After freeing her of the safety straps, Nykyrian helped her down and led the way out of the bay, into a crowded street. "Stay with me," he said, wrapping an arm possessively about her waist.
Kiara scanned the street, amazed at the variety of beings and cultures represented. She saw everything from wealthy princesses arrayed in the finest materials available, to filthy street urchins who barely wore enough to cover their nudity. One bedraggled little boy ran past them.
Nykyrian released her. "Jana!" he shouted and the boy skidded to a halt.
Kiara watched in amazement as Nykyrian showed the boy to a hiding place barely a heartbeat before an angry Keeper rounded a corner, his club swinging. The Keeper looked in all directions, then spied them.
He pushed his way through the crowd, glaring at Nykyrian. "Have you seen Jana The Thief?" he snapped.
Nykyrian crossed his arms over his chest. "No, why?"
By the Keeper's face, Kiara could tell the man thought Nykyrian was lying, but he said nothing more. With a grimace in her direction, he slowly made his way down the street.
Kiara bit her bottom lip, wondering what was going on. Nykyrian reached into the shadows and pulled the boy out by his arm.
"What were you doing?" Nykyrian demanded in a firm, yet gentle voice.
The boy looked sheepishly at her. "I didn't do nothing, Nykyrian, I swear it on my life!"
Nykyrian's stern face softened. "What did they accuse you of doing?"
The boy licked his lips and lowered his head. His thin shoulders shook and Kiara realized he was crying. "Me mama died two days ago," he sobbed. "They want to take me to a work hom e."
That familiar, angry twitch began in Nykyrian's jaw.
To her utter amazement, he pulled the dirty little boy into his arms and held him. "It's all right, Jana. I won't let them do that to you."
A lump choked Kiara as she watched the tender way he lifted the boy in his arms. Jana's thin little arms encircled him while he sobbed against Nykyrian's neck.
"For a m an without emotions, you seem caring enough to me," she said, pushing a lock of matted hair from Jana's dirt-smudged cheek.
Nykyrian didn't comment. Instead, he led her down a small alley to the back of a shop.
He removed his glasses and knocked on the rear door where they waited until an attractive, elderwoman appeared.
"Nykyrian!" she breathed happily, pushing open the screen door to look him up and down like a mother seeing her son after a long absence.
Suddenly, Kiara recognized the woman as the nurse who had tended Nykyrian in the first disk she'd viewed the day before.
"Hi Orinthe. May we come in?" he asked, glancing at Kiara.
"You know you're welcome here any time!" she said with a smile and opened the door wider.
Nykyrian stood back and allowed Kiara to enter first. The elderwoman led her through an immaculate storeroom of foodstuffs and into a small lounge to the right. Jana had stopped crying and was looking around at the food with such longing, it made Kiara want to cry for him.
Nykyrian sat Jana down in one of four chairs that encircled a small, round table. Orinthe reached up on a shelf and brought out a bowl of fruit and pastries. With a tender sm ile, she sat it before Jana who eagerly tore into it.
A strange look crossed Orinthe's face as she watched Jana. "He reminds me of another boy I knew a long time ago," she said to Nykyrian.
Nykyrian didn't move. He sat still for several seconds watching Jana. "He needs a home," he said after a long pause. "I didn't know where else to take him." Orinthe nodded. "I could use help here in the office. My regular errand boy quit three days ago and I haven't had the time to look for another."
Jana looked up from his food, his eyes wide. "Stay here?" he asked in awe. "With all this food?"
Orinthe's bright smile warmed Kiara's heart. "And you can eat as much as you can hold!"
Jana looked from Nykyrian to Orinthe in brilliant happiness.
"Of course," she said seriously. "You'll have to keep yourself clean and wash behind your ears." Jana wrinkled his nose. "But I can eat all this?"
"As much as you can hold," Orinthe repeated. Jana smiled.
"Nykyrian," Orinthe said, rising to her feet. "Can you help him upstairs and get him clean."
"Sure," he said, then helped Jana carry his fruit pastries out of the room.
Kiara smiled after them, her heart pounding in pride and love at Nykyrian's tenderness.
Orinthe turned her faded blue eyes to Kiara with a probing stare that told Kiara she wouldn't be able to hide anything from the wise elderwoman. "Are you Nykyrian's woman?" she asked quietly. Kiara sighed. "I doubt it."
Orinthe laughed at her words, her eyes twinkling. "Well if it solaces you any, you're the first woman I've ever seen him with." She wiped a damp cloth over the surface of the table, removing the crumbs Jana had left behind in his eagerness to eat his fill. "What's your name, child?"
"Kiara."
Her smile widened. "A name as beautiful as the one who bears it."
"Thank you," she said, her cheeks warming.
Orinthe folded the cloth and sat it on the table before them.