A Flight of Broken Wings: Aeriel Trilogy #1

Chapter 73

"And you're sure it was Reivaa?" asked Ashwin, pushing his rice absentmindedly around the plate. Hunched slightly over his meal, he seemed lost in thought.

Ruban hummed noncommittally. He didn't feel very sure of anything at the moment, but it was the only explanation that made any sense. And he supposed that since he was dragging the Zainian to his hometown on what was basically a personal errand, he owed the man something by way of an explanation. Still, recounting the details of the attack on his home, remembering that nightmarish day in any way whatsoever was still painful; unexpectedly so, considering how long it had been. And he wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. "It's the logical explanation, don't you think? The lightning, the fire – it all adds up. And if you're right, we don't have very many to choose from anyway. Only five Aeriels on earth who can use fire-shells, and one of them has apparently been stuck in Zaini for the last twenty years."

"Still," said Ashwin, chewing thoughtfully on a green chilli, having entirely abandoned the remnants of his meal by now. "Reivaa is a very powerful Aeriel, one of the most important in Tauheen's coterie. By all accounts, she was instrumental to the Queen during the Rebellion and after. Why would she be dispatched to a place like Surai for a random attack on a private, civilian dwelling? Even if Tauheen had, for some reason, wanted to attack your family, Ruban, surely a much less powerful Aeriel could have accomplished the task just as easily. Why send her greatest general for a task a foot-soldier could have performed just as well? Which again brings us back to the original question: Why did Tauheen want to attack your family in the first place?"

"How should I know?" Ruban growled. He could feel his nails digging into the palms of his hands. His heart clenched painfully as the memories of that day flooded back into his mind. He felt like he was being choked. "They're Aeriels! Isn't that reason enough? Do you think those blood-thirsty, murderous motherfuckers need a reason to destroy everything in their path? They're terrorists and murderers. It's what they do."

Ashwin made a soft clucking noise, shaking his head slowly. There was something in his eyes – something like reproach – that Ruban didn't entirely understand. And at the moment, he didn't really want to. "You're being simplistic, Ruban. You know it. If Tauheen sent Reivaa to attack your home eight years ago, there had to have been a reason for it. And until we find out what that reason was, we'll never find out anything else."

"We?" repeated Ruban, raising an eyebrow.

Ashwin narrowed his eyes. "I'm coming with you, aren't I? It would be a pointless waste of resources not to work together on this."

Ruban sighed, conceding the point despite himself. Besides, Ashwin had proved to be useful in the past, and Ruban would not let his pride get in the way of finally finding his father's killer. "Fine. What do you want to know?"

"You said that you, your father and Miki were the only people in the house at the time of the attack. Was anyone else supposed to be there who wasn't?"

Ruban shook his head. "No. In fact Miki wasn't really supposed to be there either. I'd just invited her over for dinner because Baba had made kofta that day, and it was her favourite." His lips quirked slightly into the ghost of a smile. "And I wanted to...well, it doesn't matter. Nobody else was supposed to be at the house that wasn't."

"Hmm," murmured Ashwin, staring thoughtfully down at his plate. "So you and Miki were basically backwater adolescents who had never seen an Aeriel outside of a TV screen in your lives, no offence. That leaves your father. Is there any reason why he would have been on Tauheen's radar? Why she might have felt threatened by him, or stood to benefit from his death in some way?"

"Threatened?" Ruban laughed. It was a bitter thing, frayed at the edges. "My father was a farmer, Ashwin. The most exciting thing that ever happened to him was finding pests in the crops. What could he possibly have done to threaten the goddamned Queen of the Aeriels?"

"What about your uncle, then? Could it have had something to do with him? Could Tauheen have attacked your family to send some sort of a message to him? He was working with the IAW at the time, wasn't he?"

Ruban frowned. "I suppose that's possible. I don't see the point, though. Uncle Subhas was working for the IAW back then, but he wasn't anywhere near important enough to be worth threatening. And even if they had wanted to threaten him, why come all the way to Surai to attack our home, when his own family had lived in Ragah for years?"

Ashwin shrugged. "Well, it was worth a shot. 'Sides, it's the most likely angle we've come up with yet. I suppose we'll find out more once we get there. If the Aeriels don't off us first, that is," he moaned.

Ruban smirked, wiping his sauce-stained hands on a paper napkin. "You know, you're good. Better than most, even. But not nearly as good as you think you are. You know what they say about fooling some people all the time and all people some of the time..."

Squinting up at him through an impressive frown, Ashwin snapped: "What's that supposed to mean?"

Ruban laughed, looking across the table at the young man with an expression that was almost fond. After all, it was hard to completely hate someone who had slugged the Aeriel Queen with a table to save your ass. "This whole wide-eyed, distressed damsel act you've got going on. It's just that, isn't it? An act. Not that you aren't good at it, mind. Quite brilliant, in fact. Had me fooled for a while there. The rest of the team certainly buy it too, though I'm not so sure about Sim. She always was the smart one," he sighed. "You Hunt better without a sifblade than most actual Hunters with one, my man. You can drop the act now, you know. Entertaining as it is, it has to be exhausting."

Ashwin stared at him, wide-eyed, and Ruban suppressed the urge to laugh again. It was a pleasure to have rendered the young man speechless, just this once. The guy was too clever by half anyway.

As if sensing his thoughts, Ashwin spluttered indignantly. "I-I don't know what you're talking about. Honestly, you're hallucinating–"

"You mustn't think much of me, if you think you can fool me with the same trick every time," Ruban interrupted him mildly. "Honestly, if you must be deceptive, at least be original about it. I'm not saying you are not a spoilt aristocrat with way too much money, and too little sense to go with it. Case in point, anyone with half a brain would have cut off that hair by now. Vandran weather just isn't meant for that sort of vanity. But being too stupid to survive in the real world doesn't mean you can't be handy in a fight, which you obviously are. The Zainians weren't all tripping on acid when they handed you this case after all."

At that, Ashwin threw his head back and laughed, and Ruban once again had the faint impression of bells tinkling in the distance. "Well, I suppose you've got me then," he giggled, holding up his hands once he had gotten his breathing under control. He looked almost relieved. "You've discovered my deep, dark secret. I was a super-secret badass all along. Whatever shall I do with myself now?"

"Stop being an annoying piece of shit and let me get some sleep, for starters," Ruban said, walking to his bed and withdrawing a toothbrush from his backpack. Just as he was about to enter the washroom, however, he turned back. "I don't know what your story is, my lord, or what you're really doing here. And I'm kinda busy with all the Aeriels and their formulas right now to spare much thought to it. But after this is all over, I will find out what you're really up to. So don't think you're going to be able to fool me forever."

"After this is all over," smiled Ashwin, though there was an edge to his voice that Ruban couldn't quite place. "I'd gladly tell you myself. If you don't kill me first, that is."

Ruban grinned. "Well, I suppose that is always a possibility." Then, as he was about to shut the door to the washroom, he hesitated. "Thank you for everything, Ashwin. I mean it. You didn't have to help. But you did. And well, don't get this into your head or anything, but I am grateful. I won't forget it."

"Ibelieve you," Ashwin said, and for once, Ruban thought he was beingtruthful. He pushed the door shut behindhim.