Chapter VI
The two girls continued on the long journey north the next morning. As usual Jahandri rose at daybreak and as usual Klaudya did not wake for another hour. By the time Klaudya was awake Jahandri had already packed up everything but the blanket Klaudya was using and the tent she was sleeping under. When Klaudya did wake up she folded her blanket and strapped it onto the horse. That was as close as Draana would let the girl get and even that was better than how the relationship between the girl and the horse had started.
Jahandri folded up the tent as Klaudya sat on a tree stump eating an extremely brown and bruised apple. She made a face and threw the rest of the apple at Draana's feet. The horse bent down and swallowed the apple nearly whole. "Why did ya git such nasty apples?"
"It was the only thing the market had. The bread it rather stale too," 'and besides,' Jahandri thought, "I'm not any good at picking out food.'
Klaudya sliced a wedge of cheese in hopes that it would help the staleness of the bread, "Well, at least the cheese is half decent."
Jahandri did not feel like commenting she just packed up the tent and lifted herself onto Draana's back. She waited for Klaudya to stand up and brush the crumbs off her dress before she started Draana at their normal, very slow pace. After a few days they had run out of food and had to go into the next town again.
Jahandri started to set up a place for them to sleep and expected Klaudya to head off to town. Klaudya just set down on a blanket she had laid out on the ground and played with the ring around her finger. When Jahandri was nearly done with the tent she saw that Klaudya had not left yet, "Are you waiting for something?"
"Nope, only fir ya ta be done with the tent so I kin go inside."
"I thought we had decided that you would go into town and I would set up the tent."
"No, ya decided. Now I decided that I'll stay here and ya'll go inta town."
Jahandri sighed, finished the tent and went to get Draana. They road until they were out of Klaudya's earshot and the Draana started talking, "If your mother knew that you were going into town she would be fearful."
"That's why we are not going to tell her anything."
Just like before, the rest of the way into town Draana did not utter a word. This time Jahandri went around town, picked out her food and got back to Draana without interruption. They headed back to where the tent was set up and again found Klaudya inside and asleep. Jahandri did not wake her but instead broke off a hank of bread and ate it.
The next morning when it was time to continue their journey Klaudya was still sleeping and Jahandri pulled out the bag that held the stone and went off to pray to her mother, "Mother please help me, I am afraid to turn any corner, go to any town. I got your message and it has just made me more fearful. I feel as if I cannot trust anyone. The only thing that makes me feel safe is the stone you gave me. It is the only thing that lies between me and my complete destruction and I thank you for it."
What Jahandri did not know was at the same moment she was praying to her mother, Klaudya was awake and listening in the tent. She got a mischievous look on her face. 'If I can get that stone away from her then I could become a princess,' she thought. Klaudya never was one to be helpful if she could help herself instead.
After Jahandri was finished with her prayers she found that Klaudya was awake and folding up the tent. She placed it on the pack attached to Draana's saddle and ripped off a piece of bread. Klaudya stood up as she ate the bread, not wanting to dirty her dress. Jahandri folded the rest of the blankets and placed them on the pack. She then mounted Draana and the two girls set off down the road again.
They continued on for a week, stopping every night, before they needed food again. Every night when Jahandri was asleep Klaudya tried to take the stone out of it's bag but was never successful. The bag was too far down the front of Jahandri's dress!
This time Jahandri did not even bother setting up the tent. She just pulled herself up onto Draana and started down the road. Yet again they road until they were out of Klaudya's earshot and the Draana started talking, "If your mother knew that you were going into town she would be fearful."
"That's why we are not going to tell her anything."
Just like before, the rest of the way into town Draana did not utter a word. Jahandri went around town with her cloak pulled over her head and bought all the things they would need for the next two days. They were a day or two from Q'Rhaz and they would not need to stop for food anymore. When Jahandri was finished with her shopping she went back to where she had left Draana. She mounted the horse and they headed back to where Klaudya was. On the way back she thought of what Klaudya would do once they reached Q'Rhaz. 'I think I'll ask the king if she can be one of my ladies in waiting,' she decided. Jahandri wanted to make sure the girl who had traveled with her would be taken care of.
When she got back to camp Jahandri found that Klaudya had not set up the tent and was just lying on a blanket that she had flung on the ground, "Were you going to set up the tent?"
"No, that's yir job."
"No, you said that I have to go into town and buy food."
"Well, this week I was going ta but ya road off with all the money."
"I went into town and bought our food! You can at least help me set up the tent."
"No, I don't feel like it."
'Maybe I'll just ask for her to be one of my chambermaids,' Jahandri thought as she set up the tent. She grabbed the food basket and a few blankets before heading inside. Klaudya took a few wedges of cheese and a large piece of bread before she moved to sit down. Jahandri just ate an apple before she pulled a blanket over her head.
When she was covered completely in the warm and scratchy woolen blanket Jahandri pulled out the satin bag from under her dress. She held the smooth stone in her hand for a long time even though she knew her mother would not come. This small, insignificant stone was the only thing that could protect her from Yujri and Ithrán. She thought about how much had changed for her in the past year as she dozed off with the stone in her hand.
Klaudya was still awake on the other side of the tent. She waited until she heard Jahandri deep, even breathing before she made an attempt to take the stone. Crawling towards Jahandri, Klaudya slowly lifted the blanket that covered Jahandri's head. She gasped when she saw that the bag that held the stone was not tucked down into Jahandri's dress. Carefully Klaudya picked up the soft satin bag and realized the stone was not inside of it. She was extremely puzzled until she saw Jahandri's fingers uncurling to reveal a dark, glassy substance. It had to have been the stone.
Klaudya contemplated how to get the stone without waking Jahandri and then decided just to wait until Jahandri's fingers uncurled enough. Thankfully she did not have to wait that long. After ten minutes of waiting and staring at Jahandri's palm the stone slipped through her fingers. Klaudya quickly grabbed the stone and put it in her pocket. She quietly crept across the tent and pulled a blanket over her head with a satisfied sigh.
The two girls continued on the long journey north the next morning. As usual Jahandri rose at daybreak and as usual Klaudya did not wake for another hour. By the time Klaudya was awake Jahandri had already packed up everything but the blanket Klaudya was using and the tent she was sleeping under. When Klaudya did wake up she folded her blanket and strapped it onto the horse. That was as close as Draana would let the girl get and even that was better than how the relationship between the girl and the horse had started.
Jahandri folded up the tent as Klaudya sat on a tree stump eating an extremely brown and bruised apple. She made a face and threw the rest of the apple at Draana's feet. The horse bent down and swallowed the apple nearly whole. "Why did ya git such nasty apples?"
"It was the only thing the market had. The bread it rather stale too," 'and besides,' Jahandri thought, "I'm not any good at picking out food.'
Klaudya sliced a wedge of cheese in hopes that it would help the staleness of the bread, "Well, at least the cheese is half decent."
Jahandri did not feel like commenting she just packed up the tent and lifted herself onto Draana's back. She waited for Klaudya to stand up and brush the crumbs off her dress before she started Draana at their normal, very slow pace. After a few days they had run out of food and had to go into the next town again.
Jahandri started to set up a place for them to sleep and expected Klaudya to head off to town. Klaudya just set down on a blanket she had laid out on the ground and played with the ring around her finger. When Jahandri was nearly done with the tent she saw that Klaudya had not left yet, "Are you waiting for something?"
"Nope, only fir ya ta be done with the tent so I kin go inside."
"I thought we had decided that you would go into town and I would set up the tent."
"No, ya decided. Now I decided that I'll stay here and ya'll go inta town."
Jahandri sighed, finished the tent and went to get Draana. They road until they were out of Klaudya's earshot and the Draana started talking, "If your mother knew that you were going into town she would be fearful."
"That's why we are not going to tell her anything."
Just like before, the rest of the way into town Draana did not utter a word. This time Jahandri went around town, picked out her food and got back to Draana without interruption. They headed back to where the tent was set up and again found Klaudya inside and asleep. Jahandri did not wake her but instead broke off a hank of bread and ate it.
The next morning when it was time to continue their journey Klaudya was still sleeping and Jahandri pulled out the bag that held the stone and went off to pray to her mother, "Mother please help me, I am afraid to turn any corner, go to any town. I got your message and it has just made me more fearful. I feel as if I cannot trust anyone. The only thing that makes me feel safe is the stone you gave me. It is the only thing that lies between me and my complete destruction and I thank you for it."
What Jahandri did not know was at the same moment she was praying to her mother, Klaudya was awake and listening in the tent. She got a mischievous look on her face. 'If I can get that stone away from her then I could become a princess,' she thought. Klaudya never was one to be helpful if she could help herself instead.
After Jahandri was finished with her prayers she found that Klaudya was awake and folding up the tent. She placed it on the pack attached to Draana's saddle and ripped off a piece of bread. Klaudya stood up as she ate the bread, not wanting to dirty her dress. Jahandri folded the rest of the blankets and placed them on the pack. She then mounted Draana and the two girls set off down the road again.
They continued on for a week, stopping every night, before they needed food again. Every night when Jahandri was asleep Klaudya tried to take the stone out of it's bag but was never successful. The bag was too far down the front of Jahandri's dress!
This time Jahandri did not even bother setting up the tent. She just pulled herself up onto Draana and started down the road. Yet again they road until they were out of Klaudya's earshot and the Draana started talking, "If your mother knew that you were going into town she would be fearful."
"That's why we are not going to tell her anything."
Just like before, the rest of the way into town Draana did not utter a word. Jahandri went around town with her cloak pulled over her head and bought all the things they would need for the next two days. They were a day or two from Q'Rhaz and they would not need to stop for food anymore. When Jahandri was finished with her shopping she went back to where she had left Draana. She mounted the horse and they headed back to where Klaudya was. On the way back she thought of what Klaudya would do once they reached Q'Rhaz. 'I think I'll ask the king if she can be one of my ladies in waiting,' she decided. Jahandri wanted to make sure the girl who had traveled with her would be taken care of.
When she got back to camp Jahandri found that Klaudya had not set up the tent and was just lying on a blanket that she had flung on the ground, "Were you going to set up the tent?"
"No, that's yir job."
"No, you said that I have to go into town and buy food."
"Well, this week I was going ta but ya road off with all the money."
"I went into town and bought our food! You can at least help me set up the tent."
"No, I don't feel like it."
'Maybe I'll just ask for her to be one of my chambermaids,' Jahandri thought as she set up the tent. She grabbed the food basket and a few blankets before heading inside. Klaudya took a few wedges of cheese and a large piece of bread before she moved to sit down. Jahandri just ate an apple before she pulled a blanket over her head.
When she was covered completely in the warm and scratchy woolen blanket Jahandri pulled out the satin bag from under her dress. She held the smooth stone in her hand for a long time even though she knew her mother would not come. This small, insignificant stone was the only thing that could protect her from Yujri and Ithrán. She thought about how much had changed for her in the past year as she dozed off with the stone in her hand.
Klaudya was still awake on the other side of the tent. She waited until she heard Jahandri deep, even breathing before she made an attempt to take the stone. Crawling towards Jahandri, Klaudya slowly lifted the blanket that covered Jahandri's head. She gasped when she saw that the bag that held the stone was not tucked down into Jahandri's dress. Carefully Klaudya picked up the soft satin bag and realized the stone was not inside of it. She was extremely puzzled until she saw Jahandri's fingers uncurling to reveal a dark, glassy substance. It had to have been the stone.
Klaudya contemplated how to get the stone without waking Jahandri and then decided just to wait until Jahandri's fingers uncurled enough. Thankfully she did not have to wait that long. After ten minutes of waiting and staring at Jahandri's palm the stone slipped through her fingers. Klaudya quickly grabbed the stone and put it in her pocket. She quietly crept across the tent and pulled a blanket over her head with a satisfied sigh.