“We need to find a way to get an audience with King Jendrish,” I said. “Come, let's find a way to do that.”
We stood up from our table and walked out into the busy, bustling street as I tried to figure out how we were going to get an audience with the king.
Chapter Seven
Byr
We weaved our way through the busy, congested streets before we found ourselves in an open plaza. A large fountain stood in the center of the plaza, sending plumes of green water shooting high into the air. We walked over and sat down on the bench that surrounded the waterfall, watching the Optorion people bustling by in a companionable silence for a few moments.
“What do you think you'll accomplish if you can get an audience with the king?” I finally asked.
“My hope is that if we plead our case,” Hatare started, “that he will place us under his protection and grant us asylum.”
“What will that do?”
“If King Jendrish agrees to give us asylum, it will prevent my father – or the government soldiers – from taking us back to Unduth,” she said.
“Do you think he'll give us asylum?”
She shrugged. “I do not know.”
I looked at her, feeling a nervous knot forming in my stomach. “What would give you the idea that he would?”
She looked at her hands and then looked up, giving me a rueful grin. “Hope, mainly” she said. “King Jendrish married a human woman – from a place called Earth. He took an alien as his bride. If anybody can understand the importance of choosing your own destiny and not tying yourself down to archaic traditions and customs, it has to be him.”
My heart sank in my chest and that knot in my stomach tightened painfully. Hearing that she was basing this whole quest on nothing more than hope didn't leave me feeling all that great about our chances. But then, what else was I going to do? I was a wanted man on Unduth, so staying there hadn't been a really good option either.
I looked at her and tried to buy into the idea of hope. Hope that we would be granted asylum. Hope that we would be granted royal protection. Because if not – I didn't want to even think about it. There definitely was a lot more to Hatare than met the eye, and I tried to put my faith in that helping see us through this mess.
We sat watching the people of Optorio coming and going for quite a while. I'd never even seen an Optorion before. I'd never really seen anybody not from the fringes before, if I were being honest. It shocked me that we could be on an entirely different planet, these alien beings looked very similar to Unduthians. Aside from the different skin tones and the eye markings – as well as the fact that it appeared the average Optorion was bigger than an Unduthian. Quite a lot bigger, actually.
“I've never seen a woman who could fight,” I said, casting a sidelong look at her. “I've never seen a woman who could handle a blade so dexterously.”
She flashed me a quick smile. “Like I said, I had good tutors. They taught me a great may things.”
“Like how to beat two armed men in a fight,” I asked.
Her smile was soft, but genuine. “One of my father's guards was a man named Lutl,” she said. “He was a lot like me in that he didn't really approve of Unduthian cultural traditions. Thought they were archaic. Lutl wasn't supposed to – he was risking his life – but he taught me how to fight. He showed me a number of different ways to attack somebody – or defend myself. He also showed me how to use a whole host of weapons as well as fight barehanded – in secret, of course.”
As she spoke, I heard something in her voice – almost a sense of longing. I got the idea that there was a definite affection for this Lutl on her end. But I also got the impression that it was unrequited. I wasn't sure why, but I felt a small stab of something within me – something that felt a little bit like jealousy. But how could that be? I didn't know this girl, nor did I have any sort of claim to her. It was a stray, irrational feeling that made no sense to me.
I gave her a small laugh. “You're apparently a very quick learner,” I said. “Because you are really something to see in action. It's like you become a completely different person than this calm, rational girl I'm talking to right now.”
She shrugged and gave me a small smile. “He started teaching me years ago,” she replied. “I had better be proficient by now. And being able to compartmentalize was something he taught me. Take the emotion out of a fight and you're less likely to make a mistake. He taught me that you almost need to turn yourself into a robot during a confrontation so that you don't get in your own way. You essentially become a different person.”
I nodded. It made sense to me – most of it anyway. “Why did you have to learn in secret?”
“Because proper women in Unduthian society do not do barbaric things like fight, or use weapons,” she said. “And we most certainly don't think for ourselves. That's all left to the men in polite, civilized society.”
I nodded again – I was finally beginning to understand Hatare. See where her anger stemmed from. See why she rebelled against Unduthian cultural norms. And see why she ran away from it all.
“And you feel that Unduthian culture is what – misogynistic?” I asked.
“Don't you?”
I shrugged. “I suppose I never gave it much thought, to be honest – ”
“Of course you didn't,” she interrupted me. “Because you're a man and are most definitely not impacted by these rules, restrictions, and expectations they put on us.”
“But then, because I'm one of the scraps,” I said. “I have an entirely different set of rules, restrictions, and expectations. You're not the only one whose life hasn't been – ideal.”
She cast her eyes downward, nodded slowly and seemed like she'd never considered that to be the case before. It was more than obvious she was as ignorant to life as a scrap as I was to living a life of privilege.
“You're right,” she said. “And I'm sorry. I never really considered what life was like out on the fringes.”
We fell into another silence, each of us watching the people walking by – or at least pretending to. A few minutes later, a man sat down beside me on the bench. He was older, his dark hair shot through with gray.
“Unduthians,” he said. “What brings you to our fair city of Tochasea?”
“Business,” Hatare said quickly.
The man's eyes grew a little bit wider and he licked his lips. “What kind of business is that, then?”
“Our own,” she said, her voice downright frosty.
“Okay, okay,” he said, holding his hands up. “No offense intended. Let me ask you a different question – is there anything I can help you with? I'm a man known to have been of service to a fair few people in my day.”
I looked at him. “We're hoping to get an audience with King Jendrish.”
Hatare cut a sharp look at me, but if we were ever going to get the meeting she was seeking, we had to trust somebody. We couldn't do it on our own and needed some help.
The man ran a hand over his smooth jawline and contemplated us. I could see him trying to puzzle out who we were and what we were about. The longer the silence continued though, and he kept looking at us, I started to get a sinking suspicion that he'd recognized us. My mind was spinning and I feared that he was trying how to best lure us into a trap for the reward.
“An audience with Jendrish, huh?” he finally asked.
I nodded. “Absolutely. We really need to talk to him,” I said. “Urgently.”
The man gave us a small smile. “Just so happens, I have a friend who has a friend,” he said. “Might be able to pull some strings to get you that meeting. But something like that is going to cost.”
Of course it did. Everything cost. Why did it keep surprising me that somebody was trying to turn a profit off of helping us?
“How much?” Hatare asked.
“Five hundred,” the man said without missing a beat.
I felt my stomach tightening painfully. It was a lot of money. More than I'd
ever seen, let alone held before in my life. I couldn't believe he'd have the gall to demand so much. I looked over at Hatare. I was obviously, not the one with the money. It was up to her.
She looked up at the grizzled, older man. “Set it up,” she said. “Please.”
Chapter Eight
Hatare
My first instinct was to scold Byr for giving away the reasons for our presence in the Optorion capitol. But then, my second instinct was to come to the same conclusion he already had – we needed some help. I knew we needed to meet with King Jendrish, but I had no idea how to go about getting that meeting.
Still, five hundred was quite a bit of money to pay somebody who knew a man who knew another man. There was no promise that we would actually get that meeting with the king and I wasn't keen on throwing away that sort of money.
“That's five hundred,” he said. “I'll take payment up front, if you don't mind.”
My laugh was dry. Why did everybody think I was a fool? Why did everybody underestimate me? Was it because I was young? A woman? Both, perhaps? Even though I'd never before been out of Kinray, I knew that I was far more knowledgeable and worldly than other girls my age. I'd had a fantastic education with some of the best tutors – tutors who'd provided me with an education about matters not always found in books.
Oh, I read plenty of books. It was one of my favorite things to do, after all. And initially, my tutors had demanded I stick to those books for my education. But I demanded more. I demanded an education that wasn't prepackaged and spoon fed to me.
I wanted to know everything. And though I was smart enough to know I didn't know everything and was ignorant to a good many things, I wasn't completely naive or gullible. At least, nowhere near as much as some people apparently believed me to be.
“That's five hundred,” I said. “When we meet with your contact and set up an actual meeting with the king.”
The man smirked at me. “I'd heard Unduthians didn't trust others very easily,” he said. “Probably comes from all of that backbiting and backroom political dealing.”
I shrugged. “Perhaps,” I said. “But there is a difference between a lack of trust and simply being a fool. And I am no fool. No offense to you, but I'll hold on to my money until we can meet with your contact.
The man looked annoyed and cast Byr a look of derision, as if he should be controlling me or something. Byr looked back at him, his expression neutral, but his body was tense and his jaw was firmly set. There was an air about him that said he would act if the man stepped out of line.
Byr was a big, strong man. Still young, and no doubt, lacked the training I'd been fortunate enough to get, but I thought he could handle himself well enough in a fight. And I got the sense that the man realized that too as his expression slightly softened and he backed down.
“Fine,” he said. “Be back in this very spot when the second moon is at its zenith. And be sure you have the money.”
The man got up and walked away without another word. We'd clearly upset him – which told me we'd been right to withhold payment until his end of the bargain was met. Having just gone through what we'd gone through with Wyn and Wyk, I felt justified in being a bit – skeptical.
But, if the man could come through and deliver for us, get us a meeting with the king, it would have been money very well spent.
I looked over at Byr who was looking around, a very uncertain look upon his face. “What is it, Byr?”
He sighed. “I'm suddenly not sure what's going to happen,” he said. “I guess with everything happening so quickly, I'd never really given much thought to the future. To what comes next. I mean, my mother and siblings are still in one of those camps. What will happen to them?”
I nodded slowly. I'd heard about the camps they put some of the prisoners in – it was separate and apart from the normal prisons that housed common criminals. The camps were for political prisoners, seditionists, and traitors, among others. It was one of those not-very-well-kept secrets in Unduth. While never officially acknowledged, it was still pretty well known that we had camps for people that fell into those categories.
That knowledge was proliferated as a warning and a cautionary tale – cross the Unduthian government, and you too could disappear behind one of those tall, thick walls. And so far as I knew, nobody that went in had ever come out again. Being locked away in one of those camps was a virtual death sentence.
“Perhaps, we can petition the king for their safe release and transport here,” I said hopefully.
Byr gave me a tight smile. He probably knew about the camps. Knew that the likelihood of a happy reunion was incredibly slim. But, there was always hope.
“You know,” I said. “When I ran away from home, I vowed to build a new life. A new world for myself. I vowed to become the person I wanted to be, rather than the one everybody else expected me to be. And I did all of that with nothing more than hope guiding me. As long as there is life, Byr, there is hope. And we will do everything we can to get your family out of the camp and here to Optorio with us.”
He nodded, but I could see that hope was a commodity in short supply with him. It probably had much to do with the fact that hope was in short supply on the fringes. I didn't know much, but I knew they lived a rough life out there. I knew that their existence was hand to mouth and they didn't have the luxury of dreaming about the future – a better future.
Their life was day to day and moment by moment. As I sat, staring into Byr's eyes, the luxury and privilege I'd enjoyed throughout my life – and had often taken for granted – was never more clear. The difference between my life and somebody like Byr had never been more stark.
And it broke my heart to see. Oh, I knew that inequality existed. I knew that people lived lives of deprivation and desperation. But it had always been something of an abstract concept for me because I'd been cocooned in such – well – wealth and privilege.
It was something that not even the tutors I'd had, who'd imparted such worldly lessons upon me, had ever been able to truly convey. But sitting there with Byr, a man who'd lived that sort of life on the fringes, made it profoundly more real for me.
But I also knew that nothing I said in that moment was going to get through to him. Nor would it make him feel any better about the situation. And I didn't want Byr to feel that I was condescending to him, either. Instead, I reached over and gave his hand a squeeze.
“Come,” I said. “Let's take a look at Tochasea.”
The smile he gave me was forced, but he stood and followed me out of the plaza and into the city.
Chapter Nine
I'd seen plenty of pictures of Tochasea, but seeing it live and in person was a completely different experience. There were so many sounds and smells that could never be conveyed in a picture that brought it to life. We stood before one of the many temples scattered throughout the city. Carved out of a shimmering blue stone I'd never seen before, it was intricately detailed and absolutely gorgeous. I'd seen a picture of it before, but this – it was breathtaking.
The contrast between this building – a temple I knew to be ancient – and the modern, bustling city around it was striking. And it somehow made it more beautiful to me.
“What is this?” Byr asked, his eyes wide.
“It is an ancient temple,” I replied. “Dedicated to one of Optorio's old sea gods. It dates back centuries. There is still an order of priests who live and work inside the temple. Though Optorio isn't necessarily a religious society anymore, there are still those who dedicate themselves to the ancient ways.”
Byr nodded. “It's a beautiful structure,” he said. “I've never seen anything like it before.”
“There are still a few temples like this in Kinray,” I said. “But nothing anywhere near as elegant or beautiful.”
The day passed into evening, and we'd walked around much of the city, enjoying a sampling of Optorion delicacies and learning more and more about each other. Tochasea was a busy city that never seemed to slow dow
n. There were people everywhere and no shortage of things to see or do.
Byr was a good man with a good heart. I was enjoying my time with him and it made me feel less strange about being so comfortable in his presence.
“What do you think will happen to us?” Byr asked as we sat on a bench in one of the many parks in Tochasea, enjoying a creamy, frozen treat. “If we're granted asylum. I mean, I assume that means we begin a new life here, right?”
I nodded. “That is the plan.”
“But – what are we going to do?” he asked. “I mean, how do we even start building a new life?”
I sighed. It was yet another part of the plan I'd not had time to think all the way through. But there just hadn't been time to consider all of the different scenarios and ramifications. I'd had to act and act quickly.
“I suppose we can start by finding work,” I said. “Optorio doesn't seem to be much like Unduth. It seems that most people work. From what I understand, it's not about family houses or lives of privilege because of your name. You get by on your own merits. We'll have to start from the bottom, of course, but we can work our way up. We can be whoever we want to be and build our lives the way we want them built. Our lives are in our own hands.”
As I spoke, I realized that I was using the word “we” a lot. It was as if I'd simply expected Byr to be a part of my life permanently or something. The strangest thing about that was that it brought me a lot of comfort. I couldn't explain it, but somehow, believing that Byr was going to be with me and part of my life brought me not only comfort – but something a little more. Happiness? Joy?
It was something I couldn't readily identify. But the mere thought of him not being there sent a wave of sadness rolling through me.
The first moon was already beginning its descent and the second moon was rising to its peak. I cleared my throat and tried to banish all of the thoughts from my head. Tried to focus on the present. The here and now.
“We should probably go,” I said. “We need to get to the plaza.”
Byr nodded and we headed off to our meeting – and for whatever reason, I couldn't stop looking at Byr and smiling. Nor could I ward off the ominous feeling swirling about in my belly as we walked through the streets of Tochasea and headed for the plaza.
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