Kei's Gift

by Ann Somerville

  He pushed the note at her. “Arman needs me.”

  She recoiled from his outstretched hand. “I beg your pardon, boy? You look drunk—you have no business here.”

  “Not drunk,” he said, almost growling. This woman...he remembered, remembered she’d been pissing rude. “Should stick your pen where it hurts,” he muttered to himself.

  Not enough to himself, apparently. “What did you say? Guards! Take this man out of the building!”

  “No! Arman needs me! Look!” He shoved the note into her face again. “Look, he’s written! Lord...Lord Meki...he knows...please...I have a note...no, let me go,” he cried as his arms were seized, and his mind was scraped raw by the emotions of the men holding him. “Please, don’t touch me...just get Arman...just....”

  His legs collapsed but he was held up. “Please...help me....” His vision went all funny again, and there were a lot of voices all at once, angry, worried, voices. He wanted to hide from them but they wouldn’t let him go.

  “You should get him out....”

  “...Lord Meki....”

  “...injured, not drunk....”

  “Get a healer...gods, he’s passing out! Catch him!”

  No, can’t pass out, got to help Arman....

  ~~~~~~~~

  A clerk enter the room with a worried look on her face and went to Lord Meki’s side to whisper something in his ear. The Ruler stood. “Everyone, sorry to interrupt, but there’s some kind of disturbance I need to attend to. General, I think you’d better come.”

  Arman frowned—they were right in the middle of some crucial planning, and from the looks of the others in the meeting room, he wasn’t the only one annoyed at the interruption. However, he knew Lord Meki well enough to know he wasn’t prone to wasting his own time, let alone anyone else’s, so he nodded and stood. “Please continue—we can’t afford any delay.”

  Lady Jilki stood to take over the meeting as he and Lord Meki left the room. “What’s going on?” Arman asked, struggling with his bad leg to keep pace with the impatient Ruler.

  “Someone’s come to the reception demanding to see you. It could just be someone with a grudge who’s heard you’re here, but I want to be sure.”

  They could hear the shouting as they approached the entrance hall, and Arman arrived just in time to see Kei being lowered to the floor, apparently unconscious, surrounded by soldiers. “Kei! Please, my lord, get those men away from him!”

  Lord Meki snapped out an order for everyone to get clear of Kei while Arman hobbled as fast as he could to Kei’s side. He lowered himself with difficulty to the floor and pulled Kei’s head into his lap—there was fresh blood on his face, trickling from a short, deep gash on a nasty looking lump on his forehead. “What happened? How did he get here?”

  Lord Meki turned to the woman standing to the side of the soldiers, looking angry and afraid. “I don’t know, my lord,” she said in answer to his questioning look. “He just turned up, seemed to be drunk, demanding to see the general—he was here yesterday, being rude and demanding to see you, my lord,” she said defensively. “We can’t just let people walk in from the road to waste the Rulers’ time.”

  “Kei’s not rude and he doesn’t waste time,” Arman said through gritted teeth. “For the love of the gods, will someone get a damn healer here? My lord, please, could you send for the lad’s friend, Reji. He was staying at the Inn of the White Hisk—he’ll know what’s happening. Or Captain Tiko.”

  “Elsi, get healer Loti here,” Lord Meki snapped. “Sergeant, find this man Reji...of Ai-Albon, is it, general?” Arman nodded. “Reji of Ai-Albon and have him brought here—have him bring his belongings and this lad’s too. He can stay in the House if he needs to, but he’s to be at the general’s disposal until otherwise ordered. Elsi, why are you still standing there—go get that damn healer!”

  The woman scurried off as Lord Meki knelt down beside Arman. “He looks dreadful,” he said.

  Arman nodded, stroking Kei’s face. Kei had something clutched tight in his hand, something he hadn’t let go even in his faint. He prised Kei’s fingers away from it with surprising difficulty, and found it was his own note. He looked at Lord Meki in confusion. “He came in response to this—perhaps he was attacked on the way?”

  “It’s possible. I’m sorry, general—we’ll make sure he’s looked after.”

  “My lord?”

  Arman turned and with relief saw it was Loti come at his Ruler’s command. “Loti, this is Kei—he’s been hurt.”

  Loti dropped to his knees. “Oh, good gods.” He pulled Kei’s eyelids back, checked his pulse and breathing, and examined the badly bruised lump. “This is a few hours old—perhaps as many as twelve—and has had a healer’s attention. He shouldn’t be walking around in his state—he has a bad concussion.”

  “Will he be all right?” Arman asked in frantic worry. Kei looked so pale.

  “I think so, although he needs to be watched for a few hours. Was he on his own? No healer would leave someone like this unattended.”

  “I think he might have had a friend with him,” Arman said distractedly. But why had the friend let Kei wander off on his own? “My lord, can we take him to my rooms? I know he’ll be easier if I’m close by.”

  “Of course.” Lord Meki signalled to the soldiers, who lifted Kei carefully. “Loti, you stay with the boy until either I or the general order otherwise. General, we can spare you a few minutes, but this is a very bad time for an interruption as you know.”

  “Yes, I know—if I can just be with him when he wakes, to reassure him? He’ll need rest more than anything, yes?” he asked Loti , following Kei as he was taken up the long staircase.

  “Yes, that’s really all he needs, and fluids when he’s awake. Please, general, we need to get him onto a bed.”

  Arman followed, praying the soldiers would realise how precious their cargo was and not drop him. With relief, he saw them reach the first floor, then they carried Kei with great gentleness along the long corridor to the residential wing.

  Once in Arman’s rooms, Kei was laid on the bed and the soldiers dismissed. Arman watched anxiously as Loti made a further examination.

  “I need to get back to the meeting, general.”

  Arman turned, slightly startled to hear the words—he’d been concentrating so hard, he hadn’t even realised Lord Meki had followed them in. “Of course, my lord. I’m sorry for the delay—but this man is not only very dear to me, but he’s much too valuable to Darshian to lose.”

  “All our citizens are valuable, general,” Lord Meki said gravely.

  “Some are more valuable than others, I assure you.” At that point, Loti finished his examination. He nodded and motioned for Arman to approach. “I’ll come down as soon as I can,” Arman told the Ruler. “Will you have someone tell me the moment Reji is found and brought here?”

  “Of course. I’ll make sure the reception staff don’t place any more obstacles in the path of your friends visiting. Or of anyone else,” Lord Meki added darkly. Someone would get a proper bawling out, Arman predicted. “I’ll find out what happened yesterday—he was trying to find you, perhaps he needed something.”

  “Yes, he must have done. He’s not a frivolous person, my lord.”

  Lord Meki smiled a little. “No, I very much doubt he is. Do what you need to, general, and then come down. I can have everyone take an early lunch but we really have to get on.”

  Arman nodded and the Ruler left. “How is he?” he asked Loti.

  “Asleep, I think—nothing worse. He’s going to be in a lot of pain when he wakes up, no doubt—sleep is the best thing for him. I’ll wait in the other room if you’ll stay here with him. Call me if there’s any change or he wakes.”

  Loti bowed and went back out to the office. Arman took off his boots and climbed onto the bed, resting Kei’s head into his lap again, and taking one of Kei’s cold hands into his. If he found Kei had been attacked, he would find who it was and rip them apart. No one w
ould touch Kei like that again. He’d sworn it after Mykis’s abuse.

  He was conscious that every minute away from the planning table counted hard, but he didn’t begrudge Kei any of it. Kei had paid for the right to demand Arman’s time many times over and he would fight anyone who thought otherwise. However, it was only a half hour or so before he felt Kei stir. “Kei? It’s Arman. Open your eyes.”

  There was a muttered curse, and then Kei’s eyes opened into slits. “Arman?” he said in a slurred, faint voice. “I came. You need me?”

  “Yes, I do and yes, you did come,” Arman said gently, stroking Kei’s face. “What happened? How did you hurt your head?”

  Kei closed his eyes again. “Don’t know,” he mumbled. “Are you hurt? You needed me?” His hand clutched Arman’s tightly. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong, my poor befuddled friend. I just wanted to see you again and you can help us with the rescue project, if you wish. I didn’t mean you to run over here with a head injury.”

  Kei nodded and winced. “Hurts...people hurting me.... S’nice, doesn’t hurt with you.”

  Arman stared down at him in dismay—it sounded as if Kei had suffered a reoccurrence of what he’d experienced back in Utuk after the hostages had been killed. “Has this been going on since I left you?”

  Kei rolled over a little. “No...can’t remember, Arman...tired....”

  “Then you should sleep, my friend. Kei, listen to me.”

  “Wha’?” Kei opened one eye and stared blearily up at him.

  “I need you to remember this—I’m going downstairs, no further, for a meeting. If you need me, I’ll come immediately, but I won’t be far away. There’s a healer here called Loti, who knew your mother. A very nice man who’ll watch over you. I want you not to panic when you wake up. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  “Ye...es. Head hurts, Arman.”

  “Yes, I know,” Arman said soothingly. “I want you to go to sleep now.”

  “Help you,” Kei said stubbornly.

  “That will help me, you hear? I need you to go to sleep so you can help me later. Understand?”

  “Y...yes.”

  “Good.” Arman slid carefully off the bed and put Kei’s head back on the pillow. The lad was already asleep. Arman bent and placed a light kiss on his forehead. “You’ll be safe now.”

  He slipped out into the office and spoke to Loti. “He’s been awake but is asleep again. I’ve explained where he is and where I’ll be and I think he understood, but he doesn’t remember how he was hurt. He’s a little confused still.”

  Loti nodded. “Not uncommon with concussion. I’ll watch over him. You need to get back to your meeting, general.”

  “Yes, but there’s something you need to know. When Kei was in Utuk, he suffered a great shock to his soul-touching gift, and for weeks, couldn’t bear the touch or even the presence of other people. For some reason I’m an exception to that. I think he’s suffering a recurrence of that problem so, please, try not to touch him, and don’t be distressed if he seems to be in pain because of that.”

  Loti’s mouthed pursed in sympathy. “Oh, the poor lad. Was nothing done to help him?”

  “I believe he was seeking help at the academy. I don’t know if he did.”

  Loti looked surprised. “General, you have all the gift masters here—if he went to the academy, there would have been no one there to help.”

  “Oh, gods, what a damn fool I am. All right, I’ll see to that—just keep a close eye on him. This man is the most precious person in the world to me and I would be very angry if anything were to happen to him.”

  Loti was unmoved by Arman’s threatening stance. “General, I treat every patient as being precious to someone. He’ll get the very best care because he deserves it, not because you’ve bullied me into it.”

  Arman slumped. “I’m sorry. I’m just worried.”

  “Yes, I know,” Loti said, putting a kindly hand on his shoulder. “No offence taken, I promise. Go, I’ll let you know the second he wants you or if there’s a problem.”

  Arman nodded and left to return to his meeting, still angry the harm to Kei might have been avoided if he’d bothered to think about who the people he’d been meeting with actually were. He walked back into the meeting room and Lady Jilki quickly briefed him—they’d got on with things while he’d been gone and so no harm had been done.

  He forced himself to concentrate, because this rescue was important to everyone, not just him and Kei, but he was on alert, expecting to see Loti come through the door at any time, or to get the message about Reji’s arrival. None came, and lunch was called at the usual time. Lord Meki forestalled him going to the members of the academy by taking his arm. “Your healer apparently wanted assistance in contacting Bikel and Diza. I’m sorry, the note only got to my desk this morning.”

  “I’ve discovered my mistake over that independently, my lord, so please allow me to rectify it.”

  Lord Meki went with him as he approached the two men who had verified his bona fides for the rulers. “Gentlemen, the general needs your assistance concerning a friend, a young healer who was one of the hostages.”

  They gave their Ruler their attention, and Arman explained quickly what had happened in Utuk and how Kei had turned up in distress earlier. “I don’t know what happened to him other than the injury, or how sensitive he has become. I do know he needs help.”

  Bikel turned to Diza. “Let me speak to him and then we can both see him later. General, if you would?”

  Arman took the mind-speaker up to his rooms, but Loti shook his head when he asked if Kei was fit enough to be seen. “I’m sorry, general—he’s been asleep since you left, and I’m reluctant to wake him since he will only be in pain. Best if he rests until this evening.”

  Bikel shrugged. “I can’t help someone who’s this sick, so let me suggest my colleague and I speak to Kei alone tomorrow. We’re not needed so desperately that we can’t be spared. I can report to you afterwards.”

  “Can you help him, do you think?”

  Bikel looked at Arman with cool, frighteningly intelligent eyes. “I can’t tell until I speak to him. Tell me—if I need to read you again to help him, will you allow that?”

  “Anything,” Arman said eagerly. “Anything at all he needs.”

  “Then I may do that, as may Diza. I’ll return to the academy this evening when we’re finished and consult our records too. It’s an unusual and very grave situation. The solution may be difficult to achieve.”

  The honest words were depressing, but Arman wouldn’t ask for meaningless assurances. As he was clearly not needed, he went downstairs and continued discussions with his rescue committee over lunch. But where in hells was Reji?

  Two hours later, after they had finished their meal and recommenced their work, a clerk came in with a message for Arman that a gentleman was here to see him. He looked at Lord Meki, who stood up. “Everyone, the general has to see someone urgently, so I would suggest we end this for today. Nera, I know you want to get back to your daughter.”

  The Ruler with a two-month-old child presently asleep in her rooms, smiled. “Yes, I would, thank you.” She turned to Arman. “And I hope your friend recovers, General.”

  “Thank you. My lord Meki, our next order of business has to be the removal of the Prijian ships from the harbour.”

  “Agreed—we’ll take care of that, and I assure you we’ll attempt to do so without a single death or injury.”

  “Although the poor sailors will get the shock of their lives,” Reis said with an evil grin. Arman wasn’t sure he wanted to know—but he’d probably find out later.

  Arman went to Lord Meki to speak to him privately. “Is there somewhere I can talk to this man where we won’t be disturbed?”

  “You can use my office—or better, perhaps, the back gardens. I find those soothing,” he said sardonically. “If the man needs accommodation near your healer, then we have rooms here or at the acade
my dormitory—the inns on the harbour are miles away from here, very inconvenient if you have to go back and forth.”

  Arman hadn’t known that—and was chagrined to learn he’d not only made Kei believe his attendance was urgently needed even though he was injured, Kei had also had to come a long way just to fulfil that request.

  He didn’t need to ask which of the Darshianese men in the reception hall was Reji—it had to be the tall, handsome man glaring in obvious anger and worry at everyone who entered the hall. He pounced on Arman as soon as he appeared. “Where’s Kei? What have you done to him?” Reji grabbed his shirt and even though Arman must have outweighed him by at least thirty pounds, Reji lifted him up easily to his toe-tips. The soldiers on guard came rushing over to rescue him, but Arman told them to back off.

  “Kei’s safe, asleep and upstairs under the care of a healer. Would you let me down, please?”

  Reji did so with a growl. “What did you do to him, you bastard?”

  “I was going to ask the same thing, actually. Keep your voice down and come with me. We can see Kei later but I need to talk to you first.”

  Reji was impatient at his slower pace, and stalked through the hall ahead of him as if he were the one leading the way. Arman couldn’t help admiring what a fine figure of a man he made in his possessive anger—no wonder Kei was smitten with him. Reji was forced to halt by the guards at the rear of the building and turned towards Arman, demanding with flashing dark eyes that he shift his worthless carcass so Reji could give him the telling off he deserved. It was rather amusing to have someone so unafraid of him and those in charge of him.

  He pointed at a seat under a tree with his walking stick, a place far enough from the building to let Reji shout in some privacy. As he took his seat, he said quickly, “Before we begin, let me assure you I’ve done nothing to Kei and that he’s in no danger. We’re just rather puzzled why he turned up here in the state he was in. Why did you let him leave the inn if he was injured?”

  “Let?” Reji choked. “You bastard, I was up all night with him, watching him puke, holding his head, and listening to him moan. The healer finally had to give him some pijn to let him sleep—so I lay down beside him to get a little rest myself. When I woke up he was missing and the innkeeper said he’d left an hour before. I’ve been searching everywhere for him ever since.”