Page 38 of Own to Obey

Shaya nodded, but she wasn't sure if that would be the case. On the ship it was the shinno that made her feel comfortable, and now she had no idea what was going to happen between them. “Whose house is this?”

The woman gave her another strange look. “The shinno's. We call it a hut here.”

“A hut? It's way too big to be a hut,” Shaya said looking around.

“I know,” the woman laughed. “But that is what the word translates to in Mayaros.”

“So how come you can speak the Common Tongue so well?”

“I learned as a young child,” the woman explained. “I knew I was going to be a potionist and all the ones I saw who were the best were able to speak the Common Tongue in order to trade with some of the other lands. You might have realized, we can only grow certain things in this kind of environment and potionists need their ingredients.”

“But I’ve never heard of any trading happening between the Southern Lands and any of the others,” Shaya said slowly. “I thought you didn't trade much at all here.”

“We most definitely trade for ingredients,” the woman said. “But we never say we’re from the Southern Lands.”

“Why?”

“The Southern Lands are very private. We have always been, but anytime we’ve had any experience with outsiders, it has never ended well for us. So after the last incident, it was agreed by all of the tribe leaders and high chief that we would actively keep ourselves separated in order to preserve the purity of our ways. However, that did not apply to potionist. We are allowed to trade as long as we do not say that we are from the Southern Lands.”

“But does that mean you travel a lot?”

“Most of the potionists have assistants whom they send to different parts of the known Lands,” the woman said. “But when I was younger I used to go myself, you get the best agreements that way.”

Shaya smiled. “That does make sense.”

“I only wish I could send Treska so she could have the same experience.” The woman sighed. “But I fear she will be too timid for what it takes to survive the Eastern Lands. I wouldn't dare send her to the Western Lands, no offense,” she added, smiling at Shaya, “but the Eastern Lands, I think, she could do well if she wasn't so shy.”

Something clicked into place. “You are Treska's mother!”

The woman smiled. “Rozalia,” she said placing a palm on her chest. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Shaya.”

Shaya almost corrected her but stopped herself. What was the point?

“What is it?” the woman said, noticing.

“My name is actually Katashaya,” she explained. “But the shinno refuses to call me by it, in fact he has a nickname for me already.”

Rozalia nodded knowingly. “He is not one to be told what to do.”

“Yes, true,” Shaya responded, uncertainly. “I'm not sure what comes next,” she admitted. “On the ship I knew my place, what I was, what I was supposed to do. But here…”

Rozalia leaned forward and patted her hand. “You will find your way here too,” she said firmly. “It will just take a bit of time to get used to things.”

“We are on Nyek Island, aren't we?”

“Of course.”

“It's just that on the way here there seemed to be an angry Alpha who stopped us. He argued with Kardos.”

The woman’s smile faltered. “So that's what happened. I was wondering why we stopped.”

“Is that normal?”

“It is likely that Alpha was on Nyek Island because Kardos was away,” Rozalia said solemnly. “He probably hid from the guards and wanted to use his chance to approach Kardos when he returned.”

“Is Kardos a target?”

The woman inclined her head and shook at the same time, not really giving an answer. “Shinno Kardos is extremely accomplished. There were many who would wish him to fail in his quest, but you are in no danger and neither is he. He wouldn't let anything happen to you.”

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