Zorobo appears at the doorway to Sotet’s cell. He clears his throat loudly. Sotet is asleep leaning against the cot. He awakens at the sound of Zorobo’s pretend cough. Upon seeing Zorobo, Sotet closes his eyes and feigns going back to sleep.

“Go away, Zorobo!” Sotet nearly yells. His impatience at the situation growing more and more evident. “I think you’ve done quite enough. Go revel in your victory somewhere else.”

Zorobo removes his helmet and places it in usual fashion under his wing. He is no longer acting in an official capacity.

“I am an officer of Shretonia. A member of her elite guard. I am only doing my duty!” Zorobo retorts loudly. “You would recognize that if you weren’t so blinded by your ignorant idealism.”

Sotet jumps up from his spot on the floor. He rushes toward the door to his cell in a flurry of feathers. The only barrier between him and Sotet is the alloy bars. He points an accusing wingtip at Zorobo.

“No! What you have done is condemn an innocent child to a terrible fate. She could die…We could both die! But you got your victory….So, now you have come to gloat. As if the child hasn’t been through enough!” Sotet roars angrily—not worrying if he awakens Adahlia or the whole of Shretonia. What does it matter, after all? He is already a condemned shrike.

Zorobo narrows his eyes and takes a step closer to the bars. The talons on his feet flex threateningly.

“You speak of this–human—as if she were one of us. You have forgotten yourself, Sotet!”

Sotet takes a step back and hunches his body—the feathers along his neck standing up. Sotet’s golden eyes flash angrily and he hisses at Zorobo.

“Your zealous quest for Master Guardsman has made you cold, Zorobo. You are not the shrike I knew in my youth. And you wonder why Kotoro no longer speaks to you. You are cruel and you are petty. Always seeking an enemy to overthrow—or a cause to champion. No matter how ruthless you have to be to achieve your end. I should not have given you an opportunity. I should not have chanced putting myself at your mercy. But if I had to save the human child all over again…I would. Even your unbridled cruelty will not bend me to your level. I may be ignorant—and an idealist; but I am not a monster. More than I can say for you, I am afraid,” Sotet hisses angrily.

“Sotet?” Adahlia calls softly from the cot.

Sotet turns to look at Adahlia—tears in his eyes. He waves his left wingtip up and down in a manner reminiscent of someone calming an excited child. Zorobo, on the other hand, glares at Adahlia.

“Now, now, Adahlia. I’m sorry I woke you. Try to go back to sleep. Tomorrow will be a trying day,” Sotet tries to reassure Adahlia.

Adahlia begins to cry. Sotet races to the cot and kneels at her side. Zorobo watches the exchange with cold, narrowed eyes. Sotet uses two of his wingtips to wipe a tear from Adahlia’s cheek.

“How can I sleep, Sotet? I’ll never see my mother again. I promised her I would be home by lunch. I promised her. I lied to her.”

Adahlia sobs into Sotet’s chest, her shoulders heaving with the effort. Sotet softly caresses the hair atop her head.

“Don’t lose hope, Adahlia. Never lose hope. You didn’t lie. You could not have known this would happen. Be strong, child. You will need your strength. I will need your strength. And don’t forget…You promised me too!” Sotet says with a bit of a challenge in his voice.

Adahlia looks up into Sotet’s smiling face. She slowly returns his smile. “Yes, I did make you a promise. You are right. I’ll try to be strong, Sotet. And try to get some sleep.”

“Good,” Sotet trills and runs a fingertip over the bridge of Adahlia’s nose. “Starting now! Come on, off to sleep.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Adahlia lays back down on the cot. Sotet arranges the blanket so that it is snuggly under Adahlia’s chin. “Sleep well, little one.”

Adahlia simply closes her eyes. Sotet wheels back in the direction of the cell door. He is actually satisfied when he sees that Zorobo is still standing there—observing him. Walking with measured steps toward the door; Sotet stares between the bars at Zorobo. He crosses his wings behind his back and leans closer to the other shrike.

“Your scheming has put a barrier between me and my family. It has also condemned me and this young child to unimaginable suffering in the wilderness. A cruel exile from everything I know—everything I love. I will not soon forget this, Zorobo. Mark my words.”

Zorobo bristles and once again clenches his taloned feet.

“Until tomorrow, then?” Zorobo trills softly.

“Until tomorrow,” Sotet replies.

Zorobo places his helmet back on his head and saunters down the corridor. Sotet hisses softly at the retreating shrike’s back.

_

_

A repetitious knock on the door brings Mrs. Highstreet running. Her hands are shaking so badly that it takes three or four tries before she is able to unlock the door. She wrenches it open and stares into the faces of two young officers. The red-haired officer was present earlier this afternoon—gathering information about Adahlia. The second officer is new to her. Mrs. Highstreet motions for the two officers to enter.

“Please, come in,” Mrs. Highstreet says as calmly as possible. The officers comply without speaking a word. “Have a seat.”

The red-haired officer takes a seat in a nearby recliner. The second officer sits on the couch. The red-haired officer steeples his fingers before finally coming to the point of their visit.

“Mrs. Highstreet, we…We looked everywhere for your daughter. We searched the park, the creek, and the nearby woods. There was no sign of her. Not her backpack. None of the drawings you say she had with her. No items of clothing. Nothing. Not a trace. I am very sorry.”

Mrs. Highstreet lets out a deep sigh and leans against the wall, the back of her left hand resting against the wood of the front door.

“Mrs. Highstreet, are you sure there isn’t anything else you can tell us? Any new friends in the last few weeks or so? Boyfriends? Is she going through a rebellious streak? Did you fight recently? What about online chatrooms? Do you monitor her internet usage? Trafficking is a very real problem,” the officer continues.

Mrs. Highstreet becomes slightly irritated. “My daughter is missing…and you’re asking me whether or not she has a rebellious streak? Whether we had a fight? I love my daughter, officer. And no, she is not a rebellious child. Adahlia is one of the gentlest souls you’ll ever meet. The worst thing she has ever done was take too many M&M’s out of a neighbor’s Halloween candy bucket. But, as soon as I told her it was wrong…She gave it all back. As well as some of her own candy. Adahlia is a good girl. A great daughter. And I find your questioning just a bit insensitive.”

The second officer rises to his feet and puts out a palm reassuringly.

“Mrs. Highstreet, I assure you. We ask these questions of everyone. We need to get a feel for the kind of missing person we are dealing with. If this is a simple case of a runaway who might show up tomorrow…Or an at-risk victim. The first hours are critical in these cases. It’s not our intention to be insensitive. But, we see this happen quite a lot. Many are runaways. Even more are not. We just need to know.”

Mrs. Highstreet sighs again; trying hard to recover her previous calm. “Okay. I hear you. So what more do you need to know?”

-

-

Adahlia stares up at the ceiling. She is listening to the sound of Sotet’s breathing. In and out, in and out, his broad chest rising and falling. There is a slight trill at the end of each exhalation; almost like snoring. Adahlia smiles wistfully. Her thoughts drift to her mother—who must be beside herself with worry. How glorious it had been meeting Sotet for the first time. Seeing his world; with its beautiful lakes and mountains. She could have never dreamed it would turn out like this. She and Sotet were to be exiled to the desert for six Shretonian world cycles. The equivalent of six months on Earth—give or take a week or two. The pain her mother will feel during this time. Adahlia shakes away the thought.

Adahlia climbs to her feet and goes to the window. Sotet remains asleep with his back against the cot. Adahlia gazes up at the four Shretonian moons. The largest moon, Wotoen, casts a bright glow across the landscape. The massive trees seems to shimmer in its light. After a moment of staring, Adahlia realizes that the trees are not shimmering. The trees are covered with hundreds of glowing insects. One insect lands on the windowsill. The insect resembles a fluorescent ladybug. Each of the insect’s emerald-colored spots glow brightly in the surrounding darkness. After a brief moment, the emerald ladybug cocks its head as if studying Adahlia; and then flies away. Adahlia once again smiles wistfully. So much beauty. If only she could really enjoy it.