A few days after Mory flew with Sona in Hatchling Forest, Mory got a day off from his Sporadical duties. He decided to visit Marlon. Mory knew exactly where to find him during the midday hours. The Stork Village Library. Mory entered the old and dusty temple and sure enough, Marlon was there. He was sitting at a table in the back corner where the lighting was poor. There were a bunch of open books laid across the table in front of him. Even though Mory could see that Marlon was immersed in his studies, he decided to bother him anyway. He pulled up a chair and sat across from him.
“Take a break from the books, man. We gotta catch up.”
“You must have something good to tell me. I know you’re not here to read,” said Marlon.
“Reading is for chumps. I prefer to learn from life. Speaking of learning, how’s that ecology stuff going?”
“It’s called entomology, and it’s going pretty well.”
“Out of all the things that you could be doing, why sit around and study about bugs all day?”
“They’re fascinating. Did you know that butterflies taste things with their feet?”
“That’s a cool fact, but I don’t see why that’s important.”
“You’ll see someday. What have you been up to lately?” Marlon asked.
Mory hesitated for a moment before answering.
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I might be leaving the village soon for . . . work.”
“Leave when? What kind of work?”
“Honestly, I could be leaving at any time now. Probably within the next thirty days. It’s up to the boss. I can’t tell you what I’ll be doing. I’ll just say that with everything that’s happened recently, there’s something that I must do. Something that can’t be done in Stork.”
“This is some crazy talk, Mory. Whatever it is, just make sure to come back in one piece.”
“Don’t worry. I will.”
“Seriously. With this big war going down, you don’t wanna get caught up in that mess.”
If only you knew, Mory thought.
“I’ll let you get back to your anthropology.”
“Entomology” Marlon replied.
“Whatever it’s called. Bug studies. I’ll be sure to see you at least one more time before I go.”
“You’d better. I don’t wanna stop by your place and hear from your mom that you dipped. What does she think about this anyway?”
“I haven’t told her yet.”
“Huh?” Marlon uttered with a raised eyebrow.
“I’ll get on that soon,” said Mory.
# # #
Sona sat calmly in the recovery room, waiting for an expected visitor. As she stared off into space, thinking about several different things, Terias eventually entered the room.
“Is it ready?” he asked.
“Yeah, it’s right over there. Just hop in whenever you’re ready.”
She was pointing at a bathtub made of granite stone. It was filled with an infusion of sage and rosemary mixed into warm water. This type of bath was believed to promote healing and pain relief. Terias walked over to the tub and began stripping off his clothes until he was wearing only bathing shorts and his crow talon necklace. He stepped in and slowly sat down. For a while, the two of them sat quietly, as if they weren’t aware of each other’s existence. Terias would be the one to break the silence.
“Sona, get over here. And bring your chair with you.”
Sona sighed as she stood up, picked up her chair and walked over to him. She placed it beside the tub and sat down.
“Do you need me to always keep you company during bath time?”
“It wouldn’t be the same without you by my side,” he replied with a smug smile. The comment made Sona smile as well.
“You take too many herbal baths anyway. You’re in here just about every other day.”
“What can I say? These baths sure do work wonders.”
Sona looked at Terias’s shoulder, which had a scar from the wound that she had stitched up a while ago.
“I see that the scar has been healing nicely.”
“Yes, and I have you to thank for that.”
She shifted her attention to the necklace. For a while, she had always noticed it, but she had never thought to ask him about it. This time, she thought differently.
“That necklace you’re wearing, it’s really gorgeous. Is it something special to you?” The smile on Terias’ face quickly vanished and he looked away. Sona feared that the question had upset him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-“
“It’s very special.” He pulled a hand out of the water and held one of its talons in his fingers. “This was a gift from my mom just before she died. I was ten years old at the time.”
“Oh, I see. I’m being a little too nosey. I don’t want to bring up any painful memories.”
“It’s fine. You were just curious. I miss her, but she wouldn’t want me to sit around and cry. I owe it to her to become the greatest feudal lord that ever lived.”
“The necklace sure is lovely and . . . I think it looks good on you.”
Terias looked into Sona’s eyes as she spoke those words. His face was unreadable and the thoughts in his mind were a mystery. Her heart raced as she waited for a response. Then he smiled at her.
“This is why I want you here during bath time.”
Sona let out the breath that she didn’t even realize she was holding.
“I think I’ve spoiled you with these baths.”
“Maybe.”
It seemed like any tension that had arisen between them was completely gone. They both sat back and relaxed for a while. Then Terias got out of the tub, dried himself off and began to get dressed
“I feel good as new,” said Terias.
“Let’s see how long that’ll last.”
“Does it matter? As long as I have you to-“
Reni appeared at the doorway. He was frantic as he said, “Terias, we’ve got to get to the flock assembly station, now!”
“Right now? What for?”
“The Land of Fish is under attack. They’re sending us there to help in the fight.”
Terias grinned as if Reni had brought him a gift. The reaction was different from what Sona expected.
“Got it. Go on ahead, Reni. I’ll be right behind you.” Reni nodded and took off. Terias turned to Sona as he slipped on his sandals. “Thanks for the bath, Sona. I’ll need another one ready for me when I get back.”
“You’re gonna fight so soon? But you’re still new to the air unit. Isn’t this too sudden.”
“A lot of our men are in Zitonia. We’ve been called, so I have to step up. Take care, Sona.”
And just like that, he left the room in a flash. It all felt like a dream to Sona. He went from laughing with her, while in the tub, to rushing off to war in a matter of minutes. She couldn’t just let him go like that, not without saying a proper goodbye. It seemed like her body moved on its own as she ran after him.
Fantasy
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