Red Rivers and Nightmares

9. The Half-Breed

It ends up being that there is no need for me to say anything as Iien and Rion walk back right at that moment.

The two are dirty and stone faced and obviously not in the mood to talk. I have never been more relieved to see two people in a bad mood before, especially when Akun takes a look at them and just frowns at me before quietly looking down. Iien does not seem to notice his frown as I give him a sandwich with only the dried meat to flavor the bread.

My elder brother attempts a smile as he says a quiet, "Thank you."

I nod in return and give Rion his own sandwich. It is a small meal but I know it be enough. However, when I take my first bite I barely taste anything. Subsequent bites are barely better, I can only blame it on the fact that I am feeling anxious and other negative feelings right now. I eat anyway because I need to give my body as much energy as possible. We never know when we will need my power.

Iien finishes his sandwich first and spends some time quietly watching the rest of us eat. I am a little shocked that Rion is the slowest out of the four of us. I thought he would be more encouraged to get back on the road quicker than the rest of us, but looking at him I see the anguish written all over him. Yet, there is a jerkiness to his movements that suggests he could be angry. I wipe my hands on my tunic as I watch him warily.

Apparently Iien has been waiting for Rion to be done because as soon as his last bite is swallowed he speaks out, "What was so troubling with this guy?"

Rion jerks and his eyes widen a little, "He was like a brother to Iou, who was one of the brothers I had to bury yesterday."

I look down as my guilt seems to triple. Loss upon loss for him. If I just tried harder in my lessons for healing then I could have prevented some for him.

Apparently I miss something of Rion's behavior because after a slight pause Iien says lowly, "Mayhap that's true but that isn't all there was to that body."

My head jerks up in time to see Rion flinching at the word body. The word seems particularly cruel now with what Rion just said. I can see that Iien meant it just that way. Especially when he looks apathetically at Rion who is looking upset and shocked. Akun has his own eyebrows slightly raised and I know he is shocked by Iien's words also.

Rion seems to know he was caught out by Iien as he slumps a little, "I'm sure I smelt a woman on him that used to be of Littlefoot but she was turned out years ago so it can't be her."

Iien purses his lip and sits up completely straight. His irritation is easy to see but all Akun and I do right now is sit back and watch the two talk. Iien's voice is still as low as before, "Who was she?"

At first it looks like Rion is not going to answer but he does end up doing so, "A half-breed named Nyra."

Akun and I wince at that term. It is not a term that is used around my family because of the negative history behind that word, and we technically have members that would be considered half-breeds themselves, so they try very hard to stop anybody from using it. Grandfather says there are no place for words in our family whose only reason for existing is to demean others birth.

Iien does not react like we do but he exhales heavily, "Then she probably was part of the attack."

Rion rears back, as if he was hit, "No! She'd never."

Now, Iien sighs, "Then how do you think her scent got on the body?"

Rion frowns and looks away, "Mayhap she's been stolen too and she's the one who tried to heal him?"

Iien scoffs, "You know as well as I bandits like those that hit your village wouldn't keep prisoners and take more. They'd grab some, sell them, and then get more."