The Regenerates by Maansi Pandya Page A

body. He breathed. In all the excitement, he had forgotten about that injury.
    He took a couple of deep breaths. I need water…
    He sat up slowly and looked out the window. It was still dark, but in between the clouds he could make out a hint of light blue. It had to be early in the morning. Ven gently pushed away his covers and winced as he tried to stand. He gritted his teeth as he walked towards the door, internally cursing Markis. He slowly opened the door and stepped onto the landing, stopping when he heard soft voices below. They were coming from the seating area where Claira had served them soup.
    “–Can’t afford any more setbacks, Claira. I mean it. Think about Eve’s education.”
    “Of course I’m thinking about her. I know it’s been hard ever since Muran’s Border Authority increased their security and decreased the orders of goods, but we can’t just let a bunch of bandits pass through here, no matter how much they pay us. Do you have any idea how dangerous it could be? What if they threaten us?”
    Ven frowned. He knew it wasn’t right to eavesdrop, but he couldn’t help himself.
    “You’re forgetting something,” said Albar. “They have no idea we know who they are. We just have to play it cool and everything will be fine. If anything should happen, I’ve warned a few friends from Ward’s place four doors down and they’ve got weapons ready. And of course, I have my own basement full of weapons. We have nothing to worry about.”
    Something slammed on the table.
    “Damn those Corans,” said Claira. “Stingy, orthodox fools. But this doesn’t surprise me. Those beasts won’t even spare their own kin. A small trading stop like ours didn’t stand a chance.”
    “Claira–”
    “Don’t. I’m not interested. If something happens to Eve I will never forgive you, or myself.”
    Ven gripped the banister. What had Cor done? Did Kayn know about this? Things could get ugly if these people discovered where Ven and Kayn were really from. It occurred to Ven that other than the news broadcasts in Cor, this was the first time he had heard what anyone else thought of his home city. Until recently, he had considered himself to be quite patriotic, but a cloud of doubt and confusion was beginning to seep into him and he hated it. He had enough confusion to deal with right now.
    Ven peered over the edge of the landing to see if the coast was clear. Albar was gone, but Claira was seated on the couch, a hand pressed to her forehead. Parched, Ven slowly walked downstairs. Claira jumped when she saw him.
    “I’m sorry,” said Ven. “I didn’t mean to disturb you. My throat is just a little dry.”
    “O-oh, it’s no problem.” Claira straightened herself up and tucked her hair behind her ears. “You’re awake pretty early.”
    “I think it’s my leg,” said Ven. “I thought sleep would help, but I guess it wasn’t enough.”
    “Wait here.” She hurried into the kitchen and returned a minute later with a cup of pale pink liquid and a small green tablet in her hand.
    “This will help. It’s a special fruit blend you only get in this area. As for the tablet? It’s especially for pain and promotes healing. You’re lucky. It’s a deep gash, but will heal in a few days, enough for you to be back to normal. I’ve seen much worse, trust me. Be thankful you didn’t see any bone.”
    Ven popped the tablet in his mouth and drained the glass. “Thanks.”
    “You didn’t hear any of that, did you?” said Claira.
    “Hmm?” Ven tried to feign innocence, but he was clearly terrible at it. “Of course not…”
    “I’m sorry,” she said. “We’re just going through a rough patch right now.”
    “Let us give you something for your trouble,” said Ven. “We really should pay for room and board.” He turned and made for the stairs to get his money pouch, but Claira stopped him.
    “Not likely. We’re not poverty-stricken, you know.”
    Ven sighed and admitted defeat. “I think I’ll