“What did you say, dear? I could not quite understand you,” Brina said back.
“I said I will not wear this. If this is Reiv’s idea of a joke, you can tell him it’s not the least bit funny.” Alicine threw the sarong onto the wet floor and crossed her arms.
“Reiv selected a very suitable garment. That is what many Jecta women wear, and if you intend to blend in, then that is what you will have to wear, too.”
Alicine stared down at the rumpled heap. “I don’t even know how to put the thing on,” she muttered.
“Alicine, please. Let me help you. I will make every effort to respect your privacy. I promise.”
Dayn and Reiv strode across the living room and toward the lavatory, both wearing smug looks of satisfaction. Dayn, though still uncomfortable with the nakedness of his legs, as well as the swath of material now wrapped between them, was pleased to at least have some bottoms on, and Reiv was looking victorious at having found him some.
“What’s going on?” Dayn asked, seeing Brina’s perplexed expression.
“Dayn, help me with your sister. She needs help with the sarong, but will not let me in to assist her.”
“Alicine,” Dayn shouted through the door, “what’s wrong? Why won’t you let Brina help you?”
“If you could see this thing she expects me to put on.” Alicine sounded completely exasperated.
“Well, you should see what I have to wear.” Dayn frowned at his long, pale limbs. “Just let Brina help you.”
“No!”
Dayn winked at Reiv and Brina and said, “All right then. Reiv says he’s coming in. You know he has absolutely no patience.”
“He wouldn’t dare! Dayn!” By then Alicine was practically screaming. “I know Reiv did this on purpose!”
“I did not,” Reiv replied. “Did what?” He looked over at Brina, who pursed her lips and shook her head, silently assuring him it was nothing.
“Reiv didn’t do anything, Alicine,” Dayn said into the door. “But if you don’t open up and let Brina help you, he’s going to open it for you.”
Dayn nodded at the others, confident his plan would work. Reiv took a step and extended his hand toward the door. Dayn shoved him aside and shot him a don’t-you-dare look. “I was only trying to help,” Reiv said in a surprisingly playful tone.
There was a long silence from Alicine’s side of the door. Dayn looked at the others and shrugged. If his plan did not work, their wait might be a long one.
“Oh, very well. Brina can come in,” Alicine finally said. “But you and Reiv get away.”
“Fine then. We’re leaving,” Dayn said. “We’re going to the kitchen.” He turned to Reiv and winked. “We’re going there now. Right now.” But neither of them moved.
Alicine opened the door a crack and peeked out. Seeing the two boys standing before it, she slammed it in their faces. “You’re despicable! Both of you!” she screamed.
“I’m sorry, Alicine,” Dayn said, laughing so hard that tears were coming to his eyes.
Reiv’s expression brightened, he was obviously enjoying the banter, but Brina had had enough. She shooed the boys into the kitchen, her arms waving.
“Out, both of you!” she scolded. “This is difficult enough without your foolishness! Now, sit yourselves down!”
The boys remained standing and stared at her reddening face. Reiv seemed amused, but Dayn was dismayed at the thought of being the cause of her temper.
Brina took a threatening step toward them. “Now, I said!”
The boys sat down quickly and held their mouths in check. Brina lectured them with a wagging finger and an authoritative voice. The corner of Reiv’s lip quivered in a battle to remain serious. Dayn snorted at Reiv’s expression, but he stifled it in a hurry when Brina directed her attention to him instead of Reiv.
“Have a heart, Brina,” Reiv said. “We did not mean anything by it.”
Brina scowled, then turned and marched off to help Alicine.
The boys remained at the table, exchanging small talk while they waited. “What’s taking them so long?” Dayn asked, eyeing the hallway leading to the lavatory.
“Women,” Reiv retorted. “They take forever to do anything.”
Brina reentered the kitchen, her face beaming. “Boys, wait until you see,” she said.
“What?” Dayn asked.
“Your sister. She is simply beautiful.” Brina’s eyes grew misty.
Dayn snickered. “I’m surprised you came out in one piece. When Alicine gets her mind set on something . . .” But then his eyes turned to the living area, and toward his sister who was now standing in it. The muscles in his face went lax.
“Wha—” Reiv started to ask as he followed Dayn’s gaze. But the question evaporated on his tongue.
Alicine stood with the light of the atrium at her back. She was wrapped in the bright red sarong, the golden skin of her shoulders, arms, and legs exposed. Her thick black hair, normally braided and pulled away from her face, hung loosely down her back, reaching to her calves. Her arms were wrapped around herself, and she stared at the floor with an expression of humiliation.
“Well, what do you think?” Brina asked the two boys now sitting slack-jawed at the table.
Dayn stood and walked toward his sister. “Why, she’s naked!” he proclaimed, one hand tugging down on the hem of his tunic, the other pointing a shaky finger in her direction.
“Do not be ridiculous, dear,” Brina said
“Yes, she is!” Dayn insisted. He crossed his arms, but quickly uncrossed them when he saw that it only served to hike his tunic up further. His face flushed. “No sister of mine is going to walk out in public looking like that.”
Brina thrust her hands to her hips. “Dayn, this is how Jecta women dress. No one will think Alicine is naked. In fact, she is far from it. You are making this more difficult on your sister than it has to be.” Brina then turned to Reiv for support. “Reiv, please explain to Dayn that—” But seeing the glimmer in his eyes, Brina glanced at Alicine as if to be sure the girl wasn’t naked after all. “Reiv!”
“Oh, sorry, Brina,” Reiv said. He cleared his throat and turned his gaze from Alicine to Dayn. “Dayn, I assure you Alicine is dressed appropriately. No man will even notice her.”
Dayn knew Reiv’s last statement was a boldfaced lie, but even more disturbing was the fact that Alicine was watching Reiv’s face intently. Clearly she wanted his approval.
Brina motioned Dayn and Alicine to the table and quickly changed the subject. “Come,” she said. “We need to talk. There are important things to discuss.”
Alicine followed her over, walking in much smaller steps than she was accustomed to. Having always worn dresses with full skirts, the tighter fitting sarong was an unpleasant adjustment for a girl used to walking in wide strides. “How do those women wear these things?” she mumbled.
Dayn sat next to her, his bare legs bouncing under the table.
“Quit tapping your leg,” Alicine snapped. “It’s annoying. Besides, it only draws more attention to your nakedness.”
Dayn ceased immediately.
“Son,” Brina said, “I know this is difficult for both of you.” She slid onto the bench across from him and took his hands in hers. A grimace flashed across Dayn’s face as he made a subtle attempt to remove his hands. But Brina persisted, no longer willing to be put off by her long-lost son.
“Dayn, time is growing short and there is much I have not said.”
Dayn swallowed and nodded.
She fixed her eyes on his. “We have been apart our whole lives and now, by the will of the gods, we are reunited. We barely know each other, but there will be time for us to learn.”
“Do Alicine and I really have to leave?”
“Yes, but we will visit you very soon. I promise.”
Reiv’s face seemed to blanch. He rose and stepped away from the table, keeping his back to the group.
“What Reiv said about my going to Pobu is true,” Brina
continued, “but ever since I was forced to part with my child sixteen years ago, I have made it my mission to help the Jecta. Call it my own little crusade against the customs of Tearia. I have contacts there and ways of getting in and out. Now, listen carefully. I am going to go there to find you a place to stay.”
“What will we do once we get there?” Alicine asked.
“Arrangements will be made, but do not concern yourselves with that now. I will return to you as soon as I can, but caution must be paid. If I am detected, I could be prevented from ever returning to Pobu, or worse. But do not worry. In sixteen years I have yet to be caught. I just want you to realize how important it is to be discreet.” She then turned her attention to Reiv.
“Reiv, I expect to return here soon, but if for any reason I am not back by high sun, take them and leave without me. High sun, no later. Understood?”
Reiv nodded, but did not turn to face her.
“What do you mean if you don’t come back?” Dayn asked.
“Just a precaution. I have several people to talk to and one can never predict delays. But there is nothing to fear. Reiv will be there for you. As a Jecta, he can come and go freely.”
Reiv’s back stiffened. Brina rose and moved from the table to the door.
“Reiv, if for any reason I do not return, you must get them through the gates. When you arrive in Pobu, go to the town square. There is a blacksmith shop to the right of it. The smith is a friend; he will know what to do. I will meet you there as soon as I can.”
“Yes, Brina,” he said.
“Oh, and Reiv, while I am gone, you might take the time to explain some of the Jecta customs, including clothing.” She opened the door slowly and peered out. “High sun, no later.” She glanced back at the three who had followed her and now stood, pale-faced, at her back. She smiled assuringly, then stepped into the street.
Reiv closed the door and rested his hand on the bolt. For a long moment he did not move.
“Reiv?” Alicine asked.
He whirled to face them. “I have work to do,” he said. And with that he brushed past them and headed for the atrium.
Dayn and Alicine looked at each other in bewilderment. Dayn shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe I should talk to him,” he said, moving to follow.
Alicine grabbed his arm. “Not yet,” she said. “We’d better think this through first. You’ve seen his moods.” She pulled Dayn over to the corner, then put a finger to her lips as she motioned her eyes toward Reiv.
Dayn glanced at Reiv who could now be seen lifting a large trunk from a table in the atrium. “What’s there to think through?” Dayn said. “He’s been fine all morning. What could possibly have happened?”
“I’m sure it was something Brina said. I saw that look on his face again. You know, the one he wore all day yesterday.” Alicine contorted her face into a scowl in case Dayn needed reminding.
“I didn’t see it,” Dayn said. He cocked his head and struggled to examine Reiv’s face across the distance.
“Well, I did. I saw it just before Brina left, right after she talked to us about Pobu.”
Simultaneously they craned their necks to watch Reiv as he walked, swaybacked, toward his room with the trunk. He paused and glanced over at them. Dayn and Alicine smiled, but he did not return the gesture and continued toward the bedchamber.
Alicine tightened her brow and directed her eyes to the kitchen where the last conversation with Reiv had taken place. “Dayn,” she whispered, “I think I know what it was Brina said. She said, as a Jecta Reiv can come and go. Those were her exact words.”
Dayn shook his head. “That can’t be it. She probably just meant because he’s a foreman.”
“I don’t think so.”
Dayn studied Reiv who had returned to the atrium and was now gathering up bits of broken pottery. “But he’s not dark. He’s not marked. And we’ve seen most of him.”
“Not his hands. We’ve never seen his hands. He’s never taken off the gloves, not once. Don’t you find that strange?”
Dayn leaned around her and looked with curiosity at the gloved hands that now held crushed stems and shattered terracotta. “Well, he is a laborer.”
“Be serious. Who wears gloves all the time? I think I should be the one to talk to him.”
“I don’t know.”
“I could handle it more delicately than you, and if we both went over he might feel cornered. Besides, I have knowledge in healing. I don’t know what’s wrong with his hands, but maybe there’s something I can do.”
Dayn thought for a moment. His sister was particularly gifted in the art of healing and her knowledge of plants and herbs was unsurpassed in Kirador. Maybe she was right about something being wrong with Reiv’s hands, and if Reiv could be helped, Alicine was certainly the one to do it. He nodded reluctantly. “All right. If you think it will help.”
Dayn walked into the nearby kitchen while Alicine strolled into the atrium. Keeping one eye on his sister and the other on the unpredictable Reiv, Dayn reached for a mug and poured himself a drink. He leaned against the table’s edge while he sipped and watched.
Reiv glanced up and spied Alicine weaving her way between the numerous plants that crowded the floor in front of her.
“Now what have you come to complain about?” he muttered. He moved away, pretending to concentrate on a shrub across the room.
Alicine changed her direction and worked her way toward his new location. But he only moved further away. Her face grew red with frustration as his attempts to avoid her became more than a little obvious.
“Reiv!” she said loudly. Then her voice softened. “Reiv,” she repeated.
He stopped and turned to face her. He wanted very badly to be angry with her. He needed to be angry with her. It was simple. She was going away. Dayn was going away. They were Jecta. He wasn’t. They would be living in Pobu, and he couldn’t imagine visiting them in that place. He had thought that he could, but now he realized he didn’t have it in him. He had been fooling himself to think he could have family again, much less friends. If he could just hate them.
“What is it?” Reiv said impatiently. “I am very busy.”
“Your plants are beautiful. I thought maybe you could show them to me.”
“Well, I do not have time to take you on a tour,” he said. He turned his face away for fear she would see the regret written across it. Grabbing a potted seedling, he eyed it with distaste, then pulled out the shoot and tossed it to the ground.
“I’m really good with herbs,” Alicine said, stepping around to see what he was doing. “Even medicinals. Maybe I could help you.”
“Help me?” Reiv forced a laugh. “I do not need any help.”
“Don’t you?” She slanted her eyes toward his hands.
“What do you mean by that remark?”
Alicine brushed her hand across some pink blossoms, stirring their scent. “What I said. I could help you.”
“I did fine before you came. I do not need your help. For that matter, I do not need anything.” Hate her. That is all you have to do. Just hate her.
“Well, we need you, Reiv. Very much. Dayn especially. I don’t see how we’ll get through this without you.”
“Well, you had best get used to it. I will get you as far as Pobu if I must, but after that you will see little of me.”
“What do you mean ‘see little of you’?” Alicine asked. “Brina said—you said—you could come and go there freely. That you would be there for us.”
“Well, Brina was mistaken.”
“And you? Were you lying to us then?”
Reiv’s eyes flashed. “No, I was not lying. I thought I could, but . . . Listen, Alicine, I cannot visit you in Pobu. I will go there only if I must take you. Otherwise . . .” He turned his back to her.
“Cannot visit us or will not visit us?”
“Cannot—will not—both! Quit asking so many questions. Gods!”
He stepped away, but she rush
ed to block his path and faced him down. “Why is that, Reiv? Enlighten me.”
“Because it is Jecta.”
“But Brina said as a Jecta you could go there.”
Reiv’s shoulders stiffened.
“And if you are Jecta—”
“I am not Jecta!” Reiv shouted. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her toward him. “Never call me that! I am Tearian! Do you hear me? Tearian!” He pushed her away, then turned and attempted, once again, to distance himself.
Dayn took a step in their direction, but Alicine motioned him back with a wave of her hand. “Prove it,” she called to Reiv’s back. “Prove you’re not Jecta.”
Reiv stopped in his tracks, startled by her sudden challenge. He spun to face her. “Prove it?”
“You heard me. Prove you are not Jecta. Show me that you have no marks, no imperfections.”
“Jecta do not have to have marks. I already told you.”
“So you have no marks? Then why do you always wear gloves?”
“That is none of your concern,” he said. “You know, I cannot wait until I am rid of you.”
“You’re a liar.”
“I told you, girl, I am no liar.”
“Then tell me. Why do you always wear gloves?”
“Because I choose to.”
“Tell me the truth, Reiv.”
“No, I said! No . . . No . . . No! Do you understand me now?”
“Yes, I understand. You’re afraid.”
Reiv’s jaw dropped. “I am afraid of nothing.”
“A liar and a coward.”
“Coward? How—how dare—I am no coward, girl. That I can assure you.”
“Then take off your gloves, unless you’re afraid to.” Alicine smiled smoothly and folded her arms across her chest.
“I am not afraid!” Reiv screamed, his face contorted with rage. “I am not!” He grabbed a nearby plant and flung it over Alicine’s head. It crashed into a hundred pieces against a nearby pillar.
Alicine jumped. “Reiv,” she said, her voice cracking.
He stepped toward her, his fist clenched in the air.
“Reiv, please.”
Dayn sprinted toward the atrium. Reiv saw him fast approaching and suddenly realized why. He froze and looked at his own trembling fist, then at Alicine’s stricken face. “Gods, what am I doing?” he whispered. He lowered his fist and backed away, his eyes darting between Alicine and Dayn.
Souls of Aredyrah 1 - The Fire and the Light Page 20