Tarashana by Rachel Neumeier (little red riding hood ebook TXT) 📕

“Yes, lord,” I agreed. “For the memory of mercy I was once shown by an enemy, I chose to show mercy to an enemy. I beat him severely and declared that this punishment satisfied inGara honor. If you say I was too generous, I will not protest your judgment.”

Another pause. After some time, my father said. “You were far too generous. But the gods despise ingratitude. No man would say otherwise.”

“Yes, lord.”

My father asked me, almost plaintively, “Why did you say you would deal with him as a brother, Ryo?”

I was very, very glad he addressed me by name. I answered as politely as I could. “I thought this the best solution to the problem he presented. I ask you to respect my oath, though I am very sorry that I have displeased you, Father.”

My father glanced down at Tano. He indicated him with a backhanded gesture and said in an indifferent tone, “This young man is an inGara now.” Then he turned to Aras as though entirely uninterested in any young man who might once have been a son of an enemy. “You were generous to come so far in answer to my request. The Tarashana woman is still alive, still with my people, and still silent. We have made a place for her a little apart because she is not comfortable among so many Ugaro. She has waited for many-many days; she can wait another day. If you will come with me, I think it would be good for us to go aside and talk.”

“Yes,” said Aras, the correct response to a request that was truly an order. He said to Geras, “You’re with me,” then realized he had accidentally switched to darau and shifted at once back to taksu. “Geras, please accompany us. Suyet, find out how to politely establish our people here. Ryo ...” Shifting back to darau, he said in a resigned tone, “I gather I should have asked your father’s permission before telling one of my soldiers to come with us. I suppose I’ll have to apologize; that certainly didn’t take long. If it’s not incorrect to request it, I’d like you with me as well or I’m likely to make some other mistake without realizing it.”

I could not help but smile. I said in darau, “He will tell you the offense was too slight to require notice.” Then I said in taksu, “It is right for the Lau to do as Aras commands. They are his people. He is their lord.”

“No one would say otherwise,” my father said, slightly impatient. “If there was any offense given, it was too small to require notice. My guest, if you will come this way. Ryo, you may come as well.”

I jumped to my feet and said hastily to Tano, “Go with Suyet, help him in whatever way seems useful.”

“Yes,” he said. He had not yet gotten to his feet. I could see he was still a little stunned to find that he had become inGara. I could hardly imagine what that must be like, but I knew my mother would take care for him. I went quickly after my father and Aras. Everyone who had gathered moved quickly out of my father’s way, lowering their eyes because they were not certain of his temper yet.

Though I looked for him, I did not see my own brother, my mother’s younger son, Raga. I had thought I might send Tano with Raga, trusting my true brother to make a place among the young men for this difficult oath-brother. I thought Raga might like Tano because my brother did not meet many young men as intelligent as he was. I thought Raga might be good for Tano because Raga had been far, far better taught. I had not seen my younger brother for almost two years; he would have sixteen winters now, so the two young men were the same age. But he had not come to meet me—or not yet. I hoped he was here somewhere.

Raga had become a man and I had not been here to tease him and challenge him to do foolish things and make certain he survived doing them. Though a young man who has decided to become a poet will seldom be as foolish as a young warrior, Raga had never been the kind of young man to refuse a chance to do something brave and foolish. I asked my father, “Lord, where is your youngest son?”

My father glanced at me. “Your younger brother and the eldest of your brothers are both in the small camp, Ryo, farther up along the roots of the mountain, where we have made a place for the avila. Raga finds this person interesting, though he has found no way to speak with her.”

“Garoyo is there?” I was surprised. I had assumed he would be out on the steppe, visiting one inGara herd and then another, riding widely and looking at all the lands that belonged to inGara. This was the season when another tribe would be most likely to raid for cattle or ponies, so the warleader of the inGara should be watchful.

“Yes,” said my father, following my thought without difficulty. “It is the fear of the avila woman that keeps your eldest brother close. She is afraid of us, but she is much more afraid of something else. We have seen nothing that concerns us. Our warriors watch the pass carefully and they have seen nothing. Even so, Garoyo thinks it best to stay close. Tokavo and Suroka and others of those warriors have taken the broader duties that would ordinarily fall to Garoyo.”

I nodded. Now I understood why my older sister had come to stay with my mother. I had not seen Tokavo’s wife among the women, but probably she was here also. Probably many of the women who ordinarily lived with a