The Sound of a Siren's Call

59.) The Guelan Swordfight

Hey, y'all. I've had this chapter done and waiting to be proofread for longer than I care to admit. And as for when this story will be done, I have no idea. It's pretty close to being wrapped up, but I have no idea how long that will take me. Anyway, enjoy.

The smell of cooking was overpowering. It was the smell of my childhood, the smell of the day after a raid or a special day.

I looked over at where Nigel was sitting.

"Is it someone's birthday?"

"No, this is all for you."

My father met my eye. He was in a good mood. He froze in the middle of biting into a sausage.

"Arriana!" There was his hand, imitating my curly hair.

I froze. He seemed happy. Too happy.

"Come. Sit down! Eat!"

I forced myself to take a step. Then another. Then another. I eventually sat next to him. He put his arm around me and pulled me into an awkward half hug.

"Everyone, tell Arriana how happy we are she's back home safe."

"Anything to get me back to my normal routine." The man across from me signed, his face not showing any sign of a joke.

"Did I disrupt your normal routine?"

"Are you kidding? We spent the entire time you were gone looking for you. If you'd been missing any longer, we might have voted your dad off."

I looked at my father. He just shrugged and stuffed another sausage in his mouth.

"When's the vote?"

"Next Wednesday."

I nodded. "Who's running?"

"Jim down there and your father." He pointed at a man several seats down the table. I knew him. He'd taught me how to throw a knife.

My father had been voted captain every year since I was 3 years old. For him to lose now would be bad.

The man next to me, Loui, tapped my shoulder. "You caused us all a lot of trouble."

I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry to hear that."

He shook his head. "I'm sure you are."

"I didn't ask you to come look for me."

"Your father was always going to look for you. Don't act like you didn't know that."

I didn't say anything. Side conversations sprung up, some spoken, some signed. I wasn't included in any of them. Not that I much cared to be. No one seemed to be happy with me.

I ate my food and stood up to go.

"Arriana, where are you going?"

There was my father.

"For a swim."

"Oh, no you're not. It's sword practice today. We're odd."

I stared at him. That was a flimsy excuse, and we knew it. My father was a fan of having multiple people team up against another. We all knew that the logic was not related to combat practice.

I didn't see what I could do, or how I could get out of it.

"Fine."

And there it was. My entire day, gone. Like that. Maybe I needed to work some stress out. Maybe the mindlessness of a swinging sword would be just what I needed. Or maybe it was too obvious of a ploy to get me to stay. Not that I wanted to leave.