5. Sirin #3
In spite of what Arndis had told her, Sirin's brain insisted she'd only left yesterday.
She was her mind. If she was losing weeks now, how badly was it damaged?
She needed lunula. Who knew if the damage was reversible at this point?
That thought stopped her faster than any of the woman's vague words.
If she lost her mind? Who was she? Hell, she couldn't even consult any of the memory-loss case studies she must have stored in her mind7.
She squeezed her eyes shut, searching for some modicum of calm, letting out a frustrated snarl when she was unable to even stop the tears prickling at her eyes and tightening her jaw.
The conversation outside seemed to escalate until the soft-spoken woman cut Berne off with a bark.
Sirin jumped, that couldn't be good. Moments later, they re-entered the small cave.
The woman carried herself with purpose, crossing swiftly to sit near Sirin.
Berne followed, face red and movements stiff.
He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
''Well?'' Sirin bit out. She poured as much venom into her tone as possible, if only to eliminate the fear creeping inside her.
''Well,'' the soft-spoken woman replied, ''I am Gunna, a councilor of our village.
We have certain laws, which you've broken.
As such, you'll return with us to our village.
Once I confer with the rest of our ruling body, who are currently reviewing the evidence against you, we will decide what to do with you.
Berne has convinced me to at least speak with the others and listen to their opinions.
You don't seem to have malicious intent, but we cannot allow such breaches to occur. ''
''Evidence? What evidence? And malicious intent?
Are you having a laugh? This must be a joke!
You know my intent, I told you, I am a scholar on a research expedition.
I assure you, whatever laws I may have broken, I never would have done so had I known of them.
" The words tumbled from her lips, sounding far too frantic to Sirin's mind.
People didn't respond well to hysterical women, especially not women in power.
She wrested control of her spiraling emotions with a shakey breath.
Across the room, Berne chuckled and shook his head.
''Look, I really appreciate you all helping me, but I am on a very time-sensitive mission.
I'll take some lunula and be on my way. If you would tell me what laws I have broken, I will gladly stop doing so.
This is absurd. You want to put me on trial when you haven't even told me the offense? What are the charges?''
''You trespassed,'' Gunna stated, as if it should be obvious.
''Pfft. Ha! Tresspassing? '' That was all?
They were making it seem like she'd committed some horrid crime, but she supposed that she might actually be guilty of tresspassing if they claimed to own this desolate patch of land.
''Alright, I am sorry I wandered into your unmarked territory, when I can get to a bank, I assure you I can pay whatever fees or fines you may levy. ''
''I am sorry, that isn't a possibility. Berne, if you would,'' Gunna waved the man over and walked out of the cavern. Arndis released a sigh, quickly packed her instruments, and softly apologized before leaving as well.
When Berne crossed to her, Sirin was overwhelmed by the scent she'd smelled earlier. Somehow he smelled of man and bear all at once, perhaps his furs were bear? He slung a wide loop of cloth over his shoulder before kneeling next to her.
''I tried,'' he rumbled with a lift of his shoulder. His voice was deep, and it seemed to resonate in her chest. ''I'm going to need to carry you, so this sling'll help.''
''Carry me? You can't be serious. I am perfectly capable of walking. No one has carried me in at least—''
''Eight hours,'' he interrupted. ''I carried you here.
With your head as it is, and your arms in no state to catch you should you fall, I'll be carrying you again.
Now, I tried to get you out of trouble, but it doesn't seem like I'm very good at convincing.
You try and play nice, alright, and we will see if we can't get you out of this somehow.
Though, I haven't rightly got any idea how,'' he said the second bit under his breath, as if to himself.
''Ach, up you come,'' he said before reaching under her armpits and knees.
She gasped as pain shot through her shoulder and arm.
Berne's eyes widened and he grumbled an apology as he threaded her legs through the sling and spread the wide fabric up her back and down to her knees. He carefully tucked it under her armpits, nestled her under one of his burly arms, and pressed her against his chest.
''There now,'' he said with a small smile. ''You're a bit bigger than my nieces, but the principle holds just the same.''
Sirin flushed. The man put off an intense amount of heat, and she was becoming quite familiar with his large pectorals. He tucked her blanket in around her and smiled sheepishly. ''Don't want you getting cold. I know it's colder here than you're used to.''
Touched by the small gesture, she felt herself flush, even as she nearly vomited when he picked her up.
They ducked out through the opening of the cave, Berne shifting a door back in place it looked like it could be early in the morning, as it nearly always did.
8 Even the low light hurt Sirin's eyes. She didn't have her goggles on, and after the dark, it was blinding.
She buried her face in his chest instinctively, trying to block out the light.
He lifted one callused hand to the back of her head and petted her hair.
''I'm sorry you feel unwell. I'll see what I can manage when we get home.
It should only be a few hours, but if you need to rest, feel free.
Won't bother me none.'' He brought his other hand to shield her eyes from the sun so she could look at him.
He had a wide, strong face, with tousled hair and a beard.
The whiteness of his hair had made him seem older, initially, but this close she could see they were likely of a similar age.
''I've been watching out for you for a week.
I don't aim to stop now. You'll not come to any harm with me. ''
Sirin searched his eyes, trying desperately to remember him.
He acted like they were friends. Like they had been traveling together for a while.
She felt terrible she couldn't remember him at all but she did feel close to him somehow like she trusted him.
She squeezed his hand shielding her from the sun.
''Thank you. It's nice to feel like I have someone on my side. ''
1. I will be honest, looking back, knowing the severity of my brain injury, I am fairly proud of this theory.
2. Second time readers are likely laughing at how narrow my definitions of the capabilities of lunula were.
3. The people of Sanctuary speak Gailage, a language which shares some commonalities with several languages spoken by peoples of the Compact, though isolation has led to drift among related languages.
Their accent is a rhotic, lilting brogue, characterized by several trademarks when they speak Common.
They sometimes pronounce T as CH so “two” becomes “chew.” TH is often voiced as T so “three” is said “tree.” In words ending ING, the G is often dropped, and vowels are flattened, making “are” sound like “air.” Finally, consonants at the end of words can have a softly voiced “echo vowel.” Interested parties can learn more in The Language of Our Lady by Matilda Broderson.
4. Another hallmark of the people of Sanctuary is the bleaching of their hair by proximity to the source.
Individuals who move to the area and the F1 generation can have their hair color restored by sufficient time away.
F2 and beyond have intrinsically white hair, and though lunologists can alter this, the color will fade if not maintained.
Interestingly, skin color does not seem to be affected, as the people of Sanctuary have a wide array of skin tones.
5. The people of Sanctuary, largely influenced by the shifters, tend to communicate non-verbally significantly more than other settlements of humans.
6. I have also seen this “och” and can be translated most often as “Oh.”
7. I’ve heard this framed as a library or mind palace, but many Citadel-trained lunologists build an index for the vast amounts of information we can memorize.
8. Lucky guess on my part, it was early morning.