Soon enough the trees thinned out and they came to the clear white plain. The sun was high overhead and the grass spread out in front of them as far as they both could see.
Kai could feel with his hands Gar’s heart beating wildly under his bare chest.
“This is where it really get fun,” Gar said mischievously, eyeing the horizon. “Are you ready?”
“Yes!”
“Good!”
Gar shifted another hand gear and the hovervac sped off, faster than they had gone before. The wind was racing by them and their hearts were both pumping rapidly, revved up with adrenaline.
Kai had never felt anything like this in his entire life. No one in the tribe had. It was an indescribable emotion made up of thrill, fear and happiness.
And he was loving every moment of it.
CHAPTER 16
Doing something akin to flying had made Gar really happy.
Sure, it wasn’t like rocketing through orbit in a custom made, state-of-the-art shuttle, but it beat the hell out of walking. The added fun was feeling Kai’s buzzing emotions through out. Taking part in the good feeling of someone was an intriguing experience and when that person felt good it was like a drug.
And the young native had been on a high for the rest of the afternoon. When they returned from their little excursion, both out of breath, Kai kept trying to find words to express the feeling of shooting through the air but nothing seemed to work for him. He would look at Gar and try to say something, then smile and go back into his memory of what had happened. It was very funny to see flight through the eyes of someone who had never be through it before. On Orestus it was so common place, even from birth, that everyone took it for granted.
They parted for the rest of the day.
The next time Gar saw Kai was at the evening meal, which was usually a tribal affair by level on the tree. The torches were just being lit and the night was fast encroaching.
Many of the people sat around the larger cooking area eating meat and fruit, talking over the hunt or what things needed to be attended to the next day. Gar found himself on one side, by Seema and Tilo. Kai was on the other end, near the twins and Tyro, all of whom had recently returned from hunting.
The conversations were lively and the area bustled with activity, but Kai and Gar would look up from time to time and see each other, a mutual feeling passing between them. There was the excitement of the daily hunt or the gossip of the day that surrounded them, but none of the people there knew the real action that had taken place right under their noses.
No one there had flown, and it was their own private secret…for the time being. The next day Gar would take Cho and the twins, of course. But, for the moment, flying was between him and Kai alone.
***
That night, when Gar was by himself in the hut that served as his home away from home, his mind turned to a different place – his real home.
Sleep was avoiding him but not for lack of being tired. Working on the hovercraft had been a diversion for him, but using it had brought up another set of emotions. Again, thoughts of Orestus nagged in his mind.
He just couldn’t understand why no one had found him yet. He was one of the most important people in the galaxy, but it was starting to feel like there wasn’t anyone who actually cared. All the planets in the monarchy should have been turned upside down as far as he was concerned.
And he couldn’t bear not being able to see his sister on a daily basis. She was the one person on Orestus he loved and trusted more than anyone…
Weeping.
The sound, faint at first, pulled his attention back into the present.
Gar had thought he’d heard it on occasion over the past few days, but every time it stopped before he could really latch on to its location. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time.
At that moment, though, it was quite clear.
The sound was mournful, like someone in the pits of despair who had lost everything.
Before Gar knew what he was doing, or even thought enough to put on a shirt, he found himself striding into the center area of the little hut grouping. It was no surprise that he found himself instinctually facing the mysterious fourth hut.
The sound had to be coming from there. He knew it.
So far Gar hadn’t made it a habit of barging into other people’s huts uninvited, but he needed to have an answer. No one had told him he couldn’t go in there. He figured it was better to ask forgiveness than permission. He strode across the platform in four long strides and pushed the beaded curtain aside.
It was very dark inside and had the smell of stale bread and dry air. The light from a nearby torch about ten feet away cast shadows through the small window.
Once Gar had pushed into the entryway the crying had come to a sudden stop.
There, sitting on the floor, almost in a ball by the cot, was an old woman. Her face was sad and withered, her eyes were large but showed no signs of tears. The hair on her head had yellowed slightly and was ragged. The frightened woman was now tugging on it nervously with her course, knotted hands, staring at the intruder with unblinking eyes. She had startled him but it was obvious she was no threat.
The old woman showed no obvious signs of neglect. In fact, the hut was tidy enough with a full water bowl on her table. Her simple clothes were clean and neat.
Still, there was something wrong with the whole picture. Something very wrong with her. He couldn’t believe he’d been near her the entire time and had never even caught a glimpse.
A thought came into the Gar’s mind.
Her name is Orna ‘thal, she’s very shy of strangers.
He turned his head to see Kai standing just by his right shoulder. The young native’s face and feelings were the same as that of the aged woman, that of great pain.
“Who is-“ Gar started, but Kai held up a hand to quiet him.
Not out loud, he thought in a firm manner. You’ll wake the others.
I don’t see why, replied Gar. With the way she has been crying tonight I’m surprised Tyro’s whole family isn’t awake.
Kai entered the room and knelt by the woman, who shied away from his touch a little. But, after a moment she leaned into him and allowed him to stroke her back soothingly. They can’t hear her.
But…
Kai sighed, seeming put out by Gar at the moment, as if he were a small child refusing to understand.
She doesn’t cry out loud. She doesn’t ever do anything out loud.
But, who is she? I don’t understand. Why can I hear her?
In that moment the truth dawned upon Gar.
She’s you mother, isn’t she?
You’re hearing her through me. Kai sent after a few moment. I’ve been blocking it from you, so you can’t sense it. But, sometimes she gets through. Her pain is great. I’ll try harder to keep it quiet in the future.
What happened to her to make-
Kai shushed Gar with his free hand. His attention was focused on his frail mother.
She had fallen asleep and he picked her up and placed her gently on the cot. Then he motioned Gar out and they both went through the little door and onto the platform. As usual the breeze was warm and the night still. No one was stirring anywhere around them.
What the hell happened to her that made her like that? asked Gar, curious why Kai’s mother was obviously insane.
It’s not something I really want to talk about , replied Kai.
Is she OK? demanded Gar. She sounded like she was in agony.
She’s fine , replied Kai, very annoyed at his insistence. And its none of your business anyway.
I told you I’d make sure she doesn’t bother you anymore.
Kai was unusually angry and began to walk down the ramp by his mother’s hut to the lower platform.
I didn’t mean it like that… said Gar, but Kai continued walking, ignoring him. “Wait,” he called aloud. Kai stopped and turned abruptly, looking nervously at the fourth hut and
shushing him.
Now Gar was annoyed.
“Stop shushing me,” he said in a forceful whisper. “I’ll do as I please.” But, in consideration of the others he brought the conversation back into his mind anyway.
Something had occurred to Gar in that moment.
The idea hadn’t really registered till then.
Where did you come from just now? The prince asked.
What do you mean? Kai’s reply was terse.
I mean, just now, as I was standing in the door. You couldn’t have come from the ramp. I would have seen you. Gar began to work it out.
That means you had to come from behind me.
But, that’s impossible. There’s no way to access this platform from there.
Gar looked around at the huts. Things were beginning to click into place, like the parts of a ships engine.
I thought these huts all belonged to Tyro’s family, but that’s wrong. Isn’t it?
He looked back at Kai whose face was blank, his mouth a straight line.
If that’s your mother’s tent… Gar kept putting the pieces together.
That’s when he saw the white, furry mat unrolled by the door of his hut, just out of sight from the inside. He had gotten up so quickly he hadn’t noticed it lying there when he went to investigate the fourth hut.
Gar had seen it before, rolled up neatly and placed in the corner. He had just assumed it had been put there for storage by Seema, but now it made sense.
He’d never thought about where Kai slept at night.
It had just never occurred to him. But, Seema had said he was like family to them. Of course he would be nearby, especially if his mother needed extra care.
Gar hadn’t been staying in some random hut the Aklesh happened to not be using. He’d been living in Kai’s own home. Kai could tell Gar had worked it all out and he became flush with embarrassment.
Kai felt cornered and what he really wanted to do was run someplace, to be anywhere but right in that moment.
Why are you sleeping outside the door of your own hut, Kai?
BECAUSE I CAN’T BE ANYWHERE ELSE! Kai mentally exploded which sent a shock through Gar.
The native huffed and walked over to the railing, putting his good hand on it and looking over the dark landscape. There were some high clouds in the sky that night which blocked part of the sky. The young native didn’t turn and face Gar as he explained. He just kept staring out over the trees.
I can’t stay in the hut with my mother or I’ll lose my mind. It takes a lot of effort to block her out. Obviously, I can’t stay in with Tyro’s family, there’s only enough room for them and Tilo. It wouldn’t be…appropriate.
Gar figured this had to do with Kai’s feelings for his friend, but did his best to keep that theory locked in a more private area of his mind.
Kai had continued.
And I definitely can’t sleep with… he paused here. Well, you’ve made it pretty clear what you think of me. I can only withstand so much of that.
What do you mean, ‘What I think about you?’
That
makes
no
sense, asked Gar,
approaching Kai aggressively. The prince found the native’s attitude exasperating.
The young tribesman sensed him and moved a few feet farther away.
Kai turned on the railing to face him, frustrated and hurt. Don’t you understand? Can’t you get it?!
Up until very recently, I’ve been hearing everything that comes into your mind. You’ve had no control. Every piece of hatred and contempt, every awful thought you’ve had about the tribe and me and being stuck here simply plows into my mind as well. There is no edit! One of the reasons Zaela started teaching you blocking was to give me some rest. You’ve been much better since then, but every once and a while…-
It was now Gar’s turn to become embarrassed.
Suddenly his memory surged with all of the terrible things he’d thought about since he’d been at the keep. They came flooding back as an unpleasant reminder of how much he’d resented what had happened to him. He never thought Kai was receiving ALL of it.
But, instead of feeling apologetic, he got mad. His mind had been his own, something like that could not be construed as his fault.
That’s not fair, he retorted. I can’t help what I think. I’m just used to thinking it because it’s my mind and I have every right to. I may think something nasty, but I don’t necessarily mean it. What am I suppose to do? Stop thinking?
Of course not! I know that. I don’t expect that, snapped Kai . And, like I said, you’ve gotten much better at sorting your thoughts. But what you don’t seem to understand is that our minds are joined. Your thoughts, even if they are at times like poison, are still vital to me. Its better to be near it, your mind, but I still can’t be in the hut with you. So I sleep outside it.
Look, just take your hut back then, I’ll sleep somewhere else, offered Gar briskly.
You are so thick sometimes! There is nowhere else, don’t you see? Kai had progressed beyond frustrated. The Aklesh build huts when they are needed and take them down when they are not. There is nowhere else. You’ll stay here.
And where will you stay?
Kai took a long hard look at Gar then walked away.
Don’t trouble yourself, stranger. he sent as he left. Just go back to dreaming about your long lost home and forget about it.
***
It surprised Seema to see Gar already awake when she and Tilo left their hut early that morning. It was certainly unexpected since the Sky Tribesman made it a habit to sleep late. She found it hard to understand how anyone could sleep when the sun was rising. Gar sat hugging his legs next to the doorway of the hut. She had no idea how long he had been there, but if she was to guess, she assumed he’d been there all night.
Tilo’s first instinct was to run over and hug Gar, but she held him back and ushered him ahead of her down to the main platform. It didn’t look like the stranger was in the mood for a child’s affection.
Gar nodded to her but his expression was unreadable. He seemed to exude hostility, and she figured it was best to let him alone for the time being. She smiled her usual good-natured smile at him and walked down the ramp to get the early store of fruit, water and nuts they were to have for their morning meal. Seema also noticed the unrolled fur mat on the other side of the door. Tyro and she both knew where Kai had been sleeping, but neither thought it appropriate to say anything.
And that moment didn’t seem like a good time to bring that up either.
The picture of the prince was the same upon their return from the lower platforms. He hadn’t moved an inch. She found many men had these surly times and it was best to wait till they spoke first.
Nagging or coaxing tended to draw them even farther away.
She set down the large leather flask of water and the bowl of food at one of the stone stools in the middle of the platform. After this she sat down herself and sent Tilo inside the hut for the grass mats and a knife to prepare what she had brought back. The collection had been good and the fruit fresh. Methodically she sliced the pieces of fruit and separated the nuts into five groups on five different mats. Tyro would be out soon to eat and then he’d be off with the warriors or out with his hunting group. And she and Tilo would start the rest of their morning.
It was the same as every other day except this time she had a quiet observer. When she was almost finished, Gar finally spoke.
“Does she ever come out of hiding?”
Seema didn’t look up but continued her work. She knew whom he meant.
“Orna may come out if it pleases her. It depends.
Sometimes she will, sometimes she won’t. If not, I’ll send her breakfast in with Tilo. She likes my son.”
“Oh,” was his reply, then he fell into silence again.
Not too long after their first exchange, Tyro emerged from the hut. He too noticed Gar sitting by the hut. By now Tilo had brought
the stranger a mat of food and had placed it by his side. Gar accepted it, even forcing a smile for the kid, but had not eaten anything. The warrior sent to Seema and whatever her reply had been seemed to satisfy the large man. He sat and ate quietly. Gar assumed that even though there was nothing being said aloud the whole family was probably conversing and the topic was most likely him.
After he finished eating, Tyro patted Tilo’s head and journeyed down the ramp. At this point the little Aklesh took the last mat and brought it into the fourth hut, where he disappeared for a while.
“Is she unstable?” asked Gar. “Is he safe with her?”
“She’s fine,” said Seema, who had taken out some mending after she had brushed off the mats and put them away. “Not violent anyway. She likes it when Tilo feeds her. They seem to have an understanding.”
“How did she get like that?” asked Gar.
Knowing that the pain of his ordeals was something Kai didn’t like to share, she had been preparing for this question from Gar for some time.
“First off, you have to understand something about Kai,” she started. “He’s had a very difficult life…“
“I didn’t ask about Kai,” said Gar, dryly.
Seema continued with the mending. “If you want to hear this story, you are going to have to let me tell it my way. Now why don’t you come over here and eat something and I’ll continue.”
It was the first time he had ever heard firmness in her voice. She was treating him like a child, but in all fairness, he was kind of acting like one and he knew it.
He got up from where he was sitting. His muscles were stiff from having stayed in the same position for most of the night. He could only imagine how Kai had been feeling from lying on the mat night after night. Once he had stretched a little he brought the mat over and sat across from Seema.
“All right then,” he said. “Let’s hear the story. Kai had a difficult life…”
“Yes,” she said. “Kai was born the only child to Orna and Dael’thal. She was beautiful and he was strong. In fact, he was the lead warrior of the tribe for many years. The other warriors looked up to him. They wanted to be him. And several were jealous as well. They were both very much admired by the tribe. Much was expected of Kai, which I suppose was unfair, but that’s how it was.”
AKLESH (Under Strange Skies) Page 18