For all of Vim’s hate… he sure did seem to trust them, at least to a point.

“Coin had seemed rather flustered, Renn. Hopefully all is well,” Nessa, Laura’s mother, said.

We weren’t alone in the mailroom, but the only other person here was Bless, her other daughter. She though was busy preparing letters, and judging by the way she was so focused on her task and humming a tune as she did so, I doubted she was paying much attention at all to our conversation.

“I’m not really sure what’s going on, but I’m sure Vim will take care of it,” I said as I glanced down at Coin’s letter. It was… not thin enough to be a single sheet, but it also wasn’t more than two pages judging by how thick it felt. The wax that sealed it shut had a neat little engraving on it, though surprisingly was not a coin but instead a tiny ship… maybe the one she and her brother owned and used?

It was too bad I had missed her arrival at SilverCreek…

“Speaking of Vim… did I hear him outside? Did he not want to say hello?” Nessa then asked with a faint smile, one that told me she was just teasing and not actually bothered or offended by him not joining me into the mailroom.

“He’s picking up glass out in the hall. A window broke,” I said.

Nessa gave me a frown and her daughter stopped humming as she too glanced our way. “What now?” she asked.

I nodded. “One of the hallway windows shattered. Vim’s cleaning it up… I uh, don’t know if he plans to fix it right away but I assume he will? Or might? He usually does, I think,” I said. He hadn’t mentioned if he was going to or not, he had just told me to come in here and get Coin’s message while he dealt with it.

Honestly I was very surprised he had allowed me even to leave his sight… he had been so adamant earlier about me not doing so, yet…

You’d think Renka showing up, without warning, like she just had would have had the opposite effect.

“Huh… did you hear a window break, dear?” Nessa then asked her daughter.

“No… but I’ve been focused, and the door has been shut,” she said, reasoning it away as she went back to her work.

“And humming terribly,” Nessa said.

“I’m not as bad as Laura,” Bless said with a huff.

I smirked at that and nodded, though didn’t comment aloud that she was right. “She’s having fun up north, maybe even too much.”

“I’m glad to hear it… Coin had brought us a letter from her, one which she mentions it’s her second to us which means Oplar likely has the first. Not usual for her to be the one behind someone else!” Nessa said with cheer.

Smiling softly, I nodded and enjoyed the human mail clerks for a short time… but eventually my concern over Vim forced me to cut the moment short. I politely left the mailroom and found Vim standing in front of the window he had broken, with another man. One in simple clothes, not priest garb but instead something I’d see being worn by a common worker in the city. I didn’t know who he was, but he seemed to be talking to Vim in a way that made me think and assume…

As I stepped over to the two, I concluded the man was in fact one of us. He had an odd scent, one that I had almost thought was wafting in from the now missing window, but upon getting closer I could tell it was coming from him.

He smelled familiar. He smelled like Brom and Reatti, the meerkats.

“I’ll handle it for you, Vim. To be honest I’ve been bored last couple of days, so in fact please let me handle it,” the man said with a tiny wave at the now missing window. There were oddly only a few shards left around the window frame’s edges.

Stepping over to the two, I glanced around for a moment to see if Vim had already gathered up all the glass… and it seemed he had. Which meant he had done so without a broom. I knew of course he had no worry or fear over glass, no matter how sharp, but sometimes he needed to be a bit more proper. Especially here where normal people walked around occasionally.

Vim sighed but nodded as he turned to glance at me. He looked… bothered, of course, but not nearly as much as I expected him to be.

Just what kind of hate was in his heart towards Renka and her people, I wonder? One that was obviously deep and real… yet at the same time…

“Oh my? The pride of the savannah! Hello, you’re unmistakably Rennalee. My name is Lorto, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” the man turned and immediately broke out into an odd smile as he stepped forward and… instead of reaching out to shake my hand he bowed.

My back got a little stiff as I watched the man, who was taller than me by a full head, bowed low enough that I could see the top of his head. I noted he had what at first I had thought was a bald spot, but after studying it for a small moment I realized it was a long windy scar. He had no hair growing from the hand-length scar, though had enough hair everywhere else that it wasn’t too noticeable. In fact the only reason I had even saw it was because of his bow.

“Um… it’s a pleasure to meet you too, Lorto… I hope you don’t find this rude if I ask, but are you perchance a meerkat?” I asked.

The bowing man tilted his head… and then slowly stood back up. “Why, yes. I am. However did you notice?” he asked, and did so in a way that told me he was genuinely shocked.

“I know a couple others…” I started to say their names but glanced at Vim first for conformation. He luckily wasn’t lost in thought as he had been lately, understandably, and gave me a tiny nod.

“She’s friends with Reatti… a younger meerkat who joined the Society not too long after you guys all left for the other continent,” Vim said

Lorto frowned at that. “I had not been aware any of us had remained! That’s… shocking news, especially since I don’t recognize the name! I wonder just who she’s related to?” Lorto wondered as he crossed his arms in thought.

I frowned a bit at the way he seemed to be so seriously considering such thing… as if…

“Is it… strange?” I asked, a tad worried about his reaction.

Vim was the one who nodded. “There were only a few families of meerkats to ever exist, though they were large they were very close knit and pretty much all of them had been involved in the Society from the beginning. Reatti and her brother were…” Vim was about to explain further, but the man startled and hurriedly reached out to grab Vim by the arm, interrupting him.

“Brother!? There’s a male!?”

I flinched, but not because of his shout… as Vim kindly took the brunt of the moment for me and slowly shook his head. “No… Sadly Brom passed away not too long ago. Reatti is the only meerkat, that I know of at least, other than you and the others who returned.”

The man’s shoulders slumped, heavily… and he groaned, suddenly looking so disappointed and defeated that it was actually unsettling…

Glancing at Vim, for answers and maybe some kind of guidance, I found him gently smiling at me. He gestured ever so gently at Lorto and nodded. “Meerkats are practically always born female. At least, our kind are. I uh… I’m assuming there are none, at the moment, then? Based off your reaction, Lorto,” Vim asked the man.

Lorto heaved a sigh and nodded. “Not a one… I’m the youngest of the four who are left… I apologize… I should be happy to hear of a fellow survivor, yet here I am unable to contain my utter sorrow. Forgive me, Rennalee, for showing you such an unseemly sight,” Lorto then bowed again towards me, though this time not as deeply.

“Ah… it’s okay, Lorto… I understand,” I said as I calmed down a little.

So he had simply been excited. For those he knew, since if Brom had been alive he might have been a potential mate for those he called family and friends…

And…

I blinked watery eyes as I felt the terrible realization that I had likely just doomed an entire line of peoples.

“No matter… Reatti you said? Not a name I recognize, but still not something a human would be called… might I inquire of her status, Vim? Is she nearby?” Lorto stood back up, and seemed a bit calmer now… though I could still see the utter sadness on his face and hear it in his voice. The fact he was still so disturbed by such sudden, then disastrous news, made me feel all the more terrible.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Just how many would receive similar moments? To have heartbeats of utter joy and thrill, upon hearing of potential family and friends… only for it to come crashing down as reality smacked into them? And said reality only existed because of me…? Because of my actions?

“Renn… would you do me a favor?” Vim then got my attention, and I was glad for it because I suddenly felt like crying. And I didn’t want to do that… because then I’d have to explain to Lorto why his hopes had just been crushed.

But… I had to, didn’t I? Shouldn’t I say it…? I…

“Hm…?” I glanced at Vim, and didn’t like the way he was looking at me.

Vim knew what was wrong. He was looking at me with eyes full of not just concern… but understanding.

He knew this feeling well, didn’t he? “Is that the message?” he asked with a point downward. I glanced down, wondering what he was talking about… and then flinched at the letter. One that was now crumpled in my grip.

Woops… “Um… yes,” I said, a bit sheepishly. Gosh hopefully it was just papers inside… sometimes certain letters had special items, such as when Lomi had sent me some wheat in hers.

“I see… would you mind reading it for me? Just in case it’s something I don’t want to read myself,” he asked.

“Oh? Sure…” I nodded softly and used the opportunity to give Lorto a bow in return, finally. “It was nice to meet you Lorto…” I said as I started to step away.

“Pleasure was all mine, have a good day pride of our savannah,” he said with another small bow in return.

My ears fluttered under my hat, and I made sure to make a mental note to ask Vim what he meant by that later… for now though I was going to graciously accept the chance to escape before my heart really did break.

Stepping away as Vim and Lorto returned to talking about the window, I breathed a tiny sigh of both relief and disappointment… as I felt my heavy shoulders slump as I walked down the hallway and started to open Coin’s letter.

I wasn’t entirely sure if Vim really did want me to read her letter for him or not, since I had been able to tell he had noticed my swirling emotions… and had thus given me a way to escape the situation, but I figured it would both give me something to distract my now pained heart and that neither Coin or Vim would mind if I actually did.

Reading such letters for him was kind of one of my main jobs, being his wife and all…

Rounding a corner, I slowed a bit as I pulled out what looked to be three pages… and then I had to slightly unfold them a bit more than usual since I had crumpled them in my distress earlier.

“Isn’t often I’m struck so directly,” I whispered as I thought of what had just happened.

Brom was dead because of me. And there were people out there who had needed him. If the meerkats were anything like some of our other members, they desperately preferred partnering with their own bloodlines… so…

Not only did I likely cost someone a potential mate and husband, I had also doomed an entire bloodline to either obscurity or destruction… since now that they would have to have children with others, or even humans, their own children would then in turn be less non-human… and thus less likely to live as long or as healthily… and…

I sniffed as I forcefully stopped myself from thinking past those thoughts, and focused on the letters.

Coin seemed to have written two letters… and… “A map…?” I wondered as I studied a slightly crude drawing of what looked to be Telmik. The Cathedral, depicted by crude spikes and towers, was in the left corner and there were streets and other landmarks drawn around it… leading to what looked like a building in the southern district.

“I could not stay long, they know of you and I told them to expect your coming. Will see you in Lumen…” I whispered Coin’s beginning of her letter, which then diverted in topic to her complaining that her brother had refused to take on another task, again…

Frowning softly, I wondered what the big deal was for her brother to opt to not separate from her. The whole second page of her letter was her complaining over Ledger’s unwillingness to accept a task on his own, and…

“Does she… not like him, or something?” I wondered as I finished reading her letter. She had, near the end, stopped complaining about her brother and instead again switched back to speaking to Vim in Lumen. She was looking forward to talking to him about something important, as to continue a conversation they had started last they met.

“Who? Me?”

I didn’t startle upon hearing Vim’s voice, but I did warily glance around upon hearing him… as to make sure he was alone. He was. “Ledger. Her brother,” I said.

“Ah…” Vim slowly nodded with a soft smile. “Rather she just… wants him to be happy, and more than he is. But he’s got different ideas of how to live his life, is all.”

“She’s upset he turned down a job. One that would have led him southward, while she heads to Lumen,” I said as I showed him the letters… and then dug out the map she’d drawn for him. “And she says you’re to go here, that they’re expecting you.”

Vim didn’t frown as he took the map… but he did sigh softly, in a way that told me he full well knew what Coin was talking about.

“Is it bad…?” I asked carefully.

“Yes. Did she not mention Meriah at all?”

Meriah…? “No? Other than her complaining about her brother, which was a full page on its own by the way, she only mentions she looks forward to talking to you in Lumen as to continue your conversation and also that she hadn’t been able to wait long enough and so you’re to go there and whomsoever there is expecting you… is that where Meriah is?” I asked, a tad excited to potentially see my friend again. I liked Meriah, she was unique.

“Something tells me no, she’s not… but we’re going to find out,” Vim said as he studied the rough map Coin had drawn for him.

Although I was unsure if I should bring it up or not… since it was obvious Vim was doing all he could to avoid talking about it, I felt I had no choice. “Are we um… sure? We should? I mean… is that outside of the town?” I asked carefully.

Vim’s eyes narrowed at the map… and then slowly looked up from it as to glare at me instead. “Telmik. She had said Telmik, not the church itself.”

“Should we risk it though? What if she meant…”

Vim shifted, and before I could say more something else broke nearby. I flinched as I turned a little… and watched a small piece of the roof fall down a few feet from us. It was a piece of brick and upon landing on other bricks made a noise and broke into more pieces.

“Vim…” I groaned at him

He handed me back the map as he stepped away towards the middle of the hallway, where the piece of brick had fallen from. He stared up at the ceiling, at a noticeable white spot that was now there. I wasn’t sure if the inside of the bricks were what was so much whiter than the outsides, or if the outer layer of the bricks were just darker thanks to age and wear, but the white spot was rather bright.

“Doesn’t look too bad, just a piece of the outer brick broke,” Vim said after a moment of study.

“How is it you break things in such odd ways anyway?” I asked as I folded up Coin’s letters and map as to make sure I didn’t break or lose them during all this commotion.

Vim took in a deep breath… and then after a moment of holding it he turned and shook his head at me. “You’re right, Renn… as much as I’d like to blatantly ignore Renka’s words, as to not give them any credit whatsoever… it would be foolish. You’re right. I can’t risk you just because I want to be petty. I’ll go alone. You stay here, just to be safe.”

I blinked a few times, a tad shocked Vim had so readily brought us back to this topic… and also had done so in such a pure way.

“I… okay…?” I wasn’t sure what to say, or do, so I simply nodded and accepted it.

Did this mean he really was taking this seriously…? Or was this just… his typical protective self, the part of him that refused to ever risk or allow any of those he cherished or felt responsible for to ever be put in any kind of danger?

Vim sighed as he bent down and picked up the few pieces of the broken brick. They sounded hollow as they banged against each other in his hand. “Can you believe she’s likely been spying on us this whole time…? Ridiculous,” he muttered.

I blinked at that, and then smiled as I nodded. “It is a little weird,” I agreed. I wonder just how long she’s been watching us? She had used that phrase of his, his trying his best one, and that was something he had started using… well… it felt like a long time ago, but in reality it was only a few months ago maybe. A year at most…?

“Maybe I should just try to kill her the next time I see her…” Vim then mumbled as he pocketed the brick pieces.

“Considering she could have hurt or killed me this whole time, and hasn’t done so, is pretty telling though isn’t it…? Should we not wait to find out why she’d not at least attempt it?” I asked.

Vim glanced at me… and for a tiny moment just glared at me, and then he begrudgingly nodded. “I guess…”

Oh my! He was acting not too unalike the way Fly or one of the other younger children acted when forced to admit something they didn’t want to!

A little amused over his childish reaction to the scenario, I nodded and reached over to gently pat him on the arm. “Thanks for earlier, by the way,” I said.

“Hm…? For not destroying the whole church upon seeing her? Yes, you’re welcome.”

“Well… yes. But no. I meant just a bit ago with Lorto. I… well…”

Before I could explain, Vim simply nodded and gave me a tiny nudge with his elbow. “All’s well, Renn. You can take your time, confront it, or keep what happened to yourself until the day you die. Don’t let others dictate your method of living, do what lets you sleep at night,” he said.

My face got a tad warm as I nodded. “Thanks… I plan to let him know later… I just… need a little time to collect myself before I do, is all,” I said.

Vim simply shrugged. “Take all the time you need… I mean, really Renn… look at me. Thousands of years later and I still struggle to even mention certain things or mistakes I’ve made, and I personally have rules that are supposed to not allow that. So… yeah.”

Something told me the mistakes he spoke of were far worse in magnitude than my own, but I nodded and agreed all the same. Especially since it made me feel a bit… better to know I wasn’t alone in such a thing. Even if it wasn’t a good thing to not be alone in this instance… Since after all we were talking about my actions having led to Brom’s death.

“Now let’s change focus before we both get all depressed and awkward… how about you take up Fizz’s offer while I go check out this… place Coin is sending me to,” Vim then said with a nod.

“Hm…? Sure…?”

It was a tad disappointing I’d not get to go with him, but at the same time I was also a bit glad.

Maybe now I could spend some more time with everyone before we leave… now that I didn’t need to stay under Vim’s watchful eyes anymore.

I of course wasn’t too bothered with such a thing… I mean, spend time with Vim? That was one of if not the very top most important things on my list of activities… but I also enjoyed my time with everyone else. Enough so that I had been a bit worried over it these last few hours, stressing over the fact that Vim might have kept forcing me to stay near him for an unknown amount of time.

Hopefully he handled Renka and… whatever else he needed to deal with concerning the gods soon… before he felt the need to be overprotective once more.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep