Halfblood Journey

by Rheaume, Laura

  If I have you beside me, then at least I won’t be scared.

  She had been scared all of those years. He stopped moving and closed his eyes as a wave of guilt spread across his chest. He had left them, had told himself that he could do more good within the Scere than without. The truth was that he had run from the responsibility of watching over everyone. It had just become too much for him. Every time he turned around it seemed like they were holding their hands out to him, needing him to help them. Not just the Youngs, but everyone. When he couldn’t help, when he could only stand by and watch…It had become too painful to bear. Finally, he had run to the Scere, because they offered him freedom, a life of his own, choices that he couldn’t get anywhere else. The Scere gave him the chance to do something...without having to deal with the rest.

  He hadn’t missed them. At least that’s what he told himself, until he saw Mercy and Ian again. Then he started to remember what he had given up.

  Now that he had lived only for himself and seen what emptiness was, he wouldn’t go back to that life. Not just wouldn't go back...he couldn’t.

  He opened his eyes and started the next set.

  His excuses didn’t change the fact that he had left them. Maybe she wouldn’t have been scared so much if he had been there for her.

  If I have you beside me, then at least I won’t be scared.

  That’s what he wanted: to be there so she wouldn’t be scared anymore, to make her smile every day the way she had when he had kissed her.

  He had kissed her. He had been avoiding thinking about that kiss. After all, she was his sister, his han-na, little Mercy who would stomp her foot and boss him around. Not someone whose sweet, warm lips he should give his first kiss to. Not someone who could make him do anything, anything, by saying his name like that. Not someone he should dream about.

  No, he wasn’t going to think about that kiss at all.

  Chapter 30

  “You will do this thing.”

  “Of course, if it benefits the family, but I don’t see how it would. Also, there is our honor to consider.”

  “Do you doubt my judgment?”

  “Naturally, not.”

  “Then don’t make me doubt yours. I hope you won’t give me cause to doubt your loyalty as well.”

  He felt his face heat up and bowed his head.

  “The wide sky stretches out beyond your sight.”

  He nodded.

  “And?”

  He answered, “And you are taller and can see farther. I will do this thing, kiryoku.”

  “Yes, you will.”

  -----------

  Mercy reached over and knocked her king over with a flick of her finger. “You won, again.”

  Cersset smiled and started to reset the pieces. “Let’s play again.”

  “I don’t know,” the older girl said, “It’s pretty useless, since I don’t really have any strategies or anything. I think I need some tutoring.”

  She had been using Cersset a lot over the last few days to keep from worrying about the news that they got from Temper. It hadn’t worked too well, but it was better than nothing. It had been great for improving the way she spoke in Kin, though. She also played cards with her dad, helped take care of some of the smaller children and relaxed in the gardens. Heron had even been kind enough to introduce her to his aunt, who had shown her some self-defense techniques.

  She tried to do what she thought her father and Scythe wanted her to: wait and stay safe. The staying safe was easy, but the waiting was hard. She scolded herself when she got impatient, reminding herself that Scythe was stuck in a cell until he could defend himself against a thousand ridiculous lies, and all she was concerned about was another miserable defeat at a strategy game.

  “I can do that,” the young girl said enthusiastically. “I know many. My uncle is the best in our family, and he taught me all kinds.”

  “Tiburon or Feren?”

  “Tiburon, the one that just came to visit.”

  “Ah.” Mercy had only met him once, at dinner. He seemed nice enough: very attentive to his family and asking each of the children at the table about their lives; he was obviously interested in what they were doing and how they were progressing toward their different goals. He was kind of intimidating, though; it was like being in the room with a lion.

  When Cersset finished with the board, Mercy looked it over, trying to think ahead. She sighed. She was really terrible at the game.

  “Okay, let’s see here.” Every time she came up with a plan that looked good, Cersset’s next move would ruin everything and usually had her running for cover. If she had any pride, she would have been embarrassed to be beaten so easily by a girl years younger than she was. However, it was just a game, and Mercy wasn’t very competitive anyway. “How about helping me out with a little clue?”

  She looked up when Cersset didn’t speak. The girl was looking over at her brother who was by the door, politely waiting to be acknowledged.

  “Oh, Heron, good afternoon,” she said, quickly waving him in. The custom of inviting people to join the group was one of the hardest things for Mercy to do, because she didn’t know when people were around. With their excellent hearing and sense of smell, the Kin always knew where everyone was; they never left someone standing unless they wanted to. Mercy, on the other hand, was constantly bungling it; she told herself again to be more aware of what was going on.

  “Cersset, it’s time for lunch. You are eating with mother today,” Heron said, taking a few steps into the living room.

  “I want to eat with Mercy,” she objected.

  Heron waited.

  “Okay, I’m going,” she said and then stood and bowed adorably to Mercy. “Thank you for the game.”

  Mercy thought that this was one of the times that she was supposed to duck her head, so she did, “It was my honor.”

  Cersset smiled and said, “That was good!” She had been Mercy’s informal manners coach for a few days, to Mercy’s relief. There were about a million things that she really needed to know when she was around the Kin.

  Mercy winked at her and watched her hurry out of the room. Then she carefully but casually avoided looking directly at Heron.

  “If you would, we will be eating in the atrium,” he said and waited until she joined him. He seemed a little more formal than normal, and Mercy wondered if she had slipped up again and offended somebody. She was thinking of asking him, when he said, “You and Cersset are becoming good friends. She will miss you when you go.”

  “I like her, too. She is so much fun and very smart, too.”

  “Yes, we are all very happy with her.”

  “You don’t have to work today?”

  “I did this morning, but I came home early because I am training with my aunt this afternoon.”

  “Oh, really? Could I watch again?”

  “I could ask her,” he said noncommittally.

  “Thanks.” When they arrived at the sunlit room, she sat down at the small table underneath the shade of many overlapping palm leaves. “I like this spot.” When she sat there, it felt like she was a fox hiding in its den. “It’s cozy and you get to look out at everyone.”

  “I do, too.” He sat down in the shadows across from her and put the tray that had been set aside down in front of them. “I hope you enjoy your lunch today.”

  “I’m sure it will be…” She noticed that there was only enough food for two people. “Aren’t my father and Temper coming?”

  “No, they are still meeting in the study. I believe they will be eating there as well.”

  “Oh, okay. Anyway, I was going to say that every bite of food here is great, except for that squishy thing we had the other night,” she said, holding her soup bowl in both hands and bringing it to her lips.

  He grinned, “Do you mean the squid?”

  “That was squid? I couldn’t tell. Well, I’m sure it is some special thing, but I couldn’t get over the sauce. It was like it was oozing...um, never
mind. I didn’t prefer it.” She decided that eating was probably more polite than talking. The broth was very good and just the right temperature. “Mmmm.”

  “Squid is one of our family favorites, and eating it is a tradition that we have had for many generations. We were fishermen, once.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, well my ancestors were initially in the whaling industry, but it became very unpopular to hunt whales and laws were passed that effectively destroyed our ability to make a living. So, my great, great grandmother took what money she had left and purchased some tracts of land. My family went into farming and we’ve been in that business ever since.”

  Mercy reached over and took one of the wafers with a cheesy spread on it. “So, what do you grow?”

  “Of course, now we don’t grow it ourselves. We own a great deal of land and have it worked, with the help of machinery and laborers.” He took a bite of his wafer and continued, “We are very diversified. We have lands all over the continent, growing what crops do well in each area: fruit, grains...all types of food; we also have farms that produce textiles.”

  “Like cotton?”

  “Cotton is one...very labor intensive, but not as much as tobacco or coffee.”

  “But you have machinery, right?”

  “Yes, we have the best, but labor is always needed and has become expensive.”

  “Why?” Mercy took a sip of her juice and settled back into her chair, feeling warm and comfy. She was thinking that a little after lunch nap sounded really good.

  “We have to contract for Human labor, since Kin labor is so much more expensive.”

  “So, it costs...a lot?”

  “Human labor costs much more than it should. The Human government takes a small percentage of each wage, in addition to the contracting fees. It seems insignificant, but when you are employing tens of thousands, it becomes a large amount of money.”

  “Ten..s...thousand? You have that many...people...doing...stuff for you?” She leaned forward to lay her cup on the table and nearly dropped it on the floor. Heron smoothly took it from her and put it on the tray. That would have been a mess. “Oops, sorry.”

  “Do not apologize. We employ that many, yes.”

  “That’s…” she couldn’t even find words to describe it. “just...crazy.” Her eyes started to close slowly and she jerked herself up, trying to blink away her drowsiness. She was being so rude.

  “You look tired. Would you like to return to your room, now?”

  “Yeah...you know…I am just really full and kinda...yeah, a nap would be good.” He offered her a hand, and she reached out for it, but it moved out of the way. No, wait, it was still there. She was feeling a little dizzy.

  She gasped as something occurred to her.

  What if I fall down in front of him? That would be so embarrassing!

  “Maybe I could jus' nap here…” A soft blanket would be good...

  “Just rest, Mercy.” He turned and walked away. He didn’t sound offended at all, so she let herself drift, and it felt sooo great.

  He was really a kind person.

  -----------

  Ian passed the plate of little thin wafer sandwiches to Temper, “Is there anything we can do?”

  She waved away the plate. “My advice is that you visit him, because we are fighting a very strong, inherent resentment to his solitary habits in addition to the already significant stigma of being a halfblood. If we could show that he has strong family ties, that would reflect well on his character.”

  “And he said, ‘No,’” Ian guessed. When she nodded, he shrugged, “Of course not. That is how he has always been.” He chewed his wafer thoughtfully, “We could do a video conference, though, don’t you think?”

  “That is a good idea. It is not as personal as a visit, but better than nothing. I will arrange it with your host family.” She made a mental note to speak with Heron’s mother, Neruna, before she left. “I have also been trying to organize your trip home. Providing adequate security has delayed the plans. Your border patrol procedures are lengthy and require much negotiation, and the Hedeler has no available agents right now for escort. I have decided to hire private security…”

  “That seems expensive and unnecessary; we can wait. I don’t want to leave while he is in the middle of this anyway. We want to be close.”

  “I understand, but your safety is paramount to him. He wants you to leave. Besides distracting him, your presence hinders our defense because he makes decisions that expose him to the prosecution. I think it would be better if you returned to the safety of your home immediately.”

  “I’ll talk to him about it on the video conference. You may be right.” Suddenly, he didn’t have much of an appetite. He leaned back in his chair, away from the food in front of them. “What do you think is going to happen?”

  “I honestly don’t know. Most of the evidence is circumstantial, but there is a certain amount which in itself could be enough to convince a judge. In addition, there are the things that he is not free to speak of, the Human powers and his actions on the night of the attack. Those are the most problematic. My attorneys are working very hard to address them…”

  “So you think he might be convicted?”

  “I have already spoken to him about that possibility.”

  “What would happen if he were?”

  “Imprisonment, for up to twenty-five years, or more, depending on what they can prove he was directly at fault for. Fortunately, there is only one testimony, Summer’s, of any direct involvement in the attacks. They can only prove that he assaulted her. The rest is conjecture. We might get lucky and only get five or ten years.”

  Ian’s face paled, “It’s...ten years…”

  Temper wished that she had better news for him.

  “It is so wrong. How can this happen?”

  Temper turned when the person walking by the study paused at the door. She stood and Ian quickly joined her. “Tiburon, please join us.”

  “Thank you. I hope you have been provided with everything you need.”

  “Yes, your family is extremely generous and has been so kind to us. Lunch was very tasty today,” Ian said as they sat down together.

  “Good. I was wondering if you have time to tell me how things are progressing with Scythe.”

  “We continue to build our defense, but the prosecution is working equally hard.”

  “Perhaps we could assist. It is in the interests of our family that he not be found culpable.”

  “I understand.” It would be extremely embarrassing for Tiburon’s family if someone that they had accepted as a guest were found guilty of such a damaging and widely publicized terrorist act. She apologized, “We are sorry for the injurious effect this matter has had on your family’s reputation and are doing our best to ensure that no blame falls on you or yours. What assistance are you referring to?”

  “Legal advisement, financial support...we also have many connections in Quo Ire that we can make use of, if needed.” He left the rest unsaid, but because she was raised in the same circles as he was, she knew he was talking about offering political pressure.

  Years of training allowed her to hear it without reacting. Such things were commonplace within the Families, where political control was coveted above all but the family. She disliked it, thought it was a little to akin to Human behavior, but it was an inevitable reality. One learned how to work with it, or master it if they could, because fighting it was futile and often ruinous.

  That small statement taught her a great deal about him and his family. She wondered what else Tiburon was comfortable with.

  “I will inform you if there is something that we need, and I thank you for your offer.”

  Ian said, “We were wondering if we could set up a video conference to speak with Scythe. Do you think we could do that?”

  “I don’t see why not. I will speak to Neruna tonight.”

  “Thank you.”

  “It would be better if you we
nt yourself,” he said. “It is an offense to him if you do not go in person. Not that it matters, but that is what people will think. On the other hand, you are Humans and you like your gadgets.”

  Temper spoke while Ian thought about how he should reply, “We have some safety concerns. You have seen that Mercy was injured in the attack, and Ian was also a victim. Being Human, they feel they might be targeted, perhaps by resentful Kin or even the terrorists.”

  “Ah, I see. That is a valid reason to avoid a visit. I hadn’t thought of it since our city is usually safe for travelers. So...we could easily provide ample security for you. We have our own and we could hire extra, if you like.”

  “Thank you. I will let you know.” She noted his slight disappointment without reacting. Something about Tiburon and his offer was setting off alarms in her head. It was polite to offer assistance, but he was really pushing a visit. “I am sorry, but I need to take my leave. I have work still at the Scere before I can return home. However, I am a little turned around in your magnificent estate. Perhaps you could show me the way out?”

  He barely hesitated before agreeing.

  Ian stood and made to join them, until she said, “Ian, I will contact you again tomorrow. Oh, I almost forgot, here is a letter for you and Mercy from Scythe.” She took it from her bag and handed it to him. “I know you will want to share it with her. Farewell.”