Ajei's Destiny Read online

  “What?”

  “Save it. Looking at how bruised you are, the lesson must not have ended well, did it?”

  “For your information,” Ajei derisively replied, suddenly wishing she had covered herself up a little more, “Father was teaching me to fly like an eagle. My senses were so sharp, I could pick you out in a crowd, and crap on you! And I think the next time I fly, I will do just that.”

  “I’m sure my father, the tribe’s mightiest healer, will teach me to transform into something more ferocious and I’ll swat you from the sky.”

  “Well...he’s already taught you how to be an ass,” she blew a kiss across the pot to Atsa.

  “Very funny,” he scowled, before breaking into his tale. “But you should have seen me, Ajei, it was awesome. Father showed me how to transform into a mountain lion. It felt incredible pouncing down on this sheep. It didn’t even see me.”

  Ajei pinched her nose, teasing, “You must have been downwind from him, cuz he would have smelled you coming for miles.”

  “You’re just jealous! You have nothing to show for your day,” Atsa said, rolling his eyes as he moved closer to the other side of the pot, “except these bumps and bruises.”

  His fingers lightly caressed Ajei’s shoulder, sending a shiver down her spine. She tried to hold the blush to her cheeks back, but it was too late.

  Atsa smiled down at her. “Maybe one day I’ll take you out for a proper hunt.”

  Ajei looked up into Atsa’s dark brown eyes. They were caught, if only for a heartbeat, in each other’s gaze. The sound of Sani clearing his throat broke the spell.

  “Atsa!” The Chieftain smiled, his brow arching a bit at their close proximity. Iina nudged him to continue with whatever he was about to say, hiding a smirk herself, “Congratulations on your successful hunt!”

  Stepping back from the man’s daughter, he faced the mighty Chieftain. Quickly, he lowered his eyes in respect, “You honor me, Sir.”

  “It is good to know we have skilled hunters, such as yourself, to keep our people’s stomachs full. Come, let us go prepare your kill together,” Sani said. Sani had always seen Atsa as his unofficial son, much to the displeasure of Atsa’s own father.

  “I’d be honored, Chieftain,” Atsa said with a smile, though it was a fleeting one, “but I’ve already promised my father I’d give him the honor of helping me clean my first hunt.”

  Sani nodded, “As it should be. Allow me to, at least, carry it to your hut. I need to talk with your father anyway.”

  The two men turned and headed to the far side of the camp.

  Ajei saw her father wrap his arm around Atsa’s shoulders while they continued to talk. She felt a stab of jealousy at her best friend. It should have been her receiving her father’s accolades.

  “Your day will come soon enough, Ajei,” she heard her mother say as both watched the men disappear from view.

  “It’s not fair, Mother! I’m his child...not Atsa. Does it disappoint him he does not have a son?” she asked, still staring straight ahead.

  Iina turned Ajei to face her, she read the fear and concern brewing in her daughter’s eyes at the thought. “Is that what you think?”

  “There are times when I am not sure. I know how much I let him down today in failing to bring anything home,” Ajei lowered her eyes. She was sure her mother was no happier.

  “And yet, your father could not stop telling me how majestic you became when you transformed into the eagle,” Iina softly told her daughter, her fingers gingerly cupping Ajei’s chin. “Never doubt your abilities, Ajei, or your father’s love for you.”

  Brushing a kiss to her daughter’s forehead, she suggested, “How about you let these smelly clothes soak some more and the two of us go brew some real potions.”

  Never having to be asked twice to practice her mother’s magic, Ajei hooked her by the arm and dragged her off into the hut. She leaned close to her mother and whispered, “How about if I turn Atsa into a bug?”

  Iina just shook her head, as laughter trailed behind them.

  Chapter 2

  In the days following her first attempt at hunting, Ajei learned to transform into a number of different creatures. However, she would still find herself in front of her mother’s damned wash pot for coming home empty-handed.

  Even though Sani would never come out and tell her, Ajei could tell her father was disappointed with her. It was in his eyes. He would gently scold her for her impulsive actions. The two of them still actively discussed the first time she had ever transformed into a predator. Ajei had chosen a coyote but found herself chasing after a wild pack instead of hunting.

  Or there was the time she had become a mountain lion. Ajei had successfully taken a deer down, but she had been overwhelmed by the dizzying effect of adrenaline coursing through her body. By the time Ajei had come to her senses, she had torn it apart to the point of being useless.

  Still, there was one creature she preferred over all the others, the eagle.

  Any time she would need to escape, she would sneak out of camp and climb to the highest cliff. Closing her eyes, she’d lift her arms out and step into the great abyss. Soaring high, she let all her cares go.

  Today was no different.

  Sani turned a minor dispute between two warriors concerning the payment of a bow over to Ajei to settle. It was his test of his daughter’s ability to listen to both sides of the conflict and arrive at a just decision.

  The builder of the bow had vastly increased its price due to a last minute, minor change the buyer had requested. After sitting through the arguments of each man, she rendered her decision in favor of the bow’s purchaser.

  The decision did not sit well with the other man. He complained with Ajei being a female, she was too inexperienced in the construction of bows to understand the true cost in the creation of one. The man also demanded Sani make the ultimate decision because allowing a child to make such an important decision was unfair.

  Once more, an argument broke out between the two men. As much as she tried to maintain order, neither man would listen to Ajei’s demand for order.

  The louder she got, the more the men talked over her. Finally, she lost her temper and screamed at them to shut up.

  In the end, Sani was forced to step in and put an end to the matter. Backing his daughter’s initial decision, he told everyone present, “I expect when the day comes when I am no longer here, you show the same respect to Ajei as you would me and accept her rulings as if they were my own!”

  After adjourning of the tribal gathering, Sani spent the better part of the afternoon lecturing his daughter. “The ability to rule fairly requires you to be able to control the situation and leave your emotions in check.”

  It was all too much for her to take. Ajei ran from camp, wanting to be alone. Leaping upwards from the ground, the eagle broke forth and took flight.

  As she circled above the canyon, the conversation with her father ran through her head. Ajei spotted a wolf sitting on a ledge below, watching her. She could sense it was not an ordinary one. It was another Skin-walker.

  To her relief, but slight trepidation, its gray-black pelt told Ajei it was not her father. As she circled around once more, it transformed into an eagle and launched skyward.

  The giant bird charged at her, it's loud screech echoing against the canyon walls. Fear flooded Ajei as she swiveled in mid-air taking one last look into the eyes of the shifter behind her. She flapped her wings, desperate to escape its razor-sharp talons. Whoever they were, they were intent on a battle—to the death.

  Pulling up, Ajei circled away from the attack. Her wings cut hard through the air with each stroke and carried her further up. She hoped she could lose her attacker in the brilliance of the noon sun.

  Glancing behind her, Ajei could not help but smile inwardly to see her maneuver had worked. Her pursuer was nowhere in sight.

  ‘Come after me, will you?’ She screeched back at the empty sky. ‘It’s lucky for you hadn’t dec
ided to swoop back to kick your ass!’

  Ajei heard the answer screeched back at her, ‘Then come at me!’ but it wasn’t from behind. The eagle was now in front of her, blocking her path.

  ‘How in the—,’ was all she was able to get out before the bird bore down on her again. But, there was something less threatening about it this time. Her thoughts were filled by the laughter she recognized only to well.

  Steeling her frazzled nerves, she spouted off, ‘Atsa, you are a real jerk! You could have killed me!”

  Swooping by her, Ajei felt his wing graze against hers.

  ‘You should be more careful, should you not? But, in any case...tag, you’re it!’

  Spinning sharply about, she took up the pursuit. ‘You are so going to pay for that!’

  ‘Only if you catch me, slowpoke!’

  The two laughed and glided through the steep canyon walls. Rocky spires jutting up from the floor added to the excitement of the game as the pair careened around them, chasing each other. Ajei peeled back to the left, giving her the opportunity to smack Atsa in the face as he came screaming around the right.

  ‘So predictable,’ she laughed back at him, the warm updraft lifted her spread wings higher. Ajei closed her eyes for a moment to enjoy the sensation. There was no way she could ever fully let Atsa know how much she appreciated his help to forget her problems, even if it was just for the afternoon.

  But words of thanks were not necessary. They never were. Atsa had a way of picking up on Ajei’s moods, especially when she was fed up with being the daughter of the mighty chief, and what it would take to make her feel better. Though she really had not thought about it until now.

  SWOOSH!

  The flap of Atsa’s wing smacking against her broke up her thoughts. The glint in his eyes made her laugh. It seemed even her best friend needed to remind her, in his way, to stay focused.

  The two continued their game. Ajei was relentless in her chase, to the point her muscles began aching with exhaustion.

  Forced to finally break off the pursuit, she landed on the plateau overlooking their camp. From where she was perched, she could see her father and mother tending to the daily business of their people. She envied how easy it was for them. They had been born for this. Ajei doubted she would ever be able to live up to their ancestry and expectations of leadership. ‘Maybe I'm not their child,’ she thought to herself. ‘Maybe they just found me somewhere and took me in.’

  ‘Like, under a rock?’

  Glaring at her side, Ajei found Atsa nonchalantly perched next to her.

  ‘Damn, he’s good at this,’ she could not help but think.

  ‘About time you realized it,’ he nudged her.

  Both sat watching life scurry below them.

  ‘You are right, Ajei,’ his thoughts so matter-of-factly. ‘The only explanation of why you are the way you are is your parents must have found you under a rock or baking in the sun.’ Atsa stopped as if contemplating the thought deeper. ‘But, then again, how do you explain your hideous nose? It’s your father’s if I’ve ever seen a match. Maybe your mother made it out of clay?’

  ‘Ass!’ Ajei said, slipping back into human form just for the pleasure of sticking her tongue out at Atsa. However, the chance to do so never came. As she faced him, the shock of seeing him already shifted took her by surprise. A deep hue of embarrassment spreading over Ajei’s face...and down her body.

  Unsure why Ajei was suddenly so flushed, Atsa decided to change topics and reassured her, “Don’t worry, I won’t give up your hiding place to your parents.”

  She glanced back down to the camp, a little sad she had to go back. Not really directing her comment at him, she pledged, “If you break your promise, Atsa, I will torture you until your dying day!”

  Atsa’s arm slipped around her waist. Softly, he whispered, “You already do.”

  Startled at his words, her amber gaze turned up into his deep brown eyes. There was a depth and strength in them she had never noticed before. Against her better judgement, something compelled her to lift to her toes and give him a kiss.

  But this was not just a peck on the cheek like she would normally give him; this was a full-fledged kiss on his lips. Why she seized on this moment to do such a careless act, Ajei had no idea why. Even though something like this could destroy their friendship, for all Atsa had ever done for her it just seemed right.

  As for Atsa, it took him by complete surprise as well. Unfortunately for him, there was no time to respond. As quickly as she had initiated the kiss, she broke it off. Standing there, stupidly kissing the air, Atsa watched as Ajei dashed to the edge of the plateau to climb down.

  Peeking over the ledge before she dropped out of sight, she left him with, “Thanks for today, Fishface. You know, that’s a good look for you!”

  Shaking his head, he followed her over the edge and down to camp, sighing, “One day, Ajei, one day.”

  But Atsa had not been the only one watching the girl’s descent from the plateau.

  Hashkeh Naabah stood in his doorway, his arms crossed in disgust. The man’s hatred and jealousy for Sani’s daughter was something he could barely conceal, let alone contain. All the same, he had sensed the magic within her awakening, and if he did not do something soon, his chance to rid himself of her would pass forever.

  “How could the fool possibly ever believe a careless, stupid girl could ever become leader of our people?” He hissed to himself. “The tribe will come to understand why I have no other choice. What I need to do, I am doing for them. The gods have deemed it!”

  He turned from the door and retreated into the dimly lit recesses of his hut. Hashkeh settled into his chair, intent on setting his plans in motion. Having shielded himself from the rest of the camp’s inhabitants by the incantation he’d placed over his home, he allowed himself the luxury of an even darker thought.

  ‘Atsa will make a much better Chieftain anyway...or, at least, one easier to control.’

  Chapter 3

  Summer

  The Following Year

  “I don’t understand! Why are you sending me away for the summer?” Ajei demanded. “I’ve been training hard all winter. I’m able to transform at will. I’ve even studied Mother’s magic! I should prove it to both of you by binding you two together until you have come to your senses!”

  Ajei’s words fell on deaf ears. In truth, her magic was little more than cheap tricks when compared to her mother’s. Iina had done her best to teach her daughter the skills she would need for defending herself, such as binding an enemy in place; but Ajei’s concentration would slip too easily, causing the spell to falter.

  She did have pride with one skill she had managed to finally master, and she was going to be damned if they forgot! “By the gods, I got my first kill so I—”

  “First, daughter,” Sani said, with all the sternness of a father losing patience with his child, “you Do Not invoke the gods just because you are upset. Second, you should be happy you’re able to go in the first place!”

  Iina placed her hand on her husband’s arm and smiled up at him. She could see the frustration in his eyes, trying to reason with Ajei. It was time for a mother to step in and take control of the situation.

  With a reassuring tone, Iina chipped in, “Ajei, this camp is reserved for the most elite families from the realms. When your father was your age, he not only held the position of mediator for the tribe but established himself as your grandfather’s heir by his actions there. If I would have been able to go—”

  “Fine! Then you can go for me now!” Ajei snapped at her mother.

  “Ajei!” Iina reared back at her daughter’s petulance. Catching herself before she fell victim to the tactic, she took a deep, calming breath. Once more, she tried to reason with Ajei. “This camp is perfect for you. One day, the responsibility of leadership will fall upon you. And, as much as you need to know how to deal with your own people, you need to know how to interact with those outside the tribe.”


  Ajei could tell from her mother's arched brow the matter was closed for further discussion. Huffing, she slunk down into her chair, and muttered, “All this stress about being a great leader after Father...” She paused to glare up at her parents. Her broiling anger refused to stop her from blurting out, “Have neither of you realized, I’m not Father? Maybe it would be best for everybody if I just run a—”

  The expressions on her parents’ faces told her she should just shut up. Bolting up out of the chair, Ajei ran out of the hut and headed up to the cliffs. The thundering sound of her name being yelled after her by her father, echoed throughout the canyon.

  Tears streamed down Ajei’s cheeks. How can you ever be Chieftain if you cannot even handle negotiating with your own parents? The thought taunted her and multiplied the rest of her prior failures all the more.