[Rattling Chains/Sanctuary] Another Way Home (Vanator)

[Kavala]

Timestamp: 1st of Fall, 512

The Konti shifted her weight on the bucksin mare, aligning her spine more comfortably along the mare's withers, riding a strider named Kamsin rather than one of her warhorses or big stallions. She was followed by a second palomino strider mare called Spitfire who's yvas was loaded with medical supplies. Kavala was taking no chances visiting Rattling Chains, always bringing Striders with her in case she needed a rapid departure. They could outrun anything the men there rode if, that was, they could get out of their reach initially. She rode carefully, traversing the pits and valleys, jumping the mares across the small ravines rather than trusting the wooden walk bridges the Rattling Chains Camp was littered with. They looked sturdy enough for a man, but not for a mare carrying a rider and one laden with medical supplies. Kavala squeezed her thighs, closing and opening her knees to guide the mares around the obstacles until she came to her desired destination.

Kavala volunteered once every ten days to go check out the kelvics at Rattling Chains. She didn't particularly like the task, but it was something that had to be done because of the conditions in the slaver's camp and the fact that they often let male Kelvics die rather than feed them in the overland trek to Ravok. They were in the business to sell female kelvics to Riverfall as part of a pet trade from Ravok and they kept them fed and well cared for in most instances. They also brought human females and the occasional male, but those were harder to deal with and thus not something they kept as good of care of.

Kavala halted Kamsin at the edge of the camp near the big double doors to the abandoned mine entrance, nodded to the guards who were familiar with her, and slipped off the mare. She moved to Spitfire and retrieved her medical kit and smock and walked the rest of the length to the pens. The pens were actually tunnels left over from the days when the camp had been the Forivec Mine, so she walked downwards into the main well lit shaft, and paused there to speak to the guards.

"So is there anyone in particular Haev wants me to look at first, Javik?" Kavala asked the guard, familiar with his name. The guard looked thoughtful, gestured to a side chamber, and nodded. "In there. Once you treat them, there's others in the big pen, and some males in need of attention we got from the Zith in the west chamber." He then took a key off a thong from around his neck and offered it to the Konti Kavala nodded and started down the side chamber.

Trusted with a key. Is this what her life had come to? Once she'd been one in cages, and though she hated the men holding the women and children prisoners here, she could do nothing for them. Buying the prisoners would just support the slavery and pay for wine and arrows and more supplies to go out and raid for slaves once more. All she could do was care for the wounded.

Kavala unlocked the kelvic door, locked it behind her, and slipped in opening her awareness to feel for pain. There was plenty of pain, and she set her bag down and began treating the creatures within immediately. Most were suffering from travel ailments needing medication for the diarrhea that sometimes came from changes in water and food. There was brusing and cuts, scrapes, and some larger wounds from scuttles the kelvics had gotten into themselves. She treated one for a disease caused by not getting enough light, and recommended to the guards that particular kelvic be put up topside or sold immediately to a home that would keep her outdoors. There was one broken arm, two broken toes, and a bad tooth. While Kavala was no dentist, she did what she could for the infected tooth and removed it rather than let the young kelvic squirrel suffer.

When she was done treating the kelvics, she moved on to the humans and treated the females first. These women were in sorry shape, for the guards did not usually touch the kelvics, but they had fun with the humans. She treated quite a few for damage caused by abuse from the guards, and one had a lump under her arm that Kavala removed in a minor surgery. She was tired by the time she was done, but the guards had one more prisoner for her to look at.

She walked to the cage, automatically unlocked it, and stepped in. The guard, hovering somewhat concerned, said... "Careful, he's caused problems." Kavala nodded, stepped forward, and studied the prisoner. His blonde hair hung long, unkept, and he was filthy and malnourished. There was no konti gift to tell her what was wrong with him, but the rage and almost inhuman aggression that surrounded him where he was chained to an iron ring in the wall by the neck was something she understood. Kavala stared a while, numb, not certain she was seeing what she was actually seeing.

"Miss Denusk? Are you alright?" The guard asked, looking concerned. Kavala turned to him, shook her head, and said... "Please, get Haev for me. This man... he is my brother." Kavala said softly, walking to Vanator and kneeling beside him. She reached out cautiously and brushed dirty blond hair out of his eyes. "Van? Can you hear me?" She asked softly, speaking almost under her breath. Her pavi washed over him and she gestured with her hands, making all the motions he would be familir with... love, concern, question.

[Vanator]

He had little left to cling to but anger. For a long time after his capture by Zith raiders, Vanator found reason to survive in the hopes that he would see his family again. That hope allowed him to endure the hardships and tortures of his captors. The Drykas remained strong, physically and mentally, serving as an efficient beast of burden, if not a rather strong-willed one. He was an ideal source of seed for a trial slave breeding program. But the Zith could not keep human females healthy enough to conceive, or carry to full term, and the effort failed. Nevertheless, more than one female Zith still sought to lay with the Drykas. As his captivity wore on, Vanator lost the hope of seeing his family again. Where at one time he cherished fleeting glimpses of his Cheva mark, proving his wives were still alive, it eventually became a shame, for as long as he lived, they would be condemned to live without a husband present in the pavilion. At a particularly low point, Vanator could no longer bear the guilt, and he lay on his face, pleading with Cheva to break the bonds of his marriages, freeing his wives to find new husbands. Shortly thereafter, a glimpse in a bucket of brackish water showed a markless neck, and a second Lacun mark on his chest. From that moment on, he survived simply because his pride would not allow him to die. The Drykas' strong will eventually wore on his masters, who would have killed him on more than one occasion if Vanator had not proved himself so valuable. Eventually, he became more trouble than he was worth to feed, and the man was traded off to human slavers before one of them slew him out of frustration. His return to human society proved no better, for the chains remained, just the race of his masters had altered. To some extent, the human slavers were worse. Of less value than the kelvics and human females, Vanator was shorted food and water in order to keep the others in a marketable state. Vanator had even attempted to escape, attacking one of the guards, but his strength had been sapped by dehydration and poor nutrition, and he was easily subdued. Vanator was separated and chained to avoid more trouble. His hatred of them surpassed his former Zith masters. So, when the Konti healer entered the cage, The drykas sat against the wall, dirty, bloody, with knees up, manacled wrists resting on them. The gaze that had met her was dark, brows furrowed, jaw set. As the woman knelt down closer, Vanator was tempted to make a grab for her, wrap the short length of chain between his wrists around her neck and bargain his way out. Before this foolish scheme could be further debated, the woman reached out to brush the hair from his eyes, and a soft voice filled the dank cell. A familiar voice. A familiar language. Dull eyes glinted with recognition, the chain linked to his collar clanked as Vanator's head lifted to look into eyes that he had known since childhood. Acceptance was slow. Vanator had been offered only hatred, apathy, humiliation and even fear in the year of his enslavement. His senses were dull to the affection and concern his sister now poured into a few words and gestures. But he knew it was Kavala. The questions ... why ... how...all remained at bay as he simply accepted the fact that she was there. Dry, split lips parted to mutter one word. "Kav."

[Kavala]

Kavala was not in her own world. In her own world she'd rush to Vanator, comfort him, do what she could to heal him and reassure him things were going to be alright. But this wasn't The Sanctuary. This was a cold hard place of slavers and slaves, dripping with pain and misery, devoid of compassion and understanding.

So instead Kavala said only one thing. "Yes." She didn't react otherwise. Instead, she stepped back from Vanator completely and looked towards Javik, who'd departed to get Haev Provedan. Haev was not well. Kavala knew that the first time she'd had interaction with him. Showing compassion, emotion, excitement anything at all would be lost on him. Business, however, was another story. When the man appeared, there was nothing special about him. He had a bald head and was neither tall nor large like one would assume a leader would be. But Kavala was not fooled. He was deadly, dangerous, and it wasn't a matter of if he'd strike like a viper but when. That's why she made her trips here quickly, useful, and never got in Haev's way.

"This man is my brother." She said simply, not finding the need to lie to the man nor assign anything the situation that wasn't there. "I know you will have to take him north to get any value out of him in this region. Sell him to me. I will pay a fair price for him. Just have one of the men, Jivak perhaps, follow us home and I will give him the coin for his worth." She said, studying the leader of the slavers without emotion. Haev pretended to consider it.

"Two hundred gold." He said instantly.

Kavala shook her head. "I heal for you for nothing. And you'd not get twenty gold from him anywhere near here. You get a hundred for prime female kelvics and humans that can be Nakivaks or pets. I'll give you fifty for him." She said, keeping the emotion out of her voice. Of course Vanator was worth any price, and she'd gladly pay it, but these men would not respect her for haggling.

Haev walked over to Vanator, stepping politely around Kavala, and grabbed the man by his hair. He yanked her brothers head back and studied the man's face. "He's human. How can he be your brother?" Haev asked dispassionately, not really waiting for Kavala to reply or really caring what the answer was. "And he's been with the Zith which means his twig is probably half rotted with disease and the berries useless. They overuse their stock and turn human men into filthy beasts." The slaver said thoughtfully. He looked Vanator over carefully, considering, never once treating him like a human only like he was livestock.

He twisted his head left then right before releasing his grip on Vanator's hair abruptly. "Eighty, and not a coin less. Though you can have him for free if you let me have you for a good half bell." He said, laughing, his eyes roaming Kavala's form for a moment. He nudged Vanator in the ribs roughly then leaned down to whisper something in his ear. Straightening, he looked at Kavala, awaiting her answer.

She nodded. "Eighty gold it is. We're in agreement." She said, ignoring the comment about his lewd suggestion. It hadn't been the first. "Will you remove his restraints and get him to my sorrel mare? I'll be right out. I do not carry coin so you'll have to send someone with us." Kavala said, nodding to the area. "I'm done here. Everyone in this group looks good. The blond kelvic, a bird I think, is pregnant and too far along to change anything. You can add to her value as a proven breeder." Kavala said, not wanting the men to do anything to the woman so she'd loose the child. "There were two travel coughs, one diarrhea, and two with strange lumps that check out okay." She said softly. She didn't comment that there were more drykas women than anything, that the kelvics were underweight and too young, nor that everyone had been really scared. If the slavers unloaded all their stock in Riverfall, the women's lives would change for the better almost immediately.

The slaver and Kavala shook on the deal while another guard got Vanator to his feet roughly and took him out of the complex and threw him on Kavala's spare horse Spitfire. She mounted the first, Kamsin, and waited for the guard to get ready. He was mounted on a third horse and riding with them in no time. The trip home took longer with a mundane horse, but soon enough they were at The Sanctuary's gates and Kavala disappeared briefly inside to retrieve coin and pay him.

Once they were in the elaborate new stone courtyard alone, Kavala urged Vanator to dismount his horse and face her. She embraced him roughly, and burst into tears.

[Vanator]

Vanator understood all too well the gravity of the situation. He assessed the conversation, the demeanor of Kav and the guard. She was not one of them, nor was she a slave. Both gave him a measure of relief. Though kavala seemed to have an agreement with the slavers to offer medical attention to their charges, that ensured no one's safety. Vanator experienced a sliver of concern, that his sister would come to a place like this. But Kavala was not helpless either, he knew well enough. So he watched her maintain her composure as she identified her brother. There was a taste of humiliation, and not a small amount of pride in his sister as he watched her bargain for him like a Ravokian slave trader. Van tensed up as the slaver gripped his hair, gritting his teeth, but remaining still and silent. He hated having his sister see him like this, like a herd animal. But any action on his part would only make things worse. He had to let Kav make the deal if he was to have a chance at freedom. Haev leaned down again, whispering a repulsive suggestion about his sister. Knuckles whitened, wishing to crush the bald man's yammering jaw. With a stifled grunt, Vanator simply glowered at the man without at word. Though it took some effort and the aid of one of the slavers, Vanator settled onto Spitfire's back. He had not been astride a horse in seasons, but it felt as natural and comfortable as ever. He was a drykas raised in a yvas and seeing the grassland from the back of a strider after all that time was true freedom. But his body failed him, and he slumped a bit in his seat, leaning his aching head against the palamino's mane. Still...it felt amazing. The ride to Riverfall was a silent one. Van was too battered to carry on a conversation, to humbled by what his sister had done. The ride had taxed his body, but by the time they reached Sanctuary, the grassland breeze had cleared his head. Vanator surveyed Sanctuary's courtyard, his heart ached when he thought of the first time he was there. They had fought. It was as if they had become different people. Things between them were never quite the same after that. He slid from the strider's back, landing unsteadily on his bare feet. Before he could raise his weary head, Kavala had ecompassed him in a strong embrace. Van's arms encircled her, hearing her weep. It crushed his heart. Vanator embraced his sister tighter. Not since she left for Mura, in what seemed a lifetime ago, had they embraced so strongly. He did not know the measure by which he had missed his sister until that moment. His hand caressed her blonde mane, like he had done as a child. Of anyone, family or otherwise, of his parents or wives, there would have been no one he would have rather seen appear in that dark cell than Kavala. Only she could understand. "Thank you." He spoke softly, his face buried in her hair. "I miss you Kav...gods I have missed you." He kissed her head several times, then, lifting his head, Vanator looked down at Kavala. A weak grin struggled to cross his weary face. "I owe you eighty mizas."

[Kavala]

The Konti stared up at her brother, her smile matching his own for a moment, as she nodded. "Even though you are family, I'll charge you interest. So you'd better pay me back quickly." She said softly, her voice catching on the word family. She had the strangest look on her face, a combination of dread and regret and really core deep sadness. It was more than Vanator had seen on Kavala's face for a while. His sister's usual method of dealing with strong emotion was blanking her face out completely.

Kavala said nothing though and turned, taking Vanator's hand. She lead him deeper into The Sanctuary, a place he would not recognize now. Gone was all that was familiar. It was in the same location as before, but now the facility was about three times as large as it once was, encased in a huge wall that allowed no handholds for climbing up it. They left their mounts in the outer courtyard, pulling the gear off them and turning the Striders into a grassy courtyard behind piles of rubble. Kavala gathered the gear and carried it with her, leading her brother past a fountain and through another gate into a large arena. They crossed the soft sand of the arena and through another gate, turning sharply right to enter a set of double doors that lead downward into the bowels of the earth.

Kavala left her yvas' and medical packs there, close to the clinic which was visible among other buildings so she could retrieve them later and unpack them. Then, saying only....

"Things have changed around here..."

She lead Vanator deep into the Within, down the large spiral ramp large enough for two horses or a cart to pass down, and off into a side branch and through two very similar stone doors. The stone chamber opened into an elaborate vaulted ceiling commons wrought with stone that looked precious and patterned. A hearth warmed the chilled room, showing a large kitchen behind it and gatherings of couches and chairs throughout. Kavala lead Vanator to a couch, urged him to sit, and went and fetched him a decanter of wine and two glasses.

She poured him a glass, took one for herself, and sat on the floor in front of him so the heat of the hearth warmed her back. They were alone in the large room, so alone that her words echoed throughout the chamber unnecessarily loud.

"The first of spring a storm came. It was like one of the storms of the past, of the type that drove the Drykas underground. It came unaware and suddenly with no warning. Some say it was a fluke and others say that Ivak is finally free of his prison. It blew for a full day and destroyed everything above us. It did tremendous damage to Riverfall and other cities throughout the world. On the Sea of Grass it was devastating. It was thought to have killed at least half the living Drykas. Whole pavilions and families vanished overnight. Herds met with the same fate. No one has seen or heard from the Denusk Pavilion since the storm. I am fairly sure they are all dead. I thought even you were dead, Vanator. Thank god the Zith took you. You may think you have nothing left, but you have your life. " She said firmly, then took a large sip of the wine.

The wine held no comfort for her so Kavala set the glass down. Instead she closed her palms and brought res oozing out where Vanator could not see it, shaping stones in her hands that matched the twisted grief in her heart.

[Vanator]

Vanator studied Kavala for the brief instant their eyes met and they shared a small smile. Though they were once close, nearly inseparable, the half-siblings had fallen victim to the distance that geography, life choices and unforeseen circumstances inevitably created between adults. Nevertheless, Vanator could see something distressing Kavala, penetrating her usual mask of defense to color her features with emotion. The moment broke as the konti took hold of his hand and lead her brother through Sanctuary. Sanctuary was indeed not the compound he had visited a couple years earlier. It was a facility, even a fortress, unto its own. His little sister had built up her animal rescue to what seemed to the tent-dwelling dykas like a small city. Following wearily behind Kavala, Vanator's eyes surveyed it all. Some of it seemed to have been built, or repaired, recently. Work seemed to be ongoing. Pride in Kavala again welled inside his heart. "Things have changed around here..." Yes, they had. The drykas wondered how much else had changed since his capture. How big was Zivitar now? Did Khiara's baby survive? Was their father still alive? He had questions he hoped Kavala could answer. They descended into the bowels of Sanctuary, Vanator allowing his sister to lead him to a couch, where he sank gratefully onto the soft cushions. The drykas accepted the wine she offered drinking deeply of it. It tasted divine, compared to the tepid water and occasional watered-down wine the Zith provided. He did not sip at it, but drank it down in long swigs, swishing the liquid around his mouth and over his tongue before swallowing, allowing it to burn the foul taste of dust and slave rations from his throat. Having his brief fill of wine, Vanator turned his attention again to his sister sitting on the floor before him. Her story came without warning, what words would have been sufficient to prepare him for it? The drykas simply leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees as Kavala explained the storm. He knew of it, well, of a storm. The Zith drove them all deeper into the colony, and he sense something among them that he rarely saw in the beasts...fear. Vanator believe it only to be one of the more severe storms that Zulrav lashed against the grasslands on occasion. He had no idea of the devastation it wrought. "...killed at least half the living Drykas...no one has seen or heard from the Denusk Pavilion since the storm. I am fairly sure they are all dead." It felt as if bands of iron were cast around his chest, tightening around his organs. Dead? Vanator's head bowed, his fingers entwining into his matted blonde mane. All of them. His wives, children, mother, father, uncles, aunts, cousins...gone. No, impossible. All of them? He felt nauseated, his heart banging violently against his ribs. He had lost them once, in his heart at least, letting them go to move on without him. But he always believed they were still alive. Abject grief painted deep lines in his dirt and blood-stained face. Vanator sat up, looking at Kavala. Guilt raked his soul. "I wasn't there for them. They needed me and I wasn't there." Could he have saved them? "Oh gods," he cried out in agony. "You may think you have nothing left, but you have your life." Vanator stood up. his eyes darkened as he stared at Kavala. "My life, what good is it now!" He scoffed, seizing hold of his wine cup and flinging it across the room, where it shattered against the stone wall. "I have failed them all. Now they are gone. I have no pavilion to lead, I have no wives to love, I have no children to raise, I have no horses to ride. I should have been with them, to die with them. I was not there for them! What god have I pissed so that all I have is taken from me, over and over again?" He tugged violently at his thread-bare tunic until it tore. "All I have now are these wretched slaves rags!" Vanator paused suddenly, his last words bouncing off the walls. His breath was ragged, his heart distraught beyond reason. Again he looked down to Kavala, seeing the sadness she could not keep from her face. Her countenance pierced his heart. She had lost much also. No, he had more than his empty life. He had a sister, Kavala was still his sister. Van turned to her, his own eyes softened as he knelt down beside her, an apologetic glance offered to her clear blue gaze. His arms lifted again, hesitantly at first, then encircled the konti in a strong embrace, pressing his face into her hair. He spoke softly. "I have more than just my life, I have you. That is worth living for."

[Kavala]

She waited. This sort of grief wasn't any stranger to her, though seeing it on her stoic unshakable brother's face was. She let him really sink his teeth into the news and mull it over in his head. Life was different now, but wasn't that true of every day on the Sea of Grass? Loved ones lived and died faster, and that was why Kavala felt the Drykas were always so passionate, fast acting, and amazing.

When he rose abruptly, she froze but did not react, watching the wineglass sail over her head and crash into the wall. Kavala remained where she was, making no sudden moves.

"You angered no one, Vanator. If you had been there, you would have died like every other Ankal out there trying to protect his people from something no human could protect from. Our people need strong leaders. Looking at you I swear it was the opposite of what you say. Some God or Goddess, perhaps even Semele, spared you by gifting you to the Zith. Where else would you have been safe? Not here. Not on the grass. Only with them, deep in their caves, would anyone have been safe." She said, curling her lip in a sneer over her use of the word 'safe' since half the humans the Zith acquired were either abused or eaten. She knew his life hadn't been pleasant, but she wasn't going to ask, not until he was ready to talk about it.

She remained on the floor, arms wrapped around her knees, chin resting on their tops enjoying the fire. Her eyes lightened to a blue that was impossibly light making her look blind in the firelight. Her scales shimmered, but only dully as she faced her brother's grief and accepted it.

"I know you don't want to hear this, but I've Striders I've been breeding for the years I've been here. My herds need thinned out because I've got my first generation of a new breed on the ground. Any of them you want are yours. I just need to keep Windsong and a remount for fast travel in Cyphrus. I've hunting dogs for you too, and coin enough and time enough to help sew a new pavilion when you are ready for one. And there are plenty of Drykas women who need husbands now that will help you rebuild. Endrykas is like a ghost town. Half the people I've seen there no one's seen since, and men are very very scarce. But all that can wait. You need some time, Vanator. You need to relax and be here for a while and regroup." She said. "And Gods know the webs around Riverfall need rebuilding. It's something you could really help with." She said softly, nodding to herself, and studying him carefully.

"You've taken care of me for years. Always. Let me take a little care of you now, Van." She said finally, unfolding and standing up abruptly. "Neither of us really have any one who just wants to focus on us. Let's just be there for each other for a while, like we used to be, as kids." She admitted, moving towards the kitchen.

"Are you hungry? No, stupid question, of course you are. A better question is... will you eat if I make you something?" She asked quietly, meeting his eyes again.

[Vanator]

Vanator held his peace, listening to Kavala. Her voice carried a bit more edge than he remembered, but, after all this time, it was like a balm that eased wounds. She was able to put some semblance of perspective on what was an overwhelming blow, and the konti managed to help her brother draw a bead on some sanity. The drykas followed her to the kitchen, muttering an off-hand "of course," in reply to her offer of food. Shock had seemed to lay a blanket on the horror of the news his sister had shared, for the idea that his people had suffered such lost, that his traveling city was devastated had threatened to leave him undone. Van watched her as she prepared the food, his mouth watering as he tried to focus on Kav's words. She was drykas, even though life had taken his sister down another path, away from the pavilions. But she understood. She saw things through a drykas' eyes. Kav did not attempt to comfort him over lost loved one's, even when she shared many of them. Loss was part of life in the Sea of Grass. It was about survival, it always was. The pavilions, the polygamy, the laws, the migration of Endrykas. Every aspect of drykas life revolved around surviving. Now, what was important was the survival of the drykas as a people. Starting over was his duty, so that his people could go on. "Eventually, I will have to start again." He leaned heavily against a wooden counter. "Father would expect me to stand in the gap for our people." Van's voice was quiet, weary, but not weak. "When that time comes..." His eyes darted towards the fire near the center of the room, "I will accept all you have to give, Kav." His eyes shifted back to the konti. "In the meantime, I can see there is a lot of work to be done around here. Let me help. Patch me up, give me some decent food, and I'll help you. My strength will return quickly, and I have not forgot my yvas seat. I am not sure what I can do to help repair your webs, but I managed to weave a few in the colony, so I would not forget how. I will earn my keep. Kav, I want to be here for you. " His gold-flecked gaze carried the weight of gratitude in its depths, catching her eyes for a moment before turning away. Taking up a pan, he moved over to the wall where his wine glass lay in shards. "Besides, my nephew needs to see what a true drykas is like." Van managed to tease, though his last word dropped, his jaw clenched at the thought of his own lost son.

[Kavala]

Kavala carefully fixed Vanator a large sandwich with hacked off pieces of her sourdough bread and sliced up chilled antelope which was hanging in the iceroom. She piled sliced tomatoss from the garden and lettuce on top as well adding a sauce made from honey and mustard that she particularly liked. She set out another wineglass for him and put the food at the bar area, and pushing over a bowl of fruit, mostly apples and pears, within reach as well.

"More than Tasival needs you. I have a whole facility full of healers that don't know an axe from their ass, Vanator. If you don't mind staying here, you could really be of help. They need training, one and all of them, especially the women. I have an empty armory that should be filled with weapons we need to defend ourselves and the gear to maintain and train with them. I'd like to give you a job here as an Armsmaster and put all the healers, grooms, even stall muckers here in training. Teach them a weapon. Toughen them up. Help the girls learn self defense so the first boy that shoves them around in town can't take advantage of them if he desires. Show the men they have a long way to go. Everyone here has excess fat. Everyone here has a bit of laziness when it comes to their self defense and the defense of this facility. I need someone I can trust to change that. The job will pay the same as them... 7 GM a day and I'll give you a budget of a thousand Mizas to outfit the armory and training circles with whatever you need." She said suddenly, realizing that she did need Vanator and that he could be very useful here.

Kavala leaned a hip against the bar, watched him clean up his glass, and then come back to eat. She knew he probably wouldn't answer right away, but that didn't bother her. Vanator could be rash, but he was a leader in all things and leaders thought things over.

[Vanator]

Van cleaned up the broken glass, taking the pan back to the kitchen and, unsure of what to do with it, set it out of the way. His eyes fell to the large sandwich Kavala had made, instantly setting his mouth to watering. His gaze lifted to the konti with a measure of gratitude as if a great gift had been imparted to him. Vanator seized it with both hands, taking a generous bite from the feast. His eyes closed momentarily, allowing every sense to enjoy the experience. Once he managed to swallow, he washed it down with a swig of wine. "Thanks." He offered, taking a breath. "And thank you for the offer. I...I just need to get my head around everything. Three days ago, I didn't think I would even walk the grass again. I was resolved to die in there. Kav, I released Kashik and Khiara. It was not fair to deny them the comfort and support of a husband, my son a father who is there for him. I freed them so another could care for them." Van reached up to tuck his hair behind his left ear, revealing the unmarked skin where his Cheva mark had once appeared. he paused with a sigh. If he had not broken their marriage bonds, he could had known if they still lived by the presence of their mark. Unwilling to dwell on it, Vanator turned his attention to Kavala's offer. "I would be honored to work here, but I haven't been on a horse, or picked up a weapon in a year. I need to know I am ready before I can take on such responsibility. But I will not sit around and sulk. That was not how father raised us." The drykas took another greedy bite of the sandwich, brushing back his dirty, unruly mane out of his face. Van studied Kav as he devoured the sandwich. He could see weariness on her face. There was so much he didn't know about her. She had tried to tell him, he believed, when she visited the pavilion. But he was too caught up in his own family issues. Now, he wanted to know her. Maybe fate had brought them together now for a reason. The last of the sandwich disappeared, along with the rest of the wine. "I want to help you Kav, and I know you will help me." He suddenly felt very weary, his eyes drifting down to the marks left on his wrists from the manacles. "I can't believe they are gone Kav." His lips drew tight, his jaws clenched to control the emotion he held at bay. Van was suddenly even more grateful for Kavala. "Have you heard from Akela?" Van asked regarding their sister, pushing back his grief and lifting his head to look at his sister again.