The Door

Chapter Twenty

I woke up some time later when the great cat nudged me with its massive head.

I opened my eyes then snapped them closed. Tomtom had turned the light up and sat beside the bed, waiting for me. Waking up to see the beast was almost as jarring as the Caretaker beating on my door.

Tomtom nudged me again. I released the breath I held and reached out to him timidly to pat his head. How long would it take for me to grow accustomed to having him around?

Unable to tell what time of day it was without windows, I sat up and rubbed my face, hoping I hadn't slept through dinner.

Tomtom left the bedroom and gave a soft yowl a moment later. Teyan's low voice responded and I hurried to pull on my shoes. I went to the bathroom and hastily washed my face and silently berated myself for not taking a shower before falling asleep. There was no mirror in the bathroom, so I did my best to make my hair presentable and then left, nervously rubbing my palms against my pants.

Teyan stood in the center of the great room, giving Tomtom a rubdown. He glanced up when I entered, and his gaze lingered. He wore a sleeveless, embroidered leather tunic that revealed both his muscular arms and the hundreds, if not thousands, of dots lining both of them. Knowing each one was a life he took left me a little uneasy until I met his gaze. At that point, I could think of nothing outside of him waiting ten years to find me and how his intent, soulful gaze warmed whenever I looked at him. My pulse began to race.

"Sorry. I fell asleep," I said awkwardly. "I'm not late, am I?"

"Not at all. You were comfortable here?"

I nodded.

He held out his hand.

I went to him and took it, and he led me out of the house into the quiet jungle evening. The night air was balmy but more bearable than the daytime humidity. Tomtom trailed, along with a smaller cat I assumed was Teyan's.

"The envoys left an hour ago," Teyan told me. "We will follow in the morning."

"Do we take the cats?"

"We do," he said firmly. "The only place the Tili do not take them is when we visit your world, because the housing is normally too small to accommodate them."

"My new house in the desert is big enough for rawerahs, too," I said.

"Tomtom will be pleased," he said with a faint smile.

But he didn't say anything about bringing his with him. The exclusion bothered me. I suppressed my disappointment and shifted my attention to the world around us. Few people were out in the streets this evening compared to earlier. Bonfires at the center of the city stretched above the low dwellings, and soon, I was able to hear the sounds of people gathered. The closer we got, the louder it became, and the scent of food wafted towards me.

Unaware of how hungry I was until now, I sucked in a deep breath. It smelled like grilled meat and fresh bread, and my stomach rumbled.

When we reached the sprawling courtyard at the center of the city, it was packed with people and rawerahs. Huge spits of meat sat at the center while stone ovens cooking breads and vegetables lined the perimeter of the courtyard. At least two small tents were set up with sweet smelling deserts resembling miniature pies and hard candies.

"We cook our food as a community," Teyan explained as we moved slowly through the crowds. "We all come together for the evening meal, which is the biggest meal of the day."

The Tili ate with their hands or off of wooden plates in groups ranging in size from two people to dozens. From the volume of talk and smiles, this was the best part of their day. We drew near the ovens, and I studied them. No one was manning them. Food went in, sat to cook or warm and then came out on vast platters that didn't burn despite the heat. No conveyor belts, no ropes or pulleys or anything else supported or maneuvered the trays. It was just the steady circling of large platters of vegetables and breads in midair through each oven and around the front, slow enough for people to pick off what they wanted before the trays returned to the heated depths.