(Kasm)

Kest didn’t get to speak much more with Deo. Once her mother, Chief Bok, learned the boy was awake, she forced her out of the room. Kest paced back and forth in front of the door, her hands shaking even more than normal.

“What?” Kest jumped at the sound of a voice behind her. She turned around to see Pit rounding the corner, his chin tilted up and a smug smile on his face, “did you think you’d get a friend? The Chief is going to kill that boy for the spy he is.”

Kest puffed her cheeks out, “he is not a spy!”

“Is too!” Pit stuck his tongue out.

Kest stamped her feet, right, left, right, but before she could once again assert Deo’s innocence, the door opened and Bok stepped out. “The boy is not a spy... and I’m not going to kill him.” Bok leveled her beautiful but cold, dark eyes on Pit and he bowed his head sheepishly. With a long, slender finger, she beckoned Kest to her side. Kest scurried over to her mother’s side, bowing her head but looking up through her lashes at Bok. Bok raised her hand, letting it hover over Kest’s head as if she was about to pat Kest on the head, only for her to curl her fingers in and let her hand fall to her side. Kest’s trembling got worse, “once he has recovered, the boy will share your room, if that is alright with you.”

Kest rapidly nodded her head, “of course, Mother! I’d be happy too.”

Bok nodded once and walked away.

Kest turned to Pit and stuck out her tongue before running back into the infirmary without a second glance back.