O' children

Chapter 5: Diverging Truths

Caysa stretched as he unwound his muscles from his joints after slouching over the writing desk for so long, a quick survey out the window to readjust his eyes to the light and Caysa's mind jumped back to attention. Smoke from a campfire tunnelled up through the canopy of the forest right where the clearing near the river was. Without a second thought Caysa dashed out of the library and through the monastery.

Running through the woods was a lesson in repetition, the jump over the fallen log that was disintegrating under pressure of fungi and termites, the turn by the out of place magnolia tree and ducking under low hanging branches. Caysa knew it all by heart, the path to Sir Albin.

Coming up, the clearing was empty of any human man, just the lone campfire crackling away. Caysa partially hid behind a tree nearby, watching the clearing intently for any signs of movement. Across the dirt clearing a black rabbit hopped out and jumped over to where Caysa was half-heartedly concealing himself.

Caysa bent down to inspect the glossy fur of this new rabbit, it had the same relaxed countenance of the rabbit from the other night, approaching Caysa with reckless abandon. Caysa picked it up, a little heftier than the first but no less spoiled from whatever domestic upbring it had.

"Do you like him?" Caysa bolted upright in shock hugging the lethargic rabbit to his chest, melodic voice floated out and from the shadows stepped a person with long, straight pale blonde hair, smooth skin with a coldness simmering underneath the surface, they were dressed in a ground length blue fur-trimmed coat that wrapped around the body and was held fast by a brown belt. Expensive clothes so clownishly out of season that Caysa's first question was if they were sweating underneath all that material.

"Please do not be afraid, I am an acquaintance of the man known as Albin." They smiled, a strange expression that barely shifted any of the features on their face, like they had only recently realised they could move their mouth in such a way.

Caysa stepped out from behind his tree, squaring his shoulders. They kept smiling in that 'sincere attempt gone awry' way.

"Where is he, then?" Caysa said with same tone Sola used whenever spoke to someone older and was trying to prove to them that he was just a smart and mature if not more . Closer, Caysa could see they there was nary a spot of colour to their cheeks, let alone sweat forming on their brow.

"I don't know. Where is he?" they said, giving Caysa a nod tinged with humour. Caysa swore under his breath and said nothing, conceding the ground to this stranger. "My name is Galanta and you are Caysa."

"You seem very sure of that," Caysa said, keeping his voice as Sola-like as possible, somewhat confident, suspicious, and snippy. He stepped forward a little bit, leaning down just enough to drop the rabbit in his hands to the ground, eyes never leaving the face of Galanta.

"A sweet-faced dark-skinned Imran monk who never wears his headscarf?" Galanta smiled wider when Caysa's startled hand flew to his neck, his face heated up when he realised that he was essentially spiritually naked in front of this stranger. "The poacher said I'd know you at first look."

"So, you know Albin? That doesn't explain why you're here?" Caysa dropped the persona and relaxed his posture. Galanta reached into his sleeve and pulled out an envelope, holding it out to Caysa.

"A message from our mutual friend," Galanta said, Caysa eyed it warily but took it from Galanta's loose hold regardless. Sharp but neat letters spelt out Caysa's name, comforting in their familiarity. Caysa opened the letter and unfolded the message inside

Dearest Caysa,

Apologies for my absence, I've missed you greatly and I'm sure you the same. Unfortunately, when this letter meets you at last, I will be far from the borders of Aradia. You will be reaching the dawn of your adulthood, Caysa and I must ask you to continue your learning and training far from Garni and the monastery you have lived in your whole life.