Valterra

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

     The only thing that Avos could think about was seeing Elise again. Suddenly he didn't care that the scrolls were gone or that Lucinde may have become a foe. He simply wanted to see that beautiful smile again. It would only be moments now. He and Marcus were walking to the care-house from the Citadel to explore what the Elder had told them about her. 

     He never felt this way before; nervous, yet excited at the same time. He never had time for girls when he was growing up, or at least that was the excuse his father gave him. A farmers work is never done, he used to say. In reality he had all the time in the world, but he grew up sheltered and hidden. They kept him busy, perhaps to make him believe that there wasn't much for him outside the farm. 

     His life had become so routine that he stopped questioning why they didn't go to the Solstice festivals or why they didn't travel more as a family. 'Too much work to be done' or 'we don't know anyone around these parts, best keep to ourselves'. The best one was 'Nature is all you need Avos, it will always be there for you, never turn your back on you, and never die.' But it turns out, that's not true either. Everything will die if Marcus' plan was not fulfilled.

     Avos rarely ever got angry, but he felt a sudden rage rift through him. He felt cheated. How many Elise's could he have met before now? How many pretty faces or extravagant cities could he have seen if not for what he was? Nonetheless, he knew he wouldn't be the same person he was today if it had been any different. Would he have met Elise? He slowly smiled to himself. I am what I am. He felt the rage subside and a calmness settled over him. He would see her shortly and somehow that made him momentarily happy.

     "I hope that smile means you've thought of a way to convince Elise to help us?" Marcus asked, interrupting his thoughts.

     "You think she won't want to?"

     "Well... I am more concerned with telling her what we're looking for, and why." A silence hung in the air for a few moments. What would Elise think of him if she knew what he was supposed to become. They walked without words across the pavilion and towards the care-house. Once they made it to the doors, Marcus stopped Avos before he had a chance to open it. "Listen, Avos, we can't reveal too much. We mustn't tell her about the resurrection. We'll say some very important documents have been taken and we wish to find the person who has them. If she proceeds to question us, we can let her know the Keeper is the one who is missing and that we feel she may be in danger."

     "Is that true though? Do you think Lucinde is in danger?"

     "She most definitely is, my son, whether by her own doing or not. She is under the influence of the Great Dark. Nothing is more dangerous than that." Marcus opened the door for Avos and followed him though.

     The care-house was not what Avos had been expecting. He pictured a large hall full of the sick in beds, but this place seemed much more personable. As they roamed the halls he noticed that each patient had his or her own room, though sometimes there were two or three sharing one. Most of the single rooms were for a mother and her newborn. Those sharing, he assumed, had similar ailments which made it safer for the others and easier for Aunt Chloe and her staff to care for them.

     They stumbled upon a common area. There was a grand dining table with a few people sitting around it, as well as some cushions and chairs spread around the rooms with smaller tables set up for games. 

     He heard his Aunt's voice then. The main kitchen was off to the left and she was talking about the best way to prepare boar. He hoped that she wasn't planning a huge feast on his account; they had trouble to see to, and not much time for feasting. Or celebrating, for that matter.