by T D Cloud
Khouri sighed. “I don’t think Navi would lie like this just to get me to go home.” When it really came down to it, there were better ways to go about that. Ways that wouldn’t make it seem like Navidae was weak or in danger. Navidae cared about his pride. He cared about his image. That meant... “It’s real,” Khouri said, hiding his face in Sorin’s shoulder. “Something’s going on, and we probably need to take it seriously.” “Shit.”
Khouri smiled. It felt weak, crumbling. “Yeah,” he mumbled. “Shit.”
Sorin slowly pulled himself away from Khouri, running his fingers through his hair as he stared up at the sky. “Bet the kids are gonna love us cutting our stay short,” he grumbled, tugging Khouri by the hand as he led him through the trees and back towards the clearing where he had chopped logs. His shirt was still there, and it seemed he wanted it back. “I’ll have to tell Mastha. It’s too late to do much today. We can head out in the morning. Gives me enough time to run into town and get some things, settle up with Mastha, and—”
Khouri grabbed Sorin by the arm, stopping him as he was bending over to snatch his shirt from the ground. He bit his lip when Sorin looked at him. “Do we have to… Do we have to tell them right now?”
Sorin stared at him for a moment, sighing when he realized what was bothering him. “They need to know sooner or later,” he said, brushing Khouri’s hair behind his ear. He let his hand fall, and he tugged on his shirt. “We need to tell Mastha at least. The kids… Well, we can always tell them after dinner. I don’t think any of them would forgive us if we waited until the moment before we left to say goodbye.”
That’s what Khouri was afraid of. He kneaded at his eyes, nodding his head. He understood; he did. It didn’t mean he had to like it. It felt good to be here. It was warm and gentle, slow and sleepy but safe. As much as he missed Navidae, he knew he’d miss this place too once he was gone.
“You okay?” Khouri let his hands fall. He looked up at Sorin, trying to smile but failing miserably. “I’ll be fine,” he whispered, letting Sorin take his hand in his own. “I just didn’t expect this to end so soon.”
“Me neither. There was still a lot I wanted to show you.” Sorin squeezed his hand encouragingly, coaxing him to walk. Back to the house, Khouri figured. Back for dinner and goodbyes and the inevitable heartache that came with leaving a place that felt like the childhood he’d never had.
“Oh yeah?” Khouri managed a laugh. “Like what?”
And Sorin told him. As they walked back to the house, Sorin told him all the things he had planned to show Khouri while he was here. “I’d teach you to fish,” he said, giving Khouri a teasing look. “So you could finally help feed us while we travel.” And how to tie knots, he said. How to build a house from the sand. How to skip rocks in the surf until they danced into the sea. The house came into view and the list went on and on and on.
Khouri smiled at the warm picture it all made. He was going to miss it here, and he didn’t need to be gone to know it.
Chapter Six
Breakfast the next morning tasted as good as it ever did, and that more than anything lowered Khouri’s already abysmal mood. He watched the kids push and shove and laugh as they stole bits and bites from each others plates under the watchful eye of Mastha, feeling distanced from the moment. Sorin was arguing with Mastha again. Something about leaving her money for the trouble of putting them up, and Mastha threatening to shave Sorin like a sheep if he even tried. Khouri smiled when Sorin looked to him for help, nodding along to it without really hearing.
He picked up another spoonful of fluffy, perfect eggs, chewing them slowly.
Khouri was right. He hadn’t even left yet, and he already missed this place.
There hadn’t been another letter come morning. It was unlikely Alacrita had returned that quickly to report to Navidae about the new developments of it all. As far as Khouri knew, the closest entrance to the Duskriven was four days trip from here, and that wasn’t even the entrance closest to Navidae’s manor.
Khouri sighed, chasing his misery with a mouthful of milk. He tried to shake the thought that a new letter hadn’t come because Navidae had assumed Khouri would already be on his way back, trussed up and over the shoulder of his lackey.
He tried, but even he couldn’t stop the inevitable.
“But why?” Yula asked again, her spoon held in her hand like a weapon. “Why does Khouri have to go? He only just got here!”
Mastha rolled her eyes and took her daughter by the spoon- holding hand, moving it into her breakfast for her since she didn’t seem interested in eating on her own. “He’s been here for weeks, Yula. He needs to go home at some point.”
Jarrett set down his glass of milk and scowled. It didn’t carry much weight given the white, dripping mustache on his upper lip. “He can stay here, though!” the boy insisted, his sisters nodding their heads in agreement. “He can live here, and this can be his home.”
“Oh yeah?” Mastha asked, turning to give her son an unimpressed look. “What room will he stay in?”
“The guest room,” Jarrett declared.
“So, you’re happy to share your room with Heddi forever then?”
Sorin hid his laughter behind a poorly faked cough as Jarrett began to sputter, Heddi joining in once she realized her dreams of having her own room were being threatened. Khouri laughed along too. How could he not? They were willing to argue over him going, so they really must like him a whole lot. Just not enough to sacrifice their rooms for him.
Kids really were something.
The argument quickly devolved into whining and pleading. Khouri managed to eat another bite of eggs as Jarrett offered to share the guestroom with Khouri since, as he put it, “Khouri is cool, so it’s not dumb like sharing with Heddi.” The table was laughing then, and for a moment, Khouri felt light. They liked him a lot here, and that was something he wasn’t used to.
“So,” Mastha said, louder than the kids and enough to break Khouri from his thoughts. He looked up and saw her give Sorin an expectant look. “What are your plans then?”
Sorin swallowed and washed down his bite with a swig of milk. From a cow, he’d explained to Khouri. How odd. “Like, in general or…?”
Mastha rolled her eyes. Khouri startled when Sorin let out a pained grunt and glared at his sister for ostensibly kicking him under the table. Sorin leaned down to rub at his shin, muttering something under his breath. “We’ll leave even sooner if you keep that up,” he warned her, grinning when the kids quickly turned on their mother to berate her for it.
“Be nice!” Yula cried, hanging on her mother’s arm.
“Don’t make them go!” Heddi said, sitting up straighter with her eyes wide. Sorin was laughing heartily, and Khouri couldn’t help but laugh too when Mastha rolled her eyes and quieted them all down with a few brisk words.
“Don’t be an ass, Sorin,” she snapped, sitting Yula back down in her seat properly after the young girl tried to stand to make her voice heard. “Just answer the question before I kick you out good and proper. Do you have food? Where are you going? Winter will be here soon; it’s not safe to travel the way you do once it snows.”
“Snows?” Khouri asked.
Sorin waved him off. “I’ll tell you about it later,” he said, his attention on Mastha for the time being. “We’re going back to the, uh.” He paused for a moment, looking at the kids. “We’re going back to Khouri’s house. It’ll take a week or so to get there, so we’ll be below well before any weather changes happen. As for food…” He shrugged. “I figured I’d run into town before we left. Stock up there.”
Mastha leaned back in her chair, nodding. She looked at a far wall, fingers tapping on her crossed arms. “Got any idea whether I should plan lunch for the six of us?” she asked after a moment of quiet.
This time, Khouri stared at Sorin too, eager to know how much longer they had here. Sorin sighed, picking at his eggs with his fork. “We need to head out sooner rather than later,” he said t
iredly. Khouri’s heart sank. “Probably after breakfast, honestly. We need to get pretty far before night comes, and waiting until noon would leave us walking in the dark.”
Mastha nodded. The kids wilted, Khouri right alongside them. They sat in silence for a minute or so before Mastha clapped her hands together and stood. “Well, that’s how it is then,” she said, looking at her kids. “Kids, why don’t you say your goodbyes to Uncle Sorin now while Khouri and I clean up?”
The kids groaned, pleading with her to reconsider, but Mastha was as solid as a rock, shaking her head and scooting their chairs back until they stood up with Sorin. She looked at Khouri and gave him a kind smile that he struggled to return. Sorin wove his way around the table, ruffling Jarrett’s hair. He shepherded the kids towards the living room, sparing Khouri a glance over his shoulder.
“Up you go,” he grunted, grabbing Yula from the floor and swinging the girl into his arms. He kissed her on the cheek and growled like a bear when she squealed at his stubble scratching her. “I’m gonna miss you little rugrats, so why don’t I get my hugs now before I have to head out?”
Khouri had to smile as they disappeared into the other room, the kids laughing and whining for attention. His hands tightened in his lap, and he looked down at his half-eaten breakfast. They all really did love him, didn’t they? Mastha stood and began stacking dishes, and Khouri let out a sigh, rising to his feet to help. This at least felt normal.
Before long, the table was cleared. The dishes were stacked, and the leftover food was set aside to be chilled for later.
Khouri dried his hands on a towel and folded it neatly on its rack. He looked up when Sorin came back into the kitchen sans the kids. His expression was weary but content despite it.
“They finally let you go?” Mastha asked, gesturing Khouri back towards the table. She made him sit as she spoke to Sorin. “Took longer this time around, didn’t it?”
“Well, you know them,” Sorin sighed. “They had to run to their rooms to get all their piggy banks. They asked me how much it’d cost to get me to make Khouri stay here, and then it took awhile to explain to them how that’s not quite how my job works.”
Mastha snorted; Khouri managed a weak smile. No one said anything for a minute, and it turned sharply awkward. Sorin shifted on his feet. Khouri rested his head on the table just as Mastha sighed.
“So, what happens now?” she asked, taking pity on them both.
“I need to head to town to get us some supplies,” Sorin admitted, running his fingers through his hair. “Khouri obviously can’t come with me to do that, so I’ll go do it now. I want to leave within an hour, ideally before the morning ends. Can you say your goodbyes while I do that? I can meet you on the hill once I’m done.”
Oh. He was talking to Khouri now. Deeper in the house could be heard the sounds of the kids whispering, plotting. Or maybe they were just sad, desperately trying to think of a way to get them to stay. Khouri closed his eyes, the misery a solid weight in his stomach.
“Khouri?”
Shit, he was worrying them now. Mastha squeezed Khouri’s shoulder, and he lifted his head to nod. Sorin was frowning. He didn’t look upset, but he didn’t look happy either. The man let out a sigh and nodded at his sister before heading out the door. The wood clacked shut, leaving Khouri alone with Mastha in the kitchen.
Slowly, he looked at her, startling instantly when she smacked his cheek sharply.
“Don’t give me that look,” she ordered, pinching his cheek next. She tugged on his face, rearranging his frown until he was forced to smile. “You look like you’re going to your execution! You’re just going home, Khouri. There’s no need to mope.”
Khouri found it hard to pout like this, but that didn’t stop him from trying regardless. “But when will I get to see you again?” he asked— well, tried to ask. The way she held him made it supremely difficult to speak. Mastha seemed to understand him regardless. She let go of him and put her hands on her hips, clicking her tongue at him.
“You’ll see us when you see us. Knowing Sorrie, that might be another five years,” she muttered, rolling her eyes in the direction Sorin had gone. After a pause, she looked back at Khouri with an expression that was noticeably softer. “But you will see us again. You’re welcome here whenever, Khouri.
Maybe with you in tow, Sorin will be forced to stop by a little more often.”
He smiled. “I hope so,” he said, looking around the kitchen.
He’d made a lot of memories in it. “Thank you for opening your home to me,” he told Mastha, bowing his head low. “I didn’t… I never had a home like this growing up. I’m- I really can’t thank you enough for sharing it with me now.”
A hand fell to his shoulder, and before Khouri could lift his head, Mastha was hugging him. Khouri stiffened then relaxed, wrapping his arms around her to hide his face in her warm shoulder. Fingers carded through his hair. “You’re very welcome, Khouri,” she whispered, squeezing him tight before letting go. She held him at arm’s length and looked a little teary eyed. Her smile was luminous. “Don’t know where I’ll find a better helper out here. And… Oh, I think it’s time you told the kids goodbye too.”
Khouri smiled at her and wiped his tears away before they could fall. “Yeah,” he sighed, looking towards the living room. His eyes widened when he caught sight of three little heads peeking out from the door frame. The kids ducked back and whispered loudly, and Khouri shared an indulgent smile with Mastha before he called out to them, “You can come out now.”
One by one by one, the kids popped around the corner and came into the kitchen. They were understandably red-eyed, Yula’s shirt damp as if she had used it to dry her tears while saying goodbye to Sorin before. Khouri left Mastha by the door to meet the kids halfway. He… He wasn’t sure what he was going to say to them. He wasn’t good at goodbyes.
He opened his mouth to try regardless only to have the kids beat him to the punch. They took his hands and dragged him forward, yanking him out of the kitchen entirely and up the stairs before he could say he was meant to go.
“Don’t keep him long!” Mastha shouted behind them as Khouri tripped over the rug on the upper landing. “Sorin will carry him home if you try to hide him up there!”
“It’s fine!” Jarrett shouted back, pushing Khouri into one of the other bedrooms.
“This won’t take long!” Heddi added, closing the door behind them.
Khouri had never ventured into the kids’ rooms during his stay. He hadn’t been curious enough to try. Even if he had been, Mastha and Sorin kept him busy enough with chores and kissing that even during his free time he hadn’t felt the need to see where the kids spent their downtime. Heddi and Jarrett’s shared room was about the same size as the guest room, made smaller by the addition of an extra bed and large trunks for each child’s things. Khouri stumbled after the ones dragging him forward, and he found himself set on a bed blanketed with a handmade quilt.
“Stay here!” Jarrett ordered, racing off to dig through his trunk as Heddi did the same. Yula stood at attention in front of Khouri as if to keep him from escaping while they looked for whatever it was they were looking for.
“What are they getting?” he asked his guard. The bedspread was really soft beneath his hands, and the room’s walls were speckled with cute little drawings and maps that had obviously been made by little hands. “Sorin will be back soon, and I’m supposed to meet him—”
Yula held up her hand, her other propped on her hip in a way that was all too reminiscent of Mastha at her wiliest. “You can’t leave until we get you things,” she declared. She looked over her shoulder and saw that Heddi was returning. Her hands were clasped behind her back, hiding something from sight. “Watch him while I get mine!” Yula said, racing off once her sister took up her spot in front of Khouri.
“I’m gonna go first since I’m ready first,” Heddi announced, prompting Jarrett to stick his tongue out at her before he went back to digging through his trun
k. The girl looked at Khouri with a grin. “Uncle Sorin said we can’t tell you to stay here, but I still wanted to bribe you to come back.”
“Oh, you don’t need to do something like that,” Khouri tried, shaking his head and waving his hands only for Heddi to shove something at his chest before he could refuse properly. Khouri fumbled for it and caught the smooth, round thing before it fell to the floor. He cradled it in his hands as Heddi folded her arms, staring at the wall with pink cheeks.
“You can have it,” the girl said, cheeks growing darker the more Khouri stared. “Don’t forget us, and come back so you can see us again.”
“Oh, Heddi,” Khouri breathed, opening his hands to find a rock nestled within. It wasn’t a gemstone or anything fancy. Just a piece of pink quartz that had been smoothed into a perfect sphere. He ran his thumb over the surface of it, his throat tightening as he thought how precious this must be to her. He opened his mouth to give it back, but Heddi lifted her hands and stepped away, glaring through her blush.
“Don’t even try to give it back,” she snipped. “It’s rude to give back a gift! Especially a sea stone like that.”
“A sea stone?” he asked, looking back down at the quartz.
Did they call it something different up here?
Heddi just nodded her head. “I found it in the tide. It was smoothed out by the waves, so it’s a gift from the sea. So, you have to keep it, okay? The sea gave it to me, and now I’m giving it to you.”
Khouri just nodded, too overwhelmed to argue. Jarrett’s footsteps echoed in the quiet room, and he hip bumped his sister aside to present his own gift. He didn’t bother with hiding it like Heddi had. Unlike Heddi’s gift though, Khouri didn’t easily recognize it.
“Here,” he said, plopping the small, white thing into Khouri’s lap. The boy didn’t blush like his sister had, but he definitely looked watery eyed. He sniffled valiantly, putting on a smile. “For luck.”
Upon touching it, Khouri realized it was most likely bone. Smooth and white, his fingers found the small little etchings carved along every inch of it. He held it closer to his face, spotting little drawings among the lines. “What is this?” he wondered, looking at Jarrett and Heddi. He had a feeling what he was holding wasn’t something found in the tide.