Medea, Fairchild, and Mycroft sat, discussing in Medea's room.
"What about the body?" Mycroft asked no one in particular.
Fairchild sighed, "If they have his body, then the game is up. He slouched.
"He had his regalia on him. There's no way they'd miss that. They'd find out he's not a sinner and further examination into him will reveal The Spirit. They'd find out he's a saint. The rest is history…" His voice trailed off.
They looked at Medea, she was staring off into the distance, her arms hugging her body.
"Medea," Mycroft started but she turned away and sniffed. He sighed and looked at Fairchild.
They didn't need to talk. They both understood it was only a matter of time. She'd already resigned herself to the inevitable fate.
"We can put up a fight." Mycroft offered, raising his shoulders slightly.
"Against the whole force of sinners in Rothgard?" It was the first time she'd spoken since the night before.
Mycroft sighed in resignation, years of planning, all gone.
**********************************
"They see things the same as we do."
TSOI glanced at him. "He couldn't have vanished. Chadnezzar thought so too. According to him, Forsythe just vanished, right below him."
"I was behind them by some distance. I couldn't see it all. However, I doubt Chadnezzar struck him. I'd have seen it."
"Sight, an ability of utmost importance. Yet you two refuse to make use of it. I relinquished him of his remaining eye. He wasn't making use of it. And you, Ichabod, do you have any need for yours?"
He was horrified, "Of course sire."
"Find him. Dead Or Alive, he will serve our purpose."
"Of course, sire." He said and was gone in an obvious hurry.
******************************
"You said you're Rafael, not Lord Forsythe."
"Lord Forsythe? No, I can't recall that name." He reclined. They had moved to her room and the first signs of dawn filtered through the windows.
She helped him take the contraption off. It had been held to his body by some sort of small suction pads that lined the tubes.
His body still showed small signs of fatigue but other than that, he was really toned, and all muscle. He lay on his back, in bed while she sat, one leg folded underneath, at the foot of the bed.
"Lord Forsythe is the name you have been known with, ever since you and your company arrived in Rothgard."
"My company? I-"
They both heard the creak as her grandmother's door opened and the sound of her tracing her way to Myra's room. The door opened and her small frame stood in the doorway.
"Myra? You haven't left for the castle yet? Did the fever get to you?" She walked in, towards the bed.
Myra and Rafael exchanged glances and she jumped off the bed. Her grandmother turned at the sound, "Myra?"
"Mother," She answered and walked to her. Her grandmother's hands reached up, taking Myra's face in her hands.
"Myra, you know I'm the only one you've got left. You can trust me with anything. You've been acting strangely. Is something wrong?"
Myra sighed, and her hands went up to hold her grandmother's. "It's fine mother, I just have some things to take care of. I won't be going to the castle today. She spoke slowly, reassuring herself with every sentence, that she wasn't lying.
"I'll go prepare some food for us now." She said, leading her out of the room. She stole one more glance at Rafael then left with her.
Myra returned, later on, a tray in her balanced in her arms. She set it on a stool by the bed and tapped him lightly.
He yawned as he stirred and she smiled at him, biting the inside of her lower lip. "Have some food." She said, "It's broth, some bread, and herbal tea for the pain." He sat up and she moved the tray to his thighs.
"Thanks." He managed before wolfing it down. As he scooped the last of the broth into his mouth, Myra chuckled and he paused, glancing at her. "What?" He asked, the plate a few inches from his lips.
She blushed, "The meal was for two."
His eyes widened and his tongue pushed against the inside of his cheek.
"You must've been starved." She remarked and he smiled, looking downward. "Don't worry, there's still some left." She added, gathering the plates.
"For two?" He asked, peeking at her. She scoffed and left the room.
When she returned, he was doing push-ups by the bed.
"The tea must've worked wonders." She remarked, sitting on the bed, her eyes never leaving him. He chuckled and paused,
"There's just nothing to do here." He breathed between huffs.
"I'm going into the woods for a bit." She said, tracing the sheets. "I need to pick some herbs, for you and my grandmother."
He paused, turning over, "I'll come with." He said, between gasps for air. However, she disagreed,
"You'll just slow me down. Besides, you need a shower."
"I can't stay here though, you won't be around to explain the suspicious sounds to your grandmother and for sure I can't just lay still. Here's what we're gonna do. The feel of the air tells me there's a river nearby. I'll lead you to wherever your destination is and dip there on our way back. Sound good?"
"Only because I can't leave you here." She got up to leave.
"What about you? Did you take a bath yet?"
"Of course, I thought of that. After you stirred the first time, I knew I was going to have to move you to a bed. So I had my bath and changed my clothes to avoid any embarrassment." She had avoided eye contact as she completed the statement and he chuckled, getting up.
"There's only one problem though, He stretched, Myra's eyes strayed. He pointed at his torso and she looked away, blushing furiously. "I mean, I don't have a shirt."
Some minutes later, the couple was leaving a small roadside stall and Rafael had a threadbare shirt on, replacing the shawl they'd used to get him there.
The shawl now hung across Myra's shoulders as they turned a corner and walked away.
Just then, a raven came to perch atop that stall, its head cocking sideways as it seemed to scan the faces of those along the quite busy street. It paused, as though it had gotten a whiff of something and bent downward, peering into the stall, it suddenly sprang up and flew away.
The couple went on, to the woods and Myra gathered herbs while Rafael made use of a makeshift catapult some yards away.
She hummed a gay tune and swayed her hips slightly as she carefully picked out the needed herbs from selected bushes, as well as some pretty flowers. The birds were chirping on her side and she seemed to be in a world of her own. So much so, she didn't hear him come up behind her and pull her by her free arm into his dance steps.
He began humming the same tune and she smiled, going along with him. The tempo increased and the two of them were going step by step, in perfect chemistry. The tempo rose to a fevering pitch and climaxed with them, standing so close, each could feel the others' breath. On her forehead and at his neck. Their gazes caught and held for moments and the world stood still just then.
"S-sorry, I don't know what I was..." She trailed off, looking down and away. She made to turn but he took hold of her shoulders and turned her to face him.
"Don't apologize. He took a flower from her basket and planted it in her hair. "Where did you learn that tune from?"
"Long ago," She sighed, her voice taking up a plaintive note as she looked away, "When this land was still full of joy and happiness. Before the-"
They turned sharply to a sound from behind her. Rafael slowly drew her behind him, going down at the same time to pick his catapult. Suddenly a beast of a warthog leaped from behind the bushes. Rafael dived, pulling her with him. They rolled across the grass and its tusks struck the ground where they'd been. The beast was huge and the ground shook with the impact.
"Run!" He yelled as they scrambled to their feet and took off. The beast coming right after. How Rafael had managed to take his game with him was a mystery to her but the both of them tore through the woods, her with the damaged basket flying in one arm while he had a hare dangling from each arm. The warthog was relentless, chasing them as if its life depended on it. The hares were slowing Rafael down but he would not let them go.
The floor seemed to have taken a slight downward slope, however, none of the parties noticed it. Rafael switched the animals to his shoulders, not even having the time to sigh in relief as he burst forward with renewed vigor.
Myra's smaller frame helped her slip past tighter situations, making her a harder target for the beast. Besides, she wasn't running with the game in hand, so it seemed to focus on Rafael. Suddenly, they burst out, into a small clearing, after which the slope took a steeper form.
The couple turned, the beast was knocking trees out of its way as it came through. It made another charge and Rafael dived, grabbing Myra.
The both of them rolled down the slope at increasing speeds, it watched them from the clearing, trying to decide if they were worth the risk.
Rafael even let go of the animals, drawing her closer. The slope ended in the river, the couple followed suit. A few seconds later, their heads burst through the surface, gasping for air. They looked at each other and burst into laughter.
"It just wanted you to have a bath." She splashed water on him. He leaned back, looking mock offended, both arms slipped in the river and suddenly she was in a shower.
He threw his head back and shook with laughter. He didn't see her coming. Suddenly she struck him, he fell backward, taking her with him. She gasped, they landed in the water, fully submerged.
Their skins took on a cleaner sheen underwater and their eyes held each other captive, it seemed like they'd forgotten they needed air, or maybe, they felt this was enough to live on. Seconds stretched for eternities, finally, Rafael moved.