Love Stories

Chapter Fourteen

"Summer's almost over," Leah observed, slipping her arm through Torr's as they walked through the garden.

                Torr started and jerked her a ways with him. "What? It's almost over? Wait. Does that mean you're leaving?"

                Leah smiled. "I don't think so. If no one minds too much I'd like to stay longer this time."

                "Life sounds good to me." He cocked his head and then nodded. "That's your sentence. Life and no less."

                "I wouldn't mind," Leah laughed. "I don't think there's anything else I could want that's not here." Her father came to mind. "Well, I suppose, not everything."

                "I have to come to Ellora," Torr told her. "I have to see the whole world, actually, so don't get too comfortable."

                "I wouldn't mind a look at the rest of life," Leah mused, tilting her head to look at the sky. "But you're not missing much in Ellora."

                "Doesn't matter; your opinion doesn't count because that's all you saw your whole life. I have to see it. And then Kamarra and Grava, and maybe Grace. But I don't know about those last two. They're not that friendly, are they, and Grace is very far away."

                "No, we have to go to Grace," Leah said.

                "I feel a bit like I've been there, with Keldan's stories. And then that creature of yours." Keldan had insisted Captain come along for various reasons until Leah had to agree. Phred and the aviary had remained thankfully behind.

                Leah smiled. "But we still have to go," she insisted. "I don't care about Grava, though, that decision can be yours."

                "Maybe a piece of it sometime, if it's alright." Torr paused to listen to something. "Does it feel awfully quiet to you or is that only me?"

                "The garden's always quiet."

                "I suppose. What's the time? We're not going to be late for supper are we?"

                "Oh, I completely forgot," Leah said, glancing around. "We might be."

                "Come on." Torr drug her along toward the dining table, but when they got there no one else was in sight. The table was bare and clean from the lunch that was served that afternoon. It was empty and silent. Torr didn't know what to think. "I'm trying not to be creeped out about this. Was someone holding a party or something?"

                Leah looked at it all unsurely. "Not that I know of," she said.

                "I get the feeling we've been left out of something," Torr murmured slowly. "Maybe the world stopped. The last time the table wasn't set was... a long time ago. You don't think," he paused and went a little ash, "somebody died, do you?"

                "No," Leah said. "I'm sure there's a simple answer to this. Someone in the kitchen would surely know it, wouldn't they?"

                "Come on," he repeated and they started there, but never made it. In the main hallway there was a bustle of activity and Arlette was going to go swooping past when her brother snagged her. "What's going on? Nobody's at supper."

                "I should think so!" Arlette exclaimed, and with their looks she added, "You don't know!"

                "No," Leah answered, glancing between the two of them. "What happened?"