Tau could kill her, but not before she could call out. Hearing her shout, the Xiddeen and Chosen would return to the clearing. What would it mean for peace if he killed this woman? Whatever happened, the Nobles would hang him.
Tau wished he was as smart as Hadith, who could have figured all sides to this puzzle, solved it, and acted already. He thought to speak to the woman but had no clue if she’d understand him.
He was troubling through this when she took a tentative step back, and waited. Understanding her motive, Tau took a step back as well. She took another step. He did too. They had moved beyond striking distance of each other. She nodded to him. He returned the gesture. She left.
Tau remained where he was, swords out and ready, ears pricked for any sounds of alarm. There were none. In time, he relaxed, put his blades away, and began the journey back to the isikolo, wondering at the strangeness of the night, which had ended without him needing to kill or be killed by his enemy. It troubled him, considering that, had he been discovered by his own people, his life would have been forfeit.
Tau arrived at the Southern Isikolo with the sun. The long march had done nothing to calm his mind. The Omehi were finalizing peace with the Xiddeen, peace that came with a regent who would marry and share power with Queen Tsiora.
Peace, Tau thought. It sounded more like surrender, and he could not understand how the Nobles, royal family, or queen could accept this.
Jayyed must have been right. The Xiddeen could not be overcome, and continued war would result in the annihilation of the Chosen. Tau turned the thought over in his head but kept coming back to the notion that assimilation was a different path to the same destination. In two generations, maybe three, would the sons and daughters of those who had been the Omehi pray to the many deities the Xiddeen worshipped? Would their gifts, unique among Uhmlaba’s races, be wiped out through improper mixing?
And what would happen to the Omehi military? When you counted the Ihagu, Ihashe, and Indlovu, one in six Chosen men were soldiers. Chosen society was built around the military, around defense, survival. With peace, what would his people become?
What would the Nobles become? As far as Tau knew, the hedeni did not have castes. Under peace, would Royal Nobles be subject to the same rules, opportunities, and failures as a Low Common?
Peace, Tau thought, would destroy the Omehi.
“That you, Tau?” called Chuks, the sharp-eyed Proven sentry at the top of the isikolo’s walls.
“It’s me.”
“What are you doing outside?”
“I was exercising. Can you open the gates?”
“Exercise?” Chuks tossed the word around in his mouth like it was unfamiliar food.
“Chuks,” Tau said, thinking gate guards the entire world over must be trained to be as annoying as possible, “can you open the gates?”
Chuks grumbled, scanned the dry grasslands, and, seeing no one else about, shouted to the men below. The bronze gates creaked and swung open wide enough for Tau to enter. Tau nodded to the gate men, walked past Drudge, the other initiates, Proven, aqondise, and umqondisi. He walked to the practice yards, where his scale was already practicing for the melee. He saw Hadith eye him. Tau ignored him.
“Where were you?” Hadith asked when Tau drew within speaking distance.
“My head was clouded. I took a walk.”
“What did you do? Do I need to be concerned?”
Uduak was near. He said nothing but was listening. Tau shook his head, giving Hadith little to use.
“Does that mean I have nothing to worry about because nothing was done? Or, there’s nothing to worry about because, naively, you believe you will not be caught?”
“I was not able to do as I wished last night.”
“I see,” Hadith said, watching him.
Tau, still unsteady over the night’s events and seeing Themba sauntering over, changed the subject. “Jayyed is not here. What is the plan for our training?”
“Anan wants us working as a scale,” Hadith said, seeing Themba as well. “He’s recruited help from Chisomo, Tabansi, and Hodari. Their scales will spar versus ours and the masters have agreed to allow us to use the umqondisi quarter as a mock urban battleground.”
“Letting us use their quarter as a battleground?” said Themba, smiling. “They really want to give us every chance to do well.”
“We’re the only Lessers in the melee,” said Uduak.
“Shame Scale Chisomo lost out,” Themba said, before grinning. “Eh, wonder what the Nobles will do if one of us claims a spot as one of the top six.”
“Guardian sword,” said Uduak.
“You would focus on the sword,” Themba said
“Top six kills and you’re an Ingonyama,” said Uduak.
“Ingonyama have to be Greater Nobles,” Tau said, doing his best to sound normal, to be normal.
“No,” said Hadith. “There’s no rule saying that. Eight cycles ago, a Petty Noble defeated fourteen men in the melee. That made him top six and he became an Ingonyama. He couldn’t be enraged but was accepted.
“Ingonyama are selected by the citadel umqondisi or by ranking top six in the melee. The umqondisi only select Greater Nobles, but they have no control over who gets into the melee and who secures the most kills there.” Hadith looked at Tau, with meaning.
“I have no interest in a fancy sword or ceremonial duty,” Tau said.
“Best fighters,” said Uduak.
“Uduak’s right,” Hadith told Tau. “Ingonyama are to the average Indlovu as the Indlovu are to the average Ihashe, and they’re led by the queen’s champion.”
“Abshir,” said Tau.
“You and Champion Okar close friends?” asked Themba. Tau ignored him, but that never stopped Themba. “Might try for the most kills myself. Wouldn’t mind being an Ingonyama. Could mean I become the next champion. Queen Tsiora needs a new one. Can’t very well bed old Abshir, can she?”
Themba’s grin grew wide enough to show crooked teeth. “Or could be you,” he said pointing to Uduak. “Champion Uduak,” Themba made his voice a sultry falsetto, “would you help your liege undress? The lacing over my bosom is so difficult to reach.”
Uduak’s eyebrows flew up.
“Tau, dear, I have an itch, right down here…,” Themba whispered, pointing a finger to his nethers.
“Are you sun sick?” asked Tau. “Our queen, Queen Tsiora Omehi, with a Lesser? The nobility would tear the peninsula apart.” They’d see her with a hedeni princeling first, he thought.
Themba snorted. “Think what you will, I’m going to do my best to get those kills in the melee. Imagine it, Themba Chikelu, queen’s champion. Themba Chikelu, queen’s lover.”
Uduak waved Themba off, shook his head, and walked away, too scandalized to hear or be any part of Themba’s fantasy.
“Don’t run, Uduak. You know you’ll be wondering how soft her skin must be for the rest of the day… and night!”
“I think not,” Hadith said. “We’re not all like you. Leave him be.”
“Men like him need a little teasing. He’s too serious. Besides, it’s only him and Tau who have any chance of doing what needs done to make the top six.”