The Destined Protector (The Chronicles of Mistar - Book 1)

One · · · Monta (.4)

Monta lingered outside of Tapalla's house when he watched her go inside. He could still remember the way she held his hand on the cliff edge and went they were under the waterfall. She had almost turned his hand blue by cutting off its circulation since she was holding on so tight.

They didn't run back home. They had no need to. Instead, they made their way through the deadwood and tried to see if they could spot any alpon. They were out of luck, though.

Before they left the woods, Tapalla had whispered in his ear, "This is our new spot. Just you and me."

Now Monta stood alone along the street edge. The curb was overflowing with snow. Just because it was Solstice didn't mean there was any snow, even though the road was mostly clear now.

Monta didn't go home. Instead, he tramped off the opposite way into the city of Mayno that their houses sat on the outskirts of. A few blocks away, Monta could see the bustle of people crowding around the market for their daily shopping. He could hear them shouting, "I'll give you this for ten waits!" and, "No, I deserve it for five! Half price!"

He skirted around the arguing people and found all the mothers who didn't disagree with the prices and who had babies hidden in their strollers.

"Monta!" he heard someone yell.

Monta turned around and scanned the crowd. He heard his name again and spotted Druyu.

Druyu was a merchant at the market. He sold tanala herbs for medicine from the planet of Malonda. He sent out freighter flyers to go and collect the herb from the planet with his crew that he paid using the money he made at the market. He sold other things from Malonda, like housing material and jewelry, but the tanala herb was his best seller and made most of his money. Doctors from the cities Gayoa, Trinity, and Azela came to Mayno just to buy Druyu's tanala herb.

"Loye!" Monta said, which was hello is Gaza, as he waved at Druyu.

"Loye. Do you want to buy some tanala herb, my mancho?" Druyu asked handing Monta a case of the medicine.

"No thanks," said Monta as he slowly pushed the case away. "How's business?"

Druyu shrugged his shoulders making his curly, long dark orange beard get stuck in his shirt of alpon hide. "Same as usual."

An elckon wool hat sat in his bald head. His socks, that stopped just above his knee-high ice boots, and gloves were also made of elckon wool. His pants were made of the same material as his boots, the cotton that grew on the planet Pezda from the country of Casta, which was sewn together with fibers of constant metal to keep a person's skin warm.

Druyu's skin was a light brown like almost every native to Gazar and his hair orange. Most native Gazarans had light brown or dark tanned skin with either dark orange, light orange, dark red, or light red hair. Their eyes could be almost any natural color. Druyu's eyes were the most common color, a smoky ice blue or gray.

"So is that good or bad?"

"Good," Druyu replied with a grunt. "Where's that purple-skinned girl of yours?"

"Tapalla?" Monta asked raising an eyebrow. "I woke her up early to see the sunrise for Solstice. She's very tired and doesn't usually wake up that early in the morning. It's a Lotna thing."

Druyu rolled his eyes. "I know, kid. You told me that already. You tell me every time I see you."

"Oh," Monta bit his lip and his stance slumped.

"Here, mancho," said Druyu, handing Monta a kakama leaf green velvet box that was a bit smaller than Monta's palm.

"What's this?" Monta asked, taking the box in hand.