When Given a Lemon

Part 36

The whole day passes without Lemon and no one else seems even the slightest bit concerned until I bring it up. Then after I'm given some vague “I don’t know” or “they must be around, somewhere” they go right back to not really caring. It's starting to really bother me.

Only Cayeol takes the time to try to assuage my concerns.

“I haven't seen Lemon, Keenah, but if the others aren't worried then I'm sure it isn't a problem. I know a small group of soldiers were sent to another camp to exchange some materials.” They pat my knee, their touch making me feel calmer than I had all day, “maybe that's where they went?”

“Yeah, that sounds plausible,” I agree. They very well could have joined that group, if nothing else but to give them time away from Cayeol, or me. I can't say I'm happy with that answer even if it sounds like the most likely possibility. Still, I appreciate it.

It would have been nice if they had said something before they went, for safety's sake.

We're sent out again and the weather that greets us is much the same; attempting to drown us. Right outside of our camp we run into both a flock of buzzballs and a few of the bugs. I had yet to see the two groups together and wondered if the bugs hunted the buzzballs or left them be. Even now it wasn't very obvious.

The way they buzzed about was no different than any other day so it was hard to say if they were unconscious of the looming threat or unconcerned because they weren't the target.

“I don't like how close they are to camp,” Kipol growled. I wholeheartedly agree. There are far too many threats too close to “home” these days, so to speak.

Others too had mentioned a higher frequency of the bugs closer to our camp and the estimated kill number for them has steadily risen. Even so we are still none the wiser where they nest at or even if they do.

They often are found in small groups of two or more but that hardly makes them a swarm like the buzzballs are. For all we know they could be completely nomadic once they are born until it comes time to mate, if they mate. But it’s just speculation because no one really knows anything other than what their appearances are and that they appreciated the taste of human flesh.

These ones were put down in record time, barely having a chance to attack us. One was cleaved in half by Denyel's powerful swing, another pinned to a tree by the arrow that Kipol shot through them. As for the last, I managed to separate one of its legs before Merryl and Cayeol finished it off with a few quick jabs.

I still have yet to actually kill one of those things on my own, but I'm getting better at assisting.

That night when we return Lemon is back at camp, brushing away the dust from the entrance of our tent. They gave a quick wave as we approached before settling back to their task. They act as if they hadn't disappeared for the past several days without a word.

The last time I saw Lemon was right after they’d gotten far too worked up at the training grounds with Cayeol. And now here they are, expression passive as if nothing had happened and they hadn’t been gone for days without notice. Naturally they showed up right after I made plans with Cayeol to train again tomorrow since we knew we wouldn't be sent out; Merryl was to assist Obert in the medic tent. This time our plan was to practice with a new weapon and I had been looking forward to trying something different in the hopes I'd be better suited for it than my clumsy sword skills.

But now I don't even have to guess what will happen as soon as Lemon hears that I intend to train again. They will not only want to join, they will want to eliminate Cayeol from the equation as well. I still don't even know what the problem is, and neither does Cayeol. I tried to ask once and they appeared as if they didn't even know what I was talking about, completely surprised that Lemon would have a problem of any kind relating to them.