Kiacyl entered the eating room that night at a far later time than was normal for him. All of the boys were there already, and most looked up and smiled as he approached.
"Hello," said Eriane, as Kiacyl came to the table. "You're late tonight."
"Yes," Kiacyl answered, seating himself between Wysire and Cycil as usual. "I went to see the other three of your group."
Dead silence fell over the whole table as they all turned to look at him. Kiacyl had wondered what their reaction would be to this announcement, but he had certainly not expected what he now saw. As he looked around at their faces, he saw that for the first time since he had met them, he was not able to read any of the emotions there. They all stared at him blankly and yet with an intensity that he couldn't quite understand. He wondered now whether he should have phrased it differently, or whether perhaps he oughtn't to have said anything at all. There was a long moment of silence where Kiacyl felt exceedingly uncomfortable, then finally
he started to stand, thinking to leave.
"Excuse me," he said. "Perhaps I shouldn't have said anything."
Immediately the spell was broken and all of the boys began speaking at once.
"No!' exclaimed Wysire, putting a hand on Kiacyl's arm. "Don't leave!"
"No, stay! Tell us about them."
"How are they? Are they well?"
"Did you talk to them? What did they say?"
"Did you see all three of them? Are they all together?"
Jaeger raised his voice over them all. "Hush, hush!" he said. "Let Kiacyl speak." Then to Kiacyl he said, "Please don't leave. We would very much appreciate it if you would sit back down and tell us all that you can about them. You see, we've been without any news of them since we arrived here, though we have tried to find out about them. Your people won't tell us anything. If you can give us any news at all, we'd be exceedingly grateful."
Kiacyl had started back when Wysire touched him, but he then paused, feeling rather overwhelmed by the response of all of the boys. Their faces certainly expressed a lot of emotion now! Slowly he sat down in his usual chair.
"Well," he began uncertainly, "which question should I answer first?"
Several of the boys started to speak again, but again Jaeger interrupted them.
"I think that it would be best if you just start from the beginning and tell us everything, if you don't mind. That way most of the questions will be answered."
The other boys nodded in agreement, and all eyes were again fixed on Kiacyl.
Kiacyl cleared his throat a little nervously and began. "Well, I went to the holding cells tonight shortly after leaving my workplace. I did see all three of them, but I saw each separately; they're not all together. I suppose that I've been with them for nearly half an hour. The first one that I met was very unresponsive. He was lying on his cot, staring at the ceiling, the entire time. He wouldn't look at me or talk to me. He reminded me a lot of Djaisiuk. It wasn't like I was bothering him by talking to him; it was more like he either didn't want to talk to me or like there was something wrong. He didn't move at all while I was there."
"Creole is most like Djaisiuk," said Sandy.
"Yes, and he'd be the one most likely to ignore you too, I'd say," agreed Jade. "Was he a strong chap with blond hair? About seventeen years old?"
"No, his hair was red, and he looked to be about my age," Kiacyl answered, and would have continued but was again interrupted by exclamations.
"Faquire?!"
"No! He's not like that!"
"Faquire's not quiet or withdrawn!"
"What else have they done to him?!"
This last exclamation was from Eriane who looked very distraught, but Jaeger once more called for silence and asked Kiacyl to please continue.
"I tried to talk to him," Kiacyl continued, "but, as I said, he wouldn't even look at me. I finally left and went to the next room."
"Poor Faquire," murmured Sandy. "I wish we could go to him."
"Well, the next was not at all like the first," Kiacyl quickly assured him. "He was up and active. I found him pacing the room. But when I tried to speak with him, he was very aggressive; he really wouldn't tell me anything about how he was. I didn't stay with him very long."
"I wouldn't have described any of those three as aggressive," said Jade. "Though I could see how Faquire might be so; he gets very emotional at times. I suppose Creole could be too, if he wanted to be, only not as much so. Did he have blond hair?"
"I don't remember what color his hair was," Kiacyl answered, "But he did look older than the first one, and he had dark blue eyes. He was a little taller than me and looked very strong."
"That describes both of them," said Eriane. "Creole and Christopher both have blue eyes, are strong, and they're both about the same age and height. But Creole has blond hair, and Christopher has black."
"Creole's skin is tan too," said Cycil, "but Christopher's is pale. That's another way that you can tell them apart."
Kiacyl put in quickly. "I do remember that. And his skin was very pale too, even more so than a Vukasovian's skin. I thought that he was sick or that it was the result of some treatment done to him."
"That's Christopher," said Jaeger, nodding. "And no, that skin color is natural for him, strange as it must seem in a Komislavian. So then the second one must have been Creole. But please continue."
"As I said, he wasn't friendly," continued Kiacyl. "He was quite hostile really. To be honest, I found it rather amusing. I think that I upset him though, because he finally laid down on his cot and wouldn't say anything else. So then I went on to see the third. He was asleep at first, but he woke up just after I entered. I spoke with him for a short time but didn't learn much from him either. He was very strange."
"Strange how?" asked Eriane. "Did he seem like there was something wrong with him too?"
"Yes," Kiacyl stated decisively. "I would say that it definitely seemed like there was something wrong with his mental faculties, but I would have to admit that I don't know if his behavior was just what's normal for a Komislavian. He seemed very strange to me, but he might have been perfectly normal to you."
"What specifically struck you as strange?" asked Jaeger.
"Well, he said that he doesn't lie and seemed quite nonchalant about it," replied Kiacyl. "Then he seemed rather worried that he might have offended me when he suggested that I might have been lying. His whole manner seemed more fitting of a Londarian with how cringing it was at first, but his words and bearing did seem more like some of you. And he did straighten up and act a little more sure of himself by the end, although I can't guess what caused the change. At one point, I thought that he was trying to act defiant, but then I couldn't decide what to think. I would certainly have to label him an enigma."
"So was it his actions or his words that you thought strange?" asked Wysire.
"Both," answered Kiacyl. "His words didn't always make sense to me, but his whole manner too was contradictory. At first he looked upset because he thought that I was a medic there to do some tests, but then when I explained that I wasn't, he immediately became very suspicious of me. After I'd talked to him for a little bit and started to get frustrated, suddenly he relaxed and spoke almost casually, though not for long. After that, he became very quiet and really wouldn't say much at all."
"Did he look well?" asked Eriane. "Other than being very pale?"
"He looked at first as though he was in pain," Kiacyl admitted, "but once we started talking, he didn't show the pain anymore."
"What did he say?" asked Cycil. "Will you tell us everything?"
Kiacyl thought hard for a moment. "He really didn't say that much, now that I think about it. As I said earlier, he thought at first that I was a medic, and asked if we couldn't leave him alone for just a few hours. I told him that I wasn't a medic, and he then became very suspicious of me and just kept asking what I wanted. When I finally made it clear to him that I was there to learn about your race, he said that he wasn't the best one to talk to about that. He wouldn't recommend anyone in particular, but he suggested all of you in general. He said that he hoped that I was lying about all of you working for us willingly, but then immediately apologized for having suggested that I was lying. I said that he was as likely to lie to me as I was to him, and he said that he didn't tell lies. After that he would say only 'yes,' 'no,' and 'I don't want to talk about it,' in answer to my questions. So I left and came here."
The boys were silent for a moment, seeming to be trying to process all of this. Most looked unhappy; some very much so. Finally Detrin spoke again.
"You didn't say much about Creole," he said softly.
"Yes, that's right," said Eriane. "Except that you said that he was aggressive. Do you mean physically or verbally?"
"Oh, it was verbal, not physical," Kiacyl assured him with half a smile. "I tried to provoke him a to physical reaction, but he refused. He struck me as a little strange too."
"You tried to provoke Creole?" asked Jade incredulously. "He could have killed you, if he had wanted to do so, unless you're a great deal stronger than you look. He's as powerful as a bull and just as stubborn."
"I knew that he wouldn't hurt me," replied Kiacyl. "I'm a Vukasovian, and I'm sure that he would know better than to really try anything. And if he had, I could have just called for the guard."
"Then why did you try it?" asked Detrin.
Kiacyl drew himself up a little, feeling as though he ought to be offended by Detrin's tone of voice. "He provoked me," he replied. "He insulted me."
"How?" asked Jaeger.
"He treated me as though I was below him," said Kiacyl. "And I don't take that from anyone, least of all a Komislavian."
Kiacyl cut off rather abruptly and looked a little uncomfortable. He hadn't meant to insult them, but he wasn't about to withdraw his statement either. Most of the boys didn't look offended, but they looked as though they were trying to hide their real opinions of his statement. Sandy and Cycil looked uncomfortable too, more as if they were hurt by Kiacyl's statement than offended.
"What exactly did he say?" asked Wysire in his customarily soft voice.
"He said a lot of things," answered Kiacyl evasively. "It was more his attitude than his words, most of the time."
"Did he say how they'd been treating him?" asked Eriane.
"No," said Kiacyl.
"Can you tell us what he did say?" asked Cycil.
Kiacyl was quiet for a moment, considering. He didn't want to repeat all that Creole had said, but he did still wonder what the other boys would say on that subject. He might as well tell them, he thought. At least then he'd have an idea, judging from their reactions, as to whether or not they agreed with what Creole had said. He swallowed once and raised his chin.
"He said that all Vukasovians were self-centered, cowardly dogs who use their larger numbers to justify their thinking themselves great," he said all in one breath. "He said that Vukasovians want to rule the world and to make all of the other races their 'pets' to study at will. Then he said that he, for one, wasn't going to put up with it, and he ordered me out."
Kiacyl was very surprised when most of the boys suddenly burst into laughter. Jade actually clapped his hands.
"Bravo, Creole!" Jaeger exclaimed.
"Oh, he'll tell them what he thinks, indeed," laughed Jade, "and I hope that they hear it."
"Yes, that's definitely Creole," smiled Leil.
"Good for him!" said Sandy.
"He is obviously still well," said Eriane. "At least mentally well."
"I wish that I had that kind of courage," put in Cycil admiringly.
Now it was Kiacyl's turn to stare at them all in stunned silence. Did they all agree so strongly with what the boy had said? Was this how they felt as well? But they had all been so friendly, so unassuming. Never once had any of them insulted him intentionally or said anything so horrid about his race in general, but neither had they seemed deceitful, as if they were hiding their true opinion of him and his race. Had he indeed been playing the fool, deceived by their open expressions? Apparently there was still a lot more to this race than he had yet learned.
Jaeger was the first to notice Kiacyl's amazed look.
"Please don't take offense," said Jaeger quickly. "I'm afraid that we have become so accustomed to your being with us that we speak openly in front of you without thinking first. I can understand how you, as a Vukasovian, might be upset with . . . that kind of talk, but understand that we refer to your race in general and not you in particular."
"Oh, Kiacyl, you're not like that!" said Sandy. "At least . . . not most of the time. I mean . . . ." He trailed off, not knowing how to finish.
It was now the boys' turn to look uncomfortable. None were going to take back their agreement with what Creole had said, but none seemed to want to hurt Kiacyl either.
"I didn't know that you all felt like this," said Kiacyl at last. "You've certainly never given me any indication of it before now. Does your whole race hate Vukasovians then?"
"No, we don't hate them," Wysire quickly assured him. "Truth be told, most Komislavians pity your race."
"Pity us?!" exclaimed Kiacyl, in disbelief. "Why?"
"Because you don't know Christ," answered Detrin.
Kiacyl frowned at him. "What is that supposed to mean?" he asked.
"Our race has been blessed," said Wysire. "We have dedicated ourselves to seeking after God and to raising up each generation after us in the same way. Our parents and grandparents were very firmly dedicated to this. And the Lord has blessed us for it."
"Vukasovians don't have the love of God in them," said Sandy. "Or at least none that I've ever met. Are there any Vukasovian Christians as far you know, Kiacyl?"
"If you mean followers of your religion," answered Kiacyl scornfully, "then no, I would say that there are certainly not. Vukasovians are not bound by any superstitions whatsoever."
"They are bound up by lies," said Jaeger.
"Our race is so much stronger and more powerful than yours," argued Kiacyl. "We ought to be the ones to pity you."
"You may seem stronger as a race, but you are not as individuals," answered Wysire. "Vukasovians suppress emotions. This does enable them to advance better at times in a military sense, but it destroys them in a personal sense. There is no longer a simple joy of life with them. The only pleasure that they seem to find is in conquest."
"You seem to forget again that I'm one of 'them'," said Kiacyl, "and from my own experience as well as what I know of my people, I would strongly disagree with you."
"Kiacyl," said Detrin quietly. "Are you happy in life?"
Kiacyl frowned at him, half-annoyed, half-confused. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said. "I'm not happy at the moment, no, because I'm trying to understand what you all are saying."
"Do you find joy in life itself?" asked Eriane.
Again, Kiacyl looked confused and upset. These were not questions that it was proper to ask on Vukosava. No Vukasovian would ask another something like this unless he wanted to be thought insane. Kiacyl shook his head in frustration.
"I don't know what you mean," he lied.
Wysire nodded. "That is precisely what we mean," he said. "You, as a Vukasovian, have been taught to ignore or to suppress all emotions but those that assist the goals of your race. Simple joy in life is one of those emotions that your race does not have."
"'Simple joy', as you put it, is a weakness," retorted Kiacyl. "It's the emotions of your race that make you all so easy to control."
Leil and Jade frowned darkly at this, but Wysire only smiled and Jaeger laughed.
"Say rather," said Jaeger, "that our emotions -- or rather still our faith in God -- keep us alive wherever we're put. We know how to be content in our circumstances without necessarily being content with our circumstances. Can you imagine a Vukasovian living in captivity?"
"No," Kiacyl replied without hesitation. "Why would he want to do so?"
"Because life is worth living," answered Wysire. "It is the Hope within us -- what you Vukasovians call the 'emotions' or the religion of our race -- that makes us strong. Here we are in an incredibly difficult situation, and yet we are able to continue. I agree with you in this: I don't believe that any normal Vukasovian would survive in like circumstances and yet maintain his sanity."
Kiacyl considered for a moment, trying hard to grasp what was being said, while at the same time still trying to swallow his annoyance at apparently being rebuked by a group of Komislavians.
"If what you say is true," he began slowly, "then how do you explain the one you call Faquire? He seemed to have no 'joy of life' in him, though he was certainly still alive."
The boys were silent for a moment and looked at one another, none seeming sure of how to answer.
"That is why we were so concerned," said Wysire at last. "Faquire ought not to be like that. It's not natural. Something, or some number of things must have happened or have been done in order to him to make him like that."
Here Eriane clenched his fist, and Jaeger and Jade looked thunderous.
"If I knew what they had done," said Jaeger, "and who was responsible . . ." He trailed off into silence.
"Then none of us would blame you for whatever action you chose to take," Jade finished.
"There is something else that I don't understand," said Kiacyl to Jaeger. "How can you jump from one emotion to another so quickly? A moment ago you were laughing. Now you're angry. Will you be laughing again in another moment?"
"Not if I keep thinking about Faquire," answered Jaeger. "How would you feel if your brother was being held prisoner and mistreated and there was nothing that you could do about it?"
"I don't have a brother, as far as I know," said Kiacyl.
"It's a hypothetical question," said Jaeger. "Imagine that you did have a brother, or imagine that it was a close friend."
"I haven't any 'friends' either."
"Do you have anyone for whom you care?" Jaeger asked with a hint of frustration in his voice.
Kiacyl look furtive for the briefest moment, then replied, "Caring for someone leaves one open to manipulation."
Jaeger sighed and shook his head. "Yes, I forgot. You're a Vukasovian. I should have known that you'd say something like that. Forget the analogy; I suppose that you can't understand our feelings if you've never experienced anything similar."
"I'd like to understand you," said Kiacyl. "I'm trying to understand you now, but to me your feelings do not make sense."
"That's because your race prefers to feel none at all," said Cycil quietly.
Kiacyl shrugged. "It's one of the things that makes us strong."
"No," said Eriane. "It makes your culture weak, because no one will stand up for anyone else. Everyone fights, but everyone fights alone."
Kiacyl looked appalled at this last statement. "That's not true!' he snapped. "All Vukasovians fight for the same things. We've always fought together."
"Kiacyl, would you ever give your own life for another Vukasovian?" asked Wysire.
"Do you mean die for him?" Kiacyl asked. "No, probably not. Why should I?"
"Yes, Wysire, why should he?" asked Jaeger, half sarcastically. "He said himself that he has no close friends and he doesn't have any brothers, as far as he knows. Who is there for whom he could give his life?"
Wysire frowned at Jaeger but did not answer.
"Are you mocking me?" Kiacyl asked Jaeger.
"No, not at all," Jaeger answered, speaking seriously now. "Actually, I'm very much hoping that you'll contradict me. I'd like nothing better right now than to hear you say that there exists anyone in this universe for whom you care at all."
"You want to think that I'm like a Komislavian," accused Kiacyl.
"I want to think that you're remotely human," retorted Jaeger.
"Jaeger!" Wysire exclaimed.
"I'm sorry!" Jaeger exclaimed in true repentance. "I didn't mean to say that." He sighed. "Look, I should probably just bow out of this conversation. I can't seem to add anything constructive to it. If you truly want to learn about our race, Wysire is the real expert."
"I do think that I'm learning something from you," said Kiacyl, looking at Jaeger strangely with the slightest hint of a sneer playing about the corners of his mouth. "It would seem that our races can be similar when tempers are aroused."
Jaeger returned the gaze silently for a moment. The other boys began to grow immediately uncomfortable at the obvious tension building in the air, but Kiacyl held Jaeger's gaze unflinchingly. His expression was now touched with both defiance and sarcasm.
"If you're trying to arouse mine now," said Jaeger at last, his voice quiet but firm, "then you're certainly going about it in the right way."
"Yes, actually I was," Kiacyl answered honestly. "I find it fascinating to think that you consider it a compliment to compare me to Komislavians, and yet you get offended if I compare you to the Vukasovians. With your looks, you could never pass for one, but I think that your temper and sarcasm, if properly used, could get you close to being accepted in Vukasovian culture, at least among the near-sighted."
Jaeger held Kiacyl's eye for a moment or two longer without speaking. He no longer looked angry, though it would be difficult to say what emotions he was feeling just then. After a brief moment, he turned away and quietly asked Jade an unrelated question. Jade answered, and the two became engaged in a quiet conversation of their own.
"May I ask you a question, trying to understand your race a bit?" Sandy asked, turning to Kiacyl.
"Yes, of course," Kiacyl answered. "I may not answer, but you may certainly ask."
"You say that you don't have any brothers 'as far as you know,'" said Sandy. "How is that possible? I mean, how is it possible that you don't know whether or not you have any?"
"I'm my father's first-born," answered Kiacyl, "but I don't know whether he might have any younger sons, because he has never told me. I really don't think that he does, but in order to be perfectly honest, I have to admit that he might. I suppose that your morals are rubbing off on me." He gave a sarcastic half-smile as he said the last statement.
Sandy looked very confused at Kiacyl's explanation. "Don't you live with your mother and father?" he asked.
"Of course not," answered Kiacyl, seeming offended at such a question. "I've never seen my mother, and my father has his work to do."
"Did your mother die?" asked Cycil quietly.
"I don't know," shrugged Kiacyl. "Probably not, considering the fact that I was, from birth, both strong and healthy. And I was natural, at that!"
Kiacyl smiled proudly at this, but the other boys only looked at him, thoroughly confused by this last statement. Jaeger and Jade seemed to have just finished their own short discussion and now sat quietly listening to the ongoing conversation.
"I wasn't enhanced," said Kiacyl, seeing their confusion and trying to explain himself. "I was natural, but I was still strong."
Most of the boys still looked confused, and Kiacyl started to look frustrated at not being able to make himself understood. Then an idea seemed suddenly to strike Eriane.
"You mean that you weren't genetically engineered at conception, don't you?" he said.
"Yes!" Kiacyl exclaimed, glad that at least one of them understood. "It's very rare now to find any who have been born naturally, and those that are so are almost never as intelligent as I am. Generally they're good for nothing but physical labor. That makes me all the more valuable, of course." Again he looked very proud of himself.
Sandy and Cycil shuddered visibly, and several of the others looked disgusted though they tried to hide it.
"You'll have to excuse our slowness in understanding you," said Eriane. "None of our race is genetically enhanced before birth unless there is seen to be a defect in the unborn baby. Even then, genetic manipulation is purely optional and generally not desired."
Sandy shook his head. "I can't imagine what it would be like to be 'programmed' like a computer."
"That must be why the members of your IC School are considered so valuable," said Kiacyl. "To be that intelligent without enhancement is very rare and valuable indeed."
Wysire laughed a little. "It is rare, I admit, but we're not considered any more valuable than any other member of our race," he said. "At least not on our own planet. We just have different functions than most of the other boys our age."
"Intelligence isn't valued among the Komislavians?" asked Kiacyl.
"Oh, it's certainly valued," said Eriane, "but not in the sense that it makes the person of any greater worth in a general sense than any other person. As Wysire said, it only makes us better able to perform the functions that the IC school requires of us."
"But what does that have to do with your siblings?" persisted Sandy, turning to Kiacyl again. "I don't know anyone who doesn't have brothers or sisters. I come from a very small family by Komislavian standards, because I have only one brother and one sister. I can't imagine not having any siblings."
"You do know someone with fewer," said Jade. "Jaeger was an only child."
"Was," said Jaeger. "I'm not anymore."
"But that doesn't really count," said Sandy. "In your case, Jaeger, it wasn't natural."
"How long were you an only child, Jaeger?" asked Cycil. "It was a long time, wasn't it?"
"I was twelve when my father remarried," said Jaeger, "so yes, I suppose that it was a rather long time." To Kiacyl he explained, "My mother died when I was young, so I was an only child for some time, but that is very unusual in our culture."
"But you say that you don't know if you have any brothers, Kiacyl?" asked Sandy. "Do you know if you have any sisters?"
"No, I know that I don't have any sisters," said Kiacyl, shaking his head in disgust. "None of us do. I might have a younger brother, I suppose, but I don't think that I do. I may have a very young brother whom I just haven't met yet, but he'd have to be less than three or four years of age. As I said, my father hasn't said that I do, so I really don't know. I think that he'd tell me if I did."
"But," Sandy began, confused again, "how could you not know whether or not you have siblings?"
"My father hasn't told me," Kiacyl repeated, again getting frustrated at not being able to make himself understood. "I suppose that I could ask if I do, or someone else might tell me if they knew, but really my father will tell me, if he wants me to know. What difference does it make to me anyway?"
Sandy and Cycil looked at each other, both confused.
"But why would he have to tell you?" asked Cycil. "Wouldn't you know if you had any younger siblings?"
"How would I know if he didn't tell me?!" Kiacyl demanded, throwing up his hands in obvious frustration. "And how is it that you are all called geniuses and yet can't understand something so simple?"
"May I try to clarify things?" interrupted Wysire. "In the Komislavian culture, the children live with their parents until they marry, generally between the ages of fourteen and seventeen. The students of the IC School are exceptions to this, of course, but we're a very small percentage of our people, and we still each visit our homes as often as we can. In the ordinary family, if there are younger siblings born, the older ones know as soon as and really before the younger ones are born, because they see their mother pregnant. After the child's birth, the older ones often help in raising their younger brother or sister. You can see how it is, therefore, not really possible for a Komislavian boy or girl to have siblings, unless they are very much older or younger, whom they have never met. And even if they had never met them, they'd hear about them from their other siblings or family."
Kiacyl nodded in partial understanding, though his expression showed plainly that he thought this a very strange way of life. "I see," he said. "So the father or mother lives with all of the children together while the children are young."
"The father and mother," Sandy corrected. "They both live together once they get married."
"How is that possible?" asked Kiacyl. "Doesn't the father have to work?"
"Yes, but he works on his farm," said Detrin. "Komislavians are, for the most part, an agricultural society, you know. The whole family works the farm together: father, mother, and children. When the sons marry, they often stay on their parents' farm and continue to work there, though they'll build their own house. It's not uncommon to have up to three or four generations working on one farm. My brothers work with my father on my great-grandfather's farm."
"That's very strange," said Kiacyl.
"Don't you live with your father?" asked Sandy.
Kiacyl shook his head. "No, I don't," he said. "I see him occasionally, but I live with other boys of the facility."
"Might any of them be your brothers?" asked Sandy.
"No, no, definitely not," Kiacyl assured him. "As I said, I'm my father's first, and I know that he doesn't have any more near my age. If he does have another son, then he's still very young. I doubt that I have any brothers, but there's really no way to be sure unless I ask him."
"Why don't you ask him?" asked Cycil.
Kiacyl shrugged. "I suppose that I could, although I don't see that it would matter. What difference would it make, after all, if I had any brothers?"
"I'd want to know, if it were me," said Leil quietly.
"I can't imagine not having any brothers," said Detrin.
"I can't imagine not having any sisters," laughed Jade. "I haven't any brothers, so I know what that's like, but no sisters? I really can't imagine."
"Why would your father want daughters if he could have sons?" asked Kiacyl. "I should think that he'd want sons all the more if he works on a farm."
"Well, as Eriane said, we generally don't use pre-birth genetic manipulation," answered Jade, "so he really couldn't choose one over the other even if he wanted to do so. Besides, my father was more than happy to have daughters, and, having been spoiled all my life by four sisters, I can understand this." Jade smiled broadly.
Kiacyl looked disgusted at this, but he said nothing.
"If no one minds, I think that we may want to stop this conversation now before it gets any deeper," said Jaeger. "It's getting late, and we may want to have devotions now while we still may."
This suggestion was accepted all around, though Kiacyl did not express an opinion. He had, by this time, grown accustomed to their evening ritual of study and prayer, and he didn't mind staying and observing, although he never participated. Sandy handed his Bible to Detrin and then shared one with Cycil; Eriane shared his with Wysire, and Jade shared his with Jaeger. Kiacyl didn't care to have one, though he didn't mind listening to the boys' devotions, feeling that he was gaining more information on their race through their beliefs. Cycil had always offered to share his own Bible with Kiacyl, but Kiacyl had always declined.
That night, when at last the boys dispersed to seek their own chambers for the night, Wysire followed Kiacyl and caught up with him after they had left the eating room.
"Kiacyl," he called. "May I speak with you?"
Kiacyl stopped, surprised at being followed. "Wysire, you shouldn't be coming this way," he said. He glanced around the hall to make sure that no one was around. "It's nearly time to retire, and this area won't be safe for you."
"I just wanted to speak with you," said Wysire, looking surprised. "Is that not permitted?"
"It's permitted, but it isn't safe," answered Kiacyl. "At least not near the sleeping quarters at this time of the evening. Let's walk back this way."
Kiacyl led Wysire back toward the eating room. "What was it you wanted?" he asked.
"I just wanted to ask whether you are able to visit Creole, Christopher, and Faquire whenever you like," replied Wysire.
Kiacyl shrugged. "Yes, so long as I am not forbidden, and so long as it doesn't interfere with my work."
"Would it be possible for you to take me with you?"
Kiacyl stopped and frowned slightly. "I don't know. Have you ever asked for permission to go to them?"
"Yes, once," Wysire nodded. "I asked my supervisor about it some time ago, but he said that he didn't know where they were being held. I assume that you know where they are if you've been to see them. I thought that perhaps if I could accompany you, I might be allowed to see them too."
Kiacyl considered. Might there be some reason that Wysire's supervisor had not given him permission to see the boys? It would have been very simple for the supervisor to find the information, had he desired it. And, if there had been some reason for the denial, might Kiacyl then be in danger of disapproval if he were to take Wysire to see them?
It would likely be enlightening to see the boys in the company of Wysire, Kiacyl thought. Wysire was the one whom they called a "counselor." It would be interesting to hear what he might say to those three boys. Would he talk about the "simple joy of life" to those suffering confinement? Kiacyl liked the idea of going with him very much. Still, there was risk involved. He would have to give the matter thought.
"Perhaps," said Kiacyl noncommittally. "I'll have to think about it. Ask me again in a few nights."
Wysire looked disheartened, but nodded. "Alright," he said. "Thank you for agreeing to consider it. I'll remind you again later."
"Just don't come to the sleeping rooms of the workers to do so," smiled Kiacyl. "Don't forget your race. I'm sure you've noticed that I'm the only Vukasovian who'll speak with all of you outside of your work."
"Would it really be dangerous for me to simply walk down that hall?" asked Wysire, looking at him with more than a touch of incredulity.
"Yes," stated Kiacyl emphatically. "At this time of day, yes, it would. In the middle of the workday when everyone is working, or in the middle of the night when everyone is asleep, then no one would care, so long as you just walked through and didn't stop or go into any of the rooms. But right now, when all of the workers are there and awake, it wouldn't be safe. They might not kill you, seeing how valuable the authorities consider you, but you wouldn't want to take that chance. You certainly wouldn't get out uninjured."
"Not even if I was with you?"
Kiacyl gave a scornful chuckle. "I've already told you that I wouldn't risk my life for another Vukasovian," he scoffed. "What makes you think that I'd risk it for you?" He shook his head. "I wouldn't even try to defend you."
Wysire again looked at him in surprise, but he said nothing. Kiacyl simply shrugged and continued.
"Look, it's getting late, and I need to get to bed," he said. "I can explain it all to you sometime, if you like, but for now it would just be best for all of you to keep to your own sections and the public eating rooms. There's a reason that they've given all of you your own rooms; no Vukasovian of your age would have that."
Wysire nodded, obviously not understanding this but content to wait until what time as Kiacyl could or would explain further. He again thanked Kiacyl for his time and turned and left.
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