She began to lift away her remaining braid of energy, but he closed his hand around it, and it settled back down. No letting Temper know about your other skills, Mercy.
Damn, more secrets.
That’s right, and keep the details of this vision away from your dad, if you can. Scythe had doubts that Ian would be able to function if he saw what Mercy would be going through.
On the other hand, Scythe thought, he had taught his daughter how to kill; in fact, he had done a very good job of it. Why...why had he, or more likely Lena, since she could do it as well, done that when they lived in their safe home in the city? Why did he think she would need to know something like that? Even though it had saved her, he hated...truly hated it...that, if her vision happened, she would be forced to kill.
Already she was changing in ways he didn’t want.
Are you alright?
No. Definitely not all right. Why did they always ask that?
I’m sorry. She tried to comfort him, sending the same feeling of deep affection that usually accompanied his name.
Please. Don’t apologize any more. It makes it worse that you feel responsible, when you’re not.
Okay, but I’m not sorry for the vision. I’m sorry because you’re hurt. Again. Because of her. That’s what she thought.
About that she was right, but it was a drop in the ocean compared to what he had received from her and Ian.
He let his hand drop away from his face and straightened up. He said, “I have no idea when, or where this vision takes place...Do you, Mercy?” She shook her head, so he continued, “But we do know two things. One, Heron was dead on. He is scared and he wants me messed up, but he’s afraid to meet me head on. And, two…”
“He is way weaker than me, so my dad and you will definitely be able to take him,” Mercy boasted.
Scythe didn’t tell her that he had no intention of entering into a power conflict with Phillip. He had more direct ways of dealing with people who needed to be dead. No long, drawn out fights, no chases, no talking. Just dead.
“Well, that is true, but I was going to say that he plans, or he is going to plan, on using you to get to me, so we are changing our plans in the hopes of messing him up. We are putting everything into making that vision one of the ‘maybe’ ones that never happens. We are not splitting up, like we planned. We are not going to Yawning Valley at all.”
They had intended for Scythe to take Heron to the Capital and then meet up with the rest of their team in Yawning Valley. Since it was the only time that Mercy was supposed to be separated from him, that made the bordertown a likely spot for the second vision. If that were true, they would avoid the vision entirely by not going there. “We’re going to the Capital.”
“Why? Besides dropping off Heron, there is nothing else there,” Temper said. “And what about the information you were planning on collecting in the bordertown?”
“We don’t need it because he is coming to us now. As for the Capital, everything is there,” Scythe said, and then laid the revised plan out before them.
Chapter 19
He had never seen a halfblood in his life before that month. He had never thought to ever see one on the path that had been laid out for him. So, unlike many of those around him, he didn’t feel the distrust or more common disgust for them. He didn’t feel anything for them. His family, his teacher, no one in his circle even spoke of them...why would they? So when it came to seeing one for the first time, he had merely been interested in a clinical way.
He had encountered more difficulty adapting to the Humans. He had met only a handful of Humans in his life, and they were not like these at all. They had not been noisy, or sloppy with their manners, or so...unavoidably Human. These even seemed to smell strange to him. He wondered if the disconnect between what he thought Humans were like and what he was seeing with the Youngs was because these Humans were unusual, or because the Humans that he had met in Quo Ire were selectively chosen by the Kin. Heron would have to ask his uncle about it, because he knew about such things.
He had never been in danger, never heard an explosion of any type, never ridden above posted speed limits. He had never had to hide himself in any way, not to mention in a box. He knew that his father would be appalled when he found that out. He had even considered withholding that detail, in the captain’s interests.
He had never believed in Human powers. No one that he knew did; it was like believing in a fairy tale. In his medical journals, it was not mentioned, nor did he encounter anything about it when he had done the required cursory study of Human physiology. Yet, here they were: mind reading, memory alteration, visions of things happening in other places…although, he suspected that the latter might be a form of psychosis. There were several that he had read about that had similar symptoms.
He had never slept on a dirty floor, or gone so long without access to a suitably hygienic washroom. He had never been bone tired. He had thought he knew what that meant, having engaged in many sport activities over the years, but now he knew that he had clearly misused the term. He had never eaten the type of food that he was consuming daily...on disposable tableware.
It was as if the universe were playing a trick on him.
He did his best to adapt to the bizarre conditions and events he had been facing. It was what his family expected of him, what he expected of himself. He had requested a military placement because he knew that once his internship studies started, he would be working in the most respected medical facilities the Kin had at their disposal. After that, it would be unseemly to work in any lesser capacity; it was unthinkable to dishonor his family by working below his abilities.
However, he had wanted a broader view of the medical profession than the one his cousin, who had never left the city in his many years of study, had experienced. He had argued to his family that he wanted to be able to speak from experience and with surety about issues concerning the Human condition as well as alternative treatments such as the types required in military medicine or used in the poorly equipped bordertowns. With great effort, he had been able to convince them that limited positions in a few select units would impart invaluable understanding that he just couldn’t get otherwise. They were also swayed by the fact that he could take the rare opportunity to visit a few of their ancestral properties, which happened to be located in the regions where the units were deployed.
However, a short amount of time after joining his first and later Captain Reave’s unit, he realized that working with minimal resources and almost no support was not so much the challenge he expected as a nightmare of inefficiency and unneeded suffering. With all the advancements that the Kin had access to, how could such ineptitude be tolerated? The whole experience had soured his enthusiasm for the line of inquiry and left him ready to return home.
Now that the attack on Huran had justified his family’s fears for his safety, something that would no doubt be included in the family’s oral history for the duration of time, they insisted on his immediate return. He had taken advantage of the Captain’s unconventional suggestion because it promised to be the fastest and was purportedly sufficiently secure. However, within twenty-four hours, his life had been endangered three times, if one counted the danger of traveling at ungodly speeds on the outside of the smallest thing that could still be called a vehicle; that a helmet was considered sufficient protection in a situation like that baffled him. It was a trial to maintain his composure under such conditions, but he had been able to do so. Barely. He would have to thank his han-na for that when he returned.
He had endured her training for years, the entire time unable to ascertain what the benefits of martial arts study could be when he would spend his life in one of the safest cities on the continent. He had been frustrated when his friends, who did not have a crazy aunt like his in the family, had more time for both play and their lessons. One of the few times he had opposed his parents’ choices occurred when he complained that his friends were passing him in their studies
because of his Aunt's rigorous and time consuming path. They had solved the problem by making him study more.
Now he knew why she had tormented him, and it merely reaffirmed that a child only benefited from the guidance of the family. Such challenges of the body and mind had enabled him to act decisively under pressure and calmly observe, analyze, and act. Somewhere in the back of his mind he could say, “Yes, huddling behind a truck while the windows of the building are blown out just yards away is terrible, but it is nothing to being the enemy of choice on the day the twins got their birthday presents.” His aunt had praised him when he was able to defend himself against multiple attackers, apparently not noticing how close he had been to an unscheduled visit to her other son for treatment.
So, he could sit there in the universe’s joke-in-a-truck and listen to them talk about seeing the future and laying a trap for an obviously unstable terrorist without panicking. At least they didn’t have two knives. Each.
They had stopped for what was to be the last refueling before they reached his home. He, Jin and Scythe were the first to attempt the washrooms, and he took it as a chance to appreciate more fully what waited for him a handful of hours away. On their way back, they stopped and bought some sandwiches, fried roots, and sugar fortified drinks.
Scythe handed Heron his bags without thinking, scanning the room for the third time, and Heron took the opportunity to do what he had been wanting to do since he had seen the man use his power on Mercy. He looked at the man’s eyes to see if they appeared different in some way. They looked normal to him; even the color was standard among the kin. Only the shape was atypical, but that was accounted for in his Human heritage.
On the gray, expressionless face, green eyes were the only thing that moved and then they stopped, giving Heron an immediate chill when he realized they were focused on him. Scythe raised his eyebrows.
Within his circle it was impolite to stare, particularly from that short distance, but Heron had allowed himself to break the rule because he doubted that the halfblood was of the type to find it offensive; that, and he was so curious. Certainly, the Humans had no such problems with boundaries. The first time he had met her, Mercy had not stopped staring at him during the entire meal, despite the fact that he had politely averted his eyes in an attempt to model the proper etiquette for meeting an unmarried sten’nai.
However, it was clear that he had offended the man, and that embarrassed him. Such behavior reflected poorly on his upbringing, and he didn’t like that at all. He said, lowering his head, “I am sorry. That was rude.”
When Scythe didn’t answer as he should have, Heron raised his head, wondering just how irritated the man was. To his surprise, Scythe didn’t seem bothered at all. He stood there, patiently waiting. If anything, he seemed mildly curious.
“Yes?” Heron asked, not sure what it was he was supposed to do.
“You want to look, right? So look.”
Heron swallowed, but, since Scythe was obviously sincere, he obeyed. He noted the unusual bone structure, predominately Kin with the strong, high cheekbones and the powerful jaw. If it weren’t for the other things, like the overly large mouth and eyes, he would have been what the Kin considered well-formed and, with that skin, even desirable. However, any Kin would have been put off by those eyes; they looked like they were prying. In a society where everyone’s senses were so acute, it was important to give an appropriate amount of privacy, and those eyes were glaringly large, just like any Human’s.
However, it was hardly the man’s fault that he looked like that, and his behavior didn’t reflect that aspect of his physical features in the least. As far as Heron had seen, he had been raised by a family of quality. That in itself confused him on multiple levels. Any kin who would marry a Human by definition completely disregarded the most important aspects of being Kin; however, before him was a child of such a union who was obviously raised with a respect for many Kin values. To complicate things more, he lived by a code that the Kin themselves felt no obligation to abide by where he was concerned. Yet, Heron didn’t see any evidence of resentment or psychological dysfunction. He demonstrated character under duress. His aunt would have been proud, if she could have gotten past the halfblood stigma.
Heron finished by looking back into Scythe’s eyes, but like before, nothing...hmm. He thought he had seen small flecks of bright green in the center but it must have been a reflection, because there was nothing there now.
“Thank you,” Heron said, tipping his head.
Scythe nodded and gestured for Heron to go in front of him.
Within a half hour, they were on the road again and Heron felt his excitement build. Soon, he would be home, with interesting stories that would prevent any of his younger cousins and probably many their friends from ever being permitted to leave Quo Ire. Still, he didn’t have one regret. The entire trip had been enlightening.
“You’ll be home soon,” Mercy said, her direct gaze on him again. He considered telling her about the staring, since she seemed to want to know such things, but decided against it. For one thing, he wasn’t going to be seeing her again after today anyway, and for another, it was really her father’s honor to raise her, and Heron didn’t want to interfere with that. The primary reason, however, was that she wouldn’t be sten’nai for much longer. Once she was married, it wouldn’t matter who she looked at with those surprisingly pleasing eyes, although it would be difficult for weaker men to see what they could never have. Averting her eyes was kinder.
Since she wouldn’t look away, he made sure that he did. “Yes, I am growing very excited.”
“Bet you’ll be glad to get out of this truck and see your family.”
“Both, yes.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
He smiled, appreciating their inside joke. “Ask whatever.”
“Why are you here?”
He laughed automatically, which he saw pleased her.
“No, just kidding, but, now that I think about it, why are you here?”
“So, two questions?”
“Yep. Maybe more if I think of some.”
“All right. I guess I did say, ‘Ask whatever.’ Do you mean why am I going with you or…”
“No, why were you doing your study-thingy…”
“Apprenticeship,” he helped her with the Kin word.
“Thanks, apprenticeship out on patrol when it’s obvious your family wants you close to them?”
“Well, I just wanted different experiences...I guess I wanted to see the types of things I wouldn’t get to see later,” he said, and realized it was true.
“Why not?”
He shrugged, “Because I’ll marry soon, have my profession and my family and I won’t want to leave.”
Her mouth dropped open, “Are you getting married?”
“No, no. I just mean, in a few years, maybe two or three. I’m not sure.”
“So, you don’t have a girlfriend?”
“I have many girl friends.”
“Oh, dang, what’s the word? A girl you are serious about.”
“Oh, a sten’na. No, but my family is considering a few.”
“Your family...is going to choose for you?” She was clearly shocked by the idea.
“Well, they pick out a handful and then we meet. If one of the ladies likes me and I like her, well, then we will marry. If not, then my family will look some more.”
“Wow. We do that ourselves.”
“What?”
“Choose who we want to marry.”
“Ah, well that can work too.” He doubted it was a good idea, though.
“No way would I let my parents choose a husband for me.”
“Why not? Don’t they know you?”
“Yes, but not everything.”
He doubted that, too.
“Well, don’t you think they know more about marriage than you do?” The older women and his kiryoku really knew how to find good matches. His cousin’s wife was amazing; they had
come to love each other quicker than expected and were already awaiting their first child.
“Of course, but…”
“Do you really think that you could make as good a decision as they could?” He didn’t think judgment was one of her strong areas, but then, being a Human, she was still expected to be very young. He had to remember that and not think of her as a woman, despite her age.
“Of course I do! It’s my life and I know what I want.”
“You would still get a choice, as would the man…”
“The whole idea is crazy. Oh, sorry, but...not for you of course.” She slapped her head. “I’m always messing up around you.”
“I don’t think it’s only around me.”
“That was cruel. No, really cruel.”
He smiled. He was getting a handle on when her lies were meant to be jokes. It was a subtle thing, a certain bizarre type of challenge that he was beginning to enjoy.
She was getting flustered again, which was good, because it was one of the few times she didn’t stare. “Okay, forget the marriage thing. You are here because you wanted your big adventure before your life got too complicated, right?”
He had never thought about it like that before, but he had to admit that she was right. “Yes, and I wanted to have some experiences in some of the areas I was studying, but had never seen. For example, I wanted to see the conditions of a bordertown hospital, and I did that in Juniper. It is so much more valuable to me than just reading about it.”
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