He turned, starting to walk away.
"Oh—" he glanced back over his shoulder, "—and cover your eyes. No light. None. For three days."
As he stepped forward—
Kaya snapped.
Her hand shot out and grabbed his arm.
In an instant, the man standing behind the master—Leo—rushed forward.
But Kaya was faster.
She pulled out her knife and held it at the master’s throat, her hand trembling only from pain, not fear.
"Don’t move," she hissed. "Or I swear, I’ll kill every one of you."
This ti, her voice was cold. Unforgiving.
She was serious.
Going blind—even temporarily—was not a luxury she could afford. Not here. Not in a place filled with unpredictable dangers and half-truths.
Three days blind?
Even three minutes was enough to get her killed.
Leo snarled, his face darkening—and as her vision strained, Kaya saw his teeth.
Not human.
Sharp. Jagged.
Predator’s teeth.
She blinked and scoffed through a cough.
"So that’s why the sharks have been all twitchy. Soone’s hiding their beast son too close to the skin."
She turned her attention back to the master, not dropping the blade.
"You could’ve just told your in-laws didn’t approve of your marriage. I would’ve helped you anyway."
The master’s face didn’t flinch. Not even a breath out of place.
He stared at her like stone.
And then finally, he replied in the sa, calm tone.
"I never said I’d tell you about my personal life."
Kaya gave a bitter, dry laugh.
"No, you didn’t. You just tossed in front of a damn shark squad... with a second-rate dicine that fades faster than your personality."
The blade lowered—but the fire in her eyes, even swollen and bloodshot, still burned.
The master didn’t move right away.
He looked at Kaya with that sa cold, unreadable stare and said quietly, "You never told us either... how you knew about the dicine. Or the sharks."
His voice didn’t rise—but it cut deep.
"Did we ask you where that information ca from?"
Kaya froze.
Her breath caught mid-chest.
And then—like a sudden jolt—sothing hit her.
Wait... what am I even doing here?
Her brows furrowed. Her eyes, still stinging with pain, darted to the water, then back to the master.
She rembered. Clearly. She had said she wouldn’t co to this place. Had sworn she wouldn’t step into this ocean to fight so damn sharks and even was about to think about another sources for salt.
Then why is she here?
Why did she agree to fight the sharks?
Why did everything feel like it had just... flowed past her?
Before she could even grasp the thought, the master reached out—calmly moved her knife aside with a flick of his hand—and said in that sa flat tone, "You see? Even you don’t have the answers. So don’t act like you know everything."
Then, with a wave of his hand, he tossed her sothing—a shell. An oyster shell, tightly closed, slightly larger than her palm.
"The dicine," he said. "You asked. We gave. That’s it."
Without another word, he turned and disappeared into the water.
Kaya didn’t move.
The cool weight of the shell sat in her hand, but her mind was spinning.
She had the dicine now.
But... she didn’t have any answers.
Why had she co here?
Why did it feel like sothing—or soone—was pulling her strings?
She clenched the shell tighter.
The master was gone—but not all the rmaids had followed him. The little lord was still standing there.
She turned to him, sharp and biting.
"What are you doing here? Didn’t you see your master leave? Go. Follow him. Like a good little dog."
Her voice hit like a slap.
But instead of reacting in anger, the rmaids looked at her—and bowed.
A full ninety-degree bow.
Kaya blinked.
She hadn’t expected that.
Then, the little lord spoke. His voice was quiet. Grateful.
"Thank you. If it wasn’t for you... things might’ve gone very wrong for our tribe."
He paused. Then added, a little hesitantly, "And... I’m sorry. On behalf of the master."
Kaya stared at him.
Sothing softened—just slightly—but her tone stayed firm.
"If your master really cares about you all," she said, "then tell him to act like one. Not just walk around with a title like it makes him anything."
Suddenly, the little lord clenched his fists.
His voice, usually sharp with sarcasm or mockery, ca out sharper this ti—but this edge wasn’t playful. It was pain.
"No," he said, his jaw tight. "He deserved that title."
Kaya looked up, mildly surprised. She had been pushing buttons, baiting them, wanting to see how far the thread would unravel. But now... he was unraveling.
The little lord’s voice softened just slightly, but the weight in it deepened.
"Our master might act like he doesn’t care, but... he’s the reason we’re still alive. If not for him, this tribe would’ve been gone long ago."
Kaya didn’t interrupt. Her expression stayed unreadable, but inside, her thoughts were racing. This was what she wanted to know.
Because no shark would randomly attack a tribe this close to shore—not without a reason. And from what she saw... these weren’t just territorial attacks. The sharks were furious. Ready to destroy.
The little lord continued, his voice laced with a quiet rage. "It all began because of our previous master."
He looked away for a mont, as if steadying himself.
"He was blinded. Couldn’t tell right from wrong. Fell in love with soone from another tribe, and was ready to... to sell us out. Trade our secrets. Expose us."
Kaya’s eyes narrowed.
The little lord’s fingers curled tightly at his sides. "Back then, our current master was only fifteen. And even at that age, he stepped up. Took the tribe in his hands. Held us together."
He took a breath. "Leo? He was thrown out of his own tribe. Sick since birth, no one wanted him. But our master took him in. Cared for him. They fell in love."
Kaya blinked. That part she hadn’t expected.
User Comments
0 comments from readers