Quests Volume Two Page 4

  Keneith nodded, thoughtful. "It's true that the Sila are the most harmless of the Magical Races," he said with a shrug. "I guess that makes him innocuous. Do you think he can learn to manipulate his own body and shift shape?"

  "It's too early to tell," Belfi answered, letting go of Raykim who was slowly calming down. "He might develop shape-shifting abilities, but at the moment he's really like a baby Fajrulo – with a human body shape."

  Raykim nodded, not trusting his voice yet. He scowled at Keneith who was observing him.

  Keneith sighed. "Fine, I'll keep him with me, then."

  "You don't want me?" Raykim snapped.

  "Not really, but the others wanted you to stay, and who am I to go against the majority, even though I'm almost as old as the two of them put together," Keneith answered, sarcastic. "Not to mention more powerful than the two of them put together."

  "Keneith," Belfi chided. "Try to consider him the son you didn't have."

  "Maybe I had some, but I didn't stay to raise them," Keneith retorted. "That should tell you something."

  "And you should know better than to try to fool me," Belfi replied, amused. "You're quite fond of him and your other traveling companions, so stop playing the grumpy old man. You're not that old, by the way."

  "Compared to you I'm a child." Keneith snorted. "But I've long forgotten my teens, not to mention my childhood."

  "One more reason to keep Raykim by your side. He's such a sweet boy, and he's long-lived, he can keep you company for a few centuries if you both behave."

  Belfi smiled at both of them and Raykim finally relaxed. He tentatively smiled back at the immortal half-blood, then glanced at his cousin. A part of him still wanted to snarl at Keneith for treating him like that, but another part couldn't blame his elder cousin for not wanting him.

  "Stop that hurt puppy face and give me a hug," Keneith snapped.

  Raykim brightened and went to nestle against Keneith's chest. "Thank you, Keneith," he whispered, listening to his cousin's powerful heartbeat.

  Keneith squeezed him, then pushed him away. But glancing at Belfi's smile, Raykim knew it was all a show of indifference to hide how much Keneith cared about him. He giggled and picked up his bowl.

  "Can I have more of that soup? I'm still hungry!"

  "Move your ass by the fire and you can finish it for all I care," Keneith replied bluntly.

  But Raykim was learning to read behind the sharp tones of his cousin's answers. He smiled and nodded, scooting over to the fire and giving his bowl to Hinrik for a refill.

  ***

  Belfi got off before night came and Keneith resumed his seat at the front of the wagon, next to Bellinda, while Raykim remained on the roof and Hinrik stuck to his saddle. A few days later they crossed the border river and were in the lands of the Kelvans.

  The road to Kelvia was through a forest and since they'd had enough of coasts, they decided to take the shortcut. They could hunt and avoid populated places. There were probably no bandits around, and if there were, they'd probably be scared off by Raykim's wings, blue hair and pointed ears.

  Thus, five months after leaving Salamar, they reached Kelvia, the capital of the kingdom. Keneith thought it hadn't changed much through the years. The city was built around the castle of the king and hadn't expanded much since the times he'd lived there.

  Built on gentle hills and surrounded mostly by vineyards, it was half a day's ride from the forest and on a river shore. Keneith suggested they left the wagon on the outskirts, by the river, so Hinrik could have his baths and Raykim would be able to come out, since there were thickets of trees and bushes that would give him cover from the town walls.

  "I'll take you to town tonight, but first I need to see if my stepmother can still make clothes," Keneith told his cousin. It had occurred to him that having been away for almost forty years, maybe his father and stepmother weren't around anymore. Human lifespans were so short!

  Raykim sighed, but remained by the wagon while Hinrik and Bellinda walked with him to town, bringing the horses that badly needed new shoes. The house where he'd been born was still there, a timber house squeezed between an inn and a tannery, with its blacksmith shop attached. Further down the road Lura had used to work at her father's house as dressmaker, a trade she'd later taken at her husband's.

  Keneith found a man in the forge who was too young to be Darhon, and he let Bellinda and Hinrik take care of the horses as he knocked on the house's door. A middle-aged woman with raven hair peppered with white and brown eyes opened the door and stared puzzled at him.

  "Hello, is this still the house of Darhon and Lura?" Keneith asked, more and more unsure of himself. He had half-sisters, though, so the blacksmith might be the husband of one of them.

  "Who are you?" The woman frowned. "Why are you looking for dead people?"

  Keneith closed his eyes for a moment. Dead. I should have known. Humans don't live to seventy or eighty. I spent too much time with the Genn.

  He looked at the woman again. "Are you Kelikana or Loriana?"

  She hesitated and looked even more wary. "Kelikana. And you are?"

  "I'm Keneith," he answered. "You were barely three when I left, but I'm sure they told you about me."

  Her frown vanished. "Keneith?" She sounded incredulous now. "Gods, how can this be? You look younger than me!"

  Keneith scoffed. "What did they tell you about me and my mother?"

  "Only that she was very beautiful and she abandoned you," she answered. "But Mother thought she was a magical being."

  "And she was," Keneith replied. "I'm a half-blood, that's why I age slower than you."

  "Oh. Father mentioned you left to find your real mother... did you find her?"

  "Not yet, although I did find a cousin or two. Actually, I was hoping Lura could make clothes for my half-blood cousin who doesn't look... completely Human. Maybe you can help me?"

  Kelikana winced. "I inherited Father's shop and passed it to my son." She pointed with her chin at the blacksmith who was already working on the horses.

  Keneith noticed Hinrik and Bellinda were listening to his conversation. Hopefully they hadn't seen his face. He doubted he had hidden his disappointment when he'd found out about his father's death.

  "But Loriana took up Mother's trade," Kelikana added with a smile. "She lives down the road, and is still helping her daughter as dressmaker."

  "Which house?" Keneith asked a little bluntly. He shouldn't have promised Raykim new clothes.

  Kelikana stepped out of the house to point him the right way, then squeezed his arm. "Don't vanish again before meeting my family," she said. "Will you come over for dinner?"

  "I don't know, like I said, one of my cousins doesn't look Human and can't come into town during daytime."

  "I'm even more curious to meet him, then."

  "I doubt it."

  "Keneith, we know about you and we're all very curious to get to know you. Our parents told us so much about you, that we always wondered what you looked like. We've both been telling stories of our lost big brother. Really, come to dinner and bring your friends, cousin, whoever is traveling with you."

  "We'll be delighted to come tonight," Bellinda said, stepping forward. "Nice meeting you, I'm Bellinda and this is Hinrik. We travel with Keneith."

  "Welcome to Kelvia." Kelikana smiled.

  Keneith glared at Bellinda, then said, "I need to talk to Loriana. I promised Raykim new clothes. See you later, Keli."

  Kelikana nodded and let them go.

  "Stop being so grumpy with your own family!" Bellinda chided as they headed for Loriana's house. "Didn't you miss them?"

  "No! Besides, you heard her! She's everything I will never be!"

  "I won't start my own family either anytime soon, but this doesn't mean that when I go back to Havenstock I'll ignore Cara and Massimo and my nephews and nieces."

  "My nephews and nieces probably have children of their own," Keneith retorted. "This makes me wonder why I bothered to come ba
ck!"

  "For Raykim," Hinrik said. "You promised him new clothes."

  "My bad," he grumbled. "Let's get done with this!"

  And he knocked on Loriana's door.

  ***

  Raykim had left the door open and sat on the doorstep of the wagon, holding his chin with his hand. He was bored again. Why wasn't he allowed to go to town with the others? But then, Belfi said eventually he might be able to shift shape and hide his wings and his non-Human features... Until then, he better just wait by the wagon, like he'd done in Aludin, Maxwetria and now Kelvia.

  Pity, he was curious about Keneith's Human family. The more he heard what Humans could do, the more he wanted to learn things. The Sila didn't do much besides fluttering around, singing and drawing maps. He had no idea of what the Fajrulo did when they shifted to Human form. But Humans... they looked so busy with crafts and stuff, Raykim often thought he'd never get bored if he could do half the things Humans did. Even if they didn't involve magic.

  And then he heard voices and jumped excitedly to his feet, getting out of the wagon to look towards the nearby town. Keneith, Hinrik and Bellinda were coming back with the horses... and two Human women.

  Disappointed, Raykim hid behind the wagon, just in case, but then Keneith called him. The two women gasped at the sight of him, but they didn't look threatening, so Raykim warily came forward.

  "Oh, my... He's..." The eldest seemed to lack words.

  "He has a beautiful human body," the youngest said. "Except of course he could never pass off as Human. You were right to keep him out of Kelvia, Uncle Keneith."

  Keneith nodded. "Raykim, this is my stepsister Loriana and her daughter. They came to take measurements to make you clothes. And shoes."

  Raykim brightened. "I will have tailor-made clothes? And shoes?"

  "You need to learn to walk on the ground, and I understand doing it barefooted isn't the most comfortable," Keneith replied. "Come over and let them do their job. Loriana married a shoemaker, so you can have the full clothing."

  Raykim beamed as the two women surrounded him. Loriana muttered something about his wings and the need to leave an opening. She had a ribbon with signs on it and put it around Raykim's shoulders, waist, hips, saying what seemed random numbers to the puzzled half-blood. She even asked him to hold one end of the ribbon to his shoulder while she touched his feet with the other end.

  The women muttered among themselves, spending more time checking his back, often tickling his wings and making him giggle. Finally they made him step on a parchment and the younger one drew a line around his feet.

  "We'll need a few days," Loriana said with the same grumpy tone Keneith sometimes used.

  "We're here," Keneith replied. "I'll bring him when everything is ready, but only after sunset."

  "Good idea," Loriana's daughter said. "See you soon, Raykim."

  Both women waved good-bye and left.

  "I can give you back your breeches!" Raykim told Hinrik, excited.

  "Not today," Hinrik answered, amused. "But yes, soon."

  "We shall rest in this lovely thicket for a few days," Bellinda said. "I think I'm going to enjoy civilization for a while..."

  "And sleep at an inn?" Keneith asked.

  "Maybe not, but certainly enjoying your stepsister's cooking," she replied with a wink. "We'll ask Kelikana to give us something for Raykim."

  "You're eating in town?" Raykim felt bummed again.

  "Keneith's other sister invited us to dinner," Hinrik answered. "We'll bring you something as soon as it's over. You might want to have a snack on your own, though."

  "Oh. All right. I'll wait."

  "I'm taking a bath, who's coming?" Hinrik continued.

  Keneith raised his hand. "Bel, give him your breeches for tonight. We'll take all our clothes to the washerwoman tomorrow morning."

  "I might have a new dress made," Bellinda replied. "Mine is almost completely gone. Since Loriana has a gift, I think I'm going to use her skills."

  "It will probably take her less time to make a normal dress than figuring out how to bypass wings." Keneith scoffed. "Suit yourself, it's your money."

  "Wait, you have to pay her?" Raykim asked. "How do I pay her?"

  "You don't have to pay her, I'm paying her," Keneith snapped. "I promised you new clothes, so I'll pay. Now get down to the river and take a bath with us."

  Raykim glanced at Hinrik and Bellinda, surprised that Keneith was so blunt. Had he done something wrong? Bellinda smiled and shook her head, signaling him to follow the other two to their bath.

  Raykim didn't like bathing much, because it made his wings heavy and unmanageable for some time, but he dutifully followed Hinrik and Keneith into the river.

  ***

  Keneith didn't mind camping outside of town. His stepsisters' houses were cramped with their extended Human families and he certainly didn't want to share his personal space with strangers. He could tell Hinrik thought he was too harsh with Kelikana and Loriana, but really, besides a tiny blood bond through their father, they had nothing in common.

  Kelikana and Loriana were grandmothers and had had their own fair share of children when Keneith was long gone. It was only the first batch of grandchildren from their firstborns, but surely more would come.

  Kelikana had two boys from her daughter, while the blacksmith's wife was still expecting her first baby. Loriana had a girl and then twins, a boy and a girl. When adults weren't around, Hinrik showed them water tricks, nudging Keneith to do the same. Keneith limited himself to pretending his fingers were on fire, or lighting the fire in the hearth in his usual way.

  He didn't like to display his gifts, not even to so-called family. And he was happy now to have left them behind. He obviously wasn't made to live in the same place all his life. The other inhabitants of the street didn't know who he was, since most of his father's generation was gone and he hadn't had friends his own age.

  He'd been a wild and introverted child. Probably Raykim would have fit better in city life. Unless he'd been quite secluded with his mother until his appearance had forced him to leave the Nest. Keneith wasn't sure and didn't want to know.

  Loriana visited the camp once or twice to try on Raykim's top, muttering under her breath about adjustments, but Bellinda's new dress was quickly made. Finally one day Loriana sent word Raykim's clothes were ready, so after sunset Keneith took his cousin to town.

  They avoided the few torches in the darkened streets and knocked on Loriana's door. The grandchildren were in bed, only Loriana and her daughter were still up.

  "Give me those breeches," Loriana said bluntly.

  Raykim obeyed, his cheeks red. But Loriana's gruff manners quickly put him at ease and while Loriana's daughter mended Hinrik's breeches, Loriana explained to Raykim how to wrap the sleeveless top around his torso.

  "One knot behind the neck, like this, try." Raykim tried under Keneith's amused eyes. "And now this, you wrap it around your waist. You can either knot it at the back or at the front. Try."

  Raykim did, his yellow eyes wide in wonder. His back was not covered, but it didn't matter. His chest was hidden now, in case someone got offended by the sight of his brown nipples. The breeches fit him perfectly.

  Raykim looked at Keneith for approval.

  "You look great," Keneith assured him. "Just like a Sila."

  "This fabric is so soft!" Raykim said, caressing his sleeveless top.

  "It's cotton," Loriana's daughter said, washing the breeches in a basin. "Do Sila have cotton?"

  "I have never met one, but since they use the Genn dressmakers and I've met those, I can tell you they have all kinds of fabric," Keneith answered. "From wool and cotton to silks and damasks."

  "Oh, my, silks and damasks are so expensive! I wish the queen would ask me to make her a dress with such fabrics!"

  "The queen has her own dressmaker," Loriana retorted. "Of course the sleeveless top will be useless in winter."

  "No, it's perfect," Raykim said, beaming. "I do
n't feel the heat or the cold. I manipulate the air around me so that I'm always at the right temperature. I use clothes because everybody else does."

  "Ah, I see." Loriana seemed to relax at last. "So do you need these or not?"

  She took a pair of boots and showed them to Raykim. He touched the soft leather, amazed, then he looked at Keneith.

  "Do I need them?"

  "I don't know, how was it walking barefoot from the camp to here?" Keneith replied.

  Raykim took one boot and turned it around in his hands. He checked the sole by knocking on it and seemed to understand it would protect his feet whenever he needed to walk.

  "Sit and try them on," Loriana's daughter suggested, rinsing the breeches and trying to dry them by flapping them.

  Raykim obeyed. He had obviously never worn boots, even though Sila did use soft shoes for the minimal time they spent on the ground, so Keneith had to show him how to slide in his foot and adjust the breeches on the legs – either inside or outside of the boots.

  Then he helped Raykim to stand and suggested he tried to walk. After a couple of uncertain steps, his young cousin gained enough confidence to try different gaits around Loriana's workshop.

  "They're great!" He beamed. "Thank you, Keneith!"

  "You're welcome." Keneith turned to his stepsister and offered her a gold coin.

  "You're family, Ken," Loriana said.

  "You didn't get the fabrics for free," he replied, putting the coin in her wrinkly hand. "I'll take that back to Hinrik, thanks," he added, taking the breeches from Loriana's daughter's hands.

  "Have a safe journey, both of you," the younger woman said.

  "Are we in a hurry to leave?" Raykim asked, puzzled.

  "I can tell your cousin is even less comfortable than you here," she replied, amused.

  "He's been away for too long," Loriana said. "He has forgotten his roots."

  "I haven't forgotten anything. But I won't see you again, Loriana. Farewell, all of you. Maybe your grandchildren will see me again."