The Lord of the Plains (31 page)

Chapter 21

At first the only visible change in Riley
was that on occasion there was a faint blush to her cheeks. She
smiled more. She noted things around her less, as she was often
day-dreaming.

Then, when Peitar’s interest in her
continued, for she’d thought he might have been mistaken, her
symptoms only escalated.

If someone had asked her to describe Peitar
she would have struggled. To her he blazed like the sun. But what
colour are his eyes, Riley? Is he tall or short? Clean shaven or
does he have a beard? She could have answered those questions. But
if someone had asked, what does he like, Riley? What are his
interests? Oh, he’s in the air force, she might say. What else?
They might have received an answer. More likely she would have just
smiled dreamily.

‘Where have you been?’ Aerlid asked as Riley
drifted in after dark.

He’d thought she might have had a patrol and
forgotten to tell him, and that thought had been enough to quiet
his worry. Mostly.

Riley smiled at him. ‘Peitar.’ she
answered.

‘Peitar?’ he repeated, confused.

She nodded and launched into an excited
description of Peitar. It wasn’t a terribly enlightening
description as far as Peitar was concerned, though that couldn’t be
said where Riley was concerned. It described quite nicely a fifteen
year old girl’s first brush with romance.

Aerlid stood up so violently the chair fell
over. It hit the bare floor with a bang, startling Riley out of her
daydream.

‘How dare you!’ he roared.

Riley took a startled step back.

‘Get out, get out, you fool, you traitor,
get out, out out OUT!’

Riley had already fled.

Riley, shocked and afraid hid in the
park.

She didn’t understand.

She sniffed, a strange tightness in her
chest. She didn’t understand, but she felt like bursting into tears
and crying like a little girl.

Why was he upset? What was there to be upset
about? Everything had been so wonderful.

But she could stay out here. Then, in the
morning, she would go to the military school as usual. She didn’t
wonder if Aerlid would have turned back into Aerlid, and not a
shouting monster, by then. Perhaps she hoped, but she didn’t think
about it.

That was the first day in some time that
Riley was properly focussed. Aerlid’s anger had knocked her out of
her daydream.

She began noting things again. In surprise,
she saw that the unit was treating her differently. Batar seemed
the same, and Leili, though Jann frowned at her and Geilar was
oddly cool.

It continued the entire morning, so during
break she approached Leili to ask what was wrong.

It was more than a little surprising that
Riley found herself with no idea. She looked through her stores and
found them decidedly bare on everything since perhaps last
Restday.

Leili shrugged and didn’t meet her eyes.
Suddenly Riley felt Leili was treating her differently too.

‘Um, I guess it’s about that guy,
Peitar.’

When Riley didn’t say anything Leili
shrugged again, clearly uncomfortable. ‘Uh, I guess, he’s not… um,
well we don’t think he should be walking out with you.’ Leili said
and for once that day looked her straight in the eye.

‘W-why?’

‘Um,’ the nervousness was back, ‘well you
know…uhm, ah, I guess he’s not a very nice guy w-with girls.’ Leili
said, her eyes returned to her lap.

Riley was silent. She watched Leili.
Noted.

‘Thank you for telling me.’ she said,
standing.

Riley spotted Batar and made a beeline for
him.

He glanced up as she sat down.

‘Why is everyone treating me differently?’
she asked.

‘Because you’re walking out with Peitar.’ he
said promptly, holding her gaze.

For the first time she realized he was not
just patient and good at following orders, there was a solidness to
him too. A strong core. A good core.

‘Why?’ she asked. She thought Peitar was
wonderful. How could there be a problem? Why did everyone think
there was a problem?

‘Because you’re a gemeng.’

Her hands came to the table and gripped it
tightly. Everything else seemed so very distant. ‘W-why…?’

Batar didn’t say anything. That was probably
for the best.

Riley suddenly shook her head. ‘I don’t
understand.’ she managed. ‘How come he doesn’t think it’s a
problem?’

Batar shrugged. He didn’t know.

When Riley returned to the apartment that
evening Aerlid had recovered.

He apologized, asked if she was ok.

She didn’t notice. Unease had wormed its way
into her heart.

Chapter 22

Riley didn’t use the word, it felt like such
a bad word now, yet she asked anyway.

‘What are you upset about, there’s nothing
to be upset about.’ Peitar was saying in that way he had, that way
that almost made her feel like he wasn’t listening. But he was
wonderful and she was young.

‘B-but I’m different… that doesn’t bother
you?’

‘No, of course not, I mean it took a little
getting used to, but it’s fine now.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Stop talking.’

And he reassured her and that wonderful
day-dreamy state returned.

Yet not quite the same as before.

Her unit was important. It occurred to her
she might not have been performing as well as she usually did. The
lack of notes certainly pointed to that. So she tried to pay more
attention and work harder and better.

It didn’t seem to help.

‘Jann.’ Gasann said, ‘Jann.’

‘What?’ Jann look back at him,
irritated.

‘Just calm down, alright.’

‘Calm down, calm down?!’

Gasann cut him off, ‘yes, just calm down.
What are you going to do, just tell me, alright? You don’t want to
get into any trouble.’

Jann grumbled. He tapped the table top with
his fingers. ‘I’m going to talk to him.’

‘And say what?’

‘That he shouldn’t be with her. And she’s,
she’s…’ he struggled then suddenly, ‘remember when Leili and Lutis
started walking out?’

‘Um…sure…’

‘Well, you know how she was all lovey dovey
and stupid?’

‘Kinda…’ Gasann mostly remembered Lutis
being lovey dovey and stupid and dropping a wrench on his foot.
That was what
he
remembered.

‘Yeah, well, Riley’s like that. And he’s
not. So he should think properly, for both of them, yeah?’

‘Yeah?’

‘And he’s not! And I saw him with Elina
yesterday too!’

‘Elina? I thought he was with Keili and
Talisa.’

‘Would you let him walk out with your
sister?’

‘I did let him date my sister!’ he said
hotly. He hadn’t known Peitar then. Or had much say in the matter.
It still stung.

‘Right! Well, hey, there he is.’ Jann was up
and across the room before Gasann could get another word in.