Summoned to a Shattered World

Birthright Chapter 38 - Homecoming

I popped back into existence in the sand beside Elmidath, who flinched. Instructing the ogres bearing her on the tent between them to stop, she sat down. "You took a while. Did something happen?"

I cleared my throat; the situation felt a bit ridiculous now that I had to explain it. "Well, I met this giant bird."

"A giant bird." Echoing my words in a flat tone, she narrowed her eyes.

"That's right. And they said they were the herald of Aplusha, the god- "

"Yes, I know who Aplusha is."

"Oh, okay." I began again. "Anyway, his herald said their god was going to be reborn. I assume he meant soon but he didn't really specify a timeframe... And I kind of ended up arguing with him."

"Arguing? About what?"

"It's kind of silly, and I hope I won't offend you by saying so, but what he was saying about his god's return being such a positive thing for the world felt like complete nonsense to me." It occurred to me that I had no idea what Elmidath's beliefs were like, maybe she even agreed with the herald.

She raised an eyebrow. "And you're still alive? I suppose I should congratulate you on being so lucky."

"What do you think about what I said to him? Other than being lucky to survive." I hadn't thought much about the issue before but now I really wanted to know how she felt about it.

She shrugged. "I think you were probably right. I hate that sort of stuff, so I probably would've said something similar. At least, I would have if I were eager for the cold embrace of death." The long talon of her gauntlet poked me in the chest and she laughed. "But you should be more careful, it's not like you need to look for more opportunities to get yourself killed. I'm sure we'll have plenty more of those in the future."

"Oh, great." I was, of course, being sarcastic but I was glad to learn she didn't believe in any of that sort of stuff. "So, should we be worried about this god or whatever coming back? He doesn't exactly sound like a pleasant guy."

She waved her hand dismissively. "I doubt his herald can bring him back in the first place. But even if they did, there's not much we can do about it. Best just to worry about things we change; like getting the manor and the rest of my lands in order. There shouldn't be anything more to distract us from that now."

It seemed like the bulk of that would be cleaning and maybe administrative work which had to be dreadfully boring. But maybe that was exactly what I needed right now. My nerves were in a bit of a state from all this stress. Maybe that's why I'd been so reckless in my dealings with the herald, it did feel as if I'd behaved idiotically in hindsight. I would've felt the same way regardless; I just probably wouldn't have acted on it if I'd had a clearer head. Yeah, going back to my new home and doing some dull, predictable work sounded pretty good right now.

Elmidath went back to being carried while I followed along with a series of teleports. It was probably the most leisurely trip I'd taken in this world, though Elmidath did complain of how much her conveyance shook. We reached the manor while the suns were still high overhead to see that Biustarn's soldiers were gone. Now that the job was done, I suppose they didn't see any reason to stick around. Can't say I blamed them; Biustarn's tower was much nicer. They probably didn't have to do any cleaning up or rebuilding over there either, it made me a bit envious.

Word spread quickly of our coming as soon as the ogres accompanying us were spotted. Korzan was there to meet us at the front door, as we left our escorts behind. With a short bow to Elmidath and a nod to me, she welcomed us home. Elmidath showed little outward sign of approval but I was pretty sure she was pleased by the display. "How have things been in my absence? No problems, I take it?"