Kei's Gift (120 page)

“No idea. Jena, sit down, would you? Reji, take this one.”

Reji pulled Jena down onto the long seat. “Tell us,” he said gently, taking her hand.

“I...I....” She burst into fresh tears.

“Is it Aldik?” Kei asked. “About Karik?”

She shook her head. “Mara,” she whispered. “He...and her....”

“Oh, Jena,” Reji said, pulling her back into an embrace. Kei gave Arman a grim look. It wasn’t surprising such things might happen. Jena had been gone from her home for more than six months, and men could be fickle things when it came to love. But to return to this....

“And...and before that...I told Gyek...about Karik....” Her voice was coming out in great sobs, barely intelligible.

“He objected?”

“Not...him...some others.... Aldik too. Said...we should send him back to Kuprij. I
won’t
,” she said fiercely. “No one wants him there.”

“No, they don’t,” Kei murmured, stroking her hair. “Jena, have a drink and calm down. We’ll sort this out.” He handed her his own untouched beer and she sipped it, only to break down in tears again.

“Kei, um...why don’t you and Arman go for a walk or something?” Reji said. “Or go upstairs?”

“You sure?”
Kei mouthed, frowned across Jena’s head at his friend.

Reji nodded, and then looked down at Jena, who had her face buried in his shirt, her shoulders heaving. “Give me a few minutes.”

“Kei, come up and give me that massage you promised me,” Arman ordered, tugging at his arm.

Kei still hesitated but followed Arman’s lead anyway, helping him climb the narrow stairs.

“Poor Jena. Aldik’s a
bastard
,” he spat as he closed the door behind them. “And that Mara, she must be behind this Karik thing—she really hates the Prij.”

“She probably has good reason.”

“She damn well doesn’t—she’s never even met one before. It’s all by reputation. She’s from Darshek. And to take out that spite on a helpless child.... It shames me to be in the same profession,” Kei said angrily, beginning to pace.

Arman caught him and dragged him to sit on the bed. “Calm down. What’s going on with Reji and Jena?”

“Oh. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. He’s pretty taken with her, you know. But if she’s just lost Aldik and he’s given me up....” Kei looked at Arman with worried eyes. “Can they have a chance with such a sad beginning?”

“We did,” Arman said gently. “Reji has a kind heart. He won’t toy with her.”

“But he’s leaving,” he said distractedly. “And she has to stay here with that
man
. Oh, I could kick his arse! It was only a few months—could he not be faithful for that long?”

“Obviously not. It’s done, Kei. Even if he abandoned Mara, Jena wouldn’t have him back, I imagine. It’s a common enough situation, as I know.”

“I’m sorry, I was forgetting Mayl.”

“Well, I never loved her, so it isn’t the same. You surely don’t think Reji will take advantage of the situation? He’s not the sort, I know he’s not.”

“No! I’m worried they’ll get hurt, that’s all. Reji....” Kei drew in a breath. “I didn’t realise Reji felt that way.... I broke his heart. I didn’t mean to. In a way, I’m no better than Aldik.”

Arman kissed his forehead and regretted the sorrow in Kei’s eyes. “The situations are quite different. Reji didn’t know himself how strongly he felt until you left, and you didn’t play him false, make promises only to break them, nor any vow. You still love him and you show how much you still care for him. There would have been pain whichever way you had chosen—for him or for me.” He stroked his hand down Kei’s face and cupped his cheek. “This is something you need to let them handle. They’re both experienced adults.”

“But what if he decides to leave our village for her?”

“Then he does.” He put his arm around Kei, feeling him trembling. “He has to find his joy. Same as I did. It might mean sacrifices, and not just for him. Be brave and let him go, if he has to.”

Kei wiped his eyes. “I’m being rather selfish, being worried about losing him when I can’t offer him anything, and Jena could be helped by him.”

“You can’t help your feelings, only what you do with them. I would put my faith in Reji, personally. And in Jena.”

“I’m probably getting ahead of myself,” he muttered. “But I still want to kick Aldik’s arse. How long has he been with Mara? Were they together when I came through here? If so, he’s a hypocrite. I—”

“Kei,” Arman said, covering his mouth. “Calm down. There’s nothing to be done here but help Jena, and kicking her former lover in the arse won’t do any good. I’m more worried about the situation with Karik. Maybe I should take him with me. After all, he’s really my responsibility, blood relative or not. Jena doesn’t need her life ruined because of him—he’s not her son.”

Kei wiped his eyes again. “She’s become fond of him anyway. To offer an infertile woman the chance to be a mother is a wonderful thing, and she accepted the risks to take that. At least I could try and talk some sense into this wretched clan. Gonji will support me, and so will the others.”

“Maybe.” Although Jena was facing a battle that might be too much for her, and certainly not one which would give her happiness in the long term. “You were going to give me a massage,” he murmured.

Kei looked at him. “I thought that was an excuse to get me out of there.”

“It was. But my leg still hurts,” he said, shamelessly appealing to Kei’s nurturing instincts to distract him.

“Oh. Of course.”

Arman watched Kei rummage in his medical kit for his tirsel leaf liniment. This was a development he hadn’t expected. He hadn’t realised Kei had known the depth of Reji’s feelings either, and wondered when he’d found out. Just when he’d thought his life was getting simpler.

Kei massaged his leg in silence, and then let Arman hold him, kissing him gently, for a while after that. He could wish his lover didn’t have such a soft heart, but then he wouldn’t be Kei, and that would be a great pity.

“Do you think we dare go down? Kesa and Vikis will be wondering where to put themselves,” Kei said eventually.

“Yes. We can always run away again if they’re not done.”

Kei helped him down the stairs where they found the front room was quiet once more. Kesa was sitting with Vikis, and Jena was next to Reji, looking red-eyed but calm. Reji had a hand on her arm. “Kei, I have a question for you,” Jena asked, looking a little hesitant.

“Ask away.”

“Do you think your village can cope with three healers?”

Kei stared at her, then looked at Reji and Arman in astonishment. “You want to come...to Ai-Albon?”

“Reji suggested it. I don’t want to tread on your toes...but with Arman there, and you...surely Karik would be safe?”

“Of course he would be, and nothing would make me happier...but Jena, are you sure? This is your home.”

“As our farm had been before that. They have a healer and a mindspeaker, they don’t need me. And I don’t know if I can bear to stay...I think I would miss you more, actually.”

Kei went to kneel in front of her. “You have no idea how much joy that would give me. Not just for me but because I know Myka will love you and we can both learn so much from you.” He turned to Reji. “But...?”

“She’ll be under my protection, as will the boy,” Reji said, his expression solemn. “Any more than that...we can take slowly.” Jena gave him a smile, and he put a friendly arm around her shoulders.

Kei took Reji’s hand and placed his own on Jena’s knee. “If it’s what you want, and you’re sure, then please, come to my home. Reji’s an honourable man. He’s not like Aldik. For a start, he has better taste.”

For some reason, that made all three of them grin. Arman wondered what was so funny. Vikis was whispering into Kesa’s ear, no doubt explaining things, and then he cleared his throat. “Sei...Arman, I mean...what will happen to us?”

“You’ll go home as planned, Vikis. Jena, they didn’t say anything about not doing that, did they?”

“No, they weren’t mentioned. They’d probably be glad to get rid of you, even if they have to shove you both on urs beasts,” she said bitterly. “If they try that, I’ll curse them even more than I do now.”

Kesa didn’t know how to ride at all, let alone a beast, and Arman sincerely hoped they wouldn’t be so unkind as to suggest it. But Vikis was still looking at him. “Actually...Arman, Kesa and I have been talking. I know it’s a lot to ask, considering the war and everything...but could Darshian use another wainwright?”

Arman stared at his lieutenant in frank astonishment, as did everyone else. “You want to stay?”

“Yes, we do. Kesa says she likes you all very much and I...I don’t know if I can go back to Utuk and pretend I hate the Darshianese. There’s nothing but the army there for me, and I’ve lost my taste for it. I can’t be a wainwright in Utuk, there’s more than enough in the trade, and neither of us want to go back to our village.... I’d understand if you say no, but I wanted to ask.”

Reji looked at Arman. “It would need Lord Meki’s permission. But where would you live, Vikis?”

“In Darshek? Anywhere that would have us. We don’t want much. We don’t want to lose another child either.” He pulled Kesa close. “Perhaps it’s just a stupid dream...but I find it hard to imagine going back.”

“Kesa, what of your brother if you stay?” Arman asked her in Prijian. “And you don’t speak the language—won’t you find that lonely? Think of what you’re giving up, girl. I know better than most what it means.”

“Sei...Arman...my brother is engaged, and will bring his wife to our home. He’s only delayed because of Mother, and then Vikis. But if he could have done so, he would have married before now. I’m learning some Darshianese, and I’d work hard. I know something about pottery. I could be useful,” she said earnestly. “Please, can we stay?”

“It’s not up to me, child, though for my part, you’d be welcome, of course.” He turned to Kei. “Perhaps if they travel up to Ai-Albon, and then on to Darshek. Once there, they can decide what they want to do. Lord Meki would help them if they want to stay. You do need wainwrights.”

“Vikis is a good one too,” Reji said firmly. “Even Ai-Albon could do with you—we don’t have a wainwright of our own, we have to use the one in Ai-Tuek, and a pain in the arse that is too.”

Kei shook his head. “It’s going to look like a home for lost Prij up north. Yes, come, Vikis, and be welcome. Fedor will have a fit,” he added wryly.

Vikis translated for his wife and Kesa smiled. “Thank you, Kei,” she said in Darshianese.

“You’re welcome,” Kei said, repeating it in Prijian. Then he pointed at Arman accusingly. “You, this is all your damn fault!”

Arman grinned without bothering to conceal his amusement. “Well, perhaps to begin with. But you should stop being nice to stray Prij if you don’t want us following you home.”

Which made Kei smile, and Jena laugh. It
was
Arman’s fault, he knew perfectly well. Somehow, he found it hard to feel guilty over the fact.

Jena waited until the Ai-Vinri people had left the village before making her announcement. It had the same effect as dropping a dead hisk into a thurl’s nest, and the resulting shouting match gave Kei a worse headache than the concussion had. Vikis wisely got Kesa away and back into the house, but Reji and Arman stood their ground, waiting for Gyek and the elders to finish their accusations that Kei was poaching their healer, that they’d turned her against her clan, that he was trying to infiltrate Prij into their village by stealth. Angry at the shabby way Jena had been treated, Kei was happy to bellow back at them, especially Aldik, who wasn’t accepting responsibility for any of it.

Then Arman and Reji got into the act, and Jena, then Gonji and what seemed like half the village. The only thing to be said for it was that no one threw a punch, but after an hour of this, Kei had had a gutful. “Right, I’m not listening to this urs shit any more,” he announced loudly. “Arman, I’m going for a walk.”

“Me too,” Jena said, glaring at her clan head and her former lover with equal disgust.

“Then I am too. See you, gentlemen,” Reji said cheerfully.

They left the square and ignored the angry looks of the clan as they walked down the street. Kei had to grip Arman’s arm to balance himself, and his skull pounded furiously to the point where the road in front of him danced up and down. The moment they were out of the line of sight of the square, Jena pulled him aside and placed her hands on Kei’s forehead. “Just relax,” she said quietly.

Kei felt the headache melt away. “Oh, thank you,” he said, kissing her cheek, feeling almost light-headed with relief. “Can we get out of here now, please?”

“Come on, there’s a nice walk if we head that way.”

Reji took her arm, Arman took Kei’s and they walked about half a mile from the village where there was a small sandstone outcrop, and bushes growing where the rain collected from runoff. “Blessed gods,” she said, sighing. “I’m so sorry, Kei. None of that was deserved. Anyone would think they damn well owned me.”