The Elder's Curse by Andrew Walbrown (ereader for textbooks TXT) 📕

She managed a small smile and nodded. “I know. Let’s get this over with, then.”

Amantius entered the house first, stepping into a scene of utter chaos. Four little Kalikki children ran around the common room, all boys, each pretending to be a warrior. They all wore armor made of household rubbish and used small tree branches as swords, attacking one another in an endless battle of boyhood shenanigans. Kona and Amantius stood in a corner laughing, watching as a couple besieged a fortress of pillows.

“Reminds me of my childhood,” Amantius said, “although Ulam and I could only fight with each other because everyone else was terrified of him.”

“I pity your mother,” Kona replied with a wry smile. “And I feel sorry for the mother of these children as well. I couldn’t handle something like this. No way.”

Suddenly the front door opened and a Kalikki walked in holding bags of fruits and vegetables in her hands. She wore baggy trousers and a linen tunic, both off-white, as chestnut brown hair cascaded over her shoulders. She had the kindest of eyes, though there were crow’s feet in the corners and an exhausted look on her face. With a moan she walked further into the house, speaking to her children in the Yawani tongue.

“By the Gods,” Amantius said, his mouth wide open in surprise as he watched the mother discipline her children, “it’s you.”

He turned to Kona, whose face was a ghostly shade of white. He reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing it until he stole her attention from the scene developing before them.

“Remember,” he continued, staring directly into her expressive brown eyes, “none of this is real.”

Kona nodded. “I know. I’m sorry, I just forgot for a minute.”

Together they watched as the imaginary Kona chased her four children, disarming them before sending each to go bathe. After a few minutes, the house became quiet while the four boys cleaned up their mess, returning the pillows and various household tools and instruments to their rightful places. When they finished, the imaginary Kona sat down with the children and began teaching them how to read and write in the Yawani language. Amantius found the whole thing rather heartwarming, even though it made him a little homesick, for what he saw reminded him of his mother teaching Ulam and him how to read and write when they were children.

“You’ll make a good mother,” Amantius said with a nod, “though I don’t understand what is so terrible about this.”

Kona sighed, averting her eyes out the window. “There’s nothing terrible about being a mother, I suppose. Except for…I don’t want to be one.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t want to be a mother,” Kona replied, her words quick and sharp as she became defensive. “I just don’t want to be one. I have never had the desire to be a mother…or even a wife, really.”

Amantius was taken aback by Kona’s admission, though he successfully hid his shock from her. Throughout his travels, he had met countless numbers of women who openly lamented their marital status, mostly because their husbands were drunks or adulterers. But there was something different about Kona because unlike her unhappy brethren all across the world, she regretted the decision more than the choice of spouse.

“You know you don’t have to be a housewife, right?” Amantius began after collecting his thoughts. “You don’t have to be limited to only a few things in life. Look at Wen. She’s an actress, has traveled large swaths of the world, and is now in the company of dragons. Albeit, the last part she probably hasn’t realized yet, but she has never let her sex determine her destiny. So why should you?”

Kona shrugged. “It’s different for everyone. I have obligations that she doesn’t.”

“Obligations?”

“You know. To settle down, have children, raise a family. I’m guessing she doesn’t have those same responsibilities.”

Amantius frowned. “I don’t care if it’s inappropriate to say, but it sounds like you’re living someone else’s dream. Why did you get married if your biggest fear is being a wife and having children?”

Kona sighed again, this one deeper than the last. She no longer stared outdoors, instead returning her gaze to the imaginary version of herself with the children nearby. “It just seemed like what I was supposed to do, I guess. Plus, Seto was the first to really notice me. The other ones who did were either too old or too young.”

“You’re kidding me,” Amantius replied, disbelieving what he just heard. “I’m sure other people noticed but you weren’t paying attention.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means I find it very hard to believe that Seto and I are the only two people in the whole world who find you beautiful.”

Though the words fell out of his mouth before he could think about the consequences, Amantius was not ashamed by what he said. He was actually surprised by how confident he had said them. Even the ensuing silence did nothing to make him waver.

“You think I’m beautiful?” Kona asked, her expression unchanged.

Amantius shrugged. “Is that weird to you?”

“No, I just don’t know how to react.”

“Because I’m an Emberi?”

Kona grinned. “You mean Accarian?”

Amantius returned the smile. “Yes, that.”

“I don’t think it’s that. It’s just I don’t take compliments well.” Her tone suddenly shifted, she was more relaxed. “Oh, and to answer your question from earlier, maybe a Human and a Kalikki could have children together. But even if it is not possible, they could definitely fall in love and spend their lives together. Why not? So what if I look like one thing and you look like another. We may look different on the outside, but we’re all the same on the inside.”

Together their eyes drifted down their arms to where they were still holding hands, the gesture having been lost in their discussion. Amantius’ heart started beating faster, so hard and so loud he was afraid it would spring from his body. His breathing was out of rhythm, feeling as though something was