It was a week after the incident at the training barracks, and Sur'kya and he were washing Kandula. Really, it was more of play than anything. They both had hoses. The elephant, now taller than either of the two children, was standing in the shallow wash area with his own barrel of water.
The spray made rainbow arcs as the pair giggled and dodged the blasts from her trunk. Once her ammunition was exhausted, she wheeled around, presenting her rump for bombardment. Kevin tried to sneak under her belly, but she backed up and squeezed him between her front legs. He ended up on his back in the wash, looking up at a gray haired chin, as she snaked her trunk down and tried to steal the hose.
Khun Wit watched them with exasperation. "It always takes them so long to scrub one elephant." He commented ruefully. Thadchai nodded and clapped the handler on the back. "All three are growing up very well, though." The handler approved.
"It has been a real joy to watch that boy grow. The princess, too, has benefited from the interaction, although her parents no doubt will soon impress the royal protocols on her. I just hope they will allow her what freedoms they can, such as her right to fall in love."
"Her path in life is narrowed by her nobility," Thadchai agreed, "But I know of no rumors of any princes or nearby kingdoms who wish to form a marriage alliance, and other one with a son of similar age would be Prince Antanum of Anachak. And we have little commerce with that kingdom."
"She certainly has her champion in Noy Kevin. They are both still young though, and I've never seen anything but friendship between them."
Thadchai frowned at Wit's words. Certainly as his son, Kevin had status enough to court the princess. But, in truth, he was a stranger in their land, who had only been there eighteen months, with little known of his background, or the mysterious force that landed him in their midst. He hoped the pair wouldn't form that sort of attachment, in case the unthinkable happened.
Kevin was still trapped between the toes of the young elephant when she suddenly went still. He stopped the spray; her mind was suddenly filled with fear – for him. She grabbed his waist with her trunk and pulled him upright, scraping his back on the concrete pad of the wash.
"Kandi, what's up?"
The minds of the other elephants focused on him, and he suddenly grew afraid.
The young elephant gave a single loud bark, and Kevin winced at the sound. Then, the familiar sickening pain against flashed through his head, and he went limp in Kandula's trunk as his world darkened again.
Speedily, the older men ran down to the wash. Kandula was rocking in distress, the unconscious boy wrapped in her trunk.
"Kandula! Still!" the handler called, touching her cheek. Immediately she focused on the men. The elephant loosened her hold as the two men supported Kevin's weight. Surikitiya was anxiously standing nearby, hose forgotten in her hand. They could hear the shouts of the handlers punctuating the distress calls of the herd as they all sensed something was wrong, and were quickly heading his way, as if to protect one of their own.
Once they were clear of the water, Thadchai lifted the boy into his arms and carried him to the barn as fast as he could go. Suri followed behind him, her hand on the boy's leg. Wit stayed back to calm the young elephant.
"Kandula, we will take care of him, but we need to take him to a physician, and you need to stay here." He tapped her trunk to get her attention until she seemed to agree.
One of the younger handlers came up. "Sir, the elephants are stampeding towards us. What should we do?"
"For now, let the little one join her mother and the rest of the herd, and leave them alone for now. We won't bring them in until the end of the day. Kandula, you must make sure that everyone behaves. Do you understand?" In answer, she tapped his head and walked over to the gate that opened into the main paddock. Once it was open, she ran as fast as she could towards the group elephants amassing from different directions.
The group coalesced into a circle with the young elephant hidden in middle. The handlers were still puzzled as they watched them break apart a short time later, still milling around but seemingly less spooked.