The Roselands

Chapter 2

   "Don't forget to scrub the corners real well, Zeek. We don't want any of those leftovers still in there."

   I rolled my eyes, but kept scrubbing at the corner of the cooking pot which had burnt sauce encrysted onto it. "I know, mother. I know. There's no reason to tell me twice."

   She laughed and patted my head. "Always the sarcastic one. Just like…"

   She paused here, staring out the window at the rain, then shut her mouth, going back to cleaning the counter. I knew I shouldn't ask about it and so I just kept cleaning. It was late in the evening and rain was pattering down outside in a torrential downpour, soaking everything.

   Mother got done with the counter and walked to the door, pulling her cloak over her tiny frame. She stepped to the door and when she opened it, a gust of wind and rain drops flew in, decorating her shoes with dozens of dark moist dots. She glanced back at me as she threw her hood over her head. "I'll be gone until a little after midnight. If you could just hang the clothes up on the line in the back room to drip dry. We'll hang them outside tomorrow if it's not raining."

   I had to make some sort of effort before she left. "Where do you go when you leave?"

   She paused and I saw her eyes flicker down her cloak before they met my eyes again, but with a smile in them. "Just to see an old friend. A very close friend."

   Her eyes got a faraway look in them, but she walked out the door before I could get a good look at them. As soon as I saw her shadow leave the gate, I went to the door and cracked it open, sticking my head out. A droplet of rain hit my nose and I flinched, pulling back. I grabbed my cloak and threw it over my shoulders, tying it in front of my neck. I pulled the hood up and stepped out gingerly, following the fleeting shadow of my mother.

   I charged out of the gate and followed her as fast as I could, but she moved exceptionally quick for such a tiny woman. I eventually had to follow her judging from the broken twigs and footprints she left behind. She seemed like she was in a hurry, not being careful to cover her tracks or stay away from bushes.

   I stopped only once and that was because I lost her trail, but picked it up soon as I heard her up ahead, stumbling over a log. I followed that noise and found the spot where she'd fallen and then scrambled back up. As I kept moving, I looked around curiously at the strange terrain. I'd seen all this in drawings and heard about it in books, but I'd never seen any of this sort of thing in person. I'd always had to see this same forest from the confines of the fence, but I was finally free and able to go where I could. The trees were so thick and they stretched up almost endlessly it seemed. Their height and breadth made me want to climb them and discover how far I could see, but I knew I couldn't do that now. I needed to see what mother always did this time of the month.

   I was so caught up in the trees that I almost barreled into a random clearing where mother was standing. She had stopped running and she was standing patiently out in the center, staring off towards the sky as rain beat down on her cloak. I shook my head in disbelief. She ran through nearly a mile of muddy forest and stormy weather just to meet some old friend in a rocky old clearing? I was tempted to show myself and wait with her if she'd let me, but I knew she'd be mad at me for leaving the house like she'd always told me not to do.

   Guilt had me tempted to run back to the house and pretend this never happened. Fear of knowing the truth had me backing up, but the sound of something in the air had me scuttling right back. I looked at mother and she was looking towards the clouds, gazing left and right as the noise amplified.

   It sounded like bird's wings, but they sounded like an eagles wings, but what eagle would be out at night during a storm though? As I stared out at the sky, a shape started to materialize from the clouds, getting clearer as it got closer. I gasped. I'd only heard of these creatures in books. Almost no humans ever saw them and lived to tell about it. It was a Zytrey, half man, half hawk. And my mother was about to be attacked by one.

   I braced myself to leap out, to protect my mother or die trying, but before I could, she walked forward towards the advancing shape. It suddenly flew out of the low hanging cloud bank and I could see more details on the creature. Zytreys were always male and were also known for being fetchingly handsome from whoever reported seeing them. Not many reports came in since Zytreys were warlike men who killed with little to no remorse. This one proved the reports.

   He had thick black hair and glowing blue eyes in a rugged tan face. His human body was packed with muscle and his bird wings were huge, making him appear three times larger than he actually was. He wore no shirt and his pants were torn in both knees and he wore no shoes. I found that rather strange.

   He stood straight and his wings slowed up, allowing him to land gently in front of her. I expected my mother to scream and run, heading for the house where she knew I'd try to protect her, but that wasn't what she did. No.

   My mother got closer, reached up, cupped the Zytrey's cheek, and kissed him.