Karik could only stare. “R-really? Me?”
“Of course. Reji has a mind like yours. You’ve picked up his curiosity, his good sense, but also Jena’s eye for the odd and the new. If Jena hadn’t wanted to be a village healer so badly, she could be doing my job, and a lot better than me too,” he said with a grin. “And your father is the smartest man I know. To have his son work with me would be an honour.”
Karik wanted to say since he wasn’t really Reji’s son, Kei would be getting a poor deal, but with Kei’s kind, smiling eyes turned on him, how could he? Besides, Kei already knew all that. “I’ll tr-try.”
“Good, that’s all I want. Would you like to see the anatomy lecture room? I think we’ve got rid of all the smelly bits, though I don’t suppose that bothers you.”
Over the next couple of hours, Kei took him to lecture rooms and work rooms, showed him where experiments were being carried out, and led him through the infirmary where particularly difficult medical cases were dealt with, and where healers were trained. Everywhere men and women—Darshianese, Prijian and Andonese—were hard at work, learning, seeking answers, investigating. Karik badly wanted to be one of them. Some seemed barely older than he was, but what they all had in common was their serious intent, the air of studiousness that clung to each one. Kei was greeted with affection wherever he went, clearly respected and loved. Karik felt proud to be seen in his company.
Kei finally took him out to the large gardens, which, while laid out in a formal, artistic manner, contained plants of considerable medical importance from many parts of Darshian and neighbouring countries. Kei lectured him in his familiar, gentle manner about the uses and growing habits of each they looked at, and Karik wondered how he could remember it all.
Finally, Kei led him to a bench that looked out over the harbour. “Well, do you like what you see?”
He nodded. “V-very much. I wuh-want it. Wuh-want to stay.”
Kei grinned. “Yes, I felt like that too. But I was so homesick, and then my parents died, six months after I got here. I didn’t finish my training for over three years. When I came back, Meki wanted me to help promote and develop the academy. And then we never left,” he said with a little shrug.
“S-still homesick?”
“Yes, sometimes. Lots of times, actually. Going home helps, of course. Seeing you lads too, of course. It’s something to consider, certainly, if you accepted my offer. It would be hard, leaving home, and I wouldn’t want anyone to suffer as I did.” He took a deep breath and gave Karik a bright, slightly forced smile. “Not that you would be forced to leave. If you chose to stay, you could still do a lot for us. I would want you to, regardless. I just want you to know you have a choice. I know Reji and Jena would want you to develop to the best of your potential. That’s all any parent would want.”
Karik wondered if his real mother would have felt that way. Kei of course noticed his shift in mood. “I didn’t tell you that my gift to you is in two parts,” he said gently. “And here comes the second part now.”
Confused, Karik looked in the direction Kei was pointing. A woman came towards them with a shy smile on her face. Kei got up and kissed her cheek. “Hello, Neka. Karik, this is Neka, one of our Gifted mind-speakers and my dear friend.”
Karik stood hastily and bowed deeply. He heard her laugh and looked up. “You’re more polite than your father, Karik. Don’t bow to me—it makes me feel old.”
“I’m s-sorry.”
“Neka, don’t tease,” Kei said, shaking his head at her. “Karik, I’m sure you’ve heard Jena mention Neka—and we’ve arranged for you to be able to speak to your mother and father. They’re waiting for you now.”
“Huh? R-really?” Of all the things Karik had wanted today, this was the one he’d wanted above all others. “N-now?”
“Yes, now,” Neka said, taking his hand and indicating he should sit. “Jena? He’s here.”
“Karik? How are you, dear?”
Karik started—he almost expected to see Ma standing in front of him, for all that mind-speaking was hardly new to him. “I’m fine—is Pa all right?”
“Of course I am, Karik.” Karik grinned, but then he gasped as he suddenly seemed to be right there with his parents, actually seeing them. Pa was smiling at him. “I see you don’t look much different at sixteen than you did at fifteen,” he teased.
“How...?” He turned to look at Kei, who sitting right next to him.
“Neka is a little more powerful than your mother,” Kei said. “Just enjoy it.”
Neka patted his hand. “Just behave as if you’re there with them. They can see you as if you were too.”
“Are you having a good birthday, dear? What have you been doing, and how did the trip go?”
Without having to worry about his stammer, it was so easy to tell Ma everything, including what had happened with the Ai-Kislik traders. He ‘saw’ his parents’ eyes fill with worry, and how Pa put his arms around Ma’s waist. “Are you still upset, Ka-chi? I’m sorry, I never thought to tell you about these things because I never thought you would need to know.”
“It’s all right, Ma. I understand. But... they said Arman killed a boy?”
“Yes...I don’t suppose you asked him.” Karik shook his head. “When you get home, we’ll talk. Properly. But it might be best not to mention it to Arman. It’s a very painful subject.”
“I understand. Ma...he told me about....” He couldn’t say his ‘mother’ because the woman he’d learned of was hardly that. “About Mayl.”
“Ah. And your father?”
“He wouldn’t tell me who he was. He told me not to go asking questions either.”
“What did he say exactly, Ka-chi?”
Neka nudged him. “I can show them exactly, if you like.”
He nodded, and then he was remembering the conversation with Arman—from the looks on his parents’ faces, they were seeing it as he had. “I see,” his mother said with a tight-lipped expression. “How do you feel?”
“All right. Kei helped.” He wondered if Kei could hear all of this.
“He can’t,” Neka said suddenly. “He can only sense your emotions as he normally can. You have privacy, Karik, I promise.”
It didn’t really matter. He’d just felt awkward talking about Arman in front of his lover. “Ma, I’m not mad at Arman.”
“I know, dear. I understand why he’s done things this way, but I know it’s not what you were hoping for. I hope you won’t let it ruin your visit. We miss you terribly, you know.”
“I miss you.” Hs eyes were getting scratchy, but then he felt arms being put around him from either side, almost as if his parents were hugging him. Even though he knew it was just Neka and Kei, it made him feel better.
“You’ll be home soon. Now, tell us what you’re doing tomorrow.”
He spent another few minutes chatting to them, Kei and Neka’s arms still comfortingly around him, and it eased the deep ache of homesickness in him that he’d carried since he’d left his village. He wondered if he could ever take up Kei’s suggestion if being away for this short time had hurt so much. Hearing his parents’ voices made him certain he could never leave them again.
It was his Ma, finally, who suggested they should stop. “Neka’s a busy woman, dear, and Kei will have things to do.”
“I can let you talk to them again before you go,” Neka added. “If you ever need to talk to them urgently, I can hear you anywhere in Darshek.”
“So there you go, son,” Pa said. “You enjoy the rest of your birthday and the rest of the visit, and you’ll be home in four weeks. It won’t take as long to come back, and if this harridan you call a mother lets me, I might even ride out and meet you halfway.”
Ma gave Pa a smack for that comment, and Karik grinned. “I’d like that, Pa. Are you sure you’re all right?”
“My ribs are still sore and my leg aches a bit, but I’m walking fine. By the time you get back, you won’t ever know I was injured.”
“Pa!”
“Yes, tell him, Karik, he won’t listen to me. Damn stubborn bastard.”
“Language, you old hag,” Pa said, winking at Karik. “Off you go, son, and give my love to Kei. I’ll be up before the summer to plague him.”
“I will. I love you, Pa, Ma.”
“And we love you, son,” Ma said. “We’ll speak later. Thank you, Neka.”
“Anytime, Jena. He’s a good boy, your son.”
The vision of his parents disappeared, and Karik blinked. His companions were still holding him. “Well, did you enjoy that?” Kei asked.
“Yes. Th-thank you, Neka.”
She squeezed him and then let him go. “It really was no trouble. I know how much Jena misses you. We talk all the time—she’s so proud of you. You were such a pretty baby, and now you’re a fine man.”
“Y-you saw me?”
“Neka came with Arman and the others to help rescue the hostages, including your Ma,” Kei explained. “In fact, without her, we’d never have done it. She was on the ship when Arman brought you back.”
“I haven’t seen you since,” Neka said, patting his hand, “but your mother tells me all about you, so I feel like I know you. It’s nice to meet you again, though.”
“A-again—L-Lord Meki s-said that.”
“Oh, Meki was with us too,” Neka said. “Lots of us were. The big adventure, right, Kei?”
“In a way,” Kei said with a smile. “Thank you, Neka. I thought to bring Karik and the others to visit in a few days, before they go. Do you think the others would mind?”
“Meda will kill you if you don’t,” she said, grinning. “But I better get back—Jera will fuss. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He nodded and then she walked off across the grass. “D-does she l-listen all the t-time?”
“Well, technically, she does—she can hear anyone, any time, at least in Darshek plain, and a good distance beyond with the help of other mind-speakers. But she doesn’t really listen—it’s more background noise. If she wants to hear something or someone, she concentrates. Those of us she knows personally can ‘hail’ her if we think loudly enough. Don’t worry,” Kei said, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “She’s perfectly discreet—she knows everything about everyone, but you’d never hear it from her lips. She would never share anything she hears with another without consent either, any more than your mother would. Neka’s a remarkable woman—all of the Gifted are. I’m sure you’ll like them.”
Karik was rather overawed by the idea of meeting more of these strange people. He also felt a little shaky emotionally, but before he could even decide how to hide it, Kei hugged him close, holding him until he felt calmer. “Big day,” Kei murmured. “You don’t have to feel like you have to carry it all on your own shoulders. Your family is more than your parents. I’m still your uncle, aren’t I?”
“Y-yes, uncle Kei.”
Kei chuckled. “I really don’t know what’s worse, being called ‘master’ or ‘uncle’, but I like it, in a funny kind of way. Right. Let’s walk the long way back to the house, and I can show you a few things. We don’t want to be late back—Pira is making you a special meal and she’s a wonderful cook.”
Voyaging: 8
Kei closed the washroom door behind them, and then turned to Arman. “Well, do you want to tell me why you’ve been radiating guilt all evening, or do I have to guess it’s to do with your little chat with Karik?”
Arman grimaced. “I made a bit of a mess of things, Kei. I’m sorry. I just couldn’t tell him about Mekus, or Mayl being my wife—I couldn’t. Bringing them into his life...or Reji and Jena’s.... I don’t know what they’ll think, though.”
Kei took over unlacing Arman’s shirt for him. “I think they’ll understand in time,” he said gently, skimming his hands up Arman’s side. “Karik doesn’t hold it against you, if that’s what’s been worrying you.” He cupped Arman’s face and kissed him. “He says he knows you’re only trying to protect his family.”
Arman pulled away, unwilling to be praised on this. “Why does it hurt so much after all this damn time? Every time I think...think of her, him—I feel like I want to vomit. Why?”
Kei pulled him close again. “You tell me. Are you angry? Ashamed? Feel betrayed? Do you wish it had turned out differently—”
“No! That’s the one thing I don’t want.” He pulled away again and went to the wall so he could lean on it, his arms folded around him. “I don’t know. Shame is some of it, shame at my failure.... Some of it is fear of what they might do. I shouldn’t have told anyone about Karik. Too many people know about Mayl and Mekus and it’s dangerous,” he said in all seriousness.
“You could have hardly concealed a Prijian child from us, and the questions and speculation would have been even worse. At least enough people know the truth and the reason for discretion. What else could you have done with him? Left him with Mayl?”
“Gods, no. But I could have given him to Mari. She would have been good for him, look how she raised Loke.”
“Yes, that could have been an option, but would she have derived the joy Jena did? And his status as an ‘orphan’ or adopted child in Utuk would have been far more prejudicial than in Ai-Albon.”
“Yes, I know and if I’m honest, this is much less about him than me, which only proves how selfish I am.”
Kei came to him and put his arms around him. “You’re the least selfish person I know, have ever known. I could wish you to be more selfish, in fact.”
Arman rested his head on his lover’s shoulder, grateful for his love, but not sure he deserved it. “I spoke to Meki today—he’s going to ask approval to put my name forward—and he’s agreed to all I asked. I, uh, asked him to stay on though.” He felt Kei draw breath to argue with him. “No, wait, not to work—but to keep an interest. The man will be dead in a month if you force him back to his farm. I know the type—damn it, I’m the same. We both need to be stimulated, and watching fruit ripen isn’t enough for him. He hasn’t got you to keep his mind alive.”
Kei looked at him seriously. “His condition is grave. He’s done what he can with diet and medicine, but the main thing is the workload. He needs to rest and learn to relax or he’s going to die in a very short time.”
“Yes, I know, but he can do that and still keep an interest in the country’s affairs. I promise to be a lot more active in making him take it easy, starting from tomorrow. You didn’t hear him, how...empty...he sounded. What he’s done for Darshian is a magnificent thing—he’s a good man, for all you don’t like him.”
“I do like him—he’s just pushy sometimes.”
“Hmmm, so are you when you want something. He’s convinced you dislike him. I find that sad.”
“Then we shall have to do something about that,” Kei said firmly. “But right now, I want you to calm down too. What’s done is done. Maybe in a few years you might be able to talk to Karik again—I think I might have convinced him to come back to Darshek and study when he’s older. Mekus really can’t hurt you, or us—not with the protection of the Rulers. Mayl might be his wife now, but she’s powerless. You protected me from her spite even in Utuk. What can she do here?”
“I don’t know. It’s probably irrational, I grant you that. It’s just what my instincts tell me. Look, will you apologise to the lad for me? Say...in a few years, or even when he comes back, we’ll speak again. You can tell him what a damn fool you have for a lover.”
Kei tapped him on the nose. “I have no such thing. But I’ll speak to him, perhaps in a couple of days. Today was rather overwhelming for him. Let him get his feet back under him, and I’ll plan it so he can talk to his parents again afterwards.” He kissed Arman’s cheek. “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
Arman let Kei comfort him because frankly, he needed it, and to make love to him, to reassure himself that his life was sound and not under threat f
rom his past. But that night, as Kei lay asleep in his arms, he wished he hadn’t told Karik as much as he had. If he were Karik, the little he had learned would only make him more curious. Perhaps Kei was right, and he should offer to give the boy the full story in a year or so, if he would wait.
He wondered now why he hadn’t thought to give Karik to Mari. She would have taken the baby without a moment’s hesitation. Certainly his parentage would have meant nothing to her, but it would have meant something to Arman’s father and been as difficult to put aside as it would have been for Arman itself. Though it might have eased Mari’s grief, it was undeniable that Karik had brightened two lives by being taken to Ai-Albon. The question was whether Karik himself would have been happier to have been left in Kuprij, but it was now too late to unmake that decision.
Arman kissed his lover’s hair. Such a wise and kind man, and so tolerant to put up with him. He was the one who should be made a Ruler. Arman was selfish enough to be glad the job wouldn’t be offered to him, but that didn’t blind him to the fact Kei was the better man. He would just have to try to give his best to Darshian, to make up for what they would not get from Kei.
~~~~~~~~
It wasn’t until the following day that Karik had any time alone with Gyo. They had gone to the market with Pira, since Misek and Risa were going to be busy all day and had left at dawn. Karik and Gyo stayed with Pira until she was done, and then she said they didn’t need to return with her. They could stay and go to the public menagerie as they planned to do, as her food purchases would be delivered with the jombeker milk coming that afternoon. “Now, boys, Kei gave me some money to give you to buy lunch with. So you can stay all day if you like, but make sure you’re home before sunset. You know the way now, but if you get lost, ask a soldier for Master Kei’s house. They all know him. If you have any trouble at all, give Arman’s name and Lord Meki’s. Arman told me to tell you that specially. But you’re not to get into trouble,” she said, wagging a finger at them. “Your parents trust you to behave, and so do Kei and Arman. Don’t let them down.”
Falling From the Tree (Darshian Tales #2) Page 13
