Keilen’s background (part 6)
A soft far away feeling. It felt like a feather was tracing the scars on his back. Then a touch to his right shoulder blade sent Keilen jolting into awareness.
“Ahhh!” Came a surprised cry from behind him.
It took Keilen a few seconds to find his bearings while subduing the pain. Why was it so sensitive?! Why did it still hurt so much?! He couldn’t stand even his own touch on that mark.
As Keilen tried to take deep breaths, he slowly realized what had happened.
Maru must have come and found him asleep. Curiosity brought him to touch Keilen’s back. Curiosity can kill the cat...
Maru was huddled in a corner of the storage room, his two fists in his mouth as he stared, wide eyed, at Keilen.
They were both silent for a long while. Keilen listened hard if any of the crew might come checking out his or Maru’s cries.
Silence. Only the creeks from the ship. No one truly cares what happens to Maru... At least this time it played to their benefit.
The pain subsided.
“I’m sorry Maru. You surprised me. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Maru didn’t move.
Keilen let out a sigh.
“Do you want me to sing you a lullaby?”
Maru nodded without moving.
Keilen started singing softly. His voice cracked from time to time as he tried to focus on the words and not the memories.
Slowly Maru’s hunched form relaxed. At some point he crawled forward and came to sit next to Keilen, looking up at him as he sang.
“No one sing for Maru.” Maru said when Keilen fell silent.
“I sang it to my daughter.” Keilen’s throat clenched and he tried to forcefully take a deep breath.
“Where is she?”
“She’s... she’s far away, Maru.”
Maru put a hand on Keilen’s thigh.
“Does she have pretty eyes like you?” Maru looked up at him.
A bitter smile rested on Keilen’s lips. “Even prettier.” He coughed out.
They sat together.
“Can Maru ask a question?”
“Yes Maru.” Keilen answered quietly.
“Why pretty eyes so very naughty?”
Keilen breathed deeply, letting the air out slowly. He raised his chained wrists a little. “I wanted to go back home.”
“Pretty eyes not allowed?”
Keilen only shook his head.
“Pretty eyes have Maru!” Maru smiled brightly at Keilen, trying to make him happy.
“Thank you, Maru.”
Again they sat in silence, both lost in thought.
“Maru.” Keilen started, in a soft but stern voice. The boy looked up at him.
“When we reach shore, the captain will take me off the ship. You mustn’t follow!”
A stressed look crossed Maru’s face. “I can ask Captain to keep you.”
“No, Maru. Remember? It’s our secret. If you tell the captain, we will both be in trouble.”
Maru’s face paled. “More naughty?” He glanced towards Keilen’s back before looking at his face again.
“Yes. For me.” Keilen answered, hoping no one would punish Maru this way.
Maru looked panicked.
“Don’t be sad.” Keilen continued, trying to find a way to soothe the child. “I need you to stay on the ship with the captain.”
“Why?” It looked like Maru would start crying.
Keilen tried to think quickly. “So... so you can learn everything from the captain and then come rescue me when you grow up!”
Maru’s eyes grew large. “Maru save Pretty eyes?!”
“Yes Maru.” Keilen smiled down at him. “Who else?”
Maru flung himself at Keilen, hugging him with a strength that took Keilen by surprise. Slowly he returned the hug.
“Maru will be brave! Maru will return Pretty eyes home!”
Keilen hugged Maru tighter, not caring that the tears ran freely down his face.
<<>>
Keilen stood, his head down and shoulders drooping. He was still taller than most of the present people in the slave market.
The fact that the ground he stood on wasn’t swaying anymore came as a relief, but his stomach still retched since the two women that had been next to him were sold...
He breathed in deeply. Though the air held the smell of sweat and rotten fish, it was still fresh compared to the air in the storage room in which he was kept all these long weeks. He hadn’t seen Maru anywhere when they came for him and he hoped the boy was alright. Once again he was alone.
“This is what I wanted to show you.” Keilen recognized the Captain’s voice.
Raising his head, he saw the Captain approaching with a sturdy looking man and the strangest thing Keilen had ever seen. Next to the man, stood what looked like a man, from the waist up. His curly, dark hair partially hid two small, goat- like horns and his eyes were slightly slanted, yet keen. From the waist down, was the body of a goat, though he moved with fluid ease and agility.
Keilen’s attention was interrupted by the larger, sturdy man, as he approached him. He didn’t like the smug smile the man was adorning.
“So,” the man started, “what do you consider yourself good at?” He stood quite close to Keilen, rubbing his two hands together.
At that moment, Keilen felt he had nothing to lose. Though his two wrists were chained together, he slightly bent his knees and with lightning speed, swung his double fists at the man’s face, wishing to erase that smirk.
He caught him squarely on the lower jaw, causing his whole head to crack to the left.
“I. Want. To go. Home.” Keilen stated between gritted teeth.
The man turned back to him, massaging his jaw. “I’ll take you home. Your new home.” And he turned to the Captain “I’ll take him. Pin him down.” And he stepped away.
The strange looking creature, half man and half goat, came forward and with a sleek voice and strange accent added quietly, “that was quite impressive, but I really do not advise you to try it again.”
Keilen was so astounded that it talked, it took him a moment to notice the men closing in on him. A moment too long.
They had him lying on the ground, and though he was fighting and flailing, they managed to get a steady hold on him. Someone straightened out his arms, mainly holding the right, pinning it down with his palm facing up.
Keilen continued to struggle, cursing and grunting, until he saw the man he had hit coming closer.
For one moment Keilen froze. Then his struggle only intensified. “No! No! No!” He shouted as the man approached him with a red hot iron blazing in his hand. Keilen gave everything he had, but he couldn’t fight so many.
“No! Don’t! LET ME G-” Keilen’s shout turned into a scream as the searing hot metal was placed and pushed down on his right upper forearm.
The sickening sweet stench of burning flesh abused his nostrils, causing him to gag as tears blurred his vision. He shrieked. Out of pain. Out of betrayal. Out of humiliation. Out of defeat.
Slowly they let go of him. He wasn’t struggling anymore. Pained whimpers escaped him with every exhale of breath and when enough of them let go of him, he slowly gathered his arms to his chest, careful not to have the fresh mark touch anything else.
Keilen bit his lower lip as he looked at the angry, red mark. It looked like two adjoined steep mountain peaks.
“Get him on his feet. Time to get going.”