The Wrath Of the Forgotten (32 page)

“Is that a good thing? You seem quite pleased with yourself,” Nori said.

Luxi stepped up from the wall, but winced slightly as she put a little too much weight on her damaged leg. “Yeah it’s a good thing! I told you that she was once my master, much in the same way that your mother trained you. I showed that old cow that I’ve grown as a warrior.”

“You remembered that about me?” Nori asked. “I’m impressed.”

She turned ever so slightly, but still peeked out at him from the corner of her eye. “Of course I remember the things you tell me.” She let out a small ‘humph.’ “I take it you’re not used to having people be kind to you, huh? That’s shame that people don’t give you more of a chance. You’re actually quite sweet.”

Nori’s tongue pressed against the top of his mouth. His throat became as dry as a desert wasteland. He tried to swallow and conjure more spit, but his body refused to cooperate. “Um… thank you.”

Luxi got closer to him, and placed her shoulder against his. She stared at one of the ships in the harbor. Her voice sounded light and airy. “So it’s crazy about Flara and Vihori, right? I totally didn’t see that coming.”

“Yeah,” Nori said. “While I’m a little shocked that she actually made an offer like that, a large part of me understands where she’s coming from.”

Luxi asked, “How so?”

“Flara isn’t doing this for herself. She’s doing it to provide additional forces to combat the Celestial Ones. She’s sacrificing herself so that the people of this country can have a chance at survival.” Nori ran his fingers against the rough stone surface of the balcony. Slowly, he skin glided against the porous surface. “What’s he like? Is he going to treat Flara well?”

Luxi chuckled. “My brother has always done his best to serve the people under my mother’s banner. Sometimes, he can come off as a real asswhipe. Still, Vihori always has good intentions. He’s loyal, intelligent, and he has an enormous capacity to empathize with others. It’s been five years since I saw him last, but he still carries himself in the same manner that our father once did.”

“I’m sworn to protect Flara,” Nori said. “If he harms her in any way, it won’t end well for him.”

Luxi turned her body so that her chest rested an inch from Nori’s shoulder. “I don’t doubt that, big guy. I’ve seen you in action, and how you react when people you care about are in danger. By the way, were you really going to draw that knife on my mother if she came after me?”

Nori beamed a nervous smile at her. “You noticed that, huh?”

Luxi rolled her eyes and slid a little closer to Nori. “Oh yeah, and so did Vihori and my mother. It was touching. So if they got married, would that mean you would be protecting Vihori too?”

“That depends on whether Flara stayed around him or not,” Nori replied. “I am duty bound to follow her until I am assigned elsewhere.”

Luxi reached up with her hand, and delicately traced her index finger around the folds of Nori’s ear. It tickled him, but he didn’t stop her, and he didn’t move away. Great winged beasts flapped within him, making him tremble slightly. If Luxi noticed his unease, she either pretended to remain ignorant or she reveled in it.

“So that’s your future, huh? To go where you’re told?” Luxi continued to play with his ear. She started to use her other fingers too. “Do you not have any say on where your future leads?”

Nori shrugged. “It’s not so bad. I get to guard someone I care about, so it works in my favor. The situation might be different if I were assigned to someone that I didn’t know… especially since my homeland has fallen.” He stepped away from her, out of her grasp, and settled along the balcony again. His eyes floated on unwept tears, yet he refused to allow himself to break down in front of her.

Luxi moved up to him again. Her shoulder rubbed up against his. Their eyes met.

“I know I said this before, but I’m so sorry about your people,” Luxi said. “I know it doesn’t mean much, but I feel so badly for you.”

Nori gently bumped her with his body. Doing so sent living streams of warmth throughout his nerve endings. “I appreciate it. How about you? What will your future hold?”

Luxi twisted her body and traced her fingers up Nori’s arm. She stopped at his shoulder, and then placed her hand on her hip. A sassy twinkle sparkled in her eyes. “I’ll do the same thing I’ve always done. I’ll do what I want, when I want, and how I want.”

Nori swallowed hard. “A-and what is it that you want right now?”

Luxi rose up on her toes and gently kissed Nori’s cheek. “Right now I want to get to bed. We have a long trip ahead of us. Don’t stay up too late, we’re going to need you soon. I can feel it.”

She walked over to the doorway leading back to the palace, but she paused before she went in. Luxi looked over her shoulder, a sultry grin beaming at Nori. “It’s a shame that more girls don’t take the time to see past your gruff exterior. You’re a gem, far more valuable than most of the ass wipes that are walking about. Don’t let anyone ever make you think differently. See you tomorrow.”

Nori watched her disappear into the palace, but then stared up at the white moon. Fire burned in both ears. The cool night wind failed to ease him of his hot blood. Even though Xian Ba loomed ever close than it did at the start of this river voyage, there was still much to do. Nori adjusted the bulge in his pants, and then went inside.

A GRAY OVERCAST
sky lingered above them as they moved down toward the Grinning Panda. Nori walked behind Flara and Vihori as they exchanged small talk. To his great surprise, Flara had been quite talkative to the pirate prince. Granted, she stuttered every once and while and fumbled with her fingers.

One thing was absolutely clear: she was trying to open herself up to him.

Just as Luxi had told him, Vihori treated her with the utmost respect and dignity. He appeared attentive at the right times, and he kept engaged in their conversation. According to Rayko and Apisa, he maintained that same behavior toward Flara when they were alone last night.

Rayko had somehow acquired an elegant parasol from somewhere. In the back of Nori’s mind, he wondered whether it had been real or not. Apisa walked behind the group, and she moved with uncharacteristic silence.

Nori slowed his approach so that he kept pace with Apisa. “Are you okay? I’m not used to seeing you so distraught.”

Apisa glanced up to him for a moment. “Oh, hey. I’m okay.”

“No you’re not. Come on, tell me what’s up,” Nori said.

Apisa winced. “You’ll think it’s stupid.”

Nori held out his hand. “I pinky promise I won’t think it’s stupid.”

Apisa shifted her attention from Nori’s face to his hand. Slowly and reluctantly, she raised her hand, and interlocked his littlest finger with her own. “Okay, but you can’t laugh. I feel kind of… ugly around Rayko and Flara. Hell, even Luxi has guys ogling her. But me, they all look at me like I’m the help or something.” She paused and frowned a little more. “Now I understand how you felt.”

“Since when do you care about what other people think about you?” Nori asked. “Back in Jadai, you were bold, brash, and you didn’t let anyone make you feel badly.”

Apisa’s shoulders sank a little. “I know that, but Jadai is a lot different than Nagasi or Gohoda. Jadai’s a lot like Buka. People there are used to seeing people like me. The people here all have this elevated vision of what a woman should look like. I don’t have a thin waist or big boobs. I’m a working girl, and that’s all I’ll ever be. I’m not ashamed of it, but it makes me sad to see how everyone always ignores me, and pays attention to the others. Like I said… it’s stupid.”

For a few moments, Nori just walked side by side with her. Her limbs wobbled as she moved. The sullen expression she carried before became more pronounced. Apisa’s eyes appeared empty, where they usually had such unshakeable vitality within them.

“Let me tell you something interesting,” Nori said. “Back in Onista, we had our own vision of beauty. The women of my homeland were all tough as rocks, muscular, physically fit, and they didn’t care about looking good for anyone. They lived their lives in earnest. Onistan men actively sought out the women forged by their own challenges.” He gestured toward Apisa. “Women like you.” He paused for another moment before he said “If we were back in Onista, I’d be more inclined to try and get your attention, rather than people like Rayko or Flara.”

Apisa’s eyes perked up a little, and her shoulders reared back ever so slightly. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you’re trying to tell me I’m pretty.”

Nori averted his eyes for a second. “You are pretty. More than pretty. In truth, you remind me so much of the women from my homeland that it’s scary. If I would have lived in Onista rather than coming here, I would have been overjoyed to marry someone like you.”

Apisa took a deep breath, and then finally broke through the gloom with a grin. “Thank you. I think I really needed to hear that.” She reviewed the people that they passed by. “I’m not like these skinny wispy girls, and that’s a good thing! ‘When there’s work that needs to be done, you need to have a strong back and a stout heart!’ That’s what my mama used to say.”

For the rest of the walk to the Grinning Panda, Apisa embraced her usual happy self. By the time the sailors had untied the mooring lines from the dock, Apisa had reverted to the same vibrant person that once forced herself to be Nori’s friend.

Luxi called out for her crew members to prepare to re-enter the river. As her sailors moved about furiously, Luxi took her place behind the helm. Vihori stood beside her, but he did nothing to unsettle the very established sense of command that Luxi exuded. Flara, Apisa, and Rayko returned to their room below deck.

As for Nori, he stayed at the bow of the ship. Slowly, Gohoda’s harbor got smaller. He gripped his tetsubo tightly in his right hand, and swung it several times slowly in front of him. Any sense of vulnerability left him rapidly.

The Grinning Panda slowly left harbor and floated down the river again. Nori watched as the water parted ways for the ship. Bits of sunlight peeked through thinner layers of cloud. The scent of rain still hung in the air like a perfume.

A male voice beckoned behind him. “We’ve not had a real chance to talk. I think it’s long overdue.”

Nori peeked over his shoulder. Vihori stood behind him with his arms crossed over his chest. His eyebrows descended lower toward his eyes, and his mouth formed a tight little line just below his nose. Vihori stood up to Nori’s shoulder.

“I suppose we should,” Nori said. He placed his back against the rail and set the top of his tetsubo between his feet. “And what shall we talk about? You’re intentions for Flara perhaps?”

Vihori’s eye brows jumped higher for a moment. “Miss Flara? Oh yes, that’s right… You’re her bodyguard.”

“No, I’m her Qu-Tar.” Nori said. “Luxi tells me that you’re a good man. I hope that’s true.”

Vihori’s lips formed a small smirk, yet his eyes maintained a considerable degree of suspicion. “That’s amusing. I wanted to talk to you about Luxi. However, I’ll honor your inquiry first. I don’t mean Miss Flara any harm or ill intent. I was caught by surprise by her proposition, more so than anyone else. To be honest, I don’t really know what this will entail.”

“Neither do I,” Nori replied. “I know one thing for sure. I’m going to be by her side until her mother orders me away. So long as you don’t try to take advantage of Flara or hurt her in any way, then I won’t be forced to decimate you.”

Vihori chuckled. “You think I would really fall to the likes of you? I’ve heard of your exploits, but I have accomplishments of my own. For starters, you’re not the only one who’s survived against a pod of horny Kappas and lived to tell the tale. I dare say I have as much blood on my hands as you have on yours. Maybe more.” His facial muscles relaxed a little. “On the other hand, considering that I have no intention of doing any of the things you mentioned, I should have no worry to fight you.”

“Good,” Nori said. “Now why do you want to talk to me about Luxi?”

Vihori moved up to Nori, but kept his voice very low. “I saw you two on the balcony last night. I was coming back from having a long, but enjoyable conversation with Miss Flara. Luxi kissed you on the cheek. Care to explain what that was about?”

Now it was Nori’s turn to gawk in surprise. Images of last night’s events unfolded in his mind. “I honestly don’t know what that was about. She said something really kind to me, and then left me in the company of the moon. I don’t think it meant anything.”

Vihori shifted his gaze over to the helm where Luxi was talking to several sailors. “So how do you feel about my little sister? Do you intent on hurting her? Leading her on? I saw how you got on with that average-looking farm hand.”

Nori inched closer to Vihori’s face, and for a moment, it caught the pirate prince off guard. “Her name is Apisa, and she’s not average looking. As for Luxi, I don’t know what I’m feeling. I’m so confused right now, especially because of what happened to my home. I’m just trying to live day by day.”

Vihori took a step back, but kept his chest puffed out. “You’re home? What does your home have to do with Luxi and …Apisa?”