Sita had been watching Nahal carefully. He dragged Chelan into the Cave of Shame and posted one able-bodied guard to stand watch. She made a sleeping herb in her tent and poured it onto a cloth. She had to talk with Chelan alone. She changed from her everyday light blue fur pants to a dark blue pair and tied her waist-length, curly brown hair into a sloppy bun. Cautiously she left her tent. After approaching the Cave of Shame from the back, she peered at the guard's position. He was pacing back and forth. Sita felt bad for him. Being down so many men from the attack, he would not be relieved from duty. He was tired. Pacing was the only thing he could do to keep himself awake.

When his back was turned, she rushed behind him, covering his face with the cloth. She pulled him into a sitting position and leaned his head back slightly on the cave rock. At first glance, no one would think he was asleep. Sita hurried into the Cave of Shame, it was dark, but after a few moments, her eyes adjusted.

"Who are you," Chelan asked in a whisper.

"It doesn't matter who I am. I know you are innocent and want to help, but you must work with me."

"Why in the icy hell would I do that? Helping someone is what got me here."

"Because you will not have a fair opportunity to state your case if you don't work with me. Nahal doesn't want Elder Akay to hear your account. He would rather punish you in Tiber's place."

"Only a chief can decide that."

"Well, at the rate he's going, Nahal will be acting Chief until the decree is found. It seems like you're okay with not getting a fair chance to account and would eagerly accept Tiber's punishment-"

"No! What do I need to do?"

"Tell the truth regardless of what happens. Only speak of what you know for certain. If you do this, you will be free. Once free, you will be in debt to me."

"Ugh, what would Tiber's punishment be?"

"Still wondering about that? If she's charged with murdering her father, she will face death. That means-"

"That I'll get lashes until she's found," Chelan groaned.

"Fifty-five, to be exact."

"What!"

"Nahal thinks that you were negligent in letting her escape. He's leading people to think you were an accomplice."

"They can't do that to me. They have to give me a chance to account. That's tribe law."

"With Nahal as acting Chief, it's in his hands, and he already has a following. Do you want to gamble with your life? Okay, I'm leaving," Sita stood up.

"Wait! I won't survive one day of fifty-five consistent lashes. I'd bleed to death. I'll do what you say. You have my word," Chelan whispered.

"Good, I'll make sure you get a fair chance to account," Sita hurriedly left the Cave of Shame. She went to her tent and changed back into her clothes. Running as fast as she could, she went to the medicine lair and made an energy tea. Pressed for time, she went and gave the guard some tea.

Several minutes went back, and he started to stir, "Ugh, what! What happened?"

"Shh, I found you like this. You must be so tired, and I'm trying to get the rest of the tribesmen back in commission. Here this tea will give you energy."

The guard hurried to his feet, "Nahal will kill me if Chelan escapes," he looked into the cave and sighed, "that was too close for comfort."

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," Sita promised.

The guard continued to drink the tea, "Thank you, Sita."

"Of course, it is my job to look after the well-being of this tribe, and I take that duty very seriously. You can return the cup to the medicine lair when you have time. Take care now," Sita walked away, looking back to wave at the guard.

She looked in the direction of Nahal's tent. It was dark. He must be sleeping. Sita sighed with relief. It was almost scary how things had been turning in such drastic directions for this tribe. She hoped that Tiber was okay. She wasn't sure what happened, but if Nahal said she killed her father, Sita knew better than to trust anything that came out of his mouth. She headed to her lair to check on the other tribesmen.

She headed straight to her spice corner and began mixing herbal leaves. Staying busy was the only way she could remain calm. A part of her was afraid she was making promises she could not keep. Protecting Tiber from the Cave of Shame was different from helping her overcome a murder investigation by their tribe. Now she has promised to help Chelan in exchange for his loyalty. The leaves had been ground to a powder, and Sita continued to sort and organize. She sighed and instinctively looked at the moon. It was beautiful and calming. However, her tribe was known not to believe in the Universe. She wasn't sure if she genuinely believed in that or not. She was raised not to believe, but since her father passed on a hunting mission two years ago, she felt the moon almost calling out to her. In the time that passed since his death, she had become a woman and felt lost without him. The moon's presence felt comforting for Sita. It replicated the feeling of being able to run to her father for protection. Gazing at the luminous sphere, Sita felt confident, fearless, and determined.

Whether or not she had been raised as a believer, she was raised to know right from wrong. Nahal was wrong, was Tiber right? Only a fair chance to account with Elder Akay would determine where she stood. Sita knew she had to fight for that, ensuring her tribe's brothers and sisters received equality. And she would not stop until they obtained equality.

After making herbal powders, she cleaned the tribesmen's wounds again. Of the twenty men that were brought to her, five of them had passed shortly after she began tending to them. She noticed that they all had been slashed by a sword. That was not a typical Waterbearer tribe weapon. They preferred to use spears, bow and arrows in the Tribe of Snow and Ice and the Jungle Tribe. The Beach Tribe mainly used spears and tridents. The Windmasters all predominantly used their signature windblade.

In some cases, they also used various daggers, frequently a push dagger. The Landkeepers didn't use weapons often. They are physically the strongest people on the planet, with Firehearts coming in a close second. However, the Windmasters proved that an outstanding strategy and clever maneuvering could trump physical strength. Landkeepers' primary weapon choice was a scythe or battle-axe if a weapon was to be used at all. Now, the Firehearts did use swords a lot. But in complete fairness, their people were the most well versed in all sorts of weaponry, including morning stars, throwing knives, archery, and battle-axes. Sita knew every nation had exceptions and didn't press the issue further. She just hoped that whoever did this would not catch up to Tiber.

After checking on the tribesmen and redressing necessary wounds, she returned to her tent. She knew exactly how she would get Chelan an opportunity with Elder Akay. She just needed her timing to be correct. She untied her dark brown curly hair from its sloppy bun, letting them go free, and made twists before going to bed. With fragments of night remaining, she closed her eyes, hoping that Tiber would be alright.

When morning came, Sita rose early. After washing up and getting ready for the day, she checked on the tribesmen. Two of them became conscious. However, they didn't seem to remember what had happened to them. Sita was discouraged. If they had remembered something, it could have helped Tiber. She saw Nahal leave his father's tent and proceed to the elder's tent.

"Sita, is there anything I can help with?" Shasa came into the lair.

"Oh, not at all. You really need to be taking it easy," Sita pretended to be busy until she saw Shasa from the corner of her eye. "Shasa, what's wrong? Have you been crying?" Sita stopped everything and hurried to her tribe sister's side.

Shasa was wiping tears from her eyes, "They all think that Tiber killed our father. And worse, the tribesmen went on an early patrol and didn't find her. I feel so horrible. I wish my father was here," Shasa sobbed.

"Shh, Shasa, this isn't good for you and the baby. I personally do not believe that Tiber would kill anyone. I think that something was bothering her, though. Maybe she went to the Chief about it. I hate to say this, but she may have found him dead and tried to help him when Nahal walked in. But we won't know unless we can find her and she gets the chance to account before Elder Akay. She has the gift of Moonsense. Only she would know if Tiber was telling the truth."

"Speaking of truth, I can't believe she would lie at the first meeting. I'm just so confused. What doesn't she trust us with? What doesn't she trust me with?" Shasa started crying again. Sita hugged her, trying to soothe her. She saw Nahal leave the elder's tent. When he looked in her direction, Sita looked away, hoping not to be caught staring at him.

"It seems like Nahal is doing his best to keep the tribe together," Sita whispered to Shasa.

"Seems like he is trying to push his opinion about my sister onto the tribe. He may have a chance at standing in as Chief until my father's decree is found. It's so odd that it's missing," Shasa sighed.

"It's missing? That is odd. We are having a meeting about Chelan soon. You should try and rest. I'll check on you later if I have some spare time." Sita and Shasa embraced, with the latter leaving the lair. After ensuring that Shasa was gone, Sita hurried to the elder's tent.

The meeting was starting in the Cave of Shame. Chelan was hogtied in the prison crate. Yelling and shouting proceeded as Nahal walked in. All eyes were on him. He felt the pulse of the tribe, and most wanted swift justice for Chief Dalit. However, he noticed some of the tribe seemed to disapprove of a guard being hogtied and humiliated. Nahal raised his hand, and everyone went quiet.

"Everyone, thank you for your cooperation. As we know, Tiber murdered her father, but she was supposed to be guarded in the medicine lair by Chelan. However, he abandoned his post allowing her to escape. His negligence must be punished. Do you have anything to say for yourself, Chelan?"

Chelan strained his neck, "I was not negligent! Sita passed out from exhaustion, and I took her to her tent to try and help her. Tiber was still knocked out when I left. I did not leave my post. My duty was to guard the medicine lair. To guard means to protect and defend. I did protect and defend Sita, as I knew how."

"But you left Tiber to sneak out and kill her father. His death is your fault. You allowed the opportunity for him to be killed. So you're blabbing about protecting and defending was a bunch of lies," Nahal retorted.

"Hold on now, son," Elder Akay shuffled into the cave, supported by Sita. "Chelan was honest in his account so far, and you should not be so quick to cast judgment and name him a liar. Chelan, son, did you know that Tiber was awake?"

"No, ma'am."

"Were you concerned when Sita passed out?"

"I was deeply worried for her health."

"When you took Sita to her tent, do you know where Tiber went?"

"No, I do not."

Nahal rolled his eyes, "Elder Akay-"

"Tribe, Chelan answered honestly. He should not be subjected to this treatment since he proved to be an honest brother," Elder Akay spoke.

"But my beloved Elder," cerulean-eyed Mahak spoke, "although I agree with you completely, Chelan was not in on the crimes of Tiber. We should consider a mild punishment because he left his post's physical location."

"You are right, and that is in accord with our laws. But you men can decide that. Sita, I want to keep stretching my legs. Come help me," Elder Akay continued walking through the Cave of Shame with Sita's assistance.

"Tribe, I have been corrected by the elders. Chelan's punishment will not be based on Chief Dalit's murder. He will be removed from guard duty for a month, per our laws," Nahal concluded. The tribe cheered for Nahal as he untied Chelan. The cheering and clapping were so loud that none could hear Nahal's words to Chelan, "I apologize for this. I feared you were in on the murder plot and had a lapse of judgment. Forgive me, brother."

"It is in the past now. I accept your apology. I will commit to being more diligent on my post from now on," Chelan nodded and exited the Cave of Shame. Nahal dismissed the tribe and proceeded to follow the direction Sita and Elder Akay went. The pair had not gone too far.

"Elder Akay," Nahal hurried to catch up, "thank you for your words. They were a great help in achieving justice and equality. Thank you, ma'am. Sita, may I have a moment?"

"Um, I was help-"

"Child, I can manage, go and enjoy some time with Nahal before he gets too popular with the ladies."

Sita cleared her throat before Nahal grabbed her hands, gently pulling her toward the cave entrance.

"Did you want to talk about anything, Nahal?"

"Yeah, I want to check on you. I wish you had told me that you passed out. You have been working so hard. Take some time to relax. The tribe needs you, so you have to take care of yourself. You can come and talk to me whenever you need anything. You can talk to me about anything, okay?"

"Yes, thank you, Nahal. We are so fortunate to have you to look after us. I have some things to attend to in the lair. Don't be a stranger," Sita smiled at Nahal and gently pulled away from him. He winked at her before she left to go to the medicine lair. She paced herself as she approached the lair, not wanting Nahal to think she was running from him. Once she arrived, she was happy to see that another group of the tribesmen was awake. She prepared them for a final examination before returning them to their regular duties. She sighed out of frustration. Once again, none of them could remember anything about what happened the day of the attack. Sita almost wanted to knock her head against the wall when tall, broad-shouldered Chelan entered.

"I'm here to start repaying my debt," his deep, booming voice called out.

"Shut up, will you! Coming in here shouting like that," Sita yelled.

"Sorry, but who's yelling now," Chelan whispered, playfulness twinkling in his midnight blue eyes.

Sita asked him, "How did you know it was me?"

"Just because I got knocked out doesn't make me stupid. I thought it was you when you started talking. When you returned to get Yas and bring him that tea, it confirmed it for me. Thank you, I really appreciate it."

"Okay, listen, meet me at the river after dinner. We're going hunting," Sita smiled.

"Okay, I still don't know what's going on, but I'll be there," Chelan raised his thick, long eyebrows, dark brown in color, before turning on his heels to leave.