Vessels by Rachael Dunn

Author:Rachael Dunn [Dunn, Rachael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781792650420
Published: 2019-01-01T22:00:00+00:00

By sunrise, Ashira had come to a conclusion. Camels were the worst creatures ever made. Their mount plodded away faithfully through the sands, but she couldn’t help but think the ancient people were wrong in choosing this creature as their primary source of land transportation. Its giant hump was right there in the middle of its back which eliminated the chance of ever finding a comfortable place to sit. Other than the hump, camels seemed comprised of nothing more than knees, flatulence, and ire. Camels should have been left well alone. The merciless sun beat down on her and despite wearing traveling robes, she was weak and drained from the heat. She wondered how her new traveling companion survived wearing much darker clothing.

Mwarthes was the first to break the silence. “What is this province?”

“Ptalyat.”

“Ah, right. Ptalyat. That’s fine then. You can call me Mwarthes here.”

Having no response to something like that, she kept quiet as they followed the river west. The wind coming off the water made the heat slightly more bearable and as they continued, grass, flowers and palm trees became denser until they were surrounded by greenery. Ashira hoped he would call for a rest soon, but he kept up the grueling pace and she refused to show she was weak.

Only after the sun began to set did Mwarthes call for a halt. She watched him command the camel to lower and he dismounted like he had done it a hundred times. He looked over his shoulder at her as she studied the camel, hoping to find a solution.

“Do you need help?” he asked.

“I can do it.” The camel made threatening rumbling sounds in its stomach.

“Just slide down,” he said. Ashira felt her face burning with frustration. She shifted on the camel to slide off but gasped at the savage pain. Her thighs and bottom had been rubbed viciously raw from the long ride and the sudden movement made her muscles scream. She was determined not to show her pain. In a great burst of strength, she turned herself sideways and slid off the camel’s hump. She tried to position her legs underneath herself but instead fell to the ground in a sprawled dusty heap.

Mwarthes grinned. “You’ll get it eventually.”

“H...how long are we going to be here?” She dusted off her front as though nothing had happened.

“As long as it takes.” He reached into a pocket in his cloak and pulled out a tiny sand-colored length of something she couldn’t quite make out. He whispered something to it and tossed it on the ground. She squinted, trying to see what it was but once she blinked it was gone.

“Was that another snake?” she asked.

“I like to think of it as a good luck charm.” He untied a large, heavy blanket from his camel and began erecting a low, open tent.

“You really didn’t burn down Tohep’s shop?” Ashira asked as he worked.

“Who is that?”

“The butcher!”

Mwarthes narrowed his eyes in thought. “Oh, right. That one.”

“Well, did you?” she demanded.

“Oh, yes.”

“What? Why?”

“The prefect told me to.

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