Chapter Three – Reunion of Sages

A week had past in that dismal shack, reliving every memory and word shared between us and the many words left unsaid. Painful solitude broken by Clausek and his desire to read and understand the many works filling the shack. Books of mathematics, medicine, government and my own thoughts lay scattered around the shack, cared for, but it did not appear so. Water had done its part in soiling most of them, running the ink and turning some works into streaks of black ink.

A week of mentally preparing myself had came to fruition and acceptance as the endless rain and wind subsided for the first time in a month. Watsivek, the month of water, was nearing its end, signaling the beginning of the growing season. Though it would also undoubtedly bring those of Zar to Fian once again, demanding explanation for Belvil's disappearance. Another trying concern to plague my mind on top of Serena's return.

A window of opportunity presented itself and Clausek and I descended from the mountains, a day at most would be God's gift for my weak body to make the trip. Sliding and slipping down the ledges, the trip was far worse then I had imagined. The ten year cycle had come full circle and the terrain had completely changed again, the old trail washed further downhill, taking with it the wooden bridges that had served me so well throughout the years.

Clausek skillfully navigated us down into rocky plateau on the outskirts of Fian's fields, though we waded through a foot of muddy earth, the exhausting trip would be over within a mile. The far off houses and fine smoke trails drifted into the air, welcoming us home with the promise of a hot meal.

“Sage Serena is waiting for you in your house, I will take my leave of you here.” Clausek said as he parted me for his own home higher up into the mountains.

“Thank you, Clausek. Give my regards to your siblings and mother.”

“Will do,” he replied as he quickened his pace to run across the unstable ground before the earth could swallow his feet entirely.

When I had finally reached our old house and smelled the scent of meats and bread rising into the air, it was clear she was waiting for me on the other side of the door. Slowly, I pushed it open and entered into the musty house, recently cleaned to look like it did when we lived together.

“I'm home.” I said weakly, unable to announce myself in any other way.

A chair creaked and Serena slowly walked into the room saying, “Welcome home, Sevil. It has been a while.”

Wearing a child-sized silver plate of armor with a sheathed sword on her hip, the soft-faced angel smiled happily at me. Standing at just over a four and a half feet tall, she was exactly the same size as she had been seven years ago. Clausek was right about her looking more womanly though, she carried herself better and more boldly then before. She moved towards me and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me close with a tight grip.

“Can't you say anything?” she asked jokingly, staring at my shocked expression.

“You were serious about the promise, weren't you?”

Serena pulled back and turned away, “Yes, but I wish you didn't ruin our reunion. I even prepared our favorite meal.”

“Roast pork and-”

“No. OUR favorite meal,” she said, “I hate the food here. Always tastes terrible and bland. So I got some ingredients from the priest to make a real meal.”

“Sentimental in your old age? Or trying to win me over with a full belly?” I asked skeptically.

“Quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but its nothing like that. Call it a last meal-”

“Shut up! Don't say things like that. You can't run away from the past, neither can I,” I barked and yelled at Serena for the first time in years, “If you want it all to end, do it yourself. I waited for seven years for you.”

She started to laugh and headed into the kitchen, “Good. That's payback for what you did to me. Now come eat your meal and relax, you have been hiding up in that mountain for way too long.”

While sharing an old favorite meal, we ate in silence, happy to see each other again, but before long Serena started as she always did, “I have much to tell you...”

“Same here.”

“You know that wasn't a funny joke.” I said, biting into the home made pizza pie. It was just as I had remembered, possibly even better. Delicious goat cheese and sausage baked into fine dough, it was so good the absence of tomatoes were entirely forgotten.

“Seven years in the making. Heh heh. Got you good didn't I?” smirked Serena, biting into the coal blackened crust, “Though you know... I wasn't entirely kidding about what I said back then.”

“Really? What could possibly have caused you to even think of something like that in the first place?”

A soft silence followed that question, and reluctantly Serena spoke, “The courier from Gilek told me some stories of his travels, the things he had witnessed and even taken part in. Some things are too horrible to say, but if I was ever subject to them, I couldn't go on living.”

Pushing off that depressing subject I asked, “Did it really take you a month to reach Gilek? What were you doing, playing with goblins and trolls?”

“Ha... No. I did look for them, but its not like I scoured the mountainsides for them... Hey! Are you implying I am slow or just dumb?”

“Could have fooled me... That took only ten seconds to get.”

Serena giggled and stuck out her tongue with half chewed food on it, “That was a cheap shot and you know it.”

“So tell me... Miss Miracle Working Philosopher-Officer-Goddess what happened on your great adventures?”

“More then I could have expected...” started Serena as she begun to describe the events of her stay in Gilek, which was the earliest and closest to home story of her miraculous deeds for the church.