81 -That Didn't Go the Way I Expected

“Feather-Spitters.” Kyrus began moving to the door and perforce, out of politeness they moved with him. “I thank you for your time and attention.” He smiled at them. “Come back again and we will speak of my loyalties.” As he did so, he opened the outer door and offered them the salaam of home-owner to departing guest. They, being polite Lainz, stepped out and salaamed back, correctly. “Perhaps we shall speak again.”

The Emir-al tried to speak but Ky shut the door on him, saying “Good day, Nasers.”

Ky looked at Hara and she grinned back. I would do the whole thing, again. I will cleave to her. Even if she ceases to love me, I will cleave to the image of my love. Lainz is worth that. I am worth that.

**

Raghnall looked at his Amir as the door shut behind them. “That did not go well, or at least as I expected. Did he... he just... ended an audience, didn’t he?”

Dukir hid his smile. “Looks to be so, Naser.  P’raps if you’d speak tah the War Teachers’ at the school. I noted t’kid’s training there.” The scabbard he reflexively grabbed, by the door.

“You did? How...? Never mind. Good work, Amir. Why don’t you go speak to that ex-patriate Lainz cook and see if we may gain more information on this boy.”

My young officer is learning. The boy –Kyrus-- is very like the old man. I can see Diryish in him, but it might be my own wishful thinking. He doesn’t seem damaged, in fact these Milari are good for him. He is defensive of those close to him but still polite, though suspicious. I am encouraged. “I hear and obey, Naser.” Dukir slapped a hand across his chest armour.

“Make your report to me at the Unity.” Just this morning, when the offices had opened after being closed for their surdeniliarch’s wedding, Raghnall had presented his papers at the konsiliarch’s office. They were the formal request from His Radiance to re-open the Lainz Embassy in the capitol. 

Their mob of a government was probably getting around to debating it right around now. They had asked that they debate it in camera, so none of the ambassadors or news-criers were present.

“I hear and obey, Naser.”

**

The pseudo Lainz kitchen was quiet this day after the big celebration. Every kitchen had contributed and today lunch in Viltaria was fresh bread baked overnight and leftover feast. The cats sprawled on the sun-warmed stone under the windows, and the foul-mouthed bird even snoozed, his head tucked into bunched feathers.

“Nice to see another Lainz around, Amir.” Brakayus leaned on his counter, his Lainz a little rusty.

“What? The boy doesn’t come speak to you?” Dukir set a small bottle on the counter. “I just happen to have some raki along.”

“And it makes bad drinking to drink alone. I can help you with that friend.” Brak put two small glasses on the counter. 

“I haven’t seen raki of that quality for years.”

“A friend gave it to me.” Dukir raised his glass and Brak clicked his against it.

“To your friend. And the kid comes in all the time. He does chores with his section of kids. He’s a good kid – likes to wash dishes.”

“You’re joking! He washes dishes?”

“Not joking, under the Hive, I swear. He was nervous at first, had to fit in with these naked faced people. So, why do you... one of the Hive-bird unit... want to know about our Kyrus?”

“Your Kyrus?”

Brak leaned closer and put his empty cup down in front of Dukir. “Amir. You and your Emir-al have been asking gentle questions about him, during the celebration, sprinkled in amongst the ‘nice to be getting to know all about you curiosity.’”

“You’re good, Naser.”

“You may as well not call me Naser, Amir, my parents were married.” Dukir smiled and re-filled the glass.

“Nice to find a kindred spirit in a distant land.” He filled his own glass. “No threat to your Kyrus intended, brother.”

“Good. Am I going to like what is intended? Are his heart-sibs going to like it?”

“Don’t know, for sure. I need to find out if he’s a good boy with a good mind.” Brak’s face wasn’t any easier for Dukir to read, even if he was wearing a veil light enough to make his mouth visible.

“You swear to Light and Dark both that you aren’t out to drag him off for some imagined crime and stick him in a cage with no bottom?”

If the kid really is good enough... and he’s shaping up to be... it’ll be a cage of sorts. But an Imperial one, not one without a floor. “I swear on Light and Dark.”

Brakayus knocked back the second glass, set it down gently on the stone counter. “Kid’s like his dad. He gets through his training and he’ll make a warrior to be reckoned with. Not a champion. Not as good a warrior as his dad, but still good. Kids are never copies of their parents, you know. He might be more a thinker than his dad.” One finger drew circles in a drop of raki on the counter. “He grew up in the Basin, did you know?”

Dukir nodded. He knew, but it had only been the usual sketchy information about Rats. “He found a patron, found someone to teach him Milar, made his way here and convinced the surdeniliarch to take him in, and teach him.”

“He did. The surdeniliarch’s daughter is teaching him quite a bit.” He didn’t mean the comment to have any bite and he could see Brakayus take it in and chew it over and nod quietly when he realized it.

“She’ll be a better warrior than him, maybe and she’s part Lainz. She and he and their friends fought to get people out when the landslip happened. You saw the celebration yesterday? And you saw the boy dancing, yes?”

Dukir nodded yes. He’d been quietly watching. After all, the dark Lainz skin kind of stood out in amongst these milk-pale Milari.

“He’s become one of us, Lainz.”

“Us?”

Brak turned his raki glass over and set his hand over it. “I’m from Lainz and I’m pleased and happy to be. I will take what good I can from my heritage. But Milar saved my life at the end of a horrific, unjust war and then gave me a place I could live and live with myself. I’m of Lainz, but I’m Milari now. As my inamourata are, and my children are. I don’t know what you want of Kyrus but he’s made himself part of this life, this country and this people. Us.”

This could be a problem. “Thank you, brother, for your frank talk. I’ve needed it.” The boy sounds like he could be Diryish’s answer. It sounds like he could be the Heir, bastard or not.