Page 40 of Family Found

We headed along a concrete path and stopped close to a large green lawn. There were benches and big black trash cans there, everything almost untouched, and if it hadn’t been for the weeds that had now overtaken the lawn and the squirrels that didn’t mind us so close to their trees, I’d have expected students to come walking along these paths, just like they had when I’d last been here, days before the apocalypse.

Seeing the place now, abandoned but also unchanged in a lot of ways, made me feel sad in a way that was hard to describe. We’d lost so much, and yet so many things remained; people just gone, but leaving behind all these echoes of themselves.

I took a deep breath. At this point, crying was a real and imminent possibility.

Sonyo came up to me. “Rory.” The kid was once more giving me his biggest periwinkle eyes. “For you.” He pulled out a small package from inside his jacket and held it out to me with both hands, smiling brightly.

“Huh?”

“Princess, do you not remember what I told you about taking a fucking gift when it is handed to you? You think not eating massa buns is going to make the kid cry? Try ignoring a present,” Vergis said in his usual diplomatic way.

“Right. Erm. Lesh.” I took the package and unwrapped it while Sonyo watched, his big blue eyes only getting bigger. The bow had been artfully made, and it was folded much more neatly than I would have managed at Sonyo’s age, so I took my time. When I finally had it open though, I gasped. “Oh! Look, it’s a scarf!” I carefully pulled it free and showed Inkiri. The scarf was reddish copper with stylized green birds along the edges. It was beautiful.

“I can see that, sadir. Sonyo has paid attention and knows how to impress you, it seems.” He added something to Sonyo that made the kid totally light up. He rocked back and forth on his paw feet.

I eyed the pretty scarf and let the soft fabric run between my fingers, then held it out to Inkiri. “Will you put it on me?”

He smiled like he’d won a prize. “I’d love to, sadir.”

I let him pull off my old scarf, which he folded carefully before putting it in his own pocket. He then draped the new one around my neck. He clicked and fussed with it, adjusting it here and there. Then again, he was probably just taking the opportunity to touch me. In the moment, I felt like the most cherished of cherished trophy mates.

“It looks very good on you,” Inkiri said while Lissir nodded and Vergis rolled his eyes.

Sonyo said something in high-speed Lugarra.

“He says the colors look very good with your own weird colors, and I agree,” Nokim translated.

“Hey, auburn isn’t that rare. But lesh all the same. That reminds me though. Nokim? I may have lost that brooch you made when we were out there and I used my magic to make all that mud. I’m so sorry, but we were running, and⁠—”

Inkiri put a hand on my shoulder. “It is really my fault, if anyone’s. Do you think you can make him another, Noki?”

Sonyo watched us all with big eyes, probably feeling a lot like I did when I didn’t understand the people around me speaking Lugarra.

Nokim nodded eagerly. “I would very much like that. The first one was good, but I can make a better one now, I think.”

Vergis crossed his arms and managed the not unimpressive feat of glaring at all of us. “We’re honestly discussing jewelry when we should be filling the princess in on what he needs to do to close the veil to the monster world? I mean, if you think the brooch is a priority though…”

Lissir clicked. “I’m sure Nokim will be glad to make you some nice jewelry as well, Vergis, won’t you, Nokim?”

It was Nokim’s turn to rock on his feet. “Very much! I’ll make it something unique.”

Vergis couldn’t look Nokim in the eye for too long and glanced away to the side. Was that a good sign? I wished I had more experience with how dating worked.

“Not my point. I don’t need jewelry.”

Lissir sighed. “No one needs jewelry, Vergis. It’s just that everyone likes having it.”

Inkiri grunted in agreement and wordlessly adjusted my scarf again. Not that it needed adjusting. But it was nice of him to pretend.

I smiled up at him. “Can confirm that.”

Vergis pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine. No one wants to talk about what we came here to do, so I will.” He poked me in the chest with his index finger. “You’re going to be the fuel. My understanding is that the plan stays pretty much the same. We approach the Stone from the south. Daddy and I go first and make sure the coast is clear.” He poked me again. “You go with Kinnek, and you keep up behind us. The rest of the protectors bring up the rear. Once we get to the Stone, we’ll all be covering you, Princess. You and Dad get the job done at the Stone, and maybe he can make sure you don’t pee yourself while you do your…” He took a deep breath, then said, in barely more than a whisper, “Dispensomancy.”

I blinked. “Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? Say, is this the first time you actually want someone not to pee themself?”

“Keep talking, and I might change my mind about that.”

Lissir groaned. “It’s very good that the child cannot understand English all that well yet and doesn’t have to listen to you two. I don’t have that luxury. None of the rest of us have that luxury.”