Warrior Priest of Dmon-Li - Brian Pratt [87]
“Others?” asks Jiron.
“Yes,” he says. “A Shynti here is a rare thing. Many will wish to come and see you to pay honor.”
“I see,” he says, not altogether happy about all the attention.
“I must leave you now and ensure all is properly prepared for this evening,” he tells them. Turning around, he begins moving away from them, back the way they’d come.
“Think we’ll be okay?” Jiron asks James.
“I would think so,” he replies. “You seem to be some kind of celebrity.”
“Celebrity?” he asks.
“Someone famous and well liked,” he explains.
“I suppose,” he says.
They tie their horses to a post near the entrance and then go inside. There are four beds with an open stove in the center to allow for heat and cooking. Rugs and mats cover the floor giving the place a comfortable feel to it.
Miko stretches out on one of the beds and says, “This is nothing like Inius’.”
Jiron looks questioningly to James who says, “Inius ran an inn we stayed in that had the softest beds.”
Sitting down on the firm beds, he says, “I see.”
Still, for all their stiffness, they’re still better than the ground. James lies down and turns his head toward Miko and says, “Better not take the Fire out here, we don’t want anyone to see it.”
Miko sighs and says, “I’ve already decided to leave it in the pouch.” He leans on one elbow and looks at James as he continues, “It makes me feel weird.”
“What do you mean?” he asks.
“It’s hard to explain, but I feel like it wants to suck me into it,” he replies. “That’s not exactly the feeling, I’m not sure how to describe it. But if I keep it in the pouch, then I don’t feel anything at all.”
“Then it may be a wise thing to leave it alone,” Jiron says from where he’s lying on his bed.
“I agree,” adds James. He’s relieved to be able to just lie down and rest. It seems lately, he’s been going from place to place, events propelling him along. He would really like to just stay in one place for a while and relax.
Coming suddenly awake, James realizes he had fallen asleep and that it’s now almost dark. Sitting up, he looks over to find Jiron and Miko are no longer within the hut. Getting up, he goes over and opens the door.
Outside, the village is lit with dozens of fires and hundreds of torches. Parvatis are everywhere, their numbers having swelled dramatically over the last few hours.
“James!” he hears Miko cry out to him but is unable to find him in the mass of people. Suddenly he appears out of the crowd, coming toward him, waving his arms. Several of the Parvati young boys are with him as well. “About time you woke up,” he said when he draws close.
Miko is wearing some of the Parvati attire and another of the boys is wearing his shirt. Apparently, he’s been making friends with the locals. “Where’s Jiron?’ he asks.
“Over there,” he says as he gestures to the middle of the village. “He’s talking with many of the Chiefs and Warchiefs that have come from neighboring villages. Come on, I’ll take you there.”
James follows him as he leads him over to where a dense concentration of Parvati warriors have congregated. “…and then we raced for the pass, leaving the Gathering behind us,” he hears Jiron say to the assembled warriors.
He waves to James when he sees him approaching and the Parvati move aside, allowing him to come forward to stand next to him. “This is my friend James,” he tells them as he reaches his side.
The gathered warriors begin talking among themselves when his words are translated for them.
“When we got to the pass,” he continues in his narration, “James here brings the sides of the pass down and completely blocks it with rubble, keeping the Grey Wolf Clan from catching us.”
At that, the assembled warriors break into a cheer. “They don’t much care for the Grey Wolf Clan,” Jiron tells him.
“Yeah,” replies James, “I kind of gathered that.”
Next to Jiron is seated a wizened, old Parvati, heavily tattooed. “This is the Chief of the Eller Tribe,” he says