Chapter 14
14
After they’d eaten the stew, they talked about leaving. If they were going to find the king’s son, they’d have to head out into the world of Selkan.
Sojee hadn’t been able to find any rabbits so he was looking near the gingerbread house to see what else the witch had hidden. So far, he’d only found more bottles of wine. Tanek had also been searching the area, but at every sound, his head came up, as though he was expecting something to happen.
It was Kaley who saw the young man standing at the head of the road that led down to the gingerbread house. She ran back to the others. “It’s Nessa. He’s here. He’s at the top of the hill. I think he’s looking for us, but I didn’t see Perus.”
Tanek reacted instantly. He drew the sword he’d been wearing since they’d been there, his face stern, and said, “Both of you are to stay here.” He started forward, his head down, as though he was ready to attack.
Sojee and Kaley stayed behind, not moving.
Kaley said, “You’re right to go alone, but if the dragon is there, he’ll burn you up in an instant. Too bad about that.”
Tanek, his back to them, halted.
Sojee said, “That’s true. He likes her, but he’ll probably enjoy frying you .”
Tanek gave a great sigh, but didn’t turn around. “Then stay out of sight.”
“Not so easy for me to do,” Sojee said, and Kaley unsuccessfully covered a giggle.
The three of them started forward. “If he can hide a dragon, he can easily hide armed guards,” Kaley whispered, and Tanek glowered at her to be quiet.
Suddenly, Tanek stood up. “It’s not Nessa.” He didn’t explain as he jammed his sword into the ground, then took a knife out of his belt and tossed it to stand upright beside his sword. Another knife came out of his shirt cuff, then two more knives appeared.
Kaley watched in astonishment.
Sojee said, “Boot.”
Tanek was looking straight ahead as he bent to quickly unfasten the hooks on his boots then stepped out of them. He was barefoot. “Stay!” he ordered, and this time, Sojee and Kaley gave him no argument.
They watched him. Kaley had never seen anyone move with such stealth. The young man standing at the top of the hill had his back to them. He was far enough away and they were concealed by the trees so he couldn’t see them.
Sojee nodded to Kaley and she understood to follow him. They slipped into the forest, then went up the hill, being as quiet as they could. Whatever Tanek was doing, they wanted to see it.
It was astonishing that a man of Tanek’s size could be as quiet as he was. The young man certainly didn’t seem to hear him.
When Tanek was several feet from him, he leaped. No, as he called it, he soared. He sprang up from the ground and coasted through the air. He was like a ballet dancer, but one with magic powers.
Sojee and Kaley watched, mouths open in astonishment.
When Tanek was high in the air, the young man whirled to face him, then he also sprang up into the air. He was lighter so he went even higher than Tanek. As the two men soared, Tanek caught the younger man’s ankle and pulled him toward him. They were two people flying so high that it wasn’t humanly possible. Tanek was the strong one and he held the young man so that for a long minute, they were in the air together. Flying. Gliding.
Finally, they came down to the earth, touching lightly, then standing there looking at each other.
“They’re like swans,” Kaley whispered. “I’m not sure they’re human.”
Sojee nodded. “You’re right. That’s Mekos and he’s a Lely.”
“What’s that?”
“Rare. Special.” He was smiling in a way that said he’d just seen something few people ever did. “They’re not easy to make. I’m impressed by our Tanek.”
Kaley wasn’t sure they should interrupt the two of them, but when Sojee went ahead, she was right behind him.
Tanek and the young man were talking in a language she’d never heard before. It was low and throaty. Whatever the origin, it was sultry and sexy. She held out her arm for Sojee to fix it so she could understand them.
“I don’t have my pen, remember? Besides, that language isn’t in the library. It’s only understood by people in the Order of Swans.” He paused, his eyes sparkling. “If you married into that order, you could speak it.”
“Are you matchmaking young Mekos and me?”
Sojee laughed at her deliberate misunderstanding.
Finally, Tanek turned to look at them. “This is my son.” His voice was low, and it held more pride and love than Kaley had ever heard anyone speak.
She didn’t want them to see how that announcement struck her. Son? As in wife? she thought. He sure hadn’t mentioned that little fact.
Mekos was a bit shorter than his father, and overall smaller, but handsome to the point of being pretty. He had a head full of black curls, and his eyes were the color of Santa Fe turquoise.
“You’re beautiful,” he said to her. His voice wasn’t as deep or rich as Tanek’s, but nice. “I’ve never seen eyes like yours.”
Kaley smiled at him. “And I’ve never seen eyes like yours.”
Mekos smiled back. “You’re from Ear—”
“He brought food,” Tanek said so loudly it was almost a shout. “A wagon full of it.”
“That’s great!” Sojee said so loudly a dozen birds flew out of the trees.
Kaley was so used to things being hidden from her that she just rolled her eyes. Tanek put his arm around his son’s shoulders and they walked toward the old homestead. “Guess he wants to show his son where his grandfather used to live.” Her voice dripped sarcasm. They both knew Tanek was taking his son away to tell him what was going on, privately.
They heard horses moving away from them. Sojee leaped onto a low wall, looked toward the sound, then got down. He gave a quiet chuckle. “Whoever came with the boy is leaving.”
“I know. This place is encircled.”
“Ensourced,” Sojee corrected. “Too dangerous for the cowards. You ready to see what’s in the wagon? Or do you want to keep feeling sorry for yourself because no one is confiding their very souls to you?”
“Hmm. Difficult choice. I’ll have to think about that.”
“I bet whatever is in that wagon was sent from the king’s table. Eren produces a cheese so good it can replace sex.”
“Not possible.”
Sojee was smiling. “And there’s their bread. It’s made from six grains and flour from a nut found only on top of the mountains. And there’s a—”
“Beat you there.” She took off running. She was faster and he got to the wagon a full minute behind her. “Slowpoke.”
“I’d be faster if you’d show me how to do those circles with my body.”
“I can teach you how but I’d have to break a few bones.” She was staring at the back of the wagon. It was loaded with crates and huge cloth-wrapped bundles. “Why is there so much? I thought we were to go back to the town to look for Nessa.”
Sojee was leaning over the side. “Do you think soldiers are told why they’re to risk their lives?” He reached inside. “Look what I found.” He pulled out Kaley’s duffel bag.
She couldn’t help a squeal of delight and grabbed the handle. “Clean clothes! What a luxury!”
“Our Tanek will be disappointed about that.” He was referring to the fact that the yoga clothes she was wearing showed off her every curve.
“He never looks,” she said. Sojee was stretching to reach the packages in the middle of the wagon. “Put me in and I’ll hand everything out.”
He took her by the waist and swung her up into the wagon. It was packed so tightly she had a hard time finding a place to stand. When she did, she could see Tanek and Mekos at the far end of the ruined house. When Mekos turned and saw Kaley, he raised his hand in a wave, but then his father said something and Mekos looked back at him. “They’re talking about me.”
“Of course they are. A pretty girl in a place like Selkan needs protection.”
She handed him a three-foot square wooden box. “Ha! We both know that Tanek is telling Mekos which secrets he’s not allowed to tell me.”
Sojee didn’t smile; his face was serious. “There’s just one secret.”
Kaley looked skeptical. She pulled the necklace out of her pocket and put it on. “Now repeat that.” He did and the necklace stayed cool and gray.
“Feel better now? Can we unload this? I’m hungry.”
“You just ate.”
“And?”
Laughing, she handed him two more packages, then he stopped and looked at her. “How does that thing work on you?”
“You mean to check if I’m lying?”
Sojee nodded.
Kaley looked at Tanek with his son. “Tanek is the ugliest man in the entire world.” The necklace did nothing. “Interesting. How about this? I don’t like any animals at all.” The necklace didn’t react. She looked at Sojee. “You try.”
“I like sleeping on stone floors.”
When the necklace turned pink and hot, Kaley smiled. “I like this. I can lie with impunity but you guys have to tell the truth. I think that’s fair.”
With a grimace, Sojee pointed at a huge bundle.
Kaley bent to pick up the big package. She expected it to be heavy so she did a dead lift as Jobi had taught her, but the package was so light it hit her in the face. “What in the world is in this?”
“I hope I know.” Sojee held out a knife to her, handle first. She slit the cords and out popped fat, fluffy blankets. “Warmth and comfort,” he said. “I hope those are from your swan people.”
“They don’t belong to me.” Kaley glanced at Tanek with his son. They were still talking, heads together. “You’d think he’d hide somewhere so there’s no possibility that I’d hear him.”
“He can’t bear to let you out of his sight. Open that little one there and pray for cheese.”
She did as he asked and yes, it was cheese. It was a rich color of orangish-red and smelled very good. She dug the knife into it, carved out a chunk and got it almost to her mouth before she switched and held out the sample to Sojee. He took it, ate, then closed his eyes. “I take it that’s the cheese you wanted.”
“Oh yes.” He held up his arms for the next package and Kaley tossed it to him.
Twenty minutes later, they’d unpacked it all. The big cases that the men had taken from the inn were on the bottom. To Sojee’s great disappointment, his magic pen—at least that was how Kaley thought of it—wasn’t there. “Of course they’d keep that,” he muttered.
Sojee swung her down and she looked at the great pile of packages. “It’s like we’re to set up house here. Maybe they should have sent chickens and seeds. Maybe tomorrow they’ll send a plumber to install a toilet and a tub. What’s going on?”
Sojee could only shrug in answer. “They’re coming.” He nodded to the necklace. “Unless you want to get burned by that thing, you should take it off.”
Kaley wanted to protest, but she was a guest in their country and she should respect their traditions and... “Oh hell!” she muttered, and took off the necklace. Being sure she was hearing lies would make her angry, but it wouldn’t make them reveal what they were concealing. Besides, did she really and truly want to know?
The first thing Tanek did was pick up the edge of one of the blankets. His verdict was a grunt.
“Do they pass?” she asked.
“Not the best but good.”
Mekos was looking at Kaley. “He saves the best for our family. We—”
Tanek cut him off. “There’s a new plan.” He didn’t wait for comments. “Sojee and Kaley will stay here at the homestead. Mekos and I will go into Doyen and find Prince Nessa.”
“But I want to go, too.” Kaley knew she sounded like a kid begging, but she didn’t want to be left behind.
Tanek didn’t meet her eyes. “My son knows Nessa. We think he’ll come if Mekos calls him.”
“But—” Kaley began.
Tanek looked at her. “It will be safer if we don’t have a woman with us. Protecting you is...” He didn’t finish.
“Sure,” she said. “Next time, you can get yourself out of the mud.”
For a long moment, they stared at each other. Kaley was on the verge of anger and Tanek looked as though he was about to relent.
Mekos turned to Sojee with wide eyes that said he’d never seen his father like this. Sojee gave a shrug in answer.
When Tanek spoke to Kaley, it was with a soft voice. “Jobi has friends on Selkan. He’ll send them here to tell you stories. And I’ll go to Collan and ask him to come up here. You like him.” Tanek put out his hand as though he meant to touch her, but then let it fall to his side.
Mekos waited a moment to give them time to speak but they didn’t. “So?” he said loudly. “What have you three been doing up here? Watching the blue of the sunrise? Discussing philosophy? Or, knowing my dad, searching for the white swan?”
Kaley stepped back from Tanek and picked up a metal box. “We’ve been fighting evil and eating gingerbread.”
Sojee lifted a big crate. “And we watched your father jump around fireballs while waving a sword in the air.”
Tanek picked up the bundle of blankets. “It took both of us to fight that old woman off.”
“They risked their lives to create a diversion to give me time to get the children out so they wouldn’t be eaten.” Kaley loaded another box on top of the one she had.
Mekos looked at them, piled high with the bundles. “I want to hear this story.”
Tanek started walking toward Haver’s bedroom. “Then you’re in luck. We have the best storyteller in Bellis.” Sojee followed him.
Kaley stayed by the wagon beside Mekos.
He looked at her. “Whatever has happened here, you’ve certainly become friends.” He reached inside his shirt and drew out a key on the end of a cord. “Perhaps this will be my way to join you.” He called out to the men. “Look what Grandpapá gave me.” The men turned to look at him. “He sent it tied around Indienne’s neck.” He looked at his father. “She misses you.”
Kaley said, “Don’t tell him that or he’ll start crying.”
Tanek said, “Maybe it’s not me she misses.” He looked at his son, his eyes serious. “Indienne wrapped her neck around Kaley, then took her to see the fledglings.”
Mekos showed his shock. “She won’t let me see them!”
“They are soooo cute!” Kaley said. “And they like my stories. They—” She stopped since the men were staring at her.
Mekos held the key up higher. “I vote that we open the hidden cellar door and you three tell me everything. What is gingerbread?”
“You guys can do this,” she said as she set her packages down and looked at Mekos. “Come with me, and we’ll find the lock that key fits.” She and Mekos went toward the ruined house, walking close together.
Tanek and Sojee moved everything into Haver’s bedroom under the part of the roof that was still intact. It would be sheltered from the rain. They put most of the food inside the stone chest.
When they finished, Sojee said, “She needs to be told. Even if you keep her hidden here, she’ll figure it out.”
“I’m going to do my best to keep her busy with her stories.” Tanek’s tone showed that he’d been thinking about this. “Mekos and I need time to find that lazy, worthless prince. Once we have him, I plan to fly her back to Jobi on the dragon. That should make her happy.”
Sojee gave a snort. “If you get near that monster, it’ll cook you.” Tanek was looking at him. “I see. Yes, it might fly with her, but you’ll never be allowed on it.” He paused, seeming to be studying Tanek’s face. He wasn’t worried about a dragon. Sojee lowered his voice. “If you do get her back to the king, then what? Is your job over? Do you go back to the mountains with your swans and she gets on a ship headed to Earth?”
“I have no idea. I’m not included in the overall plan—and I doubt if the king is, either. From what I can figure out, all of this is from Jobi and a man named Zeon.”
“Never heard of him.”
“Me neither. I’m going to ask around town and see if anyone knows who he is—and what he’s involved in.”
“I could ask the same of you,” Sojee said. “Kaley isn’t the only one who’d like to know what this trip is really about.”
Tanek looked like he was debating whether or not to confide in Sojee, but Kaley’s voice made him keep quiet.
“You aren’t going to believe what Mekos and I found,” she said. “Well, actually, it was him and his key.”
“You found the door. I never would have seen it without you,” Mekos said.
“I’m used to cellars. Kansas tornadoes.” They were looking at her blankly. “Land hurricanes except they whirl about?” No comprehension. She looked at Tanek. “We found some clothes and I think they’re made of that swan cloth that you said never deteriorates. There are beautiful things stored away in a man-made cave.” Neither Tanek nor Sojee responded. “Come on! Stop looking so glum. Mekos and I are going to throw a party.” She turned to the young man. “Let’s go get dressed. I want that pink gown.” They started walking. “Unless you want it.”
That made Mekos smile. “I want my great-grandpapá’s gold vest.”
“You’ll look great in it. I’ll make a few stitches and it’ll fit. Sojee can wear the shirt and—” They were out of earshot.
Tanek and Sojee hadn’t moved from their place by the doorway. “She certainly does like my son.”
Yet again, Sojee slapped Tanek so hard on the shoulder that he almost fell forward. “Maybe your lusty young son will be receptive to her—what did you call it?—her aggression? From what I’m seeing, Mekos is already letting her know he’s interested in her as a woman.”
As was often said, if looks could kill... The one Tanek gave Sojee would have done it. The big man would have fallen into a mass of blood and crushed bones. Instead, as Tanek followed his son, Sojee laughed loud and hard.