Page 25 of Ryld's Shadows
Chapter Six
“So, you’ll be down in Counseling, but not in counseling?” Mindy’s words had taken on a sharply pointed tone.
“Donotstart with me.” Kai shook a finger at her.
“Fine. But you missed your last appointment.” She held up both hands when he growled. “You’re supposed to be going. You promised Tenzin. I haven’t ratted you out yet.”
“I’ll reschedule. Iwill,” he insisted when she raised an eyebrow at him. “But this afternoon I have to meet with Lysander about someone else.”
“All right, Mr. H. But I’m gonna call down there and have them give me your next appointment time.”
“That’s a violation of privacy, Mindy.” Kai sniffed as he swept past her desk.
“It’s not!” she called after him. “I have all your appointments!”
Mindy was right, of course. He couldn’t start neglecting things again. Lunch. Work hours. Doctor and counseling appointments, which Tenzin insisted on. He said that Kai carried around a lot of unresolved trauma which fed his self-destructive tendencies. Perhaps. But the most important part was keeping his promises to his husband, so he didn’t go down the dark path of relationship destruction again.
Lysander was waiting in the deciduous forest room of Counseling, sitting on a rock, swinging his feet.
“Hello, Kai! I’m glad you’re here first.” Lysander’s tail wagged behind him in an erratic way that indicated some anxious thoughts. “Hank is very much against the way we’d conducted meetings previously, meeting with the minder separately. He’s insisting Ryld be here while, in Hank’s words, he’s being talked about.”
“Ah. Well, I have no objections.” Kai brushed off a bit of rock needlessly before he took a seat. It wasn’t as if the forest were actually dirty. “I take it Hank has become somewhat protective of young Ryld.”
“It sounds that way. Yes.” Lysander hopped off his rock and trotted over to the doors as they opened. Somehow, he’d heard people approaching. Drow ears were good, but nothing like faun. “Ryld, Hank! Come on in. We’re just going to chat for a bit. Does anyone need anything? Water? Tea?”
It didn’t escape Kai’s notice that Hank looked to Ryld first. Didn’t answer for him or talk over him. They both declined the offer, but the whole interaction was subtly different than it would have been if Hank had considered himself the one in charge.
“You seem well, both of you,” Lysander noted.
Ryld started to say something, then paused, as if anticipating having a response spoken for him, then continued. “Yes. I’m well. The shadows are quiet. Hank likes cheese, and beer, and I like cheese and beer as well. He is good at paying bills and finding toasters.”
“Toaster finding’s a learned skill.” Hank gave Ryld a smile when he said it. “We’re settling into things. There was a small incident the other night, but I’m sure you know about that since I called it into AURA enforcement. Not that they’ll find the jerks, but doesn’t hurt to file a report, right?”
“The honesty and efficiency of your reporting is appreciated.” Kai gave him a nod. He meant it and hoped no one would mistake seriousness for sarcasm. “Ryld, how did you feel afterward?”
Ryld took his time answering. “I was afraid, but the shadows didn’t hurt Hank, and I was glad.” He paused, considering. A note of defiance entered his tone as he said, “And glad they bit the other man who tried to hurt Hank.”
“That’s understandable.” Lysander’s smile held a world of kindness, and Kai felt an odd twinge. If he’d attempted that sort of expression, people would have run screaming. “Though remember that our ultimate goal is to keep the shadows from hurting any people. Let’s not lose sight of that.”
Ryld didn’t respond to that, so Lysander asked Hank, “You’re helping with the finances? How is that going?”
“Really well. I’d worried that things were in worse shape, but honestly, it didn’t take more than an afternoon to get things straightened out.” Hank spread his hands in a self-deprecating gesture. “It felt good to dig back into numbers again. Anyway, I’ve helped Ryld set up auto-payments for his utilities, consolidated some of the accounts and figured out an amount he’s comfortable with as weekly spending money so there’s not too much actual cash lying around.”
“That’s excellent news…”
“They had knives,” Ryld said. They all looked at him, and Ryld shifted and looked away. “They had knives,” he repeated. “And Hank had nothing. Why shouldn’t the shadows hurt them if they had knives, and Hank had nothing?”
“Ah, little brother. It is an excellent question,” Kai responded in drow before switching back to English. “What you speak of are weapons. Weapons can be for attack or defense. The men had knives. Hank had the training his mother gave him. That, too, is a weapon. But weapons are something we must be able to control. To use precisely. Perhaps if you knew your shadows wouldonlybite the man with the knife, I would agree. However, and please say if I’m wrong, you were not in control of your weapon, and the shadows could well have injured Hank, too.”
Ryld’s mouth was set in a mulish line, but he didn’t argue the fact. Instead he said, “If Hank hadn’t been with me, all of the shadows would have gotten away from me. Hank was there, and only a small one got free. Why?”
“Ryld, no one’s sure how you do what you do,” Lysander began. “I’m not sure anyone—”
Kai held up a hand to cut him off. “It is another excellent question. I’ve read all of the material Counseling has on your shadows, Ryld. While I won’t say I understand completely how they happen—I have no such power myself—they appear directly tied to your feelings at the time. How upset you were, how afraid you were, how much you yourself felt not in control, all of these seem to contribute to how large, how many, and how dangerous the shadows are.”
Everyone was staring at him. Ryld only blinked, so Kai went on. “I believe—again, please tell me if I’m wrong—that Hank makes you feel safer. That with Hank there, trying to protect you, some part of you felt less panicked. Do you think that’s possible?”
“I don’t know,” Ryld said, after another long pause.
