Chương 181: Chapter 41: The Warmth of Home

Selena approached little by little, her footsteps making almost no sound on the rock and compacted earth. Emotion tightened her throat. She was about to step into the edge of the circle of light, about to announce her presence, when she felt something behind her. She made a swift, silent movement, and only then looked back instinctively; yet she could not fully turn, her gaze remaining fixed to the side.

Two arms, strong and familiar, wrapped around her waist with a force that was at once an embrace and an anchor, pulling her backward against a warm, solid body. Then, whispered directly into her ear in a voice cracked with emotion, she heard: —I missed you so much... A tremor followed, a contained sob, and the feel of hot tears falling upon her shoulder, soaking the wool of her cloak. She did not need to turn, she did not need to at all, for something betrayed the identity of the person behind her.

She recognized the scent, the shape of those arms and their burn scars, the tone of that voice. It was Kaela. Selena trembled, but it was not fear, nor pain, nor the ancient dysphoria that had so often made her vomit, grow dizzy, or shake. It was a feeling as far removed as possible from psychological terror or the bodily horror she had known in the dungeon. Only deep, complex emotions surged within her chest now.

It was happiness condensed, pure happiness that erupted from some profound, sealed place within her heart. The feeling rose like a geyser, flooding her with intense, radiant heat. A warmth like a beam of pure sunlight on a cloudless day; the warmth one longs for in the most biting cold; the warmth of a home found. Then she turned within the embrace, her trembling hands finding Kaela's face, her thumbs wiping away her tears with a tenderness she had not known she still possessed.

Her own cheeks were soaked, tears flowing freely and salty, while her face wore a smile so wide, so unguarded and vast, that the sunlight filtering through the cavern roof seemed a mere pale reflection of her inner radiance. —I am so glad —Selena managed to say, her voice awkward and broken by sobs— I am so, so glad... Words were insufficient, miniscule before the torrent, but they were the only ones she had. No vocabulary available to the philologist could clearly articulate what her soul felt for this friend.

—I couldn't believe... everything that happened that day with Nyssa. My mind fell into a void that protected me, that kept me standing. —She embraced her tighter, as if fearing she might vanish— But as soon as I regained consciousness, as soon as I could think again... all I held in my heart was you. My tangible anchor. My tanner. My Kaela. The only person in this world who truly knows me. She buried her face in Kaela's shoulder, and a long, cathartic cry shook her anew.

The scribe of the Path simply stroked her head, slowly and with undeniable affection. Selena, however, continued to speak, almost as if the words demanded release. —I was afraid, so afraid. I thought I had already lost you. I thought I would never see you again. I thought you hated me, and how could you not? It seemed like a cruel joke from the Crimson Duchess, another bloody whim of the nobility.

—She let out a sigh, a wet, deep sound, and wiped her tears with the back of her hand without letting go of Kaela— You are the pillar of my world. And to you, I will always be that disoriented girl who knew nothing of the world, who was humble, who suffered just like all of you... because we are the same. I love you with all my heart. I love you with everything I have, and I give you everything I am.

Kaela looked at her, and her eyes, already reddened, filled once more with tears that spilled unhindered down her cheeks. —I only wanted to believe —she whispered, her voice a wavering thread— that you were what I had seen, and not what everyone said about the duchess. I knew you were the girl who didn't know how to sweep, the girl who barely knew what a nimora or an anurhy was, the girl who wanted the excuse of being a merchant's daughter just to be free... A wave of emotion choked her, and she wept openly.

Selena held her gently, and after a moment, the tanner spoke again. —The girl who gave me this opportunity to learn how to read. The one who showed me a path where I am not bound to society's misery, where the Path has taught me to be free. —She paused, holding her breath, then embraced her with a strength that spoke of months of physical labor and a resolve forged through travel. She spoke directly into her ear, in an intimate whisper heavy with an ancient relief— Thank you...

Thank you for not letting me end up like Mother. Even though... even though I was afraid at first. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Then, as if by tacit agreement, they released each other. Not completely, but enough to look at one another. The tanner drew clothes from her bag to wipe the traces of weeping from their faces. Their eyes, still bright and swollen, scrutinized each other with a hungry, rediscovering attention.

Kaela had changed. Her Jingdaonese features, high cheekbones and slanted, almond-shaped brown eyes so deep they seemed black in the gloom, remained the same, but they were now sculpted with a serenity she had lacked before. Her hair, which Selena remembered as short and practical, now fell to her lower back a smooth, obsidian-black cascade gathered in a simple braid.

She was no longer the thin, wiry young woman marked by hunger and exhausting toil; she now possessed a healthy, strong physique, her shoulders firm beneath the ash-gray robe. Upon her wrist, still present, rested the bracelet of braided thread and smooth stones Selena had given her an eternity ago in Terracanto. —You are evaluating me too —Kaela said with a shy yet conscious smile, following Selena's gaze— You know, you have changed as well. Her eyes swept over Selena with equal meticulousness.

—Even your hands, which were soft and smooth like a noble's... now have calluses. —She took one of Selena's hands in hers, running her fingers over the hardened palms and the fingertips marked by small scars from burns and cuts— And they show the marks of labor. I don't know what you did, but it is clear you worked hard to earn them. Selena smiled, a smile blending pride and weariness. —I learned to fight with the short scimitar, and with other things. Also, as you know, I was sent to study at the university.

I chose medicine. —At the mention of it, Kaela's eyes shone with immediate, warm recognition— Just like when I helped Rolus's brother. I don't want any more children to suffer the same fate. Perhaps that way... I can improve my reputation or at least give a sense of purpose to all of this. Kaela smiled, a subtle expression filled with deep understanding. —I remember. —She paused, her expression growing brighter— For my part... I learned to read a while ago, as I wrote to you in that letter I never knew reached you.

Now I am a scribe of the Path. I work for them, copying the philosophy you left with Corren, the knowledge you shared. Her voice took on a tone of reverence, almost admiring. —The answers you gave, those ideas... they have advanced the Path. They freed us from many dogmas we didn't even know we held. Especially...

"I think, therefore I am." —She pronounced the phrase carefully, as if it were a precious mantra— I think that one is my favorite. It changed the way I see myself. Kaela's smile widened, filled with an inner light Selena had never seen in her before. —But that isn't all. I have traveled all the way from Terracanto to here, to Murks. I passed through Windy Crest, Pale Town, and so many other places I never imagined I would see. —Her eyes sparkled with the memory of the roads— I even met nomadic peoples.

Can you believe it? Not the typical Zingari, but the Children of the Stony Wastes, and the Eastland Bone-Singers. I learned to make a flute with them; they are remarkable musicians. They wove the sound of stone and wind together... it was like listening to the mountain sing. The scribe gently traced shapes in the air with her hands as she described the music. —Is music magic, then? —Selena teased.

Her voice was still slightly raspy from crying but tinged with a light joy she had not felt in an eternity— I would love for it to be so. To sit with you like before, feed the anurhy that used to chase you along the inlet... yes, that one whose ribs were showing. Imagining it is now plump and here with us while we stroke it and talk, looking at the vast, beautiful sky, just like old times, Miss Kaela. Kaela grimaced, her face reflecting a complex expression that signified only one thing: comical nostalgia.

—The little anurhy... I remember. A pity it couldn't keep up with me when I left. Then, she did something unexpected: she brought two fingers to her lips and emitted a soft, clear whistle, a specific sound that echoed through the cavern. From behind a mound of parchment scrolls, something moved. A small, dark green, damp bundle emerged, moving with surprising agility for its now-plump frame. It was an anurhy, without a doubt, but not the skeletal creature from Terracanto.

This one possessed shiny, healthy skin, eyes that almost radiated happiness, and a body indicating constant, careful feeding. It trotted straight toward Kaela and then, sniffing the air, veered toward Selena. It sniffed her curiously, its nostrils quivering rapidly, and then, with a soft, guttural croak of recognition, flopped at her feet, exposing its pale belly. —It couldn't keep up with me —Kaela repeated, with a satisfied smile— so I brought it with me. As you can see, it is fat now.

She laughed, a clear and lighthearted sound. The anurhy croaked again, as if in response. —His name is Run. I named him that because he makes a similar sound when I pet him right here. —She pointed to a lighter patch on his back. —You have always been kind beneath the mask of a serious girl —Selena said, gently stroking Run's cool, damp head. The animal closed its eyes in bliss— And this little one has a much better life now. Doesn't the cold make them lethargic? They are amphibians, after all.

She asked with genuine curiosity, recalling her readings in basic zoology from this world and Maya's teachings. —Yes, it affects them. But that's why he wears a little knitted vest. Sometimes, when it snows heavily on the mountain, we place warm stones wrapped in cloth near where he sleeps. But he adapts well. At least his semi-damp skin looks much better than in Terracanto, which was horribly hot and dry for him.