Chapter 6

The moonlight made a path down the empty street for the young foundling, whose back rose straighter with every step he took.

Butu repeated Jusep's warnings to himself. He'd have to work very hard, he guessed. The boys who usually joined the guard were bigger and stronger than he was.

And figure out what he means by "keeping my eyes open." Butu snorted. It was probably some adult trick that meant "watch your back," but adults never spoke straightforward.

As if by magic, Jani appeared beside him, brushing his arm. As silently as the wind, they disappeared into a narrow gap between two tents, and she pulled him to her.

When they came up for air from kissing, she stuck her lower lip out at him.

"What did my uncle say to you? I didn't want to get too close."

Butu leaned in to kiss her again, but she pulled back. "What? Oh, I'm to be a sordenu. I'm moving to Gordney. Tomorrow." He tried to kiss her again. After all, she should be as excited as he was. But she pulled away again, her full lips curling out in a pout. He brushed her braids to one side so he could see her face better. "What's wrong?"

"It's all changing so fast, Butu," she said, and tears glistened in her eyes. "I just found out why Daren el'Kadrak is here, and now you're going to be a sordenu."

They're taking Paka back to Mnemon, Butu thought sadly. Things really are changing too much too quickly.

"Mnemon is so far away from here," he said distantly. "We'll probably never see each other again, but we knew this would happen eventually." He brushed the tear from the side of her face, and she grabbed his hand.

Wait, he thought. Why would she be crying because Paka is leaving?

"That's all you have to say? We knew this would happen eventually?"

Oh shanubu, I got it wrong again. He tugged his hand free of hers as she turned her back to him.

"Shanubu," he whispered out loud, the curse word disappearing into Jani's tearful tirade.

"My sister is with the Zatkuka, and Jusep got a favorable deal on their grain. Grain! She was bartered for grain!"

They've come for Jani! A pang of jealousy stabbed Butu. He grasped at Jani, turning her around and pulling her toward him. She was taller than him, but had curled into herself enough that her wet cheeks rubbed his shoulders.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," he whispered, kissing her neck.

We could run away together, he thought. We could leave right now and go to another clan as kus.

It was a drastic solution, though, and Butu found some sense to override his heart.

First, becoming a ku meant betraying their birthright, and while Jani had hers through blood, the Ahjea had gambled on Butu. They would need a good story, and they would need to stick to it, or no other clan would take them in. No one wanted to be Clanless, and those elves would more likely look at the pair of lovers as vultures looked at camel corpses. He shuddered.

Secondly, they were young. Other people would be there for them, later. Butu didn't know if he wanted Jani enough to throw away his future. She was a great girl, smart, friendly, really cute, and the best kisser he knew.

But we always knew it couldn't happen, he admitted. Jusep's daughters are all married. He will use everyone he can. How do I explain that without making her mad at me?

He said, "Who is he?"

Jani gasped and tried to jerk away from him, but he held her tightly. She slumped against him. "It isn't certain, yet, but Daren el'Kadrak means to present me to his cousin as a potential bride."

"Which cousin?" Butu asked.

"Aesch al'Kadrak."

"The high prince?" Butu asked, amazement outstripping jealousy. He's the kluntra of the most powerful of the Phillite clans. She's not even Jusep's daughter. To get a marriage proposal from Aesch al'Kadrak ... "You must've made quite the impression on his cousin, Jani."

"You're taking this very calmly." She pushed back again, and this time he let her. They played with each other's hands. "I expected you to suggest we run away together and make a life for ourselves as kus."

Here it comes, he thought, feeling anger rise in him. It was going to get here eventually. We didn't stand a chance, anyway. Why can't she see that? He gave her another chance.

"I can't say that I haven't enjoyed what we've had."

"What we've had?" She sounded almost hysterical, snapping her hands from his and hugging herself. "You told me you loved me, and now you're talking like you've already lost me!"

"Shanubu! You're a year older than me, but you're the one acting like a second-cycler." He leaned in, face hot, annoyed rage hissing from his throat. "How do you expect me to rescue you? We can run away, but where would we go? No one trusts a ku. But even the Clanless despise the ten who betrayed the clan who brought him in and raised them as one of their own."

Jani stood there as if turned to stone, neither interrupting him nor vanishing. Butu took a quick breath and went on in a more neutral tone.

"Jusep is your uncle, Jani. If you get to Mnemon and decide you can never love the High Prince, the kluntra will find some way to politely refuse the marriage proposal."

Jani kept her voice so low that Butu had to lean forward to make out the words as she hissed them out through clenched teeth. "It's not a marriage proposal, Butu! Don't you see? The high prince doesn't marry the niece of a minor clan's kluntra. Either he means to use me as a hostage to maintain leverage over Jusep or he wants to add a bauble from the Aesch to his harem."

Butu took a step back. "I'm sorry, Jani. I didn't think of that."

"That's because you're just a ten."

Butu winced as if slapped.

"You're right, Butu," she said with a sudden, sad sigh. "I have to face this on my own. You can't rescue me. Even if you could, you shouldn't." She vanished from his magical senses as well as from his sight, but her voice came back to him. "And you won't."

"Jani!" he cried, but she was either gone already or pretending to be.

Butu stared into the darkness, feeling the absence of her presence like a warm blanket being pulled off him. Then he shrugged it off and went out into the street, but he couldn't help but look back into the darkness between the two tents. They had spent a lot of time in places like that, cuddling and kissing like third-cyclers do.

He couldn't help but wonder if he had made the wrong choice.

Maybe in a cycle or two, I might be ready to choose Jani.

He shook his head and started up the street toward the fosterlings' tent. Even if her marriage to Aesch never happened, Jusep would never allow Butu to have his niece.

Unless I can be more than a ten, but to do that, I need to prove myself as a sordenu.

That was also true, and Butu was suddenly grateful to the kluntra for giving him this opportunity to prove he could serve the clan. Miners and farmers never won glory for themselves the way sordenu could. At least as a sordenu, there was a small hope of becoming an un' or even an el' through blood adoption – a very rare event, to be sure, but not an unthinkable one.

"Well?"

The three pairs of eyes became his friends as they stepped out of the tent.

Butu hesitated. Everything was changing. Maybe Jusep did punish me — he's taken away everyone I love.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," he said, and they gasped.

"Where?" Remi asked.

"I'm going to be a sordenu. Jusep thought it was time I contributed." He kept his voice firm.

Hatal blew out his held breath and threw a blanket at Butu. "You're not leaving, you'll be right here."

"He'll be in Gordney," Remi said, tossing the blanket back to his cousin.

"How often will you come to visit?" Butu asked Hatal. "How long before Remi goes back to your family?" It was the way he said family; Paka's eyes grew soft, and the cousins' faces turned bitter.

"We don't care that you're a foundling, Butu," Remi said. "We're your friends."

Butu said nothing, stepping into the tent and going to his corner. He rolled over onto his side, his back to them, so they couldn't see his tears. After tomorrow, they'd probably not see him again, or speak to him. It would be many years before any of them would be a warrior like he was going to be. Even then, they were of different clans — they would be gone, and not even know him anymore.

If I meet them again, it will be on the battlefield, and we are nearly as like to be enemies as allies.

Behind him, he heard the other boys settle for bed, and he adjusted himself more comfortably.

A hand touched his shoulder. Butu pretended he was asleep.

"I'll come visit," Paka whispered. "If you need a brother, I'll be yours, shumi." Then he was gone, and Butu was alone.

This is my chance to prove that it was worth adopting me. I'll be the kind of sordenu that makes history – another Terzik, the High Prince who was also a foundling. I'll convince some el' or un' to adopt me, somehow, and maybe then I'll be able to be what Jani wants me to be.

Butu deliberately ignored the fact that by the time he earned enough glory as a sordenu to achieve that, Jani would no doubt be married.

SYNOPSIS  |  CHAPTER 1  |  CHAPTER 2  |  CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4  |  CHAPTER 5  |  CHAPTER 6

Copyright 2005-2007 Eric Zawadzki and Matthew Schick. All Rights Reserved.
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