Surviving through the remaining thirteen hours of no touching – not counting that one incident – had made Jonah no less cheeky with his constant flirting. He was clearly testing his limits, and I let him. Even if his shamelessness made me blush more often, now that we were kind of… official? Or on the free-trial period of our relationship.
Anyway, it was driving me crazy, how conscious of his presence I was. And him toeing the line of no-touching with constant almost-touches did not help the situation.
Najeem tried to tease me about it, but I only had to mention a certain bath-house worker to shut her up. Especially when I was pretty sure I'd seen that certain someone sneak out of the house around noon yesterday. Other than teasing, she was begging us to stay, albeit half-heartedly, understanding that we never meant to remain here for long.
We left their residence after breakfast, Fraun having sent a heads-up that his captain had accepted our request to join the caravan but would like to meet us beforehand to discuss the details. For our last night in Bharat, we were going to stay in a room we'd gotten from Foxtail, since the caravan would leave early next morning. And I wanted to sleep every extra minute I could get.
Asta couldn't bear to send the Storyteller off emptyhanded, so both Jonah and I had gotten a new set of clothes for crossing the desert. Since apparently, goods were flying out of the shelves at their shop after people heard my outfit at Már Bankai had been from there. No doubt Najeem had been hard at work, spreading the word.
"This is not a gift but a thank you", Asta had said with her usual no-nonsense tone, and I hadn't had the heart to decline. It didn't hurt that the fabric had a nice feel to it and the slits at the back had me wondering if Asta had secretly made them right after she heard we'd be crossing the desert.
Fraun was waiting us at Foxtail with the blackest man I'd ever seen. Truly, the captain's skin was nearly the colour of the night sky and made me wonder if he had some faerie blood in him.
"Our additional guards, nice to meet you." His handshake was firm, and he stepped towards Jonah with no hesitation – something I'd rarely witnessed on our travels. "I am Igni. But everyone will call me captain, so I recommend you two do the same."
"Will do. You had some questions for us, captain?"
"Right, sit down first." We did and the captain took a deep breath. "Fraun told me the reason for your travels. I truly can't emphasize enough that I do not recommend following that nightmare. But since I doubt you'll listen to my warning, I'm only here to get to know you two better."
"Is it true?" Fraun interrupted.
"What?" I asked, despite being pretty sure what he was about to say.
"That you are… a Storykeeper."
"Now that takes me back", I chuckle. "Lately, I've only heard the word Storyteller and not keeper. Do you think there's a difference?" Amren had explained it to me during one of our sessions, but I was aware that it wasn't something commonly understood. The terms were often used interchangeably, even if that wasn't truly the case.
"There is", captain said, his face serious. "Storytellers are people who remember a lot of stories. Keepers know stories everyone has forgotten."
"Hmm… Then I guess I could be both." Spending my whole childhood at libraries had definitely made me learn a lot of stories.
"Our journey will be a blessed one", Igni nodded.
"How so?" Jonah asked.
"I have heard that Storykeepers will whiff a storm from many miles away, before the wind even changes. I have high hopes that will apply for sandstorms too. And entertainment for mealtimes is never to be underestimated. Especially on trips through endless sand dunes."
"Now this is a man I like", Jonah smiled. "Finally someone who understands she's the more valuable of us two." I elbowed him, but his smile was contagious. It was rare for Jonah to like someone outright.
"Obviously. I am a man of culture." Somehow Igni's easy smile reminded me of Tarquin, and I wondered if the two of them would get along.
"It is good to make your acquaintance, captain", I say.
"DO MY OLD EYES DECEIVE ME?" A familiar voice bellowed, and I turned around to see a very drunken captain of the Dawn Breaker at the tavern entrance. He managed to reach our table without knocking anything over, trailed by Simmons who seemed like his usual grumpy self, and more importantly; sober – thank Mother for that.
"What are you two doing here? Ditching me for a younger and better-looking captain, eh?"
"Younger maybe, but better looking? Aodh, you know better than to belittle your handsome face." Seeing him had me grinning from ear to ear.
"Still got way with the words lil' lass. Mind if I sit down?"
"A friend of yours?" Igni asked, a bit reluctant.
"Aodh is captain of the Dawn Breaker, the ship we took here."
"Well, sit down then. Fraun and I shall take our leave so you may bid your farewells. Meet us at the south gate at dawn tomorrow. Those who are late will be left behind."
"We'll be there." Jonah promised and the two exited without further courtesies. "So, Aodh, what brings you here?"
"Can I not come and see how the lovebirds of my ship are faring before they fly out of town?"
"No but how did you even know we are leaving?" I ask. We had been mostly discreet.
"Well, Simmons here happened to pass here two days ago, trailing after a woman he was wooing. No luck, with that mug of his, but he did come across some fine intel and a rumour that you might show up again. But blimey am I heartbroken that you did not seek me out yourselves before leaving." He raised a hand and ordered a pint of ale.
"Aodh, you are drunk."
"This is just hangover cure after that fine party two days ago."
"Yeah, right." Maybe he should have tried out whatever the old crones had been selling. "Is there a reason you sought us out, other than you being a sentimental fool?"
"Not really? Well, I might have wanted to catch a few more stories to last me the trip back home. Since you two won't be joining us."
I really didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to myself now that we were set to leave, but… Clearly, Aodh wasn't nearly as drunk as I'd initially thought, and the excited twinkle in his eyes…
Was I really this easy?
Or maybe I just had a soft spot for him.
"Fine", I sighed, and raised my voice. "Alright boys, girls, youngsters and crows. Curious folks and those who just came to drink. Gather round, quiet down, and listen. Because I've got a story to tell y'all."
The few people at the tavern immediately inched closer, clearly interested. Someone ran out and people started flowing in like they'd been waiting for this moment as I started on tales of old, stories of yearning. As I painted the sky with my words and filled their hearts with a taste of wanderlust that could never be quite forgotten.
I talked the whole day, Jonah making sure no one came too close, and tea kept coming my way. I never intended to talk so long, but I kind of felt like I owed this to the city. Rumours about me had been circulating for a while now, and these tales would be talk of the town for the next month. And would perhaps bring more customers to keep Najeem busy.
The tavern owner refused to accept our payment for the room and personally waved us out of the door at the crack of dawn next day, our backpacks now filled with desert ratios. The owner said that she earned even better than during Már Bankai, and that customers would be coming for a long time, hoping to catch a story or two.
Well, they would have to settle for stories told by common storytellers, or re-telling's of my stories from yesterday.
The caravan heading for Gridek is a lot larger than I had expected, and I have no idea how many camels are lining up with their backs loaded with cargo. People are covered from head to toe so that only their eyes or face is visible. We were wearing similar attire but still stood out like sore thumbs due our wings. Thanks to that, Fraun spots us before we find him.
"You two can walk after the second file. The first few days should be relatively easy, and we have no need for scouting this close to Bharat so it's better to stay grounded rather than exhaust yourselves. We unfortunately couldn't get extra camel for you two at such short notice, but there will be a few free ones once the food resources start emptying."
"What's a file?" I ask Jonah after Fraun rushes away without further explanations.
"Apparently, that's what they call one chain of camels. See how they're tied to each other like that?"
"Oh so that's what it is."
"Seriously, I'm just guessing here", Jonah shrugs.
"Well, it sounded believable enough. Don't ruin it yourself. I almost thought you were secretly a caravan master or something."
"Oh no. The title of a caravan master is only reserved for an oversee other than caravan owner leading the caravan. But this caravan calls him captain." Someone said behind us.
"And who might you be?" Jonah asked, his tone going from warm sunlight to freezing cold faster than I could comprehend. Damn this overprotective fool.
"Easy, warrior. My name is Kata, I'll be pulling the fourth line. I just wanted to say hi since I really enjoyed the stories yesterday and hope to hear more from her during this journey." His smile seems friendly, but Jonah doesn't relax.
"Down puppy", I whisper to him, and he chuckles.
"Make me."
"It is so nice to meet you Kata. If you have a story you want to hear, feel free to request it later. Now if you excuse me…" Kata seems to take the hint and quickly continues with the preparations.
"Are you going to make me?" Jonah asks teasingly.
"No. But I would be grateful if you didn't bother with the annoying and possessive act this time around. I'm pretty sure no one here wants to mess with us, so stop marking your territory." He seems shocked by my choice of words, and it takes a second for him to retort.
"Marking my – Vala, please. Give me some credit."
"For what?" I raise a brow. "Acting like a fool?"
"Little bird, stop teasing me."
"Oh, they're starting to move", I say, changing the topic before he realizes how much I've started to like that nickname. "Where's the second file?"
I briskly walk toward what looks like the start of the files or whatever they were called, and finally spot Igni giving instructions and checking some papers. He seems busy so I don't want to bother him. An errand boy caring for the camels kindly shows us the right spot after I ask him. I leave him with few coppers, since I wouldn't need the money in the desert anyway.
The caravan starts to move – albeit slowly – and we head out of the city.
…
Traveling with a caravan is a lot more boring and exhausting than I had imagined. And I didn't have any grand expectations for it to begin with. At least at sea, one could laze around and still move towards their destination if others were working. But with caravan? Anyone not riding a camel was destined to walk with unnecessary amount of sand in their shoes and the sun scorching down mercilessly.
Flying was slightly better, but because my muscles were a bit sloppy from not using them much lately, I couldn't keep flying all day long. And since we could see miles and miles away in the vast scenery just by getting a bit above the caravan, we only needed to make quick rounds every couple hours or so.
Really, if the company wasn't good, I might have turned around during the third day and flown back to Bharat. And to be honest. If we could fly all the way, it might take only a few days to get to our destination. But traveling with a caravan was a lot safer than risking a sudden sandstorm.
"Anything interesting?" Kata asked when I landed from yet another useless scouting mission. I had dropped back from walking behind the second file to walk with him after the second day. Kata knew all the gossip concerning everyone and everything in this caravan and was fun to listen to. He would make a fine storyteller if he wasn't so keen on spilling the tea instead of learning old tales.
"Sand, more sand and – wait for it – even more sand. Like you wouldn't believe how many grains it is. Mother be my witness; I would take sea travel anytime over this." I shake may wings for emphasis, and a cloud of dust comes out.
"I hear you", Kata chuckles. "Not even the locals like sand, even if it whispers our name and calls us home."
"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask you about that. That 'The Desert will guide us home', phrase I hear every now and then."
"I guess it is just our way of romanticizing this way of living. To make it more bearable. Because for desert folk, this vast sea of sand will always be home. It is not an easy place, nor does it give us much other than worn out shoes, blistered feet, and dry throats. But it does teach us a lot about ourselves, of who we are."
"Like meditating?"
"I've never seen a desert folk meditating. You can easily spend enough time with your head by just walking."
"I hear you", I nod, and watch as Jonah drops down to report with Igni. Apparently, he was called a captain because he felt caravan master to be a mouthful. That, and his mercenary background might have something to do it. As for the owner of this caravan, that would Lady Minare, who had frequent trade with Gridek – a city famous for its jewel mines, as Kata had explained. The caravan left Bharat with finest fabrics, tea leaves and imported things, and came back with jewels of all kinds. That was also the reason why this caravan had more guards than normal ones. Still, the chance to get ambushed was a lot lower when going to Gridek, since most thieves preferred jewels over fabrics.
I had explained to Igni that we might not be able to journey back with them if our task took longer than expected, and he had said it was fine, as he was hoping some of the scared folk from last round would be ready to leave now.
"I could really use a dip in Nithe right now", I groan.
"Don't even start talking about water, dear. We've only walked for five days. The trip to Gridek is nothing, basically a stroll compared to the long travels to the other side of Brannen. Those can take up to eight months if the weather is bad."
"Eight months? How is that even possible? How do they get food?"
"With the help of caravanserai of course. The caravan palaces." The new word tickled my brain and brought forth an image of a large, one-floor, rectangular building with a huge courtyard. To be completely honest, it kind of reminded me of a roadside inn.
"Do they have water?"
"It would be impossible to live otherwise. But there aren't any between Bharat and Gridek since the trip is so short."
"Right. Of course." If a two-week walk could be called short. But in this context, it was.
"Oh, but there is one in Gridek if you want to see it. Our caravan will make a stop there while we trade. They have one of the finest baths around here. And their architecture is the best in Gridek. It is – what did you call it again – a tourist spot? The fountains are also beautiful."
"Didn't you just tell me to not talk about water?"
"I wasn't talking about water per se. I only mentioned a bath and some architectural structures." His tone is teasing, and I roll my eyes.
"Don't start nit-picking with me, Kata. I am not in the mood."
"I can see that. You clearly can't appreciate the weather here."
"Yeah, it makes my tanning uneven with all the clothes I have to wear", Jonah interrupts, dropping down between us.
"You could take them off and become dehydrated in fifteen minutes", Kata suggests.
"I like my water right where it is, thank you very much." Jonah still hadn't warmed up to Kata, but at least they tolerated each other. Kind of.