The Blade and The Bird

Chapter 7

They'd been moving quickly for over an hour, Baron occasionally stopping at gaps in the overhead trees to get a glimpse of the sky for navigation, before they felt it safe enough to slow down their quick pace. Sidra felt herself relax. She didn't know what those men had wanted, but they had been dressed similarly to the man she had killed in her home. She thought of her grandmother again and the way she had died. She shook off the thought, she needed to focus on what was happening now.

"Do you think they were looking for me?" She asked, breaking the silence, as they walked.

"Who knows," Baron said, "They could have been Mythic bounty hunters. They could have been after you. Either way, we lost them." He spoke so nonchalantly, and Sidra felt her expression darkening. It always felt like, no matter the situation, it was never truly a big deal to Baron.

"Mythic bounty hunters? Are there really still that many Mythics?" Sidra asked, prodding for more information. "Before you, I truly thought they had all been rounded up."

"You shouldn't say 'they'. You know you're one too. See, it's hard to get rid of things, parts of the world will always survive." Sidra thought about that for a moment.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. After all, you survived too somehow. How did that happen anyway?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, most people would die from being buried alive. You didn't. Why is that?"

"A big part of that was the curse," he admitted. "Pissed off the wrong woman."

"Why doesn't that surprise me in the least." She rolled her eyes even though he couldn't see it. "What did you do?"

"What makes you think it's my fault?" He asked with a laugh.

"Because I've personally seen you flirt with anything breathing," she said. "So, who'd you piss off? We've got miles to walk, might as well tell me a good story."

"Ah, see, you are upset about the waitress," he said with a sharp laugh. "Well, I don't know how long ago it was anymore, don't know how long I was buried for. Couldn't be that long, the world isn't that much different now than it was. Anyway, however long ago, there was a girl."

"I knew it," Sidra interjects.

Do you want to hear the story or not?" He stepped over another root buried in the ground, the trees here had massive roots she realized. Sidra said nothing, and Baron took that as a sign to continue.

"So there was a girl," his voice lost it's joyous tone as he continued, "I was visiting family up North. My Uncle got very sick and couldn't take care of his farm. I was happy to go, knowing the work would be hard. Since he was so sick, I worked with a few other men to harvest the crops each season, but it was mainly my job to take the cart into town to the grocer where we'd sell it for profit. That's where I met Amelia." Baron paused after saying her name, Sidra was walking behind him, so she could only make out the outline of his back in the dark. She was curious about what expression may have been on his face.

"She was beautiful," he finally said, "her smile was brighter than the sun. I know that's a cliche thing to say, but it was true. Her whole being was the embodiment of light, sometimes I thought I couldn't even look at her. She was always working when I came to sell the crops, and we became quick friends. She always had something to say and I was always willing to listen." He grew quiet again, perhaps revisiting the memories.

"And?" Sidra asked softly.

"Well, she lived a few blocks away from the shop. I found out one night that she walked home alone and didn't like that. She tried to fight with me about it, how she was safe, but I refused to let her go alone after that. Every night, I'd stay behind after selling the produce so I could make sure she got home safe." Sidra had a bad feeling about the way this story was going.