C17 Chapter 17

Nest put down his spoon, and walked around the counter, found a small key in a box, and handed it over. ”First door on the right.”

The next morning the city was quiet, and the air was crisp. The smoke from the colosseum had finally blown away, and the sky was a bright blue. Brenn and Keren dressed and took Denzin out of the cold room, then met up with Captain Wu outside.

”We found a place,” he told them. ”Hope you like it.”

Keren said nothing for the duration of the ride through the city. Denzin lay across their laps, and Keren stroked his head over the blanket.

Near the city gate was a line of people standing to one side and a line of carriages and wagons on the other side. Near the entrance was a checkpoint that was fenced off with a chain and guarded by armed soldiers. They checked the travelers off one by one, letting them through the gate after a quick inspection.

When their carriage came to the front of the line, a soldier outside opened the carriage door and saw Denzin.

”Well, I'd say that's enough cause to place you all under arrest,” he said. But Wu showed the soldier a letter from the chancellor, who read it and nodded. ”Just one last thing.” He pointed at Keren. ”Why are you wearing a hat?”

”I didn't have time to do my hair this morning,” Keren said.

The soldier smirked and took a flask from his pocket and handed it to her. ”Take a drink.”

”What is it?”

”Milk.”

Brenn braced himself for Keren's reaction, but she said nothing, and her face didn't betray herself. She took the flask and downed a gulp of the milk. She grimaced as she swallowed.

”Don't you like milk?” the soldier asked.

”It's warm,” Keren said, clacking her tongue against the roof of her mouth. ”It's been in your pocket all day.”

”All right, thank you for your cooperation.” He waved the carriage by, and they pulled through the city gates.

Methyo Genlas was a green country with rolling hills covered in vineyards, fruit trees, and rice paddies. The sun was still low in the mid-morning sky, and it painted the countryside in vibrant shades of green.

”Why didn't he have you drink milk?” Keren asked Brenn.

”I don't have brown skin,” he said. He meant it as a joke, but it was the truth.

The roads outside Goryeo were almost empty. No one was trying to get into the city, and there were huge gaps between the carriages and people allowed to leave. They had the road to themselves at the moment.

Wu pointed north. ”That's where we're going.”

Brenn and Keren remained silent as she continued to stroke Denzin's head, and the carriage bounded along, turning down smaller back-roads with less wear.

The hill was small, and an apple tree grew at the top. Three soldiers were there already, standing beside a child-size grave. A shovel stuck in the pile of dirt beside it. Brenn carried Denzin from the carriage and to the hole. He looked down into it and cried.

Keren stared at him, and Wu looked away. The other soldiers ignored Brenn altogether. The grave was so empty, dark, cold, and final. He didn't want to put Denzin away and cover him with dirt, never to be seen again.

Brenn sat on the grass with Denzin still in his arms and cried, his tears falling on the blanket with little taps. Keren put a hand on his back and said, ”It's okay, Brenn.”

He sniffed, swallowed, and nodded. Keren pulled back the blanket to expose Denzin's grey face and kissed his forehead. Brenn stroked his messy brown hair, then laid him in the grave. Keren let out a short, painful sob, and Brenn forced himself to remain stoic.

”Would anyone like to say anything?” Wu asked in a reverent voice.

”I would hope that everything I wanted to say to him, I said to him when he was alive.” Brenn's voice cracked at the end of the sentence. ”Except that I...” He took a deep breath to steady himself. ”I'll miss you, Denzin. And I'm sorry, brother.” His nose was running, and he could only breathe from his mouth. He wiped his nose with his expensive sleeve and stepped back from the grave.

Keren knelt by the grave and picked up a fistful of dirt. ”Kaa'uw a k'eren,” she whispered, sprinkling the earth over Denzin.

The soldiers waited a few more seconds before filling the hole. Keren looked away as they did it.

”Wait!” Brenn said, and they stopped. He had brought his pack, and he dropped it from his shoulders to take out what was inside. It was Denzin's broken geffic. He laid it at Denzin's side. ”Etune still wants to hear your music, brother.” He nodded at the soldiers. ”All right, go ahead.”

They filled the hole. The day had become hot, and Brenn sweated in his new red clothes.

When the grave was filled, Keren turned away and walked back to the carriage alone. Brenn ambled behind the rest of them, and Wu joined him.

”Was he really your brother?”

”No,” Brenn said. ”But, we were all family.”

”How long was he with you?”

”We found him about eight months ago, living in the streets.”

”I'm sorry for your loss.”

When they came to the carriage, Keren was sitting silently, staring out the window to the south, opposite the grave.

”What next?” Brenn asked Wu.

”If you're ready, I found Keren a caravan.”

Keren said nothing.

Brenn nodded. ”When does it leave?”

”Noon.”

Keren sighed.

”We'd better get there, then,” said Brenn.

The caravan was a long line of sailed wagons loaded with goods and supplies headed for the Oyer, along with a few passenger wagons. The military carriage parked beside the head wagon, and they all stepped out.

A man was tying a tarp over his wagon when he saw them approach and paused his work to shake hands with Wu.

”Thanks for this, Rem,” said Wu.

”Sure,” said Rem. He was a fat man with a large mustache. Brenn didn't think he was Jonguan.

”This is Keren.”

Rem smiled at Keren. ”Miss. You're headed to the Oyer?”

”Near the Spine,” she said.

”Beautiful country. We should be there in a few weeks. Do you have any bags?”

”Just the one I have on my back.”

”Light traveler. I like it. We're heading off soon. We saved a seat for you on the wagon three up from the back. It's loaded with rice.” He nodded at them all and returned to his work.

”Well,” said Wu when they reached Keren's wagon, ”I'll wait in the carriage.”

Keren's cheeks were red, and her hair was a mess. She stood with her arms crossed in front of her, staring at the ground.

”I'll come to Kammun as soon as I can,” said Brenn.

”Unless you die first.” Keren's eyes clenched shut, and a sputtering cry fell out. She lost control and wept, shaking, and ran into Brenn to throw her arms around him.

Brenn put his arms around her, held on tight, and kissed the top of her head. She pulled away, wiped her eyes, and climbed up into her seat.

Seconds later, Rem shouted out the command, and the sails were unfurled, pulling the wagons west to the road outside the city. Brenn stood there as Keren's wagon rolled away, holding up a hand in farewell. She smiled at him and waved, and soon the caravan was too far to make her out. Brenn returned to the carriage with Wu, and they drove back to the inn.

When she was young, Pari would sit on her father's lap before bedtime and listen to him read from the Bagh'ra. The book was as big as she was, and she had to help her father hold it as she shared his lap with the book, and she pretended to know what the black lines and squiggles meant that were written on the pages. Her father's voice was low and soft, and it put her to sleep every night without fail. When she grew too big to share her father's lap with the book, they moved reading time to her bed. Her father would read to her while she curled up beneath the covers and imagined the stories of the Bagh'ra.The scriptures were full of spiritual law and teaching from ancient prophets. But what Pari cared for were the stories of men who traveled the desert and spoke with jinn, fought demons, rode on the backs of rocs, and even met angels. As Pari lay in bed, listening to her father recite verses, she saw herself in the vast, expansive deserts of Lesh Kalae thousands of years ago. It was a time of kings and heroes. She rode on horseback and swung her sword against monsters, tricking jinn into granting her wishes... But her father always had to stop reading at some point and would close the book and blow out the lamp, kiss Pari on the forehead and shut the door. He never said goodnight, only good morning.