Chapter Eighty-three (Patreon)

They both whipped around to look at the bound female. Kaz’s ears flattened, and he pulled ki from them instinctively, dulling the sound to something bearable. Lianhua apparently couldn’t do the same, because she flinched back, but the flow of her ki didn’t change.

The Redmane chief’s eyes were open, and locked on Kaz. Her throat vibrated with the howl that filled the small hut, and drool darkened her matted fur. Red burned deep in her eyes, turning them a bloody brown, and the mass of black and yellow ki in her belly churned so Kaz could almost sense its hunger.

Kaz stumbled backwards even as Li mantled, spreading her wings wide as she let out a tiny roar. Lianhua shifted so she was in between Kaz and the mad female, and the howl instantly died back to a low whine. He couldn’t see past Lianhua’s body, but he could see through it, at least a little, and he could tell that the other kobold’s core was settling down as well.

The door burst open, and Hod burst in. His red-dyed mane stood straight up, and his teeth were bared in a fierce snarl. His green eyes flicked between the three other occupants of the hut, and the fury in his gaze was tinged with puzzlement.

“Get away from Ehlan,” he growled, hand resting on the handle of his club. “You shouldn’t be in here.”

Lianhua stood, having to bend slightly so she didn’t hit her head on the ceiling, and Kaz followed her lead. The moment Ehlan caught a glimpse of Kaz past Lianhua, her voice shifted toward a howl again.

The confusion in Hod’s eyes deepened, but he didn’t move until Kaz took a single short step toward him, head bowed and tail tucked submissively. This made the Redmane realize he was blocking the door, and he moved to the side just enough for Kaz to squeeze out. Kaz promptly did so, though his own fur wanted to lift at being so close to a male who was clearly angry. He had years of practice at hiding his feelings so well that even he wasn’t certain what they actually were, so he just bowed even lower, baring his throat as he went by.

This left Hod and Lianhua alone inside the small building with a corrupted female, but given the way Ehlan had reacted to Lianhua, and Hod’s general air of equanimity about everything except his mate’s safety, Kaz thought it would be all right. Besides, he suspected that his and Li’s cores were what had made the Redmane chief react the way she had, so she should calm down once they were gone.

As soon as he stepped outside, however, he found himself in front of a trio of upset males, any of whom could probably kill Hod with barely more effort than it would take a warrior to put down a single fuergar. Gaoda’s teeth were bared in much the same way Hod’s had been, and Kaz pushed away the thought that the human looked as much or more like an animal than the kobold had, with his face twisted in anger. Raff, on the other hand, just looked grim, all cheer drained from his face, and his hand on the hilt of his sword. Oddly, Kaz could tell that Chi Yincang was the calmest of them, even beyond his usual emotionless mask. No tension tightened his body, and his weapon was still hidden away in the ring on his right hand. His eyes were locked on the door to the hut, but that was the only sign that he was concerned about what was happening inside.

Kaz’s ears couldn’t flatten any further, but they wanted to, and he had to force himself to raise his hands in a staying gesture. “It’s all right,” he assured the three, already knowing that only two of them might pay any attention at all. “Ehlan woke up, but she and Lianhua are both fine, and I’m sure Hod will-”

The door opened behind him, and Lianhua poked her head out. She looked around at the ring of males, all of whom were staring at her, and rolled her eyes. “I’m fine,” she told them, her words edged in exasperation. “Hod was worried about his mate, which is completely reasonable. I have some ideas I’d like to talk to him about, however, so you can all… stop worrying.”

Go away, Kaz thought, barely able to suppress a smile. Lianhua was clearly getting tired of pretending to be something she wasn’t, as well. On his shoulder, Li hissed softly, but no one noticed except Kaz. Apparently, now that she’d been reminded how much Lianhua had helped them, the dragon had decided that the human female was to be protected, at least a little. Kaz suspected it helped that Li very definitely didn’t like Gaoda, so anyone else who shared that feeling was automatically more appealing to the dragon.

No one moved until Gaoda lowered his lip and then his head, bowing ever so slightly as he gave an ingratiating smile. “Of course, cousin. We were simply concerned about you.”

Lianhua showed the smallest hint of her own white teeth as she said, “Well, you don’t need to be. I’m fine, and shall remain so.” With that, he retreated back into the hut, closing the door with a dismissive click.

Gaoda’s lip lifted once more as he stared at the door, then he turned on his heel, giving a flip of his hand as he walked stiffly back toward his own hut. “I’ll be meditating. Don’t disturb me unless that female goes mad again.” He all but slammed his own door behind him, leaving them to draw their own conclusions about which female he meant.

Chi Yincang took a step back, vanishing into invisibility broken only by the soft blur that Kaz now knew indicated his location. Raff, who couldn’t see it, just shook his head, dropping his hand from his sword as he muttered, “I hate it when he does that.”

Sighing, he looked over at Kaz. “Look like it’s just you an’ me, since that kobold obviously doesn’t like you. I was about to make some food, if you want to join me. It’s not much, compared to what those three can whip up, but it’ll fill your belly.”

Kaz laid his hand over his stomach, which, reminded, chose that moment to growl loudly. Kaz’s ears twitched in embarrassment, and Raff laughed. The tall male turned away, gesturing for Kaz to follow.

“C’mon, then. I’d just set some water to boil when we heard the howling. I’m not eating or drinking anything around here that hasn’t been cooked until it’s overdone.”

Kaz followed along behind the male until they came to an open area in the center of the huts. There was a large black mark on the ground, showing that more than one non-ki-powered fire had been built here before, and Kaz wondered if he should mention that this was probably where the Redmanes burned their dead. He decided not, since Raff had already dragged a large stone over to sit on, and looked quite cheerful as he peered into a pot that sat on his fire stone.

“Looks good to me. It’s simmering nicely, anyway. I’ll make us some coffee that’ll put hair on your chest.” He snorted a laugh as he looked back at Kaz. “More hair, anyway.”

Kaz sniffed deeply as Raff pulled something from the pouch at his waist. The orange-furred male didn’t use his pouch nearly as much as the other three humans did, and he had once said this was because his held far less than theirs. Apparently, ‘coffee’ was important enough to earn itself some of that limited space, because the bag he pulled out was long but very full.

When Raff opened the pouch and scooped out a little of the dark sand inside, the scent that rose up from it was rich and pleasant. It didn’t smell like anything Kaz had had before, including the ‘tea’ Lianhua liked so much.

Raff dropped the deep brown stuff into the water, and almost instantly the scent of it grew far stronger. Kaz’s eyes grew wide, and his tail wagged once in anticipation.

“Is it like tea?” he asked.

Raff laughed, a deep belly laugh that Kaz had never heard from him before. “Nah. Tea is just boiled leaves. Like some kind of weak broth made for people who’re too sick for solids. Coffee is made from roasted, ground-up seeds. I mean, the seeds come from some kinda fruit, but nobody eats that, as far as I know. The seeds are the good part.”

Kaz’s ears perked up at the mention of ‘seeds’ and ‘fruit’, and he looked more closely at the bag as Raff tied it shut and pushed it back into his pouch. A faint flicker of ki caught Kaz’s attention as the bag vanished, but it was gone before Kaz could tell what it was.

No ki showed within the coffee itself, however, either in the bag or in the steaming, aromatic pot, making him sigh with disappointment. For a moment, he had hoped that this coffee might have ki in it, and if he gave it to Li, it would help her grow. In spite of what he’d said about it being good if she stayed small, he’d actually prefer it if she grew at least a little. Her ki was strong, but her body was still fragile, and he worried about her, especially since she seemed to have no sense of self-preservation.

The two males and the dragon fell into a companionable silence as they all watched the pot, and the rich smell of coffee filled the air around them, driving back the scent of a hundred strange kobolds. Kaz realized that out of all the humans, he actually felt the most relaxed with Raff. Even Lianhua wanted something from him, and she was always asking him questions. Even when she was grooming him, which she did with such regularity that he was becoming accustomed to it, she talked almost constantly. He liked her, but she was tiring to be around.

Raff, on the other hand, wanted nothing at all from Kaz. He didn’t dislike him, like Gaoda, and he wasn’t as mysterious as Chi Yincang. The dark male’s habit of appearing and disappearing from empty air was disconcerting to say the least, and even now that Kaz could tell where the other male was, he was still surprised at least half the time when Chi Yincang stepped into visibility. Add to that the fact that Chi Yincang not only obviously had secrets of his own, but also knew at least some of Kaz’s secrets, and Kaz doubted he would ever be able to let his guard down around the other male.

No, Raff was definitely the most calming of the lot, so Kaz allowed himself to sink into something close to meditation as the coffee cooked. He did as Lianhua had shown him, and pressed down on his core each time he drew in a breath, held it, and then let it all out in a small flood that filled his Vessels to overflowing. He deliberately thinned some of the sheaths that still prevented his ki from leaking into parts of his body he wasn’t yet ready to infuse, and allowed more ki than usual into his lungs.

He felt like he could hold his breath forever, but he knew that wasn’t true. He focused on counting to ten each time he took in a breath, soon finding a balance between how weak he could allow the ki in his body to become as he held it inside his core, and how much he could allow to leak out when he released it. Li mimicked him, her pure core compressing and releasing far more easily than his own stratified one, with the ossified chunks of what he assumed was hardened mana still encased within it.

When a metal spoon rattled against the metal pot, Kaz nearly jumped out of his fur, his eyes snapping open as he lost focus, sending ki surging through his channels with nearly painful intensity. His breathing hitched, then smoothed as he breathed out, sparks of ki flashing in the exhaled breath. A few red flickers landed on Raff, and while the others seemed reluctant to linger there, these clung to him, though they didn’t sink in through his metal shell.

“It’s done!” Raff said, grinning as he dipped a metal cup directly into the pot of brown liquid. Kaz could see some of the dark, sandy remnants of the seeds swirl to the top as he did so, settling into the cup as it was lifted away.

“There ya go,” Raff said proudly, taking a second cup from his pouch as Kaz accepted the first one. The metal was probably hot enough to burn a normal kobold’s fingers, but now that he had begun body cultivation, it was only warm to Kaz. Still, he made a show of grimacing and turning it until he could grasp the handle, which was still metal, but quite a bit cooler.

Raff chuckled, obviously amused by Kaz’s response. “Sorry, Bl- Uh, Kaz. I forget you’re not as tough as I am. Better sip that to start, or you’ll burn your mouth, too.”

The humans tended to forget that Kaz’s mouth didn’t work like theirs, so he leaned forward and lapped at the coffee eagerly, ready for the mouth-watering scent to become an equally delicious taste. What filled his mouth, however, was a strong, intensely bitter flavor that made him want to instantly spit it back out. He managed to swallow, and the heat of it was pleasant enough, but didn’t counterbalance the disgusting flavor of the stuff.

Raff, who had already downed half of his own cup, gave another of those deep laughs, this one lasting for several seconds. When he managed to stop, he had to wipe away a bit of moisture that had gathered at the corner of his eye.

He drew in a deep breath, and after letting out one final chuckling sigh, said, “The look on your face reminded me of my little sister the first time she tried coffee. Still hadn’t learned to like it without more sugar and milk than coffee in her cup, last time I saw her.”

A hint of melancholy crossed his face, and he tipped his cup back, emptying it. His deep brown throat bobbed as he swallowed, and when he put the cup down, he wiped his mouth with a smile. He clearly wasn’t interested in continuing that topic of conversation, but Kaz suddenly found himself intensely curious. What were human families like, and how were they different from kobolds? From what Lianhua had said, it sounded like human relationships were even more complex than those of his own family, but he also had a feeling that her circumstances were unusual.

“Do you miss her?” Kaz blurted out, handing his own cup back to Raff. He should probably have at least tried it again, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do so. He felt almost betrayed that the rich, delicious scent had come from something that tasted so vile.

Raff accepted the cup, his eyebrows lifting as he tilted it back and forth, obviously thinking. At last, with a shrug, he lifted it to his lips and drank it in one long gulp, before putting it back into his pouch and dipping his own cup into the pot again.

Sighing, Raff looked down into his fresh cup, and said, “I do. Didn’t think I would, when I left. Didn’t think I’d miss any of ‘em, honestly. But I did. Do.”

“Why did you leave?” Kaz persisted, leaning forward.

Raff glanced from side to side, as if looking for anyone who might overhear them, then shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t like t’ talk about my private life with my employers, but you’re not one of ‘em, are you? So, maybe just remember that I’m speaking in confidence, between… friends, eh?”

Kaz nodded, and Raff leaned back, sipping at his coffee and staring up at the low ceiling as if he could see through it to the sky.

“I have a big family, which is pretty normal where I’m from. We only allow people to marry one person, unlike the hedons in the Sheng Empire, but life is hard in Holiander, or at least it used to be, so we have lots of babies, because half of ‘em won’t live to grow up. I only had one brother who died, though, an’ it was when I was too young to remember, so as far as I’m concerned, I have five older brothers, and one younger sister.”

His mouth quirked, and his pale brown eyes flickered over to Kaz. “Lianhua actually reminds me of my sister. They’re about the same age, too. I think Jinn is twenty-four now.” He frowned, fingers twitching so his gloves clicked against the metal cup. “Unless I’m not quite thirty yet. That’d make her twenty-three. My birthday was in a month, but I lost track pretty much as soon as we came in this Pellis-cursed mountain. Have no idea if it’s night or day anymore, much less what day it is.”

Raff coughed, taking another deep draught of his coffee. “Not that I’m insultin’ your mountain. I’m sure you like it, and all. It’s just not a great place for humans.”

Kaz resisted the urge to agree, and just shrugged away the half-apology. “My mother only had Katri and I, so I don’t know what it’s like to have brothers.”

“Ha! You had it lucky, my lad,” Raff said, lifting his cup. “Two of the five were fine, but the other three more than made up for it. Plus, I think my da didn’t know what to do when we all survived. He needed two, maybe three sons, not six, and thought he’d never have a girl, so Jinn was spoiled rotten from the moment she was born.”

Kaz tilted his head. “Why did he need just three? Couldn’t the extras be traded or trained as warriors?”

Raff picked up the pot and poured the last of the coffee into his cup. The sludge in the bottom splashed into the liquid, bringing it right to the top, where it quivered, reflected light from the fire stone flickering in the black depths. Without speaking, he took a leather bag from his pouch and splashed some water into the pot, swishing it around before dumping it and the last dregs of coffee out onto the soot-stained rock. A thin trickle of brownish water curled lazily away, cleaning the remnants of dead kobolds from a narrow path of stone.

The human refilled the pot and set it back over the fire stone before filling Kaz’s cup from the water bag. He handed the cup to Kaz, who drank it down as greedily as Raff had guzzled his coffee. Raff chuckled and filled the cup again before putting away the much-emptier bag.

“One to the king, one to the gods, and one to the war,” Raff said abruptly, reaching out to stir the water in the pot, though it hadn’t even begun to steam yet.

“What?” Kaz asked, confused by what seemed a change in subject.

Raff looked at him. “One son to the king, one son to the priesthood, and one son to the military. That’s three. Any sons after that are only needed if one of the first three dies. Each of them brings power and honor to the family in their own way, and while extras can follow along behind, they’ll always be exactly that: extra. No younger son should ever outshine an older brother, so they’re doomed to a life of mediocrity. So when I was sixteen, I decided I was done with the lot, and left.”

For the first time since Kaz had met him, Raff didn’t drop the ends of any of his words. Kaz thought the male was caught up in his own memories, and perhaps this was how he had spoken when he was young.

“The first three brothers were set, of course, and Da couldn’t afford to sponsor another to be a priest or an officer, so I was supposed to stay home and help Ricard with… our farm. Lots o’ paperwork to be done on a farm, y’know.”

Raff tapped the side of the pot as he sank back into his usual patterns of speech. Bubbles rose up from the sides, and he nodded to himself, pulling two brown lumps from his pouch. He dropped these into the pot, where they instantly sank.

“A band o’ mercs had passed through the previous summer, and I was impressed with how tough they all seemed to be. One of ‘em told me that when I grew up, I should come find him. He was jokin’, as much as anything, but I took him seriously, and tried to do exactly that. Turned out he left that group and joined another before I found ‘em, but that was all for the best, because none of the rest of ‘em remembered another hero-worshippin’ kid from the countryside. I used the last of my money to get some armor and joined up, an’ here I am.”

He stirred the pot again, and this time unappetizing and unrecognizable chunks floated to the top of the cloudy water. Raff and Kaz both sniffed at the steam rising from it, and Raff grinned at the face Kaz made.

Lifting the spoon from the pot, he held out a puddle of water and a gray-brown mass for Kaz’s inspection. “Now, let me introduce you and your little rat t’ the joy of hardtack.”