Chapter 64: River Day
Nathan opened his eyes. He looked at the ceiling. He didn’t turn to Liaraen.
But across the room, she already had her wooden comb and was brushing her loose hair with her usual specific efficiency. Also without turning.
"You woke early."
"Good morning to you too."
"Sorry, it’s just that you surprised me, Sprout."
"I hope you surprise me with the swimming lessons."
---
They left Sareth at dawn.
Sella led the way, carrying two bags that apparently contained more provisions than were reasonably necessary for a single day at the river. Kalen walked beside her, his staff in his left hand and a small pack on his shoulder. Nathan and Liaraen followed half a step behind.
The eastern path descended through a light forest that gradually opened into a valley. Morning light fell in irregular columns between the trees. The air was fresh, with the scent of damp earth and new grass. Everyone’s boots crunched softly against the path.
Nathan was, specifically, calm.
After sixteen days of travel, after the dungeon, after the combat with Sella, after the dinner with the full revelation about the twins, this was the first moment of the journey where there was genuinely no pending urgency for the next twenty-four hours.
Just a river.
And apparently a few hours of rest.
Sella turned on the path with her usual energy.
"Let’s go faster!" she said loudly. "The sun is already rising. The water will be perfect in about an hour."
"Sella."
"Yes?"
"We’re walking at a reasonable pace."
"We’re walking slowly."
"It’s a reasonable pace."
"Yes, for old people."
Nathan looked at her.
Liaraen, half a step behind, laughed briefly. Kalen inclined his head slightly, with a small, barely visible smile.
"Sella," Nathan said. "I’m twenty-two."
"And you walk like you’re fifty."
"I’m recovering."
"Excuses."
"Acceptable."
They continued.
Approximately two hours later, the path ended at a clearing.
And the clearing opened onto the river.
---
The river was larger than Nathan had expected.
Approximately thirty meters wide, with moderate current and clear water. The bottom was visible in most of the ford. There were flat stones near the bank, covered in bright green moss. The forest reached the water’s edge on the opposite side, leaving Nathan’s side with a small beach of sand mixed with fine gravel. Upstream, about fifty meters, there was a bend where the river widened into a natural pool with less current. Downstream, the current quickened slightly before disappearing around a descending curve.
Nathan stopped at the clearing’s edge.
He looked at the river.
And honestly, he smiled.
*This is exactly the kind of place I was imagining.*
*Worth every kilometer of the detour.*
Liaraen stopped beside him. She looked at the river too. Said nothing for a few seconds.
Then she said quietly:
"I’ve never been to a river like this."
"Never?"
"Never. Aelthoren’s rivers are all considered ceremonial heritage of specific houses. One doesn’t enter them without formal authorization. And authorizations are only given for ritual events."
"So the view from outside is all you’ve had?"
"The view from outside. And the descriptions from travel books."
Nathan looked at her.
"Welcome to the Arren, Sprout."
"Acceptable."
Sella dropped both bags on the ground near the flat stones and turned to the group with her usual broad smile.
"Alright." She clapped once. "Let’s organize. Kalen, you stay near the big tree. There’s good shade there, and you can hear the water from there. Nathan, you can leave your things on the flat stones. And Liaraen." She turned to her with an even wider smile. "You come with me. I have your swimsuit."
Liaraen went still.
"My swimsuit?"
"Yes. I brought one for you. You couldn’t swim in travel clothes. Heavy fabric gets ruined in moving water, and it’s uncomfortable."
"Sella. I appreciate the consideration. But it’s not necessary—"
"Liaraen." Sella looked at her with genuine sincerity. "It’s a river. You need appropriate clothes. Let’s go."
Liaraen looked at Nathan.
Nathan raised his hands with the specific neutrality of someone who wasn’t going to participate in this decision.
"It’s your process, Sprout. I’m not weighing in."
"Understood."
Liaraen sighed slightly.
She followed Sella behind a cluster of bushes near the bank.
Nathan watched them go for a moment.
Then he turned to Kalen and walked toward the flat stones.
Kalen sat in the shade of the large tree, his staff leaning against the trunk. Nathan set his bag on a flat stone and began taking off his boots.
"Kalen."
"Yes?"
"Is Sella always like this?"
"Like what?"
"Direct. Without filter. Without considering the cultural contexts of the people she’s dealing with."
Kalen inclined his head with a small smile.
"Sella had eighteen years to develop a personality. She chose the unfiltered one because filters would have made her more miserable in a Veil settlement with a biological father who wanted to kill her from birth. She decided that if she was going to live with that reality, she was going to live the way she wanted to live."
Nathan stopped with a boot in his hand.
*Good.*
*That puts me in my place quickly.*
"Acceptable," Nathan said.
"Don’t judge her by the energy. The energy is the visible part. There’s a more complex person underneath."
"Noted."
"That’s all, Nathan. Not a formal defense. Just some useful information."
"I appreciate the information."
Nathan finished taking off his boots. His pants too. He stayed in a light shirt and shorts he’d included in his provisions, apparently for eventualities like this. He sat on the edge of the flat stone. Put his feet in the water.
It was cold.
But not uncomfortable.
Perfect for swimming.
*Good.*
He lay on his back on the stone with his eyes closed. A moment of calm. The sound of the river. The fresh air. Kalen sitting a few meters away, in silence, with his usual calm.
And somewhere behind the bushes, Sella’s cheerful voice and Liaraen’s carefully controlled voice responding in monosyllables.
Nathan smiled at the sky.
*Apparently. A good day.*
---
Approximately five minutes later, the voices returned, and both emerged wearing their swimsuits.
Comments