Kei's Gift

by Ann Somerville

  He stood, and said, “Mychichi, there are things I need from our house. Would you walk back with me? Fedor, if you want to have a clan meal or something of that sort, tomorrow I’ll be at your disposal. I just need to make sure the general is taken care of this evening.”

  Fedor nodded. “We’ll have a meal here, you and a few of your friends, the soldiers too. They don’t need to guard your Prij—no one will lay a hand on him here.”

  “I’ll tell Tiko but I don’t know if he’ll agree. He takes his job pretty seriously, for all he forgets the limits sometimes. You’ll be glad to know if you hadn’t adopted me, he probably would insist on doing so.”

  Fedor coughed in amusement. “Hmmm, I’m not surprised, lad. It makes me glad Erte isn’t here to see you—she’d faint from shock at the sight of you.”

  “Yes, Kei, you must let us put some pounds on you before you leave,” Sira said.

  Kei groaned. “In a day, mother? All right, you can try. I’ve been dying for some gren nut cakes—Mis, do you think Meis would make me some?”

  “She’ll make you more than some,” Misek promised with a grin. “You’ll need another cart to carry them away.”

  “I don’t know. One of the soldiers has a stomach on him like a starving jombeker.”

  “She’ll only see that as a challenge,” Banji said. “Go on, Myka,” he urged her, giving her a little nudge. “Your brother needs you.”

  “Obviously not enough,” she said tartly, but stood up anyway. “Well, come on. I don’t have all night. If you don’t want me, then I’m sure I can find someone who does want my company.”

  Kei braced himself to feel her pain and then put his arms around her. “Don’t,” he murmured, hugging her close. “Don’t, Mychichi. I love you, and I’ve missed you so much.”

  He heard her crying, and let her weep on him even though her sadness sliced cruelly at his heart. “There, there, I’m only going away for a little while. It’s not like before. I’m not leaving under duress.”

  “It was horrible with you gone,” she said, her face pressed into his shirt. “I was worried sick.”

  “I know how you felt. Come on, come back to the house.”

  Banji nodded at him as Kei led his sister away. His friend understood, even if Myka was blinded by her surprise and anger. He’d comfort her and help her accept. It wasn’t forever.

  He kept his arm around her as they walked through the village. There were still people around, getting ready for the evening meal, and more good wishes were sent his way. “Everyone missed you,” she said.

  “And I missed you, more than you can ever know,” he replied. “Why did Reji have to leave again? He’s only been back a short while.”

  “Nearly three months. We left Darshek as soon as Ai-Kislik was rescued and by the time we got back, Ai-Albon was free. He didn’t know you were going to be here so soon, or leaving again. We needed tools and more supplies. He’s going to be surprised to see you in the city.”

  “I’ll look forward to it.” Stepping through the doorway of his own home for the first time in nearly six months moved Kei to sudden tears, and as he stood in the middle of the main room, looking at the familiar books, his mother’s collection of odd animal artefacts, a few interesting rocks his father had no space for in his library, he wondered if he was making a mistake to leave again. “Oh, gods,” he whispered. “I’m really home.”

  “Yes, you are, where you belong,” Myka said, leading him to a chair and making him sit. She crouched in front of him. “What did they do to you? It wasn’t just the hostages dying, was it?”

  “It was just...all of it.” He shook his head. “I can’t talk about it. Unless you were there and a hostage too, you can’t imagine...it was awful...but also, there were some good things,” he added, thinking of Arman and Jena and Karus.

  “How could there be anything good come from that?” she demanded. “The Prij are just animals. It makes me sick that one of them is here, it truly does. How can you stomach him, touching him—if I was his healer, I’d have let him die.”

  “Myka! It’s entirely wrong to say you’ll pick and choose your patients. I’m ashamed to hear you say that—so would Ma be, if she was here.”

  “I don’t care,” she said, her chin coming up defiantly. “He’s a murderer. I think they should all disappear off the face of the earth.”

  “That’s exactly what the Prij think about us, and just what he did. He’s changed his mind as he’s got to know us. You should at least get to know them—or him.”

  “Not interested. They took you and nine of my friends away, and killed our people. That’s all I care about.”

  Kei looked at her sadly. “Then you have a lot to learn before you can truly call yourself a healer. I’m not going to argue this with you, but I say to you—General Arman is a man just like any other, with faults and goodness like any other. He’s a fine person and I consider him a friend.”

  “Friend? Are you insane? Kei, he’s done something to you, keeping you prisoner, it’s warped you.”

  She gripped his arms to make her point, but he winced and made her let go. “I won’t deny it’s changed me. I won’t deny I’m damaged. But I’m not insane.”

  She got up and walked to the centre of the room so she could glare properly at him. “Are we going to spend our first night back together arguing?”

  “No, I don’t want to. I need medical supplies, and some personal effects.”

  “Medical? For him?”

  He was so damn tired of this attitude. He stood so he could use his superior height to impose his authority. “Yes, for him,” he said severely. “If I ever hear you’ve refused help to a sick person on account of their race or your personal preference, I’ll disown you and I mean that entirely seriously. I’ll always love you—but I’ll turn my back on you if you shame me and our parents in this way.”

  She stared up at him in shock. “Kei—”

  “I mean it. I’m done with those of our profession who abjure the ethics we all believe in. I’m sick of prejudice and hate and violence. I just want peace...and I swear to you, that man lying in Reji’s house only wants it too. I don’t care what you think you know, or what you believe—Arman is throwing away all that’s important to him to right the wrongs he and his people have done, and if you can show to me how that makes him a lesser human being, then good luck to you. I still won’t listen to you.”

  She was still staring at him. But then, slowly, she reached up her hand to touch his face—he discovered from her touch that his cheeks were wet. “I’m sorry, Keichichi,” she whispered. “One day...will you tell me what they did?”

  He caught her hand and forced himself to smile at her. “Yes—but only if you stop worrying about General Arman being here and agree to be wed tomorrow.”

  That surprised a laugh from her. “No, I can’t! I haven’t even made a headpiece!”

  He grinned and grabbed the tail of her braid so he could wind it around her head like a crown. “That’s the only headpiece you need with your beauty. Don’t tell me between you with your clever fingers and Sira and Pijli, you can’t make yourself look respectable, woman, because I’ll call you a liar.”

  “But Banji—”

  “Won’t even look at your hair, Mychichi, because he’ll be staring into your big eyes. I really am happy for you two—you truly love each other?”

  “Yes, we truly do,” she said, her emotions flooding with affectionate pride and happiness at the thought of her pledge mate. “He wasn’t sure for the longest time, but while we were in Darshek, he was so good with everyone, and I think it helped get over Ban’s death and sort a few things out in his head. I really love him. It’s weird because I’ve known him all this time and he was right under my nose.”

  So they’d both been confused by the same thing. “Sometimes you can’t see for looking, I guess. Will you let Fedor wed you tomorrow? You can have a celebration later, but I don’t want to be the cause of you two delaying setting up house. Wil
l you live here?”

  She bit her lip and looked up hopefully. “Would you mind?”

  “My sister and my best friend living in my house? Mind? Are you kidding?” He put his hands on her shoulders. “Please, Myka.”

  “Oh, don’t give me those eyes—no, you know I’m helpless when you do that...stop it,” she giggled as he tickled her. “No, no! All right, all right, you win!”

  He set her free. “Good. Then you go tell Banji and Fedor and make your preparations. I’ll come back here tomorrow.”

  “Kei?”

  “Yes, Mychichi?” Now what was it?

  “Um. This general—you say he’s really a friend?”

  “Yes,” Kei said firmly. “Someone I’m truly proud to know.”

  “Oh.” She looked down and he sensed her confusion. “But he’s so cruel. They’re all cruel.”

  “Yes, that’s true, but it’s also not as simple as that. The main thing is that he won’t interfere with your wedding and you should just enjoy yourself. Forget about him.”

  “All right.” She pulled him down for a kiss. “Let me give you the food I laid in for his arrival and then you can get back to him.”

  “Thank you. I already told you—but you know I love you, I hope.”

  “And I love you. I’m sorry for being such a harridan.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I was expecting it...ow!” She’d yanked his braid. “Well, I was,” he said, rubbing his scalp.

  “Charming.” She went to the kitchen and assembled a sack of food, bread, vegetables and cheese. “I’ve not made anything hot because I wasn’t sure when you would arrive or what you would want, but Meis can give you something if he needs it. I’ve drawn you some beer—I thought you’d be missing that.”

  “Like you would not believe, sister mine. I’ve honestly not had a decent mug of proper dark ale since I left the village.”

  “Then enjoy this and we’ll have more tomorrow, when we’re one family, you, me and Banji. I wish Reji was here. He’ll be cross.” She handed him the sack of food and a corked jug.

  “He’ll survive.” He kissed her cheek, relieved and pleased she was over her temper. It was much easier to keep control of his gift now she wasn’t stabbing at it with her always strongly expressed emotions. Kei had always admired Myka’s fiery passion—it was just a rather two-edged sword in the circumstances. Still, all things considered, their reunion had gone a lot better than he’d feared.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Arman was tired, but there was no way he could sleep until he saw Kei again. He lay in the dark on his own for a good hour, but then he heard Kei’s voice and that of another man—Teki?—in the front of the house. Shortly after, Kei came in with a lamp and set it on the table. “You should be sleeping,” he said severely.

  Arman ignored the reprimand, long used to Kei’s fussing. “What happened? Are they very angry, or have they convinced you to stay?”

  Kei seemed calm—rather tired and perhaps a little stressed, but nothing like Arman had feared he would be. “Not that. They were angry but not as much as they might have been.” Kei sat down on the bed and took Arman’s hand—not even making a pretence of feeling his pulse as he did so. “The main difficulty, apart from them being rather surprised, is that my sister’s pledged to my friend and I’m interfering with her wedding plans. I’ve talked her into having a ceremony tomorrow so at least I won’t be standing in the way of her and Banji starting their life together. They need each other and they make each other happy.”

  “You don’t think their plan might be best for all concerned? You know as well as I do that this new healer could look after me.”

  Kei gave him a fierce look. “I reached the age of majority over two years ago, and have been our clan’s healer for nearly as long. Just because I got dragged off to Kuprij didn’t suddenly make me a child. I’m perfectly capable of making decisions about my life and my patients, and I would like everyone—including you—to remember that.”

  “I always remember that,” Arman said calmly. “I’m just wondering why that particular decision.”

  “Because...you know I need to go to Darshek. Nothing’s changed. And....” His hand on Arman’s tightened a little. “I feel some responsibility for you, what you’re planning to do. To walk away from you when you’ve made such an important choice and are giving up so much...it would be wrong. It wouldn’t be the act of a friend.”

  Arman felt ridiculously warmed by Kei’s simple statement. “Then I accept your decision—thank you.” Kei gave him a sweet smile, which warmed him even more. “Does this mean you’re going to be away all day tomorrow arranging a wedding?”

  Kei laughed. “Gods, I hope not. No, Myka will line up people far more qualified than me to help, and we men folk will be hiding away from enraged women and trying not to breathe funny in case they notice us and make us do something ridiculous. Also, drinking beer, which reminds me—my sister is one of the best brewers in our village, if not in north Darshian. She’s given me some to bring back here. Fancy a mug?”

  “I’d be delighted. Can I get up? I don’t really feel like sleeping just yet, and eating in bed seems indulgent.”

  Kei helped him stand—it was now easier and easier to be moved around, although his ribs and his leg still ached a good deal—and to hop out into the front room, to be seated at the table in the kitchen. “Your lover won’t mind us taking over his house?”

  “Don’t think so,” Kei said, setting a mug of beer down in front of Arman. “He’s away about half the year anyway, and provided I don’t have sex with someone else in his bed, he won’t care.”

  That frank statement made Arman flush with embarrassment, which he covered by taking a sip of the beer. It was good—heavier and less sweet than the stuff they drank in the south, but with a pleasing warmth to it. “Please give my compliments to your sister. This is a fine brew.”

  “Yes, it is,” Kei said, sitting down with his own mug and taking a long appreciative slurp. “Gods, I missed this.”

  “You must have missed it all. It’s a shame I’ll see so little of your home—I wasn’t in a mind to care last time I ‘visited’,” he said, giving Kei a wry smile. “I suppose they really hate me here.”

  “I think they do. I’m sorry. I tried to explain to Myka but...she’s young,” he said kindly. “She sees things in black and white, no shades to her thinking.”

  Arman had to smile at Kei, all of twenty, twenty-one, looking down on his sister with the wisdom of his advanced age. “My friend, you’re not a great one for shades of grey either.”

  Kei acknowledged that with a nod. “But...I’ve changed a lot. It was only when I came back here that I really saw it. Things were simple before—and now they’re not. Were you like Myka once?”

  “I don’t know her to judge, but yes, I thought in absolutes, as all children do. Karus taught me to see things in a more rounded way—but my greatest, wisest teacher was a young healer from a little place called Ai-Albon. I owe him a good deal and will always do so.”

  Kei flushed and looked down at the table. “I could say the same about you. I tried to tell her that being a hostage was horrible, but there were some good things about it...she thought I was insane. Maybe I am insane. But I also see things more clearly, I think.” He lifted his head. “Can one be insane and also wiser?”

  “You’re asking the wrong person.” Kei shrugged—he hadn’t really expected an answer, Arman supposed. “I’m starving—do you have to fetch food from somewhere?”

  Kei stood and went over a shelf, removing a sack. “No, we have bread and cheese and potted vegetables. She’s given me some gren nuts—you might not have had those before because they’re pretty local, but they’re good. If you want a hot meal, my friends can provide it.”

  “Bread and cheese and more of this beer will be fine.”

  “Good—I don’t know that I feel up to facing any more people this evening.”

  He fetched plates and implements with the ease of someone who
knew exactly where everything was kept, but then he’d known Reji for ten years, so that was hardly surprising.

  “And your gift?” Arman asked diffidently. “Has it been as difficult as you feared?”

  Kei shook his head as he continued laying the food out. “Not as much, no. I used to have such good control,” he muttered. “Now I feel I have to always watch who I meet, how they will react. And this is even when I’ve been spending all my time with you, with you acting as a buffer. I wondered about how you do that. Maybe you have a gift too.”

  Arman hadn’t expected that suggestion. “Me? I’ve never heard of any Prij who could speak with their thoughts, or feel emotions the way you do.”

  “Nor I, but at the same time, if we can do it, then surely someone in your race can too. The Andonese have gifted people, or so I’ve been told. Not as many, I think.” He sat down and Arman slice some cheese for himself as Kei dished out the potted vegetables.

  “So, you have soul-touchers and mind-speakers. Is that it?”

  Kei shot him a look. “Why? What else could there be?”

  “Oh...I just hear rumours, myths.... I heard one of my men talking about the Darshianese being able to speak without moving their mouths which I dismissed at the time as pure nonsense. Since it turned out not to be, I wondered how much of what else he said was true.”

  Kei was still giving him the oddest of looks. Then he picked up a small sack of nuts and pulled one out. “Put out your hand.” Puzzled, Arman obeyed. “Now watch.”

  Wondering if Kei had actually lost his mind, Arman looked at the little brown nut. As he did so, it rose gently about an inch from his hand. “Gods!” he shouted, pulling his hand away—but the nut stayed where it was, suspended above the table. “Are you doing that?”

  Kei snatched the nut out of the air and clenched his fist around it. “Yes. I’m what they call a mind-mover. Apparently it’s very unusual to have two gifts, but I didn’t know that until Jena told me.”

  Arman stared at him in amazement. “So, what else can you do? Move boulders and the like?”

  “No, that’s about the limit of it. I can’t move anything heavy, or very far. It’s not much use except in my healing because it helps me stop bleeding and find fragments in the body. It’s useful in setting bones too, sometimes.”