by Ginn Hale
Seconds later Rafie and Alizadeh swooped down on Kiram, intent on escorting him throughout the rest of the day. Kiram introduced them to Nestor, who joined them out on the fairgrounds. Shortly after that Riossa and her friends flounced around them in a giggling cluster of silk and ribbons. Nestor's imposing mother, Lady Grunito, and her five attendants manifested moments later. Kiram began to feel like he was walking in a parade. He smiled, because he could see from Rafie's set expression that he had not planned to spend the afternoon in this manner, but had no way of politely extricating himself without leaving Kiram.
Lady Grunito stood as tall as Alizadeh and had a large, angular body which neither her flowing silk skirt nor her velvet coat could soften. Next to her, Rafie looked even more boyish than usual. His delicate features and slender body were only emphasized further by his white hair and muted, Cadeleonian clothes.
"My son Nestor speaks quite highly of your nephew Kiram." Lady Grunito gazed down at Rafie like a hawk contemplating a rabbit.
"I'm glad to hear that Kiram has made a good impression, but I think he might be a little too young to be attending the Sagrada Academy. He's been more sheltered than most boys his age, I think."
"More sheltering is rarely an antidote for too much in the first place." Lady Grunito gave Kiram a piercing glance and then cocked her head just slightly at Rafie. "And to be honest, your nephew seemed to do quite well for himself out in the arena today. He certainly held his own with the other students."
"He stayed on the grounds longer than me," Nestor admitted easily, though he stole an uncertain glance at Riossa. She just smiled at him and then stepped a little closer to him, under the pretense of showing him the drawings in her small sketchbook.
While Lady Grunito continued to lecture Rafie on the value of a Sagrada Academy education, Nestor and Riossa walked close together, discussing inks and brushes and seeming oblivious to everyone else.
Alizadeh complimented Riossa's friends on the perfumes and flowers that they bought from vendors. The girls blushed and smiled nervously; obviously unsure of how to behave toward a Haldiim they fell back on emulating Lady Grunito's polite demeanor.
For his part, Alizadeh never stood too near any of the girls, nor did he speak with any of them too long. Often he simply walked quietly beside Kiram, watching the sky.
"Is something wrong?" Kiram spoke in Haldiim but still kept his question to a whisper.
"No." Alizadeh's gaze moved through the crowd of fairgoers and brightly-dressed vendors. "It is all very normal, as if the shadow had never fallen here at all. He knows we're looking for it. I wonder how he hides it so well and where?"
Kiram couldn't even begin to guess the answer to Alizadeh's question and was distracted from thinking about the matter by the breathless whisper of one of Riossa's friends.
"Look, it's the Duke of Rauma." The thin girl pointed with a quick flick of her lace fan.
Javier strode through the crowd with Elezar and Morisio. Atreau followed a little behind them, a young woman with long, loose hair and a low cut dress clinging to his arm.
"He looks so brooding," another of Riossa's friends murmured. "I'd be terrified to be introduced to him, much less make conversation."
Kiram thought Javier looked bored and tired.
"They say he glows in the darkness with the light of the white hell," the girl added.
"He doesn't glow or breathe fire or eat people's souls or anything else you've heard." Kiram watched as Javier pushed Elezar off him. The muerate poison was still hurting him; Kiram could tell from the stiff way he moved his right arm. Javier paused for a moment and turned as if he could feel Kiram's attention.
At the same moment Kiram became acutely aware of both Alizadeh and the surrounding clot of girls observing his study of Javier.
"He's just a man," Kiram said as offhandedly as he could. "Some nights he even snores."
The girls laughed in an excited and scandalized manner.
When Kiram glanced back through the crowd, Javier had slipped out of sight. Kiram tried not to feel disappointed that Javier had not come to join them.
It wasn't long before Rafie made his apologies to their companions and led both Alizadeh and Kiram away, explaining that he needed to see to Kiram's injured arm. Kiram hadn't thought Rafie had even noticed but he'd obviously been wrong.
In their small, warm room at the Laughing Dog, Rafie carefully cut away the leather laces and then peeled the blood-caked gauntlet off of Kiram's left forearm. Kiram flinched when he saw the jagged red wound, with its tattered black stitches jutting pointlessly up from his flesh. The skin was swollen and feverish red. Mottled green and black bruises discolored the rest of Kiram's forearm.
"There's no point in trying to sew it back up now," Rafie said. He held Kiram's arm firmly as he poured a stinging alcohol over the open wound. "You should have stopped fighting the moment you felt the stitches pull."
Kiram gritted his teeth as the alcohol burned deep into his raw wound.
"I didn't notice when it happened."
"Anyone looking at you could have told that something had happened. You turned white as snow," Rafie replied. "You should have stopped."
"At least he beat four of those Cadeleonian boys," Alizadeh said. "Who knew he was such a fighter?"
Rafie dried and bandaged Kiram's arm then asked, "Will you keep it in a sling if I make one for you?"
"For today," Kiram agreed.
Rafie tied a sling and fitted it around Kiram's arm and neck. His touch was sure and quick. After he was done, and he had thrown out the bloody gauntlet, Rafie sat next to Alizadeh on the floor and accepted a cup of peppery, spiced tea.
Kiram lay on their bed, tired but not willing to sleep so early in the day. He listened as Rafie and Alizadeh discussed their plans for the next year. Rafie needed meet with one of his colleagues who had just returned from Yuan with new medicinal herbs. Alizadeh complained about the tedium of the city, but in a teasing manner that made Kiram think that he was perfectly content to stay in Anacleto for a time.
Kiram's own thoughts drifted in memories of his mother's garden and his father's workshop. He closed his eyes. The scent of Alizadeh's tea roused the half-forgotten longing for cardamom cakes, served at the Autumn Dances. He imagined that Musni was attending one of the dances right now, probably with his new wife.
Kiram wasn't sure when he fell asleep but it was nearly twilight when his uncle Rafie woke him and took him to the city stables to again check in with Master Ignacio. Nestor greeted Kiram warmly, but didn't miss the fact that his uncle stood waiting for him at the gates of the stable.
"He's not taking any chances, is he?" Nestor asked.
"Rafie never makes the same mistake twice."
Nestor scowled. "You think my mom helped any?"
"I don't know. She certainly gave Rafie a long enough lecture on the importance of education."
Nester smiled and nodded as if he had much experience with this. "Your uncle may come around. We've got until Sacreday."
Before Kiram could say anything more, Master Ignacio called them to order and took a quick roll. He reminded them of the eighth bell curfew. Then he announced who would be riding in tomorrow's races. Kiram was neither disappointed nor surprised that he was not among those chosen. Javier on the other hand would be expected to compete in two of the three events, as were the Helio twins.
Kiram tried to catch Javier's attention several times but Javier avoided him, and at last Kiram gave up. He left with Rafie without even saying a word to Javier.
They didn't stay the night at the Laughing Dog, as Kiram had expected, but instead crossed the empty fairgrounds to the Irabiim camp. Nakiesh and Liahn greeted Kiram as if he were a longtime friend and wrapped him in a deerskin cloak while he sat by their fire and waited for his supper. At least thirty crows perched around him. The dusty hound that he'd seen at the Laughing Dog wandered over and flopped down next to the fire. Kiram patted the animal and it licked his hand briefly, before settling d
own to sleep.
A few Irabiim girls with their black-kohled eyes watched Kiram curiously from the fires they attended. And several of the young men found reasons to walk near him and ask if he would be traveling with them, as his uncle and Alizadeh often did.
"I don't think so," Kiram replied. "I'm enrolled at the Sagrada Academy and I'm planning on staying there."
His response made Rafie frown at him.
Alizadeh laughed. "He's as stubborn as you."
Liahn gave Kiram a hot disk of adhil bread and a hollowed gourd full of fragrant stew. When he thanked her, she simply inclined her head and then returned to Nakiesh's side with her own meal.
Rafie sat down beside Kiram with his own gourd full of stew. Alizadeh joined them a few moments later. He tossed a few pieces of his bread to a crow and Nakiesh jokingly warned him that he was going to win himself another lover.
"Well, you know, I can't help but be attracted to the difficult types," Alizadeh replied. Rafie just rolled his eyes. Alizadeh glanced to Kiram and then frowned slightly. "Don't look so sad, Kiram. Nakiesh's cooking isn't as bad as it looks."
As a reply Nakiesh sent small clump of adhil bread sailing into the back of Alizadeh's head.
"The food is wonderful," Kiram said quickly. "I've been missing this kind of meal for months. It's nothing like that."
"He's moping because his duke has forgotten about him. He didn't even look at Kiram when they were at the stables this evening." Rafie folded his bread and used it to scoop his stew from the gourd. "It's just as well, Kiri. At least this way it won't be so hard for you to leave."
"I'm not leaving," Kiram replied.
Rafie's placid expression hardened. "I know you're young and full of romantic notions, but it is dangerous and foolish to link your fate to that of a Cadeleonian. They aren't like us. They can't free themselves from the bigotry they're brought up in." Rafie sighed heavily before going on. "He may say he's different. He may want to be different. He may even go so far as to become your lover. But he'll always feel guilty and dirty. He'll be ashamed to be seen with you and try and blame you for his own desires. He'll claim you seduced him or that you are somehow irresistible because you're Haldiim. If the two of you are discovered together, he'll press charges against you to save himself. That's how Cadeleonian men are."
Kiram just stared at Rafie, wondering if all of this had happened to someone he knew.
"A Cadeleonian man can't just accept love and be happy," Rafie said sadly.
"Well, your Cadeleonian man couldn't, but not everyone is Rubio," Alizadeh said. Then, to Kiram, "You uncle had a sweetheart before me, you know."
Kiram hadn't known and he found it a little disquieting to consider. Rafie had always been with Alizadeh for as long as Kiram could remember. They were like twin stars fixed, side by side. He couldn't imagine either of them ever being in love with someone else.
"I'm not just talking about Rubio," Rafie objected. "It's the way all Cadeleonians are brought up."
"Not all of them are brought up the same way, any more than all Haldiim are," Alizadeh replied. 'But I grant you that any relationship between a Haldiim and a Cadeleonian is bound to be hard. Between two men, it's nearly impossible unless the Cadeleonian converts, and that happens rarely. For a nobleman, it would mean losing his name and abdicating his title. It's never happened as far as I know."
Kiram felt a deep pain in his chest, as some half-formed wish ripped apart in the face of Alizadeh's pragmatism. But Kiram refused to acknowledge how much the realization hurt him. He had a higher goal than romance.
"I understand what the two of you are saying but none of that matters. I don't want to stay at the academy just to be near Javier." Kiram wasn't sure that he was telling the truth but it was what he needed to believe at the moment. "I want to stay because of Nestor and for Fedeles and because I want these Cadeleonian noblemen to see that a Haldiim is just as strong and smart as they are."
He didn't bother to list breaking the curse among his reasons, as he already knew none of the Bahiim present seemed to think it was a problem worth solving.
Rafie said, "You'll have plenty of other opportunities to prove yourself in Anacleto."
"I'm going to stay here," Kiram stated.
"How?" Rafie demanded.
Kiram started to answer and then scowled up at Rafie.
"I'm not going to tell you." Kiram was a little insulted that Rafie would expect him to give away his plans. He was also irked that he'd almost responded. "You'll just have to find out along with everyone else."
Rafie looked deeply annoyed but Alizadeh laughed out loud, earning himself a hard glare from Rafie.
"It's not my fault that he's so much like you, now is it?" Alizadeh addressed his attention to his dinner, murmuring, "Ah, the irony."
Rafie just shook his head.
After they had eaten, Nakiesh and Liahn offered them the shelter of their wagon for the night. The space was cramped and smelled of sweat and rich spices. Kiram wasn't sure if it was a pleasant perfume or not, but the wagon was warm and his family was close. Despite the strangeness of the deerskin bedding and the soft sounds of birds' wings all around him, he slept soundly.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The sharp cries of crows woke Kiram. He sat straight up, staring into a deep darkness, trying to find Javier. An instant later he remembered he was in an Irabiim wagon, far away from the tower room he had shared for so many months in the Sagrada Academy. He bowed his head against his legs, and wished the absence didn't hurt him so deeply.
Kiram could hear Alizadeh's voice somewhere outside the wagon. Uncle Rafie was gone too-probably outside. Crows shrieked and dogs barked. The wagon's small, wooden door creaked open.
"Did the crows wake you, Kiri?"
Kiram could only make out a vague shape in the darkness of the wagon, but he knew Rafie's voice.
"Is something wrong?"
"Nothing that you or I could do anything about," Rafie said. Kiram didn't find the answer at all reassuring.
"What is it that's got them so alarmed?"
"No one is quite sure," Rafie replied. "Alizadeh and the other Bahiim all felt a shock of some kind. Something very powerful triggered all of their wards."
"The shadow curse?" Kiram couldn't help but fear the worst. Had it awoken and taken Fedeles? Had it assaulted Javier?
"No, it wasn't a mere shadow. This was something different. Much more powerful, I think." Rafie sat down beside Kiram. He was cold and his clothes were damp from rain. "I really can't tell you much more. I only know that Alizadeh woke up like lightning had just struck him and then the crows started screaming. Alizadeh, Liahn, Nakiesh and both the old mothers are outside now, replacing the wards that burned up. They're trying to trace the source of the assault." Rafie patted Kiram's shoulder gently. "Ybu think you can get back to sleep?"
"No," Kiram said.
"Me either." Rafie sighed heavily.
"Are they going to be all right?" Kiram asked. "I mean Alizadeh and Liahn and Nakiesh. They aren't in danger, are they?"
"I don't know." Fear tinged Rafie's voice. That, more than anything else, frightened Kiram. He had always held Rafie in such esteem that he had never been able to imagine anything disturbing him. "Whatever burned through the wards, it was stronger than any of the Bahiim, and it was searching."
"What for?"
"For Alizadeh probably. Nakiesh says it was concentrated very close to the Laughing Dog when it struck."
"Did it hurt him?" Kiram asked.
"No. It just struck powerfuly but blindly, though it seared through every ward anywhere near it. Liahn thinks it was meant as a warning from the man on the hill. He doesn't want any Bahiim involved in his business."
Kiram scowled at the surrounding darkness. "None of them are involved in his business."
"Both Alizadeh and Nakiesh breached his domain yesterday. Maybe he felt threatened enough to send out a warning." Rafie sighed and then straightened. "It's nearly sun up. You want to help m
e with breakfast?"
"Help? You mean, cooking it?" Kiram had never cooked anything in his life.
Rafie laughed, sounding more himself. "Yes. That great mystery: cooking. Come, I'll show you how to burn adhil bread and scald mare's milk."
Kiram dressed in the dark and then joined Rafie outside. The sky was pale with predawn light and a humid wind whipped Kiram's hair into his face. Most of the Irabiim were awake also. Women stoked their fires up to bright yellow blazes. Boys yawned and trudged out to their rangy horses, with brushes and bridles. Kiram guessed that they would be taking the animals to auction at the fair in an hour or so.
Kiram didn't see any of the Bahiim. When he asked, Rafie said that they were out in the woods, anchoring their wards in the wood of the trees. As he spoke Rafie frowned at the deep shadows of the forest then turned back to Kiram with a determined expression.
"Well, let's see about your first cooking lesson."
He kept Kiram running all over the camp, trading spices with Irabiim mothers and begging mare's milk from an older man with dozens of brilliant bangles on his wrists. Rafie taught him to mix adhil batter and cut onions. The sun peaked over the distant hills and the last of the night bells rang over Zancoda. People would be up and about their business in the city soon.
Rafie heated oil in an iron skillet and fried the bread. He flipped the thin disks of bread with a flick of the pan. Kiram watched, feeling his awe of his uncle grow. Rafie cracked several eggs into the pan, stirred black salt and spices into them and tossed in the onions. After a few minutes he turned the eggs and onion out onto the bread.
Kiram ate quickly, noting the fragrant spices but still too hungry to savor them.
Rafie ate his own breakfast much more slowly. "You need to be back at the city stable soon, don't you?"
"Master Ignacio wants us there by the first morning bell," Kiram said.