Kei's Gift (78 page)

After a bit of confusion at the stables, he retrieved his beast—or one closely resembling the one he’d ridden in on—and soon they were riding the mile and a half along the road to Darshek proper. As they rode, keeping their beasts at walking pace, Reji told him how the war had affected the city—surprisingly little, considering, he said. “The worst hit were the inns and the sailors because of the harbour being closed. The inns at least had the Andonese soldiers for a good while, but most of them are now quartered up near Kislik or further out on the plain. The sailors are still drawing their pay, but they’re bored and that brings trouble. I hope your friend can make it possible for the siege to end—everyone’s sick of it, and the supplies from Andon are much more expensive. The treasury can cope, but it’s irritating for all concerned.”

“And the soldiers?”

Reji pointed southwest. “In a big camp over there. I reckon we should send a bill to that damn queen of theirs, since her men have been eating their heads off at our expense for so long.”

Kei shook his head at the idea. “She doesn’t have much of a sense of humour from what Arman says, so I think that joke wouldn’t go down well.”

“Who says I’m joking? Anyway, it was roughest when we had everyone here in the camps and no one knew what was happening. When people were sent home, it made a big difference to morale. I still think they made a huge mistake in letting the hostages be taken.”

Kei lowered his eyes. “Yes, but we might have had no homes to return to if the Rulers had advised another strategy. We had no chance to fight them on our own, and I’d rather be a hostage for ten years than have you or Myka or anyone else killed.”

“I still think it was too high a price for stability—at least, I bet the people in Ai-Vinri think so.”

At the mention of the bereaved clan, Kei grew silent. It was true, what Reji said—the security and future of the clans had been bought at the cost of ten deaths, and possibly sixty-nine more if Arman’s plan failed. But at the same times, there were several thousand people who had been able to pick up their lives more or less where they’d left off. It was too high a price—but it had still needed to be paid.

The clerk at the academy reception was flustered, and didn’t want to be bothered with Kei’s request at all. “A problem with your gift? You’ll need to speak to Master Bikel or Master Diza and they’re not here. They might not be here for a week or more.”

“A week? Are you sure?”

The man glared at him. “Are you calling me an idiot, boy? Of course I’m sure—all the gift masters and the Gifted are away on an important, urgent project for the Rulers. If you can’t control your minor gift, then you’ll have to wait or do without.”

Arman
.
It has to be to do with him.
“Can I leave a note to say I need assistance?”

“If you like. It won’t make them more available, I warn you now.”

Kei scribbled out the request and details of how he could be located—he thought about mentioning he was a friend of Arman’s but it would sound like pleading. Besides, it was unlikely to make any difference. Nor should it. If the masters of the academy were working on getting the hostages home, then he had no business taking them away from that.

Dejected, he returned to Reji and gave him the bad news. “You should write directly to your general—he knows you wouldn’t ask for anything trivial and what the problem is. It might only take a half hour for one of these people to give you the advice you need.”

“I don’t want to disturb them—”

“Little brother—this country damn well
owes
you twice over. You went as a hostage, and you brought back that general alive and well. It can damn well spare you the time of one of its academy masters. Now you write and ask him for help, or I will.”

Kei glared at being bullied, but at the same time, he supposed Reji might have a point. They rode towards the Rulers House and then Kei walked up the path to the front hall. “I’d like to leave a message for Lord Meki—it’s for General Arman,” he asked the woman guarding the entrance behind a huge desk.

“I can’t discuss the general,” she said, folding her arms.

“I don’t want to discuss him, I just want to leave a note about him,” Kei said in some exasperation. He’d forgotten how irritating the Darshek bureaucrats could be. Reluctantly, she pushed over some paper for him to write his message. “Will he get this today?”

“I have no idea, boy. The Rulers don’t answer to me or to you.”

Actually, they do, Kei thought angrily. The Rulers themselves were generally believed to be honest and hard working—but some of their staff had a rather inflated sense of their own importance and of their masters’. “It’s urgent,” he said, handing her the folded note.

“Everyone says that, boy. Now, if you’re done, please leave the hall as we have a lot of important visitors expected today.”

Her rudeness infuriated him and he vented it all over Reji as they sat under a wide shade tree in the central park and ate some pasties Reji had bought from a street vendor. “Who in hells do people like that think they are? I nearly damn well
died
for this damn country, and I’ve worked for my people all my adult life and half my childhood! The Rulers’ House is open to everyone and always has been! Why does she get to decide who’s important and who’s not!”

Reji grinned. “You’re damn cute when you’re mad, Keichichi.”

“Shut up, I’m not cute,” he muttered, ripping into the hot pie with a savage bite. “Someone ought to tell that pissing woman where to stick her pissing pen and how far up.”

“Yes, they should, but all I care about is that she passes your note on and she can’t do that if she’s doing
this
.” He bent over and pantomimed someone desperately trying to remove something from their anus.

Despite his anger, Kei laughed. “No, I suppose she can’t,” he said as Reji sat down. “I don’t even know Arman is being kept there.”

“Oh, he will be—it’s either there or the camp and if he’s helping them, it’ll be the House for sure.” Reji put his hand on Kei’s shoulder. “Cheer up, little brother, you’ve done what you can for now. If you’ve finished, I have to go see some merchants.”

Reji’s business took most of the afternoon, and it was much more pleasant travelling back to the inn when the worst heat of the day was over. Kei couldn’t help fretting about whether he’d done the right thing in sending the note—whether Arman would even get the message, whether he could or would do anything about it—and what would happen if he couldn’t. There was the faint possibility one of the masters Kei needed to see would return to the academy sooner than the clerk had said and agree to meet him, but if not, then he’d need to hold on until they did.

There was a small crowd of people near the inn, blocking their path and Kei felt their anger and excited tempers. “Reji?”

“Looks like a bar fight,” he said grimly. “Too many sailors with too much time doing too much drinking. The army will be here to sort it out soon.”

Because of the press of people, Kei couldn’t see what was going on, but suddenly there was a scream and the crowd broke apart as two brawling men sprawled out, almost under the feet of Kei’s beast, making it snort and bellow and rear up. He struggled to get control of it, but the fighting men didn’t even notice him desperately trying to stop his beast stepping on one of their stupid heads. It didn’t help that the drunken rage of the two was like a hammer hitting the anvil of his gift and making him nauseous.

“Kei!” Reji yelled, but his beast had become blocked by the crowd who were as drunk as the brawlers, egging them on. Kei couldn’t get to Reji, nor Reji to him.

Kei couldn’t get away from the men without his beast injuring them or the onlookers. With the shouts of the crowd deafening them and the smell of spilled blood, his animal was almost at the rolling eyed level of terror and it was becoming impossible to hold his seat.

“Knife! He’s got a knife!” a woman screamed. Kei looked down and in horror saw the long flash of steel...
plunging up into Myri’s heart...and they all died....

“Kei!” someone yelled, but he was already falling off his animal and plunging down, down, down....

~~~~~~~~

Arman limped slowly up the stairs, utterly exhausted, but also more elated and hopeful than he had been in a very long time. He’d been given the fastest of educations into the strange world of the Gifted, what they could do, what they
would
do and what it would take to get them to cooperate with each other, let alone him. There were two dozen of these astonishing people in Darshek, but in the end, only eight had consented to help in the plan. He’d spent the afternoon with colonels, naval captains, teachers, Rulers.... It had been dizzying, but maybe they really could achieve a rescue at a cost of no civilian life and even very few, if any, military deaths. That would please Kei, he thought, smiling at the thought of him.

He rang for his food and once the servant had come to receive his order, he washed, too tired to be bothered with the full bath which had been very enjoyable indeed the previous night, but which was a lot of trouble since he had to have assistance in and out. All he wanted to do was to eat and then sleep, for it would be an early start the following day. At least this time, all the meetings were to be held here in the House now the Gifted had consented to cooperate. There was so much to do before the ships set sail to Kuplik.

He dressed again in one of the soft nightshirts provided for him and an over-robe, which afforded him a measure of dignity, and sat down at the desk to rub his aching leg—he might have to ask Siv to come up and massage it tonight. Then his gaze caught on something on the desk. Gods—Kei’s book. He needed to return it at the very least, maybe even ask for permission for the healer to visit him.

He’d been told the food would be a little while, and this errand wouldn’t take long. He rang the bell again, gathered up the book and pulled on a pair of the soft, embroidered slippers he’d been encouraged to wear as often as possible in the House to protect the wooden floors. A maidservant appeared. “Yes, general?”

“Would you be kind enough to ask if Lord Meki can see me, and would you also arrange for Siv to attend me in two hours, if she’s free?”

“Yes, general. Lord Meki has left orders you can see him any time, so I can take you there now and then find Siv.”

He hoped Lord Meki wouldn’t mind his trivial request, but he felt it was important enough, at least to himself, to endure the annoyance if it came.

Lord Meki’s personal chambers were on the floor above Arman’s—he’d learned only Lord Meki lived in the building all the time, although all the Rulers kept their offices there. There were apartments reserved for them which were used a good deal, the other Rulers usually spending two or three days in every week there conducting business, and returning to their private homes with their families the rest of the time. Lord Meki had been widowed some time ago and had given up his country estate to his son and his wife, no longer wanting the trouble of it. He now lived permanently in the House, and would do until he retired or died. Arman could think of many worse arrangements for a man dedicated to serving his country as Lord Meki undoubtedly was.

The maidservant knocked on the door and held it open for Arman. Lord Meki looked up. “General, what can I do for you?”

“It’s a rather small request, my lord, but I need to send a note and a book to someone and I don’t write Darshianese. Is there anyone who can help me?”

Lord Meki was dressed as Arman was, more or less, and Arman had caught him at the tail end of what looked a very simple supper. “Certainly—I’ll have my secretary come to you this evening. Who are you writing to?”

“My healer, Kei. You met him, remember?”

“Ah, yes. You seem to have become good friends with him—one of the hostages, I understand? Now that’s a story I’d like to hear one day.”

Arman smiled. “It would give me pleasure to tell it, my lord. But what I really need to do is return this book of his.”

“Book?” Arman held it out. Lord Meki took it and looked rather puzzled. “What’s this?”

“Something you might be interested in, my lord. Kei is writing a field medical guide for soldiers and people like farmers who might be unable to have a healer come to them quickly. It’s intended to be simple and straightforward, but dealing with everything from small injuries to really quite serious conditions.”

“Really?” Lord Meki opened the book at random, and read the contents of one page, and then another. “Good gods, this is well written, general. Did you help him with it?”

“Rather the opposite, my lord. I’ve been translating it into Prijian and learning a great deal in the process.”

Lord Meki handed the book back to Arman. “You said he was gifted?”

“Yes, he’s unusual in that he has two gifts—soul-touching and mind-moving.”

Lord Meki stared. “Are you sure? That’s extremely rare, you know.”

“No, it’s true, I swear.”

“Then let’s have your young healer up to work with us, general. We need all the gifted with additional talents that we can get for advice, and since this lad is special and clever and a friend of yours, I think he qualifies. Leave the book in the House—I’d like to look at it—but I’ll send my man up to you to draft your note this evening and it will be delivered in the morning.”