The Prophecy of Water | ✔️ 🎖 [2018 Wattys Shortlister]

CHAPTER 29-The Treason

A person who has a fine mind and knows it, can beat millions who don't.

LoG, 3

The journey was reasonably monotonous, at least as far as Nalina was concerned. Every day began in the same way. The Viewstone would flash yellow. Nalina, the lackey, The Vigils and their War Dogs would get up from the ground. Then the entourage would eat together in a complete silence. That made Nalina depressed.

I love talking! Laughter! Human voices. I've been trying to encourage everyone to open up for the conversation I don't know how many times already. I surrender.

Her sojourners were disinterested in speaking with her.

I'm just another mission for them to be successfully completed.

Nalina was on the verge of asking them for their names and for the names of their dogs. What are they dreaming about? Who are the people they love?

Yet she was afraid not to overstep the boundaries of decency. They should come to me if they want to do so. Who am I to violate their privacy and the course of their thoughts? If they aren't in a mood to talk ... We won't talk.

The old fat lackey was huffing and puffing continually. He ate twice as much as everyone else. After a meal, he would hastily jump back to his seat and whip the snake.

He doesn't seem to be too sociable, Nalina thought, disappointed. Despite that, the lackey was very interesting to her.

He is trying so hard to keep his dignity as an employee in The Leader's service! And the buttons on his uniform always stretch to the limit of explosion after an abundant meal! She didn't dare to laugh out loud lest she offended someone.

Nalina tried hard to ignore nobody was in the mood for chatting. She read and scribbled a lot. Sometimes she would look for herbs in the areas close to the carriage whenever the lackey called for a break. Nalina began spending more and more time with Grogmog. She fed him personally. Nalina was sorry for the snake since no one allowed it to fly. After several of her visits, she could swear Grogmog seemed glad whenever he saw her again.

Everything was more bearable during The Dark. The red glow of the campfire forced the small crowd to huddle together in search of some light. There would be a murmur of The Vigils' voices and joyful squeals of The War Dogs who sniffed each other with mirthful recognition. Everyone seemed glad that the resting time would soon be upon them.

One Vigil–Nalina wasn't sure who he was–had a tiny wooden harmonica. He would leisurely move it over his lips, as if feasting on a delicious musical meal, always sending a different melancholic melody to The Dark. As she listened, the most diverse feelings would surge within Nalina. Each note would overflow her consciousness with numerous images.

Nalina eventually dared to approach him one Dark and stutter: "The music you make. It brings back so many memories." her voice trembled.

The Vigil barely looked up. He simply nodded as a sign of acknowledgement.

Nalina kept on talking. It was as if the melody breached a dam. Words flew unstoppably from her like water. "From the time when I was a child, from my ... old life. Some other life I used to live. A different me. You know I ..."

"You weren't always a princess," The Vigil ended her sentence dryly, staring at the flames.

"Yes. It's funny but ... Those days. They'll never return," Nalina added firmly as if assuring herself of that fact. Trying to make herself accept that.

"No." his voice was hoarse. "No, they won't."

Nalina thought he looked unbelievably sad for the moment.