Free The Galaxy Game by Karen Lord Page A

Rafi’s breath evened out and his body uncurled slightly, though his eyes remained closed as he struggled with the slow ebb of the nerve pain.
    Dllenahkh continued the casual tone of the conversation. ‘May I ask why you want to be pushed?’
    He did not expect an answer and no answer was given. He sighed.
    ‘There are several possible reasons for such a request. I hope that fear of what I could do to your aunt is not included among them.’
    ‘No,’ Rafi whispered. ‘I don’t think you’d hurt her. Not ever.’
    Dllenahkh grimaced. ‘ Ever is too great an accomplishment for any mortal, as you well know. If you do not fear for your aunt, then perhaps you fear for yourself, that I might . . . stop you as I once stopped your father?’
    Rafi’s breathing had been growing smoother and slower, but at that it hitched and quickened.
    ‘Or you fear that no one will be powerful enough to stop you if you need to be stopped,’ Dllenahkh concluded. He examined the wooden beams of the ceiling so that his nephew could take a moment to shed a few tears privately.
    ‘I cannot stop you. I can help you stop yourself. That is all I can do for anyone.’
    The boy raised his head at last, no longer caring about hiding his wet face. ‘Do that for me. I can’t stand the nightmares any more.’
    This was news to Dllenahkh. ‘How long have you been having nightmares?’
    Rafi bit his lip hard. ‘Since they gave me the cap,’ he whispered.
    ‘Cap?’ Dllenahkh said, confused. ‘Please explain?’
    Rafi told him about the cap and his brief research on the use of caps for diagnosis or punishment. He stuttered for a moment, and then slowly described his nightmares. Dllenahkh absorbed the information in a silence that was deeply ominous, not least for the sensation of growing tension like the silent, rapid build of a thunderhead.
    ‘Thank you for telling me this,’ he said at last. ‘May I discuss it with your aunt? It might be better for us to jointly assess whether the treatment you are enduring is in your best interests.’
    Rafi exhaled loudly, a sound of utter relief. ‘Yes. Yes, please.’
    Dllenahkh patted his shoulder reassuringly and got to his feet. ‘Concerning power, bear in mind that if you fear the strong, you should also fear the gentle. They slip under your guard so easily, and it takes only the smallest push to overwhelm an unsteady base.’
    ‘Like my aunt did to you?’ Rafi grinned at Dllenahkh.
    He smiled and allowed the boy a few seconds of apparent triumph before replying. ‘There are times when taking a fall is the right strategy.’
    *
    They went back to the main house. Freyda and Nasiha were sitting on the edge of their chairs, leaning over a low table with scattered documents and three handhelds. Aunt Grace was perched on a stool beside the bar, empty-handed and frowning as she hugged one knee to her chest and looked at her friends. They had finished their discussion, but they quickly gave Rafi a small share of their secrets as he introduced his own dilemma.
    ‘Nasiha and the New Sadira government. You and the Cygnian government. That’s two of you I have to worry about now,’ his aunt fretted.
    ‘But I thought Nasiha was expected to return to service?’ Rafi asked in bewilderment, watching as Dllenahkh sat beside Nasiha and picked up one of the handhelds with a heavy sigh.
    Aunt Grace looked at him without expression. ‘New Sadira is not the best place to be right now. That’s none of your concern, however. Let’s talk about how we’re going to get you out of that school without you getting brain-tagged for the rest of your life.’
    ‘You’ve never asked me . . .’ He hesitated, as if all too aware that his words could smash the last unfractured security of his childhood. ‘You don’t ask what I can do. Is that . . . is that you or me?’
    Aunt Grace gave him a puzzled, sympathetic look. ‘You don’t know?’
    She reached out and took hold of his hand, pulled him close. She was now