The Wish of a Broken Heart

Chance Meeting

Dagdh’a’vaní 5th
Inqwé’gaelaō
07:30

“Ti’kúe, vusa ra’miti. Vusa.” A gentle kiss to my temple makes me open my eyes. My body hurts, but we have to enter Tírè Eniú and wait for their guard. It’s human run, so Amanda and I have to stay out of sight to avoid misunderstandings.

Tírè Eniú is a coastal country. It is a ‘C’ or ‘L’ shape where it hugs the lower left lobe of the continent. The continent has five lobes and is shaped like an upside-down English ivy leaf. They allow people of all races in for trade, travel, and the Ak’hajj, but they aren’t welcome to stay long. A fortnight, tops.

Everyone has to wait inside the border for patrols to admit them. Entering more than three miles without permits leads to their cells. They Hassel other races they see as “less than” more often than they’d ever report to their monarchy. They actually have loose laws against undue harassment of other races. So loose, people ignore and break them.

We are supposed to hide any royal standing as well. I guess some guards have kidnapped royals before and put them in prison to stir up trouble. The last thing we need is some overly ambitious soldier to see us as a promotional ticket. A group of reveníre with a couple female edlíduin, an álfrám doctor, and a bunch of pregnant women, it might look like a low-key kidnapping or worse in the wrong light.

“Ah, there she is.” He kisses my nose before landing a sweet and gentle kiss on my lips. “I have Java, and the saucíka brought a new gown. Gálbard helped them copy the material of your cape. There was a slight flaw in the others. It’s why you bruised, we hope.”

“I’m not worried. Bruises come and go. Plus,” a yawn hits. Heavens, I just want to crawl back into bed. “Amanda adores the other dresses, so they aren’t wasted. Mmm, so good.” I use both hands to sip the heaven-sent nectar of the gods, warming them. My hands and feet are always cold.

“I’m happy she will enjoy them, but I do worry about the bruises and your health.” He kisses lightly over each darkened area. They’ve darkened and look about a week old now. There hasn’t been much privacy or time to bathe between traveling and my almost constant sleeping. A few stolen kisses and cuddles are not satisfying my hormonal urges or healing my injuries. “What are you up to Ti’kúe?”

“What do you mean, my big, handsome hayati?” I ask innocently, batting my eyes.

“You have a look on your face. The one you have when you’re plotting.” He smirks. I set my cup aside.

“It’s our first time alone in days.” I trace his jaw with my finger.

“Yes, and we have to leave…”

“In a few hours. Let them wait.” I pull him close and show him how much his little mate has missed him. By 09:30, we’re on the road. We had to make it quick when people started banging on the barrier. So much for my plan to spend the day in bed.

“Cheer up sissy, we’re only going thirteen miles. We’ll be there in less than an hour. While they set up, we can look for these herbs and foods listed in the journal you and Faemála made.” She points out some rare and delicious things she has wanted to try and our people can use. I giggle at her exuberance. She’s very food motivated.

The roads are rough going in. Rougher than anything we’ve gone through so far. It's like someone got a group of monster trucks together and went mudding. I wonder if they neglect their roads on purpose? Thankfully, we were warned.

I may not like the golden witch, but it isn't safe for her to ride through this unsupervised. She’s too close to her due date, and there’s no levitating benches in the supply wagon. I can’t stand the thought of her going through this insanity in that wagon, though. Sosyéte has kept to herself. It’s been nice. She’s begrudgingly thankful that she was put in the medical wagon.