Airie

Wiping his damp hair with a cloth, Dusan walked over to the window. His room was small, only containing a bed, a chair, a small table, and a couple of shelves on which he kept his few possessions. When his father had been alive, there had also been another bed, but Dusan had given it away when the old man had passed.

He had enjoyed swimming in the river with the others, but now, back home and alone, his heart was heavy again. Outside, the village continued with its sleepy afternoon routine. He could see the forest over the roofs of the low wood and clay houses, the dark green wall hiding them from the sea and from the pirates’ ship awaiting there.

The third scout had been caught before he’d reached his people, yet the ship still lingered. The men Borwin had sent to spy on it reported to him every morning. Were the pirates still hoping their scouts would return? What would they do when they realized that it wasn’t going to happen—leave, or send another, bigger, better armed search party?

The uncertainty weighed heavily on everyone. The cooking fires had been forbidden for days, to prevent the enemy from finding out their position. Having to eat only fruits and vegetables instead of their usual menu of meat and griddle cakes also contributed to everyone’s sour mood.

With a sigh, Dusan turned away from the window, and jumped in surprise, dropping the damp cloth.

In front of the table, leaning on it, stood Reijo.

He wore seemingly the same outfit in which Dusan had seen him before—a tunic that reached half-way to his knees, breeches of the same pale color, and soft-looking shoes of a kind that Dusan had never seen on anyone else. Against himself, he wondered if Shayne had other clothes, too, or only possessed one outfit, going naked while it was being washed. Did airies even do laundry, like regular humans? Reijo had mentioned that he lived alone, so he didn’t have a mother or a wife to do the washing and the cooking for him. Maybe airies didn’t need to wash? Did they even sweat?

“Hello,” Reijo said.

Dusan’s thoughts shifted from the useless topics of garments and sweating to the more relevant puzzle of Reijo’s presence in his room. There wasn’t much activity in the village at this midday hour, but there were still some people outside. Dogs, too, that were supposed to raise an alarm if an intruder showed up. Dusan hadn’t heard any of them bark.

“How did you get here?”

Reijo shrugged. “The door was open.”

“Yes, but how come nobody saw you?”

“Your people are generally unobservant.”

Dusan hummed. During the days that had passed since their encounter in the cave, he had begun to suspect that Reijo’s promise had been a lie, and that he would never see the airie again.

“What do you want?” Dusan said.

“To speak to you in private,” Reijo said with a shrug. “You’re constantly surrounded by your peers. It’s like you people are afraid to go anywhere alone.”

“The world is safer for those who stick together.”

Reijo snorted. “Anyway… we had a deal, and I hate unfinished businesses. How can I repay you for your service?”

Dusan suppressed a chuckle. If Reijo saw Dusan’s sparing his life in the cave as a ‘service’, he wasn’t going to argue, but the definition amused him.

“I haven’t decided yet,” Dusan said.

“I could arrange a rain for your crops or something like that.”

“It’s been raining just fine this summer.”

“Would you like a cooler weather for a while?”

“No, I enjoy the heat.”

“Seriously?” Reijo let out an exasperated sigh.

Dusan watched him curiously. Not only did he not know what to do with the wish that Reijo owed him, he also felt reluctant to use it. The moment the debt between them was settled, Dusan was pretty sure that Reijo would disappear for good, and Dusan still hoped to learn more about him.

Perhaps he could use his wish for that? He could ask Reijo to tell him—or even show him—where airies lived, what made them so special, where did they come from, why were they so different yet so similar to the regular humans. They couldn’t be a completely different species, after all. They looked too much like humans—except that they also had those fascinating air-managing abilities.

On the other hand, using his wish just to satisfy his curiosity felt wasteful. There wouldn’t be anything he could do with that information. Before Reijo had showed up, airies hadn’t been spotted for ages. They weren’t a threat or a nuisance anymore, the way they had been in older times. There was no practical reason to learn more about them.

“Perhaps,” Reijo said musingly, “you would like to use your wish to receive a once-in-a-lifetime experience?”

Dusan frowned. “What kind of experience?”

Reijo shot him a sideways glance. “We possess a special touch that I might be willing to use on you.”

“Oh, I’ve touched you plenty in the cave.” Dusan’s fingers twitched, remembering the feel of Reijo’s thin wrist in his grip.

“If you’re thinking about your attempt to break my arm, that’s not what I’m talking about.”

“What are you talking about?”

“When we want to please each other,” Reijo said, “we use a special kind of touch. It’s pleasant for us, and it would be even more so for a human. Your kind likes to chase pleasures, and that would be one you’ll never forget.”

“Do you offer,” Dusan said, slowly, “to sleep with me?”

“What? No!” Reijo eyes opened wide, then turned into slits as he threw his head back, laughing. “Your ridiculous ritual for procreation? Of course not!”

“Well, it obviously wouldn’t be for procreation if you and I did it,” Dusan said grudgingly. “Two men can’t have a child together, but they might lie with one another for pleasure. Anyway, I wasn’t interested in doing that with you. I only wanted to say that if that’s what you’re offering, I’m not interested.”

“In such case, our interests align, for I couldn’t imagine being with you in that way.” Reijo shook his head, wiping the tears from his eyes. “I would never do that.”

“You’ve made that perfectly clear,” Dusan said dryly. “Continue.”

“I can only say that if I, for example, held your hand for a minute—in my special way—it would have brought you more pleasure than any woman or man ever could.” Reijo looked at him, a shadow of a smile lingering in the corners of his mouth. He had nicely shaped lips that momentarily made Dusan wonder if hands-holding could possibly be substituted for kissing. Then, he pushed those thoughts away, appalled that he had even considered that for a second. To waste his wish on a kiss?

“I’m not interested,” he said. “You don’t think me stupid, do you?”

Reijo’s smile widened. “I do, actually—but that’s not personal. Your kind’s intellect if generally limited. It’s not your fault.”

“So we’re back to offences? I thought you liked me for a moment, offering to hold hands and all that.”

“I never liked you.” Reijo stood straighter, pushing himself off the table. “I only wanted to have this debt settled—but if you wish for it to drag on, it’s fine with me. Just let me know when you have decided on what to spend that precious wish of yours.”

“How will I let you know?” Dusan said, watching him walk towards the door.

“Oh, I’ll know,” Reijo said. “Just call for me, and I’ll know.”

He threw the door open, leaving Dusan momentarily blinded by the bright daylight bursting in. When he finally managed to blink his eyes open, the door still stood ajar, but Reijo was gone.

Dusan crossed the room and peeked outside. The dirt road between the houses was empty save for a few children playing in the dust and a pig that lay asleep nearby. Dusan looked right and left, but Reijo was nowhere to be seen.

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