Jungle Witch

Hours seemed to drag by as she went through book after book, looking for any clue. Before she knew it, someone was tapping her shoulder, trying to get her attention.

“What?” she snapped, spinning around to face whoever dared disturbed her.

Jay held up his hands in surrender. “Sorry. Just making sure you were ready for dinner.”

“What?” she asked again, this time with a little less hostility.

She looked towards the window and noticed the sun was setting. A scan of the room told her that Naveen had left and Raj was taking a nap by the door. Venom was resting on a table, watching Ebony and Jay with sleepy eyes.

“How did it get to be so late?” she wondered, holding out a hand for Venom to wrap around.

“Happens when you’re working,” he replied, lowering his hands cautiously. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just didn’t sleep well.” It was then that she noticed that he hadn’t gotten her for lunch or breakfast. “Where have you been? Usually you’d come in here at least twice to force feed me.”

“I do not force feed you,” he objected indignantly, which was ruined by his grin.

“Right.” She didn’t sound convinced. “So where were you?”

“Out taking care of some errands,” he replied as he took her hand, careful to avoid the arm Venom was wrapped around. As he dragged her out of the library, he said, “Come on. I want you to help me in the kitchen.”

“But I don’t know how to cook.”

“Don’t worry.” He led the way through the parlor, still keeping a firm but gentle grip on her hand. “I’ll tell you what to do.”

“I don’t doubt it,” she grumbled. “Being as pushy as you are.”

“Just for that, I’ll make you chop the onion.”

She wrinkled her nose. “They make me tear up.”

“I know.” He stopped in front of one of the counters where a chopping board and knife were sitting. “That’s why I’m making you cut it. It’s punishment for that ‘pushy’ comment.”

Ebony would have glared at him, but she was afraid he’d put her to doing some other miserable task. Instead, she obediently chopped onions. He watched her for a moment, as if making sure she knew what she was doing, then walked away to throw fish fillets into the skillet he had over the fire.

She decided that this was just what she needed - a break from the endless search for her father’s journal. Jay said nothing as he added seasoning. She glanced over and saw him throw in minced garlic.

“Finished with the onion?” he asked without turning around.

She did stick her tongue out at him, but said, “Yes.”

“Good. Put it in here.”

Ebony carried the chopped bits of onion over to the skillet and dumped the onions into it. When she took a deep breath, her stomach growled.

“Haven’t you eaten today?” Jay demanded in annoyance.

Shaking her head, she grinned. “Someone wasn’t here to force feed me.”

“I do not force feed you.” Even as he said it, he was handing her a slice of buttered bread. “Eat this.”

She did saying, “Of course not.” Ebony peaked into the skillet and frowned. “That doesn’t look like enough. Aren’t the guests going to be eating with us?”

He shook his head. “No. I figured there was no point in that, so they’re eating before coming. All of them and you will be too uncomfortable to eat.” He grinned at her. “I do have some rolls to offer them.”

She took the plate he offered her, and the two of them ate the food in silence.

They were just finishing their dinner when Naveen came into the kitchen looking for dinner. As usual, he was careful to give Raj a wide berth. The tiger watched the boy and growled a little just to scare him. Naveen jumped a little and scurried over to where Jay and Ebony stood.

“Hello, Naveen,” Jay greeted, handing him a plate. “Eat up.”

Deciding that it was time to get going while Naveen was distracted, Jay took Ebony’s hand and grabbed the bowl of rolls. “Come with me.”

He didn’t give her a choice. Naveen would not like the purpose of this meeting and would only make things worse. It was best they leave him behind while Ebony spoke with the people Kumar was bringing.

They’d just reached the parlor when someone knocked on the door.

Jay grinned as he pulled the door open. “Perfect timing.”

Kumar stood in the doorway with three men and a woman standing behind him. One of the men was leaning heavily on a walking stick and was holding the woman’s hand, indicating they were a couple. A second man had no real distinguishing features except for a tattoo of a sun on his upper arm. The last man wore the robes of Solon’s priests, which naturally brought back memories for Ebony.

She shook them out. Now was not the time to be thinking of her father.

“Hi,” the thief chirped, stepping into the parlor. “I have everyone, just like I promised.”

“Hello everyone,” Jay greeted with a grin as he held the bowl of rolls out. “Welcome to the Southern Manor.”

Ebony nearly snorted, but restrained herself. No one thinks of this place as the ‘Southern Manor.’ It is ‘Lord Bura’s Manor.’

“Allow me to introduce everyone.” Jay pointed to the man with the walking stick and the woman. “Kumar, you know. These are his parents, Gensha and Tara Tagore.” With a gesture towards the priest and the tattooed man, he said, “And these are Priest Sundar and Cheta.”

Each gave a small, wary bow as their name was said. Kumar was chewing on a roll as he gave a slight bow.

“And this,” Jay said at last, pulling Ebony forward, “is Lady Ebony of the Southern District.”

Ebony didn’t bow or say anything. Her dark eyes stayed on the strangers, watching for any hint that they were here for less than honest reasons. Naturally, cynical thinking had her expecting the worst before they’d even begun.

“Come into the parlor and we’ll get this started,” Jay said, still pulling Ebony behind him.

Because she didn’t trust any of these strangers, Ebony double checked to make sure Raj was sitting next to the dining room door and that Venom was still on her wrist. Better to be safe than sorry. Satisfied that she was as safe as she could be, Ebony leaned against the wall and crossed her arms.

No one else sat either. There was an uncomfortable silence for several seconds before Ebony decided to break it. “Well, I guess I should ask just what do you want me to do with the Southern District? Should I let the Mista family keep it or do I give it to someone else?”

“I’d rather you not leave it to the Mistas,” Kumar’s father grumbled, kneading at his injured leg. “They give the people of their district first pick of the jobs, leaving us locals out.”

Ebony looked at Gensha’s leg then back at his weathered face. “What happened?”

“Blunt aren’t ya,” he commented a little irritably.

She shrugged. “I was raised by animals and most aren’t subtle.”

“I was injured by a plow last planting season,” he informed her. “Then the man the Mistas put in charge of the southern farms fired me and gave my job to someone from the Western District.”

Not much of surprise. Lord Devdan Mista wasn’t a terrible man, but his primary concern was the Western District, which left the Southern District hanging out to dry.

“Gensha’s not the only one that’s happened to,” Cheta informed her, crossing his arms over his chest. “I hear the stories of the Southern District all the time in my tavern, and all of the people here are unhappy with the way things are.”

“So what do you suggest?” she asked again, trying to ignore the fact that none of the guests were looking her in the eyes. “Because I doubt the other two lords will be any better than Lord Devdan.”

“Your father was not much better,” Priest Sundar pointed out. He had very clear memories of Lord Bura’s visits to Solon’s Temple, and none of them were good.

Ebony gave the priest a very sharp look.

“I doubt you would do us much good either,” Cheta remarked, his tone had a definite hostile edge to it.

Hoping to diffuse the brewing tension, Kumar plopped into a chair and said, “Why not give the district to someone who already lives here?”

Naveen came in just in time to hear Kumar’s comment. “What are you talking about?”

He already had his suspicions about the answer, but he was hoping he was wrong. While he couldn’t blame the people of this district for wanting a change, Ebony shouldn’t be encouraging them. She had made a deal with his family and should be completely loyal to them first.

Instead of answering Naveen, Chetan growled, “What is a Mista doing here?”

“Naveen is working,” Jay explained quickly. He knew things were about to go downhill fast. “Commander Abhay charged him with watching over Lady Ebony.”

“My family should remain in control of this district,” Naveen informed them, his eyes narrowing with growing temper.

“Your family should mind its own business in the Western District and leave ours alone,” Gensha replied bitterly, rubbing his damaged leg.

“Your family left mine broken and unable to recover,” Kumar’s mother informed Naveen rather sharply. Tara had remained silent up to this point, but she wasn’t about to let Naveen defend the poor job his family had done. Not when her son had to steal in order for her family to survive.

Ebony just kept looking between the four guests and Naveen each time one spoke. She’d already suffered two insults during this conversation and she knew that Naveen would throw more her way before it was over. This and lack of sleep had her own stress levels rising. She could feel the thin thread of her control stretching to its limit.

“This district is our business,” Naveen snapped out.

“A business that’s failing,” Priest Sundar pointed out. “We’re easily the poorest and most damaged part of the city. Even the temple is in ill-repair.”

Naveen’s eyes seemed to light on fire. “And you preferred Lord Bura’s reign?”

“No lord has ever been good for this district,” Cheta said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Bura was a monster, not a lord, and you can’t expect better from his daughter. Your district was the first to commend Commander Abhay when he killed Bura, and the first to chase the daughter out of the city,” Naveen reminded them. He tapped his chest as he said, “My family and Commander Abhay have done more for this district than either Lord Parth or Lord Mohana would have.”

The front door opened and Commander Abhay came inside. He froze in the doorway and looked around. The tension in the room was so thick he could have sliced through it with his sword. All he could think was ‘What has happened this time?’

Unaware of his trainer’s presence in the doorway, Naveen turned to Ebony and snarled. “You said you don’t care about anyone in Rivera. You hate them all. You’re just like Lord Bura, plotting to cause turmoil by making others question who’s in control of the Southern District for your own amusement.”

“I care about Kumar and Jay,” she objected, insulted that he would accuse her of having so little heart when she was here to help his family.

“Kumar is a thief and Jay is the son of a drunk,” Naveen pointed out snidely. “How can they compare to my father or Commander Abhay, who rid us of Lord Bura?”

That did it. The last thread of Ebony’s control broke with an audible snap. “I killed my father.”

For five long seconds, the only sound was Ebony’s labored breathing as she glared at Naveen with pure rage. The pressure in the room increased as her magic filled the air. Her hands were fisted so tightly she could feel her nails digging into her palm.

“I helped kill my father,” she said again through a clenched jaw.

Some part of her brain set off alarm bells because she’d just spilled her biggest secret. She knew she should probably stop talking before she said anything else she might regret, but now that she had finally said it, she couldn’t seem to shut up.

“I knew Bura better than anyone.” The words spilled out of her. Her tone took on a softer note. “I was the only one who knew he had a soft side. I watched him cry at my mother’s funeral and leaned on him when I had nightmares. He praised my skills in music and was a patient teacher.”

She paused, trying to regain control. Failing miserably, she wrapped her arms around herself. “I loved him, but I knew he was a monster. I knew better than anyone how he thought. So when Abhay came that night, I used my mother’s power to suppress my father’s magic, allowing Abhay to kill him.”

“And just so you know, killing my father isn’t why Abhay is respected.” Her eyes lit with temper as she turned to Naveen. “Commander Abhay is a man of his word who never judges others unfairly and sticks to his honor code no matter what. Do you have any idea how much it meant to me for him not to hate or fear me? For him to look at me as just Ebony and not Lord Bura’s Daughter?”

She clenched her fists again, and this time she included everyone in her angry gaze. “You have no idea what I’ve been through or who I am. All you people ever saw was Lord Bura’s monster offspring. That is why I hate you.”

All was silent for several heartbeats as they just stared at her.

“I am not my father,” she informed them all, emphasizing each word.

“Ebony...” Jay took a step forward with sympathy and pain on his face.

Afraid she would break like glass if he touched her, she backed away. “Don’t. Stay away.”

She ran. Crying was not something she wanted to do in public, ever. Now she wasn’t only crying, but she was losing her precious control. Anger, pain, and guilt were rolling around in her stomach like a rock, making her feel sick. What she wanted, all she wanted, was to get out of this city and back to the jungle.

She stopped at the wall surrounding Lord Bura’s manor. Sliding to her knees, she just let herself cry - mostly because she couldn’t stop the tears from coming. Someone wrapped their arms around her and just held her close. Ebony leaned into the hug, gripping the person’s shirt. She felt Raj’s head butt against her shoulder, and Venom’s coils tightened around her wrist.

“I’m sorry,” she begged. She wasn’t sure what she was begging for, but she needed it. “I’m so sorry.”

“Shhh,” the person whispered in her ear. “It’s not your fault. None of this is your fault.”

What felt like hours passed before she managed to regain any control. Her mind processed the fact that she was leaning on someone and immediately insisted she stop. Years of never showing weakness inserted themselves, and she pulled away. Looking up, she saw Jay was crouched next to her.

“If you ever tell anyone I fell apart like that, I’ll turn you into a mouse and feed you to an owl.”

He gave her a surprised look. “You were crying?” He looked at the bowl he’d ended up bringing with him for some reason. “Roll?”

She choked out a small laugh. “So how much damage did I do?”

“I don’t know. I followed you out.” He shifted his weight a little. “I can tell you that everyone looked shocked, and I’ve never seen Commander Abhay so angry.”

Ebony winced. “He heard all that?”

Jay nodded slowly.

“Great.”

“Why didn’t you want him to know?” Jay asked, giving her a puzzled frown.

“Bura was my father and I killed him. I never wanted anyone to know, but Abhay especially because I respected his opinion.” Ebony leaned back against the wall and looked up at the stars. She tried to swallow around the lump that had formed in her throat. “I can still remembered the shocked and hurt look that came across Papa’s face seconds before Abhay’s sword cut him down.”

He had to do something to comfort her, so Jay took her hand. To his surprise, she didn’t pull away.

They heard the crunch of footsteps approaching them and looked over. Commander Abhay was there, his face an expression of sympathy and understanding. He crouched next to them.

“I sent the others home, including Naveen.” Abhay’s eyes still had a spark of temper. After the boy called Kumar had given him a briefing on what had happened, Abhay had given all of them his very strong opinion of what they’d said to Ebony.

“Thanks.” She closed her eyes. “Now, I’m tired.”

She yelped in surprise when Jay picked her up and carried her towards the house. Deciding she was way too tired to complain, she wrapped her arms around his neck to keep herself balanced.

Raj was walking next to them. He seriously considered going to bite Naveen but knew it wouldn’t accomplish anything. Right now, he was needed here with Ebony.

“Are you staying here, Jay?” Abhay asked.

Jay nodded. “Of course.”

“Then I’ll be leaving. I’ll come in the morning to have a talk with Ebony.”

“Then I’ll have breakfast ready for you.” He hesitated, then said, “I have some errands to take care of tomorrow, but I don’t want to leave her alone with Naveen right now.”

“I’ll be the one staying with her tomorrow,” Abhay assured him. The commander clasped his hands behind his back to prevent himself from clenching them. “Naveen has a great deal to think about before I allow him to return to this manor.”

“Won’t Lord Devdan be unhappy with that,” Ebony asked sleepily. She knew Naveen’s father would want to keep her under the watchful eye of a Mista.

“He’ll live,” the commander replied curtly.

His trainee had to learn control over his emotions and that not everything was black and white. That took priority over what Lord Devdan wanted.

Abhay bid the two of them good night before heading towards the gate. He had sent Naveen to the training grounds. The two of them still had a lot to talk about before morning.

Naveen held his sword up as he ran through a practice dance. Quickly, he parried and followed through with a thrust. He was waiting for Commander Abhay on the Northeast Road that was used for a training ground.

Military houses and storage areas lined the road, so it was very rare to see a civilian here, unless a caravan was coming in or going out the Northeast Gate of the city. Abhay lived in a two story house that was just behind where Naveen stood now.

Naveen sliced through the air, ignoring the complaints of his muscles that were still tender from his transformation. His brows were drawn together in anger and frustration. Thoughts raced through his mind like stampeding horses.

How could Abhay blame him for his views of Ebony? It wasn’t like no one else thought that way. She was terrifying and callus. Why wouldn’t he think she was a monster? Just because his commander thought she was a good person, didn’t mean everyone else had to.

“Naveen.”

At the sharp command, the boy instantly stood at attention and faced his trainer. Naveen could see that Abhay was still angry with him.

“Sir,” Naveen said, placing a fist over his heart. Despite his own anger, Naveen’s respect for Abhay wouldn’t allow him to not give the proper salute.

Abhay drew his own sword. “Spar with me.”

Naveen dropped into a fighting stance with his sword ready. It took only half a second and three well executed moves for Abhay to have the boy disarmed and on the ground. The commander held the point of his sword to Naveen’s heart.

The trainee could tell that Abhay was clearly reminding him that he still had much to learn. Usually, the commander would have drawn the fight out to teach Naveen the sword skills he lacked.

“Explain to me why you continuously treat Ebony like the enemy,” Abhay ordered as he dropped his sword. “She has done nothing wrong, and yet you continuously pick fights with her.”

“Sir, I...” Naveen trailed off, trying to organize his thoughts. It was difficult for him to be indignant when faced with Abhay’s anger. He pushed himself to his feet and dusted off. “Because she is a monster, Commander, just like her father.”

Abhay’s eyes narrowed. “What has she done to make you think she’s a monster?”

“Why does she have to do anything?” Naveen responded defensively. “Everyone, including my family, thinks she’s a monster.”

“Boy, you have got to learn to stop seeing the world through other people’s eyes. You can’t be a leader when you’re following someone else’s views.” Abhay let out a small sigh and put his sword away. “Naveen, do you know why I chose you to be my trainee over all the others that wanted it?”

“Because my last name is Mista.”

“No, that’s not even close. Most assume that, but I picked you for something I saw in you,” Abhay informed him rather bluntly. “When I began looking for my trainee, I had my pick of people who were more skilled, had more political advantage, and had more stature than you. But those are not the things I valued most.”

“So why did you pick me?”

Abhay took on a distant tone as he recalled the memory. “One afternoon, a caravan came back to the city and as usual, the soldiers were very rowdy. There was one in particular that was worse than normal because it was his first time out with the caravan, and he had yet to learn control when coming down from the battle rush.”

Naveen was more than a little confused. What did this story have to do with Abhay choosing him as his trainee?

“When he started to push around the civilians that were there to welcome the travelers home, I started to step in,” Abhay continued. “Before I could do anything though, a thirteen year old civilian stepped up and told the soldier that he’d gone far enough. The soldier threatened the boy, but the kid didn’t back down. The civilian even stood his ground when the soldier raised a fist.”

“I don’t understand, sir.”

“That boy stuck to his convictions even when faced with a threat from a larger and better armed opponent. Do you know who the civilian was?”

“Me, sir.” Naveen could never forget that day. “I remember that day because you stepped in before that soldier hit me. A few hours later, you told me that I was going to be your trainee.”

“I chose you, Naveen, because you have potential to be a great man one day. The biggest problem I face with you is that you can be swayed by peer pressure to set aside your own beliefs for someone else’s. Stick to your convictions even if the entire world disagrees with them, just like you did with that soldier.”

Naveen shifted uncomfortably.

Abhay relentlessly drove his point home. “You knew that the way you treated Ebony was wrong. You knew that only seeing her as Lord Bura’s Daughter was wrong. And you knew that she wasn’t really the monster everyone thought she was. Yet you kept at it because you also knew that’s how your family wanted you to see her.”

“What makes them so wrong and you right?” Naveen demanded, fisting his hands in frustration.

“It’s not me that’s right or them that’s wrong. It’s what you believe that matters.” Abhay clasped his hands behind his back. “What is it you believe, Naveen? Do you honestly think she’s a monster, or are you spouting off what your family expects you to say?”

Naveen opened his mouth to say he believed she was a monster, but nothing would come out. He tried again, but still couldn’t bring himself to say it. How could he say that while looking at Abhay, when it would be a lie?

“I don’t believe she’s a monster, sir,” he finally admitted a little sullenly.

Abhay didn’t look surprised. “Attention.”

Naveen placed his fist over his heart again and stood straight. “Sir.”

“Here’s what I want you to do, Boy. I’m giving you the day off tomorrow. Don’t go anywhere near Ebony. Don’t train. Don’t work with your weapons. Don’t even come to this road. I just want you to think long and hard about the kind of man you want to be. When you’ve come up with an answer, come see me.”

“And if you don’t like my answer, sir?”

“That isn’t what matters,” Abhay replied without any indication of the answer in his tone. “What does matter is that you decide on your own without my influence or the influence of others. Dismissed.”

Without another word, Abhay turned and disappeared into his home. Naveen stood there for several minutes before heading home. He wasn’t sure what he needed to do, but he had to figure it out or he could lose everything.