by Matt Gross
****
The dinner was nice. In fact, it was the best meal Kira had had in a long time. She ignored the stares she got from Luis's boys and she also managed to stay out of the majority of the conversations. Mrs. Barragan invited her to help in the kitchen after they had finished, while the men went and talked business. Kira wasn't fond of that idea at all. Mrs. Barragan did all the cleaning while the men did nothing. Kira tried to hide her displeasure and all she got from Khayin was a smirk, which just made her blood boil and her hands curl into fists.
After a short while Khayin entered the kitchen. Kira was elbows deep in the sink washing dishes. She scowled at him, but he just gave her a helpless shrug. She knew he had no part in what she was doing, but she had to let her anger out on someone and he would do nicely.
“I'm going to turn in early,” Khayin stated. “If you are done relatively soon I'll let you know what the plans are, but if I'm asleep when you get back to the house we'll just talk tomorrow.” Khayin turned and left.
Kira looked at Mrs. Barragan, who was drying what she had been washing. Before she could even say anything the woman nodded.
“Go, honey. From what I hear you have a long trip ahead of you and this might be the only comfortable night’s sleep you'll get for a while.” Mrs. Barragan smiled.
Kira instantly dropped everything, afraid that the woman may change her mind. She dried off her arms and left the kitchen. She was out the front door before anyone could try to stop her. She practically ran to the house where she and Khayin were staying. Kira rushed up the stairs to the low porch and swiftly entered the house, slamming and locking the door behind her. Never again!
“You knew!” she spat. Khayin was sitting in a chair in one corner of the room. He was laughing. “Somehow you knew.”
She marched over to where he sat and punched him square in the nose. He didn't see it coming, because he made no attempt to move or defend himself. Khayin stopped laughing.
“Hey!” His voice was muffled and he chuckled a bit. He cupped his nose with his hands which also covered his mouth. “What's that for?”
“What!?” Her face flashed red and she was ready for a fight. Her hands were balled up into fists, her knuckles were white. “You knew.” She repeated.
“Maybe,” his nose was bleeding and his hands still covered the lower half of his face, “what could I’ve done about it?”
Magic started to course through her. Her tattoos started to radiate. She felt humiliated. Never before had she had to do men's work. Kira stared at Khayin. She knew he was right. To refuse would have been an insult to their hosts. The few times there were guests in her village those guest sometimes did things that made them just as uncomfortable. She couldn't wait to get home. Kira spun on her heel and stormed off to her room, slamming the door.
Kira sat cross legged on the floor in meditation. Why did I get so worked up? And why'd I feel so embarrassed and humiliated in front of Khayin? Kira was snapped out of her meditation when there was a knock on her bedroom door.
“Come in,” she said in a smooth calm voice.
Khayin opened the door, but didn't step in. “Hey, I...”
“Don't say it. You did nothing wrong. If anything, I should apologize for hitting you.” She cut him off.
“Thanks, I accept.” He had tissue pushed up his left nostril.
“I said I should, I didn't say I would,” she snapped. “You could've warned me.”
“Fair enough.” He said with a little smirk. “But in my defense, I still know nothing of you or your culture. How was I supposed to know that would offend you?”
Kira looked at him. She wasn't mad any longer and she realized just then that they would have to take a little time to talk. She expected him to respect her and her culture, but she had never told him anything, not even the smallest bit of information for him to even guess. Well, we do have a long journey ahead. I am sure it will come up.
She relaxed. “What's the plan?”
Khayin seemed to brighten up. “I got us three horses, two to ride and one to haul supplies. Luis also helped plot out the quickest safe route to Panama. There are some hostile territories between us and our destination, so we tried our best to avoid those. He also marked a few supply stops in case we are unfortunate and don’t run into any caravans.” He paused and Kira just watched him.
“Luis said we can keep whatever clothes and linens are in the house. I purchased a couple of sleeping bags from him as well,” he continued.
“Sleeping bags?”
“Yeah, they are like thick blankets that can zip up around you. It makes sleeping on the ground a little easier. I'll show you when we need them. Other than that we are set to leave whenever we are ready. I figured we'd leave at dawn.”
“Sounds good. About how long do you think it will take?” She was anxious to get home, but she knew a safe path instead of a fast path was wiser.
“About a month--give or take a few days--if everything goes well. But to be honest,” he paused, she looked at him curiously, “I kinda want to see what you are capable of. I kinda want to run into a little trouble just to see you in action. I can already tell you are a bad-ass without the magic.” He reached to his face and almost touched his nose. “I can only imagine what you can do with it.”
Chapter 12 The Contract
The morning always comes too early. Khayin hated mornings and he woke up early to get them over with. He went out for his ritual jog before the sun broke the horizon. He got back to see Kira sitting cross legged in the middle of her bedroom floor in meditation. He went to his room, grabbed some clothes from the dresser and brought them into the main living space of the house where he had laid out his saddlebags.
Khayin had finished packing when Kira entered the room with a handful of clothes of her own. He motioned to another set of saddlebags that laid beside his. She walked up beside him and without speaking, softly elbowed him and gestured to his face with a nod of her head. He took it as an apology for hitting him. She then packed her things.
“Mrs. Barragan said she'd set out some food, some to pack and some for breakfast.” Kira didn't turn around; she remained focused on packing. “There's a small village about forty miles from here. That'll be our first stop. If it's abandoned we can use one of the shacks for shelter. If not, hopefully we can barter for a roof over our heads. I also got a water purifier from Luis, so we shouldn't have a problem keeping hydrated.”
“OK,” she said. There was a long moment where the two of them didn't say anything. Khayin wasn't upset. He healed quickly and his nose was just as it had been before she broke it. He was just happy that she didn't unleash any of her magic. Kira hitting him showed that she was warming up to him, which would make their journey a lot easier.
“Khayin.” She was facing him now. “Sometime tonight we should talk. We both have questions and I think that our journey will be much more bearable if we knew each other a little better.”
“Agreed.” He smiled. “Let's put these bags on the horses and see what the missus has for us.”
The two of them walked outside. The three horses Khayin had procured the night before stood tethered to a post in front of the house. He approached a tall black stallion and stroked the animal.
“Good morning, Chewie,” he said to the horse.
“Wasn't that the name of your other horse?” she asked.
“Yep,” he responded, “I call all my horses Chewie.”
“Why? Isn't that a little...I don't know, impersonal?”
“Yeah, that's the point. I go through a lot of horses.” He continued to fasten the bags onto the beast.
“Why Chewie?” She also fastened her saddlebags to her horse.
He shot her a questioning look. “Why not? Chewie's the best damn co-pilot in the galaxy.”
“Galaxy?” He could tell she was completely confused.
He sighed. “Look, if you ever want to visit or hang out after we find your home, I'll take you to go see the best damn movies eve
r made.” It was hard to hold back his excitement just thinking about it.
“Movies?”
“Dear lord, woman. What rock have you been living under?” The look on her face made Khayin change his tone. “Sorry, I didn't mean to offend. We'll talk later, maybe we'll have a better understanding of each other then,” he said with a smile.
They walked together to Luis's home. Mrs. Barragan was waiting for them on the front porch, rocking slowly in a wooden rocking chair. A large sack of something sat on the floor of the porch next to a small table. On the table lay some fresh fruits, bread and a couple of glasses of water.
“Khayin, Luis says you're a bounty hunter?” Mrs. Barragan asked.
“That's right.”
“And you are heading to Panama?”
“Right again. You going for the hat-trick?” He smirked.
“The what?” she asked, obviously confused.
“Never mind.” I need to get myself back to the states where at least some of my jokes are understood.
“Our daughter ran away from home, and she’s in Panama with her boyfriend. We'd like you to bring her back home.” She eyed Khayin. He could tell she was trying to read him. “We'd pay you, of course.”
“I'm kinda in the middle of something right now.” He actually liked the idea. He may even get some pay up front which they could use, but taking a bounty could get distracting. And on top of that who knew if they were being followed. It could put the Barragan's daughter in danger.
“You are going in that direction anyway. And from what Luis tells me, the only reason you are here with us is that you could not afford a port to Panama, so you could use the chips, yes?” She gently rocked.
Fuck. She's got me there.
“My standard fee for a non-violent bounty is two thousand chips, but Panama is a good month’s travel...”
“We'll pay you five thousand now and an additional five when you return her to us. Sound fair?” Her face was deadpan. Khayin was beginning to wonder who was actually in charge on this farm. He liked her.
Khayin closed the gap between himself and the Mrs. Barragan. He outstretched his hand and she shook it, sealing the deal.
“Good,” she said, “the money is in the sack with your food.” The right corner of her mouth curled up ever-so-slightly. Kira smiled.
“Well played, Mrs. Barragan, well played.” He released her hand. “I need details.”
“Of course.” She reached into the folds of her shirt and produced an envelope. “Inside is a picture of my daughter. Her name is Rosa. You will also find a picture of her boyfriend.” Her face turned sour on that last part. “He has ties to the cartel and truth be told, I couldn't care less what happens to him. He has been nothing but trouble.” Khayin just nodded.
“You probably won't hear from me for a while.”
“I'm aware of that,” she responded.
“If you need to get a message to me send it to Mistress Tao. She'll know how to get it to me, and I'll do the same.” She nodded in understanding. “Good. It's been a pleasure. Thank you for your hospitality and thank your husband for me too.”
“I will. Take care, Khayin.” She looked at Kira. “You too.” Kira only nodded.
****
Ever since they had left the Barragan estate, Khayin couldn't shake the feeling of them being followed. For three days they hadn't seen a single soul on the road. He'd turn around and nothing. He doubled back and still the feeling remained.
Who would be following us? Are they after me or Kira? And how'd they know where to find us?
He became anxious. He wasn't scared--it took a lot more than a stalker to do that--but he didn't like the unknowns. Every once in a while he'd glance at Kira and he could tell that she sensed it as well. She would occasionally take quick checks behind her. The edginess he was feeling was getting on his nerves. Then it was gone.
The first village they came to was still in Mexico, but hadn’t been in existence before the Cataclysm. The sun had just dropped below the horizon. The village's name was Refugio and from what Khayin could tell it was abandoned. Well, most of it was abandoned. A few buildings sheltered some families and it looked as though they were barely surviving.
Khayin and Kira brought their horses to a vacant house on the opposite side of where the villagers had their homes. Well, the word “houses” was overstating what they actually were. They were no more than metal shacks of one room each. The villagers seemed to pay Khayin and Kira no mind. He tethered the horses to a small tree behind the shack.
“Can you bind them so no one steals them?” Khayin asked.
“I think I’ve got something that might work.” Kira walked over to the tree and started to draw a circle in the dirt around it.
Khayin took the saddlebags and put them in the shack. He didn't like the idea of removing all the saddlebags, but he didn't want to take any chances. Kira had finished her spell as Khayin grabbed the last of the supplies. Her eyes glowed slightly and her tattoos were more visible. She looked alive. Not that she wasn't before, but now she seemed more vibrant.
“I'll start a fire,” Kira said.
She grabbed some twigs and branches from the small wooded area behind their shack and made a pile a couple of yards in front. She then scoured the area for some large stones and built a makeshift fire pit. With a word, a fire sparked and jumped to life in the pit. Khayin came from the shack with some bread and some beef that had been protected with a preservation spell. He carried a couple of canteens as well.
They settled themselves on some chairs Kira had found in her search for stones. Khayin pulled out his cigarette tin and produced a couple of pre-rolled cigarettes. He offered one to Kira, who accepted. Khayin reclined as much as his chair would let him and stared into the darkening sky.
“My sisters live on an island. The trees on the island are very tall and the branches and leaves block out the sun. It's like night there all the time.” She paused for a drag on the cigarette. “There are a dozen tribes. All have the same beliefs, but none really ever got along. We all worship, or take counsel, from a dragon that lives on the island.”
“Dragon?”
“That's what she calls herself, though I'm sure she can take the form of anything really. Legends say she was once human, but no one knows for sure and she has gone by hundreds, if not thousands, of names.” She took another drag from her cigarette.
Khayin took the opportunity. “You mentioned slaves once.”
“I did.” She looked at Khayin for the first time during her story. “Women rule the island. Men are slaves. They're there for reproduction and chores we feel are beneath us, like washing dirty dishes,” she said with a slight smirk. “It's been that way for centuries or more. Men of our tribes show no affinity to magic and thus are deemed inconsequential, expendable.” She made a shooing motion with her hand.
Khayin decided not to comment on that. “Do you have siblings?”
“My mother is the Crone, leader of our tribe. And I have a twin sister a few minutes younger than me. Her name is Brianna'Tal.” She turned her gaze to the starry sky.
“Wait, so, you're a princess?” Khayin liked this.
“I guess, technically. I'm heir to be the next Crone.” She finished her cigarette and tossed it into the fire pit. “Enough about me. Talk.”
“My name is Khayin. I'm a Pisces. I like long walks on the beach,” he began.
“Fuck you.”
He laughed. He was really beginning to enjoy her company. She didn't irritate him as much as people usually do. “Well, princess. I don't know much. I don't remember ever being a kid. I have no recollection of a family. In fact, my earliest memory is me as an adult.” He took a long drag on his cigarette. “They’re only fuzzy images, but I remember standing over a man lying in a pool of his own blood and me holding the dagger.”
Chapter 13 The Convoy
Kira just stared at him. She wasn’t expecting what she just heard and as vague as it was she figured they were even in t
he “opening up” they had agreed to. She had grown up with such a low opinion of men that she found it hard to appreciate them at all. She liked Khayin though. She could even see herself being attracted to him. She wouldn't let herself pursue that line of thinking though. It's best to leave that alone.
“I'm going to turn in.” She stood up. “My ass is hurting from all the riding today and we are still at the beginning of our journey.”
“Goodnight, Princess.”
“Is that what you're going to call me now?” She stood in the doorway of the shack.
“I might throw in a 'Your Highness' or a 'Your Worship' when the mood hits.”
“I have a name,” she countered.
“Yep, Princess,” he said with a smile.
Kira shook her head in defeat. She smiled and closed the door. That was a fight not worth fighting.
****
The evening passed without a hitch. They checked the horses and found no foul play, so they packed and prepared for their journey. Before they left they had breakfast and found a nearby stream. They filtered some water to refill their canteens and walked their horses out of town a little way before mounting them. They left the village shortly after dawn.
Khayin pointed out on the map that their next stop wouldn't be a village, town, or city. They would have to camp. Their travels that day did bring them through a couple of small settlements. Those settlements had no trade or commerce and barely had enough food or water for themselves. They didn't stop. They didn't talk a whole lot either. She had a ton of questions for this man and she had a distinct feeling he knew more than he was letting on.