Firewind

Chapter 35-Enialis

"What?" I asked a smirking Althaea.

We were sweeping the tavern after a rambunctious crowd broke several glasses in a bar fight. The brawl lasted a good fifteen minutes before Kava, Zander and I could get everyone apart. Althaea had started wiping tables.

"Nothing," she said. "I just think Kathra's got a point."

"Why? You don't think I can manage to do a simple task like sweeping?"

"Well..." she looked around the room and I realised what she meant. I had missed several spots under the tables and in the corners. I sighed and went back to work.

The whole week had gone like this. Zander and Althaea would be breezing through their tasks and I would be redoing them over and over. It was a good thing Kava's daughter Kelli was there to pick up my slack. She wasn't supposed to be working since she's expecting. Which is why Kava was so glad for the offer for us to help.

Kelli and her husband, Alton, could usually keep up with all of the cleaning while Kava kept up with the cooking and another girl named Arizima could do the serving. But Kava's been very overprotective of her daughter and wants her to sit back while everyone else does the work. You could tell that she desperately wanted to do something. Most of the time she sat in the kitchen reading a book.

They had gotten very short handed especially since this is one of their busiest times of the year when most of the wealthy folk are traveling one last time before the weather gets too cold. It was their autumn rush. We were of good use to them.

Kathra's state was improving slowly. She would help in the kitchen, doing small tasks like stirring soup or kneading dough for bread. Between her and Zander I wasn't sure who was more at ease with the tasks Kava gave us. She gave Zander jobs like fixing the leak in the roof in one of the bedrooms or repairing the fence around the yard. He definitely knew what he was doing.

Kathra and Althaea were always teasing me about the fact that I don't know how to do any housework. They weren't wrong. But it wasn't very encouraging.

And here Althaea was, laughing at me again.

"Do you want me to do it?" she asked, biting her lip, probably to stop herself from giggling.

"No," I muttered. "I'm a grown man. I know how to sweep."

"Mhm." she replied. "I'm going to go help Zander with the dishes."

I finished the sweeping and was feeling pretty proud of my work when Kathra walked in and pointed out other spots I'd missed. I sighed and picked up the broom once again. When I was certain the floor was spotless I joined Althaea and Zander in the kitchen and started drying the dishes they had washed.

I was putting them away when Althaea hit me on the back of the head with a wet cloth. She turned around and acted like nothing happened. I tossed it back to her and turned before I saw it hit its mark. I heard a disgruntled Zander yell "hey" before feeling the wet cloth hit me square in the back. I threw it back this time making the extra effort to aim properly. It hit Althaea as she was turning in my direction. She glared at me as the wet cloth slid off her forehead and whipped it back my way.

I ducked. The cloth sailed over my head and hit Kava as she was walking into the kitchen. Althaea smiled sheepishly as Kava cursed and walked right back out of the room.

After that, Althaea and I switched. I washed the dishes with Zander and she put them away.

"Any sign of Scymitar?" I asked.

"Not one scale," he answered. "I asked a couple people here and there at the bar and in the market but none of them knew anything about a dragon." He sighed. "Plus the people in the market were suspicious about a hooded young giant such as myself asking about a dragon."

I didn't blame them. Zander refused to show his face in public now and avoided eye contact with everyone except Althaea, Kathra and myself ever since what happened with Brutus and Kai. He kept telling us to go on without him. That he was making us a target. But even if we wanted to leave, we hadn't gotten what we had come here for: information. Althaea had been working herself into a stupor. She didn't have time to ask around about a druid living in the north.

Zander sighed again and went back to washing the glasses and tankards from tonight. You could tell he was ready to give up. Ever since we realized we hadn't seen Scymitar for two days before arriving to Yan, Zander has been fretting and stressing over the location of his friend. Even though he could sometimes be infuriatingly annoying, I had to admit I missed the dragon's spunk and sarcasm. He was entertaining without trying to be.

"You know what?" I said. "I'll go around tomorrow to see what I can find out."

"Really?" his hazel eyes lit up.

"Yeah," I say, surprising myself with the sincerity in my tone.

"Thanks Enialis," he says, visibly relaxing.

"Hey Althaea, you'll come with me right?"

I get no reply. Zander and I turn around to find Althaea fast asleep at the table with her dark hair falling over her face and her head resting on her arms.

After cleaning up the kitchen I picked Althaea up and carried her upstairs. She unconsciously put her arms around my neck halfway up the stairs and I froze, not wanting to even breath in case I woke her. I felt sweat drip down the back of my neck. Why was I so nervous around her? I was just doing her a favour as a friend. She stopped moving and I let out a sigh of relief.

I brought her the rest of the way upstairs and she woke up just as I opened the door to her room. I set her down gently as she rubbed the sleep from her emerald eyes.

"Sorry for- did I fall asleep?" she said her words coming through a yawn.

"No worries I just- no its fine. Yeah you did fall asleep," I say running my fingers through my hair. Then I decided against it after my hand snagged on some tangles.

I dropped my hand. I looked at my feet as we stood there silently. Althaea headed into her room after neither of us had said anything. I stopped her, grabbing her arm. I held on for a second too long. I looked her in the eyes and grimaced dropping her arm. Aranza! Why did I have to be like this? I rubbed my sweaty palms on my pants, took a breath and tried to form words. Althaea waited patiently as I collected my thoughts.

"Althaea I- Um. What Iwant to say is... Why- I mean what.-" I sighed angrily. "Goodnight." I said and practically ran from the hall and closed the door to my room. Why had I wanted to tell her so badly? That I'm a ritskilionoso? I already saw her reaction to Stor. I can't lose our friendship. But I also don't want her to think poorly of my kind. If she only knew that it isn't my people that are the monsters. Would she think differently of me if she knew that I was a spirit-born?

Why does she make me feel so confused?