Fledging

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

                The next week was a blur, nothing of importance happened and I was still feeling bogged down with all the unanswered questions surrounding me.

It was two days past the uneventful week when things started to get interesting again, and as was per usual now, I was involved.

There had been whispered rumors that the nephew would leave the upcoming weekend, and with a jolt, I realized that when Kenneth left, so would Alida.  I asked anyone who knew anything whether they had seen a new pavox around lately but none of them had.  I couldn’t believe it.  In a few days’ time, I would be stuck back into the daily grind, this time with no close friends to help me along.  With Kenneth here, things seemed that things had been slightly off kilter, as if the Master was more careful with what he did and said around his nephew, the night of my whipping and Auriel’s murder excluded.   It was a nice change, but that would all be wiped away the moment he left.  Soon I grew desperate, taking strolls past the house every opportunity I could, glancing up to the window that I had seen Alida in before.

                Then, the next day, the rumors were no longer rumors, it was evident that Kenneth was leaving, the very next day.  The day dragged on, and still no sign of Alida.  I was just about desperate enough to go search for Kenneth myself but then, I didn’t need to.

                “Good evening Kyra.”

I stiffened, despite having wanted to talk to him, I couldn’t help the knot of tension that formed in my stomach.  Turning around I looked at Kenneth who stared back at me.  His once bare face now had a light dusting of reddish hairs along the side of his face and on his chin, it was a surprising change but I didn’t linger on it long.

                “What?”  I asked, my voice a strange rasp as I looked up directly into his eyes, unblinking.

                “I simply said Good evening.”

                “I’m busy, is there something I can help you with?”

                “Yes, that weeding looks like it takes much concentration, you wouldn’t want to get distracted with a complicated conversation.”  His eyes twinkled mischievously but with a side of humor to it.

                “You’d be surprised, never doing such work yourself.  Now, what do you want?”  I turned my full body around, still kneeling on the ground with a pile of green and brown weeds around me.

                “So hostile, well anyway I just wanted to say… well…”  He suddenly lost his upbeat manner and looked a bit nervous, he reached an arm over his head to scratch at his back as if to stall for more time to think “I wanted to confirm something I guess.”

                “And what’s that?”

                “You came from the Valkze tribe correct?”

                “What?”  I stared at him, unable to fathom why he would ask such a question.

                “You heard me, your family; they were in the Valkze tribe correct?”       

                “Yes,” I said slowly, giving him the strangest look.  Kenneth fidgeted.  “Why couldn’t you have just asked Alida, I saw her in the house the other day; what is she doing there?”  I didn’t care if it was too forward, I couldn’t help but ask, I needed answers.

                “I was just making sure.”  He avoided my gaze just as he tried to skirt around my second question.  Quickly, before I could ask again, he asked another.  “And your father, he was the leader of the tribe?”