Ortai Legacy: Arrival

10.4 - Discovery (L)

It took a while for Butcher to grind enough cyrstage and mix it with monster blood, but once I had a full bottle, I rushed back to the surface.

Cadmus had arrived on drykon-back, armed with a spear but holding it loosely at his side.

I didn't particularly want to interrupt him and Harker, who were talking animatedly about Kaliska's recent success at a seamstress competition, so I poked Raeve in the back through the mat.

She jumped and cursed at me. "Don't poke me, bizzaro. I heard you coming a kilotail away. Mar'kost told me you ruined your clothes, so here-" She turned to pass me a bundle of clothing.

That little noise was enough to quiet the others. It felt like their stares bore right through the mat as I dressed. In addition to a standard outfit and cloak, the bundle included boots, gloves, and a scarf—presumably for my face—as well as sunglasses, so I had no bare skin showing when I stepped into the open.

Harker stepped toward me, but a stern cough from Cadmus stopped him. The longstrider's gaze fixated on me as I mounted the drykon that had taken me here. Before I could turn my mount around, Cadmus leaned closer to mutter,

"I sent someone to buy an enchanting set and a blank collar. Do you need anything else right away?"

I shook my head. "Thanks. Uh, let me know the cost; I'll pay you back."

"Don't worry about it; it's a pleasure to serve."

I paused, alarm bells sounding in my head. There were cultures where it was common—or even imperative—for someone to turn down an offer multiple times before accepting it. There were also cultures where 'don't worry about it' really meant 'don't worry about it.' As much as I hated to ask about social mores in such a tense situation, I would've done it if not for the fact that Cadmus was already leading the group back to the ranch.

On the ride back, I asked Mar'kost about my dilemna and learned that, while it was very rare to give gifts to people who weren't as close as family, Cadmus could have very well made an exception for a descendant of his 'goddess.' Of course, that gave me no real answer to the dilemna.

I was on the edge of my seat in the living room, waiting with Raeve while Cadmus guarded Harker on the porch. In the end, I resolved to pay Cadmus back one way or the other, and I put an appropriate amount—estimated by Mar'kost—on the dining room table.

Curious about the goings on outside, I moved to the front window and peered through the curtain. Harker was almost exactly what I'd guessed—nearly identical to Kaliska, the only notable difference being his dual-pronged horns. He wore a loose flannel top and no bottoms besides saddle packs without the saddle part. Brows furrowed, he scribbled furiously in his notebook.

"Are you guys just coworkers? You all seem close."

"Eh..." She shrugged. "He's Kaliska's brother. They're pretty close, and he gets along decently well with Cadmus. He even lives in that wagon of his, parks it out by the stables too. Problem is, he's also Zephyr's brother, so we can't count on family ties to get him on our side. Our best bet is the fact that he's a huge Ortology fanatic—even bigger than Mar'kost. He spent a fortune going to an Ortology college overseas."

"I'm getting the impression that their family is well-off."

"He and Kaliska were cut off after she married Cadmus and Harker didn't try to stop her." She snorted. "But the rest of the Swifthooves practically own Darver. A lot of them'll side with Zephyr, so watch your back if you go into town. I'm not saying they'll ambush you in the street—but I'm also not saying they won't."

Well, crap. Not only was I going up against a stinking rich family, I was also going against my host's in-laws. It was a wonder they'd agreed to house me in the first place. Not for the first time, I thought of retreating to Mar'kost's bedroom to hide out with him. I'd only decided against it because if I retreated now, it would be even harder to make myself come out when it was time to do the oaths.