Page 54 of All That Has Flown Beyond
Kaiyo added milk and two sugars for Ahmik’s sweet tooth. He left his own black, needing the bitter taste to distract him.
He’d just finished doctoring the drinks when the front door opened, voices blooming with the current of fresh air. Kaiyo turned just in time to greet the rest of the pack. His hand came up automatically to touch the enchanted token hanging from his neck, relieved that his racing heartbeat wouldn’t be betrayed.
“Kaiyo!” Thea exclaimed as soon as she saw him. To his surprise, she raced forward, wrapping him tightly in her arms.
“Hi,” Kaiyo said, thrown a little off balance. Emil approached them, holding Edu and sporting a wide grin.
“Thank you,” Thea said wetly against Kaiyo’s neck. Kaiyo raised his arms to squeeze her back before untangling himself.
Thea let him go, the slight sheen of tears brightening her eyes. He looked at her, cataloguing all the changes time had inspired. The apple of her cheeks were a little rounder, her hips a little wider. Despite looking exhausted, the sallow, worn look marring her features ten years ago was absent. Instead, her dark skin was glowing, curls fluffed—a dynamic halo around her head.
Emil stepped forward. His short, compact body was shaped like a tanned brick. His dark eyes were open and thankful, a far cry from the distant expression they had worn last time they had really seen each other, when he turned Kaiyo away and told him to move on.
“Kaiyo, I…we don’t know how to thank you,” Emil said, his voice trembling a fraction. The baby in his arms made a slight noise, sensing the peaked emotions in the scents around him.
“May I inspect him for a moment? Just to make sure everything is okay,” Kaiyo asked. It had been a long time since he didn’t know how to accept praise appropriately, but he felt he couldn’t quite get the floor underneath his feet.
“Yeah, of course,” Emil said, handing Edu to him. The baby settled at once, nuzzling into Kaiyo’s shirt, but made another protesting noise as he realized Kaiyo’s scent and heart were muted.
“Oh, all right,” Kaiyo smiled. He hoisted Edu against his shoulder with one arm for a moment before removing the charmed necklace with his other hand.
The moment it was off, a gasp sounded in the room. Kaiyo turned his head to look at Ahmik, whose eyes were large and round, staring back. Kaiyo looked away, breathing deeply to control his heartbeat. He focused on Edu, lowering him to be cradled in Kaiyo’s arms. Edu was babbling happily, his dark eyes open and focused on Kaiyo.
“There you are,” Kaiyo murmured.
Gently, Kaiyo let his Ousía inspect Edu’s. It was bright, alive, whole. Kaiyo let out a long, relieved breath.
“He seems to be doing well. His Ousía is a little weak, which is normal, so he might be a little more fussy than usual but, overall…a full recovery, I would wager,” Kaiyo said. Thea and Emil looked at each other with relieved smiles.
“Thank you. Kaiyo…thank you,” Thea said. Kaiyo nodded, passing Edu back to his parents. The moment he left Kaiyo’s arms, however, the baby started protesting, squirming and moving his arms in jerky movements.
“I think he likes you,” Emil said.
“He must have good taste,” Kaiyo said, putting his necklace back on. Edu started whining more loudly, but Thea shushed him, rocking him in her arms. He settled unhappily, staring at Kaiyo in betrayal.
Sorry, buddy, Kaiyo thought.I need this necklace more than you can know.
“We want to introduce you to our oldest too. Isla, this is Kaiyo. He’s the one who helped your brother. Kaiyo, this is Isla,” Emil introduced.
Kaiyo turned to look at a slim, dark-skinned girl standing at the periphery of the group. Her clothes were baggy and black, hair sheered close to her head. She nodded at him, eyes guarded.
“Nice to meet you, Isla,” Kaiyo said.
“Yeah. Same. Thanks for saving Edu,” she said, shrugging.
“You’re welcome.” Kaiyo watched her for another moment. She must have been ten but had the air of an older teenager. Kaiyo had been around a lot of children in his travels, and Isla had a strange air about her. Subdued. Wary. Almost…sad.
He made a mental note to think about it later. He’d have plenty of time to do so after all.
“And this is Amaya. She joined the pack a few years ago,” Thea said, pointing at a short, curly-haired woman. She seemed a little older than the rest of them, her skin complexion similar to Emil’s, although her features spoke of a Mexican heritage.
“The infamous Kaiyo. I’m glad to finally meet you,” Amaya said, her eyes and smile sharp. Kaiyo raised his eyebrows a little.
“I’m not sure if my title should include the wordinfamous.”
“Oh, butIam,” she smirked. Kaiyo looked around briefly.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you.” Kaiyo nodded at Amaya, already sensing she was trouble. She seemed more mischievous than malicious, however. “I just made coffee, if anybody wants some,” Kaiyo offered.
