“How can I repay your kindness?”
“After I give birth, you’ll help me care for my child. I have much work ahead of me to gather our kind.”
“A fair arrangement,” the female Murkovin says, bowing to the woman. “I serve you now.”
Yes, you do, the woman says in her mind. In more ways than you know.
Chapter 6
As soon as we wake up the next morrow, Sash schedules a meeting with a man named Falk, the tallest Hunter in Krymzyn. Since I have the early part of the morrow off, I ask her if I can tag along. Although she doesn’t stop me from joining her, she seems mildly irritated by my request.
We could easily travel to Falk’s hunting region in a matter of seconds, but Sash tells me she wants to walk the five miles. As we stroll across the meadows and rolling hills, she doesn’t seem interested in conversation. I decide to break the silence when we’re about halfway there.
“Can we finish our talk from before we went to sleep?” I ask.
“There’s nothing left to talk about,” she answers without looking at me.
“So that’s it? I don’t get a say in how my daughter is raised?”
“You’re in Krymzyn, Chase,” she says evenly. “It is the way it is.”
“But everything about me being here represents change in some way,” I argue.
“As I’ve said several times,” she replies, finally turning her face to me, “the only thing that matters is what’s best for her. You need to accept that.”
Returning her attention to the landscape in front of us, Sash increases her pace. In her mind, this discussion appears to be over. Encased in uncomfortable silence, we walk the remainder of the way to Falk’s hunting region.
Falk must be one of the tallest people in Krymzyn, which also means one of the oldest. At about six foot nine, he dwarfs both Sash and me. If I had to estimate his age, I’d say he’s in his late seventies or early eighties based solely on his height. But his athletic build, smoothly rounded facial features, and wavy hair all give him the appearance of a man in his mid-fifties at the oldest.
Falk is utterly dumbfounded when Sash informs him that she was called for the Ritual of Balance. Based on what Sash told me in the past, it must be the first time a Hunter has ever been chosen. As far as I know, Ovin was the only Hunter to ever parent a child, but that wasn’t from partaking in the Ritual. Her child, who resulted in the birth of the Murkovin, was referred to as “unsanctioned” in the story of The Beginning.
During the conversation between Sash and Falk, I notice that Sash never mentions who the man called to the Ritual of Balance with her was, and Falk doesn’t ask. Since gossip doesn’t exist in Krymzyn, my conclusion is that no one would ever ask or tell. As I think more about it, if the woman enters the Cavern of Grace first and never turns around, neither the man nor the woman would have any idea who the other person is. It seems to be another part of the anonymity of parenthood in this world.
Their brief discussion concludes with Falk telling Sash that he’ll have the other Hunters fill a few extra stakes with sap each Darkness. They both agree that it should be enough to make up for Sash not being able to contribute while she’s pregnant. Sash and I say our goodbyes to Falk, exchange momentary glances, and then leave in different directions.
Over the next couple of morrows, the silence that began between Sash and me on the walk to see Falk is always present. Knowing that Sash doesn’t want to discuss how our daughter should be raised, I consider going to see Eval. She’s been able to provide me with guidance in the past, but I ultimately decide against talking with her. My conclusion is that she’ll just put a philosophical spin on the situation that’s probably not much different than what Sash said to me after the Ritual.
More than ever, I miss my family on Earth. They’re the ones I could always turn to for advice in a difficult situation like this one. With Sash and Eval ruled out, I don’t have anyone else to talk to about my daughter. Tela is probably the person I’ve grown closest to on a friendly level in this world, but the subject is way out of her range of experience. And since the topic is closed with Sash, I have no choice but to internalize my feelings.
Ten morrows after conception, Sash begins to show. Given that pregnancy in Krymzyn lasts less than half the time it does on Earth, I guess it makes sense it would happen so soon. I first notice when I’m about to leave our habitat one morrow. I pause by the entrance to the waterfall cavern to say goodbye to Sash.
Unaware that I’m watching her, she steps under the fall and raises her face to the spill. As the water splashes off the top of her head and glides down her hair, she tenderly runs one hand over the slight curve of her stomach. It’s the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen, and I want her to know.
“Sash,” I say.
With her face still pointing up at the ceiling, her reply is sharp. “What, Chase?”
I stare at her for a few seconds before saying anything. “Never mind. I’ll see you later.”
I turn away and leave our habitat.
With each passing morrow, Sash’s routine is essentially the same. I see her sometimes when I travel across the Delta, and she briefly fills me in on her morrow before we go to sleep. During the early part of the morrow, she visits the trees in her hunting region and checks the roots and limbs
