Chapter Twenty-One

Invier

 

He’s closing the gap between himself and Mr. Husky when out of nowhere, Kande slides into the space, her back to Torin. “How dare you disrespect him?” she yells right into Mr. Husky’s face while pointing back to me.

 

Mr. Husky is surprised by her sudden appearance and stiffens, jerking his head back as if needing a moment to focus on her. I’m surprised to see how fierce she can be. I’ve only ever seen her be sweet and kind.

 

“He’s just a narl. He shouldn’t even be here,” Mr. Husky quips.

 

Kande sticks a finger in his face. “If Karax invited every single narl here, you would have to afford them respect. Do you understand me?”

 

With her finger practically on his nose, he’s forced to step back. His face flushes a bright crimson.

 

All eyes are on me and I feel out of place. Will they still respect a Paladin who allows himself to be insulted and can’t even defend himself?

 

Compelled to do something, I call her name but Torin puts a hand on my shoulder. A warning not to interrupt.

 

If she heard me, there’s no reaction from her. Her shoulders are raised, brows slashed down and her finger remains in Mr. Husky’s face. “Or, should I inform my father of this disrespect?”

 

Mr. Husky’s mouth drops open. After the execution, I doubt anyone wants to be on Karax’s radar for the wrong reasons.

 

Stammering the boy says, “No … no, Miss Kande. I didn’t mean no harm, yeah.” He backs away some more and his friends do the same. “You can have the table.”

 

Kande snatches his tray and passes it to me.

 

Lifting hers off the table, she says, “You and your friends will sit at this table.” She glides off. Her back ramrod straight. “My friends and I will find somewhere far away from the lot of you to enjoy our lunch.”

 

She leaves the mess hall, leaving Torin and I no choice but to follow her. Once outside, she’s pacing and the tips of her ears are red.

 

“How dare they?” She fumes.

 

Torin folds his fingers over her arm to still her. With a roguish smile, he looks at me and says, “As my trainee and friend, it’s only right I get to take the piss out of you. Not those buffoons.”

 

Friend? Torin sees me as a friend?

 

“Same here,” Kande says, the steel in her voice no longer apparent. “I also get to mess with you.”

 

I warm at the possibility of a friendship with both of them. I’ve never been one to have many friends, claiming only Ennix Singer before I met Seth. Now, however, I have two additional friends. Friends who would defend me from others. We all chuckle and Torin claps me on the back.

 

“Let’s make a pact,” Kande says. “I know it’s a girly thing to do but,” she lifts a shoulder in a sluggish shrug, “we should agree that the three of us will look out for each other.”

 

That brings a smile to my face. Even Torin, who frowned at first, chuckles softly.

 

“If that’s what you want Miss Kande,” he says, mocking Mr. Husky and all three of us break into hysterics.

 

“Thanks for having my back in there,” I say when we calm.

 

“No need to sound so solemn. That’s what friends do for each other.” Kande smiles

 

“Especially when one of them can get in the face of a guy twice her size and wave a finger,” Torin says and she angles a shoulder into him.

 

“So, where to now?” I ask.

 

“Why the lake, of course.”

 

***

 

Lake Koroda is a fast-flowing body of water with white caps which carry jumping fish down to the sea where the beach—called the Koroda Quay by those who live here—is. The area is quiet and the tranquility is relaxing.

 

We sit on a bench and tuck into our food. Mr. Husky’s tray consists of roasted cauliflower wedges with chicken parmesan and a salad of lettuce, yellow baby tomatoes, carrot, and cucumber strips. As most of the food is grown on the island and typically tastes good, I can’t wait to tuck into it.

 

“Where are you originally from, Torin?” I ask, between chunks of a wedge.

 

“Limbe,” he says and takes a sip of his drink.

 

“Where is it?”

 

“It’s a coastal town, far away from here. Just like Koroda, it’s surrounded by mountains but Limbe is bigger with sandy beaches.” A faint smile plays on his lips.

 

“Must be beautiful,” whispers Kande.

 

“It is,” he says, his smile spreading. “On Town Day, my father would make us colorful kites and boats from coconut fronds. That was until …” He falls silent and stirs his soup.

 

None of us speak for several moments until Kande places a hand on his knee. “It’s okay, Torin. The more you talk about it, the better you’ll feel.”

 

He scratches his head before saying, “Until my father lost his arm. The company promised a replacement but changed its mind. Mom had to take more shifts and started drinking.

 

“She fell sick and soon couldn’t work anymore.” He rests his spoon on the edge of his soup bowl. “After that, my sister Amla left and nobody said why. The next day, however, there was food on the table again but over time, our food portions became smaller, and my parent’s fighting got worse. It still hurt to be shipped out to Nome Cyra.”

 

“I’m sorry,” I say, putting my tray to the side.

 

He shrugs as if he doesn’t really care, but his face says different.

 

I bite my lower lip and shift my focus to the water and its fish. Mom always complained about our family’s low ranking and now I realize this is why. The reality for those outside the nome is a lot less rosy. Could we have fallen on hard times whereby my sister or I would be sold for food? Probably not, but I commit to giving my mother less of a hard time whenever the issue of obligations to improve our standing arises.

 

When I look at Torin, it’s through different eyes. No wonder he hates the nomes.

 

“At least I got a good education. That wouldn’t have been possible in Limbe.” He rubs the lip of his tray, eyes on his plate. “And I served Nome Cyra faithfully until I realized to continue would mean a violation of the very rules they drilled into me. So, I left.”

 

A silent spell descends over us as we listen to the water speed by.

 

“I also lived in a Lesser Lands city as a child.” Kande plucks a blade of grass and twirls it between two fingers. “The city is Glydenner and I remember mama keeping me indoors, telling me it wasn’t safe to play outside.”

 

This is her first mention of her mother and I tune in to hear the rest of her story.

 

“Father tried to find a job but couldn’t. Luckily, mom found one at Amsen Refineries. She got father a job there too and we moved into a work city. I attended a nice school and I got to play outside.”

The solitary blade stills in her hand and she closes her eyes.

 

“Something went wrong and dad lost his job.” The grass spins between her fingers. Faster than the last time. “Like you, Torin, I watched my parents fight. Mama kept telling my father that he would get us kicked out if he didn’t stop whatever he was doing. That terrified me, I didn’t want to have to leave Amsenville.

 

“It didn’t take long for Father to get kicked out. Mama was given the choice to leave but she stayed and I got to remain in Amsenville. That is, until one night I went to bed and when I woke, I was here, in Koroda.”

 

The blade finally snaps into two jagged sheets.

 

Confused, I ask, “You didn’t know you were leaving?”

 

“No.”

 

I feel a twinge of pity for her. I can’t imagine being forcibly taken from my loved ones.

 

Torin picks at the dirt under his nails and looks to be deep in thought. Same with Kande who plays with a piece of cake on her tray.

 

I guess it’s time for me to share something but after hearing their stories, anything I say would pale in comparison to the suffering they have endured. Still, I have to say something.

 

I clear my throat with a short cough. “Someone I loved more than anything in the world, lied and manipulated me.”

 

Kande looks at me with sad eyes.

 

“Yeah, when someone you love hurts you … it’s tough.” Kande says softly. “You end up with a cut which just won’t heal.”

 

“True.” I nod.

 

Each of us twists to the sound of approaching footsteps slapping the small, gray pebbles on the pathway.

 

“There you are!” Aster calls, waving as he gets closer.

 

He’s trailed by a group of other children who all say, “Found you!”

 

“Why are you here?” Kande asks, her tone tougher than normal.

 

A little boy with a mop of honey-hued curls says, “Aster said he’s going to marry you when he gets older.”

 

“Oh, did he now?” She raises a thin eyebrow and Aster visibly sobers.

 

The next few seconds are a series of children running out of Kande’s reach. Aster tries to hide behind our bench but Torin grabs him.

 

“I’ve got him!” he says with a smile, the unpleasant discussion we were having, now a thing of the past.

 

Kande scoops up Aster and gives him a kiss. After she places him back down she says, “We’ll have to wait a long time for any talk of marriage but there’s one thing I ca do right now.”

 

Their eager faces perk up.

 

“What is it?”

 

“Tell us!”

 

She waits until they quiet and says, “I’m going to tickle all of you!”

 

“No way!” Several squeal and run out of her reach as she tries, and fails, to catch a single child.

 

They run off, led by Aster. Their joyful laughter makes me sad for a moment. Most of those kids have experienced tough times like Kande and Torin. I recall being told Aster lived on the streets before coming here.

 

My chest aches. Perhaps I can help them by pushing the nomes to make changes that will make things better for all children.

 

I rise to my feet.

 

“Where are you going?” Kande asks.

 

While I don’t like violence, maybe there’s a way I can work with Minim.

 

“I’m going to find Karax.”

 

***

 

It doesn’t take long to find him. He’s crossing the Savannah, almost about to set on the pathway leading up to his home when I call out to him.

 

“I want to play my part to help Minim,” I say running up to him and he beams at me.

 

He claps his hands. “I’m happy you’ll be on the team, Paladin.”

 

“I have one requirement, however.”

 

“Name it.”

 

I’ve been thinking about how to say this while walking over from the lake. If he doesn’t agree then I will have to leave Koroda as it will mean no protection from Neith’s father for my family or me.

 

Ignoring the pressure in my chest, I say, “I can only work with Minim if there is a commitment to non-violence. No more innocent victims.”

 

His smile slips. “I already told you what happened at Ghitu was a one-off—”

 

“What I’m saying is, months from now, you can’t change your mind and use violence to push Minim’s objectives.”

 

He tilts his head to the side. “Where did this preoccupation with non-violence come from?”

 

“Simple. I know from firsthand experience; violence is not always the answer.”

 

He does something to his jaw. It’s a fleeting movement but it drives the right side of his lips upward in what would have been a half smile if not for the way his entire face tenses afterward.

 

Another long moment passes and then he nods firmly. “I promise Minim will not be a part of anything where innocent people lose their lives. Never again.”

 

He puts out a hand and I take it in a long handshake.

 

“We’ll need to get you up to speed on future plans.”

 

“Sure.” Excitement bubbles up through me.

 

I watch him walk off feeling optimistic. I’m one step closer to getting back to my life and I’ll be doing something good at the same time.