Orphan 8
“SoYa, I’m not sure if there’s a nice way of saying this,” KiNa wiped his brow after chasing the last of the black smoke out of the kitchen window. “But, you’re a really lousy cook.”
The mind mage just sighed, taking that like he took everything else. “I know. Most the time AsaHi won’t let me near the food. I just thought something like this would be simple enough not to scorch.”
KiNa gathered what was needed for a sandwich instead. He wasn’t a fantastic cook himself, but he knew enough to keep himself fed, especially after living on the streets for so long. SoYa looked a little abashed watching the boy make his own food. It didn’t bother KiNa, though. He simply made one for SoYa, too.
“You were going to tell me about AsaHi,” the boy reminded him as they sat down together.
“Ah, yes,” SoYa murmured from behind his sandwich. “AsaHi and Fu.”
“Who’s Fu?”
“My son,” the man said.
“You have a son, too?” the boy boggled. “Where is he? Can I meet him? Why doesn’t he ever come here?”
“I wish you could meet him, KiNa,” SoYa said, looking suddenly sad.
The boy fell silent, recognizing the feeling. It was the same sadness SoYa had when giving him the clothes the other day.
KiNa plucked at the front of his shirt, “These are his, aren’t they?”
“Yes, they were.”
“Were? Why? What happened to him?” the boy’s mouth opened.
“The Manor took him in as a student,” SoYa told him.
“Oh,” KiNa let out a quick breath. He was expecting something a lot worse.
“I know what you’re thinking. Why is that so bad? It shouldn’t be, except, I just get the feeling it’s for all the wrong reasons,” the man put his sandwich down slowly. “They took him from us. We didn’t even get a say in it. I’ve made appeals to the proper authorities, but they’ve all been ignored. My son can’t come home. He can’t even leave the city.”
“Wow. Can they do that?” the boy asked, looking worried.
“Who’s going to stop them? They’re the ones that make the rules.”
“Well, someone should,” KiNa frowned. Then he glanced around. “Isn’t that what this place is for? It’s somewhere hidden away from the Manor, right?”
“That was the idea behind it,” SoYa told him. “It’s not really going anywhere. I’ve got the place, but I don’t have people.”
“There’s lots of people around,” the boy furrowed his brows.
“Yes, there are. But I need people who feel the same as I do. People who aren’t afraid to stand up to the Manor. People I can trust to keep this a secret,” the man accented each point with a tap of his finger on the table.
“You can trust me!” KiNa told him, sitting up straight.
“Yes, I suppose I can,” SoYa smiled.
“I’ll help you!”
“That’s kind, but this is something really dangerous. I don’t want to put you at risk, KiNa. You’re my student. I’m supposed to take care of you,” he sighed.
“I’m not afraid of the Manor,” the boy said stubbornly.
“This isn’t about being afraid, it’s about being careful.”
“Well, I can be careful, too. If they took away your son, I want to help you,” KiNa shoved the last of the sandwich in his mouth. It was hard to see SoYa look so sad, especially since the man was helping him, teaching him and giving him a chance he’d never had before.
“Thank you, KiNa,” SoYa said, looking sincerely grateful. “Why don’t we just focus on your studies first? Then, we can see how all of this fits together.”
“There’s lots of kids like me back with the Darkman, too,” the boy informed him, thinking hard. “If you need more people, I’m sure they would help. It’s better than what will happen to them there.”
The mind mage paused, looking at him, “You’ve mentioned the Darkman before. Who is it?”
“Don’t really know,” KiNa said. “He takes kids from the street and gives them a place to live. But it’s not nice, not like here with you. He makes them work. Then, as they get older, he sends them away. To the Manor, I think.”
“Really?” SoYa’s face was pale.
“Maybe they pay him. I think the Darkman works for them,” the boy nodded. “All I know is when he takes kids away, they never come back.”
SoYa was quiet for a while, eyes fixed on the table top.
“SoYa?” the boy asked, worried. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No. It’s just a really hideous thing. I don’t want to believe the Manor would do that. On the other hand, somehow, I don’t doubt you’re right,” he seemed to be weighing his thoughts.
“What are you going to do?” KiNa asked.
“I’m not sure yet,” the man scratched his chin.
“We should stop the Darkman,” the boy balled one fist in encouragement. “We should free the other kids and bring them here. I’m sure they’d be good workers and help out. They don’t want to go to the Manor, either. They’d be on our side.”
“KiNa,” SoYa sighed. “I can’t bring children here.”
“Why not? You said you needed people,” the boy implored. “They know the streets. They know how to get around secretly, like I do.”
“I suppose that’s true,” the man pursed his lips. “But we don’t know anything about this operation or the Darkman.”
“I can help you,” KiNa volunteered.
SoYa folded his hands in front of him and was quiet for a long time. When he spoke again, his voice was measured and careful, “Let me see what I can find out first. I want you to spend some more time in training before we get ahead of ourselves. Give me some time to plan and think this through.”
“So does that mean you’re going to try it?” the boy perked up with an expectant look.
“I won’t make any promises, KiNa. I agree that what’s going on there isn’t right. If I can do something about it… safely… I will,” he answered.
That sounded close enough to a “yes” for the boy to get a rush of excitement. Not hearing the practical explanation, he was already making plans on how to carry out the super secret spy mission.