“Your people have certain skills that mine lack. There might be a future situation where I need you to do something in exchange for me loaning you one of our gardeners.”
That was fair. After all, the monks had supplied the Invisible Swords with food, water, and shelter without charging a single coin. And she couldn’t expect to keep getting everything for free. “It will depend on what you need us to do—I’m not risking my people unnecessarily—but I’m certainly open to working with you in the future.”
“Diplomatic,” Rendor said.
They retraced their steps through the plants. Shyla yawned twice and caught Rendor yawning as well. Poor guy had stayed up all darkness worrying about her. They had enough time to return to their headquarters before the danger zone, but she wouldn’t be strong enough to erase their tracks. Best to nap first.
A monk entered the cavern. She carried a basket but stopped in surprise when she spotted them. Shyla also halted. The monk’s blond hair shone in the sunlight. Another sun-kissed. While there was a handful of them living in the monastery, Shyla hadn’t interacted with any of the adult sun-kisseds while growing up, unless she had been out on patrol with them in the desert. Everyone wore turbans and veils, so it had been difficult to tell one monk from another.
The woman recovered and walked toward them. Shyla studied her, noting her rich bronzed skin and elegant oval face. Fine wrinkles creased her forehead. She was probably around Hanif’s age, which Shyla guessed to be around forty-five circuits. Long blond eyelashes framed her light green eyes. Something about the woman seemed familiar.
Shyla met the monk’s gaze. Her heart lurched, recognizing the woman before Shyla’s brain caught up. The monk was her mother.”
Five
Hanif’s gaze darted to Shyla before he recovered his manners. “This is Kaveri, one of our gardeners. Kaveri, this is Shyla and Rendor.”
“Pleased to meet you both. Although, I do remember when you were found, Shyla. Such a sweet baby.”
Interesting that Hanif hadn’t told Kaveri that Shyla knew the truth about her origins. She wondered if Kaveri even knew that she had figured out Hanif was her father and that he wouldn’t tell her the identity of her mother, claiming it was the woman’s decision.
Shyla smiled at her mother. “That’s nice to hear.” She shot Hanif a sour look. “Much better than being told how difficult and stubborn I was all the time.”
“You?” Rendor feigned surprise. “Difficult and stubborn?”
Shyla elbowed him in the ribs. Hard. He had the audacity to chuckle!
Kaveri laughed, a charming light sound. “Hanif can’t show his true feelings to the children or else they’ll never listen to him. He enjoys teaching them too much.”
“Enjoys? He could have fooled us,” Shyla said, giving him a mock glare.
“Yes, well…we’ll let you get back to work, Kaveri.” Hanif herded them toward the exit. Fast.
But Shyla paused and turned around before leaving. “Can I ask you something?” she asked Kaveri. All the air in the cavern seemed to disappear.
“About the plants?” the woman asked, hopeful.
“No, about you.”
Hanif tensed.
“What do you want to know?” A slight wariness crept into her gaze.
“Were you abandoned outside Zirdai like I was?” Shyla would wait until Kaveri was ready to claim the relationship between them. And if she never did…then Shyla would accept it.
Kaveri’s tight grip on her basket relaxed. “No. I was found near Tarim.”
That was over a hundred sun jumps away. “How did you end up here?”
“Some monks travel to other monasteries as part of their spiritual journey. The people living here soothed my soul so I stayed.”
“That’s lovely,” Shyla said, trying not to grit her teeth. When they’d left the cavern, she rounded on Hanif. “Why didn’t you tell me monks can travel?”
“You didn’t ask.”
Her fingers curled with the desire to strangle her father. “You knew one of the reasons I didn’t want to become a monk was because I wished to visit the other cities of Koraha.”
“You had many reasons, Shyla. A person who takes the oath must be completely at peace with their decision.”
“But how is a person to make an informed decision when vital information is being kept from them?” She held up a hand. “And don’t say they needed to have faith.”
Hanif stopped and faced her. “You decided you weren’t staying when you were ten circuits old. From that point on, you turned a blind eye to everything going on around you.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but no words escaped her lips. He had a point.
“You had faith when it was needed, Shyla,” Hanif said in a softer tone. “Besides, you wouldn’t have been happy as a monk.”
“No, but I missed all of you.” It had been a lonely and difficult two circuits.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “That was the point. You needed to be on your own to figure out what you truly desired.”
She leaned into him for a moment, taking comfort from his steady presence, drinking in the knowledge that she was no longer on her own. However, along with her newfound family, she also had accepted a great deal of responsibility. A bone-deep fatigue pulsed, reminding her of Orla’s good advice not to wear herself out, which she’d promptly ignored.
“I don’t have the energy to return to our hideout. Can I stay a little longer?” she asked.
“Of course, you’re always welcome here.” Hanif released her, then added with a glint in his eyes, “But not when you have guards or deacons chasing you.”
“When? Thanks for the confidence.”
“Anytime.”
Shyla and Rendor headed back to her room. By the time they arrived, her legs had turned into mush. After kicking off her boots, she just about crawled under the fur. Rendor hesitated, glancing at the door.
She skootched over and patted the cushion. “You look as exhausted as I feel.”
He gave her a tired smile and joined her. Resting her head on his shoulder, she draped an arm over his broad chest. They hadn’t had any time alone since moving to the new headquarters. Too bad they were both exhausted.
“I’m glad you didn’t become a monk,” Rendor said, tucking her closer.
“You do know that celibacy is not part of the oath, right?” she teased, then sobered. It was another fact about life in the monastery she’d only recently learned. A blind eye indeed.
“Oh yes. I got that when I noticed the resemblance between you and Hanif. And…”
She waited, but he remained quiet. Because Rendor was observant and smart, she could finish his sentence. “And between me and Kaveri.”
“Yes. It was striking.” A pause. “Do you plan on acknowledging the relationship?”
“No. Not unless she does. It’s an odd way to raise a child, but, if I think about it, it’s better than growing up a vagrant and worrying about raids, having enough water, and your next meal.” She huffed. “Like we’re living now. If I became a monk, I never would have ruined your life.”