Coil of Worlds

With the use of firelight he kept burning both day and night, Skye stood guard inside the small storage building and observed the village women unload their baskets of food onto a broad, flat boulder. The women talked amongst themselves, laughing and smiling. Though he could see the ravages of their grief, the village women had turned to cooking to console themselves.

While traveling blind with Chion and the peculiar foreign woman, he’d built an inaccurate image of them, especially of the woman. When he finally had a chance to view his new companions, he was surprised to find the woman had brown hair and was on the plump side. In comparison to the Kurite women placing the dishes down nearby, the Abani was somehow less graceful, less fluid in her movements. She reminded him of a gawky boy, still learning the gift of longer limbs and bigger feet. The clothing she wore was of the most finely woven cloths, but his attention was focused more on the outfit’s design. It didn’t follow the Pyranni or Kurite traditional attire. Even more fascinating than her clothes, though, was the manner of boots the Abani wore. They were made of material he’d never seen.

Her speech consisted of words and phrases that held no meaning to him, leaving him often baffled after their short conversations. Comparing the women to the Abani, he noticed Lara was older than all of the women, but she acted younger. Somehow, her youth spilled through the exterior of her features. What kind of life had she led, in which she acted younger than the other women? Perhaps she was a sheltered noblewoman. But Skye did not put much weight to that possibility. Again, something about her behavior and poise… She acted like no noble he’d met. What was it about her that caused him to watch her for anomalies?

His gaze landed on the white paka. On the other hand, Chion was everything the woman was not. Watching them interact made him realize they were truly connected and balanced each other well.

When Chion began worrying that Eiren wasn’t speaking to him, Skye had had to explain the situation to both the white paka and the Abani. He was surprised when they accepted the explanation, their own surprise showing only briefly. The Abani, especially, had made an effort to speak to the mute paka even though Eiren couldn’t talk back. Eiren relaxed once she saw both their reactions. She shared with Skye her shock at how easily their acceptance was given. Few had ever shown her true acceptance.

In the two days the Abani and the paka had joined him in the storage space, he was left with little alternative but to observe them. Skye learned that one always knew where the other was, no matter what they were doing at the time. If he hadn’t known of the bond and how it worked personally, it would have made him leery.

He had a difficult time not showing his curiosity once the woman admitted an interesting fact. Chion and Lara had met in the tunnels not that long ago, similar to Eiren and him. Turning his attention away from his reverie, Skye watched in curiosity the interaction between the Abani and the villagers. He thought her behavior intriguing. Every time they approached, the woman retreated into an uncomfortable and unsociable silence. Though Lara assisted with unloading the food, she spoke in stilted half sentences, and only if addressed.

He shifted his position at the door for a better view of the Kurites. He smirked when he saw the Abani’s eyes. Though he didn’t understand why, she looked like a wild animal caught in a trap. Although the villagers ignored him outright, they practically fell on themselves to be polite to the woman. Aggravatingly polite.

When the foreign woman walked out of his view, he tilted his head to keep her in sight. The villagers’ attention seemed only to make the woman more distraught. It was one more thing in a list of questions he had about the Abani, the Kurite culture, and this Tal’Ai bond. He shook his head.

Only a couple days had passed since his Pyranni status was revoked. He couldn’t believe that such little time had passed. Already, he could feel the anger leaving him hollow inside, a shell of his former self. He skimmed his hand over the sword strapped to his hip in an unconscious effort to comfort himself. The only time he felt worthy of life—of living—was when he touched Eiren, conversed with her.

Lost. That’s how he felt. His life had always been laid out for him. He’d known his parents’ plan for him since his earliest childhood. Skye had been content with his life. Now, his future had been opened and the possibilities overwhelmed him. He was simply dumbstruck by the number of choices before him.

He didn’t realize he wore a half grin at the thought of Eiren. Sharing his thoughts with Eiren made the loss of his home and his family less profound, his despair more manageable. Throughout the day and night, any time Eiren woke, her first thought was for him. Skye was asleep the first time it happened. When he felt a feather-light touch in his mind, he’d woken up prepared for an attack. When nothing moved within the small room, he realized Eiren had reached for him in his sleep.

In turn, he was helpless against the persistent urge to check on her. Though he was still unsure what their bond meant for his future, the one truth he knew for certain was that Eiren genuinely cared for him.

As the villagers left for their own homes, he pushed off the wall, leaving his half-hidden position. He walked up to the spread of food laid out invitingly before him. When the delicious aroma reached his nose, his stomach rumbled, telling him a full meal had been sorely missed since his captivity. The Abani smiled in his direction, then he remembered the retreating villagers. Perhaps the smile was for them instead.

With this woman, he wasn’t certain of anything.

Picking up a wooden bowl of water, he pivoted without a word and carried it inside. Skye carefully laid the bowl by the paka’s head before attempting to wake her. Her health had improved. He felt the difference in her already, though she was not conscious for any length of time. She was covered with cloth bandages he changed throughout the day and night. The leg splint kept the paka from moving the injured limb, giving the break a chance to heal.

He rubbed one of her ears. “Eiren.”

Her eyes flickered open. When he was certain she was awake, he said, “Eiren. I have brought you water. Are you able to drink?”

Yes, I am incredibly thirsty.

“Be sure,” he cautioned, “not to drink too much at one time.” When she lifted her head, he scooted the bowl closer to her.

“I’m going to retrieve some food,” he told her as he got back to his feet, grateful the injuries he received from the angry villagers were only bruises, and not broken ribs.

Outside the shack, the Abani asked him, “How is she doing?”

Peering at the food in the dim firelight, he shrugged without looking up at her. “She is capable of eating food.”

Chion’s deep voice came from behind. That is good news. The village men are becoming disgruntled at our continued presence. Because of the destruction to the village, the survivors are having difficulty enough without our impinging on their land and low food supplies. We must leave Olun come this afternoon.

Skye reminded them, “Eiren is unable to move. What would you have her do?”

Do not worry. We will not leave Eiren in this village. We need to find a means of carrying her without harming her more than necessary. However, I am at a loss as to the means.

“What about a cart,” the brown-haired woman volunteered. “Have either of you seen an abandoned cart in this cavern?” Skye saw her smile of mischief and wondered what she was thinking. He heard the paka’s underlying worry in regard to the villagers. They could not afford to anger the villagers. He really hoped the woman didn’t plan to offend the villagers.

When she didn’t explain herself, irritation at the strange woman and her ways came to the fore. His voice gruff, he asked, “There is a cart?”

Her smile slipped at his tone, and she stuttered, “O-Of course. I found it earlier. There is one behind this shack. It is rather small and only has two wheels, but it should hold Eiren’s weight with no problem.”

Forming a plan, he murmured as he scanned the meal laid out before them, “We should also pack this food for the trip. If we ration the food, we can travel a week on the food in front of us.”

He heard the woman come over and look over the food. “Won’t the food go bad?”

Some of the food will. We will need to eat those dishes first. If we run out of food, there is always the hunt. Chion lifted his head to look at Skye. I will request the use of this cart while you and My Lady begin preparing Eiren and the food for our departure. The paka glided away on silent feet.

Skye told Lara, “Pack up the food. I will give a small helping of food to Eiren before I prepare her for the trip.”

He was a little surprised when Lara nodded in easy agreement and launched into packing the food together. He didn’t bother turning around when he heard her mutter under her breath, “I always wanted to go camping.” Like so many others, Skye didn’t understand the comment.

After he updated Eiren on their plan while counting each bite she ate, he circled the shack in search of the cart with the torch in hand. He shook his head in wonder. How could the woman even consider this a cart? The boards were rotted through in places, making the contraption unstable. When he pushed the cart, he gritted his teeth at the racket it made. Everything within him balked at using it. They’d be heard from a great distance, leaving them vulnerable to attack. Hearing the woman’s tread as she came around the building, Skye ignored her in favor of glaring at the decrepit cart.

“Well? Will it work,” she asked with faltering confidence after seeing his scowl.

He grunted. “It works if you want to be dead by the end of the day.”

Her brows drew down in consternation, and she glanced back and forth between him and the death trap. “It doesn’t work? I know it doesn’t look like much. I know I’ve no idea what I’m looking at since I’ve never had to use a cart before. But I thought we didn’t have much of a choice?”

She had never used a cart? What did that mean? Irritated at his inability to understand the woman’s ramblings, his scowl darkened. Unaware his bristling gave off the aura of peril, his eyebrows rose when the woman took two steps back in trepidation. About to ask her what was wrong, he shook his head once instead. He had no time to figure out the woman’s odd ways. He stalked back to the front of the building. He had to find a way to fix the God-cursed cart.

After using scraps to make it sturdier, he carefully lifted Eiren and carried her to the cart where the woman hovered with the torch. The Abani had arranged their blankets to pad the hard boards. Once the paka was on the blankets, he rearranged Eiren’s leg splint to a comfortable position. Chion oversaw their work as both Lara and he secured the food and the bandages Eiren needed for her wounds. Much to his dismay, Skye couldn’t repair the wheels. He despised the exposure and increased vulnerability the ear-splitting noise created.

His grimace found him glaring into Eiren’s tired but resolute eyes. He felt her smirk through their bond when he guiltily shifted his gaze away. She was exhausted, and they had not even begun.

She said, Let us leave this place. We must travel a great distance before these next few days have passed.