by TJ Muir
A few days later, Jay was at the cottage, getting ready to go out when Kirrin stopped him.
“You're going over to Trey's house tonight,” Kirrin said, surprising Jay.
“Yes, I mentioned that this morning.”
Kirrin nodded. “Hak'kar has sent a request. There are papers that he would like, that are in the father's possession. There are some invoices from White Coast that he wants. And there has been correspondence between Da'har Zayam and Da'har Pavan. The So'har would like these letters. There is discussion between the two men regarding the southern desert border and the skirmishes that have been escalating.”
“Does he want the letters, or for me to read them and relay the information? Wouldn't the disappearance of important information be noticed?”
“The letters. Do not get caught.”
Jay looked at Kirrin, surprised.
“Those were his instructions to you.”
Jay shrugged, as he grabbed his jacket and headed out.
Trey's House was one of the finer ones in the city. It had a quiet elegance, with sculpted shrubs and bushes. But their landscaping was all shapes, geometric, curves, and spirals. Even the drive, swept around to the front where there were a circular garden and a fountain in the shape of a seashell. The cedar bushes along the low steps to the front doors were shaped in the same tapered elegance of a seashell. It reminded Jay of his pendant, which he kept tucked safely in a pouch under his shirt.
As he went up the steps, he heard a voice call out from up above. Trey was upstairs, on the balcony above the doors.
“You're early,” he said.
“Am I?”
“Not really,” Trey called back down, laughing. “I'm just late.”
Jay worried for a moment. Was he early? He thought he was appropriately on time. He didn't always understand things that his friends took for granted.
Trey was leaning on the railing, soft blue stone, almost a light gray.
“I forgot you would be on time,” Trey said. “I'll be right down. Unless you want to come up?”
Jay tilted his head, unsure what Trey meant. Did he mean to come through the house, or was he challenging him to climb up to the balcony? Jay had always been nimble and had acquired a reputation for his agility. Trey glanced down at the columns that supported the balcony and grinned. Jay felt the invitation, and couldn't resist. He grabbed hold of a vine that twisted around the furthest pillar, and within a few moments was standing next to his friend. Trey laughed aloud and clapped Jay on the back. “A right perfect thief you'd make,” Trey exclaimed.
Jay felt a twinge of guilt there, but shook it off, knowing Trey couldn't possibly guess what he was up to. He followed Trey back into the house, down the corridor into Trey's wing. Trey had his own wing in the upstairs. It was larger than most homes. A lot of space for one person, Jay thought.
Before long a dozen or so of Trey's closer friends filled the space. A lively game of polarity broke out- minus rules or boundaries and everyone dashed about the rooms wildly. A few things got broken along the way, but Trey didn't seem the least bit worried and encouraged everyone to just keep playing. A casualty of war, he called it, laughing and dodging at the same time.
There was a special rivalry at this game between Trey, Taj, and Yaran. At the end, coins changed hands, but it was all good-natured and friendly. Exhausted and sweaty, everyone finally collapsed wherever they were- no winner having been declared.
“I think it is time to get wet,” Trey proclaimed, standing up with mock authority. “To the pools,” he said. Jay knew there were rock pools in the back gardens of the property. But he didn't really swim. As everyone roused themselves, he hung back and took that opportunity to slip down the servants’ passage unnoticed.
He had visited Trey's house several times before. So he had an idea of the layout. He was pretty sure that there was an office or a denon the main floor. Jay guessed that might be where he would find what he needed. At least it was the best place to start. He could hear servants in the kitchens, but other than that, the house seemed fairly quiet. Now that he thought about it, he rarely saw anyone around during the day. He wondered where they spent their time. Maybe they all had their own private wings and never came out. Or maybe Trey's family never spent any time in their home.
He crossed the lobby and wandered into the dining hall. If anyone caught him, he could easily say he had gotten turned around, and was heading outside to find the others. He heard a door close upstairs, probably a servant, and he slipped into the study that Trey's father used. He pushed the door mostly-closed behind him. He wanted privacy, but he also wanted to be able to hear if anyone was coming.
The study smelled of parchment and a cedar oil. A desk sat in one corner, with cabinets behind it. And there was a table, with papers, and maps spread out. Jay searched there first. He knew what he was looking for, or hoped he would recognize it when he saw it. He was distracted by the map, though, ever curious about the world around him. The map showed the southern region, Tatak Rhe way up in the corner, and down toward White Coast. White Coast was where the invoices were from.
Jay hoped he was close to what he needed to find. He didn't like doing this to a friend. Even if he had only met the Da'har once, that didn't matter. He felt like he was stealing from Trey. And he didn't want to get caught here. But the map was curious. And it showed the desert that spread to the east of White Coast. The map noted known or suspected locations of the desert tribes and the notes on the paper were talking about suggested attack routes. Was the Da'har part of this southern war? Jay didn't know much about what was going on, but he had understood that it was just a border skirmish between desert tribes. Why would a Da'har interest himself in that or worse, get involved in it? Jay made note of what he read, in order to pass the information back to Hak'kar.
Next to the maps, Jay found the invoices, with similar notes on them. Strange. What could invoices for spice trade have to do with the border trouble? He looked at them closely and realized they didn't really make sense. He had seen invoices before. He shoved them into his pocket. He rummaged through the rest of the papers on the table, hoping to find the letters. He wasn't that lucky. While he was there, he heard noises from outside the door.
He froze, climbing up into one of the large chairs, tucking his feet up. From what he could tell, it was the servants. He was pretty sure he would be safe. If anyone actually walked into the room, he would be doomed. As quietly as he could, he tried to turn the chair further, so that it faced away from the door.
“Take the ink jars and put them in the Da'har's study,” he heard from outside. His heart started to race. Should he stay where he was or try to find a better place to hide? If they came in and put things on the table, he would be safe. But if they walked over to the desk, he would be caught.
At the last second, he dove behind the opening door. He heard the soft sound of footsteps on the carpet but he couldn't tell where they were coming from or if they were still in the room. He fought down his panic, knowing how close he was to being caught. He took a deep breath. And another, trying to force down his fear. But his head was spinning. With hands clenched in terror, he wished very hard that whoever was in the room would just leave already. Then there was a crash from out in the dining hall, and whoever was in the room, rushed back out with a cry.
“What happened here?” he heard someone ask.
“I don't know. I heard the crash from the study.”
“Well hurry up, get a broom from the kitchen to clean up this mess,” the first voice said. “Statue’s ruined. Get it out of here.”
On the other side of the door, which was still wide open, Jay forced himself to relax. He still needed to find the letters. He waited until he heard the sounds of debris being cleaned up, and then footsteps fading. Then he crept out from behind the door, and quietly half-closed the door at the same time. The thanked the gods that the door didn't squeak. And then he headed over to the desk.
Fortunately, Trey's father
was more organized and neater than his son. It didn't take him long to rifle through a stack of correspondences and find what he thought Hak'kar had asked him for. He buried them inside his jacket. The inner pocket was bigger than he would have thought, and it had buttons on at the top, to keep important things from falling out. As Jay fastened them, he remembered that Hak'kar had his clothes tailored for him. Now he understood why. But he needed to decide whether to stick around and act normal or if he should get out quickly before anyone discovered the theft.
It felt like he had been gone forever, but he realized it had only been a few short minutes, and could probably slip back into the midst of the pool party without being obvious. If anyone asked, he could always say he was taking a nature break. Just to be safe, he decided to stash his jacket outside in the bushes. That was easier anyway, he thought, as he dashed out across the dining hall and into the front entry. The doors to the veranda were open, and he slipped through, hopping down to the ground.
He knew he wanted to hide his jacket where he could get it easily, but where it wouldn't be noticed. He found a spot by the far corner of the house, tucking it in behind a large white flowery bush.
“Hey there,” he heard from behind him. He looked up, startled. Yaran came up behind him.
“What are you doing there? Getting sick?”
“Hardly,” Jay said, caught off guard. “I was just going to pick one of these flowers,” he said, pointing to a cluster of red flowers nearby, moving away from the white flowers, and his jacket.
“Why?” Yaran asked, looking suspicious.
Jay shrugged. “You never know,” he said, trying to sound mysterious.
Yaran just looked at him and shook his head.
“What were you doing up here, anyway?” Jay asked, hoping to shift the conversation. He watched as Yaran squirmed, clearly looking uncomfortable. Now Jay was curious.
Something in Yaran's colors was decidedly off. “I was looking for Trey's brother. He said to meet him out front.”
Jay didn't know why that would make Yaran look that way. But he didn't get a chance to pursue it, as Taj called Yaran, and the man clapped Jay on the shoulder and walked off. “Good luck with your girl.”
Fortunately, no one missed Jay. They were climbing out of the pool as he returned. The pools were three levels, with a sliding board into the middle one and a rope swing over the top. There was a second rope that swung out over the lowest pool as well. Trey was in midair when he arrived and landed with a holler and a splash. Then he climbed out, reaching for a towel to dry off. Jay was glad of the timing because he hadn't spent much time around water, and didn’t want his friends to see that he couldn’t swim.
After that night, Jay spent time laying low. He was pretty sure that he had made the statue break in Trey’s House. He had been scared, and wanted the servant to leave, and then a statue in an empty room had crashed to the floor. He had no other explanation for what happened. Thoughts about that almost pushed aside his guilt for stealing the documents, but not quite. It was one thing to accidentally overhear things, and even to make a point of eavesdropping. Even the occasional trespass didn't bother him too badly. In part, because it felt like no harm was done, nothing that he could get caught doing-- other than being rude. But this? This was stealing from someone he knew and called a friend. He didn't think he could look Trey in the eye now.
He visited Turner and spent a day helping the man out. And he wandered around some of his old haunts. But it didn't feel the same; he wasn't the same. And he spent a while in the archives, looking at fliers and maps of the world. He was especially interested in maps of the southern region now. Whatever could the Da'har be interested in? And more, what was it that was also of interest to Hak'kar? He didn't find any answers there, but at least he was able to distract himself.
“See? I told you this was the place to find him,” Diya said to Trey, as Jay was coming down the steps of the archives. The two of them walked up, each of them taking him by an arm.
“We have decided to come and save you,” Diya said.
“Save me from what?” he asked.
“From those dusty old books,” Trey said, smiling. “We're all going boating. 'We.' That means you.”
Trey had invited Findal, Jay, and Diya to go boating up the canals. The weather was warm, a light breeze coming up the river, and Trey had just gotten a new boat, a present from his father. Faenyr made. Small enough to handle easily, large enough to accommodate his friends.
The boat felt like a floating island garden. Moss green, with trees and vines painted along the sides. And the boat itself had beds of plants and flowers along the bamboo rails and mats. Organic, living, and elegant. Jay had been impressed by the splendor he had experienced in Tatak Rhe. Here, he was impressed with something deeper. This was majestic, even in its simplicity.
And, it was fully stocked. There were areas that converted for sleeping, and eating, the sides were currently rolled up and open, and cushions and pillows were scattered about against low walls that served as backrests for a make-shift dining and den area. The four of them lounged out on the front deck.
Trey hopped up to check the steering. “I'm a fantastic sailor. I should try my hand down at White Coast, or to the Western Isles.”
Findal threw a chunk of bread at him, laughing. “Of course it's easy to sail. It's a Faenyr boar. Didn't you yourself say they 'practically sail themselves.'”
They all laughed at that. Jay was more at his ease than he had been since the H’katta. In moments like this, he felt the edges of normalcy returning to his life. Granted, he often felt like he was in a very surreal dream- so far removed from his origins, in only a few short years. But he nudged those memories aside and passed cider around to the group.
Trey had not randomly picked the four of them. Jay guessed that immediately. So had the others, he was fairly sure. So, Trey had decided to go after Findal, after all. Jay wondered what kind of a match that would make. Despite her being a semi-regular part of their group, and one of the first people he had met, he didn’t know her very well. But looking into her colors, he didn’t read anything that distressed him, and she seemed to be attracted to Trey.
Of course, he wasn’t giving it a whole lot of thought. His own mind was racing, overwhelmed with Diya-thoughts and sensations. She had been like a best friend- the only term he could think that described their connection. But now, now that he was awake, and had more experience, he was no longer sure what their relationship was- or what he wanted it to be. One moment he was dying to share something he had seen. At other times he wanted to touch her. And he occasionally found himself angry with her for no reason. The whole romance, sex, and emotions, was a very frustrating part of his life.
The sun was setting, and the rosy light blurred against the blue and cream colored light of the moons that were rising together- blue Breshan trailing slightly behind honey-golden Triappa. They had laughed eaten and drunk the afternoon away. Jay felt far more relaxed now. He found that a bit of alcohol took the edge off of the sensory input. The four of them watched the sunset, the boat anchored in a quiet cove. They had quickly paired up, and now were snuggled up, leaning back against cushions. Nothing but the soft soothing sound of the river, and birds singing.
Findal sat up suddenly, a devilish grin on her face. Jay looked over, lazily, wondering what she had in mind.
“Time for a swim!” she exclaimed, jumping up.
“Has the Nibbin stolen your sanity?” Diya asked, looking happily worried. “The water is probably colder than the western isles in winter- even in the cove, here.”
“The sun has been hitting the cove all day. Besides,” she countered, “what’s a bit of cold, anyway? This is a dare!” And with that, she ducked under the boat's canopy, and began stripping off her clothes.
This was certainly different. Jay wasn’t quite sure what to do here if this was ordinary; he looked over at Trey, for some hint, a cue as to what was expected.
Trey shrugged back,
grinning. “A dare is a dare!” he said, getting to his feet, peeling off his sweater.
Jay looked to Diya next, and she was scrambling to her feet, racing iside the boat- taking up the challenge with total enthusiasm.
He sighed deeply. He wasn’t ashamed of his body- not anymore. But he wasn’t used to public nudity. And also, more worrisome- he wasn’t the greatest swimmer. Where they were tearing out of their clothes, in a race to see who would be the first one to take the plunge, Jay was a few steps behind.
Diya was the first to plunge, head first, off the boat and into the water. Findal leaped before Diya even broke the surface. Trey looked at Jay, “let’s go, we must make a stand for the sake of our gender.”
Jay confessed, lowering his voice. “I’m not a great swimmer,” hoping Trey would take pity on him.
Instead, Trey laughed, good-naturedly, betraying Jay’s little secret, calling out to the girls waiting in the water, heads bobbing. “Our friend here is a bit scared of the water!” And with that, Trey pushed Jay over the side of the boat, laughing, as he dove in simultaneously- right over Jay’s tumbling body.
Jay came up, cursing profusely. “By the nine gods and all the unholy hells!” teeth chattering as he spoke. Trey came up right next to him, holding him steady by one arm.
“I’ve got you,” he assured Jay. “It’d look terrible, all over the city, think of the gossip if anything happened to you while you were on my boat,” he laughed, loving the shallowness of his own joke.
Jay nodded, through chilled lips, “Good to know,” and smiled back, understanding the joke, and the deeper truth.
The four of them splashed around for awhile, determined to see who could withstand the chilly water the longest. Once they were swimming about, their bodies adjusted better to the water. They tasked themselves with teaching Jay to swim, or swim better. By the time they were done, he could keep himself afloat and swim without going under or swallowing mouthfuls of water. Despite the chill, this was a moment of perfection. Jay wished it could last forever.
