Streets of Capihul
Delta was probably over-imagining her situation. It wouldn't be the first time that her irrational paranoia got the better of her, but this time, her feelings may have been justified. She paced around the empty cafeteria, chewing on her hair as she watched A'gesh shred some of the fruits on the table. Staring at her ravenous bird, her head felt like a thick belt was drawn around her temples and squeezed. Her thoughts and feelings were like a violent tide crashing against her ordinarily ordered mind, breaking over buildings and ruining gardens, pulling people into the water and siphoning air from their lungs. Goru kept her around for this purpose, how far would he go with her and what other plans did he have, she wondered.
A pained exhale left her lips as she pressed her fingers against her temples. It was decided: she couldn't – she refused to stay. Delta pulled down her sleeve and flicked on her wrist phone. Her finger hovered above contemplating to contact her mother but lacked the imagination of how great Olanta's fury would be when she found out that Delta had fallen in with magi. She couldn't reach out, not after everything that's happened; they would probably refuse to speak to her anyway.
Deruth, his name popped into her head. Her fingers scrolled through to find his device's frequency number. She contemplated for a moment that her messages could probably be read by magi if they passed from the tower. They would be on to her plans in seconds, and she might never leave this place until her dying days.
Biting her lip, she pressed a seemingly innocent message. “It's been a while, when you have time let's meet in the cities library. Say, in an hour?”
What felt like agonising aeons, but barely a moment passed when her bracelet vibrated. “Certainly! I'd like to see you again.”
His reply eased the pressure in her head. With not a second to lose, she whistled for A'gesh and made way to her bedchamber to begin packing. To her heart's dismay, she had to abandon many of her possessions for the quick getaway. Otherwise, the magi could be alerted too soon. She kept a steady pace, not to seem too hurried to create suspicion. Coming to her door, she carefully slid it open to see Mage Balgrif beside Kyirn's bed. He turned his back further without an acknowledgement of her presence, but this time, she was thankful.
“How's she going?” Delta said, stepping closer to her bed and quietly pulling out one of her smaller bags.
“As to be expected,” he grumbled as he pressed his hand over Kyirn's forehead. Delta slid several packets of A'gesh's nuts and dead insects into her bag as she kept vigil of Balgrif's body.
“I'll be out of your way soon,” she said, grabbing at various data crystals that contained some of the mage archives, spare undergarments from under pillows, her small makeup kit and any other clothes she could get from her bed.
“Where are you going?” Balgrif said with his back still turned to her.
Deciding not to lie, Delta kept it as honest as possible. “Meeting with a friend, need to take a break from this place.”
“That's why you're bringing extra clothes, hmm?” he said.
“Might go for a swim.” saying the first thing that came to her head as she buttoned her bag closed.
“Don't take too long, threshers are out this season,” he said in a low grumble.
“I know.” Delta rolled her eyes and patted her shoulder for A'gesh to come. She swung her bag over her empty shoulder and strode out of the room. She glanced back at Kyirn, her partially open lips were dry and cracked. Waves of guilt almost flooded Delta as she tried to keep herself from tearing. She'll try to help Kyirn when she's in a better position, at least when she has a roof over her head. Maybe telling someone of the events happening among the magi could be enough to push external forces to look more carefully at the most trusted individuals in their nation, but then again, maybe not.
Delta spun around and made way for the teleporter alcoves. Her eyes were darting around for anyone, keeping them peeled especially for Goru. With empty halls still all around her, her speed hastened with every corner she took but was halted when another body slammed into hers. Heart racing, Delta looked up at the face of Mage Xian, his eyes also wide with shock as he stared between her and A'gesh. She didn't say anything, hoping he would ask the first question, but he didn't. His muddy and wrinkled face relaxed when he saw the bag over her shoulder.
“Take care of A'gesh,” he whispered before rushing behind her and disappearing down the hall.
Delta felt like she could breathe again as her eyes caught the blue and white lights shining off the alcove. She punched in the coordinates of Capihul's prime library and stepped onto the pad without a look back. The teleporter activated as she felt like she was being sucked through the vacuum of subspace, pulling, twisting every part of her form until she was dropped into a similar place. She swung around and saw a line of people waiting to use the alcove beside her and more and more rows of people waiting to enter them and streams of people leaving them.
Her alcove gave a disgruntled hum. She almost leapt out of her skin and A'gesh took flight when an older man said: “Get out, someone else wants to port in!”
“Oh,” she mumbled before awkwardly hopping off the pad. Taking in her surroundings, the windowed ceilings showed the curled silver clouds above, the light leaked in and reflected against the black and white marble floors and pink granite walls of the wide and long corridors that were filled with every form of life. Young, old, wealthy, poor, human and other, shared the same space on equal grounds. Sculptures depicted heroes and villains of the past, both factual and fictional from famous works, carved from different stones and gems to create perfect pieces of masonry masters adorned the space. On the higher levels of the library, tree roots and green vines hung from the edges with some of the leaves high enough to graze the glass heights. A'gesh was quick to befriend some of the navy doves in the branches.
Although she wanted to stay in such a magnificent place, she couldn't. Delta tapped at her wrist phone and made way to the closest entrance. She whistled for A'gesh to follow, which she reluctantly obeyed, Delta brushed past the crowds for the multi-storied high doors that were open to the public. She glanced at her wrist, shaking it with the certain force to check the time she had left before Deruth was scheduled to come. Good, she still had several moments. Her eyes shot up to A'gesh, she swooped in closer to Delta but was still high enough to be spotted. She bit her lip and prayed that no one would notice her, yet.
Out the doors a gust of cool, ocean-air lifted the hair from her shoulders. She glanced across the roads, and beyond the bridges; several eatery stores dotted the streets along with the adjacent buildings with a decent amount of shrubbery in between each store. Delta made her way across to the nearest place and settled at the stool behind one of the thickest bushes. A'gesh took no time to swoop to the tallest bush on the street and start rummaging through the branches of the abundant blueberries growing on their edges. With a deep breath, she flicked on her wrist phone and added a new message to Deruth, who had just arrived at the library and asked for her location.
“Change of plan, I thought we could sit at the cafe across from the main entrance. I'll see you when you come out,” she tapped in. Her eyes glanced to the open doors, searching the hundreds of heads and faces coming in and out of the enormous structure. It didn't take long for Deruth to pop out from the crowd; his face squinted from the bright sun as he searched the outdoors for Delta. Her arm rose well above her head, quickly waving her hand at him to catch his attention, it did. His eyes widened along with his smile as he strode through the crowd and across the street before coming to a stop at her small table.
“It's good to see you,” he said extending his arm to hers.
“You too, Deruth,” she extended her arm and gently clasped her hand around his forearm like he did hers. She tried suppressing her surprise for the solid muscles beneath his bark-coloured tunic.
“How are you doing?” he said settling down in the stool beside hers. His eyes never broke contact, “the house hasn't been the same without you in it.”
“That's sweet of you to say, but I bet the other servants would be pleased with less mess and quieter halls,” she said trying to smile.
“Well, the gossip has certainly died down a lot, where will I get entertainment now?” he chuckled as he rested his elbows on the surface.
Delta laughed as she rubbed her eyes and cooled her warming cheek. “Now I'm out, we can have more time away from work and school.”
Deruth traced his fingers along the edge of the table. “I'm glad that you're enjoying yourself there, I was never a scholarly type. Parents always pushed and pushed for it, but I preferred learning only enough to do what I wanted.”
“What do you want to do?” she said resting back in her chair.
He shrugged his shoulders. “Haven't really decided yet, just something that gets me out of home for long enough, so I don't have to always have to care for them.”
“Why do you have to take care of your parents?” she said.
“They're very old. I'm the last one of sixteen, and all my siblings have moved away from Atlantia and other worlds. I was left to care for them and listen to every thought they have,” he sighed “I was tempted to say you're the lucky one.”
Delta's lips curled into an awkward grin. “Guess we're never really happy with what we have until we lose it.”
“Do you want to go back? Thought you still have more time to figure things out after you've finished with Pitach-rhok?” he said.
Her stomach clenched as she considered his question. She could tell him about how she left her old school to join the magi, she could tell him about what she had learnt while in their custody before turning tail, she could tell him what happened to Kyirn. She could tell him the truth about the depths of deception of the magi, but it could throw his safety into jeopardy. She didn't need an extra load on her conscience. “Turns out the school wasn't any better than home, I've decided to leave for the time being. I suppose I need to learn to stand on my own for a while.”
“Where will you go?” he said.
Delta dropped her stare from his face to his wide hands. “I know this is very short notice, but I was wondering if I could stay with you for a little while.”
She could still see his face; his smile had vanished and took in a heavy breath. “Delta, I don't know...”
“I understand, but there are a few things that I need to sort out, and they're just too difficult for me to…”
“With my parents, it's just not possible right now,” he said slowly shaking his head as he pulled his arms to his lap.
“If you don't have a spare bedroom, I can sleep on the couch. I'll help you care for your parents. I could be your house server for a change!” she said with a toothy grin.
Deruth rubbed his handsome face and with a breathy chuckle said, “The space isn't an issue since there used to be eighteen of us. If it was up to me, I wouldn't mind having you there, and I know you would do your part, but my parents wouldn't accept your presence there.”
“Please, Deruth. A'gesh and I don't have anywhere else to go. If you could explain to them...” her grin faded as she stared into his eyes.
“They're old with old ways of thinking. They wouldn't accept someone I used to serve to become a servant under me, and considering your family's status in this country, they would even be less inclined to agree, no matter how much I plead with them.”
Delta suppressed her eyes from tearing, she slowly nodded. Perhaps it was for the best. If the magi began their search for her, Deruth and his family would be their start. “I understand,”
“I'm sorry, I can't help you in that regard, but I can take you to a place where they could house you with a small fee, of course. It's across this bridge in the first block, I promise it's to your standards,” he smirked.
“Only the best for the Ungbrahes,” she chuckled itching her red eyes.
They rose from their seats, A'gesh made a quick appearance on Delta's shoulder before they headed down to the inner city. In the sun, Capihul's walls were so bright that it strained the eyes if one lingered on them. Branching from more difficult discussions, Delta found herself educating Deruth on the period architecture of each building on the street and what sort of tools their Atlantean predecessors used to construct each shrine, sculpture, home and workplace, including their choices of plants they placed on the structures. To her surprise, he didn't seem uninterested in what she had to say or asked her to change topics, so without prompting she continued with her stream of consciousness.
They got so lost in conversation that Delta walked into a small band of Matchenei tourists. Their waist-high, eerily thin bodies almost toppled over as she stepped around them to avoid greater harm, apologising profusely as she did. Their blue faces frowned, but she couldn't see their large eyes under their light-dampening rectangular visors.
“So sorry about that,” Deruth said as he helped the small man keep his balance before they wandered to the other side of the street without a word, “hard to see them sometimes.”
“Telling me,” Delta said as she straightened the strap on her now slightly aching shoulder, “how far now?”
He turned around; his eyes were scanning the row of buildings beside them. “I believe this is the one, just up the steps on the first floor there should be a service desk somewhere,” pointing to an earthy-coloured marble building.
Delta bit her lip as she looked at the high structure before looking around the streets. “Thank you, for everything.”
“Please, this was the least I could do,” he said waving away her appreciation.
She wanted to hug him and wanted to spend more time with him after she found herself a room, but her fears that the magi might come down on Deruth harder if they sensed her energy on him quelled that thought. She couldn't stay at the hotel either. For once, she could hide in a city of millions with the help of her mental block. Finally, being a mundane became a blessing.
“Take care of yourself, Deruth,” she said as her arm extended.
He pushed aside her hand and came in for an embrace; her body went rigid for a moment before returning one to him.
“Hope to see you in a better place, Delta. When it's your twentieth birthday, call me, I know a place we can go,” he said letting go, with a final wave he skipped down the street and disappeared across the bridge.
She grinned as she watched him go, her heart hoped that they would meet again, but a part of her felt a dark future ahead of them. Her smile died as she looked to A'gesh beside her before turning to the nearest directory to find the next apartment complex. Delta needed to disappear from everyone's lives in order to save them.
~
The city was a vast community where possibilities were endless to those who could afford its luxuries. Every district and street corner had something for someone to enjoy, no matter what time of day. In the beginning, Delta kept her senses sharp on anyone suspicious in her immediate vicinity out of fear of being returned to Mage Goru. As time progressed, her constant change of sleeping places and removal of habits allowed her to ease from the constant worry of being sought. The magi may have their hand in most of society, but even they wouldn't expend their limited resources and time on one individual. She hoped this to be true more than she reasoned.
It has been weeks, or perhaps months, since her hiatus. With little to do and with only A'gesh for company, Delta spent her nights trolling the streets; seeking a new thrill with the many people with whom she bought temporary friendship at the various bars. She lost track of time as she lost trackof herself and her credits. Before Delta left home, her parents gave her a fraction of their fortune to survive. It was their way to force her into responsibility and as a form of punishment. Unfortunately, most of the credits disappeared by acquiring a new assortment of luxurious accessories and partying in the late hours of the night. She could no longer afford the rental room where she spent her days, and the rental overseer had noticed.
She only had a few moments to pack her pocket space bag, which entailed her throwing in her undergarments, shoes and small makeup kit before the overseer knocked on her door. The chamber was little more than a shoebox cupboard that was mostly filled by a single persons' bed and various smart storage spaces. Delta scoffed remembering that her family's vault was the smallest area in their house, and yet it was still significantly larger than this.
A'gesh stood atop the doorframe, waiting to warn her master if someone was getting too close.Delta tore open wooden drawers from their sockets and poured their contents in to her bags before tossing them aside. As she pillaged for any items of value in her stay-house room, she heard distant voices down the hall – she was running out of time. As panic rose in her chest, her scalp knocked over the crystal light bulb from its hook that hung from the ceiling. She snatched it from the air before it plummeted to the ground. The bulb continued emanating light. She looked longingly at it and realised she hasn't eaten that day. Delta bit her plump lips as she checked her last lot of credits; there was just enough to feed her for the next day.
Warning chirps came from the door, A'gesh sensed someone was coming close. Delta's heart hammered in her chest; her rental overseer called out her name. The overseer’s footsteps stopped at the door, slamming her knuckles on her chamber door. “Delta, I know you're in there. You haven't paid for the last few days, and things around here are going missing,” her voice was full of frustration.
She didn't reply. The magnets on her bags clicked shut, which was followed by angrier knocks. With nowhere to make her escape, she refused to be trapped. She turned to the partially open window; its view was obscured by a tall pine tree sitting just a step beyond the sill. Her hands slid the window just high enough to poke her head over to study how far the ground was below. The moonlight illuminated the beautiful ornate stone pathways of the stay-house courtyard that overlooked a small park and the nearby Posied Harbour. Directly below her, there was a small patch of long grass growing on the wall of the stay-house and tree trunk.
The knocking suddenly stopped. “If you don't open this door, I'm breaking it down so I can call the law on you!” the overseer shouted followed by thundering bangs against the metallic door latch.
This spooked A'gesh enough that her violet wings opened and fluttered out the window and landed on the tree branch just a foot away from Delta's hand. She knew that her bird was suggesting to follow her out on the finger-thin branch. The latch shook violently in the wooden door; the overseer must have loosened it enough to unlock its mechanism. Delta grabbed her bags and tossed them to the grass below her window, they fell with a heavy thud when they met the ground. By the sound, the grass cushioned their fall just enough to prevent them from breaking open. She slid the window all the way up to the ceiling and stepped onto the sill with her hands still clinging on the window.
The ground suddenly looked further away as she stared at her belongings below.A'gesh's chirps gave her some encouragement, which only irritated Delta.
“Stop it, A'gesh, you're making the ground look so much further away!” she said.
On the count of three, she will jump off the sill and body-hug the tree and then safely climb down. One; Delta took a deep breath, two; the overseer continued hurling threats, three; the door latch finally fell, and half a dozen feet came bursting through the door. There was no fourth second for Delta to reconsider, she leapt off the sill and tried to grab hold of the nearby branch. As her body swung underneath, the branch snapped from above her, sendingA'gesh to fly further up into the tree and Delta into the lower branches. Her bodycrashed into the thick branches, failing to grab at them as they snapped against her weight. Pain exploded from her chest when she smashed into the tree root after meeting the ground.
Delta turned over to her back, clutching to her chest and tried pulling in shallow, raspy breaths. A'gesh sung happily in the high branches, Delta cursed under her breath at the little bird before climbing up to her feet. She heard voices calling out from her bedroom's window, a head poked out from the sill looking three storeys down. Her eyes widened, and her adrenaline kicked in. The pain in her chest suddenly ceased as she grabbed her bags and made a mad dash from the stay-house courtyard before finally sprinting over the park hedge.
After a solid minute of running through the park's walkway, her energy waned, and sweat stuck to her clothes that emanated a foul odour. She dropped her bags on the stone floor and opened her buttoned-up navy catsuit to feel her bruised chest. Her hot fingers poked her chest plate and ribs, searching for her injuries, but found nothing. A’gesh swooped in and landed on Delta’s shoulder; her wings gently touched her cheeks as her beak pecked at the seams of her suit neckline.
“Incredible, that fall should've left some injuries,” she said.
A’gesh stopped pecking and looked up to meet Delta’s eyes. She was highly intelligent, but Delta doubted that she could understand the depth of her words.
“Think my quarter Arinu came through for me, eh?” she said with a smirk.
The bird jumped off her shoulder and landed on her bags. Her head cocked from one side to another, looking at Delta with her teal eyes.
“They're really strong physically too, probably the only thing I inherited from Olanta's side, but I know with enough pushing, I'll get it all.”
A’gesh jumped on the suitcase, her talons clicking against the hard surface.
Delta watched her silly bird continuing to jump. “What’s up with you? I’m trying to have a moment, and you keep interrupting me?”
The little violet bird started squawking, loud enough to wake the residents sleeping in their apartments around the park. “It's fine, we'll get to another place soon.”
A’gesh opened her wings and took to the skies; Delta reached down and lifted her egg-shaped bags. They seemed heavier; her arms felt like they were going to pop from their sockets. She realised her body was now depleted and now hunger settled in.
After drifting through the park with A’gesh flying overhead, Delta came across another stay-house that sat directly opposite to the harbour. It was far bigger and fancier than the one before, they even had a guard standing by the door. She combed her messy white mane with her fingers, rubbed any dirt from her face and closed her arms closer to her body to minimise the smell from her underarms. With a deep breath, Delta put her charming smile on and casually approached the guard.
He was a Ravansye, a specimen of an extra-terrestrial race of red-skinned people who could reach well over two meters in height and over a meter in width, and well known for their aggressive natures. He wore a black cloth tunic with spiked shoulder pads, giving him a more intimidating appearance. His plain black trousers had a thick leather belt with studded metals, and his boots had sharp iron spikes around the toes. His thin auburn shirt was loose around his muscular shoulders, his squared red face was covered in grey tattoos that housed two dull yellow eyes, and his thin and delicate lips appeared to have been drawn on his jaw.
From the little Delta knew about Ravansye people, they appreciated the strength of character and willingness to confront very large challenges. With her shoulders back and her head held high, Delta avoided the guard’s glance as she tried walking through the stay-houses doors. His giant arm flew past her, barring her from continuing her entrance. Delta tried stopping herself from flinching at his speed.
“No entrance,” he said, glaring at her.
Delta backed off from the doors and stomped around to face him. “And why is that?” she demanded; yet every bit of her fibre shook with fear.
The guard chuckled, seemingly amused by her attempts to challenge him. “No entry for you, Delta.”
Her eyes widened in horror, almost dropping her bags. “How do you know of me?”
“Your information was sent around to all the stay-houses in Capihul for failure to pay,” he said.
“That’s a misunderstanding, for many of them I was allowed several nights stay,” she said, her voice slightly wavering.
The guard slowly took a step forward; she forced herself to remain standing her ground before him. He lifted his gloved arm, a wide wrist phone revealing an activated monitor on it.
“You were permitted to stay on certain free days, but the others weren't. There is no misunderstanding,” his giant fingers pushed a button on the device, and her face appeared on the monitor, “this is you; do you deny it?” he said.
Delta said nothing. Saliva built up in her mouth and she gulped it down her tightened neck. A’gesh landed on her shoulders, trying to give some support to her master but her sharp talons ended up digging into her skin making her wince in pain.
“Yes, that is me...” she said looking away from her smiling holo-photo.
“Ravansye respect honesty, thank you for it,” the guard said.
“Please, I don’t have anywhere else to go,” she said looking up at his haggard stone face.
“I cannot,” he said.
“Your kind value honour, don't they? How would you feel if something happened to me while roaming the streets? How would you feel knowing you could’ve stopped something terrible from happening?” she shouted.
The guard glared at her, he turned his wrist device off and cracked his knuckles. “We value strength and using it to overcome that which wants to stop us.”
“Right now, you're the only thing that stops me from getting through,” she hissed.
“Don't threaten me, weak girl, you won't win, even if you're psychic,” he growled, inching closer.
Delta took a step back; her golden eyes welled up in tears. “I’m not weak! You are nothing but a guard, you don’t know me!”
He cocked his head to the side, carefully studying her. “I’ve met a thousand weaklings, all of them are the same.”
“Whatever,” Delta turned; ready to walk away from the guard's insults.
“There’s a shelter where you can sleep. It’s not what your lot are used to, but you don’t have to sleep in the park,” he called out.
She looked back at the Ravansye; her frustration simmered at his advice. With a small nod, Delta pulled the straps of her bags closer to her neck before hiking off to her new stay-house. A'gesh needed no prompting to follow her, since she had grown accustomed to becoming a transient in recent months. As they walked for uncounted hours along the sea stone edge of Posied Bay, Delta came upon a small, age-old temple converted into a shelter where a thousand years before Capihul was built, the denizens of the time continued to worship the nameless gods of their primitive beliefs. The navy sky was turning aqua on its horizon, the moon was long gone, and the sun was ready to make its appearance on Atlantia. A’gesh had been waiting atop the high granite pillars; her chirps were the only sounds in the dark, dishevelled lawn and patio. Moss-vines grew over the element-beaten walls, creating unease in the air. Delta shivered at the thought of who or what stayed behind those decaying wooden doors. Her toe caught the edge of the sandstone step, making her lose her balance. She smashed into the doors, tossing her bags to the side.
“Damn this place to the void! Foolish people might decapitate themselves, and what kind of people allow this place to fall apart” she said.
“Who are you?’ a quiet voice whispered in the dark. Delta spun around to see an eye looking out to her through a thin sliver of light between the crack of the doors.
“You do realise this patio is a death trap!” she said as her hands pointed to the garbage pile.
The door swung open to reveal the eye belonged to a familiar face: his short silver hair was slicked back, his long arms were crossed on his chest, and his golden orbs bore through hers.
“Anobus?” Delta said.
“Well, this is unexpected,” he said reaching over to her bags and taking them in.
“And what makes you think that I need somewhere to sleep?” Delta said crossing her arms.
Anobus rolled his eyes and nodded his head to invite her in. A’gesh soared past her face, tussling her hair before entering a spacious beige lounge room. In the corner lay an obsidian, winding staircase that led to a wooden balcony that overlooked the entrance. Over a dozen people were scattered across the lounge room, a few spoke quietly amongst themselves while others remained solitary. When Delta made her entrance, she could feel their eyes studying her face, her hair and her body. She even felt a psychic poke, no doubt some telepath attempting to scan her mind but to no avail. The audacity of these people was truly astonishing.
With her head held high, she followed Anobus to the winding staircase. He seemed to have more trouble carrying those bags than herself.
“What on earth do you carry in these things?” he said, attempting to climb one foot at a time up the metallic step.
“It's lightened up since we ate all the food. Having a little trouble, Anobus?” she grinned.
“You could have them fitted with pocket dimension storage, they're all the rage nowadays,” he said.
“I'll remember that when I can afford it,” she said becoming more fatigued and irritated with his slow pace.
“So, why are you here?” he said finally reaching the upper level.
“Strange, I was going to ask you the same thing,” she said brushing past him.
He chuckled as his teeth grazed the edges of his lower lip. “Whenever I got into some awkwardness at home, I used to come here and calm down. Ended up talking to and helping some of the lost souls here and figured that there was a career in counselling for me.”
“You're a people person, Anobus,” she said.
“Something you could definitely brush up on while here, mind you,” he said as he showed her the second storey. It was lined with doors leading into bedrooms for its residents. Anobus dragged her bags to a door and slid it across to reveal a tiny room large enough to fit a single itchy-looking bed in the corner. Delta shivered at the blandness of her new home and wondered if she will ever be able to return to her old life.
“Not to your satisfaction?” he said with a mocking smirk.
“It’s not big enough to fit a Matchenei,” Delta said clicking her fingers to summon A’gesh.
“Well, if you don’t like it, then why don’t you go back to your mansion?” he said crossing his arms.
“It was too small for people living inside it,” she mumbled.
“So, they kicked you out,” he said no longer smirking. Instead it was replaced by a pitiful expression.
“I don’t want your pity,” she said as she patted A’gesh on her outstretched arm.
“I’m not pitying you; I just feel sorry for everything that happened,” he said.
“What makes you say that?” she said, her brows furrowed, and her stomach growled.
“For many reasons: lashing out on those who had teased you, having family turn their back on you, no friends to stand by you and finding out you have a sister that you didn’t know existed,” he said.
Delta tried keeping her mouth from quivering, but her tears fought their way through her eyes. A’gesh hopped on her shoulder and nuzzled her beak against her cheek. “That's not even half of it,” her voice quivered.
Anobus’ eyes widened. He grabbed her shoulder and guided her through the room away from prying eyes. “Settle down,” he said sliding the paper-thin door shut.
“How can I? There’s so much wrong at every corner of my life, I've tried so hard pushing past the psi-block by training with the best who couldn't help me and turns out that they just wanted to use me. Abandoned a friend that needed me because I was too weak to help her. To top it all off, I'm too scared to recall my past life because I was some horrific monster,” tears leaked through her fingers as she covered her blotchy red face from him.
“You're not a monster now. Yes, you've done some nasty things, but monsters don't care about looking back at the harm they've done,” Anobus sat on the sinking mattress; he tapped his hands on the tan linen sheets to beckon Delta to follow.
She unthinkingly obliged. “I can't take any of it back; it's already too late to say sorry.”
“It's never too late to say sorry. Even if they can't forgive you, you must forgive yourself. I'm not going to pretend that I understand everything that has happened in your life, but you were a younger soul then. How could you have known anything better if you didn't know other options existed?” he said.
“What if my anger gets the better of me and I end up falling into something worse?” she said as she wiped the tears away on her sleeve.
“Then control it, stop reacting and start doing your bit,” he said.
Delta sighed and pressed her hands against her eyes. “I don't know what my bit is!”
“You can start by fixing where you messed up,” he said.
Delta paused. Her tears dried on her cheeks and her nose felt full of disgusting mucus. She wanted to wipe it away with her sleeve, but Anobus was intently watching. Before she could open her mouth, the lights in the room dimmed, a deep hum rumbled through her ears, the temple began vibrating which stopped within a second. Shouts were heard beyond the door as talking grew louder. Lights flickered back on resuming normal intensity. Strangely, her hunger was sated for the moment.
“Don’t worry, that happens sometimes,” he said patting Delta on the shoulder.
“We haven’t had an earthquake since Atlanteans started manipulating land and weather, how is that possible?” she said.
“It wasn’t an earthquake…” his voice barely audible, as if he wasn’t responding to her.
“Well, what was it?” Delta demanded.
“Can you keep a secret?” he whispered.
Delta’s sculpted brow shot up; intrigue got the better of her. ‘Possibly.’
He rolled his eyes as he leaned in so close that she could smell his breath. “I shouldn't be telling you, but Durun has confided some rumours to me that his labs have started new phasing experiments on islands not far from here. That's why the power shuts down occasionally, because it takes so much energy to start them.”
“That’s not surprising, I mean if we can traverse space with phased ships then why not with uninhabited landmasses?” she said, almost relieved their previous conversation was over.
“He didn't mention using uninhabited lands as experiments…someone even mentioned using one of the islands in Atlantia,” he said leaning back.
“If that were the case, then someone would’ve spoken up about it. You shouldn’t put stock in rumours, Anobus.” Delta said.
He sighed and rested his back on the wall beside the tiny bed. “I suppose you’re right. Now, before the power outage, what were you saying about being used by someone?”
Delta sighed, irritated at herself for not allowing Anobus to continue talking about mad conspiracies using phasing experiments on unsuspecting civilians.
“Can we continue this after we’ve had something to eat? I have a bird to feed, you realise,” she said.
“Of course, but I would hate to be the reason for making you lose track of your redemption plans by bringing you a hot bowl of soup and seeds,” his eyes twinkled in amusement.
“You truly are a gracious host. I was going to say I could start by apologising to Olanta,” she said.
“You should start by apologising to someone who needs to hear it the most.”
“Isn’t that what I just said? Now, where is my hot soup?”
“From what Durun tells me, the one who needs to hear your apology the most isn’t Otlanta, but she would definitely be second. Have you heard from Mayen?”
“Certainly not! You're not seriously expecting me to go to her. She would probably tear me apart with her mind if I came within a district of her,” she said.
“That’s a risk you’re going to have to take, or you can stay here and wallow in self-pity and play victim until the end of your days,” Anobus said standing up.
“She’s an acolyte, Anobus, they’re ridiculously powerful and dangerous – her most of all!”
“From what I hear about your family, Mayen is certainly the least of your worries when danger is concerned.”
“What does that mean?” Delta’s brows shot up and she felt her stomach tighten.
“It was probably just a rumour, but I shouldn’t place stock in rumours,” A devilish grin stretched across his face.
“Hm, now I remember why I wanted to drown you,” she said matching his grin.
He shook his head as he headed out of the room. “So ungrateful. I suppose we were destined to be enemies.”