Chapter Thirty-four
~
Hale had remained—stressed, another thirty minutes, but there was indeed a mix of joy overpowerin’ that now as he sat totally absorbed by every word Beky uttered. I was clearly the odd-man out, as Naid and Cordiz were as involved—enjoyin’ each other’s company almost as much as Hale and Beky. I first got weird vibes about Naid’s interest in our troll friend, but decided it was more—a personality-thing with the goblin. Maybe up here in the holler he didn’t get much interaction with troll kind—and this was a treat. Or he really, really wore his emotions on his vest. Except he didn’t wear a vest. No ogre accouterments for this goblin.
Odd he neither enjoyed the typical goblin jewelry. No necklaces. No bracelets. No rings. No tats on his throat. Human-style hair. Hm.
So that left me to wonder why Cordiz was so animated with Naid. Still workin’ to make Hale jealous? I don’t think so. But maybe this was natural for her, too. Maybe her flirtin’ with that human on the river, wasn’t flirtin’. Most other times she was around others since we’d met her, she had been in bodyguard mode.
I had a lot of time to think about the two disparate conversations goin’ on, bein’ the one left out. Not that I’m used to bein’ the center of conversation. I’m not. Though I’m used to talkin’ for Hale. But today he wasn’t needin’ me.
Cordiz sat to my left, Hale and Beky to my right, at a wide granite countertop overlookin’ Naid workin’ three different meals for this mixed company. I tended to catch myself twistin’ left and right in the comfy, backed stool, to take in the two conversations, like a voyeur. Funny thought.
So. Naid was somewhat of a famous chef in these parts. He clearly appeared to miss workin’ a kitchen. He said as much twice, that I heard. He certainly was good at slingin’ the different spices for our tastes. Not that ogres require anythin’ but blood sloppin’ off a slab of beef. Or pork. Or lamb. I should summarize—on our ogre side, meat is what makes a meal.
The aroma comin’ off the twenty-inch pan clearly intended for Beky and himself had my snout wantin’ to leak somethin’ awful. Maybe burned my eyes a bit, too. Not like onions fire up a set of eyes.
In between stirrin’ one pan or another, he was drawin’ out an amazin’ smorgasbord for Cortiz, of plant and stuff I couldn’t identify. Well. I recognized the crickets and a few bug types. And that a bunch of it was fungi. Thankfully, Mama mostly keeps her troll fare in the dessert reign. I’m used to watchin’ her selectin’ one kind of centipede or other with her skinny sticks, closin’ her eyes in exaltation with each bite. Yep. Mama loves her dessert.
So the business world the family ran was three generations old. Maybe Beky’s mama could have been sued for pursuin’ her famous chef-employee. Clearly that was an inside family joke. But like all jokes, I could sense the truth in Naid’s words. Clearly a bit embarrassed about it, and longed for the old days, when he was his own bull, not the mate of the company’s matriarch.
Turnin’ back to the other two—Beky was ingenious at pullin’ words out of Hale’s brain-box to complete what she already knew about Hale’s—incident. Hale was at least as embarrassed about it as Naid was his situation. I had known Hale harbored humiliation about closin’ down, which allowed the bevy of humans to take advantage of him, but now he was hopin’ to see an expert, to help him with his—thin’.
I sensed an image so unlike the witch I met in the Inn, but still knew exactly who he was thinkin’ about. Dr. Tie. The witch. Who I contemplated from time to time, visitin’ myself. For different reasons.
I jerked. Cordiz had lightly touched my arm. When I swirled back to her, she motioned to Naid, whose eyes set locked on mine. I musta missed somethin’.
“Do you mind,” Naid murmured slowly, “if I ask you, what may be personal in the family—but I’m dying of curiosity.”
I hate loaded, leadin’ questions. But didn’t want to be rude, so I gave the bull a nod.
“Rumor was, the two of you were supposed to be a gentle political sacrifice at the Regional Council, to encourage normalization, on the official slate.”
Wasn’t really a question. Papa’s really good at savin’ time by forcin’ a soul to get to their point without overly expressin’ his own mind. So I waited.
Naid offered a tiny smile. I sensed he approved of Papa’s style. “Didn’t quite go as planned, huh?”
I thought about it. Hindsight 20-20, he’s probably right, if Hale and I had intended to promote that cause. I’d have to admit the politics rollin’ between Aunt Nuel and Uncle Ike still confused the heck out of me. Only sure thin’, they pretty much always gravitate to opposite positions. My mind wanted to do a waltz with the whole, livin’ up North for a year thin’, but that was definitely a different topic. Related, but tangential.
Naid’s smile widened a tad. “My dear mate would hate to negotiate with you. Hard to get an idea where you stand on an issue.”
How Hale and I stand on any particular issue really isn’t the point. Was insane we were even selected to represent the Central Region.
Naid chuckled. “Will you admit the media coverage, with all the, uh, conflict centered around Hale in particular, certainly influenced the tabling of normalization for the current session?”
I returned his smile. Better to remain silent than spout off and show yar ignernce.
~
Hale
~
Beky, like most non-troll hens I’ve ever met, likes to talk. But with her it’s—nice. Kept me from havin’ to say much. And she wasn’t just into talkin’ about herself either. She was showin’ an interest in me I’m far-from used to. But that didn’t bother me either. Oddly. On a regular day, I hate bein’ asked a question. But her hand reachin’ out and slidin’ up and down my arm, or touchin’ my shoulder for a couple seconds, kept me absorbed in her presence.
If I was a light bulb, I could blind folk.
Despite a few years between us, she wasn’t talkin’ down to me as a youngling. Bele and I have always been the youngest in about every social situation we’ve ever had to endure. So Beky treatin’ me firstly as special, and not unworldly, not that I’m worldly, but all the same, not havin’ my age rammed down my throat intensified the quality of our company.
And it was no different than in our texts, and a few short calls we’ve had.
“You’re grinning,” Beky said, interruptin’ her current story.
Maybe my body vibrated. Heated up a tad. I didn’t know I was smilin’. It isn’t somethin’ I think I do much—or ever. But should I not be smilin’ while she’s talkin’?
“I say something particularly amusing?” Her face was twisted a bit. Bele’s explanation of that implied Beky was either irritated, amused, or teasin’ me.
“I shouldn’t be smilin’?” I asked.
“I was talking about almost dying from heat and dehydration during a long hike along a famous canyon, up North. So, concern and interest might have been more—expected.” Thankfully, she wore a smile. Somethin’ I can deduce.
“I’ve never been good at—”
“Mirroring the right emotion?” she suggested.
I nodded quickly. “Emotion. Not my best—”
“Skill?”
I nodded.
“We’ll work on it.” She scrunched forward with a serious bout of hilarity. She loves to laugh.
“Ya gotta take me as I—”
“Am?” she asked.
I nodded. “Best when I let ya do all the talkin’.”
She quaked with a three-second giggle. “I’ve been told I’m good at filling every available moment with my voice. So we’re good. Helps that I really enjoy just looking at you. Not hard on the eyes. But I imagine you’ve been told that a lot.”
An itch radiated between my shoulders. Body turned a bit warm again. Beky’s good at makin’ that sensation come over me. I shook my head.
“Sure,” she said. “You know you’re a head turner. Just humble.”
“Among ogres and trolls—”
I struggled. She nodded, maybe to encourage me to continue. This woulda been a good time to talk for me.
“Bele and I, don’t so much fit in.” I flicked a lip at one of my meager tusks.
“The two of you beautifully carry the best features of each—race.”
We do? I doubted that. “Tusks are—”
“Kind of a big deal with giants,” she offered.
I nodded. Sure wanted to change subjects now. “I’ve got an appointment, did I mention that, on the Lake’s South Slope in a couple days?”
“That’s a fast subject change.” She grinned widely. So had to be a tease. “Haven’t spent much time in that region. You think I could tag along? Bet the hiking is wonderful.”
My throat closed in, tight. Think the blood expanded in my head about double. Even triple. Could pop like a balloon any moment. Be blood and brain matter all over the walls. Someone else would have to clean it up. I’m only good with blood on my plate.
“I embarrass you?” Beky asked me.
Naid slid plates in front of both of us. Excellent timin’. Maybe I’d be able to avoid answerin’ that. Almost sneezed from the aroma floatin’ off Beky’s meal. Mm. Smelled delicious.
“We thank the gods for this fine food,” Naid murmured quickly.
Almost the same words Papa uses before meals. I grabbed a fork and a knife and began severin’ a hunk of beef.
“Not letting you off the hook,” Beky said. “Love to head east with you.”
Really? I couldn’t look her way.
She chortled. I think that would describe her less-energetic giggle. “I’ll take that as a, I’d love you to join us.”
Blood could be seepin’ out of my eyes. Couldn’t be tears. Best I could do was nod.
“You’re planning your next expedition, are you?” Naid asked. Him noticin’ our conversation worried me some.
“You always find a way of getting away during the height of the season.” Was he angry? May have sounded a bit.
Beky curled into a giggle fit, so maybe she knew he wasn’t.
“Why’d your mama pay for that degree in economics?” he asked.
“Round out my horizons,” Beky answered. She still smiled, so maybe thin’s were okay still. I jammed a good-sized hunk in my mouth.
“Hale.” Uh oh. That hunk grew larger.
“I couldn’t get anything out of your sibling. So I’ll interrogate you now.”
That didn’t sound good. At all. Interrogation?
He pointed at his forehead, where I’m wearing an ugly trifecta of stitches.
“Bruise is ugly. I’m sorry you had to go through that, up North.”
I offered him a nod.
“Have you been following the news?” the bull asked.
I shook my head. On the best of days, I follow Papa’s recommendation that the less ya pay attention to the media the better, as long as ya keep yar own eyes open.
“Not aware there have been huge crowds outside the Statehouse everyday, protesting, angry as all get out, about you being assaulted?”
“We’ve been a little busy,” Bele answered for me.
Naid shot her a huge smile, that didn’t fit the context I was currently seein’. Folk are so weird.
“Normalization won’t be a popular issue for a politician to be pushing in the near future.”
Bele’s focus sure was flickin’ back and forth between us a lot. I’d have to ask her about that.
“Not to be rude—”
That usually means, prepare for an attack on yar character. Another of Papa’s wisdoms.
“Haven’t ever personally seen an ogre, or a troll, taking on a human mob. But I’m, uh, a little surprised five humans were able to—you know.”
I think an invisible force entertained itself lightin’ my body on fire.
“That scene, in the movie, where your papa and his bodyguard trudged through that mass of humans, a couple decades ago—”
“Our parents didn’t want us to see that movie,” Bele answered for me. Was she angry? The volume of her voice sure rose. I took a good look at her. Eyes were slits. I’m gonna go out on a limb and figger she was—irritated.
“Intended no offense.” Naid’s face crooked inward. What could that mean? I’d ask Bele tonight.
~
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