Theo
I remembered thinking she was beautiful when I was facing my own mortality, but the hazy memory didn’t do her justice. Her features were so soft. Round and pink and full of life even as she recovered from death.
I knew I was in the presence of someone holy, but she was more.
“Up the hill… I need.” Her lips pouted against my chest.
“What do you need?” Whatever it was, it was hers. I’d make sure of it.
“My cat.”
I didn’t know what a “cat” was. It could be confused nonsense after what she’d been through. It didn’t matter. The remedy she needed was up the slope, so that was where we’d go.
The first stalks of grain became visible over the curve of the hill and I exhaled in relief. Her field. A sanctuary.
I felt the magnetic waves of her power as we passed through the perimeter.
The hairs on my arms raised. I’d found many abandoned and un-assigned fields over the years.
They always felt special. But this was my first with its paired goddess present.
I could feel her energy shift in my arms, harmonizing with the surrounding air.
Each passing current grew stronger. Deeper.
Brighter. Their dynamic felt symbiotic. A positive feedback loop of vitality to bring her back from death now that she was where she belonged.
As much as the field was healing her now—evident by her steadying breaths and eyes blinking to alertness—she also seemed to fuel it. It burst with life like something out of a children’s book.
A dense line of pale-green grain plants grew around the perimeter.
These were called “wheat” by the goddesses.
It was a staple of their lands, although the type and pattern varied.
Within that border, the ground was a grass native to Cyciciah that remained low to the ground, round, and delicate—speckled with small white flowers.
Large bushes grew all around, bright green and covered in dark berries and white flowers.
It was the only plant I didn't know, so I had to assume it was the special flora from Earth.
All sacred fields had one plant from the “human” realm.
It was one of the many observations I documented on my travels.
Despite the steep trek up the mountain, the field itself was incredibly flat. One could easily forget the high altitude. The massive, blue-toned trees surrounding the open area on all sides turned it into its own world.
A creek flowed on the far side of the clearing, splitting to loop through and around a rocky alcove worn into the cliffside of a moderate hill topped with lush grass. A small waterfall trickled over the ledge—partially down the length of a stone column—and joined the outer branch of the stream.
The column obscured some of the under-hill nook, but I could tell that she had supplies inside.
Was that hard, dim cavern functioning as her home?
That devout part of me felt sick at the thought.
At least it was confirmation I could make a difference while here.
Stunning as the field was, I had a lot of work to do to make it livable. Not just survivable.
A small black beast ran towards us, making the most obnoxious noises I’d ever heard. I thought predators couldn’t enter the sacred fields, but this one seemed to have slipped through. Its sharp white teeth couldn’t hurt me, but might do a number on this smaller female in my arms.
Was it a Lumick? Too small. A baby Lumick, maybe? But weren’t they an Eastern Continent species? I flipped through my wildlife textbooks in my head, finding no answers.
I didn’t want to hurt the beast on hallowed ground. I lifted her higher as it reached my ankles, baring its teeth at me and hissing. It began repeatedly smacking me with its paw, claws catching on my denim. Soft, useless attacks.
“Hey, baby.” I looked away from the small black creature, and back at the female. A tired smile spread across her cheeks. Her pale blue eyes had regained some luster, reminding me of the freshwater trickling in the background.
I was rather surprised that she was already responsive, not to mention feeling affectionate. Toward me. A welcome surprise.
“Hi,” I replied. It was an unexpected pleasantry, but I didn’t want to be rude.
“Sorry, I wasn’t talking to you.” She grimaced apologetically, squirming in my arms. “Could you please put me down?”
I blinked. “There’s a beast at my feet.”
“He isn’t a beast. That’s my cat,” she chuckled, her voice raspy as if waking up from a deep sleep. When I didn’t immediately let go, she began struggling with increased effort against my hold. “Seriously. Stop holding me, please. I’m good.”
A sharp, annoying sting shot up my leg. I fought the urge to kick in response.
“It just bit me.” My eyebrows furrowed. This was the “cat” she needed?
“You’re big, scary, and holding his mom,” she groaned. “Put me down!”
I hesitated a moment, not eager to offer her to the unfamiliar creature.
She must not be of sound mind after the attack.
But, it couldn’t do much damage. And I wasn’t about to hold a goddess against her will.
Besides, the beast didn’t seem to be one of the between-world wildlife that were native to Cyciciah; it was made of flesh and fur. Not deadly… Probably.
I lowered her to the ground reluctantly, ready to intervene if it started mauling her.
“Little guy,” she cooed, scooping the Lumick—cat—into her arms. Its noises changed to a soft rumble. A purr? They must be companions. “Were you trying to protect me?” Her sleepy voice felt like nails scratching over my scalp, rough but soothing.
“I was.”
Her tired eyes crinkled in amusement.
Was she talking to the cat again? It wasn’t like me to miss social cues.
Social cues were my life. The job requirements of being a hitman weren’t that different from owning and operating a pub it turns out.
Listen carefully. Read energy. Placate and charm as needed to get the job done.
The only real difference is ideally one ends with someone dead and the other ends with repeat customers.
I had a good reputation on both fronts. I didn’t fumble through my interactions the way I was now.
“Thanks for coming to the rescue. I dropped my crystal when I fell.” She frowned. “Fuck. I’m going to have to get that before it’s washed away.”
The expletive sounded sharp on her sacred tongue. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end in response. Why did it feel so pleasant?
“What crystal?”
“A friend gave it to me to keep the monsters away.”
I hadn’t heard of anything capable of that, but I wasn’t from the South.
And nobody I knew was from this far south.
Cyciciah was pure wilderness. Drifael was the last rural landmark before things turned hostile.
The remnant wildernesses of our evolutionary roots were savage and best left unexplored.
That is, unless someone was looking for the undiscovered energy fields, like me.
With all the “tamed” grounds already developed, the middle of nowhere was the next place to look.
“Does it work? The crystal.” I asked.
“Yeah, it works.” She set the purring cat down and began tugging her leather bodice back into its rightful place. The tops of her full breasts pooled above the hem of the dress and pressed pink flesh taut against the semi-transparent wet fabric.
Something primal twisted in my stomach, quickly replaced by the shame of realizing there was much more blasphemy swirling in my mind about this female than I’d like to admit.
“I’ll be right back. You stay here,” she said with exhausted resolve.
“I’ve got it. What does it look like?” I shrugged the heavy bag I had toted up the mountain off my shoulders and cracked my neck in relief.
“You really don’t need to do that.”
“You saved my life last winter. I owe you and would like to retrieve your charm.” I turned on my heels and passed through the wheat border. I wasn’t interested in her objections.
“You just saved mine!” she called after me.
I looked over my shoulder and grinned. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this."
The forest was quiet—a good sign.
I watched my footing as I descended the hill. The rain had almost washed away the tracks of where she fell, but the puddles formed in the indents of the ground made for convenient landmarks.
Just down the slope was another one of the beasts. It pawed at the dismantled remains of the larger predator I’d dispatched, unsure if it could eat the remains. Its head snapped in my direction.
I didn’t particularly want to hurt anything in this forest. It wasn’t their fault we were on the menu. But I also wasn’t about to be taken down by something a fraction of my size. I doubled my pace to where she fell, hoping to avoid killing something innocent… if this charm actually worked.
The beast charged. It snapped its white maw, stained black from the entrails of it’s brethren. I would have to kill it. What a shame.
Then it suddenly… stopped? Its claws kicked up mud as it turned on its heels, retreating and then stalking side-to-side a safe distance away from me. Gurgling out a snarl.
I looked down at the puddles at my feet. The crystal works. Good. Now I just had to find it.
What a great resource for this goddess to have.
I didn’t enjoy knowing she’d interacted with other people to get it, though.
Even a remote village could be bad news for her.
It was only a matter of time before E.A.R.T.H.
recruiters came asking about the fabled woman with yellow hair.
Nobody on Trebianna had yellow hair. And hers was strikingly pale, it’d stand out like a golden beacon in public.
I splashed all four hands through the cloudy water, looking for something shiny.
All the while, the rolling guttural sounds of the frustrated creature reminded me what this artifact was protecting her from.
I made a mental note for my list; she needed more crystals.
I’d get some for her before leaving at the end of the summer. That was high priority.