men, those horses. Your debt to us is growing. The Great One does not forgive, either. You will repay this debt in full. The Kamaye are coming.’ He licked his lips, his tongue pink against his brown skin. I could not see his eyes. They were shadowed by his hood. ‘Ah, yes. The Kamaye. You are honored, indeed.’
I swallowed.
‘So you will be watched. Remember that, as you seek to escape.’ When he stood, his body blocked the sun. ‘You appear to be a girl of spirit. Somehow, I am sure you will try to do the impossible. At least, we hope you will. We require ... entertainment.’
‘How many of you are there?’ I asked ‘What do you want?’ But he had gone, vanished like water dried by the sun.
I lifted my arm. The beads seemed to droop from my wrist. I touched one, gently. It was bright blue; as blue as the sky, as the summer sea. With the thought of color, the world seemed to lurch and ...
I don’t really know what happened. It was as though the sun came out from behind a cloud. As though someone had stepped into my mind and whispered, ‘Hush, child. Don’t fear.’
The shadows seemed to fade away.
Eventually, I lay back and stared up the shafts of light. Strangely, I felt quite peaceful. Let them watch me. There was little enough to see. And now I knew that they would keep me alive, for a while anyway. Eventually, my eyes closed.
***
T his dream had no singing and no bright light — just two people seated on stools regarding me. A man and a woman, both in white. I was beginning to recognize the plain shifts worn by the Guardians. And these two had the look that went with the wearing of the Necklace; the sense of a soul, changed forever into something more than itself.
‘Welcome,’ said the woman.
I stood in front of them, feeling like a small child. The woman took my hands and sighed over my broken fingernails, the roughness of my palms.
‘This capture may prove useful,’ said the man. ‘This way, they take us to themselves.’
‘Please,’ I asked, ‘who are you?’
The man stood, bowed. ‘I am Robert.’
‘Suzanna,’ said the woman.
‘And you were Guardians once?’
‘We still are, Dana,’ said the woman. Her brown hair, tied in a braid, hung over a shoulder. She was small, tinier even than N’tombe. But the man was tall, with large shoulders and a rich red beard. He regarded me impatiently from hazel eyes.
‘We brought you here to meet you,’ said Robert. ‘And to help you. Dana, the people who have you don’t understand who you really are.’
‘They watch me, they watch my dreams.’
Rob shook his head. ‘They play with you. Despite what they say, they are not all-powerful. And, fortunately for us, they are lazy; they do not seek to understand.’
Suzanna smiled. ‘As they watch you, we watch them. You should take heart, Dana. Things are not as bad as they appear.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘For a start, there are only four of them.’
Four magicians seemed more than enough. Besides, there were the sailors.
‘The sailors do not concern us,’ said Rob. ‘They are puppets only. Their sole purpose is to keep the ship sailing and seaworthy. Dana, the magicians can be fooled.’
‘How?’
‘They do not know who you are — they think you are just an ordinary girl. So we will feed them false images — Dana eating. Dana sleeping. And one of us will always stand on watch.’
I felt such sudden relief that I wanted to cry. ‘Can you really do this?’
Suzanna looked at Rob. ‘Of course. We are Guardians, after all.’
‘Thank you.’ Tears ran down my eyes, but I smiled, anyway. ‘Oh, thank you!’ I stopped. ‘They spoke of something, or someone. The Kamaye. Do you know what that is?’
Rob shook his head. ‘There is naught else on this ship beside yourself, the sailors and the magicians. But if we find anything, we will let you know. Likely, they were trying to scare you.’
Suzanna and Rob appeared familiar. ‘When were you Guardians?’
Robert
I swallowed.
‘So you will be watched. Remember that, as you seek to escape.’ When he stood, his body blocked the sun. ‘You appear to be a girl of spirit. Somehow, I am sure you will try to do the impossible. At least, we hope you will. We require ... entertainment.’
‘How many of you are there?’ I asked ‘What do you want?’ But he had gone, vanished like water dried by the sun.
I lifted my arm. The beads seemed to droop from my wrist. I touched one, gently. It was bright blue; as blue as the sky, as the summer sea. With the thought of color, the world seemed to lurch and ...
I don’t really know what happened. It was as though the sun came out from behind a cloud. As though someone had stepped into my mind and whispered, ‘Hush, child. Don’t fear.’
The shadows seemed to fade away.
Eventually, I lay back and stared up the shafts of light. Strangely, I felt quite peaceful. Let them watch me. There was little enough to see. And now I knew that they would keep me alive, for a while anyway. Eventually, my eyes closed.
***
T his dream had no singing and no bright light — just two people seated on stools regarding me. A man and a woman, both in white. I was beginning to recognize the plain shifts worn by the Guardians. And these two had the look that went with the wearing of the Necklace; the sense of a soul, changed forever into something more than itself.
‘Welcome,’ said the woman.
I stood in front of them, feeling like a small child. The woman took my hands and sighed over my broken fingernails, the roughness of my palms.
‘This capture may prove useful,’ said the man. ‘This way, they take us to themselves.’
‘Please,’ I asked, ‘who are you?’
The man stood, bowed. ‘I am Robert.’
‘Suzanna,’ said the woman.
‘And you were Guardians once?’
‘We still are, Dana,’ said the woman. Her brown hair, tied in a braid, hung over a shoulder. She was small, tinier even than N’tombe. But the man was tall, with large shoulders and a rich red beard. He regarded me impatiently from hazel eyes.
‘We brought you here to meet you,’ said Robert. ‘And to help you. Dana, the people who have you don’t understand who you really are.’
‘They watch me, they watch my dreams.’
Rob shook his head. ‘They play with you. Despite what they say, they are not all-powerful. And, fortunately for us, they are lazy; they do not seek to understand.’
Suzanna smiled. ‘As they watch you, we watch them. You should take heart, Dana. Things are not as bad as they appear.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘For a start, there are only four of them.’
Four magicians seemed more than enough. Besides, there were the sailors.
‘The sailors do not concern us,’ said Rob. ‘They are puppets only. Their sole purpose is to keep the ship sailing and seaworthy. Dana, the magicians can be fooled.’
‘How?’
‘They do not know who you are — they think you are just an ordinary girl. So we will feed them false images — Dana eating. Dana sleeping. And one of us will always stand on watch.’
I felt such sudden relief that I wanted to cry. ‘Can you really do this?’
Suzanna looked at Rob. ‘Of course. We are Guardians, after all.’
‘Thank you.’ Tears ran down my eyes, but I smiled, anyway. ‘Oh, thank you!’ I stopped. ‘They spoke of something, or someone. The Kamaye. Do you know what that is?’
Rob shook his head. ‘There is naught else on this ship beside yourself, the sailors and the magicians. But if we find anything, we will let you know. Likely, they were trying to scare you.’
Suzanna and Rob appeared familiar. ‘When were you Guardians?’
Robert
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