Page 59 of All That Has Flown Beyond
“Thanks.”
“You…do this a lot?”
“Not this type of warding. It’s better if someone tied to the land does it. But, similar things I guess,” Kaiyo said, walking down the edge of the forest towards where they had parked the car, some of the cornerstones too far apart to walk all of the distance by foot.
“You’ve made a name for yourself, huh?” Ahmik’s question fell softly between them. Kaiyo looked at the silver shadows of the moon all around them.
“I guess I did,” he acknowledged.
“I’m glad…I’m glad you left and were able to do so much,” Ahmik said.
Kaiyo stopped dead in his tracks. He stared blindly ahead, the anger squeezing his throat taking over his senses. He turned sharply to look at Ahmik, who had also stopped suddenly in surprise. At the look in Kaiyo’s eyes, Ahmik’s own widened.
“You think what I have is because of you? How fucking…how fuckingdareyou even insinuate that what I have is because I—well, left is a bit of a misnomer, isn’t it? Kicked out would be better.” Kaiyo pointed a finger at Ahmik’s face, getting close enough to almost touch him. “Everything I have now isdespiteyou. Despite what you did to me. So don’t for a fucking second pat yourself on the back for a job well done. You…you have no idea what I’ve been through.”
Kaiyo felt his body shake with anger. Yes, he had made something of himself. And if he were hosting a motivational seminar, he’d say how the pain of being ripped from his family, the darkness of the pit that was depression, had taught him what he knew now. That it had helped him.
Well, Kaiyo didn’t agree. He didn’t want to see anything positive in that pain and darkness. It had been something he’d had to survive. Had it shaped him? Yes. But not willingly. He could have gone through life without it. It hadn’t been fair, or fateful, ormeant to be. It had been shit. A massive pile of shit Kaiyo had managed to dig himself out of, because he’d had to. And he wouldn’t stand there and take someone trying to tell him it had been anything else.
“You have no fucking idea,” Kaiyo repeated. Ahmik looked at him. They were inches apart.
“What have you been through?” Ahmik murmured.
Kaiyo’s face twisted. “You lost your family once, Ahmik. You should know exactly what you did to me.”
Kaiyo saw Ahmik’s face crack as it fell before Kaiyo turned away, striding towards the car. He tried to get a grip on himself. To feel the earth beneath his feet. He didn’t want to give Ahmik any more than he already had of him.
“I don’t need you for the last three. Find your own way home,” Kaiyo said. Having Ahmik there would only distract him.
Ahmik said nothing, staying under the pale moonlight as Kaiyo drove off.
**********
With construction running almost constantly, Kaiyo’s home took shape quickly. With his supervision and help, the foundation was restabilized, the wiring fixed, the water running, the roof perfected. The windows were repanelled, the glass replaced. Inside, most of the walls were painted a creamy eggshell white, but one wall in the living room was painted green; in the bedroom, blue; in the kitchen, yellow. Kaiyo left the vine to curl around the windows, the moss to give dimension to the stone façade.
A stone path led to the house, the conservatory behind, and the new cottage some distance away, but the rest of the land was left to flourish. Even in the summer heat, the grass was tall and thick, if a little yellow and brittle.
The new cottage was compact but well made. A few rooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, a small living room. It had everything a visitor could need.
The conservatory, Kaiyo took more time on. He took care with each pane of glass, covering it with an oil to keep it clean and protected. Saffron and thyme for wind, rosemary for water. With the catalyst of moonstones buried around the conservatory’s structure, he enchanted the panes to turn opaque by degrees with his will. He etched runes of protection at each corner, as well as those to keep away malicious eyes.
When it was constructed, it was a long, rectangular creature slumbering at the edge of the forest. Its far sides were of a warm, light orange brick, one of them interrupted by the door, the other by a circular window. The longer walls were almost all glass, structured by a ribcage of wood jutting out of the ground and then peaked with a gentle curve as if constructed by ancient Chinese minds. Inside, long, wooden tables were pressed against the structure’s length and dissecting its middle, waiting to be laden with plants and tools. Three thin, metal bars hung over each table from the ceiling for the drying of herbs. The two tables pressed against the glass walls stopped short of reaching the far brick wall, interrupted by large cabinets that could store Kaiyo’s poultices.
Kaiyo also fit a few plush seats, a low table, and a side table holding a sound system against the farthest brick wall. The round window on the wall was fitted with stained glass, casting a spell of coloured light over the furniture, where Kaiyo would be able to relax in the sunlight and the scent of his plants.
The piece of land, of home, was everything Kaiyo had ever wanted.
He tried not to think about how briefly it would last.
**********
Kaiyo finished potting the aloe vera, placing it where its thick, lightly-thorned stalks would receive plenty of sunlight.
“You can come in, if you like,” he called out as he turned to his next task. He had sensed Isla passing the threshold into his piece of land some time ago, although she hadn’t announced herself. She’d been loitering nearby since then, lacking the skills for espionage.
After a few moments, Isla appeared at the door, looking sullen. She looked like a shadow in the bright light of the conservatory, dressed again in shapeless, dark clothes.
Isla stood there for a while, watching Kaiyo, before taking a few reluctant steps in.
