Talrun

2. Talrun

2 Talrun

Dr. Mosely, as she called herself, was easy on the eyes. A petite, curvy human with jet black hair, she regarded me with a curious mix of compassion and nerves. Her skin was almost as pale as the Mordavians’, but while theirs had the grayish cast of mold, hers had the golden undertone of sunshine.

That was my first impression. My opinion of her only grew as I learned that she’d landed on Daqtar just three hours ago, had come here for the sole purpose of providing medical care, and was seemingly unflappable, despite the new situation she’d been thrust into.

She was businesslike and professional despite my initial flirtation, but she couldn’t hide the sympathy in her eyes. I’d initially mistaken it for pity, which rankled me, but then I’d realized how much she knew about the political situation here. And we hadn’t talked about it, but it seemed like she didn’t quite approve of the occupation. I wasn’t going to push her for an opinion, because I was sure her position here was precarious, but it was nice to know a non-Daqtarian doctor from another planet was on our side.

“So… you were injured by a firebomb explosion in the South Quarter,” she said, tapping at her tablet. “A bomb let off by the Mordavians was intended for the fighters of a guerrilla resistance cell, but you and other civilians were caught in the crossfire.”

“That’s right,” I said, resisting my instinct to nod. My neck was still a little sore. “I’m actually due to be discharged soon… Even tomorrow, I wouldn’t mind. This bed can go to someone who needs it more.”

For the first time, her smile reached her eyes, and my heart quickened. I suspected that I’d impressed her, and that pleased me in a way I was unused to.

“You’re sure?” she asked. “I mean, your record does indicate that you weren’t critically injured…”

“I’m positive,” I said. “I really need to be getting back to my business and I can care for the rest of my bruises and scrapes at home. A lost day is lost wages, you know.”

Dr. Mosely nodded. “I understand. What kind of business do you run?”

“It’s a plant store,” I said. “As I’m sure you’ve noticed already, we Daqtarians adore plant life. Our homes are covered in vines and flowers. And our planet is—well, was—covered in forests. Even in the modern day, we Daqtarians have managed to coexist with nature like the ancient people of our planet did.”

I couldn’t help the bitter taste in my mouth that rose like bile when I thought about how deeply the Mordanians had violated our principles. Satellite images I’d seen of their industrial wastelands haunted my mind even after I closed my eyes at night. I had to fight to remember how vast our beautiful forests had been before they came.

“That’s wonderful,” said Dr. Mosely, bringing me back to the present. “I remember reading that in the guide book they gave me about your planet. I love plants too, but I’m terrible at keeping them alive. Where I come from, we call that having a black thumb.” She pointed her thumb downwards and frowned comically, making me chuckle. “The funny thing is, we say people who are good with plants have green thumbs, and a lot of you all really do!” She grinned at her own joke, which warmed my heart like a cup of sunleaf tea.

“You should stop by the store if they let you have any free time,” I said. “I’m sure I can find something easy enough for you. Short of eating it in a salad, you won’t be able to kill it.”

She giggled, and my heart soared. I loved the sound of her laugh, and I wanted to hear it again.

“I’ll be sure to visit if I can,” she said. “But if you’re sure you’ll be fine… we’re just going to keep you for another night to make sure your, uh, ruldar gland has fully recovered, and you’ll be discharged tomorrow. You’ve been taking all your medicines, correct? Shall I have the nurse bring you more water?” She eyed the full glass on the table near my bed uncertainly, realizing there wasn’t much else she could do here.

I smiled at her, as warmly as I could manage. “I’m totally fine,” I said. “I’ve got my tablet if I need to call a nurse.” I picked up the device and waved it at her.

“Okay, good,” she said. “I’ll take a couple of routine measurements for my records and then let you rest more.”

As lovely as she was, and as much as I wanted to spend the rest of the day in her presence, I had to be alone so I could talk to Lexar, my brother, in private. If she asked who he was, I’d tell her he was my business partner who helped me run my shop. But that was only half the truth.

I let Dr. Mosely stick a meter in my mouth and we waited as it took its readings. But as she took it out, she fumbled the device, and her fingers brushed my cheek as she caught it before it could fall to the ground.

A sudden haziness permeated my vision. Well, no, that wasn’t quite right. I could see everything—her, the room, my tablet—clearly. But it was like rich sunlight had flooded the room, painting the room in the same colors as a dream and blurring the outlines of everything.

The strangest part was that I had the distinct sense of a presence in the room with us, a third party that was unseen but without a shred of doubt there. I could sense it observing us, watching what was happening, and the golden light felt like a flood of goodwill, positive energy directed toward the rapport connecting me and Dr. Mosely.

If that presence was who I thought it was…

Dr. Mosely was focused on her tablet, plugging the meter into a port on the side and reading its screen. She didn’t seem to have any idea what was happening, but how could she not? Even a blind person would be able to feel the presence of the light like sunshine on their skin.

The golden light faded gradually, and the room returned to the way it was before. But something in my vision was altered. I couldn’t quite say what it was. Maybe Dr. Mosely appeared sharper in my vision, her skin more golden in tone.

She was looking at me curiously. I wondered if she had seen it too, and I was going to ask, but then I thought better of it. There was no way she had. Her face was expressive enough that she wouldn’t be able to hide her surprise if she had noticed it. Only when her mouth tugged downwards in a frown did I realize my eyes were widened and my mouth open in wonder.

“Are you alright?” she asked, confirming what I’d suspected. Either that, or she was the galaxy’s greatest actor.

“I’m fine,” I said, wondering how I could explain why I’d spaced out for a moment. “I think maybe I need another painkiller. There’s a little twinge of pain up here.” I motioned to my temple. It wasn’t a total lie; I could feel the soreness creeping on again, though I was tough enough that I would be off the painkillers completely within a couple of days.

“Oh!” Her eyebrows rose, and the golden moment was over as her professional demeanor fell over her face again. “I’ll have a nurse run them to you immediately.” She glanced down at her tablet and pressed a couple of buttons.

“You should see to your other patients,” I said, urging her to leave as much as I wanted her to stay. Something special had happened when she touched me. I had an idea of what it was, but I needed to know more. But there was no way it was what I thought it was—that would be impossible.

I really needed to message Lexar. He was smarter about these things.

“Yeah,” she said, shaking her head briefly, as if she too needed to unconsciously brush off the golden haze. “I’ll see you again tomorrow morning before you’re discharged.”

“Excellent. Thank you, doctor.” I smiled at her, wider than I would have normally. It was the golden light—even though it had left the room, some of it had curled up in my heart like a fluffy pet kisterr sleeping by the hearth. And it seemed like it was there to stay.

She returned it, and that smile, directed at me… it was almost like the light was washing over me again.

The feeling didn’t fade when she closed the door behind her. I felt better than I had in a long time, almost like I had before the occupation had started, before the pall had fallen over all of us and made us question our futures. Before the forest had been cleared and my people had been subjugated.

I immediately picked up my tablet to message Lexar. Halfway through writing, I decided to just call him.

His face appeared on the screen and he smiled. “Good to see you recovering, brother,” he said. “We’re missing you here.”

“I miss you all too,” I said. “I’m getting discharged tomorrow.”

“Excellent,” he said. “Is it safe to talk?”

“Yes,” I said. This was a Daqtarian hospital, and despite the occupation, it had not been touched by the encroaching surveillance technology of the Mordanians. I wasn’t sure why—perhaps they respected the privacy of patients, or more likely, they didn’t see it as important enough.

We would still use coded language, though.

“The event at the shop yesterday went well overall,” said Lexar. “Several high-ranking Mordanians attended and got exactly what they wanted.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank the Timewalkers,” I said, though mentioning them made me recall my odd experience earlier. “And we’re all set for this weekend’s event, correct?”

“That’s right,” said Lexar. “Everything’s getting set up, and we should be able to give some wonderful gifts to even more of our Mordanian guests.” He smiled widely, revealing a pair of sharp fangs, vestiges of our ancient biological history as apex predators on this planet.

“For the first time in a long time, I feel hope,” I said. “I feel like I can see a future.” And the events we were planning weren’t the only reasons I felt that way.

“I can see it on your face, brother,” said Lexar with a kind smile.

“There’s another reason for that, actually,” I said, hesitating. It was such a strange thing to bring up, but if there was anyone I could trust, it was my younger brother.

“Yeah?” He furrowed his eyebrows.

“I… I was visited by a Timewalker, actually.”

It felt ridiculous to say out loud, but there was literally no other explanation for what had happened.

“What? When? Did they say anything?” Lexar’s pale blue eyes were wide, his mouth nearly hanging open.

We’d talked, as children, of what we would do if the Timewalkers graced us with their presence. It was considered a significant milestone in every Daqtarian’s life.

“It happened just a few minutes ago, when the doctor was checking up on me.” Despite my great reluctance, my intense desire to keep this experience private, I forced the words out. “It happened… it happened when the doctor’s hand brushed my cheek.”

I couldn’t help but blush, feeling like a child again. I felt like I was confessing to a schoolboy’s crush. But this was so much more momentous, so life-changing compared to that.

Lexar’s mouth was actually hanging open now. “So… you’ve met your mate, then,” he said. “I mean, that’s it, right? Congratulations, brother.”

“The thing is,” I said, unwilling to accept his congratulations and what it would mean, “she’s a human.”

His mouth snapped shut comically, but I couldn’t laugh, not with the way my heart was pounding. “How can your mate be a human?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” I said. “The Timewalker didn’t say anything, it just was here for a few minutes. I could feel its presence, could feel it observing us. It was happy, I think. I felt positive energy emanating from it.”

“Well, the deities know best, don’t they?” said Lexar, returning to his normal practical self. “If a human is your mate, then that’s that. The Timewalkers know so much that we don’t. They must be certain that you’re meant for each other. They don’t bless the first touch with their presence unless it’s real.”

“I know all this,” I said with a sigh. “It’s also just… not the best time.”

Even as I said it, I felt foolish, especially when talking to my more religious brother.

He smiled. “But imagine if the Timewalker hadn’t visited, and you’d walked away from your mate forever.”

He was right, it was a horrifying prospect. Dr. Mosely was wonderful, and I might have asked her to go on a date even if the Timewalker hadn’t visited us. But on the other hand, I might have let her go, forever wondering who I was supposed to spend my life with and never finding her ever again.

“I know you’re right,” I said. “It’s just a lot to handle on top of our events.”

“I fully understand,” said Lexar. “But you know where she is now, right? She’s a doctor at this hospital. So there’s no rush. You can come back next week, ask her if she wants to spend some time with you.” He raised his eyebrows and wiggled them suggestively. “Not that you’ll be able to wait that long, knowing you. Can’t resist a pretty girl, and now here’s the most special of them all.”

I scoffed at him, but I wasn’t upset. Now that I’d shared what had happened with Lexar it all seemed more real, like I could no longer deny it.

Not that I’d be able to deny it if I tried. The Timewalkers’ truth always persisted, patient, no matter how much we mortals tried to ignore what we knew to be true.

I’d met my mate. Dr. Andrea Mosely. An intelligent, beautiful, compassionate woman. So what if she was human? She was more than perfect the way she was.

And she was destined to be mine.