Kei's Gift (48 page)

He didn’t know what to think about Arman. Part of him understood. Part of him was deeply angry and shocked. Arman had brought the hostages to Utuk, and knew they would die if he didn’t help in their rescue—why couldn’t he overcome his blind loyalty to Kuprij? He had a strong moral sense, and an even stronger sense of honour—could he not see what the just solution was? Could he not...even for the sake of their friendship?

And that was it. He expected Arman to make an exception for Kei, out of...guilt? Affection? Some sense of compensating him for all that he’d suffered? Was that fair? Arman had never questioned Kei about Darshianese defences, and had once said he would never trust a man who would betray his loyalties like that. Was Kei being unreasonable to ask Arman to do what Arman would never ask another to do?

But it was Jena, it was Peit, it was Urki and all the others...not some abstract concept of honour or pride. These were people Kei loved, people who had never done any harm to anyone...couldn’t Arman see this? Wouldn’t he even try?

A tear slipped down his cheek as he thought of never seeing Peit or Jena again—worse, knowing they had died. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. They were all supposed go home together when the war was over. Kei didn’t want to be free if the others weren’t...but his return to captivity wouldn’t help...only, he missed them. He felt torn in two...or in three, since his friendship with Arman was now a thing of the past too. How could they be friends when Arman would allow this to happen?

It was drizzling now. The true rainy season had passed more or less, but winter, especially in the south, was always wetter than the summer. He would become dangerously chilled if he stayed here and the last thing they needed was their healer to come down with lung fever. Because apart from anything else, he thought sourly, that would mean their damn prisoners wouldn’t have a nursemaid for the journey.

He wiped the rain and the tears from his face on his cloak and climbed down again. He needed to eat and return to take over from Perik. Kei had had some sleep that day, so he could look after the infirmary during the night. He hoped Arman would sleep all the way through again. Kei couldn’t face him.

The canteen was still busy, but perhaps not as much as before. He found a corner to himself so he could eat the good meat and bean pottage—the beasts killed in the battle had been a welcome addition to the fort’s larders, even if they were stringier than the ones normally kept for their meat and milk. Kei wasn’t fussy—all he cared about was that it was filling and hot, and he hadn’t had to find time and energy to cook it.

A mug of honey beer was plonked down in front of him. He looked up into Tiko’s concerned eyes. “Thought you could use this, healer.”

Kei thought about it, but it would send him to sleep. “I have to work, sorry.”

But Tiko urged it on him. “No, you don’t. Nev will watch things tonight. I’ve already asked him. There’s a young chap, Sijk, who’s bright and willing to learn—he’ll help too. If there’s an emergency, they can call you. But I’m not letting you back in that infirmary until tomorrow unless there is.”

“You have no right!”

Kei pushed himself away from the table in anger at being ordered around this way, but Tiko gripped his wrist and refused to let go until he sat down again. “I have every damn right, actually. Not only am I part of the command of this fort, I’m worried about a friend. You may not consider me that, but I and my men owe you a debt. I won’t repay it by allowing you to kill yourself.”

Kei put his hands around the mug of beer, but didn’t drink. “I’m not that fragile,” he muttered.

“No? Looked in a mirror lately? What did they do to you in Utuk? Where were you kept?”

Kei had forgotten he hadn’t actually explained what he’d been doing with Arman’s force, except he’d been one of the hostages. “We were all sent to work in the houses of the nobility. Arman’s page was killed at Darbin in the attack there, and for some reason, the damn sovereign of Prij, who’s as loopy as a crazed thurl, decided the best reward for someone who hated our guts was to set one of us to work for him. It just happened to be me—no particular reason.”

“So he hates us...well, that explains why he won’t help,” Tiko said disgustedly.

“No, you don’t understand...he used to hate us...but...things happened and he knows what we’re like now.”

He realised how this sounded and quickly swallowed some beer to cover his embarrassment. Tiko narrowed his eyes. “You...and him?”

“No! Not like that,” he said quickly. “But...we became friends, and one of the other hostages, Jena from Ai-Rutej, their healer—she was placed with Arman’s dearest friend...he doesn’t hate us any more, that’s all.”

“Fine, but that doesn’t explain why you’re thinner than a gike sapling, why you flinch if anyone touches you, or why you’re so unhappy even though you’ve been freed. What happened to you?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. Arman didn’t do it”—not deliberately, at least— “so don’t blame him for it.”

Tiko pushed the mug back to him as a hint to drink some more of it. The beer was very good, if a little too light and sweet—he preferred the darker ale his sister made. It must have been sent from Ai-Rutej, as he doubted the soldiers were brewing here. “But you admit something did happen to you, which only confirms my concern. My order stands, healer—if you try to enter that infirmary tonight, I’ll have you tied up and put in the barracks. You’ve saved their lives, you don’t need to ruin your own.”

“Mine’s already ruined,” Kei muttered into the beer mug. Tiko couldn’t have heard him. “The general couldn’t really be expected to give you any information. His family and friends live in Utuk.”

Tiko sighed. “Yes, I know. Looking at it from his point of view, I suppose I’d feel the same. But you said you were friends, can’t you talk to him?”

“We’re not friends any longer,” Kei said coldly. “Whatever we had was born of inequality, and my need of protection from him. Now he’s just my patient. I have no special influence on him, as you saw.”

“As you say. It’s probably for the best. I don’t think your clan would be too pleased with your being cosy with one of the Prij, not after everything. The people at Ai-Vinri will be baying for his blood.”

Kei stared at him in shock. “No, Tiko, you can’t—he’s under our protection.”

“Whoa, healer—gods, it doesn’t take much to set you off about this man. Are you sure you’re no longer friends?”

“He’s my damn
patient
! I don’t want any of the Prijian soldiers given over to vengeance! None of them are the ones who killed the man in Ai-Vinri, and Arman had no choice about arranging the executions—” He bit his tongue. He hadn’t meant to say that.

“Oh. I see.” Tiko folded his arms. “So the villagers at Ai-Vinri will be even more keen to get their hands on him. This puts things in a different light.” He drummed his fingers on the table. Kei drank more of his beer, because it was better than opening his mouth and putting his foot in it again. “I was going to send the men with one of my sergeants, but I think I had better go with you and the escort. This could get nasty.”

“We could avoid Ai-Vinri.”

“Word will get out anyway. No, I want to control this situation. My co-commanders can hold the fort easily here, but I have a duty to get the general to Darshek in one piece, and I also want
you
to get there safely. Kei, I urge you not to make too much of your friendship with this man—it’ll breed ill feeling.”

Kei glared at him. “Don’t worry. I won’t be making much of anything. I don’t want to go near him, if I can help it.”

“Then don’t, unless you need to. Your gift...something’s amiss there, isn’t it?”

“Yes...as I said, I was there when the Ai-Vinri hostages died and something...it’s harmed me.”

Tiko winced, nodding sympathetically. “I imagine it would. Look, I’ll have a cot taken into the office. You can sleep there, have some time to yourself. Would that help?”

“Yes, it really would,” Kei said gratefully, not expecting such a gesture. “Thank you—I don’t want to cause any trouble.”

“Don’t be an idiot, man, you’ve earned it even if it weren’t a simple kindness anyway. You know the office? By the time you drink that, I’ll have it arranged, and your pack taken there. The guards will find you if there’s a problem in the infirmary, I promise you.”

Other than his residual irritation at Tiko’s highhandedness—which was only how a captain would behave—Kei felt intense relief to be able to escape all the men, all their emotions. And Arman. He needed to keep away from Arman now. He didn’t need him any more—or the pain being close to him would bring.

~~~~~~~~

Kei didn’t speak to him again for two days. Arman wasn’t surprised, but still it hurt to be treated as a pariah. The other two medics, Nev and Perik, were impersonally efficient and changed his dressings and attended to his other needs as well as Kei would have done—but they weren’t Kei, and Arman missed his gentle handling. It wasn’t that Kei was never in the infirmary. He was, although he took more regular and longer breaks, for which Arman was glad, although he never smiled, or looked anything other than weary. It wasn’t even as if Kei ignored him—when he came to check on the other patients, or to sit with Vikis, Arman would sometimes find those dark eyes on him. Kei wouldn’t look away when discovered, but he wouldn’t say anything either before he returned to his task. He never looked at Arman’s injuries, at least while Arman was awake, and he had to assume Kei relied on the reports of his assistants.

It was therefore a surprise when Kei came in three days later and, walking straight to his bedside, began asking him a series of questions about his degree of pain, how well he could tolerate sitting up, and feeling his pulse and temperature. Arman answered everything he was asked, and then had a question of his own. “What’s going on?”

Kei gave him a cold look. “They want to move you today. I want to make sure you’re truly fit to travel as I’ll be the one responsible for your welfare on the journey.”

“You? You’re going with us?”

“Do you not think five months away from my clan is enough, Sei Arman?” Kei didn’t look at him as he spoke, checking the dressing over his side, and the splint on his leg.

“Yes, of course—I’m surprised you don’t just head off without us.”

“I keep my word, general. Unlike some.” Kei rose and walked out without a backwards glance. Shortly afterward, soldiers entered the infirmary and assisted the other wounded men out. Other than Arman, they were all ambulatory to some extent, although several could only walk with the assistance of two men. Arman couldn’t walk at all, not for a while, at least. How did they plan to manage it?

His question was answered once he and Vikis were the only people left in the infirmary. Kei returned with four Darshianese soldiers, and directed them to bodily pick up the cot on which Arman lay. “Be careful,” Kei ordered. “Don’t jolt him.”

Arman gripped the side of the cot, suddenly afraid of how much it would damn well hurt if they dropped him, but they carried him with surprising consideration outside into the bitter wind. Three wagons, a number of urs beasts, and about twenty soldiers were in the courtyard, clearly preparing for departure. His men were settled into two of the wagons, and he and his cot were placed inside the third across the front, wedged behind the driver’s seat. The soldiers fixed boards and ropes around the cot to stop it sliding about. Two bolsters were also provided to allow him to sit up without straining. It was very cold—did they expect him to sleep under the blankets and get on with it?

Yet again, he only had a minute or two to consider this, before his cloak and extra blankets were provided. A cover was placed like a roof over the wagon as he’d seen being fixed to the other two, cutting out the wind and making it warmer almost instantly, though it was also rather dark. Kei climbed in the back and checked the cot was fixed and that Arman hadn’t suffered any injury in the transfer.

“Will you be riding in here?”

“I’ll be riding a beast alongside. If you need assistance, you have only to call out. We’ll take breaks every few hours.” He stuck his head through the ‘door’ and yelled for Arman’s pack, which was passed to him, and which he stowed near Arman’s bed. He left without another word, but then returned a few moments later with a small cup—the type used for dispensing the painkiller. “Here, you need to take this—the ride will be uncomfortable enough without it.”

“I don’t need it, Kei.”

“I wasn’t aware I
asked
you, general. This is an order from the person responsible for your health—until we get to Ai-Albon, you obey me and Captain Tiko.”

Arman looked at Kei in consternation. “And does this responsibility involve forcing drugs on an unwilling prisoner or not?”

Kei glared. “Are you stupid? The wagon ride will hurt like all hells, even with the cot being raised as it is. This isn’t some stupid trick—I’m not Prijian.”

“Yes, that fact has yet to escape my attention,” Arman said coldly. “All right, give me it. It’s nice to see your ethics disappear when you’re in a sulk.”

He reached for the cup, but instead found his wrist being seized in a surprisingly strong grip. “You think I’m
sulking
?”