Falling From the Tree (Darshian Tales #2)

by Ann Somerville

  “Only that there was some kind of disturbance near the courts. I’m meeting Ado from the embassy in a day or two—he might know. Might be as well to keep a low profile, Nym.”

  “We always do, Joti. Much as we can with these,” he said, flipping the end of his braid. “Jembis is really better, isn’t he?”

  “Yes, though not out of danger, so please don’t overdo things—or let him talk you into letting him overdo things. He needs a little gentle activity, no exertion, and plenty of rest. Fresh air is good, getting overheated or sunburnt is not.”

  “No, I understand. I was keeping an eye on him.”

  “Good.” Joti picked up his case again. “Then I’ll just give my regards to your parents and see you tomorrow. You’ve done good things with that boy, Nym. Eido would have been really proud of you.” Nym could only give Joti a tight smile at that remark, and then saw him out.

  Maybe it was foolishness, but Nym had had the strongest feeling today Eido was close by. He would have actually been disappointed in Nym. He would have been angry about Nym’s unkindness.

  Forgive me, brother mine. Help me do better, Ei-chi. He only had to keep things together for a few more weeks, then their home would be their own again. It was all Nym wanted right now.

  Landing Softly: 7

  With the lockdown over, and Jembis no longer needing intensive nursing, things got back to what passed for normal pretty quickly. Nym left Jaika to answer any call for help their patient might have, and went off with Pa to the docks, where they had a shipment waiting. Nym’s cousin, Bren, a general trader who dealt directly with the sea captains for them, was glad to see them.

  “Pissing lockdowns,” he said, offering them tea. “Even my Prijian customers were complaining—they can’t see why we need to be all caged up, and neither can I.”

  “Joti said he might get some more information about the reason when he speaks to his friend at the embassy,” Nym said.

  “Bet it’s nothing. Nearly always is nothing.” He clapped Pa on the shoulder. “Letu, Reda and I were wondering when you were all coming over to supper again. We haven’t seen you...well, you know when we last saw you,” he added.

  It had been at Eido’s funeral, and the wake afterwards. What Nym mostly remembered about that was thinking how much Eido would have been cranky for missing such a great party. It had been a surprisingly happy occasion. Unfortunately, it had made the empty hole in their lives yawn that much wider when it was done.

  “Ah...maybe soon,” Pa said. “We’ve got a house guest—young man we found injured. He can’t be left just now.”

  “Oh? Tell me more.”

  As they sifted sacks and checked inventory, Nym and his father told Bren about how Jembis had been found, and Nym thought it was the perfect time to tell them both about Jembis’s aunt and trying to find them.

  “I can handle that,” Bren said. “I’ve got a man going to Garok tomorrow. Don’t like your chances though—it’s a big city, and people move around a lot.”

  “We have to try, Bren. They’re his only kin.”

  “The poor lad,” Pa added. “I’m going to write to Karin’s brother too. The boy’s handy with animals—he might do well in the stables on their farm.”

  “In Temshek?” Nym asked, surprised. “You think he’d go all the way out there?”

  “The boy’s been to Andon and back, can’t see why. We can offer it,” Pa said with a shrug. “He’s a nice lad, and had a rotten hand dealt to him.”

  “Be careful, Letu,” Bren said, hefting a sack of seed onto his brawny shoulders. “Don’t get too friendly with the pissing Prij. What about his Pa?”

  “He doesn’t get a say,” Pa said, looking grim. “Boy’s nearly a legal adult. If we can protect him that long, the bastard won’t have a hold on him.”

  “Sounds like he landed on his feet when he landed in your garden. Well, then, if you won’t come to us, we’ll come to you, and you’ll just have to put up with our brood,” Bren said.

  Pa groaned. Nym knew how he felt. Bren had two very active girls and a bright son with a big mouth. Even Jaika couldn’t get a word in edgeways when the family visited, though they were all well liked.

  “Gods, give me strength. I’ll warn Lomi and Karin. Give me a week, will you, Bren? I’ll send a note over to you. Now, if we’ve sorted out our social arrangements, gentlemen, can we get on?”

  It took them an hour to load up one of Bren’s smaller carts, and then they hitched a lift back with it, Nym sitting behind the driving seat while Pa rode up front with Bren’s assistant.

  “You really think Uncle Geidi would take Jembis on?” Nym asked as the cart and beasts made its lumbering way along the cobbled streets.

  “Can’t see why not. I’ll ask Geidi. Jembis won’t be fit to travel for a while yet. Plenty of time—and if his aunt can be found, then that solves that problem. Just so long as he doesn’t go back to that pissing man. It’s not right, Nym. A father shouldn’t do that to his boy, or any child. I know it happens, but it’s not right.”

  “Jembis seems to think it’s normal,” Nym said. “I find that horrifying.”

  “Children can get used to a lot of things,” Pa said. “Though they shouldn’t have to. I feel...I almost feel like Eido sent him to us. Which is stupid, I know,” he added with a wry smile.

  Nym laid a hand on his Pa’s shoulder. “I know what you mean,” he said quietly. “So long as Ma and Jaika don’t try and use Jembis to fill the gap.”

  “Don’t think there’s much chance of them thinking that,” Pa said gruffly. “There’s no one to replace my boy. No one.”

  Nym squeezed his father’s shoulder. No one could replace Eido. No one had better try.

  ~~~~~~~~

  They got into a routine that didn’t, in the end, put too much strain on the household. Nym continued to sleep downstairs because if Jembis needed help, it was just easier. But during the days, the load of caring for him was shared. Jaika continued to give him reading lessons in the morning, to Ma’s obvious relief, and whether because she was finally settling down or she wanted to set a good example, she started going back to her lessons at the local school in the afternoons as she was supposed to. Jembis joined them at lunch, his appetite slowly improving, and then either stayed in the kitchen with Lomi for company, or, if Nym was in the garden, sitting out with him and talking about whatever took their fancy. Ma and Pa occasionally joined the two of them. Nym hadn’t realised how much they missed Eido’s company, not just their son himself, until he saw how much pleasure they took in talking to Jembis about animals and his travelling.

  Jembis improved every day, though the concussion was slow to loose its hold on him. Joti had warned them it might have long-lasting effects, and that Jembis would need to be cautious for some weeks to come. His broken arm pretty much ensured he wouldn’t be doing anything strenuous at least. Pa was rigorous in insisting he took a nap each afternoon, until Joti said it was no longer necessary. Nym got the impression Jembis slightly resented being ordered around, but he obeyed all requests, and was polite to everyone.

  Nym wished Jembis was happier with it all, but then his situation wouldn’t have made anyone cheerful. The only time he seemed really relaxed and like any normal boy his age, was when they spent time in the garden together. For that reason, Nym made an extra effort to be welcoming, even though he still struggled with his own feelings about the garden, and the never-ending ache in his heart. At least Jembis understood when Nym couldn’t find it in him to keep talking and be friendly, and waited patiently for him to recover his composure. He just wanted the company, but the conversation didn’t matter so much, or so it seemed.

  Joti continued to visit each day for the next week, but finally he declared he was no longer needed. “But you’re still to be careful, rest, eat well, and listen to Letu,” he said after he checked the state of Jembis’s arm.

  “Yes, sir. Thank you for your help.”

  “You’re welcome, young man. You’ve been a model
patient. Not that you’ve not had some pretty devoted nurses,” he said, smiling up at Nym.

  Nym remembered what he’d forgotten to ask the day before, when Joti had been in such a tearing hurry and hadn’t stayed more than five minutes. “What did your friend say? The one at the embassy?”

  Joti slapped his forehead. “Ah, I meant to pass that on. It was a sad business, for sure, Ado said. You know that Prijian general who defected after the war? General Arman—ever heard of him? Your Pa will remember, I’m sure.”

  “No, but what’s he got to do with this?” Nym asked, puzzled, and wondering why Jembis had suddenly gone rather tense.

  “Well, it seems he came back to Utuk ten days or so ago—something about a custody battle with his wife, I believe. The embassy got involved because his son was adopted by a Darshianese couple as a baby—the boy ended up in Utuk as the result of a prank, Ado said. Something of a confused story there, so I understand. Anyway, this general fellow was at the courthouse with one of the embassy officials and there was a riot, people protesting about him being there. The general, not the official, I mean. The upshot of it was that the official was injured and died. Poor fellow left a wife and young son. Very sad.”

  “Poor man,” Nym agreed. “But it doesn’t sound like it had anything to do with the Darshianese—why lock us all up?”

  Jembis was staring at Joti in an odd manner—Nym rested his hand on the boy’s shoulder to reassure him, as he waited for the healer to answer. “Well, and this goes no further, Ado thinks there’s some nasty politics afoot. Not really to do with us, internal to the Prijian government.” He glanced at Jembis. “I think it’s a time when we all need to be cautious.”

  “I’ll tell Pa. Keep us up to date, Joti.”

  “That I will. Spread the warning to anyone you know. We need to be as self-effacing as we know how. I know we all try but....”

  “I get it. Thanks.”

  The healer grunted and stood up. “Then I’ll see you when I next need supplies. Take care, Jembis.”

  Nym was about to follow Joti out for politeness, though the man knew his way around the house as well as Nym himself did, when he saw Jembis was shaking. “Jembis? Are you unwell? What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I’m fine. Leave me alone.”

  Nym blinked at this uncharacteristic rudeness. He took the boy’s hand and found it had gone icy cold. “You’re sick, I’ll call—”

  “No...please. Just...leave me alone!” His face twisted up as he shouted, but his bottom lip was trembling as if he was about to cry. “Please,” he added in a whisper. “You don’t want to be with me.”

  “Is this over what Joti said? He’s not saying anything about you personally, it’s the higher-ups.” Nym was pretty sure Jembis wasn’t so patriotic that he’d get this distressed over a veiled warning about the Prijian government. “Calm down, no one’s hurting you.”

  “You don’t understand...please, just leave me alone!”

  Nym would have done that to spare the boy distress, but at the same time, he was so distressed, so very upset, Nym couldn’t just walk out and leave him. “Now, just calm down,” he said firmly. “Talk to me like a sensible person...hey!” Jembis had just shoved him with surprising force, and nearly made him fall off the chair. “What in hells?”

  “Leave me alone, please, Nym, just go away!” The boy’s eyes brimmed with tears now, and he trembled like a new-born jombeker.

  Nym could only think of one thing to do and that was to wrap his arms carefully but firmly around Jembis and hold on until he could get the boy to calm. “Shhh, whatever this is, we can help. Calm down. Please, you’re scaring me.”

  Jembis struggled a bit, but then just went limp, tears soaking into Nym’s shirt as he continued to shake and mutter. Nym held on, determined to find out what was going on.

  “Nym...? Oh.”

  Jaika’s eyes were wide with surprise. “Shut the door and leave us alone, Jai-chi. I’ll deal with this.” Please don’t argue, sister mine.

  But Jaika had surprising reserves of tact when she wanted, and did exactly what Nym had asked, even closing the door far more gently than she was wont to do. Nym spared her a grateful thought, then turned his attention back to the trembling boy in his arms. He’d get no sense out of him until he’d calmed down, so he put all his efforts into soothing him, murmuring gently, trying to reassure, which was hard when he had absolutely no idea what the problem was. If he’d not seen how it had been directly linked, for whatever reason, to what Joti had said, he’d have almost thought Jembis had suffered some kind of brainstorm or relapse. If he didn’t calm down soon, Nym would have no choice but to get his father.

  It took longer than was reassuring, but eventually the emotions shaking Jembis’s body loosed their hold a little, whether because he was genuinely calmer, or because he was exhausted. “Now, that’s better,” Nym murmured, still holding him close. “You need to calm down, my friend, or you’ll break something.”

  “All I deserve,” Jembis said bitterly. “Just go away.”

  “I can’t. I can’t leave you like this. It’s not friendly.”

  “You won’t want to be my friend. No one wants to be my friend, and who can blame them?”

  Nym let Jembis go, and settled him back against the pillows, before picking up his still ice-cold hand and holding it between his own. “You’re not making a lick of sense. Why wouldn’t someone want to be your friend?”

  “I got two men killed, Nym. Leave me be.”

  His blue eyes were still welling with tears. Nym got out his handkerchief—clean, fortunately—and wiped the boy’s face, before helping him blow his nose. “Was it an accident or something? You’re just a boy. No one would blame you.”

  “Yes, they would. That man at the embassy died because of me.”

  Jembis went to hand his handkerchief back, but Nym indicated he should hang on to it, as he stared in shock at his companion. “You’ll have to explain.”

  “And then you’ll hate me. Maybe I better just go. Where’s my pack?”

  “Safe, and you’re going nowhere until you explain and then we sort this out.” Jembis gave him a sullen look for that. “Look—how could you be responsible? You’ve been here for more than three weeks, never left the house except that once for a few minutes.”

  “You don’t understand.”

  “No, because you’re being an idiot and refusing to tell me!”

  “You’ll hate me. Please, just let me go.”

  Nym cupped Jembis’s cheek gently and looked firmly into those sad eyes. “I won’t hate you, I promise to listen and not judge. I swear on Eido’s memory.”

  Jembis looked startled. “You don’t know what I did.”

  “No. But you aren’t an evil person, so I don’t think it’s anything I can’t stomach.”

  “You’re wrong. You think I’m exaggerating. I got two people killed.”

  “Yes, you said,” Nym said calmly, quite sure Jembis had got twisted up about something that was a mistake. “How?”

  Jembis drew his knees up against his chest rather protectively. “Just...don’t hit me. Please?”

  “I wouldn’t. I swear.” He squeezed the boy’s hand. “Just take a deep breath, tell me slowly.”

  Jembis looked unconvinced, but he began anyway. “That general—general Arman. I know why he came to Utuk.” Nym nodded. “The boy he came down to help? That’s Karik—he was his ex-wife’s son. Mayl—she’s married to Senator Mekus now.”

  “Oh gods, him,” Nym said, his mouth curling in disgust. “Even now, people talk about what he did during the war. He’s a thug.”

  “Yes, I know. Which is why it was stupid to do what I did. I....” He looked away from Nym, a muscle jumping in his jaw. Nym just held his hand and waited. “I...don’t have any friends. I get so lonely.”

  “I know. You’ve had a hard life—”

  “You don’t know! Look at the way you live, with your parents, your sister, this house—you don’t know!” J
embis was glaring at him now.

  “No, I suppose not. I can try and imagine, though. I guess it must really hurt.”

  “Doesn’t hurt—until someone shoves it in my face. Like you did, like Karik did, and I....” He pressed his lips together in an unhappy line. “I just...wanted a friend, and he had Gyo and I thought he had relatives in Utuk.”

  “Wait...slow down. Who had relatives? Karik?”

  Jembis rubbed his eyes, and sniffed hard. Nym nudged the handkerchief to indicate he should use it. “I...met Karik and Gyo in the Darshek menagerie. Seen them in the city the day before. Karik’s a Prij, raised in Ai-Albon. Lived there since he was a baby, but his mother’s Sei Mayl. He didn’t know how he’d ended up there, but he knew general Arman had brought him back to Darshian. Gyo’s his friend, he’s Darshianese. Anyway, we got talking, and Karik was really nice—he really loved my animals and I just thought...just the once, I could have a friend. No one hardly talks to me on the ship, Nym. Not like....”

  “Not like a friend?”

  “No. So I had this really stupid idea—Gyo was talking about he’d like to go sailing on the boat, and Karik was talking about his real mother, so I didn’t think it would do any harm....”

  He stopped speaking, and stared down at his lap. “What did you do, Jembis?”

  “I...made them nerf leaf tea. I knew it wouldn’t hurt them,” he added defensively. “Just made them go to sleep. I just thought they could stay on the ship, go to Utuk and come back. Didn’t think it would do any real harm.” His bottom lip trembled again. “But Father found out and was going to throw them overboard, so I told him about Karik’s story—and then he thought he could make some money out of Karik. I hadn’t thought that far ahead.... I’m so stupid,” he whispered.

  Gods. “Well, it probably wasn’t the best idea you’ve ever had,” Nym said mildly, trying not to sound censorious, though he was shocked at the recklessness of the plan. “What happened?”

  “Karik asked me for help to get away from Father, so I helped them run away when we docked. I thought they were safe because I saw the embassy guards pick them up. But Father still went to Mekus, and the next day, when we had to go and see him, Karik was there. I lied to Mekus, tried to say I had no idea about Karik’s parents, but I don’t think it worked. So general Arman must have had to come down to help him and that’s how that man got killed. I’m a fool, Nym. A stupid, useless fool.”