Atlantis (A Waterfire Saga Fanfiction)

Chapter 19

It had been a few days since Orfeo and Alma had left on their voyage.

The sun blazed upon Montis leaving Pyrrha sweltering.

The air was thick and dry, even more so in her forge.

Her red locks of hair stuck to her face as beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

She strutted across the road, sighing as she retrieved a bucket full of cool water from the well.

Eagerly, she splashed her face.

I have more work to do, it will not finish itself, she thought.

Perhaps it could wait a few more minutes, she pondered, noticing a woman walking towards her.  From the looks of it, it was someone familiar.  

She simply couldn't pinpoint who it was.  

"Valencia?  Is it really you?" the mage asked, astonished, after a wave of realization hit her.  

"Yes it is, Pyrrha." Valencia replied, smiling.

Pyrrha immediately pulled her into a tight embrace.  "Good gods, it has been such a long time..."

"I was just about to return to my forge but it is not often that I run into an old childhood friend.  Here, let me help you..." she offered, gesturing to the empty jugs that Valencia had been carrying.  

After the two women talked for what seemed like an eternity, Valencia turned towards the road, waving at a man to come towards them.

Valencia rolled her eyes: "I seem to have lost my husband on the way over here."

Pyrrha failed at suppressing a laugh.  Valencia always did have a good sense of humour.

"Pyrrha meet my husband, Sandro Delarosa.  Sandro, this is Pyrrha, we have known each other since the days of King Ozias."

The mage shook his hand.

"Do you still live here, in Montis?" Pyrrha wondered.

"Yes." they both said in unison, causing Valencia's pale skin to turn a shade of scarlet.

Pyrrha grinned, extremely happy that her friend was doing well.

At that moment, a strong pair of arms wrapped themselves around Pyrrha's figure, startling the mage.

She shrieked, grabbed the knife from her belt and turned around only to realize that it was her spouse, Danilo.

The mage breathed a sigh of relief.  

"You should know better than to frighten me like that," she proclaimed, tucking back her weapon.  

Danilo, however, was looking past her, staring off into the distance, at the trees behind her.  

He blinked rapidly: "I could have sworn that I saw something moving."

Pyrrha looked at Valencia, who simply shrugged her shoulders.

She turned back to Danilo, taking notice of his long hair that stuck to his neck.  "Perhaps you have been in the sun too long, husband..."

Sandro cut her off.

"I believe he is right, I saw it too."

"Saw what?" Valencia questioned, her pear-shaped figure becoming rigid, a puzzled expression gracing her features.

"We will be back in a moment," Danilo declared, his blue eyes staring into his wife's as he squeezed her hand.

Valencia shook her head as Danilo and Sandro disappeared in the bushes.