sleep there.” Tor gestured to where the monster was
resting.
“Can you start a fire?”
Tor nodded and disappeared into the cave.
My eyes and other senses were accustomed to being
underwater, where it was often pitch black. Here, the darkness was empty. No
sound bounced through the water to outline the shape of the space for me.
Instead, the cave was cold and black.
Tor returned with logs in his arms and set them within a
circle of rocks. He whistled and the animal stretched then trotted over to his
side.
“You can lie down now. I’ll keep him with me.”
“Thanks.” To the beast I said, ~ Goodnight, Monster .~
“What do you keep saying to him?” Tor scratched the animal’s
head as we spoke.
“What? Monster ?”
“Yes. I don’t know that word.”
“Oh, it’s Sualwet. It means ‘monster.’”
“Monster, huh? El-ron ....”
“Almost.” I smiled despite my exhaustion. “It’s pronounced ell-gahn —Elgon.”
“Elgon.”
At the sound of the word, the animal looked up at Tor with a
questioning turn of the head.
“Maybe that’s his name.”
“Seems like he likes it.”
I set my bag on the ground next to the pile of blankets and
sat down to inspect the damage to my feet. The webbing between the third and
fourth toe on my left foot was torn, but it would grow back. The soles of my
feet were tender and a bit swollen, but none of the cuts looked deep enough to
cause an infection.
The soft blankets on the bed cushioned me when I sat down. I
felt bad taking Tor’s bed and couldn’t see why he wanted to sleep outside, but
the weight of the night bearing down on me stole my thoughts as I melted to the
cold ground. Exhaustion washed over me, and I fought to keep my eyes open.
Tor crouched before the fire, Elgon lying on the ground
between us. I watched him, took in the sharp contour of his face. He was
lovely—not the way the Erdlander men in pictures were, all dressed up with hair
trimmed short, or the way Sualwet men were, with their silent and reserved
ways. Tor was wild and impulsive, and for some reason he had come to see me
right when I needed him.
He remained still, hands folded over the other in front of
him, like he was concentrating or struggling with something I couldn’t see. All
he did was sit there.
“Tor?”
“Huh, shush,” he replied without looking at me.
As I watched, something glowed beneath the palms of his
hands. Light sparked and the glow increased until it formed a bright orb. It
turned and grew; red, orange, yellow and white sparks flew around Tor’s hands
until the thing was as large as my fist. Tor opened his hands and blew on it,
sending it whipping down to the logs stacked in the hearth. When the orb struck
the logs, they burst into crackling flames.
“Tor?” I asked again, my heart beating faster and my mind
spinning from what I’d just seen. Was it a trick? Some kind of technology I
didn’t know about?
He stood without looking at me and gestured for the animal
to follow him.
“Tor, what did you do?”
“I... I’m going to sleep outside.”
“You don’t have to. Really, I don’t want you to be cold.”
“I won’t be.”
“How did you start the fire?”
He turned then, the firelight illuminating his sharp
features. His expression softened, and for a moment I glimpsed the man under
all the scars and grime. The man who’d been living alone in a cold cave, with
nothing but a few blankets and a wild animal for company.
“You weren’t the only mistake, Sera. It’s better I sleep
outside.”
He left. Elgon, the monster, trailed behind. The animal’s
nose kept butting against Tor’s hand, but he did not acknowledge its attention.
I was alone.
8
Morning came too soon. My exhaustion, grief, and confusion
had joined forces to overwhelm me and shove me into oblivion. I didn’t remember
covering myself with one of the blankets or balling another into a pillow. All
I remembered was the look in Tor’s eyes when he’d walked
resting.
“Can you start a fire?”
Tor nodded and disappeared into the cave.
My eyes and other senses were accustomed to being
underwater, where it was often pitch black. Here, the darkness was empty. No
sound bounced through the water to outline the shape of the space for me.
Instead, the cave was cold and black.
Tor returned with logs in his arms and set them within a
circle of rocks. He whistled and the animal stretched then trotted over to his
side.
“You can lie down now. I’ll keep him with me.”
“Thanks.” To the beast I said, ~ Goodnight, Monster .~
“What do you keep saying to him?” Tor scratched the animal’s
head as we spoke.
“What? Monster ?”
“Yes. I don’t know that word.”
“Oh, it’s Sualwet. It means ‘monster.’”
“Monster, huh? El-ron ....”
“Almost.” I smiled despite my exhaustion. “It’s pronounced ell-gahn —Elgon.”
“Elgon.”
At the sound of the word, the animal looked up at Tor with a
questioning turn of the head.
“Maybe that’s his name.”
“Seems like he likes it.”
I set my bag on the ground next to the pile of blankets and
sat down to inspect the damage to my feet. The webbing between the third and
fourth toe on my left foot was torn, but it would grow back. The soles of my
feet were tender and a bit swollen, but none of the cuts looked deep enough to
cause an infection.
The soft blankets on the bed cushioned me when I sat down. I
felt bad taking Tor’s bed and couldn’t see why he wanted to sleep outside, but
the weight of the night bearing down on me stole my thoughts as I melted to the
cold ground. Exhaustion washed over me, and I fought to keep my eyes open.
Tor crouched before the fire, Elgon lying on the ground
between us. I watched him, took in the sharp contour of his face. He was
lovely—not the way the Erdlander men in pictures were, all dressed up with hair
trimmed short, or the way Sualwet men were, with their silent and reserved
ways. Tor was wild and impulsive, and for some reason he had come to see me
right when I needed him.
He remained still, hands folded over the other in front of
him, like he was concentrating or struggling with something I couldn’t see. All
he did was sit there.
“Tor?”
“Huh, shush,” he replied without looking at me.
As I watched, something glowed beneath the palms of his
hands. Light sparked and the glow increased until it formed a bright orb. It
turned and grew; red, orange, yellow and white sparks flew around Tor’s hands
until the thing was as large as my fist. Tor opened his hands and blew on it,
sending it whipping down to the logs stacked in the hearth. When the orb struck
the logs, they burst into crackling flames.
“Tor?” I asked again, my heart beating faster and my mind
spinning from what I’d just seen. Was it a trick? Some kind of technology I
didn’t know about?
He stood without looking at me and gestured for the animal
to follow him.
“Tor, what did you do?”
“I... I’m going to sleep outside.”
“You don’t have to. Really, I don’t want you to be cold.”
“I won’t be.”
“How did you start the fire?”
He turned then, the firelight illuminating his sharp
features. His expression softened, and for a moment I glimpsed the man under
all the scars and grime. The man who’d been living alone in a cold cave, with
nothing but a few blankets and a wild animal for company.
“You weren’t the only mistake, Sera. It’s better I sleep
outside.”
He left. Elgon, the monster, trailed behind. The animal’s
nose kept butting against Tor’s hand, but he did not acknowledge its attention.
I was alone.
8
Morning came too soon. My exhaustion, grief, and confusion
had joined forces to overwhelm me and shove me into oblivion. I didn’t remember
covering myself with one of the blankets or balling another into a pillow. All
I remembered was the look in Tor’s eyes when he’d walked
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