Servitude: The Hydrangea Chapters

Chp 14: A Fugitive with Great Magic - Part 1

The secondary chamber provides ample space for both of them, so Marlina passes items through the gap before Elek helps her through it. He unrolls two sleeping mats and starts a small fire to brew tea and prepare a simple meal using the vegetables from Englias. Marlina notices he took the personal items from the first remains.

Sitting on his sleeping mat, she sits on hers. She patiently waits while he eats, Elek feeling slightly uncomfortable with her gaze on him.

'Is it because she has nothing to do? Or is she genuinely interested in my story?'

It's hard for him to know.

Despite the hindrances, she has been immensely helpful; she just needs detailed and specific instructions. At first, he's reluctant to hold up his end of the bargain. As he opens the package containing the personal items, he begins organizing and cataloging them while speaking.

"When I was a child, one day my mother left to earn her wages as an escort but never returned home."

"Was she an attendant to a noble, or a guard?" Marlina inquires.

Elek sighs in dismay at having to specify. "No, she'd be company for men. For pleasure."

Marlina's posture slumps slightly as she remains silent for now and allows him to speak.

"With her gone, it left my brother and me to fend for ourselves for months, having to do whatever we could to keep a roof over our heads and some food in our bellies each day."

Pausing from his rummaging and organizing the archaeologist's things to glance up at Marlina, he notices the sympathy in her eyes. He returns his gaze to the items and resumes his tale.

"After a while, a man came to our home and took my brother and me in. He told us we were his sons, and all I learned about my mother's whereabouts was that she abandoned us. By the time I was old enough to notice, it seemed there were plenty of people who disappeared around my father regularly, and they were never spoken about again. And so, I decided to find out for myself. I was determined to find where my mother had gone. I pretended to be the perfect son to get me closer to my father and his network, realizing that the truth wouldn't come directly from him."

"What... did you find out?" Marlina asks.

There's another pause as he takes a few sips of tea, keeping his gaze downward.

"Back in ancient times, my family has always been at the forefront of the medical field. From all levels of anatomy to pharmaceuticals, any medical textbook at any university across the Colonies was written by my ancestors, and nowadays we are the highest producers of medicinal drugs, especially opiates. Near the God of Fire's Wall, on the desert side, is a farm in which we grow Estranus Flowers, which are very difficult to produce. The conditions must be perfect for the greatest potency. Extreme heat, strictly monitored times for sun exposure, years to germinate, and a plentiful supply of many nutrients..."

As he speaks, he does so as if he's quoting from the mentioned textbooks. Even with his matter-of-fact manner of speaking, his shoulders start to slump. Regardless, he continues to examine the items in front of him.

Marlina isn't sure what any of that has to do with his mother, but the tone of his voice and the mournful haze that darkens his features tell her it carries much relevance.

"Did you ever find her?"

Elek is silent for a few moments.

"Eventually, and unfortunately, yes. By the time I had my suspicions as to where she was, there was only one way to find out without a doubt if it truly was her. I needed to study to become an anthropologist, which my father found odd. It had been generations since any of us had trained in our ancestral craft; there was simply no need, but he allowed it. Once I had become an anthropologist, I visited the farm, posing as an inspector in my father's place. Taking a closer look at the soil and what was buried inside it, it all became clear."