There have never been secrets between Iano and his twin brother, Miano. But that changes when his brother marries an heir of the most powerful fief of the village. With such power comes the right to see the face of the Goddess. Only, Iano's twin mus...
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"He's still alive at least," Kairou said. "That is a good thing, right?" He paced around the room back and forth, gnawing at his nails. Professor Helou's image seemed to be burned in his memory.
That afternoon, when Professor Yaniceh had told him that she had injected him with Satouka's antidote, he'd run like he was being pursued and stumbled inside the professor's tent with Lady Yaniceh right behind him. She was trying to calm him down, but she had little success.
Professor Helou's face was grey and ashy as if all the blood had vanished from it. As if he was living on the spare resources of his body.
Kairou's thoughts were pulling him into the darkness again. He fought back. "Yes, it is a good thing that he is still alive," he answered his own question.
"It is, Kairou," Malin confirmed in a murmur, not for the first time. Still, his tone remained compassionate and calm while Kairou kept spiraling and returning to square one. His thoughts were going too fast, and he couldn't bring himself to think clearly. "Kairou," Malin called. "Kairou, I know it's difficult right now for you, but you need to calm down."
That did nothing for Kairou whose thoughts took darker alleys. He was already imagining Papa Helou's coffin, telling Mama Tito she would never see him again. Professor Yaniceh had injected Papa Helou with Papa Satouka's antidote. He was stable for now. But for how long?
Again, Kairou was tasting that long-forgotten, but still very familiar, anger. The kind that overflew his interiors, spilling everywhere, not sparing anyone. Anger that exposed everyone's selfishness to daylight.
How dare Malin ask him not to consider the worst when the Professor was dying? How dare Papa Satouka carry on with his plans of moving the campground deeper inside the forest when the professor was dying? How dare the world not stop when he was losing his father for a second time?
Kenha who was by Malin's side was visibly having more trouble taming her patience. And Kairou hated her for that. So far, she had resorted to not speaking. But as she tapped her feet frantically on the floor, Kairou could tell she was reaching her limit.
