Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 161535 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 808(@200wpm)___ 646(@250wpm)___ 538(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 161535 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 808(@200wpm)___ 646(@250wpm)___ 538(@300wpm)
“When I return home, we’ll ask the Fates if you can see him.”
I give him a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”
“The Fates on our side can catch glimpses of the past, present and future. With the right incentive, they can look in on someone for a god.” He gives me a lofty look. “I would do that for you.”
I shoot him another confused glance. I’m still not following. “But…Kalos…we won’t be together then. When you return home, I’ll be dead.”
I’ll be another world away—back to Earth and its afterlife.
“Dead. This bothers you, doesn’t it?”
“Of course it does!”
He stares at me, a look of distaste on his face, and it makes me wonder if this hadn’t occurred to him sooner. We’re so comfortable and at ease with each other, it’s hard to think about this just…ending. That I’m going to die for him to ascend back to his rightful place.
“Mm,” is all he says again, and the mood has changed.
Chapter
Twenty-Four
The next day is one of his bad ones. When I wake up in the morning, my head is resting on Kalos’s shoulder. I sit up and rub my mouth, dazed and stiff. “Sorry, did I sleep on you?”
He doesn’t respond.
I peek over at his face and my heart sinks. Kalos’s eyes are open, but there’s a dullness in them. He stares ahead at nothing, and no amount of me calling his name or gently nudging him gets a response. He’s in one of his fugue states, and they always seem to hit at the worst times. Every time I seem to forget that he’s Apathy, the universe reminds me that it’s not quite as simple as cheering him up and keeping him moving.
“I’m here,” I say, gently stroking his face. “We’ll take a break today, hmm? Approach things fresh tomorrow. Today, we rest.”
Because I can’t sit by the side of the road with a blankly-staring, beautiful man at my side (and I sure can’t go into town), I get to my feet. Ignoring the discomfort of our sodden clothing, I shoulder our pack and hold my hands out to Kalos.
“Up we go.”
Still no response. Right. I lean over and find his hands, grasping them in mine, and give him a gentle tug. He rises to his feet, reluctant, but I keep smiling and encouraging him. It’s not his fault that he’s saddled with Apathy. It’s a bad situation and we just need to work our way through it. I know he’d encourage me to keep going, so I’m doing the same for him.
With painstaking slowness, we make our way off the road and towards a distant barn. We don’t go inside, but I sit Kalos down against the barn wall and set our pack next to him. The early morning sunlight feels amazing, so I take Kalos’s cloak off him, talking through what I’m doing. If he’s in there, I don’t want him thinking he can’t trust me. I spread our cloaks to dry out in the sun, and I do the same for Kalos’s puffy white shirt. Dingle remains close by even though no one has his lead, and I’m grateful that the goat isn’t inclined to leave. Like Kalos said, he likes it here with us.
I spend the morning airing out our wet clothing in the relative privacy of the back of the barn and scrounge nearby for foodstuffs. There’s a tree in the distance that has a few pieces of fruit on low branches. They’re green and probably not ripe, but I pluck them anyhow, because my stomach is miserable.
Then there’s nothing to do but nap and wait for Kalos to return to himself. My belly full of hard green plums, I curl up against his side and play with his fingers, stroking and caressing his hands. “Let’s see, what have I not told you about from my world? Shakespeare, maybe? I’m not well-versed on it but I think I can manage the plot of Romeo and Juliet. Once upon a time, there were two young people in a place called Verona, and their families were at war with each other….”
“Are we planning on sleeping in fields forever?” he says the next morning.
I rub my eyes and sit up, wincing as I do. Kalos and I are still seated next to each other, our shoulders brushing, and I slept propped up against the rough, weathered wood of the barn-side. How is it that I’m sore everywhere and all I did was sit around yesterday? But I’m exhausted and aching like I hiked for miles yesterday instead of sitting behind a barn, talking to a dissociated god. “Good morning, Kalos. I’m glad you feel better.”
“I wouldn’t say ‘better.’ I woke up and I’m still here, after all.” Kalos gestures at his surroundings. “The mortal world lost its charm eons ago.”