Season of Hytalia

by Jennifer Arntson

  I pushed my hair out of my face and quickly sobered up. “Calish?”

  “You know this woman, sir?”

  “She’s my sister!”

  “I’m so sorry, sir!”

  “How long has she been in here?” He tried to pull me out, but I fell back and laughed at his attempt.

  “A few hours?”

  “Get the nurse. I want her examined. Now!”

  “Yes, sir!” He ran off.

  “Can you crawl out?” he asked.

  “Did you know your belt is covered in stars?” I smiled, my hands massaging my face. Squeezing my cheeks never felt so amazing.

  Twinkle, twinkle, smooshy-smoosh. So good!

  “For god’s sake, Una.” He turned me around and pulled me out backward.

  I arched back to see his face, although I only saw up his nostrils.

  He hoisted me up, hands under my arms.

  “I’ve been worried about you,” I confessed, tilting my head back and smelling his armpit.

  “Una, do me a favor and don’t say anything for a moment, all right?” He turned me to face him properly.

  “Oh. Hello.” My eyes widened. “Can I say something now?” I giggled, touching his chest.

  Button. Twinkle. Button. Twinkle. Belt. Oh, zipper! Zing!

  “No.” He tried to grab me but struggled against my dead weight.

  “Shh, just lay down with me.”

  Zing. Zong. Ding. Dong.

  “Graken!” he called.

  “Oh! Graken’s here?” I whipped my head around to see him. “He can be a real jerk,” I whispered as rain dripped on my face. Even though I opened my mouth to catch them, the droplets eluded my tongue.

  “You get her legs. She’s not helping, and I can’t lift her.”

  “What did they do to her?” Graken asked.

  “They shot me with a dart.” Suddenly, there were hands sticking out from under my arms. “Are these mine?” I asked, touching the extra set.

  Poke. Dingle. Zing.

  “They’re my hands,” Calish growled.

  I took them and put his hands on my breasts. “Better there, aren’t they?” I tried to see him, but my chin was stuck to my chest.

  Graken chuckled. “She’s a fun drunk, huh?”

  “Don’t be inappropriate!” Calish snapped.

  Taking a more serious tone, Graken apologized.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “Una, I’m not going to tell you again; be quiet!” Calish scooted me up as he entered a nearby house. “There’s a couch in my office; we’ll put her in there.”

  They laid me on the bench covered with cushions, and I rolled over to explore the fabric with my hands and face. “Calish, is this yours?” I mumbled with my nose pressed flat against it.

  Calish hushed me again before giving further instruction to his man. “I want a nurse in here. No one else, got it?”

  “Yes, sir!” The door closed as I licked the luxurious textile.

  “Una,” Calish rolled me over, “look at me.”

  I touched his chest and followed my hand up to his face, into his hair. “Is this really you?”

  “Yes.” He smiled at me.

  “You were supposed to come home.”

  “What are your symptoms?”

  “I went to the camp like you told me to, but you weren’t there either.” I reached up and pawed at his lips.

  He pushed my hair out of my face and pulled my eyelids up. “Your pupils are completely dilated. Can you follow my finger?”

  “Kiss me, Calish.”

  “Una.” He sighed.

  “Kiss me and prove to me you’re here and I’m not dreaming.” I twisted his little curl around my pinky.

  He put his arm around my back and the other one under the base of my neck, lifting me to him. Our lips met, but my body didn’t relax; it intensified. I tugged the collar of his shirt toward me, and our kiss deepened. If I could have pulled his whole body into mine, I would have. There was no pleasure in being alone in my skin; I wanted his flesh to amalgamate with mine. If I ate him, we’d be together forever.

  I’ll start with his mouth.

  “Ouch!” He jerked back and touched his lip. “You bit me.” He checked his fingertips.

  “I want to eat you,” I said breathlessly, clawing at his shoulders.

  He wrestled away from me and opened the door. “Where is the nurse!”

  I collapsed on the couch, gazing up at the crystals hanging from the chandelier in the center of the room. Calish paced in front of the door. When the knock came, he flung the door open and pulled the person in.

  He dragged the woman to me. “She’s been shot with a tranquilizer and stuck in a Sakenbrush hot box for hours to keep her sedated.”

  “Sada!” I smiled.

  She gasped.

  “You know each other?” Calish asked.

  “She’s the healer from the prison!”

  Her face changed to an expression of fear, and she backed away. “She’s pretty drugged, sir.”

  “Calm down, Sada. He’s my brother,” I said as my tongue licked my lips, the taste of his kiss still on them.

  “Sada, is that your name?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “She’s pregnant.”

  “I know.”

  “Did you know when we first met?” I tried to sit up, but they both ignored me.

  “Is the baby hurt?” he asked. “I mean, with all the crap in her system, can you tell?”

  Sada laid her hands on my abdomen. “The child is fine,” she reported, “but your sister and her mouth are dangerous like this.”

  “Can you fix it?” he asked. “Please?”

  She sighed and put her hands on my forehead and my stomach. I felt the warmth of her energy as it rushed through my body and the poison left my bloodstream. When she finished, I grabbed my throbbing head.

  I moaned my appreciation.

  She helped me sit up and ordered Calish to get me some water. “You’re going to need to drink quite a bit to rehydrate, Una.” I nodded, still holding my head with both hands.

  “Thank you, Sada.” He handed me water. “You can go now.”

  “Good night, sir, Una.” She headed for the door.

  “Wait!” I tried to stand but failed. “You have to leave, I mean now. Go up the east hill. Get as far as you can from here.”

  “Why?”

  “The hillside is going to collapse. Don’t pack, just get whoever is important to you—”

  Calish sat down next to me on the couch. “You’ve had a rough day. Just take a moment to breathe, all right?”

  “I’ll leave you two to your business,” she dismissed herself.

  “I’m telling you the truth!” I shouted as she closed the door.

  “Una!” Calish shook me. “This is not like it is back at home. You need to censor yourself!”

  I stood to get more water, using his desk to brace myself. The sky spread outside his window informed me I’d lost the afternoon. “I’ll be happy to hold my tongue when you tell me why you didn’t come home like you were supposed to.” The pressure in my head multiplied, making me feel like I might pass out.

  Calish approached, offering to keep me steady, although more intimately than a mere favor. “I wanted to come home; I did. Someday, I’ll explain it all to you, and hopefully, you’ll understand.” His somber eyes pleaded with mine.

  “Come with me to the camp. We can be together there.” I took his hand and put it on my growing belly.

  His smile changed to wonder. Stifling his cry, he asked, “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m fine.” I glanced down at his hand pressed against his child inside. “We need you, Calish.”

  Calish’s eyes welled up, and he held my face in his hands. “I love you, Una. I will always love you, I promise.”

  I stretched to meet his kiss. His arms struggled against the passion I felt surge through them, but his lips told a different story. They pressed against mine delicately, with the
sweetest expression of affection he’d ever displayed. When he was finished, he rested his forehead against mine and gazed into my eyes. His loving hands brushed gently down the sides of my arms, reminding me that he could touch me anywhere and send my body ablaze.

  The door opened, and a woman holding a cloth sack burst through. “Who are you?” she hissed.

  Calish spun around, his body turning cold and distant in a fraction of a second. “I didn’t know you were coming.” He cleared his throat.

  “Obviously.” She tossed the bag on the desk. Her eyes darted between us as she assessed the room.

  “I’m sorry, this is Una, my sister. Una, this is Merci.”

  Releasing her captured breath, she flashed a gorgeous smile while gliding across the room to his side. “Why use my name when you can announce my status?” She looped her arm through his, resting her head on his shoulder. “I’m his betrothed.”

  Chapter 24

  I rattled my head in disbelief. “What did you just say?”

  “Oh, Calish.” Merci sighed, letting her arm fall dramatically from his. “You still haven’t told your family?”

  I stepped away from him, for the first time noticing the single medallion around his neck, its mate undoubtedly the one hanging from Merci’s chain.

  He reached to help me, knowing my legs were still weak, but I jerked myself from his reach. The back of my calves hit the fancy couch, which caught me when I fell. All I had to do was raise my eyes to her clavicle to confirm my suspicion. After that, I avoided their side of the room, focusing instead on the detailed trim separating the wall from the floor.

  The spot next to me compressed. “I’m so happy to finally meet you,” she sang. “I just came to give Callie his lunch since he didn’t have time to come home for it,” she teased.

  I pulled my hands into my lap. My thumb brushed my abdomen, and I shut my eyes tight for a moment. “He doesn’t always come back when he says he will.” I tried to keep my composure.

  “Well, it’s been a busy day.” She crossed her perfect legs, exposing their length under her short purple skirt. “Some crazy woman was running all over town warning people that they were going to be crushed by the bluff if they didn’t leave.” I caught her rolling her eyes at the thought.

  I licked my lower lip. “Well, I’m glad he took care of that one,” I joked, reaching down for my water on the small table next to me. Desperate for a break in the unwanted conversation, I drank the entire contents in a single breath.

  “Wow, your sister must be really thirsty.”

  Calish brought a pitcher of water to me to refill it, and I held out my glass for him. “It’s not poisoned, is it?”

  “Don’t be like that, Una,” he warned.

  “So is there anything else I should know, brother?” I faked a smile, knowing he’d recognize it.

  She leaned in, violating my personal space, and mumbled, “Well, I know something about you.”

  “What would that be?” I asked, drinking the refilled water in as few gulps as possible.

  My body recoiled the instant she tickled my abdomen with her perfectly painted fingernails. “I’m going to be an auntie!”

  The empty glass fell from my hands and landed on the plush carpet without breaking. Calish bent down to get it, accepting the daggers my eyes sent flying into his. Grabbing the excess fabric of my trousers, I imagined them to be her face. I thought prison was bad. This was worse. I wanted to kill her but knew I wouldn’t get away with it, so what was the point?

  “I want lots of babies,” she prattled on, “although it’s going to take a lot of begging on my part.” Her stare drifted over his body, landing on the area between his legs.

  “Why is that?” I asked out of morbid curiosity.

  Her lower lip pushed out, and she spoke in a repulsive child’s voice. “Callie doesn’t like kids; he said he doesn’t want any at all.”

  “Really?” My voice raised in pitch. “Huh. I thought he’d want at least one.” I stood up and brushed off my pants, finally having the courage to confirm his matched medallion around the woman’s neck.

  “Una.” He touched my hand.

  “Don’t bother.” I stepped back. “I need to go home before it gets dark.”

  “Why?” Merci asked.

  “Well, contrary to popular belief, I am going to play it safe and follow the crazy broad’s warning. You know, just in case.” I glanced at Calish. “You can’t be too careful when you’re pregnant.”

  “I hope to see you again before the wedding.” She bounced up from her seat. “Of course, we had to postpone the date since the Chapel is flooded.” She batted her eyelashes.

  “You want to be married there?”

  “Everyone does!”

  “Do you know what they do to women there?”

  “Yes,” she tried to hide her smile, “and I can’t wait.” She wrinkled her nose up like a cute little rabbit.

  A rabbit I’d gladly skin for dinner.

  Imagining anyone else with Calish tore my heart apart, but it was made worse by hearing the endless chatter of the woman he’d asked to marry him. The only man I ever loved didn’t attempt to stop her. In his silence, he condemned my love for him, allowing it to be further persecuted by her words. What had I done to earn such a sentence? A flutter, like the wings of a butterfly, brushed me from inside, pushing me beyond the realm of controlled emotion. I refused to listen to any more noise dripping from that woman’s mouth. Without saying a word, not even goodbye, I calmly but purposefully walked out of the house.

  The fresh, cool air washed over me like the river dragging me to my death. The rain, a stark slap in the face, brought me back to my tragic reality. Men in uniform squeezed past me, entering and leaving the house, but none of them were him. Why would he chase after me? I had already been replaced. Taking deep breaths, I tried to clear my mind of whatever residual Sakenbrush had trapped in my lungs, but that was not all I wished to be rid of.

  “Miss Una?” Graken scooted past me, and I grabbed his arm to stop him.

  “Where’s my horse?” I brushed a tear from my eye, pretending it was just a speck of dust.

  “I’ll take you to him.”

  “Thank you.”

  He walked me through the rain until we reached Rebel. “Do you have a raincoat, miss?”

  “I don’t need one.” I slicked my newly wet hair back off my face. “Can I ask you a question, Graken?”

  “Sure.” He handed me Rebel’s reins.

  “Do you like what you do? Do you believe in it anymore?” I waited, but he didn’t answer. “I know you think I’m crazy,” I mounted my horse, “but that ridge is going to fall, and everyone here will be smeared into the landscape as if they never existed at all. Houses will be gone, people will be buried in soil or drowned in the river before they know what happened. For them it will be merciful; they’ll never know what hit them. For the rest of us, who go to higher ground, it will be much harder. We’ll have to start over, put stones on empty graves to mark the loss of those we love, and forever wonder if we could have done something more to save the Citizens of this valley. At least I’ll know that I tried.”

  “You believe the ramblings of a crazy woman? You think the ridge, the same one that has stood since time began, will descend upon us?”

  I mounted my horse. “I know it will, Graken. And if I didn’t have something to live for, I’d stay here and welcome its wrath.”

  All it took was a gentle kick to his sides to encourage Rebel through the temporary Authority camp.

  “Una!” Calish’s voice cried from behind. I didn’t hold back my tears any longer. He had his chance.

  Flicking the reins of Rebel’s bit harder than I intended, he raced through what was left of the village as if wanting to catch the setting sun. I lay forward upon him, sobbing into his coat. I trusted he knew where to go because I couldn’t see through my grief to lead him.

  We tore through the new road until it met the east one, and with a wide t
urn, he kept his momentum. On our way up the hillside, I yelled to the people we passed to move to higher ground, knowing that for the second time today, I’d be called a lunatic, although I didn’t care. If only one person listened, then it made a difference. If they didn’t, and they all died, their opinion wouldn’t matter anyway. I’d done all I could.

  * * *

  When we reached the top of the hill, Rebel slowed, desperate for a break of pace. He stopped, and I climbed off, holding the reins to pet him properly. I cried, gazing into the trees. From here, I saw only a small piece of the valley and the river, not that I intended to take in the view. I cried over my loss, the loss of love and my only hope for the future. Calish heard me give warning to Sada, but I never said it directly to him.

  Did he listen to what I said? I should have dragged him uphill. Why did I leave him there?

  As if my sorrow controlled the rain, the clouds doubled in size, turning the dusk to evening the way we blow out a lantern. Heavy raindrops filled the air, and the angry wind showed its fury. My wet hair slapped against my face as I fell to my knees. With my face buried in my hands, I realized I was utterly alone.

  Not only had Calish chosen another woman, he stayed in the valley to be entombed in it. If anyone should have listened to me, it was him. He knew about my gift. He believed in it from the beginning.

  What will my life be without him?

  “Why did you do it? I warned you not to accept his offer. I begged you not to go.” I sobbed, knowing he’d never hear me.

  I told him not to go.

  “Una.” I felt a hand on my shoulder. Graken helped me up to my feet. “Are you hurt?”

  “No,” I lied.

  “You forgot your cloak.” He put it around my shoulders. He was too late, though. Not even a swim in the river would make me more wet than I was.

  Offering him gratitude, as only a weak and heartbroken woman could, I wiped my face and pulled my hood up.

  Oh, the irony. Of everyone I tried to drag to high ground, he followed me. There were worse people, I supposed. At least I saved one.

  A voice called his name from behind.

  “Sir?” Graken turned as Calish approached on horseback.

  “Thank the gods you found her.” He dismounted.