“And you and your mother aren’t worried?”
“Why would we be?” Rahim looked even more confused than before. “Mama is very, very strong. I don’t mean any offense, but if Mama isn’t worried, I’m not either. Besides, I think you are a good person, Mister Trav.”
Trav stared for a few seconds before chuckling and gathering his things. He ruffled the fur on the top of Rahim’s head as he passed and said, “Let’s go to the cabin. It’s about the time your mother makes dinner, right?” Trav was actually looking forward to what Najila had made, and shook his head as he closed up the shop.
“Yeah, we should go,” sighed Rahim. “Mama doesn’t let me in here very often to watch her work. She says I ask too many questions sometimes. I hope I can learn to make things too one day. Mama is good at it. I just hope that one day she can make things for herself instead of the bad people from the capital.”
Trav nodded absently and mentally checked the position of his valkyries as he climbed the steps to the cabin. Now they were only a few days away, max. His time at the cabin was about to come to an end, and he was surprised by how bittersweet this realization was beginning to make him feel.
***
As Najila had put the finishing touches on dinner, she had made it very clear that Trav’s job was to sit at the table and not annoy her. He’d obediently stayed put, and begun thinking about Rahim’s gift, his foresight. Hey, he thought inwardly. Oracle! Can Rahim really see the future? Why are you being so quiet?
That only answered part of my question, thought Trav.
Fine, fine, thought Trav. Anything else I should know?
Trav thought the answer was shady, and he mentally asked more questions but didn’t get any further responses. He was feeling irritated and confused when Najila called Rahim over to help her bring dinner to the table.
The entire time Trav had lived at the cabin, Najila had expected everyone to be at the table for dinner. Surprisingly, Trav hadn’t minded this arrangement. Najila turned out to be an interesting and knowledgeable conversationalist. The Rakshasa woman liked to alternate between asking Trav questions about Earth, or playing chess with Rahim. Trav had played a few times, but whether he played against the boy or his mother, he always got destroyed.
This night was a little bit different. “So,” began Trav as he tried a bit of his wild potatoes. “I talked to Rahim, and he said you believe I’m waiting for someone.”
“Or something,” confirmed Najila without looking up. She was busy tearing into some roasted rabbit. “The fact that you are waiting is obvious.”
Trav stared at the Kin woman intensely, wondering what else she might know. She must have felt his gaze because she looked up, her yellow eyes flashing. “What?”
“How powerful are you really, Najila?”
“Why?”
“Curiosity.”
“I doubt that. You are probably wondering if the people you are waiting for could overpower me.” She shook her feline head. “The answer is likely no. Before I left Kyvendi, I was one of the top 10 most powerful Rakshasa in the country, maybe among the top five.”
“And where does Kraachias fall on this ranking?”
The Kin woman’s eyes flashed. “How do you know that name?”
“He killed my wife.”
“Oh.” Najila unsheathed her claws and drummed them on the table. “Rahim, go to your room, and do not listen to this conversation. Go to bed.”
“But I’m not done eating yet!”
“I know, and I’m sorry, my son. If you do this thing, I will give you as much food as you can eat for lunch, and even make cupcakes.”
“Cupcakes?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, alright.” Rahim got up slowly, furiously stuffing food into his mouth as he did. When the boy was heading to the hallway toward his little room, he suddenly moved to the side and gave Trav a hug. “Good night Mister Trav,” he mumbled as best he could.
“Good night Rahim.” Trav awkwardly patted the boy’s arm at first, then just gave him a quick, but sincere hug before sending him toward the hallway with a little push. When he looked back at Najila, she was smiling slightly, watching her son go.
As soon as they heard his door shut, Najila’s eyes snapped to Trav. “Kraachias is definitely within the top five, probably in the top three. He is like an army unto himself. If you seek revenge, you should give up on it. Most of the rulers of Kyvendi are not only powerful in their own right, they have their own private armies, too. I learned about this much too late, that by myself, I was not nearly as...resourceful as I had liked to believe.”
“How does the actual leadership of Kyvendi work? You’ve never explained it before.”
“No, I haven’t, and I won’t. You are not an enemy of mine, but you are likely an enemy of my country. Even though I am an outcast, I cannot tell some stray human all the secrets of my home. For me to willingly be a traitor, despite being an outcast, would require more than just a stranger’s curiosity.”
Trav slowly shook his head. “But it’s not your home, not anymore. You wouldn’t be a traitor, you’re basically paying for your peace, right? And—” he paused, searching his feelings, trying to figure out how to put his thoughts into words. Then he examined what he was going to say, making sure it was true. Despite sounding cheesy in his head, he said out loud, “You might not tell a stranger, but what about a...friend?”
“The kind of friend I would tell my secrets would not keep secrets from me.” Najila very deliberately took a bite of meat, putting her sharp teeth on display. “Most of what I truly know about you, I reasoned or figured out myself. You have told me about Earth, but very little of yourself, of who you are, and what you plan to do. What you are asking of me is to tell you my entire story, more or less.”
“Oh, I see.” And Trav did understand. Najila had saved his life—he already owed her, but then again, maybe he’d paid for that by agreeing to protect Rahim. He still wasn’t sure what exactly that might mean in the future. There had obviously been some sort of mystical significance in the promise he’d made.
Trav thought about what he knew about Najila. He was quiet for a while as he pondered, but eventually accepted the reality that was staring him the face. Najila was smart, strong, and honorable. If he were being honest with himself, he respected her. Against the odds, Trav had made his first non-valkyrie, Kin friend on Asgard, and she’d somehow turned out to be Rakshasa.
He briefly thought about the lizardman back at Faith, the one he’d judged harshly, and unfairly.
Najila was right, friendship was a two-way street, and Trav needed to begin trusting people outside his inner circle at some point, why not now? “Alright, so it’s like this…” Trav told Najila everything that night, omitting almost nothing. The entire time he spoke, she was silent.
After Trav was done talking, Najila flicked her ears. “You are on a hard path, Travis Sterling. However, if your trials do not kill you, you may truly become a being that shakes the world. Maybe one day you can make Kraachias answer for his crimes.” She paused. “I appreciate what you have done here, even if it was calculated to get the information you want. The truth is, my life has become...more fun since you have lived here. Rahim is happy, too.” She nodded. “I have decided. My family has disowned me, now they use me. I’ve never had to make this choice before, but I am not afraid of it. I will tell you what you would like to know. Just do not forget your promise—about Rahim.”
Trav shook his head. De
spite being Rakshasa, he still couldn’t understand why anyone would want to harm the little boy. There didn’t seem to be a mean bone in Rahim’s body.
That night, Najila told Trav her story. He had a feeling she was still leaving parts out, like who Rahim’s father was. But what she did tell him was full of sorrow and sacrifice. She shared dark secrets of the Kyvendi government, and Trav grew to understand Najila much better.
Rakshasa or not, he was glad he’d made the choice to trust her, and he was proud to call her friend now. This woman had truly stopped at nothing to protect her son. She was much easier to figure out after understanding that it wasn’t a ruse—her entire world truly revolved around protecting Rahim.
Trav was somewhat surprised at the fury he felt himself while imagining someone trying to hurt the boy, especially after learning about how he’d been bullied and abused by his own family. Asgard was a brutal place, but it really didn’t have to be that way. Its leaders, the most powerful Kin seemed dedicated to making the world as shitty as possible for humans and fellow Kin alike. Humans got the worst of it, but Trav was beginning to understand that many Kin lived miserable lives too.
One thing Trav used to believe had definitely changed. Now he didn’t believe that all Rakshasa deserved to die—just most of them.
Chapter 11
Trav had been poking around the workshop in the morning, which was his usual way to start the day, when Najila came by with a cart. She began collecting all the enchanted tools she and Trav had made.
“What are you doing?” he asked. He’d been trying to puzzle out how to make a shield that either grew in size, or provided a larger area of protection through magic, but hadn’t had much luck so far. Odin had known the basics of making rune-enchanted weapons and armor, but hadn’t been interested in learning to do it himself. It was incredible that as long as the old god lived, and as much as he’d known, he definitely hadn’t known everything.
From the fragments of Odin’s memories that Trav could examine on the subject, Odin had preferred to spend his time on other things, and relied on dwarves and other experts for magic gear. For Odin, knowing things seemed to be his greatest motivator. Actually being good at anything was another matter—magic seemed to be the exception to that rule.
Najila examined a wand, made a face, and put it in the cart. “Today is the day I need to trade for my freedom. I do not enjoy needing to do this, nor the exchange itself. The officials that come from Kyvendi are usually...not pleasant.”
“Oh.” Trav wasn’t exactly sure what to say. “Need any help?”
“No. My situation is already awkward. If I arrive at the meeting spot with a human, the best we could hope for is the delegation killing you and walking away.”
“That doesn’t sound like a best-case scenario to me,” Trav said, voice flat.
“Exactly. I would prefer—” Najila kept rummaging around and putting things in her cart before she finished her sentence. “Rahim and I have grown accustomed to you living with us. If you were to die, I would grieve.”
Trav blinked. This development was unexpected. His eyebrows climbed into his hairline when she continued, “I am sometimes...restless when you hug Rahim. Do not worry, I am not unhappy with you. Rather, we are...friends now, correct? Friends huh, yes?” Her voice was soft, but her claws were flexing.
“Hugs?” Rahim was still small, and had a very thoughtful, affectionate personality. It hadn’t felt weird to Trav in the slightest to hug the kid. Najila on the other hand was massive, like an upright bear, and looked something like a giant, walking lioness. He approached her slowly, and as he put his arms around her she went stiff as a board, her tail swishing and twitching behind her. “Alright,” he said. “Be careful.”
The Kin woman coughed and her ears rapidly swiveled back and forth before she gathered up a few more things into her cart and began to leave. “Don’t follow me, Restless. Again, I would prefer you do not die. And Rahim...he has never had a friend before, either. I know you are important to him.”
“Uh, alright.” Trav watched her go, then went back to planning his new build. He believed Najila that the Kin caravan would kill him without hesitation. The safest place for him was likely in the workshop.
And he only had a few more days until his valkyries arrived. It would be nice to see them all again. Luckily, they were also approaching from a different direction than the caravan from Najila’s home country.
Everything seemed to be working out. Spending so much time in the wilderness had helped Trav in some ways he couldn’t even articulate yet, but he could feel a change. Living simply had been good for him. He was ready to go, though.
Out of habit, he reached out for Tiffany’s pocket dimension, and like every other time he’d tried since he’d been saved by Najila, the mystical pathway was blocked, locked to him. He’d been thinking about it for weeks, and reasoned that Tiffany had locked the portal—she likely couldn’t visit her seat of power herself, either. Trav had no idea why she’d do such a thing.
“I wonder what the hell is going on with the girls,” he wondered out loud. Through his connection with the valkyries, he didn’t feel like they were under any abnormal stress, or fear, so he was not expecting trouble. “Weird,” he sighed, and got back to work. Since Najila was about to sell or give away most of her stock of enchanted items, Trav decided to start working today on filling it back up again.
He got the feeling that the powerful Kin woman had been able to spend a lot more time with her son lately, and both of them had been happier for it.
***
Trav had almost been in a trance, working on an enchanted necklace when he felt the ground rumble. His eyes snapped open, his senses alert, and he definitely heard another boom through the closed shop doors.
During his time with Najila and her son, Trav had made several sets of armor for himself and stored them in the areas he most frequently spent time at. He could feel another rumble through his feet as he donned his armor.
Before he threw open the doors to the workshop, Trav checked his magic, actually reviewing his resources and missed a step. “I have another bar of power?” He could scarcely believe it, but he wasn’t mistaken. Now he had another bar of available power that he hadn’t had two weeks ago.
No time to think about it, but I’m not complaining, he thought. He grabbed his spear, made sure his weapons were strapped correctly, and made his exit. Once outside the workshop, he saw Rahim hurrying down the stone steps from the cabin above. “Mister Trav! The noises! Mother!”
A crackling explosion punctuated the boy’s words, and smoke began to rise in the distance. “Mister Trav! It’s coming from the direction Mother went, where she makes the trades!” Rahim’s eyes were swimming with tears, his furry face strained. All of the youth’s normal maturity and even-tempered personality had cracked.
Trav eyed Rahim, making several quick decisions. The boy was Kin, and a Rakshasa, but he was also just a child. He had never killed before, and more importantly, any enemies would also be Kin—Kin that were actually fighting Najila. Decision made, Trav barked out, “Hide in the workshop. Close and lock the doors. Find a weapon, and be prepared to use it if you must.”
“But Mister Trav—”
“Now. I made a promise to your mother.”
“You will help her?”
“Yes.”
Rahim cried as he hurried down the steps, his tail streaming behind him. After the boy was safely in the workshop Trav’s eyes narrowed, and he shifted his entire demeanor. A few weeks of no stress had dulled his edge. He felt a sense of loss as he let go of the peace he’d begun to feel lately, but doing so was surprisingly easy. Maybe he was too wounded and broken now to ever enjoy the kind of life most people longed for.
He summoned Hex and inscribed a rune equation into midair, touching his chest with one last line. Trav hadn’t pre-loaded these new buffs he’d formulated into Hex yet, and regretted the oversight.
The shot of power he suddenly felt would
n’t last very long, only an hour at most, but it would make him as fast as any of his valkyries. Another rune equation made him tougher, more resistant to damage. Both buffs had used up more than a bar of power, but he had a little extra energy to burn, so he wasn’t going to skimp.
Trav remembered his fight with the Rakshasa at Faith, and grimaced before spending another bar of power on buffs. Now his reflexes were sharper, his sense of time was slower, his balance had gotten better, and his senses had been improved—but not enough to overwhelm him. The last spell had been something he’d been working on for a week, but the practice had paid off.
He began to run, taking huge, bounding strides as he raced through the forest. The path Najila took her little cart down for her trades was easy to follow, as was the sounds of violence, but Trav wasn’t stupid enough to take the easy trail. Instead, he darted into the shade beneath the surrounding trees, using his superhuman strength and agility to easily clear obstacles that would slow him down and cause more noise.
What am I doing, he thought. Najila is Kin. I have no idea what I’m running into! After he’d had the thought, Trav thought of Rahim’s crying face. He remembered how terrible his wounds had been before Najila had saved his life. Over the last few weeks, he’d thought about the odds of randomly teleporting near enough to someone, anyone who would and could help him. Maybe meeting Najila had been fated.
Either way, he felt ashamed for the question he’d just asked himself. He owed the Rakshasa woman, and just as importantly, she was his friend. Cowards die many deaths. By all rights, Trav should have died a long time ago. If he refused to do what was right, the bare minimum it took not to be a completely selfish piece of shit, he didn’t want to live with himself.
This time, doing what was right meant helping a Kin, and a Rakshasa to boot.
Trav had a total of thirteen bars of power now, and seven were still tied up in permanent enhancements. If he survived this fight, he planned to add to that number. He knew how strong Najila was. If she was still fighting, he wondered what he could actually do to help, but he had to try.
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