Page 14

Kala

It has been several turns since we left Iris at the Tavikhi village and nothing has been the same since.

Most especially Sorin. Gone is my inquisitive, playful kit.

In his place is a sullen, quiet one who no longer laughs or smiles.

Not once has he asked to go to the Tavikhi village.

Nor has he asked to see Iris. Or Talek. Or even Healer Sage’s kit.

My hunts have been on my own, because any time I look for Sorin to join me, he is nowhere to be found.

He no longer sits beside me at meals, but with the elders.

No longer does he seat himself across my legs and rub the side of his face up and down my chest, lightly scratching me with his mouth claws.

That is what I miss the most, I believe.

“You need to fix whatever is broken between you and your kit,” Moshi says from his place at the main fire where he works to prepare the evening meal and opposite of where I sit.

“I thought you said you were not the wisest counsel.”

The elder Krijese glares at me. “I may not be, but even I am wise enough to know there is something wrong that needs to be corrected. Things have not been the same since you returned early from your training session with the human female.”

I glance at him in surprise. “I did not realize you knew of that.”

Moshi snorts. “The entire village knew of that. Your kit made sure to tell every one of the tribespeople that his Gogo was teaching the female how to throw a war axe so that she could join you on hunts. He spoke of this Iris constantly. Now, he never mentions her name.”

I sigh. “It is my fault.”

“Then you should fix it.”

“What if I do not know how?” No matter what I do it will lead to heartsache for either my kit or for me. My own I will deal with, but I do not want Sorin to suffer.

Does he not already ?

“You will figure it out,” Moshi says matter of factly.

If I want Sorin to return to who he was previously, then I must. Which means I need to speak with Iris and make things right with her. Only then can I make things right with my kit.

“Will you keep watch over Sorin? I am going to the Tavikhi village.”

“Go. He will be fine with Ashrif and me.”

“You have my thanks.” I incline my head.

Moshi waves off my gratitude and I get to my feet.

I reach for my war axe that had been lying beside me and strap it to my chest and shoulders before heading out.

My pace is quick and my steps are sure as I travel down the hillside path.

Like always, I pause at the bottom and check for danger. No unfamiliar scents reach me.

I hurry through the bari field and into the forest on the far side of it. Yet again, I am greeted by a mellenje call and a Tavikhi scout. We salute each other once he makes his presence known, but I do not make conversation. I am intent on my destination.

At last, I reach the village and stride past the warriors guarding it.

We acknowledge each other and I head straight for the central fire since it is time for the evening meal here as well.

I am sorry to be interrupting Iris while she is eating, and only now am I rethinking I should have waited until the next turn to speak with her.

It is too late though as I am already here.

Except, when I reach the fire and search for her, she is not.

“Kala,” a male calls out. “Is all well?”

I glance around for the owner. Zydon, the shefir’s brother, approaches. I am not used to seeing him without Remi at his side. They are never far from each other.

“Greetings, brother.” I clasp his forearm as he does mine and we clap each other on the shoulder. “I have come to speak with Iris.”

“Ah, yes.”

I cock my head at his tone. “Is she well?”

“No one has seen much of her in a few turns. She has stopped taking her meals with us and prefers to eat in her tent. I believe Astrid has attempted many times to coax her out to join us, but Iris tells her she is not feeling up to company and would prefer to remain where she is.”

That does not sound like Iris is keeping the deal she made with Sorin that she would no longer hide. “Can you direct me to her tent, please?”

“It is this way.” Zydon leads me from the central fire until he comes to a stop in front of a large tent and slaps on the hide door. “Iris, there is someone here for you.”

He walks away with only a brief nod to leave me standing alone waiting for Iris to appear. Moments later, the flap is swung open and she is there.

“Oh, it’s you.”

She does not sound happy to see me. Nor does she look well. There is a dark coloring beneath both her eyes, her hair is a tangled mess, and the coverings she wears are wrinkled.

“I have come to speak with you.”

Iris crosses her arms. “I’m pretty sure you said everything there was to say the other day.”

“That was not well done of me.”

She raises one of the furry lines over her eye. “You don’t say?”

It is clear she will not make this easy for me. “I thought you made a deal with Sorin and me you would not hide any longer?”

Iris glances away. “Since you went back on your deal to teach me how to use an axe, then there’s no reason I shouldn’t go back on my deal not to hide. Besides, why do you care?”

“Because it was wrong of me to go back on our deal. I should not have done that no matter what things occurred between us.”

“By ‘things’ you mean the kisses.” She does not make it a question, because we both know that is what I mean.

“Yes.”

“What happened to not giving up quickly? Isn’t that what you accused me of doing when I told you it was an awful idea for me to try and throw Sorin’s axe again? Then we kissed and suddenly it was an accident and you’re just done with me?”

I do not understand what is causing the most anger in Iris, but she is most definitely angry.“I thought it was what you wanted.”

She throws up her arms. “How would you know that, since you didn’t bother to ask me?

You’re the one who announced to Sorin that I said it was an accident—which I didn’t, by the way.

Where I come from if you’re going to fight and argue, doing it in front of kids is not the best time or place.

So I went along with it for Sorin’s sake, but had every intention of holding a private a conversation with you later. Except you ghosted me completely.”

My translator tells me a ghost is the spirit of a dead person, which does not make sense. “I do not know what ghosted means.”

Iris sighs. “It means you disappeared without another word. You stopped talking to me. You didn’t bring Sorin to see me. You left me completely alone.”

“I am sorry that I…ghosted you. I am sorry I did not ask you what you wanted.” When Sorin apologized to her, she forgave him instantly. She does not do the same with me.

“You really hurt my feelings.” She folds her arms around her waist and curls her shoulders inward.

“That was not my intention.”

“Intent doesn’t matter. It’s what you did.”

“Then I am sorry for that as well.”

Once again, Iris sighs. “What happens now?”

“What do you wish to happen?”

“No, that’s not how this works. I want to hear your answer first.”

I have many ideas for what I would like to happen, but I am not sure either of us are ready to hear them.

I am definitely not ready to say them. Because what if Iris does not wish for the same thing?

Or worse, what if she does? What if things I wish for cannot be?

I do not want Sorin to love her any more than he already does and then have to let her go.

“Have any of the Tavikhi or their mates told you about the Krijese and the human females my tribe stole when they attacked the ships that arrived here?”

Iris shakes her head. “I had no idea you stole women.”

“You know that my people are dying. We have been for many sun cycles. Soon, there will be none of us left.” A fact I must live with every turn. “King Armik believed the human females would repopulate our tribe so they were stolen and forced to breed.”

Horror marks Iris’s face. “Please don’t tell me you raped these women?”

“Not me, but others of my kind did. Except none of the females survived. Nor did the kits.”

She gasps and covers her mouth with her hand. “What happened to them?”

“Some of the females sacrificed themselves to their god before they were bred or soon after. Some died during the birthing process as did some of the kits. The females that did survive either slowly faded away or they also chose to sacrifice themselves.” No matter how they died, all of their cries still haunt me.

“What happened to the babies that survived birth? Is Gannen a full Krijese or is he a hybrid?” Iris asks with tears in her eyes.

“He is a Krijese orphan but Ortak looks after him. All of the hybrid kits died shortly after their birth. They were all too small or too weak to survive.”

“Oh my god, that’s awful.”

I nod. “Sorin is desperate for a momo. I have finally realized the depth of his need, and it has become apparent to me that he wants you to fill that role. Or at least as close to it as you are willing to get. I have also explained to him many, many times that human females and Krijese are not meant to be mates. I have witnessed enough deaths to know the truth of this.”

To my surprise, Iris steps outside of the tent and lays her hand on my chest. “I’m so sorry you lost your mate—even if she wasn’t your true one like you said—and that Sorin lost his mother.”

“Thank you. Now do you understand why I thought it best to stop any further interactions between us? You are not someone I can have, and it would only cause Sorin pain when he had to say goodbye to you.”

“Maybe I could be different? Maybe it was the circumstances surrounding the women that caused their deaths as much as anything?”

The rough sound rumbles out of me again, but it is tinged with bitterness and sorrow. “You sound like Sorin.”

Iris strokes my chest more. “You do have a pretty smart kid, you know?”

The one thing I never thought to experience bubbles up inside me. Something I believed only the Tavikhi had and that is hope. “I could not risk your life though, Iris. I will not risk it.”

“You haven’t figured out by now that I get a little annoyed when people make decisions for me? Why don’t you let me decide for myself what I believe is worth taking risks for?” She taps the strap that binds my axe sheath around me.

“Because the risks you take affect Sorin, and I am his gogo.” This is something I will not budge on.

Iris sighs. “You’re right. But if we move forward with whatever it is we are both thinking about, I’ll be his mother. His momo. Which means you’ll have to trust me to make decisions that may not align with what you would choose. But I will always put the needs of Sorin before my own.”

“I cannot make any promises I do not know if I can keep, but I will do my best.” If it means Iris will be my mate, even in name only, then I will try.

“That’s all I can ask,” she says. “I don’t want anybody’s heart to be broken, especially Sorin’s.”

“Neither do I.”

“At least we can both agree on that. So, what exactly happens next?”