Dindi
Dindi woke up in a strange bed. Pale slices of moonlight, soft as halved pears, poured in through the smoke hole in the roof. She was in a small, cozy hut. She sat up—right into Kavio's arms. Then she quickly pulled back into the corner of the bed, pressing against the wall weaving.
"Dindi, don't worry. You're fine," Kavio said. "You passed out at the banquet." He frowned. "Did you… drink the beer?"
"No!" She blushed. "Of course not." Her face turned even redder when she realized this must be his hut—and his bed. "How did I get here?"
Kavio coughed softly. "I caught you when you fainted. When you didn't wake up, I brought you here to rest."
"Oh, mercy." She stared at him in horror. What must he think of her? "How long…?"
"Just a few minutes," he said quickly. "Don't worry. Zavaedi Brena has been here the whole time."
He pointed behind him. Dindi hadn't seen her before, but now she noticed Brena standing in the doorway, arms crossed, eyebrows raised.
"I'll walk you back to the Tor of the Initiates," Brena said.
"Thank you, Zavaedi Brena," Kavio replied before Dindi could speak. "Don't worry about your slave. I've arranged for the guards to escort him to your quarters and lock him there."
"Have you?" Brena said dryly. "I'm still trying to find the words for how I feel about your 'gift.'"
"I'm sure you'll think of something," Kavio said. "Could we have a moment of privacy?"
Brena gave him a long stare but stepped outside and let the straw door fall back in place.
"Well," said Kavio.
"Well," Dindi echoed, feeling awkward. There were so many things she wanted to say, but she didn't know how to begin.
"Your Initiation went well," he said.
"Thanks to your help, or so we heard."
"Er." He looked a bit uncomfortable. "You're a maiden now."
"Yes."
"Not…" He stopped himself, but she knew what he meant.
"Not a Tavaedi," she finished. "No."
She saw disappointment flash across his face before he quickly hid it. He was like Gwenika—someone important. He couldn't really keep company with someone like her.
"I should go," she said, standing.
"Of course," he said, also rising. "Perhaps we'll see each other again."
"Thank you for your kindness, Zavaedi Kavio." She smoothed her dress to avoid looking at him. "I doubt we will."
***
Hadi
The young men in the First Lodge were too loud and drunk from the feast to sleep. After the older people went to their huts, Tamio and a few other Tavaedi Initiates slipped out the back.
The young men who weren't Tavaedies looked on with envy, but most didn't dare follow.
Yodigo nudged Hadi, whose mat was next to his. "Let's see what they're doing."
Hadi could think of many reasons not to—but somehow, he was already trotting after Yodigo.
Behind the lodge, Tamio and his group stood in a circle. They greeted the warrior Initiates with sneers.
"Go away, babies, no one asked you here!" Tamio said.
"Fa, Tamio, I'm your clan brother," Yodigo said, trying to sound friendly. "Don't be a toad. What's going on?"
Tamio accepted Yodigo—and since Hadi was with him, he was accepted too. The others didn't argue. Hadi even got a clear look at the center of the circle, where Tamio proudly showed off two carved sticks.
The sticks were thick as a thumb and about the length of an arm. One had the carved head of a bull; the other, a stallion. The other ends were sharpened like stakes. Tamio drove them into the dirt.
"Look, men! The scepters of manhood! These are Conquest Posts. They belonged to my father from the Purple Thunder tribe. These are the two kinds of conquests that prove a man's worth. See the notches?"
He pointed to the cuts down the sides of the sticks.
"That's how many. This one," he pointed to the bull, "counts warriors my father killed. And that one," he pointed to the stallion, "counts girls."
"Your father killed girls?" Hadi asked, horrified.
Yodigo elbowed him, but everyone laughed. Even Tamio laughed, thankfully thinking it was a joke.
"He killed them with charm," Tamio said with a wink. "That's why they called him a lady-killer."
He lifted the sticks high. "Now I take his challenge. I'll add more notches than he ever did. I dare any of you to beat me—whether in battle or in bed—by the end of training."
This time, Hadi said nothing. Another boy asked, "But where are we supposed to find enemies to kill?"
"Let's hope Blue Waters attack again!"
"Better yet—a revenge raid!"
Tamio raised his hand to quiet them.
"Men, why look far away? We already have enemies among us. Who says the Blue Waters slaves aren't dangerous? I don't trust them. And if one of them tries anything—well, I'll be ready. Now, as for girls…"