War Of Men

Kaya

The carriage wheels rattled below them. Kaya couldn't see the inside because the shadow manipulator was trying to get her to nap. The shadow manipulator often seemed to try to do that, like a babysitter that wanted a toddler to sleep so that they could do whatever their heart desired. Based on what Kaya had seen, it seemed to be sharpening her knives.

'You know you're wasting your energy, right? I can't sleep in moving vehicles,' she said.

'A shame. Then I could have rested my power.'

'I'm not asking you to plunge me into darkness every half an hour, nor do I object to seeing your face,' argued Kaya.

'Maybe not, but it's not like Cines is going to take nicely to us, even though we took awfully good care of you. They'll just say that's why Avi killed the Eseterrians,' she said.

That wasn't even wrong. Kaya had been treated remarkably well, so much so she felt grateful for her capture, which was not at all what Kaya had expected. She wasn't about to go admitting that to anyone. They'd probably all throw her into therapy for Stockholm Syndrome, which, all things considered, she possibly needed. Still, she could have been burned at the stake or been held captive by a gang that would have tortured her. As it was, her captors had been rather friendly. She'd had a pleasant bath the previous day with warm water and lavender soap which couldn't have been cheap, although she suspected it had been stolen. In addition, her days had often been spent playing cards with her captors.

Kaya drummed her fingers against the wall impatiently. She was curled into a ball and didn't need to feel ashamed of it because her guard couldn't see her. It was strange, she was looking forward to her return to Cines, yet her gut felt nervous. Why would she be nervous?

'Could you maybe stop?'

'Sorry.' Kaya let her head hang like a scolded child. 'Can I ask you something?'

'You can always ask. Whether I'll answer is another matter altogether.'

'Why do you know so much about Cines?'

There was a silence, then she spoke, 'A lot of the kids in Avi only remember ever having been alone on the streets. They were born to prostitutes or foreigners travelling through or whatever. So, they've got to do whatever they can to stay afloat and that often means working as spies. Believe it or not, a lot of people in Avi help to smuggle people out of Cines, not to mention, there's always someone who'll pay for intel. So they learn languages, learn about cultures, then go and do their job.'

Kaya was surprised. 'I wasn't expecting that kind of personal reply.'

'Oh, it's not personal. I'm not one of those kids. But sometimes it's safer to be mistaken for one.' Kaya could practically hear the wicked smile in her voice

From there on, the conversation died down. Kaya wasn't sure whether or not she dozed off, but she suspected she had. Time seemed to pass more quickly and within little time, the carriage came to a halt.

The door opened and a shadow settled over their surroundings. The shadow manipulator grabbed Kaya by the shoulder and gently steered her in the right direction.

'Is Idi Chukwuemeka present?' The question echoed through the darkness.

'No, but I, Prince Sutoku August Frederick Chukwuemeka, am here in his place, as well as the Chèr,' responded a steady male voice.

The shadow manipulator's grip tightened.

'Once you've handed over the ransom, we will hand over the Eseterrian,' she snarled.

There was a murmuring, then a silence. Kaya craned her head in the hope of seeing something, but the shadow shield was flawless. Her captors clearly had more practice at this than they should.