Ascended

I was glad I didn’t have to handle them alone.

Sera was as bright as she had been when we first walked in. The evening’s violence had done nothing to dull her mood. She didn’t even show any signs of being tired.

I watched her pull her long gold hair back and tie it up. She had the same silver eyes as her sister. I thought about asking where her family was originally from but decided against it. Depending on the number of zombies, I would be done before noon. There wasn’t much point in learning much about her, I’d only be back to this town maybe a dozen more times in my life. Once I got my marks, I’d spend most of my time in the wastes. That realization sent a shot of regret to my core for the first time. Until a few minutes ago becoming Bokor so I could fight zombies and make the world safer had been all I could think about. Now I was starting to realize just what I was going to be giving up so I could do that. The Bokor couldn’t have families. Being with a human woman would only infect them, and since the marks killed most women, it would just be a cruel way of turning them into a zombie.

Sera’s sweet voice broke me out of my thoughts.

“Do you want me to help you get your friend to his room?” her voice was so sweet it was like she was singing a lullaby.

I looked down at my companion, “I can carry him,” there was no need for her to exert herself on his behalf. “If you could just show me where to drop him.”

“Are you sure?” She rolled up her sleeves revealing more pure white skin, “He looks heavy.”

I picked him up and flipped him over my shoulder. He was heavy, but I wasn’t going to admit that, “I’ve got him.” I shifted his weight so I could hold him better, “Just show me where to drop him.”

Sera nodded and led me down the hall behind the bar. There were three doors back here, and none of them were labeled. She opened the one on the right, revealing a room full of liquor and a cot in the corner.

“My father used to crash here when he worked late,” She stepped out of my way, “I thought it would be better than having to carry him upstairs.”

“It’ll be fine,” I knelt down and rolled him onto the cot. I had thought about just flipping him, but I wasn’t sure if the cot could handle that. “He slept in a tree last night.”

Max groaned but didn’t wake up. I stood up and turned to Sera, “Where do you want me to move your sister?”

“Oh, you don’t have to…” She began.

“Yes, I do,” I cut her off, “just tell me where to carry her.”

She stepped across the hall and opened the door. “In here.”

I peeked into the room. It was not what I expected. Instead of weapons or trophies, the room was decorated with shiny stones, seashells, and colored glass. Even the color was wrong. The rest of the tavern was raw wood, but the walls were painted white, which matched the blankets on the bed. I had been expecting something darker, to hide the dirt.

“Is this her room?” I asked.

“No,” Sera laughed, “It’s mine.”

“Ah,” I barked out, “That makes sense.” I looked over at the baubles, “Are these normal?” As far as I knew, most humans didn’t go near the shore. While the water did provide some defense, zombies not being able to swim and all, neither could most humans. Bokor avoided it as well since water had a grounding effect on magic. With how few beaches were visited, all the shells in the room were probably worth a small fortune.

Sera picked up a smooth piece of glass and rolled it around in her hands, “Val brings these back whenever she patrols by the ocean.” She put it back on the shelf, “It’s her way of promising that she’ll always come back.”

I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to tell her that Val should leave the zombie hunting to the Bokor, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it. It wouldn’t stop anything and I felt compelled to say something nice.

“Your sister’s strong.” It was all I could think to say. I walked away before she had a chance to reply.