Romanowski and Rosemary

6. The Priestess & the King

Coretta

"That means…" Dunkin's voice shook as he glared at Aarmen, struck by a sense of betrayal. "I will be the one to return in the end?!" He snarled, hurling the thin wooden stick he had, up in the air.

Aarmen watched on without flinching, like the stone-cold leader he had become in the past few days.

"That's the only fair option, funerary priest Remun Ra." He quipped.

"Just cause I helped with Cheryl's body doesn't mean I'm gonna do to it till you all flip out of this century!" His temperature was soaring with the way his face turned red. "And dare you call me a funerary priest! I'm Aphrodite's priest now!"

Quietly, I shifted beside Lorenzo in the distance, on the forest floor, and hid behind him.

Fortunately, Cheryl was alright in the 21st century after Lorenzo's abnormal claim was dismantled as we received a new message from the department that Cheryl was doing fine.

It was my idea to use Dunkin's position among the priests to help with Cheryl's body.

And it was Aarmen's decision to unload the duty of all our dead bodies on him when he learnt ‌Dunkin had arranged to cremate our teammate's body.

I felt guilty now.

"Are we not your friends?" Aarmen said solemnly. "If you helped Cheryl, won't you… help us?" 

"This emotional blackmailing won't work on me, Shallots." Dunkin deadpanned, jerking his head aside.

Then his eyes landed on Lorenzo, and so did Aarmen's. Menacingly.

"Swarwoski!" they both screamed together. "You will return in the end!" 

I sighed quietly. 

No one wanted to be the last one to leave.

Lorenzo didn't even put up an argument as he shrivelled like a waterless plant. 

"There's an upcoming war which I have to take part in." He took a shuddering breath and then exhaled. "I was actually gonna ask one of you to visit the warrior camp where my dead, slain body would lie soon." 

It didn't take two seconds before Aarmen and Dunkin's gaze landed on me. I looked back like a deer caught in headlights. 

But then they exhaled hopelessly and grew silent. 

"There's no way Cors gonna return in the end." Dunkin grabbed the thin wooden stick he'd thrown, to draw on the muddy ground again. It was yet another early morning outside Aarmen's hut by the forest's border, where we were gathered. 

Dunkin had crossed out Cheryl's name and had scribbled the order of our departure, according to him.

D & C

L

A

"My mum's going to crush me like grains in a mortar and pestle if I leave Cors alone here." He mumbled.

"I'm not your responsibility, Dunkin." I offered, feeling terrible. "It's alright if you want to go back soon." 

"No way in Hades," he shot me an incredulous look. "I know you're as trained as me to fight off dangers, but it's still a shitty century for women." He huffed. "Just for the peace of my mind, else, my worries would eat me up back at home."

I nodded slowly, my guilt rising to its peak. I'd used him to destroy our bodies, not considering that he missed his family so much and wanted to leave his world as soon as possible.