Visiting an Old Friend

Returning from Leah's wagons, she had gathered up the basket of herbs and made her way to the wagon where Silken was staying. As expected, the woman was not outside, and this irritated her a bit. She called for her to come out, then spoke to Gannon and explained to him that those flaps were not to be tied again. The woman was simply under the Ubar's protection at the moment, but not a prisoner. She also enlightened him to the fact if the Ubar's elite guards could not keep one woman confined to the fires around the wagon, then they weren't much good, now were they?


She sat for a time, talking to Silken, trying to gauge in her own way how the woman was. She was not well, but she was also not beyond hope. One thing that plagued the woman was the fact that with the mating being dissolved, Shi would keep the twins from her. Sadly, that was true. He had that right, but there was always hope that he would not exercise it. Children needed both parents, but she was not sure that Shi saw that, from how he had been with the two he had with Tarra. Hopefully, this would not happen.


She left the basket of herbs with Silken, asking her to sort them and tie them into bundles for her. The task was two fold. She did not have the time to do it herself, or the knowledge, and it would give Silken something to do besides sit and brood. At first the woman was not sure, she was afraid it would be considered kin to healing, but she had brushed that away, telling her it was no such thing, it was bundling herbs.


She was pleased to see as she was leaving that Silken was starting to sort through the herbs. It was not a difficult task, but one that would take some time, and she felt this was what the woman might need. As she left, she made sure the guards understood her previous words, and she also whispered to Gannon that the man Shi was not to be allowed to see Silken again unless the Ubar approved it.


She then moved off to her next task. At her wagons, she carefully packed the meat that had been on the spit all day, slowly roasting, some fresh bread, crocks of butter and honey and botas of water, and milk for the boys. She also gathered up the new boots and dress that Yamka had made and carefully packed them onto the kaiila.


Next, she went and had a bath, had juneau to oil her hair and braid it again, then she had the slaves to bathe each boy and dress them in clean clothing. Rook brought their kaiilas from the pens, and before long they were all mounted and winding their way through the wagon rows again. She was going to surprise Ba'atar with dinner and some time with his boys.


One of his men led her to the wagon he was using while he worked in the outer realms, and she begged him not to tell Ba'atar they were there. She wanted to surprise him. The man walked off chuckling and shaking his head.


With Rook's help, they built up the fire, unloaded the food and put it to warm, and then she settled down to rest. It had been a long and busy day, but she was looking forward to seeing that scarred face that she loved so well. When he walked up, dirty and tired, she struggled to her feet and went to meet him. To say that he was shocked would be an understatement. To say that he was happy at first, would not have been the case, but he did relax and take her into his arms.


She looked up into his face and spoke softly. "Your family misses you, so we have come to visit." There was a softening of his features as he leaned to kiss her, and told her that this was the best surprise he could every have imagined.