A Warrior on a Harsh World: Part 11
Where Kandi loses her brother and finds a family
A Warrior on a Harsh World is a story resurrected from our archives. It’s a prequel to The Lyra Cycle, telling the tale of how Kandi — Kandira Sakherani, dutiful daughter, promising soldier — ended up joining the ragtag crew of the Lyra. If you’re just joining us, hop back to part 1.
Kandi slammed her hand into the door of the Sister’s hospice, leaving a bloody handprint on the glass.
“There’s a buzzer.” Lorca pointed at a pulsating square.
She glared at him then slumped with her back against the wall, looking out the way they’d come. Pilhadi hadn’t followed her, but she also hadn’t come alone. Heaving herself up, she edged over to put herself between Bash and the world at large. Her brother had started muttering, but it was in no language she’d ever heard.
The station residents were recovering from the recent battle between two brigadiers in their corridors, making Kandi wonder about the life they led up here in the black. But she couldn’t wallow in that — with more people, their pursuers could use the crowd as cover. She tracked ripples in the ebb and flow of the stream of people, and fidgeted with the handle of her stave.
“That won’t be necessary.”
Kandi whirled around to face the Sister who stood in the now-open doorway. Behind the Sister stood the one who’d brought Bash home. His eyebrow lifted as she met his gaze.
“I’m Sister Inieta, Consolara at this hospice.” The Consolara clasped her hands in front of her chest. “How can I help you?” Her eyes slid to Kandi’s hand, now dripping blood on the floor, before she lifted her gaze to peer over Kandi’s shoulder.
Kandi felt an itch between her shoulder blades, but something told her it would be unwise to scratch it. “I’m Kandira Sakherani.” She brought her hand to her heart and tipped her head down in the traditional Antaran greeting of supplication. “I’ve brought my brother to consign into your care.” She shifted her hand to indicate her brother.
“We just surrendered your brother to your hospitals.” The Consolara turned her attention to Bash. “But he is unwell,” she said after a moment of silence. She lifted her gaze to Kandi and continued. “On many levels.”
“You can take care of him, yes? Help him?”
“We can but try. We will accept him again, as we accept all into our care.” The Sister bowed her head before catching Kandi’s eye again. “However, there is a cost to our care for those who can afford to pay.”
Kandi snorted and peered down at herself. Her scratched battle armour, her bloodied blade and malfunctioning stave. Shaking her head, she looked at the Sister. “I have nothing. I gave it all up to get him here.”
“Not true.” The Sister reached her delicate fingers out to stroke Kandi’s armour.
Kandi’s jaw opened, snapped shut, then opened again. “No, not that. Antaran battle armour has to be earned.”
“All we ask is that you leave it with us for a short while.” The Sister waggled her fingers. “Almost like a safe-deposit box. Every turn, we’ll give a piece back to you. You only have to come and request it.”
“No, I can’t.” Kandi shook her head, her jaw clenching.
The Sister pressed her lips together and took a step back. Bash moaned and began to shout his intelligible words. The Sister’s eyes narrowed.
Kandi’s heart wrenched. “Fine.” She exhaled. Handing her stave the Lorca, she stripped off the spivex moulded mail, musky with sweat, and dropped it on the floor.
“You could come inside.” The Sister stared at her.
Kandi remained silent as she took off the belt holding her blaster, knives and the staves. She passed these to the priest as well, along with Pilhadi’s dagger. She removed her arm braces and dumped them on the spivex body guard. Leaning over, she loosened her greaves. When she stepped back, they clattered to the floor.
“That’s not all.” The woman’s eyes flicked to the belt in Lorca’s arms. No, to what he held in his left hand. Her mother’s stave. “Maybe we can help fix it.”
Kandi blinked. She shook her head again, and her nose wrinkled. A heartbeat later, she grabbed it from Lorca and thrust it at the Sister. It had keyed itself to Kandi anyway as soon as her mother had passed it to her; it would do them little good.
“Thank you.” The Sister moved aside so those inside could take Bash, who was sweating profusely. “We’ll see you in a cycle.”
“I’ll remember you, Sister Inieta.” Kandi’s voice was hoarse. The Sister quirked an eyebrow and peered at her for a few seconds, then stepped back. “Bash —” she started, craning her head to say goodbye to her brother, but the door slid shut between them.
Kandi placed her hand against the bloody print and pressed her forehead to the glass. Then, taking a deep breath, she reached out to Lorca.
He handed her the belt. They started walking back along the concourse as she strapped it around her waist. He passed her Pilhadi’s blade, which she snapped into the space emptied by the stave. She exhaled, suddenly lighter without the armour and stave.
They walked in silence for a bit until Kandi broke it.
“What will you do?”
“Our friend Gar—”
“Our friend? He said he’d kill me next time he saw me.”
“He didn’t seem committed to that. And he mentioned a ship that might be looking for crew.” The priest was silent for a few long seconds, his gaze dropping to the floor. “But I think I’ll stay here for a bit. There’s people who I can help.”
“What about the Brigade, the Matriarch? They’ll know you helped me and Bash.”
“I’ve spent a lifetime living on the edges. I can do it here as well as in Noumi. And there’s nothing there for me now.” His eyes went far away for a second before refocusing on her. “What about you?”
Scrunching her lips, she considered her options, or lack of them. A screen on the wall flickering, selling something she had no interest in, but she recalled the advert for the cage fight. “I don’t think I’d be very good on a ship.”
“You might surprise yourself. At least give it a try.”
She met his gaze. He smiled at her, and she smiled back and nodded, covering the lie — already her mind was in the cage. “Take care of yourself.”
He reached out and squeezed her arm as he peered at her. “The ship, it’s called the Lyra.”
She nodded again, then turned away and disappeared into the crowd.
Kandi’s face hit the floor again. She spit out blood through her busted lip. Her cheek stung, and she knew she’d have a bruise to join the others.
This was her second fight of the night. She’d won the first one — but apparently they meant it when they said she should lose, despite the jellyfish of a fighter they’d pitted against her.
With a sigh, she pushed herself up. Turning back to face her opponent, she rolled her shoulders and shuffled her feet. She was trying to lose this match too, but it took every fibre of her being to pull her punches. It was exhausting, and if she just hit this guy’s jaw with a solid cross, he’d keel over. Given his sloppy guard, it shouldn’t be that difficult.
Kandi realized a second too late that she’d let her own guard drop. The hook made her see names as she stumbled back. She stopped herself from falling by grabbing the metal mesh fence. She shook her head and stared at the floor, and slowly the stars faded. Behind her, a slow, deep laugh started. The man thought he’d won.
She huffed out a bloody laugh herself as she pulled herself up, her lips twisting into a lopsided smile. Fingers still grasping fencing, she came face to face with wide eyes, a gaping mouth and a face full of freckles.
Not Antaran.
She took a moment to regard the woman on the other side of the barricade.
A smudge of grease on her adorable nose.
“I’m feeling a little dizzy.” Kandi quirked an eyebrow at the woman. “Now I know why.” She lowered her voice and leaned forward. “Maybe we can get a drink after.” She stepped away from the fence, opening her arms.
The woman inhaled, as if getting ready to respond. But Kandi didn’t hear what she was going to say. Instead, a sound behind her drew her attention, and the crowd roared, expecting an end to the fight. Kandi kept her eyes on the woman as she ducked the punch she felt coming. Then she shifted around and landed the solid hook the man had coming. When he stayed standing, she followed up with a heel to his jaw. His eyes rolled back, and he toppled over
Over his shoulder, she glimpsed her sponsor. Her first day, and likely her last. They probably wouldn’t even let her sleep in that manky bunk they’d said was part of the deal.
#
“You won. Again.”
Kandi’s hand paused in its task of rubbing cat’s paw cream into her shoulder. turned sideways to look at the woman who spoke. Her gaze flicked over her, taking in her sharp eyes and halo of lavender locks. Over the woman’s shoulder, she saw the woman from the other side of the fence earlier, the one with the sprinkling of freckles. She grinned and jerked her chin at her.
“Hey.”
The woman blushed, and Kandi realized, outside the heat of the fight, that she wasn’t her type. Otherwise, she remained silent as she rubbed cream into the abrasions on her knuckles.
“Not great at following orders,” lavender locks said.
Despite herself, Kandi squinted at her.
“You were supposed to lose.”
“What makes you think that?”
“I know how it works.” The woman’s hands went to her hips, the one resting on the handle of an old blaster. “And I saw Eyabi’s face when you won.”
Kandi sniffed and shook her head. “Yeah, she was not happy.”
“So you might be looking for a job. A ride out of here.” The woman looked at her hands as she shifted to rubbing cream on her bruised shoulder. “A ship with a medbay.”
She stared at her palms for a few long seconds. “Might be.” She turned her attention back to the women.
Lavender locks waved a hand at the woman behind her. “This is Tink. She’s usually not so quiet.” Hand to her chest, she continued. “And I’m Rebeka Mino, captain of the cargo ship Lyra.”
Kandi snorted softly, then smiled to herself. Maybe Lorca had some pull with his god after all.
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