My notebook was the familiarisation period. By the end, in her own words, Catarina was in the zone.
I never really understood the term. In the zone. I was always ready, so I must always be in the zone. But that's against the definition of the term.
Nisha was documenting as Catarina and I got started with a set of stone tablets discovered in the temple. Some of the tablets were damaged worse than the rest. The restoration teams had done their best, and the result was laid out on the table.
"From what we've observed, Faery temples were as much places of worship as they were libraries of essential stories. We did decipher much of these sets of tablets. But you and I will start afresh, now. I believe it'll help us be more objective."
I wasn't complaining. She had me from the moment she mentioned stories. I needed no better motivation.
"Have the tablets been numbered?"
It was my greatest worry. I knew from experience, the order of the stories mattered even more than the stories themselves, because the order relayed the overarching story which was otherwise invisible.
"No," Catarina answered, with some hesitation. "Maybe we can achieve that as well."
She laughed weakly. I didn't understand why.
"I guess," I answered, accepting the responsibility.
We started with the tablets that were in almost perfect condition. The runes were complete and clear. Reading was effortless.
And they all told stories.
Cleius had only his daughter left. Alambra. Meant garland of stars. She was just as vivacious. Cleius intended to give his daughter every joy in the world. Made sure she lacked nothing. He always dreaded the day she would be married. When she left with her husband, he would have nothing left. And so, he decided to find her a wonderful and reliable husband who would love her as much as she deserved to be, and also remain close. He decided to have her betrothed to his general's son.
Alambra and Iyjuis were children when they first met. But they were aware of their fathers' intentions. Fortunately, they liked each other. They embraced love easily and fondly. Iyjuis was elder by two years, so he was already an adult when Alambra stepped into adulthood. And the day she did, was the day their engagement was held. It was a day that would remain forever in history as an important event.
Done with the one tablet, we verified the translations a couple of times, before moving on to the next tablet.
Cleius and his heavenly court might have been ignorant of the curse before the war. But now, everything lay bare. All that he was proud of, was lost. All his strength, defeated. All he cared for, damned. He was alive, with less than a quarter of his court. And standing at the other end of the hall, without an ounce of respect, was a woman he never dreamed of facing from across a battlefield.
He didn't know how he had offended her. He couldn't find his voice to ask. But she didn't need him to. She hid nothing. She had lost even more. And her fury was boundless. Aparthyseion had fallen to the blade of Cleius. No justification had any meaning. She devoured Cleius and the last of his court. It was the night the heavens fell to the cosmic darkness.
It was late when we finished the second tablet. Catarina needed a break. Nisha nodded, and immediately left for her room.
"She likes to catch up on her beauty sleep," Catarina offered as explanation.
I smiled. She definitely needed to stay beautiful.
"Of course," I said.
"We'll continue tomorrow," Catarina said. "I'm old. Forgive me for not being as filled with endless strength as you. I'm making coffee. Want some?"
"Sure. A bit of milk. A spoon and half of sugar."
"Yeah, sure," she said drily, but went off to the kitchen nonetheless.
I smiled embarrassedly. I knew I was wrong ordering her, but it had come automatically. And I was too slow.
"I'll make a call," I said loudly.
"Home?" She asked from the kitchen.
"No. School. Dia and Pratt."
"Jerry?"
"The idiot? Why?"
She laughed.
Pratt answered almost immediately. The three were in the living room. Studying another branch of Faery runes. They grinned as I said hello.
"So, how do you like Fyler?"
The twins spoke at the same time, making me smile.
"I don't know."
"Didn't see?"
"No. The lake is nice. And Catarina's cottage is so beautiful. As are Catarina and Nisha."
"So, you're crushing on Nisha?"
"She's pretty."
"That's neither acceptance nor a denial. Diplomacy. Nice."
"Big words. I'm not sure I know the meaning."
"So, you want to sell yourself short. That's definitely favouring acceptance. Is Nisha that pretty?"
"Yeah. So much that I can't find the right words. If she's hearing me, she'd be so embarrassed."
"What about Catarina?" Jerry intervened.
"She's beautiful," I answered with much less enthusiasm .
"That she is," Jerry said pleased, like he was the one praised.
"I thought you said his mother was pretty," Dia said.
"Yeah," Pratt agreed. "Why are you showing such a face for another woman? So, you're really like Dean said you are."
"Shut up, the two of you," Jerry scolded. "Let's see what you have to say after seeing her."
"Yeah, let's," Catarina agreed, as she came into view.
"Wow," the twins said together.
"I'm jealous," Dia said.
"I'm curious," Pratt said.
"Shameless," Dia scolded.
"Rotten," Pratt scolded back.
"Such cute kids," Catarina said with a smile.
She handed me a mug of coffee, sipping from her own, as she looked at Jerry with a very different smile.
"Hello Jerry, how are you?"
Jerry froze at the question. His expression stopped all other conversation.
"What'd gotten into you Cat?"
"What were you thinking, sending a fifteen year old child all by himself?"
"Ignore the age. Does he seem like a fifteen year old to you?"
Catarina paused, like the question had merit. Then, she shook her head and continued.
"That's besides the point."
"That's exactly the point," Jerry argued. "Let's get to the point, shall we. Made any progress on the long arc?"
Catarina looked at me, and smiled, before answering.