As Koran spoke, it looked as if he were in pain, mentally and emotionally. Katie was about to tell him he didn’t have to say anything if he was uncomfortable, but he went on.
“My ship was destroyed. They took me hostage on their ship. I put up a fight, which they didn’t like, so they sent me down to their brig. Their Captain gave me a death sentence the second he saw me. There was a moment where they had me up on deck, to clean their masts, and I saw my father. He only told me to look after you and keep you safe, no matter what. From then on I didn’t see him until the day of my execution, and that was the last time I would see him.”
Katie stared at him. So did Tyson. She should have known that Koran was the name of Cyrus’ son. They didn’t look very much alike; Cyrus had white, pale skin and Koran’s was an olive color.
“From there you know the rest,” Koran said. “That’s when you got to the man who killed him before I could.” Katie almost felt guilty from the way Koran spoke, but truthfully felt guilty because she felt responsible for Cyrus’ death.
“I mean, I’m glad you did,” Koran went on. “He would have killed me too.”
Katie nodded. Visions of the action raced through her mind. It scared her, seeing what she was capable of. She felt as if she had become a very different person in just a short time; half proud of how strong she had become, and angry as to why it had to be.
“And now we’re here,” Tantor said, feeling left out of the conversation.
Katie didn’t know what else to say. Sorry? He was a good friend?
Tyson stayed equally silent, his surprise still faintly etched across his face. Koran continued to stroke the fire, deep in thought and lost in sorrow. When no one responded to Tantor, he began making grunting noises and small growls, which Katie wasn’t sure whether that was his stomach or something else.
“I’m sorry about your father,” Katie said, even though her mind told her not to at least ten times. She hadn’t yet dealt with her own feelings of loss for the man who had been a father figure and guide in this strange world.
“He was a good man,” Tyson inputted, saving Katie from her own embarrassment.
“Thank you,” Koran said. “Years ago he told me that there would be a day where I wouldn’t have him in my life anymore, that that was the way it had to be, and nothing could change it. He told me to keep moving on, and hopefully, things would start to make sense.”
Katie stared at Koran. While he didn’t share any physical similarities with his father, Koran did share the presence of authority and safety that his father had, which make Katie feel better. They weren’t alone, even with Cyrus gone.
“I know that we must head to Oasi and warn the council of the imminent attack. They must be protected,” said Koran.
“And Nayara must be stopped. She intends to break into Colinth Mountain and unleash some sort of creature from deep within it,” said Katie.
“How far are we from the city?” Tyson asked. His voice was so sudden Katie jumped slightly, almost as if she had forgotten he was there. She noticed Tantor was also there, who she had forgotten was there. Tyson looked suspiciously at Katie, which made her feel oddly guilty, but he didn’t say anything.
“Well, though a journey on the Pillars of Dusk is always the worst, we seem to have been placed in the most ideal location,” Koran answered. “We’re going to go through this thicket of trees that separate the beach from the Equire Plains. We’ll cross the Plains and soon reach the Fountain of Chance; that’s how we’ll know we are headed in the right direction. From there we won’t have far to go.”
“How long will it take?” Tyson asked.
Koran shrugged. “Just a day, maybe two if we take our time.”
“Well, we don’t have time,” Katie said. “Let’s get going now.”
Katie started to get up but Koran, who was sitting facing her, grabbed her wrist and gave her a look that stopped her in her tracks.
“We’re going to rest for tonight,” he said. “We can leave early tomorrow morning.”
“What if Nayara reaches Oasi first?” Katie asked.
“Then we’d better hope they’re ready,” Koran said gravely. “But we won’t be much help to them exhausted, and the chances of Nayara reaching Oasi tomorrow is slim. We don’t know where she is located, but I highly doubt she would have built her kingdom anywhere near Oasi.”
Katie nodded and sat down. Another bout of silence fell between them. After wondering for a while about Koran and his life story, where he lived, traveled, and his family, she felt brave enough to ask.
“When did you last see your mom?”
Koran looked up at her, almost with sad eyes you might see in a desperate pup. He took a few seconds to answer and looked back down. “When I was about two. She died shortly after my sister’s birth.”
“I’m sorry,” Katie said in a small voice. She felt sad that his whole family was gone, except his sister.
“Don’t be,” Koran said. “It isn’t your fault, or my sister’s. It’s just the way it is. Also, it isn’t like I have much time to feel sad about it, and when I do, I can’t because I barely knew her.”
Katie felt, if anything, worse. Part
