Page 100 of Shadow Queen
Tahla leaned closer, captivated.
“The spirits within are powerful,” Norah continued. “They embody not only the animals, but the earth, the trees, the wind.”
“The wind?” Tahla breathed.
Norah nodded. “But it’s not a place for men. And we shouldn’t have gone there. We were lucky to leave, all of us.”
Norah could see more questions on Tahla’s lips, but the chief’s daughter seemed to sense her hesitation, and she didn’t ask them. She was a good friend. She only asked, “Did you find what you were seeking?”
Norah shook her head sadly.
Tahla reached out and clasped Norah’s hand, squeezing it warmly. “Well, I’m grateful you’ve returned safely.”
Norah smiled as she looked around the village. She noted there were quite a few Horsemen, and they looked different from the Uru.
“Who are these men?” she asked Tahla.
“They’re Kartan, a neighboring tribe. They’re friends.”
An Urun woman came and held a bowl of broth out to Norah, and she took it appreciatively. It was delicious, and she tried not to gulp it down too quickly. Caspian accepted a bowl as well, taking a seat nearby.
Chief Coca Otay came and took a seat on a thick log beside Tahla. He said a few words to her that Norah didn’t understand, and Tahla responded back—an argument of some sort.
“What’s the matter?” Norah asked Tahla quietly as she warmed her hands against the large fire.
Tahla shook her head. “My father’s been attempting to convince me I should wed again.”
Norah raised a brow and looked at the chief.
“You must look to the future,” the chief said. “This would be a good match. Boshtok would make a fine husband for a chieftess.”
Tahla mouthed his name at Norah with an annoyed look, clearly disliking it, then she turned back to her father with a smile. “That he would. For some other chieftess.”
“Who is this Boshtok?” Norah asked her.
Tahla nodded her head at a man a short distance away who was standing with a group of other Horsemen. “Son of Totekah, chief of the Kartan.”
The man she had pointed out was tall. He was lean and muscular, with long, black hair braided back. Norah shrugged. “He’s handsome, at least.”
Tahla smiled. “That he is.”
“And taken with you,” the chief prompted further.
Caspian shifted uncomfortably, and Norah smiled. Marriage made some men so uneasy. But she supposed she couldn’t blame them, thinking back to how she originally felt about her own.
“Let me prepare you, Father,” Tahla said. “There will be no more wedding ceremonies for me.”
The old man snorted and poked at the fire. “Foolish woman. An alliance with another tribe will bring strength.”
Tahla wrinkled her nose. “I’m strong enough.”
“What of an heir?” Coca Otay asked.
She shrugged. “If I want an heir, then I’ll have a child.”
“Without a husband?” Norah asked in surprise.
Tahla’s eyebrows drew together. “Besides the means to make a child, what will a man bring that I don’t already have?”
