Kei's Gift (91 page)

“Call him Arman,” Kei chided Reji.

Arman shook his head as if to tell Kei such things didn’t bother him as he explained to Reji they wanted to know if they would need to take any equipment with them. It bothered Kei though. They didn’t use titles in the villages, and Arman was to live as one of them. It was important Reji treated him as he would anyone else.

The ride to the docks took a quarter of an hour. “How’s your control?” Arman asked quietly as the carriage jolted along.

“All right if you’re touching me—all right if no one shouts or gets upset. It’s improving but not what it was before...you know.”

“The brawl?” Reji asked.

Kei nodded. “Then stay by me as much as you can,” Arman said firmly. “Reji, would you keep anyone remotely...disturbing away from him if you’re with him? That applies on the journey as well.”

“Of course,” Reji said, and Kei could sense the pleasure at being asked to do something meaningful to help him. Kei patted his leg and gave him a smile in thanks. He wished this wasn’t so hard for him.

At the barracks, they were met by the colonel who saluted Arman, something Kei was rather surprised at—there was currently no rank of general in the Darshianese army, although there once had been, a long time past. Kei wondered exactly what position Arman had been asked to hold during this period of planning.

“Colonel Jiv, this is Kei, a healer from Ai-Albon. He’s going to be supervising the medical aspects and general welfare for the mission—would he be able to speak to the medics who are coming with us?”

“Of course. And this gentleman?”

“Reji, also of Ai-Albon. He’s going to take charge of the beasts, so you can leave your sergeant here.”

Colonel Jiv’s eyes narrowed. “Is that so? Rather unusual, isn’t it?”

“We have need of his assistance when the hostages come back—it’s just an economy of manpower,” Arman said calmly.

That placated the colonel immediately. “Very well. Reji, the stables are over there.” He called out for one of his men. “Seva, take this gentleman to the stable master. He’s to take charge of the beasts. Then get the medics we’ve assigned to the mission and tell them to come to my room.”

Seva saluted, and with a slightly worried glance back, Reji followed him out. Kei and Arman were taken to the colonel’s office where Arman spoke quietly to the colonel about preparations for the journey. The discussion of armour and weapons was necessary but it made Kei feel sick to his stomach.

After a few minutes of this, Arman glanced at Kei and stood up, urging Kei to do the same. “Excuse me, colonel—I just need a quick word with Kei before the others get here,” he said casually, taking Kei’s arm and leading him outside into the fresh air. “What’s wrong?”

Kei gulped down the nausea. “Just...talking about soldiers...war....”

Arman kept his hand on Kei’s arm, which helped. “If it’s having this effect on you now, how will you feel when we get to Utuk?”

Kei looked despairingly at Arman. “I don’t know.”

“Neither do I and it worries me.” Arman pulled him close, which amazed Kei since any of the soldiers in the courtyard could see them if they chose. “It’s not too late to pull out until we set sail,” he said in a gentle voice, right by Kei’s ear. “If you are going to suffer like this all the way and back, you would do better to stay because you’ll worry me sick, and distract me as Lord Meki fears.”

Kei could only rest his cheek against Arman’s neck. “If...I let this defeat me....”

“This is not something you need to defeat or get over, because it’s not part of your normal life,” Arman said in a low voice. “Can you speak to the medics, or do you want to go back?”

Kei made himself stand up straight. “Speak to them—I can handle my job.”

Arman reached up and touched his face, but Kei moved away from him. “People will talk,” he said.

“I don’t care. Walk in with me, or walk back to the carriage. I won’t think less of you whichever you choose.”

Arman’s eyes were full of concern, and nothing else. “I’m coming in.”

Arman nodded and took his arm again. By the time they walked back into the colonel’s office, the six medics were there. Kei concentrated on the immediate task and not on why his skills might be needed, and that helped him get through. The medics were only a little suspicious of his presence, but he quickly reassured them that he was competent, and with a little gentle prompting from Arman, took control of the meeting. After a little while, and with a concerned look from Arman to check he was handling things, he and the colonel left the office to them to continue their discussions. Kei was so absorbed, he didn’t miss Arman’s buffering presence.

The preparations the medics had made impressed him, but they had also missed some things, which he was able to advise on. The care and accommodation of the hostages was also something they spent time discussing—he was able to give them a better understanding of the likely condition of their people, and how the medics could prepare. One thing he was adamant on—no one with a sword, and preferably not in any kind of a uniform, should spend much time with the hostages.

After a good hour or more of planning, there was a knock on the door. Kei called the visitor to come in—he immediately regretted it when a broadly smiling Tiko came in. “They said you were here. Are you done?”

Kei looked at his colleagues and was disappointed to find they were in fact finished. He reluctantly called the meeting to a halt. “You can contact me via the general or the Rulers’ House,” he said, and ignored Tiko’s smirk.

The medics nodded and left. Tiko came over and offered his hand. “How are you, lad? We’ve been hearing all kinds of stories about you, and then one of my men said he saw you and the general kissing in the courtyard. I told him that couldn’t be, of course.”

“We weren’t
kissing
,” Kei said hotly, and then flushed bright red at Tiko’s pleased look at having caught him out. “Oh, leave me alone, you bastard. Why are you here?”

“Polite as ever, Kei. I saw your general and asked after you, and he said you were here. Asked me to come find you and see if you were done, so I did. So if you want to lose your temper, lose it at him. Why
are
you here, lad?”

Kei looked at him warily. He didn’t want to listen to another rant about him going to Utuk. “I’m helping with preparations for the mission—medical matters, and advising about the care of the hostages.”

Tiko clapped him on the shoulder. “Good, I’m glad to hear that. I tell you, our medics need better training.”

“Then why in hells don’t you make sure they get it?” Kei said impatiently. “Have them at the academy, pay them officer rates, treat them as professionals. It’s not one step up from being a beast manager, you know, and they’re not even given that status.”

“Suggest it to the colonels then—or Lord Meki, since I suppose now you and the general are so well in with each other, you must have his ear as well.”

Kei growled and went for the door. He didn’t want to be teased on this subject—Tiko had entirely too much ammunition. “Have you seen Reji?”

“Reji? No, why?”

“He’s going to be the beast manager—he should be in the stables.”

“Beast manager? I thought you and he would be going back to Ai-Albon—ah, but then you’ll be wanting to wait for the general, I suppose,” Tiko said, nodding to himself at realising this.

“Where is Arman, anyway?” Kei asked as they walked out into the corridor.

“Stores—come on, I’m supposed to be showing you the way.”

The barracks were huge, and there were men and women everywhere. Tiko had previously told him there was accommodation there for seven hundred soldiers at a pinch, although there were never that many actually in Darshek itself most of the time—the core permanent force was rather small, but there were many more reservists to be called on at any time, as they would be for this expedition, and many of them appeared to be here today. However, the barracks served as training and equipment provision and home for the core force, those at least, who didn’t have families of their own. Tiko lived outside in his own small house with his wife. Kei wondered how she felt about Tiko being back for just a week before being sent off on another long mission—perhaps she was used to it.

Tiko spotted Arman and Colonel Jiv before Kei did and hailed them. “Found him, general, and rescued him again.”

Arman smiled in welcome, and since it might give him cause for concern, Kei forced himself not to scowl at Tiko’s joke. “Are all the arrangements to your liking?” Arman asked him.

“Pretty much—I want the hostages given as much space as possible, with as few reminders of military confinement as we can manage. A lot of them suffered badly from seasickness on the crossing from Urshek and if any are already ill, these will need special care.” Kei noted Arman’s guilty feelings over the matter—there wasn’t anything he could do to change that. Arman and his fellows were responsible for a lot of suffering and it was something only Arman could deal with.

“The lad’s going to be bored waiting for you, general,” Tiko said jovially. “Maybe we can have him here to train up our men.”

“Ah. Actually—”

Kei held up his hand. “Arman, while you explain matters to the captain, I’ll find Reji—are we leaving?” Arman nodded. “Then I’ll meet you at the carriage. Which way are the stables?”

Colonel Jiv indicated the direction, and with a nod to Arman and no guilt whatsoever in dropping him right in the mess, Kei walked away quickly. He heard Tiko’s outraged bellow and hastily dove around a corner—Arman could handle Tiko. He couldn’t really face another lecture this morning.

He smelled the stables before he saw them. There were animals in the yard, some being exercised, others saddled, one or two being curried. Reji was there, sitting on his haunches, looking thoughtfully at the feet of a beast and talking to a soldier. He smiled at Kei when he spotted him. “You’ve got a furtive look on your face that reminds me of when you were trying to keep a baby krak-krak bird secret from your mother.”

“Not so very different—I’m hiding from Tiko. How does it look?”

“Good, good. We’re only taking twelve urs beasts, and also a few jombekers for the milk—if any of the hostages are sickly, they’d welcome that, I think.”

“Yes, they will—however they travel, they’ll need better food than the army provides. Are you done?”

“Almost. You?”

“Finished, but we can wait for you.”

Reji stood up. “This one looks fine to me—we can take him,” he said to the soldier. The man nodded and led the beast back inside. “Are you all right? You look a little pale.”

“Just the headache, and...well, I’m not fond of the military environment for all kinds of reasons.”

“No,” Reji said, giving him a searching look. Kei waited for his friend to give him the now expected lecture about him not needing to do this, but Reji just put his hand on his shoulder. “Let’s go then.” Kei nearly sighed in relief. It was bad enough that he was questioning whether he should go without everyone else doing it for him.

He hid shamelessly behind Reji as they approached the courtyard. “If Tiko’s there, I’m making a run for it.”

“You know, he struck me as a very nice man,” Reji said calmly.

“Yes, that’s because you don’t remind him of his son,” Kei snapped. “Tiko doesn’t know if he’s a bodyguard, surrogate father or matchmaker. I don’t need any of them.”

Reji laughed. “The coast is clear, you can come out. Arman’s looking at us as if he thinks I’m doing something to you.”

His lover’s face was indeed set in a stern expression, which immediately brightened when he spotted Kei. But that, Kei had to admit, had been a feature of their relationship for so long, he’d ceased to notice it—in fact, they had been so friendly and intimate with each other that the only real change for them, as with Reji, was the sex. He was so grateful Arman wasn’t in the least bit jealous—that, he really couldn’t have handled at all. Not now.

Colonel Jiv had found other things that needed his attention. Arman was on his own, and claimed Kei’s hand as he approached. “Now that was unfair,” he said dryly. “It was your idea to go to Utuk, so why do I get burdened with defending the decision to your friends?”

Kei laid his head briefly on Arman’s shoulder in apology. “Because he has to listen to you and not to me?”

“Hmmm. If I didn’t know you so well, I’d suspect you of manipulation.”

“No, just fatigue. Thank you for talking to him.”

“I should do as I threatened and set him as your personal watch.”

Reji grinned at Kei’s look of horror. “I told you he had ways of dealing with you that I wouldn’t.”

“Fortunately for him,” Arman said with an amused smile, “he’s only to turn those eyes of his on me and I relent.”

I do?
Kei thought. That was something to remember. “Shall we go?”

Arman looked down at Kei’s sleeping face with a mixture of concern and love. Concern because Kei’s headache clearly troubled him more as the day wore on, although he’d repeatedly assured Arman this was quite normal, and because the damage to his gift had been quite severe—even with Arman’s buffering presence, it would take time to recover from the twin blows dealt to it in the last few days.