by Candy Rae
It was some days later when Tara, Peter, Emily and with Thomas in tow, hunted out Kath.
“Do you think it true?” asked Tara.
“What’s that kitten?”
“That there’s going to be a war.”
“It doesn’t seem real somehow,” said Emily. “It’s so peaceful here, but Ilyei has been painting pictures in my mind. They are horrible,” gentle Emily shuddered.
“Kolyei and Radya haven’t imagined any battles at me or Peter,” said Tara, “but he’s shown me pictures of afterwards and that’s terrible enough.”
Kath turned surprised eyes towards their two youngest, but this wasn’t the first group who had spoken to her about nebulous threats of a war.
She wondered why neither Tara nor Peter were included in these mental interchanges. Even Mark’s Aya had unsettled him with life-like scenes of fighting.
A quick mental call to Matvei and she had the answer. Both Tara and Peter were under fourteen summers in age. They weren’t adults the way the Lind saw it.
“Well,” began Kath, “you’ve all seen the scars many of the Lind have. Now we know why. Now, don’t panic. Matvei tells me if it does happen it won’t be tomorrow or even the next day. Anyway Peter, you and Tara are too young.”
“That’s true,” said Thomas brightly, “I get the same from Stasya.”
Peter relaxed.
Kath glanced at Tara; it was obvious that the girl was upset. She was as white as a sheet and was shaking.
Kath gave Thomas a barely imperceptible wink.
Thomas did not see it, but Emily did.
“Thomas, Peter,” she said, “let’s all go and explore the pond. We can take rods and try to catch some fish for supper.”
“Good idea Em,” Thomas replied and placed a comradely hand on Peter’s shoulder.
The three walked away in search of their Lind. Ilyei and Radya loved watching their humans fish for tranet, a flat fish that inhabited the pools and rivers. Stasya did not care for fish but she liked to go with them anyway. She never strayed far from Thomas’s side, except to hunt.
That left Tara with Kath.
“I don’t want to see any fighting, people die fighting,” Tara whimpered, “and you and the others are all the family I’ve got now.”
Kath wrapped the child in her arms, feeling the tension in her slight frame, the terrified shaking. Tara acted and spoke so responsibly and grown-up they often forgot how young she really was.
“I’ll be here for as long as you need me to be here,” Kath offered quietly, hoping she could make good the promise.
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