Paul Kater - Bactine

“I see. You said you want answers. Ask me your questions.”

Daniel grinned. “Let’s begin with a simple one. Who are you?”

The dark shape seemed to hesitate for a few moments. “I had expected that question, just later.” Slowly a hand was raised and the strange face filter was removed. The hood fell over the face hidden underneath it. The face filter was dropped to the ground and rolled away.

Kernak stood calmly. Daniel was tensing up.

The figure slowly pushed the hood back.

Daniel stared. “You?”

“Yes. Me.” Rayko looked him in the eye. “Who had you expected?”

“Beats me, but not you.”

Kernak slowly walked over to Rayko and nudged the woman’s hand with her head. Rayko didn’t even seem to notice, so focussed as she was on Daniel. Gently she scratched the head.

“I don’t get it,” Daniel said, truthfully. “You were the person who knocked me out with that stick in the park? You proposed getting in the way of your father?”

“Yes. And yes.” Rayko picked up the face filter. “Would you mind holding this while I take off this hot cloak?” She walked over to him, Kernak in her wake, and held up the filter.

Daniel took it from her hand and watched how she dropped the black cloak to the ground.

She stood on a very skilfully made construction that made her look taller, wearing her own shoes in it. She held on to Daniel’s arm as she unclipped the buckles that held her feet strapped onto the platforms. “Ahhh. That is so much better.” She rolled up the cloak and put the platforms in it. Clearly she had done that more often.

Daniel looked at Rayko, as she looked up at him. “It’s really you, right? The woman that kicked my shins at the party, and who was so stubborn on the ship?”

“I kicked your shins, yes, and I still don’t regret that. And I was not stubborn!”

“Yes, it’s you alright.”

“Arghh. You are still the same too. Now, when are you going to ask me to walk up to the house of the senator with you? This cloak is heavy.” She groped at the black mass that had started to slip from her hands. “Not much of a gentleman, are we…”

“By the winds, give that to me then.” Daniel lifted the cloak and the platforms from her hand. “And yes, let’s go to the senator’s house.” He remembered something. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. “I’m sorry, Rayko. Would you please walk to the house with me?”

Rayko looked at Daniel. This time it was her turn to be surprised. “Yes. I’d love to, Daniel.”

They started walking, Kernak between them. They both rested a hand on the hard hairy fur of the animal’s back.

“So, why did you call me on that evening after I had left the party?” Daniel asked. “And how did you get the number of my hydger?”

“Getting your number was easy. I just copied it from my father’s device. And I have an unregistered hydger.” Rayko was silent for a moment. “I thought you would be the right person to help. Especially after what you said at the party.” She looked down at the ground, so Daniel could not see her red cheeks.

“What I said at the party? We were just trying to leave each other’s throat where it fit best, if I recall correctly.”

“I uhm… I did something rather unladylike, Daniel.” She looked at him, her cheeks still red. “When you were talking to the senator, I was sitting in a chair behind the conifers behind you. So I heard everything.” She blushed even deeper. “I’m sorry now, Daniel. I heard so much of you.”

Daniel grew more and more confused. This all was entirely not the way he had imagined the encounter with the cloaked person would unfold. “But why? I mean, eavesdropping is not a nice thing, but I can live with that. Why did you call me?”

“When I was on the boat that time-”

“Ship.”

She laughed. “Yes. On the ship. In the wall I found a loose board or so, and behind it I found a lot of small packages. I took one and when I was back home, I found someone who could tell me what it contained.”

“Drugs,” Daniel knew.

“Yes. I showed them to my… father.”

Daniel stopped dead in his tracks. “Oh no. Tell me you didn’t.”

Rayko stopped also, Kernak did too. “I did. I said I had found the drugs and asked him why they were on the ship. He said it was none of my business and I should stop bothering him about it.”

“That was it?” Daniel could not believe that. Not after what he had learnt about that man.

Rayko hesitated and started walking again. Daniel joined her, as did the Kotrvayk. “No. He told me something more then. He told me that he had contact with that pirate, Birkle something. And he had told that pirate not to attack the ship on that voyage because I was on board.”

Again Daniel was tempted to stand still. “He did that? And he told you? Why didn’t you tell someone? You could have told me.”

“Who would have believed me? You? Would you even have taken the time to listen to me? We did not exactly part as the best of friends at the soirée, Daniel.”

He had to agree with that.

“And my… father was powerful. He threatened me. He said I would get into serious problems if I were to tell anyone about this. I knew I would. Well… you know.”

“Now there is a threat to seriously be scared of,” Daniel said. “He has surprised me in more than one way.”

They were silent for a while, as the road started to climb more steeply for a while.

“That is why I invented the man in the black cloak,” Rayko said, “as that looked like a way I could get in touch with people without anyone noticing it was me. I think it worked pretty well.”

“You had me fooled until you showed your face, I have to give you that.”

“I really wanted you to help me, Daniel, but I could not do it any other way. I hope you understand that.” Her voice sounded almost begging. “I hoped you would go and save the people from the Pricosine, I bought the boat for that.”

“You bought it, just for that?” Daniel was perplexed.

“Yes. I have some credits I can use, and I thought this was a good investment. Too bad it was too small,” she sighed. “But I heard how you went and rescued them.” Rayko looked at Daniel and there was a clear hint of admiration in her expression. “I was so happy about that, Daniel. Really, I was. But it was so painful to hear how many people died…” Her voice dropped to a mere whisper as she said that.

The memory of that jumped Daniel and he too fell silent. Without saying a word they walked up the last part of the road to the house.

“Wait here for a moment, will you? I’ll guide Kernak back into the garden first,” Daniel said.

Rayko nodded, and watched how Daniel disappeared inside with the large animal. Kernak looked at her for a moment, before she followed Daniel.

Daniel opened the door again. “Please, come in.” He let her in and soon they were in the small library. Daniel had stored the black cloak and what had come with it in his own room for the time being. “Would you like something to drink?” He was surprised that she had not complained about the long walk uphill.

“Yes, please. Tea would be nice,” she said with a shy smile.

“Sit where you like. I’ll go and arrange for some tea.” Daniel left the room, and returned with two glasses of water. “Tea will done soon. I thought you would appreciate this.”

“Oh. yes. Thank you.” She accepted a glass and slowly sipped from it.

There was a tension in the room. They both were aware of it, and neither of them knew how to break through it for a while.

“You know, Daniel… I have talked to my mother. About… her husband.”

Daniel was surprised that she referred to Clelem like that all of a sudden.