Divine Evolution (2021 Watty Awards Shortlist)

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Cyann woke to a cool, damp cloth pressed to her forehead. It felt so wonderful against the stifling heat in the room, she sighed. Opening her eyes, she saw Merelle sitting on the edge of her bed. She wrung out a strip of linen in a bowl of water, about to reapply it to Cyann's forehead again.

"Good, you're awake. High Priest Diocles wanted to see you but I told him to check back later."

With Merelle's help, Cyann sat up. Her head felt clearer and the sluggishness was gone. Even still, she felt as if she'd spent the last three days weeding Basim's herb garden after a hurricane had blown through it.

"How long was I asleep?" she asked, stretching.

"Not long. You missed vespers, but so did the other Pythia. It's to be expected after the day you had. Diocles wants to see you whenever you feel up to it."

Cyann tried to muster up some concern but couldn't seem to find any. "He probably wants to talk about what happened with Archon Solon. Hopefully I didn't blow up some master plan he had in the works." Then she went still, remembering. "My memories from the immersion chamber finally settled. When I was under the influence of the gas...I think Niko and I talked."

Merelle eyed her sharply. "Think you talked, or know you talked?"

"I don't know. It felt so dreamlike, I'm not sure," Cyann admitted. She tried to focus on the thread of the conversation, finding it difficult to piece together all the details. "I told him I missed him. I think he's coming for me, but that could be wishful thinking on my part."

Merelle's mouth pulled down into a frown. "I thought he said he'd be gone for the next six of this planet's months. I assumed he was searching for other inhabited worlds in this spiral of the Timespace."

"No, his ship's been in orbit around the planet this whole time. There was an incident with the High Priest a few days ago where he interfered. Or at least, I think he did. I don't know. Maybe I imagined it all. Maybe I just wanted him so badly..." She sighed, not wanting to admit to the rest.

"Can you reach him through the link now?" Merelle pressed. "Is he really coming?"

"I could try," she said, nodding and sent a thought out to Niko. Unlike the last time, when his response had been immediate and he'd felt so present, there was no reply. Nothing to indicate he'd heard her. Or, wanted to hear her. She tried again, and again, pushing her thoughts through the link, calling to him with everything he was. But there was still no reply. The link between them was dead and utterly silent. The pain in realizing that was instantaneous and crushing. He didn't want her then. She'd imagined everything while under the influence of the gas. It had all been in her mind.

"Anything?" Merelle asked, sounding anxious.

She wanted to cry then, it hurt so much. Just when she'd finally figured out how much she needed and wanted him, he was gone. It really was over. Of course he wasn't coming. Why would she ever think something like that in her wildest dream? People didn't come back for her.

"No. Nothing," she said, though it took her several tries to get the words out and she had to clear her throat, trying to get rid of the lump of tears forming there. "I must have hallucinated it. I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. Certainly to be expected after the day you had." Merelle stood suddenly, the bowl and the linen abandoned. "Excuse me, my lady, but I need to go." She hurried from the room without another word.

Stunned out of her own misery, Cyann watched the woman bolt. Was Merelle all right? Should she go after her? Say something? She seemed upset. Maybe something was bothering her and she'd been too absorbed in her own misery to notice. That was selfish of me, Cyann berated herself. I'm not the only one with problems. I need to stop wallowing in my own misery for once. I ended things with Niko. Why should I be so damned surprised I can't reach him? Why would he even want to talk to me?