Chapter 9
Saturos looked around his old home. Everything was covered in a layer of dust. It had been forever since he had been back here. White sheets protected all the furniture. He pulled the blanket off of the couch and laid Karst down there and she stirred for a moment but then fell still again. He sighed and set to work on cleaning the house. He used a wind spell to get rid of the dust and then pulled all the sheets off of the furniture. He lit the lanterns around the house and soon the rooms were basking in a dim glow. When he finished, he sat down in a chair across from the couch Karst was sleeping on.
"Warm..." Karst finally whispered.
Saturos looked up, intrigued; it was the first time Karst had spoken since they reached Prox. "What did you say?"
"Warm..." Karst repeated, her eyes opening. "They were warm."
"What was warm?" Saturos asked, walking over to the small girl.
Karst smiled and looked up at him with tired eyes. "His hands...I looked into his eyes and I could no longer stay upset with him. His mind had been deceived so he did what he thought was right. No man can be condemned for doing what he saw as just when he had no other opinion on the matter."
Saturos shook his head, confused. "What are you talking about Karst? You're rambling." He stood to get some blankets. "You must still be sick. It sounds like you're delirious."
"I'm not delirious, Saturos!" Karst shouted, causing him to jump in surprise. "I speak the truth. True, I still hate the boy with a terrible passion...but why must his eyes be so warm and kind? Why must they bring affection to the surface of my mind? Why does he make me feel this way?!"
"Karst, I have no idea who you're talking about. Please, refrain from yelling at me. I only wish to help."
Karst sighed in defeat and looked away from the blue-skinned fire Adept. "Do you remember Isaac from Vale?"
Saturos smiled down at her. "Of course I do. How in the world would you expect me to forget?"
She looked back at him. "He's who I'm talking about. The boy who killed my sister."
Saturos blinked. "You mean you're in love with that child who nearly sentenced the world to a slow death?!" His expression quickly turned to anger as it always did.
She scrambled to sit up. "No!" she protested, shaking her head frantically. "I'm not in love with him! I hate him! How could I love someone who murdered my beloved sister?!"
Saturos stood, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "He didn't murder your sister!"
"Then who did?!" Karst yelled back at him.
Saturos narrowed his eyes at her. "Do not ask me to answer that question," he told her, coldly.
Stress overwhelmed Karst and she burst into tears, burying her face against her arms. "I want my sister back! I want her here with me!"
Saturos got the urge to yell at her again, but he forced it down, his mood sobering greatly with the sound of Karst's crying. He shook his head and knelt down next to the couch. "Look, I want her back too, okay? Crying is not going to raise her from the dead." She ignored him and continued to cry. "If it's worth anything, crying won't solve the problem, but I know it helps. I cried too..."
Karst suddenly threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly, crying against his shoulder. "It isn't fair! It's not fair that I had to lose everybody! First my sister, then Agatio!"
Saturos awkwardly put his arms around her, patting her back. "No one said life would be fair." He instantly regretted saying this to her because she only sobbed harder.
Saturos looked around his old home. Everything was covered in a layer of dust. It had been forever since he had been back here. White sheets protected all the furniture. He pulled the blanket off of the couch and laid Karst down there and she stirred for a moment but then fell still again. He sighed and set to work on cleaning the house. He used a wind spell to get rid of the dust and then pulled all the sheets off of the furniture. He lit the lanterns around the house and soon the rooms were basking in a dim glow. When he finished, he sat down in a chair across from the couch Karst was sleeping on.
"Warm..." Karst finally whispered.
Saturos looked up, intrigued; it was the first time Karst had spoken since they reached Prox. "What did you say?"
"Warm..." Karst repeated, her eyes opening. "They were warm."
"What was warm?" Saturos asked, walking over to the small girl.
Karst smiled and looked up at him with tired eyes. "His hands...I looked into his eyes and I could no longer stay upset with him. His mind had been deceived so he did what he thought was right. No man can be condemned for doing what he saw as just when he had no other opinion on the matter."
Saturos shook his head, confused. "What are you talking about Karst? You're rambling." He stood to get some blankets. "You must still be sick. It sounds like you're delirious."
"I'm not delirious, Saturos!" Karst shouted, causing him to jump in surprise. "I speak the truth. True, I still hate the boy with a terrible passion...but why must his eyes be so warm and kind? Why must they bring affection to the surface of my mind? Why does he make me feel this way?!"
"Karst, I have no idea who you're talking about. Please, refrain from yelling at me. I only wish to help."
Karst sighed in defeat and looked away from the blue-skinned fire Adept. "Do you remember Isaac from Vale?"
Saturos smiled down at her. "Of course I do. How in the world would you expect me to forget?"
She looked back at him. "He's who I'm talking about. The boy who killed my sister."
Saturos blinked. "You mean you're in love with that child who nearly sentenced the world to a slow death?!" His expression quickly turned to anger as it always did.
She scrambled to sit up. "No!" she protested, shaking her head frantically. "I'm not in love with him! I hate him! How could I love someone who murdered my beloved sister?!"
Saturos stood, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "He didn't murder your sister!"
"Then who did?!" Karst yelled back at him.
Saturos narrowed his eyes at her. "Do not ask me to answer that question," he told her, coldly.
Stress overwhelmed Karst and she burst into tears, burying her face against her arms. "I want my sister back! I want her here with me!"
Saturos got the urge to yell at her again, but he forced it down, his mood sobering greatly with the sound of Karst's crying. He shook his head and knelt down next to the couch. "Look, I want her back too, okay? Crying is not going to raise her from the dead." She ignored him and continued to cry. "If it's worth anything, crying won't solve the problem, but I know it helps. I cried too..."
Karst suddenly threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly, crying against his shoulder. "It isn't fair! It's not fair that I had to lose everybody! First my sister, then Agatio!"
Saturos awkwardly put his arms around her, patting her back. "No one said life would be fair." He instantly regretted saying this to her because she only sobbed harder.