Gegenes

After their bout, Kanna waited outside the door of the Keeper’s station while Yassen collected their winnings. She leaned against the wall opposite the door in the dim. The cool shade of the wings was a welcome respite from the bright heat of the stage.

The door opened and Yassen ducked out of the office, a few coins richer than before he had entered. Kanna leaned away from the wall and set her weight back on her feet, leading them back to the exits.

“So,” Yassen said to her back. “What was that back there?”

Kanna’s steps almost faltered, but she recovered. She didn’t turn back.

“I thought you were going down,” Yassen continued. 

She hummed in the back of her throat in response, flexing her fingers to stop them from reaching for her side. The pain that had wracked her without cause was gone. Whatever happened was finished, and it left no sign that it had ever been. 

As they exited the passage into the heat of the Gegenes streets, Kanna stopped short. Ahead, Keepers flanked Astar and her father, the Governor Hautman, and the man that Kanna had seen from the stage.

He wasn’t Gegenii, that was certain. His skin was lighter than their deeper tones, and though his dark brown hair may have begun the day as a tamed coif it had begun to rebel.

The fear curled deeper into the man. It came from an older place now, like the cold ache of a phantom injury on a damp day. 

Kanna recognized the expectant gleam in the Governor’s eyes, but he would wait. She tilted her head to Yassen, not taking her gaze from the trio that stood a handful of feet away.

“Who is that?” she asked.

Yassen looked to the gathering that waited, then to her. “That’s the Governor.”

“I know the Governor,” she said. “The other one.”

He leaned forward and squinted against the sun, then straightened from his bent position.

“Don’t know,” Yassen said. “But he’s dressed like an Adurian. A kind of fancy one.”

Kanna looked to him finally, cocking her brow. “What do you know of Adur?”

Yassen smiled and held his hand against his chest. “I’m from Adur.”

Kanna was growing tired of the surprises this day was bringing. She shifted, waving a hand from Yassen’s head to his feet, then crossed her arms in front of her to await his explanation.

“I’m adopted,” he said. “You never hear of war orphans?”

Kanna bit her lip. 

“I made an assumption,” she said after taking a moment to consider.

“Well,” Yassen said, straightening to his full height and casting a shade over her. “You know what they say about making assumptions.

“No,” Kanna said, moving her head to the side to study him. “What do they say?”

Yassen took a step back from her. 

“Nevermind.”

Having grown tired of waiting, Hautman moved to them, dragging his companions behind him. Astar fell in step, the spark in her features dulled as she fell into her role. The other man looked everywhere but at Kanna.

Hautman cleared his throat to get Kanna's attention.

“Harbinger,” Governor Hautman crowed, moving close, his arms held wide. 

Kanna took a step back. His attempt to make her feel small by crowding her space with his size was feeble at best. 

She tilted her chin to meet his eyes. “Governor."

“Congratulations on another beautiful show,” Hautman said. He let his hands fall, then clasped them behind his back.

The gesture caused something the dark in her to snap, and her body wanted to pull away. Instead, she curled her toes in her boots and kept her place.

“What do you want?” she asked.

The Keepers at his side tightened their grips on their weapons, but he held up a hand to stop them. He laughed, exaggerated and boastful, and his guards relaxed. They accompanied him with uncertain chuckles, unaware of the joke but wanting to be included anyway.

“Such impudence,” Hautman said. “Makes one wonder how you can put on such airs.”

Kanna ticked her head to the side. She considered the number of Keepers and their weapons, then tilted to consider the sun. It was heavy in the sky, and she was tired. Her shoulder dropped as she turned away.

“Peace, Harbinger,” the Governor said, holding out his hands in surrender. 

She stopped and steadied herself. The sand shifted beneath her boots and settled beneath her weight. 

“I’m sure you’ve noticed my guest,” Hautman said, waving his hand at the Adurian behind him. “This is Isco Madeiros. He’s an accomplished medicus who came to view the Theatre’s plays. He is staying in my home, and I came to invite you to join us.”

When Hautman’s lips pulled back into another too-wide smile, Kanna narrowed her eyes. There was a flake of pepper caught in his canine. She slid her gaze to Isco, who turned to study the passing crowd, then back to Hautman’s teeth.

“No thank you,” she said.

“Dinner, then,” he said, his teeth not moving. “I insist.”

Kanna took a moment to consider. The Governor’s sudden interest in making nice with her, the timing of the Gala, and the appearance of the medicus were all too well aligned to be coincidence.

“You can bring your,” he waved his hand toward Yassen, “friend.”

She’d forgotten about Yassen for a moment. Even at rest, his expression was soft and open, his lips hinting at an upturn as if he was always on the verge of a smile. The last thing she needed was him getting tangled in the Governor’s blatant schemes.

“He isn’t hungry.”

“The dinner will be tomorrow,” Hautman said, his lips finally closing over his teeth. “Astar will fetch you.”

Kanna dropped her chin in an affirmation and Hautman’s smile split his lips again. The pepper flake was still caught against his enamel. He turned his back, cutting off any objections that Kanna may possibly raise, his Keepers falling in behind him. 

Isco scuttled to the front of the Keepers. Astar turned behind her shoulder. She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes, before taking her place at the back of the group.

Yassen let out a deep sigh, catching Kanna’s attention.

“Dinner at the Governor’s house,” he said, then grinned down at her. “I wonder what they’ll serve? I bet it’ll be fancy.”

“Maybe,” she said. “You aren’t coming.”

His smile fell. “But I am hungry. And I can be hungry tomorrow.” 

“No.” She softened her tone, turning up to him. “We’ll get you food from that street vendor you like.” 

Kanna then watched the Governor as his entourage wove itself into the bodies on the street. “But I don’t trust him.”