KINGDOM OF THE STONE -- a Wattpad featured novel

Chapter Twenty Three

"Er, no.  It's for fighting angorym."

"Angorym!  You've fought them?"

"Well, one of them."

"You've fought an angoran?  Really?  And lived to talk about it?"

"Well, that was last winter.  One of us didn't live to talk about it, at least not for long."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."  She glanced away looking ashamed.  Theris just stared into his cup.

"Did you hear what happened to those poor people up north?  They say a whole bunch of the angorym attack everyone in the valley.  Hardly anyone survived."

"Yeah, they started with my korion."

Her large oval eyes grew enormous.

"I'm from Korion-Garanth.  It doesn't exist anymore.  Only a few women and children made it out.  We would have all died if our adras hadn't stayed behind and fought...and died."  He suddenly felt very alone and something of that despair leaked into his voice.

"Oh, Theris."  Her eyes shone with unshed tears.

He shivered on hearing her say his name.  It somehow sounded different coming from her mouth.  She placed her hand on the back of his hand and he placed his other hand on hers, sandwiching it, amazed at how warm and soft her skin felt.

"I want a sweet cake!  You said I could have a sweet cake, Madra!"

Theris jerked upright.  "Did she just call you madra?"

"Yes," Asophra's face stiffened.  "Is there something wrong with that?"

"No!  It's just... I thought she was your little sister!"

Asophra laughed and slapped him playfully on the back of the hand.

"Seriously!  I can't believe it."  He looked at Asophra's daughter.  "You really do not look old enough to have a daughter of her age.  You'd have had to have married when you were little more than her age."

Asophra blushed.  "I was twice her age when I was married to Anair."

Theris' heart sank.  He pulled his hand away, despair and guilt warring within him.  Of course she was married.  How dare he flirt with another man's wife!

"He died when she was six.  I don't think she remembers him very well."

She looked up sorrowfully and they locked eyes.  Elation, despair, hope and guilt swirled around inside him.  He knew he had to be in love.  He just didn't know what to do about it.

"I guess it's my turn to say I'm sorry."

Asophra laughed, though it sounded half-like a sob.

Another long silence followed, each lost in their thoughts.

"Will you be staying in town?" Asophra asked casually.

"I don't know," Theris replied struck again by an immense feeling of being lost in a big empty world.  "I don't really have anywhere to go."

Asophra looked back up at him, a fragile hopeful smile on her face.  "You could come visit us?"

"Us?"

"Yes, my older brother now manages our family's farm. He would love to hear your story... that is if you can bear to tell it."

Theris found himself smiling, and took her hand.  "If you'll be there, I think I'll be able to."

-=====|==

"We've found a guide who knows the koria in the south," Jomel told Karux and Arnion as he led them to a strange little man with a broad, cone-shaped straw hat and a half-dozen heavily laden mules on a line.  "His name is Odo.  Odo, this is Karux and Arnion."