Chapter Twenty
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After engaging in that mud battle, Ewar and I were left absolutely filthy. Hence, a decision needs to be made. Either we return to the gorge to clean ourselves (while risking becoming the laughingstock of the entire village). Or, we can seek a more private place to wash off so no one else will see how ridiculous we look.
It's no contest. We go with the second option.
Ewar knows the forest around here like the back of his hand. He locates the trail we need to take and guides me along. As we walk, tension builds between us. The mud fight brought out our childish side. Or maybe "naughty side" is a better term for how I acted. I shoved a blob of mud down Ewar's pants. How did I ever think that was a good idea?! It's like I went through a bout of temporary insanity. Now that I am self-aware again, I don't know what to say or how to act around him. My only recourse is to keep my mouth shut to save myself from further embarrassment.
Oddly enough, our hands remain firmly entwined despite the tension. It's the only thing keeping me grounded.
The journey goes by quicker than I anticipated. We step out from the tree line and are greeted by a body of water.
We are at the lake.
This place looked like an ice rink the last time I was here. It's startling how much it has changed in the months since then. All the ice has melted, leaving the surface an inviting shade of blue. The air is a perfume of pine and budding spring flowers. There's even a small flock of waterfowl happily swimming on the opposite side.
It is a picture-perfect scene.
Ewar crouches down and scoops up a handful of water. It reminds me that we're here to wash off, not sightsee. He works on scrubbing his face first. I do the same. Unfortunately, I discover a flaw. A few splashes of water aren't going to do much against this gunk covering us from head to toe. It would take all day to get myself looking presentable using this method of cleaning - and guess what? My patience ran out like five minutes ago. There's got to be a quicker way to clean up.
And there is. It's right in front of me.
I hop into a standing position and shimmy off my mud-soaked leggings and shoes. Left only in my knee-length tunic, I dash straight into the lake.
Eek! So c-c-cold.
Giving up is not an option. I press on, gritting my teeth as I wade through the water. It's worth the discomfort. I can already feel the mud and clay loosening from my lower body. But yes, there are goosebumps on top of my goosebumps. While I may not be participating in a polar plunge, the water isn't exactly warm either.
The only way my body will get used to the shock is if I go all in.
Mimicking the waterfowl, I dive headfirst beneath the surface. I kick my legs, propelling me forward. Visibility is decent. Rippling sunlight illuminates the lake bottom. Colorful pebbles are strewn everywhere I look. I wouldn't mind being a fish here.
The tranquil beauty is so mesmerizing, the chill doesn't seem quite as terrible. Or, maybe the exercise aided me in warming my core temperature. But I can't stay underwater forever. I have to come up for air.
Instead of being greeted by the joyful chirping of birds when I resurface, all I hear are shouts.
"Bella! Bella!"
Ewar is pacing where the land meets the lake. Since I swam parallel to the shore, I am approximately fifteen meters from where I first dove underwater. He resumes a normal stance only when he catches sight of me. The fear on his face is replaced with something approaching relief.
That lasts for around three seconds.
His eyebrows slant. "Get out!"
"Not yet. I'm trying to get clean."
"Bella..." The growling way he said my name would sound threatening if I didn't know him.
I roll my eyes. He shouldn't worry so much. I'm not a child. The water I'm in isn't even deep!
Then, I remember.
Ewar doesn't know how to swim. None of his people do. When Afrin fell through the ice, wasn't I the only person to jump in after her? They must consider the water to be extremely dangerous.
I look at him in a more sympathetic light.
"I'm sorry for scaring you, Ewar. But I am fine. Really." I dive back under and resurface a few feet away. "See? I can swim." I demonstrate the word by paddling through the water. "Say it with me, Ewar. Swim."
He huffs out a breath, probably annoyed at how I'm bringing an English lesson into this. "Swim."
"Good! Now, get in."
His eyes go wide. "Me no... I no swim."
I smile a little at how nervous he looks. "It isn't hard to learn." I hold out my hand, beckoning him. "Come to me. Let me teach you."
He stands on the shore in quiet deliberation. He spends much of the time mentally calculating the distance separating us. Eventually, his gaze settles on me. Whatever he sees must convince him that I am trustworthy. He begins discarding clothes in anticipation of entering the water. First, his shoes are pulled off. Then his leggings and tunic are placed in a neat pile. All that remains is the flimsy cloth wrapped around his groin.
It is now my turn to be nervous. I wasn't expecting a strip show!
He pauses before disrobing any further. His eyes pin themselves to my face, trapping me in their gaze. I should look somewhere - anywhere - else, but I am incapable of glancing away. I wonder why?
Ha. There's no sense in lying to myself. I know exactly why I can't look elsewhere. Ewar is an attractive man even by modern standards, and now he is... showing more of himself than usual.
Can he see the blush on my face from way over there? Or how I stopped breathing at some point?
I assume he is aware to some extent of my unease based on what he does next. He takes pity on me and leaves the loincloth in place instead of whipping it off. Although he may not understand my discomfort when it comes to nudity, he does respect it.
The thirst trap... I mean, Ewar steps into the water and begins making his way to where I am. I try to conceal my nervousness underneath a toothy smile. It works great as long as you don't mind looking like you've lost your fucking mind.
His arrival is marked by an odd look. He approaches me like he would a wild animal. "Bella? You sick?"
"What? No!" I give a slightly maniacal giggle. "I'm not sick at all."
He cocks an eyebrow, unconvinced by my performance. On the upside, his reaction annoys me. How dare he not believe what I say! This works to distract me from the present situation. I mostly forget he's a half-naked man standing within groping distance. Sure, I can still see the lean muscle of his upper body, the V-shape of his hips, the light dusting of hair that continues down, down, down below the loincloth...
Uhh. What was I talking about before?
Oh, yeah. Buff, half-naked man. I can handle him just fine.
I force myself to concentrate on safer things, like teaching him how to swim. Taking him by the hand, I get him to follow me into deeper water. The further we go, the more hesitant he becomes. I whisper encouragement along the way. We stop when the water reaches the undersides of my breasts.
"All right. I think this is the best place to begin our first lesson. It's not too shallow or too deep." I glance at him, noting the messy state of his hair. "Hopefully, a good swim will help get rid of all that mud on you!"
His head tilts in an accusing pose. "You put mud there."
"No, we did. Don't act like I made the mess all on my own." I nibble at my lower lip. "Hmm. What should we work on first?"
He waits patiently as I strategize. A plan comes to fruition.
"I guess floating is a good start." I back away to make some room. "Floating is simple. Watch." I fall backwards and spread out my limbs. The water lifts me to the surface and carries me along like a little boat. Ewar watches in awe, as though I am a magician performing a feat of levitation. I smile at him. "See? Easy. Your turn!"
Once I'm back into a standing position, he is ready to give it a try. He mimics what I did by falling backwards into the water.
He sinks like a stone.
Arms and legs flail below the water. Panic made him forget that all he needs to do to keep himself from drowning is to stand up. I scoop down and pull him to the surface. He comes up sputtering and coughing.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Are you all right, Ewar?"
"Water... in... nose!"
I get him to hunch over so I can pound at his back. This helps to drain his respiratory system. Minutes later, he finally stops heaving.
"Feeling better?" I ask sympathetically.
"Yes. Better."
I exhale in relief as I look him over. "Well, at least most of the mud is off you now."
Ewar doesn't say a word in response. If looks could kill...
"I guess we should change tactics," I continue, ignoring his irritation. "You need to learn breathing control before anything else."
"Breathe... control?"
"Yes, it means to train yourself not to breathe underwater." My proposed idea is met with skepticism by Ewar. He eyes me warily. "Don't worry. Learning the proper way to hold your breath will make learning everything else easier. I promise."
He nods in reluctant acceptance.
I bend my knees until only my head is above the water. "The first thing you need to do is let go of your fears. The water may look scary, but it doesn't have to be. It can be fun too. You're going to make bubbles."
His forehead wrinkles at the new word. "Bubbles?"
"That's right." Briefly, I disturb the water like a jacuzzi using my mouth. "Those are bubbles. Come closer and bend down like I am. Good, just like that. Now, let's practice a bit first. Blow, Ewar. Blow."
He forms an O with his lips and does as asked, blowing air right above the water line.
"Great! Keep doing it."
He takes a breath and exhales through his mouth. He repeats this over and over again. While his mind is occupied with blowing, I push down on his shoulders. The lower half of his face dips below the surface. Only a couple of bubbles form before he realizes what I did.
He lurches up from the water, dripping with outrage. "Bella, why do that?!"
I hadn't meant to scare him. Now I feel bad.
I grab his hand. "Please don't leave. Don't you see how good you did? Your mouth and nose went under - and you didn't breathe any water in!"
His expression clears as the information sinks in. Wonder takes place of irritation. Gradually, he lowers himself back down to my level.
"Again," he says in determination.
I shut my eyes briefly to collect myself. For a second, I was afraid he was so fed up with my teaching method that he would refuse to stay in the lake.
"Thank you," I say. "You and I will do it together this time. Do what I do."
We lower our mouths into the water to blow bubbles. I don't want to push him too hard or too fast. I limit the experience to a couple of seconds at most. Traumatizing him further wouldn't help matters.
He comes up smiling.
We do it again, and again, and again. Although we started out by only sticking our mouths underwater, he soon advances to dipping in his nose as well. Only our eyes are visible. The atmosphere lightens each time we come up for air. Seeing him all wet and doing something as silly as blowing bubbles sends me into giggles. He must feel the same because he chuckles along with me. We have to stop laughing when it's time to go under again. But even with half of our faces hidden by the water, I can tell by the way his eyes are squinting that he is enjoying himself.
Ewar is adjusting to the watery environment well enough to stay under for longer. Five seconds. Ten seconds. He comes out of the water panting but perfectly fine. He wipes the moisture away from his eyes and tilts his face toward the heavens.
"Woo-hoo!"
The unexpected whoop of triumph is loud enough to be heard a great distance away. He looks so alive, so carefree. I let out a gale of laughter at his antics. Knowing that I played a small part in his current state of happiness is one of the nicest feelings ever.
We share a smile. It's just a plain, ordinary smile. Nothing spectacular.
Nevertheless, my perception shifts.
It's like when your vision gets blurry and you are forced to blink. In the time it takes for your eyes to refocus, you achieve perfect clarity of mind and body. There, in all his glory, you finally see what's been in front of you for so long.
Ewar.
Yes, he is undeniably gorgeous. I couldn't look away from him even if I wanted to - but this has nothing to do with his appearance. I can see deeper than that, to something even more beautiful than his face or physique.
I see him for himself.
He is brave and kind, loyal and smart. He has the patience of a saint and the creativity of a Renaissance master. And he has always been there for me - even when he didn't have to be. Case in point, look where he is this very moment. He walked willingly into a lake in early spring just because I asked him to.
Excluding my father, Ewar is the best man I have ever known.
None of these revelations come as a great surprise. They have been brewing in my thoughts for months. I am only now allowing myself to acknowledge what has happened.
He crept into my heart and made a home there.
My pulse races. My head spins. Sometime during our bubble-making, our faces drifted closer and closer without us noticing. Trust me, I am hyper-aware of this now. I could lick the water droplets from his lips if I wanted.
And I do want. So much.
Can he feel it too? Is he tempted like I am?
I am unable to breathe, unable to speak, as his smile softens. To my delight, he raises a hand to my face. One finger brushes across my cheekbone. The simple touch starts as a spark and quickly claims my entire body.
I need more. Now.
The desire is on the tip of my tongue. All I have to do is say what's on my mind and hope he is game.
Before I can do so, Ewar speaks.
"Look." He holds up the same finger he touched me with and chuckles. A streak of dirty brown is on the pad. "Mud... on face!"
I blink multiple times. At first, my dazed brain thinks he spoke in a different language. But no, that was definitely English. The meaning of those words slowly penetrates my skull.
He touched me because I still have mud on my face - not because he felt a connection.
I turn away from him so I can wipe the smudge from my cheek in privacy. It also conceals my conflicting emotions.
I wanted him. He didn't seem to notice.
And that is a very good thing.
It's important to be pragmatic when faced with such a complicated situation. I almost let feelings get in the way of what is morally right. It took a lot of convincing to get Ewar to understand that he and I could never be a true husband and wife to each other. The reason for that was simple.
I will be gone from here soon.
To seduce him, to use him like a toy, and then leave forever would be cruel. I cannot deny that I care for him more than I should. The mere fantasy of being with him intimately brings me more pleasure than any sexual encounter I've ever had. But fantasy is where it will have to remain. I can't hurt him. Giving into temptation would destroy the trust we have built.
It's going to be hard hiding this from him. But what other choice do I have?
None!
I'll just have to tough it out until it's time to leave. There's only a few weeks left to go. I can make it that long. And once I am far, far away in the twenty-first century, then I can safely fall apart without him ever being the wiser...
A hand lands on my shoulder. Ewar spins me around. All signs of amusement are gone. "Bella?"
He studies my face like a book, searching for why I am suddenly so quiet and withdrawn. The last thing I want is to tip him off that something is different about me. And if he stares for too much longer, he just might notice that even the way I look at him has changed.
So, I plaster on a fake smile and dunk myself under the water to escape.
I figure if I sit on the lake bottom long enough, these fucked up mushy feelings might eventually drown themselves out of me. It's my only hope.
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It doesn't work.
I'm beginning to run low on oxygen, but I'm not ready to leave yet. Ewar, using his new breathing control skills, joins me momentarily beneath the surface. He leaves me no choice on the matter. In the time it takes to snap your fingers, he has me scooped into his arms like a baby and starts carrying me out of the lake.
"Ewar, put me down! I can walk, you know."
He doesn't utter a word. I try wiggling out of his arms to escape. He holds on tighter. Being held up close to his bare chest is not helping matters on my end either.
He delivers me to a spot on dry land. Pointing at the ground, he sends me a warning glare. "Stay."
"Why? Where are you going?"
"I make fire. Need wood. You stay."
"I can help-"
"No!" He smashes his eyelids shut. They stay that way until the vein in his forehead stops throbbing. His voice eventually calms to that of a summer breeze. "Bella, you stay."
He waits for my reaction. I want to tell him he is overreacting. I want to tell him that he can't make me stay here if I don't want to. But then I see the lines of worry on his forehead. I scared him when I stayed underwater for such a long stretch. He must think I've lost my mind. And I guess I have to some extent... he just isn't aware that he is partly to blame for the loss of my sanity.
"All right," I reply softly. "I will stay here."
A brief expression of surprise paints his features. It's not often that I give up an argument so easily.
He gives a nod and then walks into the forest. He doesn't venture far. I can see his blurry form when he passes in front of certain trees. He collects two armloads of wood before returning permanently to where I sit. The wood is stacked. He creates a spark using the stones he always keeps in his belt pouch. As soon as flames spring up, he encourages me to cuddle up to the fire. I'm not one to pass up the hospitality - especially since I am dripping wet and shivering.
The fire works its magic on both of us. Since he is still half-naked, he dries quickly and sets off to work. He manages to get our discarded clothes to an acceptable state of cleanliness. He scrubs them in the lake water and then hangs them up near the fire. I am not nearly as productive. My hair and the tunic I'm wearing are more stubborn about drying, so I can't offer my help. But, honestly, he probably wouldn't have allowed me to do anything anyway. He gets so fussy over people he suspects almost drowned themselves a half hour earlier.
We sit around not saying much of anything. The tension is back and I hate it.
A buzzing sound breaks the ice.
Ewar's eyes dart around like a cat's, scouring our surroundings. Something in the trees captures his attention. He stands up slowly. His gaze still focused elsewhere, he begins tossing my things over to where I am.
The leggings land on my head. I pull them off and send him a glare. "Hey!"
"Shh. Put on clothes," he whispers.
While his back is turned, I do as he suggests. I creep up to his side once I am fully dressed. "What's happening?"
He places a finger to his lips, then he waves for me to follow him. His lack of explanation is concerning. It makes me afraid there's something horrific coming after us, like a hungry bear or rabid squirrel. Then I look at what Ewar is wearing. And by that, I mean what he isn't wearing. He didn't put on anything else while I was getting dressed. He's still in the loincloth that does a better job at showing off his ass than actually covering it. I would hope if he was planning on fighting a wild beast, he would at least put on some layers for protection. He didn't even bring a spear!
We zigzag through the forest. His head is tilted toward the tree tops. The buzzing becomes progressively louder. Suddenly, he stops on a dime.
"Look," he says, pointing upward.
In the tallest tree around, a swarming hive is perched on a branch. Bees are coming and going in an endless quest for flower nectar.
"Wow. It's so big," I breathe in wonder.
"Yes. Very big."
I glance at him. His eyes have taken on a peculiar glow. It reminds me of how Charlie would look before going on a fishing trip.
"What are you up to?" I ask suspiciously.
A slow grin works its way across his face. My heart beats faster.
Stupid sex hormones.
"Bella, you stay."
"Why? Where are you going?"
"I come back. You stay." He says this as though that explains everything.
"You know, I'm starting to get really sick of hearing you say that word so often, Ewar. I'm not a fucking golden retriever."
His brow furrows. "You sick?"
I sigh. "No."
His smile returns. "Good. You stay."
"Yeah, yeah. I heard you the first time," I grumble with folded arms.
I lean against the nearest tree trunk to wait. He trucks it back to the lake. To track the time, I sing a song inside my head. When I have looped back to the beginning for the second time, he reappears. He's carrying a bundle of grass and leaves wrapped around the end of a stick.
Oh, silly me. I forgot to mention that it is ON FIRE.
Thick gray smoke pours from the inside non-stop. Combine this with the fact there's a hive in the vicinity, I get an inkling of what's going on.
I grab his upper arm. "Ewar, please tell me you're not going to play beekeeper today."
He has no idea what I just said.
"You know. Bees?" I make a buzzing sound using my tongue and teeth. "Bees. Those little shits flying around up there?"
He nods in understanding. "Yes! Bees. Many bees!"
"Uh-huh. Yeah. That's what I'm talking about. There's a crapload of murder bugs up there and it's starting to look like you're planning on visiting them. Do I have that right?"
He hums. His gaze never leaves the hive.
"Of all the nerve!" I shake him in hopes of snapping him out of it. "You acted like I was crazy just because I stayed underwater a little longer than usual. Yet here you are getting ready to climb a fucking tree that houses a million fucking bees - all while wearing an outfit that would make Tarzan blush! If anyone's off their fucking rocker, it's you."
My liberal use of f-bombs gives him a momentary pause. Although I have not yet gotten him to understand the meaning, he has learned on his own that the more I use the word, the more pissed off I am.
"No worry, Bella. All good."
I step back and throw up my hands. "Fine. Don't listen to me. Climb the damn tree if that's what you want. But don't come crying to me when there's a few hundred stingers buried in your ass. I won't be the one to remove them."
On second thought...
No, no, no. Stop thinking about his ass!
He strolls over to the tree and starts climbing. The opposite end of the smoking stick is lodged underneath his armpit. Higher and higher he goes. The thumbnail I'm nibbling gets shorter and shorter. While I admit he is doing well, there's still a part of me that's terrified he will slip and plummet to the ground.
After what feels like forever, he reaches THE branch. About midway down is the bee colony. Ewar locks his thighs around the trunk just so he can use both hands to hold the stick. He places the end underneath the swarming hive. At first, a few of the bees go to check out the strange bundle. The smoke works quickly on them. They fly around sluggishly, unable to attack.
The smoke seeps into their lair. Hundreds of bees pour out. Some zoom in Ewar's direction. All he has to do is bat them away. They are too dazed to react other than to flee.
Once the commotion dies down, he crawls onto the branch. He uses his hand to wipe off the few bees remaining. They don't do a damn thing even though he's cutting off a hunk of their home. He works quickly. The task complete, he eases back down the tree while carrying his stolen goods. Sadly, there are no stingers for me to pull out - a credit to his bee-handling skills.
He saunters up to where I am. Golden liquid oozes from the chunk of bee hive he took. "Milit," he says proudly.
"Honey?"
His eyes shine. "Yes! Honey. Very good. Eat."
I glance at it. "I don't know... Doesn't it need to be pasteurized first? I wouldn't be happy dying of botulism just because I ate a teaspoon of wild-"
His honey-coated finger slips into my mouth, shutting me up.
It is divine.
I haven't had anything so sweet in ages. At this point, I don't care if unpasteurized honey will kill me or not. The taste is worth the risk. I can't even be upset with Ewar for sticking his finger in my mouth.
"Oh my god," I moan. "Bless your crazy ass. If you wanna go hunting for honey, I won't try stopping you ever again."
He tests this claim of mine sooner than later. While I keep hold of the first chunk of bee hive, he climbs up the tree to take another. He saws off a large portion but leaves enough for the bees to rebuild their home.
We swing by the mud pit to retrieve our baskets of clay. He sacrifices one basket exclusively for the honeycombs. As we carry the baskets to the village, I daydream of how we can use the honey. A few drops in a piping-hot bowl of herbal tea would be awesome right about now. Ooh! Even better, Ehmay probably has some killer recipes that would make eating dinner a delight. Honey drizzled hazelnuts. Porridge and honey. Grilled elk steaks with a side of honey dipping sauce.
It all sounds delicious.
Ewar and I arrive at the gorge. Everyone is so busy, we barely get spared a glance. My sights are set on his hut, but he convinces me to make a detour first.
We walk up to Bannor's home. The old man is pleased to see us and greets us accordingly. Ewar mentions something about "milit" and something else about Damara. He's talking so fast it's hard for me to understand.
Before I know it, Ewar gives the old man all of our honey.
I keep my thoughts to myself until Ewar and I have left Bannor's place.
"What the hell! Why did you give away the 'milit', Ewar?"
"It is..." He pauses to think of the word he needs. "Su-prise."
My shoulders slump. "Oh, goody. A surprise. Is Bannor going to let me watch him eat all the honey or something?"
Ewar only chuckles at my displeasure.
A whistle echoes through the gorge. No one panics. It's the signal for when a friendly tribe is in the area.
A group of people walk through the entrance. They are greeted by name, so it appears they are only strangers to me. Arl rushes over to speak to their leader, a grizzled woman who walks with a slight limp. Their conversation is short and ends with her presenting him with a neatly folded animal skin.
Ehmay steps in and offers the visiting tribe food and water. Arl takes the opportunity to waltz over to where Ewar and I are standing. With a smile, he stops in front of me and tries handing over the animal hide.
"Mayant-hattatar," he says cheerfully.
Mayant-hattatar... Alistair!
I accept the skin in bewilderment. Why would Alistair send me a blanket? I lift one corner of the animal hide in order to see what's so special about it. What I see underneath makes me gasp. I immediately crush it into my chest to protect it.
I bow my head to Arl, hoping to dismiss him as quickly as possible. "Malāi-smas!" Thank you!
He returns the bow and wanders away to play host to the visitors.
Now that we're not being watched as closely, I latch on to Ewar's wrist and haul him to the hut. He is visibly confused but goes along with it for curiosity's sake. As soon as we are inside, I close the door flap to block out the outside world. Other than a streak of light coming through the smoke hole in the roof, we are surrounded by darkness.
"Ewar, make a fire."
"What-"
"Please! Just do it."
He sighs and sets off to satisfy my seemingly unreasonable demand. I don't move a muscle. I wait until the room is bathed in firelight before kneeling in front of the dancing flames. The animal skin is spread out on the ground.
It is covered in writing.
Ewar is attracted to the sight as much as I am. He joins me in the kneeling position and stares. I'm sure he has never seen such an object before.
"Bella?"
I give his shoulder a reassuring pat. "It's all right. Alistair wrote me a letter."
"Letter?" His eyebrows knit together. "Is painting."
"No. That's not a painting." I point at the black marks on the skin. "These are words, Ewar. Words. I'll read them to you."
I clear my throat before I begin.
"Dear Bella,
"I hope this letter finds you well. When I heard the Fox People would be passing through your area soon, I asked their leader to deliver this present to you. Do not fret! She thinks this is a token to ward off evil spirits. I doubt she would ever believe it is a message meant for a woman from the distant future!
"Now, on to the point.
"I received word recently that there has been a shake-up within the Soul Eaters. Their leader, Maru, has banished his son from the tribe. It appears Ora was planning an overthrow of power. Where this Ora fellow currently resides is anyone's guess. I did hear that he was able to convince one other man of the tribe to join him in exile. He must possess a dangerously charming tongue! Considering his interest in you, it would be wise to keep a sharp lookout for the scoundrel until we can get you home. No telling what he will do now that his father isn't there to rein him in.
"On a happier note, Onya and I look forward to escorting you to the Lake District. If the weather cooperates, we should arrive at our destination before mid-summer. Nevertheless, remember to bring clothing suitable for the climate! It gets awfully cold there at night.
"Send my kind regards to your dear husband, Bella. (Ha ha!)
"Until we meet again,
"Alistair"
The contents of Alistair's message lays before us. An icy chill has taken residence in my bones. Ora is out there somewhere, and no one knows what he intends to do. I can't afford to wait around and find out. My life is quite literally on the line.
Carefully, I refold the animal skin exactly as I received it. The written word should not exist for another few thousand years. To leave evidence behind that there were English speakers in the Stone Age could potentially create chaos in the scientific world.
And I've caused enough trouble as it is.
I set the message on top of the fire. The flames claim it quickly.
Ewar and I watch until there is nothing left except ash.
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A/N- Hmm. So much happened, yet nothing is resolved. Maybe Bella and Ewar need another swimming lesson to get things cookin'.
Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! I'll be seeing you guys in 2024. And, as always, thanks for reading. :-)