Page 39 of Ryld's Shadows
Chapter Nine
The trip had been surprisingly uneventful, something for which Hank was more than grateful. He’d lived such a mundane, quiet life up until the day he’d been fired. Not that he’d go back and change anything. Fine. A couple of things. Like getting jumped by a gang of not-quite-grown goblins. Though then he probably wouldn’t have come to Kai’s attention and wouldn’t have met Ryld.
It was like one of those time-travel books. Go back and change a bad thing and everything changed. Often not for the better.
They were all watching out the window when they pulled into Oregon Station. It was…small.
“Great Mother.” Kai pulled in something between a hard breath and a sniff. “That’s hardly more than a shed.”
“There are a lot of trees,” Ryld pointed out. “Where is the city?”
“It’s a smallish city.” Kai waved in a disgruntled fashion toward the northwest. “Over there somewhere, I’d expect.” He stood as the train lurched to a stop. “But we won’t be going into the city. We have a car coming to take us to Pacific Elvenhome.” As he gathered his luggage up, he muttered something that sounded like, “I hope.”
Hank had a hold of both his luggage and Ryld’s, since Ryld seemed to have forgotten it existed in the excitement of getting off the train after being cooped up so long.
“Do only elves live at Elvenhome?” Ryld asked.
Kai nodded as he slid their room door open. “Well, the majority of the population, at any rate. All different sorts of elves, though. There are some goblins who, as I understand it, serve mainly in security roles. Perhaps some other employees. But most of the residents are elves.”
Ryld’s mood shifted from excitement to caution. Hank could see it in his expression. Apparently Kai noticed too because he stopped and focused on Ryld. “They work there of their own volition, Ryld. Paid employees rather than captured slaves. I wouldn’t bring you or Hank into danger.”
Ryld nodded, but still looked guarded. “They will not try to make Hank work security.” It was a flat statement, not a question.
Kai’s smile was a spare one, wry and amused. “No one will take your Hank from you. Any staff on site will be contracted with the courts and, with perhaps a few personal exceptions such as a paid secretary, court bankrolled. Hank’s only arrangements are with you.”
Ryld’sHank, was he? While a little part of him warmed at that notion, the phrasing made him uneasy. “If I ever wanted to take another job, bud, would you be upset?”
Ryld went completely still. “Do you not want to be my companion any longer?”
“Hon…” Hank rubbed the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. “Of course I still want to be your companion. I didn’t say I didn’t want to. But I’m not a…a thing you own, either.”
Ryld’s brows drew together. In confusion, not anger. “I know you are not a thing. You are Hank. Owning people is illegal here. But…I don’t want you to go away and work for someone else.”
“Then that’s what you say to me instead of telling other people what I will or won’t do—” Hank cut himself off at the unexpected sharp tone in his voice.
They’d reached the platform and had walked around the tiny station where Kai’s gaze searched the appropriately small parking lot. “Peace. The two of you. Ryld, you are experiencing something all drow struggle with. Some more successfully than others. We are naturally possessive. Jealous. We have difficulty sharing certain things, especially those close to our hearts. This is why drow donothavesenrists.”
Ryld rocked from foot to foot. He was silent, but Hank could tell he was nowhere near at peace. Even if he couldn’t see it already in Ryld’s face, he could tell by the way the small shadows around his feel shifted restlessly. Kai must have finally noticed as well because he stopped looking for their ride and looked at Ryld instead.
“Ryld.”
Ryld squeezed his eyes shut and put his hands over his ears, then pulled his arms down again. “I don’t know what I did wrong.” The words came out almost a shout and before either he or Kai could respond, Ryld gave them a horrified look, turned and took off running for the tree line.
“Well. That could have gone better.” Kai made a weary gesture. “Go after him. He won’t want to see me, most likely.”
And your wingtips might get muddy.But Hank kept that uncharitable thought to himself since he knew Kai was right. He sprinted off after Ryld, his longer legs gaining ground quickly. As soon as the impatient words had left his mouth, he’d regretted them. Getting angry with someone else always felt awful, like there were hot coals in his stomach, but getting angry with Ryld felt so much worse.
“Ryld!” Hank called after him. “Please, I didn’t mean to upset you! Please stop and talk to me!”
Ryld stopped but only once he’d reached the trees, and Hank didn’t think it had much to do with Ryld hearing him. Ryld dropped to his knees in front of a huge spreading oak and bunched his fists into his hair, which had to hurt even more since he had worn it braided today.
“Ryld, don’t…” Hank tried to disengage Ryld’s fist, and Ryld snarled at him. “Okay, okay, I won’t make you, but please, just talk to me.”
This got him another frustrated snarl, this one accompanied by tears. At least his eyes were still blue.
“Okay, I’ll start. Can you tell me why you’re so upset at the idea of me getting another job?” He wasn’t sure this would work at all, but he had to try. If he could keep Ryld here with him by talking, maybe he wouldn’t escalate to the point that he totally lost control of the shadows now dancing around him.
“I don’t want you to go. I don’t want you to leave me.”
