Until Forever (1st draft)

Part the Sixteenth

One thing was for certain, the Swithe knew how to party. As the captive host of the celebration, Geneva didn't feel like celebrating, but she couldn't resist the food. She had never been as hungry as she was since coming to Daysheen, probably because of all the exercise, and there was so much fresh fruit bursting with flavor and smokey little chunks of meat that fell apart in her mouth. She continued to stuff her face through the endless dancing and singing (if you could call it singing!) until finally her eyelids grew heavy and she got sleepy enough to fall out of her hanging seat. Then Wee Therry and one of the giant males escorted her back to the first room she had been in.

 

The male took the lines of two more hammocks and tossed them over the crossbeams then opened them up to reveal that they were hanging beds. Wee Therry quickly and easily climbed into hers, but Geneva struggled with increasing frustration until the male picked her up and placed her in it. Then he went back outside and left the two roommates alone. As tired as she was, Geneva couldn't fall asleep after the embarrassing struggle with the bed.

 

"Are you the only one who speaks my language?" she asked.

 

"One of a select few," Wee Therry replied. "I am being trained to become a negotiator. After the gatherers bring home valuable goods from outside, the negotiators arrange trading with other communities."

 

"What do they gather? Like jewels and precious metals?"

 

"No they gather valuable goods that others will want back," Wee Therry explained matter-of-factly. It was remarkable how her long legs folded up to fit comfortably in the hanging bed.

 

"Want back?" Geneva was confused. "You mean things they already had in their possession?"

 

"Yes. We gather the goods from others, then we exchange them for goods that we need." Wee Therry sat up, arranging folds in the bedding to create pillow-like lumps. She nestled back in, seemingly finished with the conversation.

 

"Soooo...you're actually thieves."

 

Wee Thery let out an exaggerated ha-rumph and rolled over in her hanging bed, her back now turned to Geneva.

 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to insult you, but it's true. If you think it's okay to steal things from people and make them pay to get their stuff back, then I guess now I understand why you think it's okay to kidnap people."

 

Wee Therry flopped back over, her eyes bulging more than normal. "We do what we need to do to survive!" she said strongly. It was the first time Geneva had seen her angry and it was a little scary. "During the Great Winter Fire the Swithe did not get involved. The different factions first pleaded for our allegiance, then they threatened us. We did not want to see any harm come to anybody. We did not want to contribute to a brutal war in Daysheen. But war came to us nonetheless. Again and again we were attacked, despite never taking a side, despite never raising a weapon against anybody."

 

Wee Therry paused, visibly shaken. Her anger had turned to sorrow. "Many Swithe lost their lives during those dark times and we had to abandon our city. We fled to the Treeless Expanse where the open land would give us an advantage because of our great speed. We built a new city, protected by the stone enclosure, the deep trench, and the barrier of darkfireweed. But we were lacking many resources to survive, such as food and fresh water, so we needed a means to negotiate trade."