Divided (16 page)

Calis, not entirely sure how he felt about being talked
about as if he wasn’t in the room, spoke up.  “I’m skeptical.  I don’t tend to
believe rumors until I see them for myself.”

“Reasonable,” the healer said.  Calis had forgotten her
existence entirely.  He also hadn’t noticed until that moment that Katt was
still standing in the room.  This encounter had become rather crowded.

Calis let out a steady breath and then glanced to everyone
in the room.  There was only one logical response to this sort of situation. 
“Well, we ought to be going.  We do have errands to run.”  He hoped fervently
that Lee wouldn’t choose now to give him a hard time.

“Are you sure?” the healer asked, leaving Lee no time to
agree or disagree.  “I made tea, and the two of you look more stressed than a
simple fall down a few stairs can cause.”

Lee looked a little surprised at the offer.  People of Dark
District were known for being curt, and certainly not offering random
individuals tea for no apparent reason.  Calis assumed the offer was one of
courtesy and was not meant to be taken.  “I’m sure,” he answered.  “We
shouldn’t impose any more than we already have.”

Calis managed a light bow, which felt odd.  If Lavus knew
that he was bowing to commoners—well, Calis would likely be hanged, or at the
very least, severely beaten.  The woman just smiled at him, though, and
returned the gesture.  “Well, you should at least ask Kilik how he is—as you
did inquire about him.”

A flush made its way onto Calis’s cheeks.  He worked to ease
his mind.  He had every right to ask about Kilik—after the display that he’d
seen those two cycles ago.  Why shouldn’t he be curious?  For some reason,
though, Calis couldn’t help feeling—once again—like he’d been caught doing
something he shouldn’t. 

Kilik didn’t seem to be affected by the statement, and his
blue eyes rested curiously on Calis.  He probably thought nothing of it, but he
wasn’t going to make this any easier by saying so.  “Why did you ask about me?”
he asked impassively.

Calis took one moment to collect his words, and then put
every lesson on how to speak under pressure he’d ever learned into
practice—even the ones that he’d never used before.  “After seeing you like you
were two cycles ago, I wasn’t sure,” he said.  “I felt a little guilty about
not helping you home that sun, and when I heard a rumor that you lived with the
healer, I just thought I’d ask.”  The words didn’t sound as fluid as they
should, but at least they were sensible words.

The blue eyes flashed with bemusement, and Kilik offered a
very light smile.  The smile wasn’t like the one from the dance, but there was
a comfort in it.  “I appreciate the gesture, but don’t feel guilty.  You’re
helping me home that sun would have probably made my life more difficult,” he
said.

The words were probably meant to be a simple easing of
guilt, but the tone with which they were spoken made Calis think there was more
to it.  Why would helping someone who was sick have made their life more
difficult?  The statement didn’t make sense, though it could easily have been
ignored.  “I’ve never known guilt to be assuaged by words from the person the
guilt was procured from,” he said, feeling bravery returning. 

Kilik watched him with subdued curiosity—a look that Calis
had seen at the dance.  “How else would the guilt be assuaged?” he asked.

“Time, I guess,” Calis answered.  His embarrassment was
fading quickly during this conversation, though he was vaguely aware that there
was a party of people witnessing their conversation and no doubt thinking all
sorts of nonsense.

There was a strained silence, and then Kilik seemed to
decide on what words he wanted to say.  “Well, my apologies, then.”

“Though, the lady,” Calis said with a quick gesture to the
oldest woman in the house—the healer, “says that she doesn’t think you are
well.  I would probably feel much more guilty if you didn’t take care of
yourself.”

This time, there was a break in Kilik’s casual expression. 
Calis was certain that the boy blushed for a moment before he snapped his teeth
together.  “I know my own body well enough to know that I am fine,” he answered
brusquely.  “Now, if you’ll excuse me,” he said with a sharpness Calis didn’t
expect, “Manali has an early shipment this sun.  I promised to help.”  He
offered a quick bow to the room and turned.

The words formed without thought, and they left Calis’s
mouth without filter.  The sound shocked the blond—as he was so unaccustomed to
saying things without worrying with them first.  “Let me help with it,” he
said.

Kilik froze mid step and turned to stare at Calis as if he
had just threatened to stab him.  “What?” he forced from his mouth.

“I can help you,” Calis said.  “It would do a lot to ease my
guilt if I could see you work, and know you were alright.  Not to mention, I
would be helping you.”

The blue eyes were wide with disbelief.  They stared at
Calis with a mix of irritation, fury, and distrust.  Calis wasn’t sure if he’d
really angered the boy, or if he’d just managed to surprise him to the point of
irritation.  “You said you had errands,” Kilik managed weakly.

“They can wait,” Calis answered.  “And this seems as though
it would do much more good than those errands.”

“No,” Kilik snapped.  “I need the gold for it.”

Calis smiled.  “I won’t take any of your pay.”

The desperation grew in Kilik’s face as he realized that he
was quickly running out of reasons to refuse this offer of help.  Calis had
gone from mortified to absurdly excited very quickly.  “I will not let you do
labor and not take part of the pay for it!” he said.

“Consider my pay the easing of my mind,” Calis said,
charmingly.  He was sure that he heard one of the girls in the room let out a
very quiet laugh.

“I will do no such thing!” Kilik’s fists clenched, and Calis
thought he was coming dangerously close to stamping his foot.  “What would your
friend do while you spent your time doing labor with no hope of pay for it?” he
growled.

Calis blinked.  “Are you really so opposed to helping people
for the sake of helping them, Kilik?”

Another laugh, and this one was much less contained.  Kilik
actually jerked his head to glare at Alyx when she did so.  “Fine—help me if
you must,” he snarled.  “But you are taking half of the coin.”  Kilik turned
and didn’t wait for Calis as he stormed out the door.

Calis cast a worried glance at Lee, who was grinning.  “I’ll
stay here, if that’s alright with you.”

“Perfect, but I should go, I somehow doubt he’ll wait on me,”
Calis said as he followed after Kilik.

For a few steps, Calis was confident that Kilik had bolted
so quickly that Calis would never be able to catch him.  That would have been
fair—as Calis had been a bit of an ass.  Fortunately, though, a few moments
later, Calis caught a glimpse of the brown and black tunic that Kilik was
wearing.

Picking up his pace, Calis closed the gap between them so
that he was walking only a pace behind the young man.  “I feel like I should
tell you my offer was sincere.  I was honestly wanting to help you,” Calis said.

An apology felt out of place, considering he didn’t think he
owed Kilik one, but it was conversation.  “I didn’t need help,” Kilik answered,
without acknowledging Calis’s real reason for speaking.

“Just for my sake… you have to understand, you did look
rather pale that sun,” Calis tried again.

Kilik didn’t look back though, and his pace didn’t slow. 
This pace, Calis was beginning to notice, was an incredibly quick one.  “If you
were so concerned, you could have pursued me that sun.”

Calis let out a breath.  “I would have—I mean, I thought
about it—but then there was that mess at the market with that vigilante,” he said.

“Well, that’s good enough for me.  You don’t owe me
anything.  In fact, you are being a burden by insisting on following me,” Kilik
spoke without worrying with Calis’s feelings or thoughts.  Calis found himself
enjoying it.

Calis just smiled amiably and continued.  “Then, this is
just a burden you will have to bear, my friend.”

“We’re here,” Kilik said sharply.  He stopped walking, and
Calis managed to stop just a moment before he ran into the back of the boy. 
They were standing at the less than well-guarded gate.  The gate was made of
sticks, and a few under-paid guardsmen sat lazily at the gate.  They gave Kilik
and Calis a disinterested glance.

Just in front of the gate was a small, brown wagon, pulled
by two gray, ornery-looking mules.  The wagon was large enough to carry quite a
bit of covered crates and barrels. There was a red-haired man tending to one of
the mules before he looked up and saw them.  He headed over and smiled in
greeting a few moments later.  “Kilik!” he said.  The man was tall, broad, with
a beard that was untamed at best.

“Hi, Lycael,” Kilik answered politely.  Gone was the angry
way with which he’d handled Calis.  In the place of it was an absurdly charming
demeanor that nearly made Calis’s head hurt.  When the red-haired man glanced
at Calis, he quirked an eyebrow.  “This is…”  Kilik paused.

They had never exchanged names.  Calis had never introduced
himself at all.  Calis knew he needed a name that wasn’t his own, and he knew
he needed it immediately.  His eyes darted about, until he finally thought back
to some of the guards at the palace and blurted out a name.  “Atris,” he said. 
“That is… my name.”  The name sounded so foolish that he was sure that Kilik
and the other man might burst into laughter.

“Right,” was all Kilik said, and without a trace of humor in
his voice.  “Well, he is here to help with the shipment.  Work will go faster
this way.”

“I don’t have enough to pay two of you,” the man said with a
frown.  There was an agitation in his eyes when he regarded Calis.

Calis shook his head.  “I’m helping as a favor,” he said. 
“I don’t need pay.”

“Give him half of mine,” Kilik said brusquely, remaining
true to his word despite the anger that seemed poised to destroy Calis.  “It’s
extra for this sun, as it is.”  His words were simple, and though everything
else seemed to anger Kilik—this did not seem to particularly bother him.

The man looked ready to protest, but when Kilik held up a
hand, he nodded.  Clearly, Kilik’s assurance that Calis was alright had removed
most of the man’s animosity.  “Have you ever unloaded before?”

Calis hadn’t, but as he didn’t see any reason to let that be
known—he just assured he would be alright.  How hard could unloading a few
heavy boxes and loads be?

Turns out, it could be quite difficult.  There were
designated boxes that each of the objects must go in when they reached the
proper location.  Even before that, Calis and Kilik were tasked with organizing
the shipment so that each load would be ready to unload at the proper stop. 
That had been a task that Calis had left almost entirely alone, though Kilik
seemed to do it without thinking.

“Make sure to know what you’re throwing before you throw
it,” Kilik said, shockingly gently, after Calis flung a bag over the edge and
in front of one of the shopkeepers.  The man didn’t look particularly unhappy
that he’d thrown it, so Calis just nodded absently.

Calis watched Kilik work as they moved from destination to
destination.  As he did, he realized that the healer may have been wrong about
Kilik.  In fact, the boy seemed to work at twice the pace as anyone else Calis
had ever seen work.  No one who was suffering from any sort of illness would be
able to work with such efficient quickness. 

They arrived at one of the last destinations, though Calis
found himself dismayed that they were nearly finished and the two of them had
exchanged nothing but a few words, and those were to ensure that Calis handled
the bags properly.

This time, though, Kilik nearly tackled Calis as he began to
throw one of the bags over the ledge of the wagon.  The boy stopped just an
inch short, commanding his body with incredible precision and took the bag from
Calis’s hands.  “Don’t,” he said.

Instead of explaining, Kilik hopped over the side of the
wagon and handed the store owner the bag.  The man glanced inside and promptly
pulled out a crate of milk.  Calis flushed.  That would have been an embarrassing
mistake.  “Obliged, kid,” the store owner said as he checked the rest of the
contents.

“Juliet wanted me to ask if you intend to come see her about
your foot,” Kilik said weakly.  Oddly enough, he didn’t seem to want to have
this conversation, despite the friendliness of the air between himself and the
shop owner.

Lycael was looking over the last of their inventory, and
seemed pleased with the speed in which they’d finished.  He was muttering to
himself about two being better than one.  “You tell Juliet I’ll come see her
about my foot if she promises me a kiss to make it better,” the shopkeeper said
calmly.

Kilik managed a soft laugh and shook his head.  “I hope you
don’t mean on your foot, Rijit,” he said.  The man suddenly broke into a huge
smile and shook his head.  Then, he raised and slammed his hand across Kilik’s
back with no restraint.  The gesture was one that Calis had seen often in Dark
District.  The people here were much less delicate, and so oftentimes exchanged
slaps that nobles would have bruised from.

Though, Kilik did not handle it well.  The moment the man’s
hand came down against his back, a pained grimace took hold of Kilik’s
features.  They twisted for a moment, and Calis could hear the intake of breath
as the boy made sure not to vocalize his pain.  Worry exploded across Calis’s
chest at the expression.

It was not one of ordinary pain, nor was it an indignant
expression.  The face was pained, and in a very sincere way.  Though, the
moment the man removed his hand, despite the fact that Kilik looked as though
he was having trouble standing—he smiled.  “Just making sure,” Kilik offered
softly before he hopped back up onto the wagon.  “You should see her, though. 
Your foot is only going to get worse!”