The Winds of the Past [Rune Factory 4]

Chapter 75

By the time we returned to Rishi’s house, it was nearly dark and the slender crescent moon was just peeking over the treetops to the east. We had bundled together everything she wanted to take from the house and brought it along with us—the few possessions Avani wished to keep as well as her former mother-in-law’s possessions.

She had asked the guards to return at sundown, so when we stepped out the front door, we found one guard on duty while the other sat on the veranda, resting while he awaited his turn for guard duty. She thanked them both, saying would finish tomorrow, and then we left.

As we opened the door to Rishi’s house, we could hear raised voices coming from somewhere towards the back. Looking at each other, startled and a little alarmed, we dropped everything and hurried towards the commotion. We found everyone, including Arthur and Forte, in a small sitting room adjacent to Rishi’s study, and Dylas was shouting.

“Yeah, I’ve seen how well she can take care of herself, firsthand! Getting herself kidnapped and being ambushed by conspirators—and that’s just the past few days! They’ve been gone for hours—why aren’t you all worrying about her?”

“Well, for one thing,” Arthur said, drily, as he glanced towards us, “she’s standing right behind you.”

Dylas whirled around, his crimson face draining to white before flushing again as he found himself face to face with us.

“Nice to see you have such confidence in my abilities,” Avani commented drily. 

I briefly considered adding my voice to hers, but I realized that he didn’t mean to disparage either her abilities or mine—he was just concerned, and expressing himself with his usual savoir faire. So instead, I just stood back and let them sort things out between them. I’d learned that was usually the best course of action with the two of them.

As it turned out, it didn’t take long at all. Dylas stared at her for a minute, then his eyes softened, and he simply said, “I’m glad to see you’re all right. But just… just try not to worry me like that, okay?”

Avani’s eyes opened wide in surprise, and she nodded, struck speechless by his change in demeanor.

Rishi stood and smiled. “Ah, my love, I’m glad you’ve returned. I’m afraid you’re too late for our evening meal, but I’m sure Dulari can find something for you two in the kitchen. Unless you’ve already eaten elsewhere?”

I grinned at Avani and said, “Well, only in a manner of speaking,” enjoying the way she blushed as she tried unsuccessfully to glare at me.

**************

At breakfast the next morning, Avani said that she was more or less finished with Bhima’s house, other than ridding herself of those things she’d marked for destruction. Next she wanted to take a look at Sundara’s house, if I could join her. I readily agreed, and she turned to Dylas, Chanda, Arthur, and Forte to ask if they’d care to come with us. Chanda and Dylas accepted her offer, but Arthur declined, saying he and Forte needed to return to Selphia as soon as possible to report to his father, the King. So after breakfast, we bid Arthur and Forte farewell, assuring them that we’d return as soon as we could.

Before we left, Avani packed cleaning supplies and a few cloth sacks into her backpack, and she asked Sharmila to arrange for a servant to deliver Kokila’s possessions to her, so that she needn’t see her again so soon after their last confrontation. Then the four of us started off towards Sundara’s house.

We headed west along the dirt road through the village, and this time, instead of stopping and turning back at the edge of the village, Avani just hesitated briefly, standing with eyes closed for a moment before stepping into the lush growth of the tropical forest.