophecies are always full of riddles and metaphors and are subject to interpretation besides. Their true meaning is only made clear after a prophecy has come to pass. I do not think Bao is supposed to literally slay the Dragon. Or perhaps the Dragon is not the one we assume." Shendla made a dismissive gesture. "It matters not. What is meant to be, will be. It is you who concerns me at the moment." She looked at the girl appraisingly. "You will help him accomplish his destiny, that much is certain. I have seen it. For that to happen, you must remain close to him. You must remind him what it means to be human."
"But why me? Why can't you do it? You claim to be fond of him. And he seems…well, fond might be too strong a word, but he holds you in high respect. Which is more than I can say of myself," she said with a grimace.
Shendla shook her head. "It is not my role. I must guide him, help him find what he is seeking, nothing more. I do not know why you have been chosen for the task, girl. I just know that you have, and that if you fail, it will mean death for us all."
"Then we're dead," the girl announced. Shendla scowled at her. "I have no intention of going back to him. Did you really expect me to fawn over him while he tumbles every woman he can lay his hands on?" she asked sarcastically. "You'll need to find someone else. Ask Saseko, why don't you," she said angrily.
"Fool girl! It is not about you," Shendla hissed. She was losing what little patience she had left. She understood the girl's resentment, but one must put aside such petty feelings in light of the circumstances. Could she quit acting like a spoiled, entitled child for a minute? She sounded a lot like Bao himself, when she spoke like that. "Will you really doom the world because you must place your own little person above everyone else?" she scolded her. The girl looked startled. "Bao cares nothing for Saseko. Men have urges, and she just happened to be there. You must make him want you, and only you. The fact that he asked me to talk to you is an indication of how much he regrets it. He made a mistake. He is not without flaw. No one is."
"If he's so regretful, why did he send you? Why didn't he come himself?" She didn't pause long enough for Shendla to reply. Were all ulikar as rude as this one? Shendla had never met another Westlander before. "In any case, I'm quite sure Bao only feels bad because you told him I'm important and he's afraid I'll do something to sabotage his plans."
She's not entirely stupid, at least, Shendla reflected wryly. "He did want to come himself. I convinced him to let me talk to you instead. I said you would be more amenable toward me, and that he might make matters worse. Was I wrong?"
"Do I look amenable?" she asked nastily.
"Stop behaving like a child," Shendla chided her. "Don't you understand how much depends on you, girl? I know you care for the Ayyad," Shendla said. "And for Bao as well. Don't deny it," she said sternly. "Would you really let them all down because your pride was hurt? Bao knows he behaved poorly. You can be certain it won't happen again. He's a lot of things, but he's not an idiot." Most of the time, he's not, she amended to herself.
"Alright, fine, you win. I'll talk to him," the girl said reluctantly.
Light be praised! So much drama over such a little thing. Sometimes, Shendla felt that she was the only person in the world who was able to see the larger picture. Had no one else noticed that the Last Battle was fast approaching? In light of that - the ultimate struggle of the Light against the Shadow, whose outcome would define the world for Ages to come - personal affairs were of no importance.
"Tonight," the girl went on. "Or tomorrow. I really don't have time for this now. I wasn't lying about that."
She stood up and Shendla imitated her. "Thank you for hearing me out. I realise that the task set upon you is not an easy one, girl. But this is not a time to shirk your responsibilities. There is simply too much at stake."
The ulikar gave her a calculating look but said nothing, so Shendla left.