“It’ll be droolie, either way,” said Lena, yawning.
“Lena, I’ve been meaning to tell you something about the children...” Scythe began hesitantly.
“What?” Lena asked.
“It’s nothing big, it’s just that...um, to the Kin, none of the ones taken are considered children.”
“Of course they are!” Lena smacked a pile of papers that hadn't quite made it all the way under the mattress. “Sixteen, sixteen, fifteen…there’s one fourteen years old, for heaven’s sake!”
“I know...but you’re thinking like a Human.”
“Yeah, I tend to do that,” she snapped.
“Lena, will you just listen? He’s trying to tell you something. I’m amazed he talks to you at all, the way you harp on him,” Ian reprimanded her.
Lena sent her brother the "I know you’re right and it bugs me to no end" look, before taking a deep breath and giving Scythe her attention.
“Thanks. I just wanted to say that, even though you think of the people who were kidnapped as kids, the Kin wouldn’t. They start giving their children responsibilities as early as seven or eight and by twelve, they are starting to really contribute in the home and then later in the community. To them, Human children are pampered; it is more like they are being kept than raised.”
He checked to see how they were receiving his words and, when they listened attentively, he continued, “A sixteen-year-old Kin is already making a life for himself, often even marrying, but certainly working. If I lived with the Kin, right now I’d be apprenticing in my chosen profession, not trying to beat the latest holo game like most thirteen-year-old Human children.”
“That’s...”
“Just the way they do it, Lena. You are not usually so judgmental,” corrected Ian.
“I know, Ian. It’s just that this whole thing has me crazy. I’m sorry I snapped at you, Scythe; it was out of line...”
“And bitchy,” Ian prompted.
She let out a sigh. “And definitely bitchy.”
Scythe said, “I’m not saying it makes the kidnapping any less terrible, but I just want you to know that the Kin wouldn’t think of this as a case of kidnapping children. The Kin…Well, they really love their children...” Scythe thought of the many times he had watched Kin families play and celebrate together and encourage each other in his childhood. He thought of his father’s warm embrace and look of pride.
“Well, the Kin need to understand that to us they are children, and that is what makes it so much more of an atrocity.”
“I guess that’s true, too,” Scythe said thoughtfully.
“Thanks for explaining, though; it does help to understand both sides. G’night, boys.”
“Good night, Lena.”
“Good night.”
-----------
The smell of clashing chemicals and Human illness in the small, white hospital room filled his head and then sunk down to settle in the back of his throat. Machines with bright displays and cheerful beeps filled the room, hovering over a bed that dwarfed Scythe’s shrunken mother. Scythe himself sat on the edge of the bed and held her hand. His gray face was a window thrown open to reveal the devastation he felt to anyone passing by.
Ian Young stood to the side, holding a woman who was heavy with child in his arms. Sometime later, Lena strode in, going right to Scythe and wrapping her arms around him.
She whispered, “Scythe, I’m so sorry.”
At first, he didn’t react to her. He just sat numbly watching. Finally, he pulled his eyes from his mother, closed them tightly, and leaned his face into Lena’s shoulder.
Chapter 5
Ian and Lena stood next to Scythe’s jeep at the edge of Yucca Valley, the farthest bordertown from Menelaus. The sun was not yet up, though its approach was heralded by a lightening horizon. Ian threw a final bag onto the backseat before turning to his sister, “Lena, we’ve already been over this. Why are you bringing it up again now?”
She shot him an angry look, “Because I think it’s a mistake. He’s thirteen, for heaven’s sake.”
Scythe’s idea of speaking to the Kin had been accidentally overheard one day when Scythe mentioned it quietly to Ian during lunch. It reached the ears of one of the supervising officers of the operation who brought it up for consideration at the next meeting. Soon a plan was in development to get around the ban on unauthorized interracial contact by sending a group of representatives to speak unofficially to the citizens of Poinsea, the Kin settlement closest to Menelaus and Scythe’s previous home. The hope was that the governor in that small, independent township would be both sympathetic to their emergency and helpful in locating the mercenary group that was operating within their area.
There were several problems that were immediately evident with finding a suitable team to represent their interests. Lena and Ian were both interested in the operation, although Ian had mixed feelings because of the danger involved; he had not volunteered for any high-risk missions since his daughter Mercy was born. It didn’t make any difference, though, because neither of them spoke enough Kin. In fact, in Scythe’s opinion, which he made clear when asked, none of the Humans who claimed to speak Kin fluently sounded to him sufficiently educated to negotiate with or curry favor with the Kin. The commander and his advisors had to agree that any language gap would seriously hinder the process. In addition, it was believed that a Human, with their significant social handicap, would not be respected in any case. The idea of sending a team went out the window with that one implacable truth. That left them with nothing, or with the halfbreed.
In the last case, Scythe did nothing to correct their mistake. The fact was that a halfblood like himself was in most ways lower than a Human in the minds of the Kin. Only within the family was a halfbood usually tolerated, and even then things could be very tense. Outside of the family, a halfblood was at best ignored and at worst...well there were a range of reactions, none of which were likely to help with what the border patrol wanted to accomplish. He had kept that information to himself, though.
Since Scythe was the only one of Kin parentage, and, because he had been born and raised in Poinsea, he seemed to be the natural choice. Scythe already had contacts there, was of an acceptable race as far as they knew, and spoke Kin better than anyone else available. Although no one said anything, Scythe also suspected that he was also considered the most expendable by far. That didn’t bother him at all, because returning to his hometown, if even for a short while, was exactly what he wanted to do. So, he lobbied for the plan’s adoption whenever he could.
Naturally, Lena and Ian staunchly disapproved and, because of their protests and Scythe’s age, the idea was shelved. However, as the weeks went by and as more raids slipped past them and more children continued to disappear, their team’s desperation forced them to consider it more seriously. Eventually the plan was approved.
“He was thirteen two days ago when the mission was cleared.”
She rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands, “Yeah, well, I’ve changed my mind.”
Scythe looked down at her from the driver’s seat. “What changed it?”
“Thinking about losing you for half the night! Scythe, the more I think about it, the more nervous I get.”
Scythe beamed at Ian, “She’s worried about me.”
Ian grinned back, “You little devil.”
“Idiots! Look, we are sending him in there alone with no possible way to retrieve him...”
Ian explained patiently, “Scythe is returning to the people who raised him for ten years safely. He and his mother were both treated better by the Kin than they were by us. He doesn’t feel threatened, do you, Scythe?”
“Not really. I’m Kin to them. Anyway, you guys would never make it, so I don’t see that you have much of a choice.”
“You’re right, Scythe. We don’t have any options, but you do. You don’t have to do this. I didn’t agree to this when I said I’d bring you out here to help.”
�
�Well, if you have a better idea, let’s hear it,” Ian prompted.
“You know I don’t Ian, you jerk.”
“Lena,” said Scythe patiently, “if you want me to stay, just say so.” As he said it, he realized that he had picked up some of their Human habits over the last few months.
“I want you to stay.”
“Naw, I’m going anyway.” Scythe put the car in gear. “I’ll be careful, don’t worry.”
To a flurry of words he hadn’t heard used in exactly that way before, Scythe turned the jeep around and headed down the road towards the Kin settlement where he grew up. Because the route he took was not on the main highway, the pavement was in bad condition and the ride was rough. He had to navigate around numerous potholes and areas that were overgrown, but it couldn't be helped. The secrecy of their mission made the inconvenient back road necessary. They were going in unofficially, so he didn’t have the papers that would have been required to travel on the usual highway, and in any case they didn’t want anyone to know they were sneaking around the ban.
Since driving was still new to him, he didn’t mind the inhospitable terrain. He was enjoying the feeling of control and power, and all the swerving and bumping just made it more exciting. The headlights pointed out the occasional early morning forager, and he held his breath until each one jumped away from the jeep loudly plowing down the road.
It was a good hour and a half to Poinsea, and he spent the time going over in his mind the plan he would enact when he arrived. The first thing he wanted to do was contact people that might know him. Scythe hoped he could find help from his cousin Prize and maybe his old trainers Smoke, Rend and Strike, if they had survived the raid. Keyrin, the son of the settlement’s leader, might also prove to be a good resource.
Scythe intended to find out if the Kin knew anything about the abductions, but that was only half of his reasons for volunteering. He felt a little bad about not being completely straightforward with Lena and Ian about his motives, but he had a feeling from some of the looks they had given him that they at least suspected his purpose. He accepted their silence on the matter as approval, or at least understanding.
One of the early plans conceived by the Human strategists was for him to enter the settlement as if he had escaped from Menelaus and then gather information as an insider. Scythe, turning off the side road onto an even more dilapidated one, shook his head just remembering it. He had finally spoken up to explain why it would never work.
“First, I’m a terrible liar, even though I’ve lived three years surrounded by the best…” He grinned at Lena’s loud, open laugh. “...so I could never do what you are suggesting here. Second, there is no way you can sneak around the Kin. They can smell you, hear you from far away, and when they catch you, they know if you’re not telling the truth...”
“Wait, are you saying that a Kin knows when you are lying?” an assistant interrupted, looking up from his screen. He glanced around at the others, “I thought that was a myth.”
“Sure. They can smell it when you start to sweat, and there’s this other smell you get when you panic at all. Of course, your heart starts beating like crazy for big lies. For smaller ones you might have just a tiny hitch in the beat. Most people flinch very slightly in certain places, usually in the forehead. Those are the dead giveaways, but there are others, too. Now, if you believe your lie, then you might be able to slip by, but other than that...”
Finally realizing that everyone was fixed on his words and the assistant was typing like crazy on his datapad, Scythe paused and shifted uncomfortably. Then he finished awkwardly, “Anyway, it won’t work. Besides, I’m not going to spy for you, not even for these kids.”
“So...the Kin don’t lie?”
“They don’t lie like you guys do, which is all the time.” He knew it was petty, but he felt some satisfaction in seeing their unsettled looks and the way they squirmed in their seats. “It’s just hard to get away with a blatant lie, so they get around it by telling half truths, or not answering, or avoiding getting asked. Mostly…well, it’s just different because the Kin are really direct and because...” Scythe fell silent.
“Because?”
“It’s usually considered dishonorable, a Human trait. You don’t want to get caught lying like a Human.”
After that, they weren’t as eager to hear his viewpoints, so they focused on working through another list of ideas and finally settled on a simpler plan, one that Scythe was comfortable pretending to go along with. Scythe would go and negotiate directly with the Kin, present their problem and then ask for help. The commander wanted him to be able to stay and look for answers in case he was refused, so he would also try to get into the settlement under the premise that he was unhappy living with the Humans and was looking to return to the home of his childhood. This was close enough to the truth that everyone agreed the Kin would probably not detect a lie. After he got accepted, he was supposed to see what he could find out about the missing children.
What amused Scythe and kept him going during the long, tedious process of flushing out plans with a large committee, was when the advisors would say things like, “You will have to think of some way to make Menelaus sound really terrible, or they might not believe you want to leave. We’ll have to be creative. Maybe we could brainstorm some likely complaints.”
It had taken them thirty minutes to come up with a tiny list. Humans really had no clue about the Kin. He could have made a list three times as long in five minutes without even thinking hard, but they were enjoying themselves, so he let them, accepted the list and even thanked them.
The truth was, Scythe had no intention of doing anything deceptive. He was direct, like his father’s people.
He felt his pulse quicken when he spotted the first Kin sentry on a cliff above the road ahead of him. The sentry was difficult to see because he was sitting close to the ground and was dressed in clothes that closely matched the bush behind him. The Kin didn’t move or even turn his head as Scythe drove by. Scythe released a breath he had been unknowingly holding, relieved at finding that the Kin were curious enough to at least see him and wouldn’t kill him on sight. Despite having assured Lena that he would be safe, Scythe had not been at all confident of his welcome.
Scythe drove past several more sentries before he reached the outer gate of the settlement. Two huge doors extended from one high cliff wall to another, closing a natural gap at the entrance to a series of canyons. Following the winding canyons would lead him to the valley where the Kin made their home. The gate to Poinsea was thrown open, and several Kin stood just inside waiting for him.
Scythe brought the jeep to a halt next to the cliff wall, turned it off, and, leaving the keys inside, stepped down. He took off his jacket and then his shoes and threw them into the back with his bag. Then he pulled the shirt over his head and let it fall to the ground. He stood for a moment, feeling the wind on his chest and the cool, rocky ground under his feet. Closing his eyes, he took a slow, deep breath, pulling into himself a scent he hadn’t known for three years: Kin. A tingling sensation spread through his chest and his eyes began to burn. Home. My home.
“Little brother, you coming?” A voice he remembered called out to him. He opened his eyes and, not trusting his voice, nodded and walked toward the small gathering. The one who had called him, Keyrin, he recognized easily, and he was surprised and relieved to see his old mentors were there as well. They were all fully-grown men now and had big smiles for him. Their muscled arms crossed in front of their chests comfortably, Smoke and Rend stood relaxed to the side, as always.
As he passed through the gates, his cousin Prize stepped forward and hugged him lightly. “Scythe, I’ve missed you. Look at how big you are! I can’t believe you’re actually here! For a long time, we assumed you were dead, or worse.” She put her arm through his, leading him back to the group. “Then we heard about you and your mom living in the city. I didn’t know if we’d see you again.”
“That’s where you
misjudged our brother, my Prize.” Keyrin stepped forward, laid his hand on Scythe’s shoulder and gripped it securely. “He has the Blood of the Kin, he will always belong here.”
Scythe was moved by Keyrin's show of kinship to a halfblood, no less unusual now than it had been years ago. To show his respect, he enacted his own plan for getting the information he wanted. He said to Keyrin, “The Humans want to know about the raids on the bordertowns and the missing people.”
Keyrin eyes widened before he said with a laugh, “So? Is that what this is all about? Well, we’ll talk about that later, Scythe. For now, let’s head to Poinsea, where you can get some acceptable clothes and good food.”
Leading Scythe and the others up the road that wound into the canyons, the governor’s son turned to the men around him, “You see how the Blood of the Kin brings back our brother to us? Even though they took him at ten and tried to make him theirs, see how easily their weak hold is broken?” He smiled at their nods, satisfied, and leaned in to speak to Scythe, “My advisors weren’t sure of you, thought you might be an enemy to the Kin, but I know you, Scythe, from long ago. I didn’t doubt you for an instant. The Blood binds us all.”
“So, Scythe, tell us about the Human city. We’ve heard all kinds of stories about how beautiful Menelaus is,” Prize said.
“It is beautiful, really high-tech and clean, but it’s also horrible.”
“Because of the Humans?” Smoke asked.
“Yeah, because of them.”
“We were told you were living among them, that you were one of them. Were they cruel to you?” asked Prize.
Halfblood Heritage Page 6
