Chapter 24
It took Yannie a few moments to remember where she was and whose arms she was lying in when she woke up. Gered had woken up an hour previous, and had just lay there, listening to her gentle breathing. [I]In, out, in, out…[/I] slow and rhythmic.
"Hey." He whispered when she stirred from her slumber. She rubbed her eyes.
"Hey." She looked at the clock. It was ten to nine. "We gotta get up."
"Not yet." He took her to him and kissed her on the lips. She couldn't help but smile.
"Seriously, we do." She took a band from the bedside table and loosely scrapped her jet black hair back. He followed the curve of her back with his finger. She stood up and he tried pulling her back into the bed, but she escaped his grip. She put on her underwear, and retrieved her jeans and tee shirt from the floor.
"I suppose we should get a move on." Gered followed suit, and soon, both were fully dressed. Yannie was finishing packing the last of her things in her bag, when Gered came from behind and wrapped his arms around her middle. He brushed some loose strands of hair from her neck, and kissed the soft skin. She giggled. "Hey!" he stopped. "I'm trying to be romantic here."
"I know." She laughed. "I'm just happy." She turned to face him, and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Why?"
"Need you ask?" she kissed him. There was a knock at the door.
"Room seven? You have to leave now. You will miss your boat." It was the receptionist.
"Give us a minute!" shouted Gered. Reluctantly he let go of her, and she finished packing the last items. They both walked to the door, when Yannie stopped, and dropped her bag.
"What is it?"
"I just remembered." She ran over to the bed by the window, and untucked and ruffled up the sheets. Gered smiled. "Don't want to give SeeD a bad name do we?" She smiled. "Lets go."
Gered paid up the rest of the bill at the reception. Then they made their way to the edge of the city, where they hired a car to the docks. Timber Docks were about two miles away from the city. It was seldom frequented by all but those desperately needing some form of travel to the Centra continent. Their ship was the [I]Winhill Wave[/I], an old warship from the sorceress wars for those wanting travel, in their own privacy, no questions asked. They drove the car onto the car-loading platform, and were elevated to the upper deck. Three other cars were on the deck with them. There was a EMV, that was being propped up by three Estharian soldiers who had taken off their helmets to savour the fresh sea air, a black Limousine, with shaded windows, the occupants inside unseen, and a farm truck with the words [I]Winhill Meats[/I] written in bold lettering on the side.
Gered opened the door to his hired blue sports vehicle, and stepped out. Yannie followed suit. She walked over to the edge of the deck and looked over. The seawater rushed by beneath her like mist in a breeze. She took a deep breath, and smelled the salt. It had been a while since she had smelled the sea, the last time being when she was in Fisherman's Horizon, almost a year ago. A lot had happened in that year. She looked at the armlet on her arm. It reminded her of how close she was to getting answers. The answers she had craved all these years were finally to be given to her. She was filled with a cocktail of excitement, anticipation, apprehension and fear. She remembered the words of Ephret in the fire cavern. Today, she would find her purpose. And it scared her.
"What you thinking?" asked Gered who was stood beside her.
"Nothing."
"I thought we were over this." He took her hands. "Tell me. Please."
"I'm scared. All these years…Today I find out who I am."
"I already know who you are." She looked at him in confusion. "You are Yannie Ocaspe. And I love you. No matter what we hear today, nothing will change that." She hugged him.
"Thank you." She whispered. The ship took two hours to reach the Cape of Good Hope, where Edea's house was situated. Once off the boat, it was a short half-hour drive to reach it. He stopped the car outside, and they both got out. To Yannie, the place seemed eerily familiar. Gered sighed.
"Place has changed a lot since I was last here."
"You have been here?"
"You kidding? I was brought up here. My parents died in the sorceress war when I was one. I ended up here. Cid took in a lot of the orphans as SeeD cadets. Meant we had a future, and there was more space at the orphanage. Most of the SeeDs at garden have a story similar to mine. Sad but true. 'Course, place had to be shut down when Matron, uh Edea began to be possessed by the other sorceress." Yannie was stunned.
"I'm sorry, I had no idea."
"Ah, no biggie. Lets go." He walked ahead of her. [I]Guess I'm not the only one with a past, or looking for answers.[/I] She caught up with him, and together they walked through the rusty gates.
Stone pillars stood to attention on either side, no longer serving any purpose, as the roof they once held had fallen many years before. Still, they stood as a testament to the past, in the anticipation of one-day being brought back to life.
" I know this…" whispered Yannie.
"Huh?" she ignored his question, and walked to the left. In front of her was a spectacle of colour, contrasted by the dark storm clouds in the sky. A field of bright coloured flowers as far as the eye could see. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and it wasn't for the first time either. She knew she had been here before. They carried on to the front door of the derelict building. The door itself was hanging by its hinges, one small push, and it came crashing down onto the slate floor, sending plumes of dust spiralling upwards.
They entered into a room that had half a roof, and three walls. The opposing wall had been demolished, and gave a clear view of the open sea.
"Oh my…" said Yannie to no one in particular. Still with no sign of Edea, they continued into the next room. Edea was sat in am armchair. In front of her was a table, with an unopened box on it. Next to the table were two chairs.
"Please, do sit down." She motioned for them to sit. They did as instructed. "Don't be alarmed, please." Yannie felt very ill at ease in her presence. As if he read her mind, Gered took her hand. She forced a smile. "I expect you shall be wanting answers. I shall tell what I can."
It took Yannie a few moments to remember where she was and whose arms she was lying in when she woke up. Gered had woken up an hour previous, and had just lay there, listening to her gentle breathing. [I]In, out, in, out…[/I] slow and rhythmic.
"Hey." He whispered when she stirred from her slumber. She rubbed her eyes.
"Hey." She looked at the clock. It was ten to nine. "We gotta get up."
"Not yet." He took her to him and kissed her on the lips. She couldn't help but smile.
"Seriously, we do." She took a band from the bedside table and loosely scrapped her jet black hair back. He followed the curve of her back with his finger. She stood up and he tried pulling her back into the bed, but she escaped his grip. She put on her underwear, and retrieved her jeans and tee shirt from the floor.
"I suppose we should get a move on." Gered followed suit, and soon, both were fully dressed. Yannie was finishing packing the last of her things in her bag, when Gered came from behind and wrapped his arms around her middle. He brushed some loose strands of hair from her neck, and kissed the soft skin. She giggled. "Hey!" he stopped. "I'm trying to be romantic here."
"I know." She laughed. "I'm just happy." She turned to face him, and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Why?"
"Need you ask?" she kissed him. There was a knock at the door.
"Room seven? You have to leave now. You will miss your boat." It was the receptionist.
"Give us a minute!" shouted Gered. Reluctantly he let go of her, and she finished packing the last items. They both walked to the door, when Yannie stopped, and dropped her bag.
"What is it?"
"I just remembered." She ran over to the bed by the window, and untucked and ruffled up the sheets. Gered smiled. "Don't want to give SeeD a bad name do we?" She smiled. "Lets go."
Gered paid up the rest of the bill at the reception. Then they made their way to the edge of the city, where they hired a car to the docks. Timber Docks were about two miles away from the city. It was seldom frequented by all but those desperately needing some form of travel to the Centra continent. Their ship was the [I]Winhill Wave[/I], an old warship from the sorceress wars for those wanting travel, in their own privacy, no questions asked. They drove the car onto the car-loading platform, and were elevated to the upper deck. Three other cars were on the deck with them. There was a EMV, that was being propped up by three Estharian soldiers who had taken off their helmets to savour the fresh sea air, a black Limousine, with shaded windows, the occupants inside unseen, and a farm truck with the words [I]Winhill Meats[/I] written in bold lettering on the side.
Gered opened the door to his hired blue sports vehicle, and stepped out. Yannie followed suit. She walked over to the edge of the deck and looked over. The seawater rushed by beneath her like mist in a breeze. She took a deep breath, and smelled the salt. It had been a while since she had smelled the sea, the last time being when she was in Fisherman's Horizon, almost a year ago. A lot had happened in that year. She looked at the armlet on her arm. It reminded her of how close she was to getting answers. The answers she had craved all these years were finally to be given to her. She was filled with a cocktail of excitement, anticipation, apprehension and fear. She remembered the words of Ephret in the fire cavern. Today, she would find her purpose. And it scared her.
"What you thinking?" asked Gered who was stood beside her.
"Nothing."
"I thought we were over this." He took her hands. "Tell me. Please."
"I'm scared. All these years…Today I find out who I am."
"I already know who you are." She looked at him in confusion. "You are Yannie Ocaspe. And I love you. No matter what we hear today, nothing will change that." She hugged him.
"Thank you." She whispered. The ship took two hours to reach the Cape of Good Hope, where Edea's house was situated. Once off the boat, it was a short half-hour drive to reach it. He stopped the car outside, and they both got out. To Yannie, the place seemed eerily familiar. Gered sighed.
"Place has changed a lot since I was last here."
"You have been here?"
"You kidding? I was brought up here. My parents died in the sorceress war when I was one. I ended up here. Cid took in a lot of the orphans as SeeD cadets. Meant we had a future, and there was more space at the orphanage. Most of the SeeDs at garden have a story similar to mine. Sad but true. 'Course, place had to be shut down when Matron, uh Edea began to be possessed by the other sorceress." Yannie was stunned.
"I'm sorry, I had no idea."
"Ah, no biggie. Lets go." He walked ahead of her. [I]Guess I'm not the only one with a past, or looking for answers.[/I] She caught up with him, and together they walked through the rusty gates.
Stone pillars stood to attention on either side, no longer serving any purpose, as the roof they once held had fallen many years before. Still, they stood as a testament to the past, in the anticipation of one-day being brought back to life.
" I know this…" whispered Yannie.
"Huh?" she ignored his question, and walked to the left. In front of her was a spectacle of colour, contrasted by the dark storm clouds in the sky. A field of bright coloured flowers as far as the eye could see. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and it wasn't for the first time either. She knew she had been here before. They carried on to the front door of the derelict building. The door itself was hanging by its hinges, one small push, and it came crashing down onto the slate floor, sending plumes of dust spiralling upwards.
They entered into a room that had half a roof, and three walls. The opposing wall had been demolished, and gave a clear view of the open sea.
"Oh my…" said Yannie to no one in particular. Still with no sign of Edea, they continued into the next room. Edea was sat in am armchair. In front of her was a table, with an unopened box on it. Next to the table were two chairs.
"Please, do sit down." She motioned for them to sit. They did as instructed. "Don't be alarmed, please." Yannie felt very ill at ease in her presence. As if he read her mind, Gered took her hand. She forced a smile. "I expect you shall be wanting answers. I shall tell what I can."