The Fields of Fire

Chapter 3: Tau Adana

"My son saw your plane crash, I found you alive so I healed you."

She gave up on the idea of using force to escape, if she was going to get out of here she was going to have to finesse her way out. "So, I'm your prisoner."

"You're not my prisoner, you're my guest and you're free to leave to at any time."

She was surprised to hear that. She knew that she should just stop talking, get up and leave, but that would be too easy. This man was clearly some kind of Atherian operative. She first investigated the most unlikely part of her current situation. Why would a Human be living in Atheria? She spoke the answer out loud, "You're a traitor."

He scoffed, "You see a human in Atheria and he's automatically a traitor?"

"Zytria is the one true Kingdom of Mankind. All humans live under the Queen's dominion and mercy. To resist her will and authority by serving an enemy nation makes you a traitor."

"Ahhh, yes. All humans live under the Queen's mercy? Is that what they say? Well I'll admit, it was a surprise to see a woman piloting a plane, you know, considering Zytria's famed sexism. Oh and tell me the complexion of all your other -pilot buddies out flying? All white, I'm guessing. Also, you said fuck to God, didn't you? Thank goodness you didn't say fuck the Gods, considering that Yorinism is the official state religion of Zytria. Well, we also can't forget about all the human tribesman living beyond the wall of one-thousand guns, I'd hardly say they get a fair share of the Queen's mercy. So I guess by "All Humans" you really mean, all male white humans who worship the right god and happen to be south of the Wall. Would that be correct?"

Tau glared at him, "You seem to fit all those classifications, so what's your excuse?"

The man ignored her comment and turned around to face the open door, "Breakfast is ready. We brought you your food, but I'm sure my wife would love it if you joined us."

Tau looked over at the tray of food next to her bed. Eating alone was unnecessarily depressing, so she groggily swung her legs out of bed and got up. She looked down to see that she was wearing a pair of striped pajamas and a blue long sleeved shirt. She grabbed the tray of food and stepped out the door, before her was a hallway painted sandy white, with no pictures up decorating the walls. She walked forward until she came to the dining room, sitting there was Brandon and his son.

Tau stopped and studied the small child. He seemed about eight, and he looked mostly normal, except, his ears. They looked slightly pointed, and his skin, it was a washed out shade of gold, and despite his facial features making him seem like an eight-year-old, he seemed a bit tall for his age. Brandon must have seen Tau standing there, because he turned to her. "My Wife's in the kitchen. You can take a seat."

Tau sat down at the table, setting her tray of food in front of her. The food was strange, she could make out soup but everything else was unrecognizable. Blue lettuce, green eggs, some weird purple goo that looked like it belonged in a chemical waste pond. She looked up to see Brandon's son glaring at her, his greenish blue eyes staring deep into her soul. The silence was awkward, but it didn't last long.

"Fuck you!" The little boy shouted.

"What the hell, Xaren?" Brandon looked enraged, "Why would you say that to our guest!"

Xaren that was a funny name for a human, but she guessed she was in Atheria, so she shouldn't have been to surprised. Xaren turned to face his father, "She said it to me first! I'm just returning the favor!"

Tau laughed. Regardless for her feelings of fear at the given situation, the boy was quite funny. "I respect a man who hits back, but that goes for me as well. I simply cannot let an insult like this go unpunished." Tau glanced at Brandon, who looked worried. She leaned across the table closer to Xaren [insert good insults here]