“Hard to believe a girl like you is supposed to be what’s left of the God of Death,” Ethis said when I returned to the campsite. I meant to correct him, but I was too tired. He proffered me a towel wrapped around what looked like a hard biscuit. With a grateful nod I bit into it and immediately regretted my decision. It was like biting into a bouillon cube. It was mostly salt and flour. I swallowed the first bite and put the “biscuit” down on my roll.
Ethis laughed at me. “Not a fan of the local fair, huh?” When I shook my head, he said, “Called flatbread--bread made from the salt flats.” He looked at his own biscuit and shrugged before consuming a bite. “It’s better than people.”
“Starving is better than people,” I said as I crossed my arms.
Ethis smiled at me. “Eh. I dunno. If it was between living and dying, I’d probably eat somebody… but I don’t have to make that choice. We’re good at what we do. It gets us the nicer things in life.”
“And there are nicer things… than all this?” I asked, gesturing at their camp.
“Oh yeah,” Ethis said. “Running water, heating, electricity… It’s just… rare and expensive to come across those things in the west. If you ever find a place that has everything you’ll ever need… Well, let’s just say, people are willing to kill for that kind of thing.” He wiggled what was left of his flatbread before he ate it and said through the crumbs, “People even kill for this garbage--just remember that before you say, no thank you.”
With that said, I looked down at my white biscuit and tentatively took another bite. “Water?” I asked through the crumbles.
“Nope,” Ethis said, digging through a bag. He tossed me a skin as he said, “But we’ve got wine.” He winked at me then and ran a forearm across his face, wiping more of the dried blood off.
I took a swig of the sour mixture and pursed my lips in disgust. It was stronger than rotgut and smelled like piss. Wine or poison? At least it cleared the salt out of my mouth. Letting out a breath, I said, “You’ve got blood on your face.”
Ethis gave me a deadpan look. “This whole time?”
“Uh huh.” I put a hand to the right side of my face and he mimed my movements. I proffered him the wine skin and he used a little to wash off his face before taking a big swill of it himself. When he passed the wine back to me, I laughed a little.
The tops of his cheeks were rosey, “Yeah, yeah.”
“Ethis,” I began and he met my eyes. “You and your brother are couriers… And there are civilized places out there--cities, so you say… Why are cannibals…?” I paused. I am the elegant God of Language, I thought dismally. “I guess what I’m trying to ask is… Is there any kind of law enforcement?”
Ethis shrugged. “Not this far out west. Sometimes the Houses send a bunch of mercenaries to cull the area and look for artifacts, but there haven’t been any campaigns like that since I’ve been alive.”
“How old are you?” I asked.
He smirked. “Twenty and two. I’m an old timer. You?”
“I don’t age… Well, this form is in its prime, I suppose.”
“Yes, it is,” Ethis agreed with gusto.
“And Djince?” I asked, steering the conversation onto safe ground.
“I dunno. He’s always been my big brother,” Ethis said dismissively. He smiled at me when I gave him a confused expression. “How old’s he look?” He asked this like it was something he asked a lot--as if it was some kind of game or joke.
I looked over at Djince. “Judging by his temperament, I’d put him at twelve.” Ethis barked a laugh before putting a hand over his mouth, his blue eyes squinting with merriment. Then I said, “But going by looks, he could pass for thirty.” Ethis sputtered behind his hand, containing another round of laughter.
“She got you!” Ethis finally said, looking over at his brother. But Djince was either already asleep or ignoring the both of us because he didn’t stir. “He’s no fun,” Ethis said. “Hard to believe we’re brothers sometimes.” He shrugged then and laid back on his bedroll. “I guess I’ll take the first watch if you want to get some sleep. We leave out at sunrise.”
“You’re really willing to have me?” I asked him, feeling at ease for the first time since I had come back to life.
“Like I said, Pops. You’re good luck. I’d be a fool to let you go now.”
I nodded then, filled with gratitude. I said to him, “I’m not the God of Death, just so you know… I’m the Lady of Memory, the Protector of Forgotten Things… I record history as it is remembered, not as it happens. Death is…” I blinked as the information came back to me. “Death is Mordis’ domain.”
“Mordis? Man’s god?” Ethis shrugged. “Well, if that’s true…” He shook his head then. “What’s it really matter what god controlled what? Their followers might still be around, but They’re all gone now, aren’t They?”
“Not all of Them,” I said softly.
Ethis didn’t seem too concerned. He put his hands behind his head and propped his feet up. “Don’t worry too much, Pops. You’ll find your answers. I’m sure of that. Worrying takes too much energy and it causes wrinkles. Just look at Djince. That pug-looking, sock-fucker’s all tuckered out and you know why? He worries too much… Take my advice. Everything’s alright in the end. If it’s not alright… it ain’t the end.”
And with his words ringing in my ears, I bid him good night and laid down under the stars. If it is not all right… it is not the end. I liked the sound of that. It sounded familiar--like something that had been said before. At that moment, it didn’t matter who first uttered the phrase. It would be no less true if I’d heard it from the stars instead.
ns3.17.159.53da2
