The Oracles of Tomesh [ON HOLD]

12 | We Should Be Proud of What We Are

kadase (ka-da-se) noun

patience; the ability to tolerate inconvenience without displaying anger or disappointment

***

Nascha nudged Laku awake but he remained still. She lifted her head and found twenty or so men ogling at her. And when they saw her staring, they all laughed. With no other choice, she joined them. It was the most awkward if not frightening moment of her life. Well, she could also consider the day of her marriage to Kalesch as equally awkward. And maybe also frightening. She had to drink on the same cup as him and she remembered trying not to gag because he was basically a stranger, and the thought of drinking his saliva awakened some reflexes in her throat.

"Where are you from?" one of the pirates asked.

"Here. Tomesh."

"And who is that?" another asked, squatting down to inspect Laku.

"A friend."

"And that?" He nodded at Kalesch's wrapped body. His head was still sticking out because they had to convince everyone that he was just unconscious and not dead.

"My rayeshka." Before they asked for an explanation, she added, "He's sick."

"Sick?" one man asked. "Then you need me!" And out of nowhere, a lanky man, almost skin and bone, stepped forward. He wore a short robe that bared his chest (ribs and all) which expanded with pride as he said, "I'm a healer." And mysteriously, he added, "But no ordinary healer." The men behind him nodded. "May I?"

She hesitated. Tia was not around, having been invited to join Meryus in his cabin. And Laku was still out, maybe also Kalesch (wherever he may be in the prince's consciousness).

The healer looked like a man with sensitive pride. If she refused his offer, he may take offense. But he did not wait and Nascha realized his question was not an act of asking for consent, but just... well, a question spoken out of habit. Before she could say anything, he was already kneeling and she could do nothing but hold her breath as the healer listened for Kalesch's own, hovering over his body, ear downward. And of course, he did not hear it. He took a bottle from one of the men and held it close to Kalesch's nose.

"Hm..."

"What?" the men asked.

"Curious," the healer said, looking down at Kalesch.

"Can... Can you help him?" Nascha asked.

To her bewilderment and that of the other pirates, the healer stood and said, "I need a book."

"What?"

He walked away, murmuring under his breath. At that moment, Nascha thought it might have been a mistake to let the man inspect Kalesch. She turned to the other pirates and they collectively grinned and shrugged.

"Sure he'll be fine," someone said, nodding at Kalesch's body. "Mika is the best."

Honestly, Nascha wasn't sure anymore. After everything, anything was possible now. Souls could be transferred; ships could float in the desert; carved stories could come true. What else was there to not believe?

People.

Yes. She could believe everything else but people. Kalesch was right. She had to be careful. But even that was difficult because she was alone. She did not have any useful abilities such as killing people like Tia could. And she was naive (as Kalesch once said) and gullible (as her sisters claimed). If she could not trust even herself, who could she believe in? Even her own thoughts were flitting most of the time to even be considered reliable. Just like now, she was thinking of too many things at once.