“What do you mean, they tried to kill him!” Ilax was beside himself. “That’s too ugly even for the aftermath of a war!”
The other man, huddled so tight in the wool coat that he looked like a mound of fleeces, hands wrapped tight around a hot cup of buttered tea, shook his head. “Ilax, you couldn’t help it. The boys were only going to beat him I think and it got out of hand.”
“You’re joking! Oh, I am so sorry, inam. I will keep him safe! I swear.” Ilax leaned over and kissed his lover on the lips, set warm hands on either side of his face, warming chilled cheeks with his palms.
“I know, deovar. I know.”
**
The problem with the old ‘Cliner’s papers was that you could never be sure if what you were staring at was a character, a spot of mold or a decaying chunk of the ‘Cliner himself.
Nadian set the glass over his latest find and
considered. He’d been shedding too much
blood lately for little effect.
Attacking the old Queen Bee just shattered his weapons and rebounded in
wild and strange ways. He’d had to debug
himself a few times. I am destined for greater things than being
labouriously worked on by hacker monks of the Dark in one of those awful
care hives. I am going to be the Most
Radiant One, if I have to kill every single one of Diryish’s line, male or
female.
**
Kyrus came into the house,
stamping his feet. Everyone all around was talking about how the weather had
broken and how you could feel the winter was over for good now. All that he
could tell was that everything was wetter now and that the snow clung to everything
like it had an evil will.
He managed to get everything hung up without scattering the wet too much around the mud room and padded into the main room in his sock feet.
Ilaxindal sat by the hearth, teacup to one side, obviously waiting for him. Kyrus stopped, startled. What happened? What did I do? “Ummm. Naser?”
“Come on and get warm. We need to talk, lad.” It was something important, anyway. Kyrus settled down on the edge of the hearth opposite the fire, hands tucked between his knees. It was, at least, a warm place to be dressed down.
“Did I do something wrong, Naser?” He thought back over the past few days since the weather had settled. He was doing the extra classes, feeling even more clumsy than usual in them, fumble-fingered and stumble-footed, though everyone seemed to expect it. Can they see the rage in me? The ‘I’ll show you’? Probably.
“You did not bother to tell me that someone went far, far beyond harmless ragging of you and actually tried to kill you.” Ilax leaned forward. "It’s not acceptable.”
Kyrus blinked. “They didn’t manage.” His eyes flickered toward the bedrooms.
Ilax waved a hand. “I wouldn’t talk to you with the other children here. Don’t worry about that. It isn’t whether they managed or not. It’s that they tried.”
“I didn’t think reporting it would do anything.”
“Kyrus.” Ilax ran a hand over his face. “I’m aware of the Milari prejudices. But you are a guest in my house, a friend by now I hope, and I am one of your Zon. Did you think that I wouldn’t care if you got killed or injured? Have you been doing for yourself alone that long that you wouldn't think I would at least care?”
“Most of my life, ummm... Ilax. Ma was busy until some gold-veiler got her arrested. After she got out of the house of re-education she wasn’t the same. I looked after her.” He sighed. “Part of why it took me so long to earn my way here. I needed to buy her a place in a care hive. She’s safe there now.” I have to watch my tongue I’m starting to sound basin-rude there.
The surdeniliarch nodded thoughtfully. “I want you to tell me about what happened.”
“Um... Ilax—“ Kyrus interrupted himself, not sure how to ask. “—how did you find out?”
“I’d be a blind warmaster if I couldn’t.”
“That’s not an answer, Naser.”
“Ilax,” he corrected the boy. Now it was his turn to be quiet for a moment. The fire in its iron box crackled and the cat jumped up on Ilax’s lap to his absent petting. His uncanny eyes were locked on Kyus’s face. “I can’t tell you,” he said.
Kyrus shoved his bottom lip out stubbornly. “I have no idea who they were. I didn’t recognize anybody.” He sort of thought one of them might have been Verpiccaus, smarting from having been bested in class before the attack. I cannot be certain. “They belted me on the head and did a human chain from the safety line and tossed me off the end. My hood kept me from being knocked out, the coat kept me from being hurt that bad... just bruises. I’ve had worse from fights at home... and...”
He blundered to a stop. How much did he want to tell Ilax about his mysterious rescuer? How real was his memory of that? He wasn’t even sure there had been a rescuer. “And?” Ilax prompted him.
“I pulled up a stick out of the snow that gave me some support and crawled uphill.” He set his teeth on the mysterious or possibly imagined rescuer.
“I see.” Those eyes made Kyrus want to blurt out the truth but he held his lips shut. “How did you find your way back to the safety line?”
“I…” Kyrus mumbled. “I heard a Lainz whistle and someone who knows the deep dessert came with a line and dragged me to it. But they didn’t stay for me to thank them.”
Ilax didn’t ask for a repeat, just nodded and offered a bit more information in return for Kyrus opening up a little. “That was fortunate. A warrior I know. He told me he had to haul you out of the mess and you’re right. He’s shy. But has people’s safety at heart. I’ll pass on your thanks; and his censure. He said you should report such things. It would be right. Being honourable does not mean being stupid.”
“Oh. Of course. Tell him… tell him thank you then… I offer the minor salaam for the advice and the major salaam for my life.”
“I will. And I’m going to have questions asked. Attempted murder is more serious in Milar it seems than in Lainz.”
“It depends on your status, Nas—Ilax.”
“What? In Lainz someone could have left your body in the desert and no one would have done anything?”
“No, no, Ilax. They would have just flung my body into the canyon and no one would have done anything.”
The man closed his eyes, muttering something else, pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand. Probably, “… and they think they’re civilized…” Kyrus thought to himself.
“I’m just not used to anyone giving a fart in a sandstorm about me, Ilax.”
He managed to get everything hung up without scattering the wet too much around the mud room and padded into the main room in his sock feet.
Ilaxindal sat by the hearth, teacup to one side, obviously waiting for him. Kyrus stopped, startled. What happened? What did I do? “Ummm. Naser?”
“Come on and get warm. We need to talk, lad.” It was something important, anyway. Kyrus settled down on the edge of the hearth opposite the fire, hands tucked between his knees. It was, at least, a warm place to be dressed down.
“Did I do something wrong, Naser?” He thought back over the past few days since the weather had settled. He was doing the extra classes, feeling even more clumsy than usual in them, fumble-fingered and stumble-footed, though everyone seemed to expect it. Can they see the rage in me? The ‘I’ll show you’? Probably.
“You did not bother to tell me that someone went far, far beyond harmless ragging of you and actually tried to kill you.” Ilax leaned forward. "It’s not acceptable.”
Kyrus blinked. “They didn’t manage.” His eyes flickered toward the bedrooms.
Ilax waved a hand. “I wouldn’t talk to you with the other children here. Don’t worry about that. It isn’t whether they managed or not. It’s that they tried.”
“I didn’t think reporting it would do anything.”
“Kyrus.” Ilax ran a hand over his face. “I’m aware of the Milari prejudices. But you are a guest in my house, a friend by now I hope, and I am one of your Zon. Did you think that I wouldn’t care if you got killed or injured? Have you been doing for yourself alone that long that you wouldn't think I would at least care?”
“Most of my life, ummm... Ilax. Ma was busy until some gold-veiler got her arrested. After she got out of the house of re-education she wasn’t the same. I looked after her.” He sighed. “Part of why it took me so long to earn my way here. I needed to buy her a place in a care hive. She’s safe there now.” I have to watch my tongue I’m starting to sound basin-rude there.
The surdeniliarch nodded thoughtfully. “I want you to tell me about what happened.”
“Um... Ilax—“ Kyrus interrupted himself, not sure how to ask. “—how did you find out?”
“I’d be a blind warmaster if I couldn’t.”
“That’s not an answer, Naser.”
“Ilax,” he corrected the boy. Now it was his turn to be quiet for a moment. The fire in its iron box crackled and the cat jumped up on Ilax’s lap to his absent petting. His uncanny eyes were locked on Kyus’s face. “I can’t tell you,” he said.
Kyrus shoved his bottom lip out stubbornly. “I have no idea who they were. I didn’t recognize anybody.” He sort of thought one of them might have been Verpiccaus, smarting from having been bested in class before the attack. I cannot be certain. “They belted me on the head and did a human chain from the safety line and tossed me off the end. My hood kept me from being knocked out, the coat kept me from being hurt that bad... just bruises. I’ve had worse from fights at home... and...”
He blundered to a stop. How much did he want to tell Ilax about his mysterious rescuer? How real was his memory of that? He wasn’t even sure there had been a rescuer. “And?” Ilax prompted him.
“I pulled up a stick out of the snow that gave me some support and crawled uphill.” He set his teeth on the mysterious or possibly imagined rescuer.
“I see.” Those eyes made Kyrus want to blurt out the truth but he held his lips shut. “How did you find your way back to the safety line?”
“I…” Kyrus mumbled. “I heard a Lainz whistle and someone who knows the deep dessert came with a line and dragged me to it. But they didn’t stay for me to thank them.”
Ilax didn’t ask for a repeat, just nodded and offered a bit more information in return for Kyrus opening up a little. “That was fortunate. A warrior I know. He told me he had to haul you out of the mess and you’re right. He’s shy. But has people’s safety at heart. I’ll pass on your thanks; and his censure. He said you should report such things. It would be right. Being honourable does not mean being stupid.”
“Oh. Of course. Tell him… tell him thank you then… I offer the minor salaam for the advice and the major salaam for my life.”
“I will. And I’m going to have questions asked. Attempted murder is more serious in Milar it seems than in Lainz.”
“It depends on your status, Nas—Ilax.”
“What? In Lainz someone could have left your body in the desert and no one would have done anything?”
“No, no, Ilax. They would have just flung my body into the canyon and no one would have done anything.”
The man closed his eyes, muttering something else, pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand. Probably, “… and they think they’re civilized…” Kyrus thought to himself.
“I’m just not used to anyone giving a fart in a sandstorm about me, Ilax.”
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