Flight of Souls
Chapter 12 – Home in the Desert
Tia sat cross-legged in the women's quarters of Lord Asim's tent. Her days had certainly been busy since Ardeth had left. A'isha had first shown her the enclosures of the tribe's horses. The tribe's wealth, A'isha had explained, was due to the horses. Each man had a number of horses that he raised and trained. A horse trained by the Medjai brought excellent prices in the markets of Egypt. Ardeth had more than a dozen animals, ranging from a gorgeous gray stallion to a couple of newborn foals that kept close to their mothers' flanks. Usually the women helped feed the horses, and often did some of preliminary training. Foals were handled every day to accustom them to humans. They learned to allow people to lift their feet, examine their teeth and lead them on ropes around their pens. Some of the women did more extensive training, up to and including riding. Since Ardeth had no women, A'isha often worked with his animals. Tia would now be expected to.
A'isha had also shown her the tribe's flocks of sheep, which were cared for by some of the women and the older children. These were used for their meat and their wool. They were also sold at market, and the proceeds used for items the tribe could not make themselves.
The Bey Tribe, A'isha had told her, had lived in this particular spot for many years. It was a small valley, protected by rocky hills on three sides. A spring created a small oasis. Because of the water, grazing was available for the horses and the sheep.
In the evenings, Tia usually sat for a while with Lord Asim. As he spoke the best English of the tribe, save for Ardeth, Asim felt it was his duty to tell the newcomer about the tribe and their ways. While A'isha and Tia were able to communicate fairly well, only Asim was able to explain the more complex issues. The Medjai, he told her, was originally the personal bodyguard of Pharaoh and the Royal Family. Even in the beginning it was usually a hereditary charge. Now it almost exclusively was hereditary. While it wasn't unheard of for someone of non-Medjai background to become a Medjai, it was fairly rare. When boys approached manhood they chose personal symbols that would be tattooed on their faces. Ardeth's cheek tattoos, Lord Asim explained, were the symbol of the ancient Egyptian goddess Ma'at - the goddess of Truth. His own, he said, were the symbol of heh, eternity. Medjai who lived in or near cities frequently did not tattoo their faces, but all Medjai had tattoos of some sort. Each tribe had its own symbol. The Bey tribe used a simple repeating point design on their hands. The Avet tribe used a more complex tattoo placed on the right forearm. The Dareb tribe used the symbol of a coiled cobra.
The primary duty of a Medjai was to guard certain sacred sites throughout Egypt. Often these sites had been designated by Pharaohs thousands of years ago. Sometimes the Medjai knew what in particular about the sites was sacred or must not be disturbed. Sometimes they did not. The Tirza site, Lord Asim admitted, was one that they did not know why it must be guarded. Only that it must be. The ancient curses, he went on to explain, were real and must be taken seriously. Present day Medjai tribes were predominantly Muslim, he told Tia, but they still respected the old gods. The old gods might be dead, he assured her, but their power still lingered.
After an initial feeling of apprehension, Tia soon became comfortable with the old man. He had an intelligent dry wit that was very amusing. She very much enjoyed the old stories he told, and once he realized how much she did enjoy it, his own pleasure in her company grew.
Sometimes it seemed difficult to remember that she was, in fact, a prisoner. A captive that had been given to a man as a concubine. It seemed almost as if she was being treated as a new bride, someone who needed to learn the ways and routines of the tribe, but not one that had been brought here against her will. There were certainly restrictions on her movements. She was not allowed to sleep alone in Ardeth's tent. Until he returned she slept on a pallet in A'isha's room – a small curtained alcove in the women's quarters. She was allowed to ride some of Ardeth's horses, but not alone and not too far from the camp. She'd mistakenly gone too far once, had been escorted back again by an angry A'isha along with several grim faced men. She'd been very careful ever since to stay close.
Tia's thoughts went to Ardeth. He'd been gone for several days now, and was expected to return at any time. Tia wondered how she felt about that. She'd become fairly comfortable here over the past several days, much more than she'd ever expected to be. She got along very well with Ardeth's mother and grandfather. Some of the other women were friendly, and as Tia learned more Arabic, it was easier to communicate with them. Some of the women weren't friendly at all, but that was only to be expected. She wasn't Arabic after all. In addition, Ardeth was quite a catch from what A'isha had said. No doubt some of the younger women had hopes of catching his eye.
Was she resigned to her fate? Tia wondered. Had she resigned herself to spending, if not the rest of her life at least the foreseeable future, as the concubine of a desert tribesman? She hadn't tried to escape, hadn't even really considered it. She only had a vague idea of where she was. She didn't think it would be more than a day's ride to Thebes, but she wasn't sure of that. Nor was she completely sure which direction Thebes was. In order to escape she'd have to steal a horse and enough supplies to last her in case the ride was longer than she'd thought. That was assuming that she'd be able to get away free without pursuit. Not likely, really. The Medjai were excellent trackers, and much better horsemen than she was. She'd be dragged back. All pretense of her being a guest would end and she would be a prisoner indeed. No, Tia thought. She'd probably have a better chance of eventually convincing Ardeth to let her go.
Of course, that would mean living with him for an unspecified period of time. Intimately. Tia shivered. She might be able to put him off for a little while, but not for very long. He wanted her, he'd made that clear enough. Did she want him? That was a disturbing thought. He was a murderer. He'd killed her colleagues without a qualm. Yet, she could understand his reasons. She might not agree with them, but she did understand the duty that he and all of his tribesmen had lived with for hundreds of years.
He'd spared her, probably against his better judgment. Ardeth was chivalric enough to save her life and he had a strong sense of honor. That was obvious. She could do worse, Tia thought, than to fall into the hands of someone who would probably treat her as well as he could. Could she live happily, or at least contentedly, here in the desert with him? From everything she'd learned from Lord Asim and A'isha, Ardeth was a powerful man. He was the War Commander, which meant that his word was second only to Lord Asim's. He would be leader as well when Lord Asim passed away. By the standards of the desert tribes, Ardeth was also wealthy. He was an excellent horseman, and the horses he trained sold for high prices in the towns of Egypt.
Tia enjoyed working with the horses. Feeding and caring for them, teaching the foals to trust, exercising the older mounts. Yes, the work was very satisfying. The rest of the 'women's' chores weren't too bad. She was learning to cook the way the Medjai did, though she imagined she'd get tired of eating mutton. Some of the women trusted her enough to allow her to watch their younger children while they did other chores. Tia enjoyed that – she'd always had a way with children.
What about Ardeth himself? He was, Tia admitted to herself, gorgeous. His face and physique could satisfy anyone's definition of the term. He could be cold, harsh and stern. Yet, he could also be understanding, compassionate and, well, passionate. Tia smiled ruefully to herself. It wasn't as though she had a choice over the matter. She was his to do with as he chose. She had also come to understand what he'd told her the night before he'd left. It was indeed in her best interests to please him.
Thank you tellergirl!