Dakkoul

With Jalen's silly giggling, the walk to Keilah's chambers was not nearly as discreet as Dakkoul wanted it to be. The tenseness at the back of his neck did not ease until he was inside and the door shut behind them.

Keilah, restored to former elegance, held out her hands in greeting. He gave them a squeeze, careful to avoid the area still bruised from the attack. An enticing lavender scent filled the air around her and her hair was in two village-style braids, twined with orange ribbon. All his anger at her avoiding punishment dulled and he found himself making excuses for her. Both her background and her current privilege were to blame for her ignorance. Surely as she began to see the truth of her situation, she would change. 

Dakkoul hung back watching as Alyssia led Malek over to a circle of cushions next to a couch. He selected a plump pink one and almost fell down. A knock came at the door. Dakkoul narrowed his eyes and one of his hands fell to the hilt of his dagger. Who would knock? But it was only Pipsqueak entering with a jaunty grin and a flowery speech of thanks directed to Lady Keilah.

Keilah waved her hand to Pipsqueak to stop before limping over to the couch and directing Dakkoul to be beside her. He lowered down still scanning the room. Pipsqueak jumped down on the cushion next to Malek. That left only two spaces together in the middle. Alyssia took one.

Jalen stood hesitating his eyes darting towards Alyssia and then withdrawing. "Swap with me Pipsqueak," he mumbled.

Pipsqueak raised his eyebrows. "Why?" he asked even as he moved. Pipsqueak was very young. The corner of Dakkoul's mouth tugged upwards. It wasn't like Jagur tried to hide his guilt or Alyssia her dislike.

"I'll tell you afterwards," Jalen hissed, glancing at Alyssia and then dropping his gaze. She was staring at the rug beneath them, red staining her cheeks.

Keilah cleared her throat. "Welcome, all. We are having this one and only meeting for Jagur's sake. To remember him and his god." Dakkoul looked at her in surprise. That wasn't the reason he'd been told. Was this some elaborate plan of Keilah's to put pressure on him to return to the Sheradith? Was Alyssia more of a liar than he thought? He gazed her her bowed head and curled his lip.

"Who's Jagur?" Pipsqueak asked.

Keilah frowned at him and continued, "I want you all to pray now for Jagur, alone and defenceless in the land of the Enderaii, a slave of the Sheradith."

Malek whispered to Dakkoul, "Who's Jagur?" Dakkoul rolled his eyes.

"My friend," Keilah snapped. "He follows the God of the symbol Jalen wears. The Sheradith wanted me to stay, but he volunteered instead and if the Hattavah does not go to him soon--"

"Which he won't," Dakkoul supplied.

"Which I hope he will," Keilah said with a frown, "Jagur will die. I wish you all to pray for his soul, so that he won't howl with the Fox, but live on somewhere happy as he believes he will."

"I'll pray," said Jalen and he did.

Keilah looked unsatisfied. "The rest of you too."

Pipsqueak did, a passionate prayer of protection that made Keilah smile and Alyssia got out a whispered prayer for safety.

"You too," Keilah demanded Malek. "You're here. You pray." Dakkoul did grin then at the way Malek's mouth flung open in protest before tightening into polite little smile.

"I don't believe in Jagur's god."

"Pray anyway!"

Malek narrowed his eyes but complied. "Jagur's God. Jagur who is in the camp of the Sheradith needs to be rescued. Send a rescuer. Send the Hattavah. That's all."

Dakkoul gave him hard nudge with his foot. "Why did you pray that?"

The blood drained from Malek's face as he shrugged, his eyes averted. Dakkoul tried to read him. Why such a reaction? It was as if his prayer indicated something more serious than teasing, but what?

"Because you said you'd go." A smug smile appeared on Keilah's face. "It's the right thing to pray." She scrutinized him as if considering to demand he pray as well but when he gave her a hard stare back she shifted her attention back to the group. "Now that Jagur has been prayed for, let's eat. I couldn't get anything that looks as delicious as those cakes from the shop, but Alyssia found something from the kitchens."

"Please Lady Keilah, might I not speak?"Alyssia's hand fidgeted with the collar of her tunic.

Keilah's forehead furrowed, "Okay."

"I wanted you all to come to help me." Alyssia covered her face with her hands, so that her voice muffled. "I am trying, I really am, but I'm failing." So she hadn't been trying to lure him here with lies at Keilah's bidding then.

Jalen leaned over to her. "Failing at what?" he asked gently.

"Failing at this life here," she got out, her fingers splayed over her eyes.

"Nonsense," said Keilah. "You're doing perfectly well. Who says otherwise? Not me."

Alyssia gave two big sniffs and looked up. "Not in serving you, my Lady, but in everything else. I can't feel God's presence anymore. I just feel cold and hard and horrible and when I shut my eyes at nights, I hear their screams."

Screams. Just like he did. Only he was usually the one causing them. Dakkoul's vision seemed to darken. What was he doing here with these people, pretending they were his friends? Acting like he had a right to be a meeting like this? He got to his feet.

"What screams?" snapped Keilah. "There are no screams here. Why are you standing Hattavah? Sit down."

He wanted to tell her no, but he was trained to be too obedient for that. His legs folded themselves downwards of their own accord.

Jalen cleared his throat. "Lady Keilah, I think she means the screams of her family." Jalen went over and knelt before Alyssia. "I'm so sorry for what happened to them. For my part in it all. Can you forgive me?"

She stared at him, then slowly swung her head from side to side. "That's just the point, Jalen. I thought I could forgive you after the battle but now I find I can't. You or any of them. I hoped that gathering you all here, remembering the teachings together, singing the songs would help. But it isn't." She sniffed again, before burying her face in her hands.

Jalen slunk back to his cushion and hung his head.

"We should sing a song," Pipsqueak said with half of a grin. He began to hum the Wayvolk Fox anthem only the words were strangely altered. "You we praise. Creator of all. You we serve. The God of all. And your son. Your only son. You're the God who came for us, the God who bled for us, the God who died for us. You we praise."

Jalen hummed along, his head still tucked down. Dakkoul would not join in. He did not deserve to. The Creator didn't want people like him singing his praises. 

Keilah shuddered and spoke over the top. "Remember we only sing this to honour Jagur, a prince among men, a follower of the Creator, a man who sacrificed himself for me. We sing to his God. This is my time of remembering, my time to watch, but I am of the Fox as is the Hattavah."

Pipsqueak kept singing until they all were at least humming the chorus, even Malek was shuffling his feet in time. Dakkoul pressed his lips shut. No singing for him. Not this song.

Pipsqueak's voice trailed off, the final note hanging in the air enveloped in a suffocating silence that Jalen finally broke.

"I remember some teachings. Not many, just a few verses here and there, but I can recite them." He began with: "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."

Alyssia sat up straight and removed her fingers from her eyes. "I did not fear death Jalen, until you brought it to my village." I bring death too, Dakkoul wanted to add, but didn't.

"I'm not saying what I did was right," said Jalen his eyes hooded, "But I did only as I was ordered."

"Who ordered you?" Keilah asked.

They all stared at her.

"You must know the answer to that," Dakkoul tilted his head towards her. "You told me you wanted to protect the villages from the raids."

"Yes, but I never knew who ordered them."

Dakkoul rubbed his hand over his eyes.

Alyssia said with a biting undercurrent, "Your grandmother of course and your uncle. They use the coin the raids bring."

Keilah put a hand over her mouth. "Really?"

"We're not people to the Wayvolkan," Alyssia said bitterly. "Just things that can be sold or put to work."

"I can't believe that." Keilah's lips thinned.

Malek was studying the rug on the floor as if he planned to weave a replica later.

Jalen spoke up, "I don't know if your uncle knows exactly what happens on the village raids. Each Captain does seem to approach it differently. Alyssia's village was ravaged, the worst I've seen. She is right to hate me." He sighed, a deep, wrenching sound. "I hate myself." As if Jalen, who was at heart a good man, had anything to really blame himself for. Alyssia's hatred was misplaced.

"I was told it was the Enderaii who make the raids." Keilah fiddled with the orange ribbon, dislodging it. He had an odd desire to retie it for her.

Malek shook his head, "It's not them. They don't sell people."

"We're often ordered to wear Enderaii dress, my Lady," Jalen explained.

"But why?" Keilah cried out.

No one met her eyes. Dakkoul sighed. "You could ask him that."

Pipsqueak went over and sat next to Alyssia, laying his hand on her arm. "Dear God, help Alyssia to forgive."

Alyssia pushed his hand off. "I don't want to forgive. What they did was not okay. I can't pretend it is. They should suffer for their crimes."

Dakkoul nodded. Those who did wrong should be punished. He hadn't got all he deserved yet, but he would.

"Revenge is the way of the Fox," said Keilah in a relieved tone. "And revenge makes sense. Jagur's God with all his love your enemies and everything is not practical. Join me in becoming one with the Fox, Alyssia. The Fox will reward you when you triumph over your enemies, as you drink their blood. Let's remember the real words of the song:

"Those you kill, drink their blood, it gives you life, it makes you strong, drink their blood, drink their blood, you're the god who makes us strong, you're the god who always wins, you're the god who conquers all, you we praise".

Alyssia's eyes shot upwards and her breath stilled. "I hate the Fox too. I will not serve her."

Keilah recoiled. "Hush, Alyssia. You can not hate the Fox, not here. It is forbidden. I am of the Fox as is Dakkoul. Leave your nice but weak religion. Join us."

Alyssia choked out, "Do you believe that the way of blood is strong?"

"I do." Keilah's nose pointed upwards. Any remnant of the village girl was gone. Dakkoul did not want to look at her any longer. He wanted to go. If he stood, would she order him to sit again?

"Should I seek your blood then because of my loss? Should the others whose families have been murdered by the Wayvolk? There are plenty of us under this roof." Alyssia spoke softly, her eyes on the ground.

Keilah swallowed, "The Fox made you our slaves, it is your destiny," she began. Dakkoul got up.

"If that's what you think, then we should go back to serving," he said, a thickness constricting his tongue and a dislike for her swelling in his heart. He shouldn't have come. She saw him as someone who was a slave because he deserved to be.

His way out was blocked by Lady Silsa attired in a tight red dress and standing in the door way. Her eyes widened when she saw them all there. Dakkoul felt his brain pounding. What would she think of their gathering? What would she tell her father?

Pipsqueak knelt and edged away from the others.

"What's going on?" Silsa said. "Why are you all here?"

No one answered.

Dakkoul glared at Keilah. She looked back with a look of apology that squeezed his heart.

"Surprise! I was just sending the Hattavah to fetch you."

"Fetch me?" Silsa narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

Keilah let out a tinkle of laughter. "You said you wanted to have your first kiss with the Hattavah before witnesses. Here he is. Now all you have to do is kiss him."

Silsa swung her gaze in his direction with a pert smile she probably thought was alluring.