The Bookwyrm

??? Bookwyrm. Sensation returned from the blackness of unconsiousness. The feel of cool, smooth stone beneath his hands and face. He was lying facedown somewhere. Bookwyrm, wake up. He became aware of a warm sun above him, and a gentle breeze that drifted around him. He groaned and shifted slightly, opening his eyes to what seemed like a blinding light. There we go... Where have you been? Bookwyrm shifted onto his hands and knees as his eyes adjusted, revealing a grassy field all around him. He knelt on a circular stone pedestal that rose from the ground slightly. "...What do you mean?" You've been gone for months. Bookwyrm opened his mouth to reply, then hesitated. Something wasn't right. "...I remember being with Insa, and Saar....but then...something happened. I had to do something important. I remember a vauge sense of purpose...being unable to return...and some kind of danger." You...really don't remember where you've been? Bookwyrm shook his head. "I'd tell you if I did." He paused. "...Wait, could you not hear me?" A sense of confusion and concern came through his connection with Astwyr along with the reply: No. "That shouldn't be able to happen." I know. Bookwyrm stood up. He wore his blue cloak and travelling tunic. A mental check showed nothing was restricting any of his abilities. Except the one that would let him get home... Months...I've been gone for months. He surveyed the grassy plain. I need to find a way out of here.

Suddenly pineapples.

She shrugged. "However long you need to. Don't look at me."

Ma'tani neared the main gate of Truehearth. It had a sizable stone wall surrounding it's circumference, with several wooden gates where the roads intersected it. Truehearth was the largest city in this area of the world, though Ma'tani had seen one or two larger in her travels. Based on experience, it would have a large number of simple markets and homes around the outer perimeter, leading to nicer stores and government buildings as one neared the center. Of course, every city was different. And Ma'tani had never been there before. Let's hope hiding here actually works.

November stood, his black cloak shifting around him. He walked past the two of them without a word and into the street, not waiting to see if they followed.

"Would I have said anything if I did?" November leaned back, his blue eyes glinting under the hood of his dark cloak. "Also, March, I wouldn't talk about the war in Shenai as if you knew all about it. It's in poor taste, especially next to someone who has seen it with his own eyes."

Oh.

He squeezed her tighter.

He returned the hug, resting his head on top of hers. "I don't want to see you like this anymore."

Tinker stared out at the horizon. Please....please let something I say actually help her. I can't bear to see her hurt any more. That's why we escaped...that's why we made this country. That's why I...why I stayed behind, isn't it?

It works.

"What would it take? Honestly? You want to see his murderer brought to justice. Mare, we don't know who killed him. We don't know where he is or if he's even alive. "You've trapped yourself in a place of pain, and the only way out you've given yourself is unreachable."

Hey! HEY! HANDS UP! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?! ...Three.

Tinker didn't look consoled. If anything he looked worse.

He looked down. "I'm not perfect," he said. "What happens when I make a mistake? What happens when I hurt you, even when I never wanted to?" He turned. "Are you going to hold that over my head forever, too?"

He sat for a moment. "...It scares me."

He nodded slightly.

The entire boat was open to the air; it wasn't big enough to have anything as fancy as a cabin. Still, there were cushioned seats, and storage compartments filled with some quality fishing gear and a few days worth of food. And, sitting on the drivers seat, was a single handgun, along with a note. All of this is yours on a single condition: Don't kill any other tributes unless necessary for your survival. Wanton violence will not help this country re-build itself. Give them a hero who wins through perseverance. I'd assume you suspect my true motives. I have no need to explain myself to you. Know only this; it is not my intent to have you killed. If you aren't careful, the islands will do that themselves.