Chapter Seventeen
"Man, this place makes the second best Ch'aa'lakas in the universe!" K'aashi commented as he stuffed his mouth with food.
"Oh, and who would you say makes the best," Noaa'lan asked curiously.
"You do, of course! This man is the best cook out there! Nobody else can shake a G'aanha at him, J'aa'nie!" K'aashi said as he pointed at thumb at Noaa'lan.
"Well, I'm glad that you're so loyal, but I like it when someone else does the cooking sometimes!" Noaa'lan said with a smile as he grabbed another handful of the greasy, batter-covered Ch'aa'lakas.
"The next time you take this girl out you've got to cook her dinner, Noaa'lan! She'll be yours forever!" K'aashi said, cracking up.
Noaa'lan laughed as he squeezed J'aa'nalia's shoulder, but she wasn't paying attention to their conversation. Her eyes were fixed on a far end of the room and the smile slowly faded from her face.
"J'aa'nie, what's wrong? You look so pale all of a sudden," Noaa'lan asked, his brow furrowing with concern.
"Over there. You see that tall man with the silver body armor and the short, dark hair? That's my cousin," She said with a shudder. "He's a very famous and deadly free-lance bounty hunter. Like my father, he absolutely despises the Narundis! I just hope he doesn't decide to pay me a visit!"
"Oh, this is getting more interesting by the minute!" K'aashi said sarcastically, gritting his teeth. "Does he know what Noaa'lan looks like?"
"I'm not sure. I don't think I really want to find out!" J'aa'nalia said, biting her lip nervously.
"J'aa'nie!"
J'aa'nalia jumped so high out of her seat that K'aashi had a hard time stifling a laugh. Noaa'lan shot him a withering glance and he quickly regained his composure.
"Graa'nak, what a pleasant surprise!" J'aa'nalia said with a wide, forced smile. "What brings you around to these parts?"
"Well, I came here to meet with your father, actually. He should be here any minute now," Graa'nak said, glancing at his chronometer.
Noaa'lan and K'aashi exchanged looks of horror at his ominous statement. It was clearly a sentence of doom. They had to get out of there, fast!
"Now tell me, who are these friends of yours?" Asked Graa'nak.
"Uh, this is Noaa'lan and this is his best friend K'aashi. They're my senior guides," J'aa'nalia said quickly, hoping that Graa'nak wouldn't recognize them and that he'd move on to a different topic.
"Senior guides, huh? You look awfully familiar, as if I've seen you somewhere before," He said, pointing at Noaa'lan. "What did you say his name was, J'aa'nie."
"Noaa'lan . . ."
The air in the room became suddenly dry and suffocating as a scowl crept slowly over Graa'nak's handsome visage. Noaa'lan could feel his breath catching in his lungs, begging to be let out. It had occurred to him that this breath might very well be his last.
"No, I can't seem to put my finger on it," Graa'nak said with a sigh. "I still can't get over the thought that I know you!"
"I don't think you two have ever met before," J'aa'nalia said, laughing giddily with relief that her cousin had not found them out. If her father ever knew she associated with Noaa'lan outside of the Academy she wouldn't want to think about what would happen!
"Ha-ha! I guess not then!" Graa'nak laughed merrily as he stroked his goatee.
"We were just about to leave, though," J'aa'nalia said, getting up from the table and motioning to the two young men to do the same.
K'aashi quickly grabbed another handful of the Ch'aa'lakas and stuffed them into his mouth.
"What in N'aanwaria do you mean!? Don't you want to spend some more time with the cousin that you never see? Your father would want you to talk to me, J'aa'nie!" Graa'nak said with a charming smile. "Plus, it doesn't look like your male friend here was done with his lunch!"
"Well, we have to get somewhere, and we're already late! It's for school!" J'aa'nalia gushed impatiently.
"Oh, well then. If it's for school then I guess you have no choice! Nice seeing you, J'aa'nie, and nice meeting you two young men as well!"
The three friends threw their currency down on the counter and rushed out the door, waving over their shoulders as they left. They didn't stop running until they reached the seashore.
"Oh, by the Darkside, that was close!!" J'aa'nalia gasped. "My heart is racing so fast that I don't think it'll ever slow down!!"
"For a second there I thought I was dead meat! I thought your cousin was going to recognize me and whip out a blaster to blow my head off!!" Noaa'lan exclaimed, cringing from the thought.
"The worst part is that he knows your name now, so he can tell R'aa'nlan that he ran into you with J'aa'nie!" K'aashi pointed out.
"Please don't tell us that, K'aashi!! I don't even want to think about what will happen if he tells my father!" J'aa'nie cried, sitting down on a smooth rock by the shore.
"Don't sweat it, J'aa'nalia! You can just tell him the truth, that you were working on a research project for school with us! You're in a lot of our classes, you know!" K'aashi said with encouragement.
"No, he'll know that I wasn't with you guys just for academic reasons. When he finds out that you were there, Noaa'lan, I'm in trouble in more ways than one!" J'aa'nalia whimpered, burying her face in her hands.
"Whoa, what do you mean, in more ways than one?" Noaa'lan asked, sitting down beside her on the rock.
"Noaa'lan, I haven't been completely honest with you. Graa'nak is more to me than just my cousin, at least according to my father. I'm betrothed to him, and my father has been trying to make us acquainted to each other. Once my father finds out that I've been going places with you, he's not going to be the only one who's furious!"
"You're kidding!! Your father wants you to marry your own cousin!!?" K'aashi asked in shock.
"He's my second cousin. Like a lot of noble families, my family believes in keeping a close-knit family tree. It's the only way of keeping the purity of the bloodline. Noaa'lan, you probably understand what I'm talking about."
"Yeah actually, I do. When my family isn't trying to consolidate power with another prominent ruling family they tend to marry within their family. My mother and father were an exception." Noaa'lan nodded, a slow, sinking feeling beginning to set into his heart.
"Oh, that's just plain gross!!! I'm surprised you aren't all deformed by now!!" K'aashi said, spitting onto the sand.
"You just say that because it's not familiar to your culture, K'aashi. You don't have anyone who makes the decisions for you, though," J'aa'nalia said sadly. "I'm just terrified of what Graa'nak is going to do to me if he finds out about us! I wouldn't put it past him to kill both of us!"
"What I can't believe is that I didn't see this coming!!" Noaa'lan said as he threw a stick into the ocean. "I should have known that your father would be arranging for you to marry someone else! I know that he would never allow you to marry me!!"
J'aa'nalia gazed at Noaa'lan with haunted eyes and a haggard expression on her face. Her hopes had been worn raw from the day's events but she was determined not to give up on him.
"How can you say that? We've been trying all day to find out a way that we can be together!" J'aa'nalia protested, throwing her arms up in the air.
"Well, we didn't find anything. It's obvious that we're not going to find anything!" Noaa'lan said angrily.
"Yes, it is obvious, but that points out something else! We should be able to find information about what happened, which makes me believe that they're hiding something from the public and from us!" J'aa'nalia insisted, reaching out to hold Noaa'lan's hands in hers. "Please Noaa'lan, don't give up so soon! There are many ways of uncovering the truth. I'm sure that we can think of some other way to find out what happened that night!"
"Well, who do you know of that was there that night?" Noaa'lan asked.
"I told you! I don't know a thing! If I knew anything about it, I would have told you when I first learned of your plans!" J'aa'nalia cried in frustration.
"Well, we feel that Professor S'aahai might have been there that night," K'aashi said, piping up.
"Oh, good luck trying to get him to tell you anything! The man hates you vehemently!" J'aa'nalia said with a smirk. "Well, it doesn't look like we're going to have much of a choice. So, indulge me! How are we going to get him to tell us the truth?"
"I think that K'aashi might prove useful with that plan," Noaa'lan said, casting a fiendish smile at his best friend.
"Oh no! I'm definitely not becoming involved with that crazy psycho-girl just so you two can have your fun! I learned my lesson!" K'aashi growled, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Come on, K'aashi! I'm not asking you to marry the girl! I'm just asking you to become friends with her! She'll be able to tell you all about her uncle's past, I'm sure!"
"What if she knows as much about it as we do? The adults around here seem to be really good at keeping secrets, Noaa'lan! Then, she'll think that I actually like her, which is not the case!" K'aashi said sternly.
"It's amazing how fast your tastes change, K'aashi! Just yesterday you were telling me how you were going to show her what a real man was like!" Noaa'lan chuckled. He heard a small snort coming from behind him as J'aa'nalia began to laugh as well.
"Ok, maybe I exaggerate just a little. I guess I can do that for you," K'aashi said reluctantly.
"Thanks K'aashi. You're a real great friend," Noaa'lan said, patting him on the back.
"I know. So, are we going back to the library?" K'aashi asked with a smile.
"No, we're going back to the Academy. I think I know where we can find S'aalia," Noaa'lan said as he began to walk up the sand dune toward the Academy. K'aashi shrugged at J'aa'nalia and then the two of them followed quietly behind. High above them the midday sun blazed bright and sultry in the clear blue sky, blurring the boundary between the sand and waves. Through the middle of it they walked onward.
"Man, this place makes the second best Ch'aa'lakas in the universe!" K'aashi commented as he stuffed his mouth with food.
"Oh, and who would you say makes the best," Noaa'lan asked curiously.
"You do, of course! This man is the best cook out there! Nobody else can shake a G'aanha at him, J'aa'nie!" K'aashi said as he pointed at thumb at Noaa'lan.
"Well, I'm glad that you're so loyal, but I like it when someone else does the cooking sometimes!" Noaa'lan said with a smile as he grabbed another handful of the greasy, batter-covered Ch'aa'lakas.
"The next time you take this girl out you've got to cook her dinner, Noaa'lan! She'll be yours forever!" K'aashi said, cracking up.
Noaa'lan laughed as he squeezed J'aa'nalia's shoulder, but she wasn't paying attention to their conversation. Her eyes were fixed on a far end of the room and the smile slowly faded from her face.
"J'aa'nie, what's wrong? You look so pale all of a sudden," Noaa'lan asked, his brow furrowing with concern.
"Over there. You see that tall man with the silver body armor and the short, dark hair? That's my cousin," She said with a shudder. "He's a very famous and deadly free-lance bounty hunter. Like my father, he absolutely despises the Narundis! I just hope he doesn't decide to pay me a visit!"
"Oh, this is getting more interesting by the minute!" K'aashi said sarcastically, gritting his teeth. "Does he know what Noaa'lan looks like?"
"I'm not sure. I don't think I really want to find out!" J'aa'nalia said, biting her lip nervously.
"J'aa'nie!"
J'aa'nalia jumped so high out of her seat that K'aashi had a hard time stifling a laugh. Noaa'lan shot him a withering glance and he quickly regained his composure.
"Graa'nak, what a pleasant surprise!" J'aa'nalia said with a wide, forced smile. "What brings you around to these parts?"
"Well, I came here to meet with your father, actually. He should be here any minute now," Graa'nak said, glancing at his chronometer.
Noaa'lan and K'aashi exchanged looks of horror at his ominous statement. It was clearly a sentence of doom. They had to get out of there, fast!
"Now tell me, who are these friends of yours?" Asked Graa'nak.
"Uh, this is Noaa'lan and this is his best friend K'aashi. They're my senior guides," J'aa'nalia said quickly, hoping that Graa'nak wouldn't recognize them and that he'd move on to a different topic.
"Senior guides, huh? You look awfully familiar, as if I've seen you somewhere before," He said, pointing at Noaa'lan. "What did you say his name was, J'aa'nie."
"Noaa'lan . . ."
The air in the room became suddenly dry and suffocating as a scowl crept slowly over Graa'nak's handsome visage. Noaa'lan could feel his breath catching in his lungs, begging to be let out. It had occurred to him that this breath might very well be his last.
"No, I can't seem to put my finger on it," Graa'nak said with a sigh. "I still can't get over the thought that I know you!"
"I don't think you two have ever met before," J'aa'nalia said, laughing giddily with relief that her cousin had not found them out. If her father ever knew she associated with Noaa'lan outside of the Academy she wouldn't want to think about what would happen!
"Ha-ha! I guess not then!" Graa'nak laughed merrily as he stroked his goatee.
"We were just about to leave, though," J'aa'nalia said, getting up from the table and motioning to the two young men to do the same.
K'aashi quickly grabbed another handful of the Ch'aa'lakas and stuffed them into his mouth.
"What in N'aanwaria do you mean!? Don't you want to spend some more time with the cousin that you never see? Your father would want you to talk to me, J'aa'nie!" Graa'nak said with a charming smile. "Plus, it doesn't look like your male friend here was done with his lunch!"
"Well, we have to get somewhere, and we're already late! It's for school!" J'aa'nalia gushed impatiently.
"Oh, well then. If it's for school then I guess you have no choice! Nice seeing you, J'aa'nie, and nice meeting you two young men as well!"
The three friends threw their currency down on the counter and rushed out the door, waving over their shoulders as they left. They didn't stop running until they reached the seashore.
"Oh, by the Darkside, that was close!!" J'aa'nalia gasped. "My heart is racing so fast that I don't think it'll ever slow down!!"
"For a second there I thought I was dead meat! I thought your cousin was going to recognize me and whip out a blaster to blow my head off!!" Noaa'lan exclaimed, cringing from the thought.
"The worst part is that he knows your name now, so he can tell R'aa'nlan that he ran into you with J'aa'nie!" K'aashi pointed out.
"Please don't tell us that, K'aashi!! I don't even want to think about what will happen if he tells my father!" J'aa'nie cried, sitting down on a smooth rock by the shore.
"Don't sweat it, J'aa'nalia! You can just tell him the truth, that you were working on a research project for school with us! You're in a lot of our classes, you know!" K'aashi said with encouragement.
"No, he'll know that I wasn't with you guys just for academic reasons. When he finds out that you were there, Noaa'lan, I'm in trouble in more ways than one!" J'aa'nalia whimpered, burying her face in her hands.
"Whoa, what do you mean, in more ways than one?" Noaa'lan asked, sitting down beside her on the rock.
"Noaa'lan, I haven't been completely honest with you. Graa'nak is more to me than just my cousin, at least according to my father. I'm betrothed to him, and my father has been trying to make us acquainted to each other. Once my father finds out that I've been going places with you, he's not going to be the only one who's furious!"
"You're kidding!! Your father wants you to marry your own cousin!!?" K'aashi asked in shock.
"He's my second cousin. Like a lot of noble families, my family believes in keeping a close-knit family tree. It's the only way of keeping the purity of the bloodline. Noaa'lan, you probably understand what I'm talking about."
"Yeah actually, I do. When my family isn't trying to consolidate power with another prominent ruling family they tend to marry within their family. My mother and father were an exception." Noaa'lan nodded, a slow, sinking feeling beginning to set into his heart.
"Oh, that's just plain gross!!! I'm surprised you aren't all deformed by now!!" K'aashi said, spitting onto the sand.
"You just say that because it's not familiar to your culture, K'aashi. You don't have anyone who makes the decisions for you, though," J'aa'nalia said sadly. "I'm just terrified of what Graa'nak is going to do to me if he finds out about us! I wouldn't put it past him to kill both of us!"
"What I can't believe is that I didn't see this coming!!" Noaa'lan said as he threw a stick into the ocean. "I should have known that your father would be arranging for you to marry someone else! I know that he would never allow you to marry me!!"
J'aa'nalia gazed at Noaa'lan with haunted eyes and a haggard expression on her face. Her hopes had been worn raw from the day's events but she was determined not to give up on him.
"How can you say that? We've been trying all day to find out a way that we can be together!" J'aa'nalia protested, throwing her arms up in the air.
"Well, we didn't find anything. It's obvious that we're not going to find anything!" Noaa'lan said angrily.
"Yes, it is obvious, but that points out something else! We should be able to find information about what happened, which makes me believe that they're hiding something from the public and from us!" J'aa'nalia insisted, reaching out to hold Noaa'lan's hands in hers. "Please Noaa'lan, don't give up so soon! There are many ways of uncovering the truth. I'm sure that we can think of some other way to find out what happened that night!"
"Well, who do you know of that was there that night?" Noaa'lan asked.
"I told you! I don't know a thing! If I knew anything about it, I would have told you when I first learned of your plans!" J'aa'nalia cried in frustration.
"Well, we feel that Professor S'aahai might have been there that night," K'aashi said, piping up.
"Oh, good luck trying to get him to tell you anything! The man hates you vehemently!" J'aa'nalia said with a smirk. "Well, it doesn't look like we're going to have much of a choice. So, indulge me! How are we going to get him to tell us the truth?"
"I think that K'aashi might prove useful with that plan," Noaa'lan said, casting a fiendish smile at his best friend.
"Oh no! I'm definitely not becoming involved with that crazy psycho-girl just so you two can have your fun! I learned my lesson!" K'aashi growled, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Come on, K'aashi! I'm not asking you to marry the girl! I'm just asking you to become friends with her! She'll be able to tell you all about her uncle's past, I'm sure!"
"What if she knows as much about it as we do? The adults around here seem to be really good at keeping secrets, Noaa'lan! Then, she'll think that I actually like her, which is not the case!" K'aashi said sternly.
"It's amazing how fast your tastes change, K'aashi! Just yesterday you were telling me how you were going to show her what a real man was like!" Noaa'lan chuckled. He heard a small snort coming from behind him as J'aa'nalia began to laugh as well.
"Ok, maybe I exaggerate just a little. I guess I can do that for you," K'aashi said reluctantly.
"Thanks K'aashi. You're a real great friend," Noaa'lan said, patting him on the back.
"I know. So, are we going back to the library?" K'aashi asked with a smile.
"No, we're going back to the Academy. I think I know where we can find S'aalia," Noaa'lan said as he began to walk up the sand dune toward the Academy. K'aashi shrugged at J'aa'nalia and then the two of them followed quietly behind. High above them the midday sun blazed bright and sultry in the clear blue sky, blurring the boundary between the sand and waves. Through the middle of it they walked onward.
