Reddit Stories & Other Fiction: 2021

The Engineer And The Witch: Part III

Walden wrapped his arms around Tera. She stiffened at first, hesitating to believe she was awake, then fell into her fathers embrace. Tears welled in her eyes. The stench of sweat and days unwashed stung her nostrils. The butt of a gun dug into her stomach. Still Tera clung to him. She pulled him tighter, clutching the itchy fabric of his cloak in her hands, digging into his shoulder with her fingers.

She couldn't tell how much time passed before she finally let go. A thousand questions raced through her mind and not one managed to escape her lips. She could only stare in disbelief at the man who should be dead. A ghost.

Age didn't suit him. The years thinned his arms and face. Tera's father was never a larger man — not tall nor muscular like her — but now he looked frail. He shaved his thick black hair close to his scalp. A beard now lined his jaw, unkempt and streaked with grey, more grey than she remembered on her father's face. Lines formed around his deep brown eyes. Eyes that held darkness.

Eyes that no longer belonged to her father.

The three of them stood around a table in the room above Tera's workshop — her makeshift dining set-up when she could find time to clear it, though half-finished personal projects cluttered the space now. Tera swept her work aside and, still unable to find her voice, motioned to Cyan-2 for tea.

Mayer changed too. They sat on Tera's unused bed, hand cupped in their chin, watching the reunion with the feigned disinterest that defined them. Their hair was long now. Tufts of brown hid the scar on their scalp. The sun reddened their face, though they otherwise looked as pale as ever. Their green eyes widened as Cyan-2 set a cup in front of them.

"I haven't had tea since the war started," they said.

With those simple words, the dam broke and Tera's thoughts found sound. "Take what you want; I have plenty. It was a gift. No sugar though. Too expensive. Everything goes to the mainland first. We get the scraps if we're lucky. Even here."

"This is more than enough." Mayer held the cup to their lips, eyes closed, breathing in the fragrance. "Coming back was not a mistake."

"Why are you back?"

"We need a ship. Ports usually have them."

"Everything here belongs to the kingdom. You deserted."

"You think they won't let me borrow one?" Mayer snorted at their own joke. "I thought you could help. You—"

"I asked them," Walden interrupted. "Mayer said they knew you and I... I had to see you. I didn't know what to expect. I'm surprised."

"Surprised?"

"You were so young when the war started. I hoped it would be over before you graduated. I never wanted you to see this. I never wanted you to fight.

"Mayer told me about the ship. The explosion. Your leg. I didn't think I would find you doing so well. I should have known better." Her father smiled into his teacup. "I remember when you first met that engineer — what was his name? Ah, doesn't matter. You came home covered in grease and so exhausted you fell asleep at the dinner table. I'd never seen you smile so much before. I carried you to bed. I still could then. You7 woke up for a moment, only a moment, and told me — do you remember?"

"I want to be an engineer."

"I want to be an engineer," he repeated. "You were always so good with tools. You understood things in a way I could never."

"I broke everything I touched."

"That's not true. You know that's not true. You fixed everything. Made it better. The engineer — Li, that was his name — Li told me himself. And now you have your own workshop. I am so proud of you, my Tera."