I pity this boy as I walk beside him. He is so young, so hopeful, so full of life; he will hate Jarax when he learns how he is being manipulated.
He will hate me, too.
“How long have you been here?” he asks, clearly uncomfortable with the silence. He clasps his hands behind his back in an effort at nonchalance, but the stiff set of his shoulders betrays either tension or excitement. Not nervousness, I realize after darting a brief look at his face. This is one who is rarely nervous.
“Years,” I reply first, calculating back to the day Jarax first brought me here. “Almost twenty-five, I think.”
His eyes widen slightly. “That long? But you look younger.” I grin slightly.
“I’m a shifter. Like you. Just not too powerful.” With a small shrug, I continue. “I was a mercenary before I joined with the Surkith Tanne. Jarax offered me a place after my company was massacred.” I wince slightly. “I had nowhere else to go.” Damn, Raeli, watch your tongue!
He doesn’t notice my slip. “How do you like it here?” He slants a curious glance at me, and suddenly I wonder if I was wrong.
“It’s about as good as any place I’ve been in years,” I answer. Truthfully, too. No one tries to kill me (often), I have food, shelter, and clothes, and even though I’m always looking over my shoulder day and night, I was doing that long before I even knew the Surkith Tanne existed.
“I see.” He nods slowly, and we walk on in silence for a time. “Where are you from?”
I grimace. “One thing you need to learn, kid, is that here, many of the residents don’t like you asking questions. I’m from here, now, and that’s that.” Nice. Did it again. Go easy with the kid.
Freesoul blinks, startled, then nods. “You remind me of...” He pauses, wincing. “Someone I knew.”
I look up, my eyes narrowing. This is something Jarax might like to know, to make handling the kid easier. “If I may put in a question, just one, who would that be?”
After emitting a reluctant sigh, he speaks. “Her name is Rois.” I freeze. Jarax was very keen on bringing her here, preferably with Freesoul. “She doesn’t look anything like you, but she talks the same way.”
I nod slightly, praying to any listening gods that my face did not reveal anything. “Forget her,” I advise. “The past isn’t always pleasant to remember, here.”