15. Berry

They stopped to rest under two spreading neem trees on the slope of a hill, just beyond Verigan Forest. A rocky outcrop concealed them from anyone travelling the nearby highway to Pasco. All four were exhausted and slept on the ground, wrapped only in their cloaks. The sun’s relentless glare penetrated the thin barrier of Tien’s eyelids. She woke reluctantly.

It feels like I’d only been asleep a couple of minutes. But I’m ravenous. She sat up and felt around in her pocket for her leftover chethra. It was leathery and stale, but she ate every bite. As she yawned and stretched her arms over her head, Tien realized that she was alone. She jumped guiltily to her feet and looked around. Soft grass, strewn with large grey boulders, reached all the way to the edge of a small lake at the bottom of the hill. The clear water reflected the aquamarine sky with its smattering of windswept clouds. A copse of dead trees stood sadly together on one side of the lake, their trunks black and charred. Fen was amongst them with her pack, stooping low to gather kindling.

Tien could hear the other two talking close by. She knuckled the sleep from her eyes and brushed her tunic down. The morning air was crisp, so she wrapped the cloak around her.. As she rounded the second tree, she froze, rooted to the spot by what she saw. Berry stood by the fire. Her hair hung loose about her face. She had both Saka’s hands grasped in her own. Her entire body was shaking so badly that Tien was sure she would have collapsed if she hadn’t been holding Saka with such a tight grip. Berry was looking up into his face intensely, as if searching his features for answers.

“You can’t even act, can you?” Her bottom lip and chin wobbled. She never took her eyes off him. “You understand that I am stuck here because of you?” Saka nodded miserably. His eyes were wide and he kept swallowing. “Have I no reward for doing this?” She threw his hands down now, and pressed trembling fingers over her eyes. They stood in silence for what seemed like forever. Tien stared, transfixed. Berry’s eyes dropped. Her hands strayed to her hair, smoothing it back as if to put it into a ponytail, twisting it up, then dropping it. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. She looked back at Saka. Then as if she couldn’t bear what she saw, she grasped two bunches of her hair, and pulled them over her face with her hands.

Saka’s eyes were downcast. His jaw twitched. He murmured something Tien didn’t catch, but Berry shrugged his words off.

“Your father would be ashamed of you, “ she blurted out. Her face was almost the same shade as the rouge on her cheeks ”You’ve no sense of Tiran honour.“

It suddenly occurred to Tien that she was eavesdropping. She backed away, moving behind the tree. But it was already over. Berry spun around on her heel, and stalked unseeing past. Her face contorted with hurt and anger, eyes pooling with unshed tears. As Tien stood there stiffly, her mind racing; several things fell into place. The undercurrent of tension. Berry’s hard, sarcastic attitude. Her barbed words, which at times held double meanings. It all suddenly made sense. Goofy, ordinary Saka had broken Berry’s heart. The resentment Tien had felt towards Berry dissolved.

No wonder she’s angry and mean, she thought. She is stuck here working alongside him, and she’s just covering her real feelings. From the cover of the tree, she saw that Saka was resolutely cooking breakfast. She walked over to him, in what she hoped was a casual manner.

“Ah, the sleeping beauty awakes!” Saka sounded normal, but his face was flushed; his hair mussed from raking his hands through it.

“I did not hear you all get up.” Tien mumbled. “You should have woken me.” She smiled up at Fen as she joined them, laden with the kindling. I don’t have to struggle with awkward conversation on my own.

The three of them sat peacefully, their backs warmed by the sun, as they ate fried taro and stewed fish. With Berry absent, Tien boldly asked about the task at Pasco. “Are you sure Flip will be able to get us to his master?” She stopped to slurp the last bit of flesh off a fish bone, before licking the salty grease off her fingers. “If the raseen thought there was even a chance that he’d know where Andron was taken, surely they would have killed him.”

Saka nodded, his mouth full. Fen looked from Tien to Saka, and shrugged. “You are right. Andron might never be found. But Flip may remember something that can give us a clue.“

Saka slurped on his tea. “True. I figure we have to have a good stab at it, for our sake as well as for Andron’s. We can’t just give up, and resign ourselves to a death sentence under Phan’s control.” He saw Tien’s perplexed look. “It may be the Aryks Phan’s got it in for right now, Tien. But who will he focus his hatred onto next? Queuing up for Wiggo’s loopy tablets with my eyes closed and mouth wide open, isn’t part of my life plan.” Tien smiled and nodded in agreement. It was so strange to hear Saka say things Graic would have said, in his polished Tiran accent.

“Plus,” Saka added, “The Watch has worked so hard to locate Flip’s hiding place. “And when we find him, what then?” Tien persisted. “We will have to play that by ear. So far none of our plans have gone as we expected, but here we are, still on course.”

Saka reached over, holding out a bowl of taro for Berry, who had joined them. She thanked him and sat, subdued but composed.

“We got a message just before dawn. From one of our contacts in Pasco. She is meeting us there at noon.” Fen said, squinting in the sunlight. “If we leave here late morning, we’ll get to Pasco in good time.”

“Oh, please.” Berry heaved an exasperated sigh and glared round at them. “Not more sitting around twiddling our thumbs!” she groaned, rolling her reddened eyes. “It’s all I did with Noth as well. Boring!” Her voice was still thick with tears. “Come on, let’s be honest. You know that this is the last place I want to be. I am sick of the cloak and dagger drama, only creeping about at night.” She flung a piece of taro towards the lake. “I am fed up with the weeds and scraps we call food, and not having a bed. I want to be able to go into Pasco and look around like anyone else. If I don’t get a break soon, I….”

“Now listen,” Saka cut in, his tone dangerous.

Berry stretched out a trembling hand to cut him off. “Let me finish! I want to be normal again, for a few hours. I’ve never been to Pasco before. I’ve always longed to see its markets.“ As Saka mutely shook his head, Berry argued, “No one is looking for a lone Tiran girl. I won’t be blowing any cover.“ She released a shaky breath. “Please. I’ll come back refreshed and be a very good girl from now on. Promise.” She focussed imploring eyes on Fen.

Tien gulped and swallowed, realizing that her mouth had been hanging open. She looked from Saka to Fen. Saka was chewing on the inside of his mouth, as though literally biting his tongue. He scuffed the ground with his bare feet. Fen’s face did not betray her thoughts. She sat gazing down at the lake. Finally she turned back to Berry. “Pasco is a large town. How would we meet up with you again?”

“Tell me a landmark, any landmark, and I’ll rendezvous with you before we go see the potion boy, OK?” Berry spoke impatiently, as though it were she being put out, not the other way around.

“If you haven’t been to Pasco, you’ll have trouble finding your way to a landmark. The streets zigzag back and forth confusingly.” Fen said.

“Oh.” Berry was silent a moment. Then slowly, a smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “But you’ve been there. I heard you tell Fen.” She pointed at Tien Tien had been so engrossed in the conversation,that it took her a moment to register what Berry had just said. But now, her eyes widened, and her mouth fell open again. No words came out. She was speechless.

“It’s perfect!” Berry enthused, warming to her idea. “Two harmless girls, flitting about, looking at all the wares.

Tien cringed. I have never flitted, and I’m not about to start now.

“And Tien can help us find the landmark.“ Berry said. So now all of a sudden, you can say my name properly! Tien fumed.

Berry paused for breath, looking at Fen, with an eager smile As Fen glanced at Saka to gauge his reaction, Tien felt an irrational desperation settle like a weight in her belly. This crazy idea was actually being considered. I have to say something, she thought wildly. “I …don’t actually remember Pasco that well, “ she stammered, avoiding Berry’s eyes. “It’s been two years since I was there.”

Please don’t send me with her, please don’t, she begged silently.

“Do you know the ziggurat?” Fen was calm, serene. “The front entrance?” “Yes,” Tien admitted. Anyone who’d been to Pasco would remember it. This was really going to happen!

“OK. We have the beginnings of a plan.” Tien slumped. How had Berry done that? How had she talked the others into going along with this selfish and dangerous idea?

© 2006 by Shelly Taylor