I smile at her beaming face. “I always want you to be honest
with me, no matter what. You will always be with me unless I
say so.”
She gives me a curious look. “That’s it?” I shake my head.
“No, one more thing. Don’t call me princess ever again.”
Her face breaks into a smile. “Deal”. She stretches out her
hand and I shake it. “Deal. Now I think Kiar needs you.”
She blushes slightly and goes to leave. I feel pretty good about
myself. “Sarajane.” I turn around to Alana. “Thank you.” She
hugs me and races out of the tent. Maybe we can be friends.
I leave the tent. I don’t want to be on my own—my mind only
wanders to home—so I go to the fire. My mother is sitting there,
showing Navada how to make soup. I still haven’t spoken to her
properly since Morrick hit me, but if I walk away now, it’ll look
like I’m hiding and that is something I won’t be doing anymore.
My mother looks up at me with a pleading look in her eyes and
Navada just looks terrified. Why is she afraid of me?
“I am showing Navada how to make soup,” my mother says
while cutting up onions.
“I can see.” I know she’s trying to make small talk, but
now that I think about all her lies, I’m just not in the mood for
pretending. Thank God Liber, Neve, Mirium and Morrick join
us.
“We are leaving in an hour. A good friend of mine is going to
shelter us for a few days in Aquaterra.”
My mother looks surprised. “Musa is allowing us to stay in
Aquaterra? Has that ever been allowed before?”
“He understands the situation we are in and I am the king.
But no, we are the first guests they will ever have,” Morrick
says.
“Why?” This sounded weird, a place nobody was allowed
into. It sounded like a cult.
“Because they are a very old tribe that like to be left alone.”
Images of warriors living in small huts with different coloured
paints on their faces come to mind, but soon I will find out.
Our group of eleven sets off through the desert towards
Aquaterra.
Chapter Thirteen
Saskia
(Sarajane)
From the distance I can get a clear picture of Aquaterra. It
is surrounded from the west and south by water the smell
of seawater is refreshing after the heat of the desert. The
desert surrounds the rest of the landscape. Tall wooden walls
rise into the air for miles around the settlement. A large portion
of the wall starts to descend slowly like a drawbridge. They
must have seen us coming.
As we get closer I notice small insets cut into the wall that
have a slot cut out of them with enough space to fire an arrow
or to see people approaching. When the drawbridge hits the
sand, it sends a cloud racing towards us. I pull my hood up and
around my mouth and half close my lids to shield them from
the sand. As we cross the drawbridge, I look behind me as it
rises. It is raised by six enormous men on either side, pulling
a heavy steel chain that is encircled through hooks attached to
the wall. Sweat laces their bodies from the tremendous weight
of the bridge.
We move slower once we’re safely in Aquaterra, but the
settlement looks like little dots in the distance. As we get closer,
the settlement starts to take shape and the array of bright colours
is heaven to my eyes. Lime greens, cerise pinks, turquoise blues,
yellows, oranges, reds. All the women and children are dressed
in striking colours, and their laughter and chatter matches what
they wear.
The women all seem to be very petite with long brown
hair and chocolate eyes, but the tribesmen are huge. They’re
enormously built; it is clear to see as they only seem to wear
white, black or brown trousers and no tops. They all carry
similar features to the women, the long dark hair and brown
eyes. It’s intimidating at first glance, but their smiling faces put
me right back at ease.
We get off the horses and bring them to the troughs where
they gulp down water. My legs feel stiff after the long ride. I
“Trying to fit in with the natives?” Kiar asks, smirking.
“Ha, ha, you’re just hilarious.”
“Yes, I think I am a pretty funny guy.” I nudge him playfully.
His big brown eyes and kind heart remind me of Josh so much
my heart gives a little squeeze at the thought of him. I push it
away, knowing it will drive me crazy. “Sarajane?” Kiar gives me
a questioning look.
“I’m fine, before you ask.”
I trail behind everyone else, taking in the settlement. The huts
are built in a full circle with what looks like bamboo branches
that frame the walls and roof. A pipe sticks out of the roof
that releases smoke; wooden shutters are open in the huts like
windows that let the light in. A large well is right in the middle
where wooden buckets lay against it, not in use. It looks like
everything is made from the same wood, giving it a magical
appeal. The huts are all different sizes, some the size of a room,
others as big as a house, and there are two at the beach’s edge
that are the size of three houses.
Large towers stand on the beach a mile or two apart. They
run the full stretch of the beach. I shield my eyes from the sun
to take a look at the towers. A man is perched on the top, sitting
with his legs crisscrossed. He looks like he’s mediating. A roof
covers his head, but there are no walls surrounding him.
“Sarajane.” The group has moved on, but Kiar has waited
for me.
“Sorry.” I hurry along, catching up with the rest. The people
have all stopped what they are doing and are staring at us.
“This place is amazing,” I say.
“I agree with you. It is not what I was expecting,” Kiar
responds.
A tall man with old features embraces Mirium like an old
friend would. A smile that’s genuine is spread across his face.
“Musa,” Mirium says fondly while embracing him. This
must be the tribe’s leader.
Musa is dressed in a long white tunic to his knees and sandals
cover his feet. There are tattoos covering both sides of his face.
Small circles and lines cover the corner of his eyes. His eyes
sweep over our group and pause on me briefly, but I’m hiding
in the back.
“Greetings, friends of Mirium’s are friends of mine. Your
huts have been prepared.” A lady walks beside Musa with a shy
smile on her face. They must be related. Her face is designed just
like his, except for the dots and lines around the eyes. “This is
Ndee and she shall show you to your huts.”
Ndee bows, still smiling. Everyone else is watching us as if
we’re from another planet. Well, I suppose I am. We break up
as we are taken to our huts. I watch as Morrick, Mirium and
Musa walk towards one of the large wooden structures farther
out.
Ndee places on
e arm above the other at chest level and bows.
“Princess.” She’s practically beaming. I can’t muster up too
much enthusiasm towards her, as I am starving and really want
a bath and change of clothes.
I try to copy her bow. “Ndee.”
Someone coughs behind me. I turn to Alana. “She only bows
to you, Sarajane. Do you want me to stay with you?”
I ignore her comment about not to bow to Ndee. “Ndee, this
is my personal guard, Alana.” The two ladies acknowledge each
other. “And you have the day off.” I give her a smile and follow
Ndee into the hut.
The walls are covered in a red-brown clay just like plaster,
only it isn’t smooth, but it adds character to the charming hut.
All the furniture is made of bamboo wood, just like the hut.
On the table sits a large pottery bowl that holds lots of fruit.
Ndee opens a door I hadn’t noticed. I follow her into the room.
The bedroom holds a bed and a large wooden tub that has taps
running to it.
“Is that running water?” I ask Ndee with excitement.
“Yes, princess, and we have hot water,” she says proudly.
I turn the tap on, not sure what to expect, and water pours
into the tub. I dip my finger under the water. It’s warm.
Ndee joins me and looks a little embarrassed. “Sorry, the
kilns have only been burning for the last hour. That’s how we
heat the water.”
I hug her with pure joy and start stripping off my clothes as
the bath fills up. “No, Ndee, this is heaven.”
She scurries across the room and closes the wooden shutters
as I climb into the bath. She lights several candles around the
room.
“Candles?”
She smiles. “We make our own, princess. Maybe tomorrow
you would like to see how they are made?”
I lie back in the water; every part of me relaxes. “That sounds
great, Ndee.”
As I soak, Ndee moves around the room, picking up my
clothes, and then she leaves. I just lie there enjoying the peace
and quiet. When I am wrinkly and the water is nearly cold, I
begrudgingly step out and dry myself off with a really fluffy
towel. I wrap it around my body and examine my bed. The
frame is made of bamboo and the mattress could only be
described as a beanbag. A large square one. I let my hand sink
into it; it’s really soft.
“That is animal skin stuffed with feathers,” Ndee says,
making me jump.
“Animal skin?”
She giggles. “Yes, but it is cleaned and stitched together
and stuffed with feathers.” Loads of coloured material is
draped across her arm. She raises them slightly. “Your clothes,
princess.” Two other women enter then, making me wrap my
towel tighter around my body. “This is Ola and Dene.” I smile
at the two happy women. “They will help get you dressed.” I
don’t get to respond. They start evaluating and discussing what
colour would best suit me.
The women giggle as they wrap me in their own custom
dress. They decide on a lime green material that they wrap
around my body, covering one shoulder and leaving the other
bare. They comb my hair out and weave flowers into the
cascade of curls.
All the ladies study me. My eyes seem unusual to them as
they all have brown eyes, and my skin looks pale in comparison
to theirs. When I’m complete, Ola and Dene bow and leave,
leaving Ndee and me alone.
“The celebration will be soon, but first Musa requests your
company.” Ndee leads me through the settlement. There must be
a few hundred people living here. A lot of the women are getting
ready for the celebration. The excited chatter sounds everywhere.
The tall towers along the beach catch my attention. Once again I
glance up; there are still men sitting at the top of them.
“What are they doing?” I ask Ndee.
“They are controlling the waves so we don’t get flooded and
for the water mill that helps us generate electricity.”
I look at Ndee in surprise. “Electricity?”
She gives me a proud smile. “Yes, but it is only used in the
main buildings. Follow me.” She continues towards one of the
larger wooden structures. “You will see,” she says as she opens
the door.
The inside is very like my own hut, wooden floors, brown
plaster on the walls, only on a much bigger scale. The room
must be used for meetings, as a large table is placed in the
centre. Its surface is covered in maps. I take a quick peek at the
maps as I follow Ndee and can see they are of Saskia. It’s a lot
bigger than I initially thought.
When we reach the back of the room, large red curtains
conceal another area where Musa is. The air in the room is
filled with incense. I’m not entirely sure what I smell, but it’s
familiar. Musa is seated on a lavish rug on the ground. Material
of all bright colours hangs from the ceiling and is pinned to the
walls. The centrepiece in the ceiling is a light, electricity. Pottery
is scattered around the small room.
Musa smiles when I enter. “Princess Sarajane, please sit.”
I sit on a vacant rug across from him and Ndee leaves. “Musa,
my room is lovely.” I’m not entirely sure how to address him or
what to say.
“I am glad you like it, princess.” Musa is only wearing
trousers. Well, they look more like white linen pyjama bottoms.
His chest is bare and covered in tattoos and old scars crisscross
his chest. There are so many the further I inspect them. “Saskia
wasn’t always this peaceful,” Musa says. Then his eyebrows
crease. “I hope we will see peace for a long time.”
I feel embarrassed I made it so noticeable, staring at his scars.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to gawk.”
He gives a smile. “You were just curious and you have every
right to be; this is your history also.”
Guilt wells up inside me. I don’t belong here. I never fought
for it. I don’t have as much as a scratch, yet this man destroyed
in scars feels as if I have as much right as him.
“We are having the celebration tonight in honour of our
guests, and as part of our tribe, we each receive a tattoo that
brands us.”
My first thought was my mother would kill me. Then I smile.
I wasn’t talking to her anyway. “Do I get to pick?”
Musa studies me for a moment. “No, but if you could, what
would it be?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it before,” I answer
honestly.
Musa rises, the smell of incense following him as he crosses
the small room. The smell washes across my face, making me a
little lightheaded. He sits back down with a large bowl half filled
with water. “Water is a powerful affinity to behold by anyone
and it can show us who we really are.” Musa dips his finger in the
centre and small circular waves push towards the edge.
“You can see yourself in a mirror. It is no different than
water,” I say. I spent plent
y of time looking at my reflection as I
sat by the river at home.
“A mirror shows you as you are seen, yet water can alter and
change us.”
I just nod, clueless about what he’s trying to say. His smile
tells me he knows I haven’t a clue. He takes his finger out. “Take
a look.” I bend over reluctantly and am not shocked when I see
my own face stare back at me. “Really look,” Musa says.
I study myself, my curly hair woven with flowers, grey eyes,
long eyelashes, pink lips, a round chin—the same way I always
look. The smell of the incense still lingers around my nose and
I have the urge to sneeze but can’t. My reflection grows smaller
and I can see my body. I’m wrapped in a white gown, a smile
spread on my face as I pick flowers. I look so happy. I bring the
flower to my nose and inhale a sharp breath. The smell of roses
fills the air. I bend down to examine the flowers more closely
and a small pair of white wings emerge from my back.
I knock the bowl over, the image gone, and look at Musa.
“What are you burning?”
“Beeswax. What did you see?” Beeswax, that was the smell
I couldn’t place. I was hoping he’d say something stronger so I
could explain the image away.
“I had wings. Did I see the future?”
Musa retrieves a cloth and dabs up the water. “No, you only
see yourself.” He meets my eye then. “Your true self. So we now
know what your marking will be.”
I raise both eyebrows. “We do?”
“Yes, wings. They will be done during the celebration, which
you are going to be late for if you don’t hurry.”
I rise on shaky legs and look down at Musa’s scarred chest.
“Are all the men dead that hurt you?”
Musa looks surprised “Yes, they are.”
That makes me feel better. “Good.” I leave through the large
meeting room. All the maps are gone. I hadn’t heard anyone
come in.
Ndee is waiting for me just outside. “Food is ready,” she says
the moment she sees me.
“Good, I’m starving.”
She leads me back to the heart of the settlement where a
bonfire is ablaze, lighting the night sky. Drums are the choice
of music and the beating is almost hypnotic. Tribe members
have gathered around the fire, eating and chatting, while some
dance around the flames. Several children stare and giggle as