The mansion they had brought him in for the night had been the coziest place he had seen yet.
A chimney had kept the place warm all night, so much so that he didn't even need the pelts. Perfume floated from vases, adding to the scents of flowers that filled the walls. And in the morning, when they opened the shutters, no less than three windows lit the room.
Savae headed out first. The warrior could not wait to duel, to kill.
He watched her leave, still in his bed. The other females were whispering for him to just laze around in their company.
What Tunu truly wanted to do was go back to the keep, meet Uokror and hear more. He had so many questions that, at this point, were torturing him.
But he had promised Etelet.
And so, instead, he was trying to think of the duels. If he didn't fight the kobels it would be Savae doing it and at least one would perish. Yet he could not find the strength to get up for that. He didn't find strength for much.
Finally, he ceded to their demands, agreed to take a bath with them. That mansion had a room reserved for just that purpose.
It was tiled, with four columns and a square basin at the center, deep and large enough for quite a few kobels to fit in. Pots filled with soap, oils and ointments waited at its edge.
They were pulling him to the water with them when he realized.
On the columns were green tiles. Like jade.
"Elua? Where is Elua?!"
"She is fine. We can always fetch for her."
"No, no I want to know where she is!"
The females looked at each other with dread. They could scarcely imaging him still caring for that ungrateful kobel, so his distraught proved contagious.
He left them, back to the room, ordered the captives to put on his clothes before heading out.
With the keep evacuated he had no idea where she could have gone. If not to the same mansion then someone else had invited her in. She had spent the night in the company of another kobel, necessarily.
Tunu smacked his face.
Already his followers were flocking to him. He asked around, got no answer. No one knew where she was. No one had bothered to look.
They could not even understand why he suddenly cared. Some had even forgot who she was or wondered if she had not left the tribe, which made him shudder. There was just an air of indifference he faced that had him shocked.
So he went to the chief, only to learn the old kobel had fallen sick. There too no one among the warriors knew where to find her.
The hut, he thought. None could advise him better than the shaman.
But when he arrived, the hut was empty.
"Lutuk!" He called, despite seeing the place vacant. "Lutuk, show yourself!"
"He left."
That was Tuorka. The old champion, having seen him approach the hut, had followed suit.
"Left where?! He is never there when we need him!"
"He left." Tuorka repeated. "Left the tribe. He is gone."
That was, to Tunu, too unbelievable. Yet the old kobel was not one to lie or deceive. If anything his tone betrayed how true it was. He had lost three friends in one night.
A kobel didn't just leave his tribe. That was just not something a kobel would do. But for the shaman, of all tribesmen, to do that went against every tradition. It would be an adult abandoning a child, it would be the moon abandoning the night.
So it could not be true.
It was.
"What's the meaning of this?! What did we do, are we cursed?"
"I brought you a new heart."
That hit hard.
And indeed, Tuorka stepped further in to pick up the rough black sphere among the abandoned belongings. It was still there, pristine.
So Lutuk had left. Fled the prediction he had made. Fled the evil heart that was going to doom everyone. That same heart that was now tightening with sadness. It was his fault the shaman had abandoned them.
"No, Uokror brought you that heart. And you captured him."
"I've done what's right for the tribe! I've done, nothing! But think of the tribe! It's my heart? Fine! I'll replace it! Once Etelet..."
"Etelet! Told you to capture my friend."
"Leave him out of it. No one cares more about the tribe than him! You have no idea all he has done for us!"
"Uokror can put that heart in you. Just help me free him."
That meant betraying Etelet and that, that Tunu would not even consider. He took another look at the rough sphere, this time with disdain.
And he turned to leave.
"I've lost enough time. I came here to find Elua, not waste my breath with an old madman."
He had come out of the hut.
"She is at the keep!"
Tunu spinned around, eyes wide, to see the old kobel sit down, sphere in hands, the weight of his friend on his shoulders. Alone and betrayed.
But he knew at least that. Because Tuorka, once out, had watched all those who got out; because he had kept vigil throughout the night, from the wall's gate, he knew exactly who remained in there. And he knew the small, insignificant Elua better than most.
She had not left.
Tunu had suspected as much. He would have searched everywhere else, even lost himself in the plain to believe otherwise but he had suspected she would be with his friend.
So he rushed to the keep, banged at the door until a fighter opened. Not even a kobel, just one of Etelet's lackeys.
"Bring me Elua!" He yelled.
Naturally the fighter could not understand. But he went to fetch someone who could and soon a scarred kobel appeared, then went to find her.
And finally, the female approached.
"Elua."
At her frail, fearful sight he had lost all anger. She looked wounded and all he could think of was holding her in his arms.
"What are you doing here? Does Etelet need your help?"
"No..." She spontaneously answered, then trailed. "I... I just... stayed there..."
"Well come on! There is a mansion, with a bath, you need to see it!"
She escaped her hand.
"I would rather... stay here."
"Why?"
"Because... because you are scaring me."
She had found the courage to say it. And she knew, she knew it would only get worse from there. She knew exactly how it would devolve and get so much, so much worse.
But, long ago, she had promised she would tell him. And stupidly, she had held to that word.
Those words had been everything he had ever feared.
"Come on!" He forced a smile. "Don't be silly! It's me, Tunu! You have no reason to fear me!"
"You are lying!" Her voice had started to break. "You have already replaced me, you! How long did it even take you to notice I was gone!?"
"No, I'm here! You know I care about you, you are everything to me!"
"Stop it! Stop! I have already... accepted... that I'm nothing! That I have always been nothing! So leave me! Leave me already!"
"I can't!"
"If you ever felt anything for me, you'll let me go."
And she turned away.
She walked away as fast as she could, deep into the keep to escape the reach of the tribe's legend. Even though there was nowhere for her to go she still tried to flee.
"Stop."
His threat froze her in place.
"Who is it?" Tunu continued. "Uokror? It's Uokror, isn't it?"
"What are you... talking about?"
"He played with your heart, told you lies and turned you against me. You have feelings for him, I saw how you cozied with him."
"Stop it!"
"Come here."
She could have fled from that door, sought shelter in the keep but already her legs were taking her back to the entrance, right into his grasp. There was simply nowhere to escape to.
He hugged her tight.
"Stay with me. If I ever hear this nonsense again, I will kill him. You hear me? I will kill your lover."
"You..." Her words died right there.
He had started to caress her head, her cheek.
"Hush. Let's forget all about it. Come, you need to see that bath, it's beautiful. Like you. I want you by my side, Elua. Stay with me."
"Yes, Tunu."
Her voice had broken completely. She had started to sob and he would not even notice.
"You're okay now, I'm here. You'll see, everything will be like the old days. We'll be happy together. The harem will love you."
"Yes, Tunu." She cried against his chest.