chapter 1
All of the chapters are in a non-linear format
Present
The coffee shop, Esnatzen, was empty when Seres walked in; the moss green carpet, filled with static, shocked his feet. He glanced around, eyes resting on the large tables in the center of the shop. He didn't feel like sitting down, although the orange and black armchairs looked comfortable. Instead, he walked up to the counter-top and slumped against it, the tips of his black hair touching the counter. He was feeling uneasy today. The barista boy looked at him, rolled his hazel eyes and disappeared into the kitchen. Five minutes later, he came back with a cup of black-brown sludge.
"Here, the boss wants you to try this." The boy stared at it with a disgusted look."I'm glad the boss isn't making me drink that, even if it's on the house."
Seres glared at him, his slivery-sapphire eyes making the boy step back, and then he glared at the coffee. Oh, great. Zane made this. I hope I don’t get sick again like last time.
"Well you aren't the boss's best friend," he said sourly, taking a sip. He immediately spat it out, grimacing. An omen, Seres thought. "He calls this is coffee?! This tastes like-"
"Seres! I see you tasted my new blend! How is it?" The boss ambled in from the kitchen, thick, black smoke trailing in his wake. It stained the pumpkin walls and dulled the leaf covered metal tree on the wall behind the counter. The smells of burnt paper, myrrh, strawberry and coffee drifted out of the closing kitchen door.
"Hey Zane, what happened this time?" Seres said, sighing.
"I was in the kitchen experimenting with some new ingredients," Zane said, brushing some white powder off of his apron, "and they caught on fire."
"What new ingredients," Seres asked, trading a nervous glance with the barista boy. They both came to the, silent, agreement that Zane was crazy enough to keep trying to cook when everyone knew he couldn't.
Zane grinned, shaking some soot out of his fire-colored hair, "Sorry, can't tell you, trade secret, So what do you think?" He pointed at the cup.
Seres eyed it and then Zane's hopeful face. "Sorry, it's a little too strong for me.
Zane checked his watch, a large, gaudy thing on his wrist, "It's five thirty; where is the rest of my staff?"
Seres glanced around. It was true; the only people working were Zane and the barista boy.
"You should call them, boss," the barista boy said. Zane gave him a puzzled look and walked back into the kitchen.
"You're new here," Seres said to the barista boy; it wasn't a question.
"How'd you know?"
Seres laughed, "No one ever called Zane 'boss' before. Plus I haven’t seen you around before. Where're you from?
"Telema"
Seres gave him a blank look, "Is that in Quilae?"
The barista boy smiled, "No, but close. It's in the country next to it, Kiranné."
"One of the tíz város."
The barista boy looked surprised, "You've heard of the ten cities?"
"I run a bookstore." Seres said glancing around the cafe, "plenty of time to learn about the old culture. How come no one's in here yet?"
The barista boy snorted, "You came in here at five fifteen. You're the only early riser I've met so far."
"It's a perfectly decent hour."
"Is it? You're the only non-zombie person I've seen at five fifteen. Everyone else is walking around coffee deprived."
He pointed to the girl scrutinizing the menu. She didn't look like a zombie, in fact with the dark circles around her eyes she looked like a panda. He mentioned this to barista boy.
"Yeah, but she's still not as well dressed as you are. I haven't seen anyone else wearing jeans and a t-shirt this early, most people wear sweats and bathrobes. Now that guy on the other hand is an early riser just like you." He pointed towards the man in the doorway, a man Seres hadn't seen in twenty years.
He had changed the way he dressed. Before he wore suits; now he was wearing a large duster and black, soft pants.
"Wolf," Seres murmured, the familiar smell of cinnamon and clove clouding his senses. I knew it. What's he doing here?
"You know him?"
"I thought I did"
"What you mean?"
" We were friends once. We don’t talk now. We," he paused, glancing at the door again. "I should go talk to him," he said instead and stepped forward. He rubbed his fingers over his nails. Let's stop trouble before it starts. Wolf looked at him with nervous eyes. Good, be afraid of me.
"Hello Wolf, what are you doing here?"
"I," he paused, shuffling his feet, "have something of yours. I came to return it."
"And what exactly would you have that belongs to me?"
" A piece," Wolf said, pulling out a small compass, "of your soul."
"And I'm supposed to believe that?" Seres curled his hands inside his pockets; his nails cut into his skin. It can't be. Why would you have this? Why would they give you this?
Wolf held it out, "Take it"
Seres eyed it warily, taking a step back, "You might have done something to it." You wouldn't give it to me just like that.
"I give you my word." Seres laughed, causing the barista boy to frown and panda girl to glare. "Sorry," he told them. "Your word," he said to Wolf, "means nothing to me." You betrayed me once. You'll do it again.
"Take it," Seres paused, considering him. He hasn't gotten much sleep; he hasn't eaten very well....does he?
"You have a death wish," he said. He took his right hand out of his pocket and pressed it against his leg.
Wolf blinked, "Why do you think that."
"I remember telling you that if I saw you again I'd kill you and yet you're here." I definitely don't want to see you again.
Wolf gave him a toothy grin, "I don't mind dying...you can have my life as your reparation."
"No" Why would you want to die? You wouldn't want to leave her alone like that. Not now.
Wolf frowned, "Why not?"
"Because you want to die" I won't let you...not until you feel the pain that I felt.
Wolf stared at him in shock. Seres took the compass from his hand. It shimmered, strands of sapphire rising out to coil around his wrist. My soul. It wants to come back to me.
"Hmm, you were telling the truth after all." The strands outlined thin scars that ran down his wrist before sinking under his skin. Seres relaxed a little, the hand in his pocket slightly uncurling. Seres looked up at him, "why are you here?"
"What do you mean?"
"You could have sent the compass to me...instead you delivered it yourself. Why?" He frowned at him, eyes narrowing.
"I wanted to see you."
"I'm not going to kill you."
"You said that already."
"It needed repeating. What's the real reason?"
Wolf looked out at the prairie, hesitation in his voice, "I don't have anywhere else to go." Seres frowned and looked around the cafe. The barista boy was staring at them with undisguised interest and panda girl was trying to get his attention by leaning over the counter, her zebra striped scarf dangling in the space between them.
"Let's go sit down," he gestured to the armchairs and tucked the compass into his pocket, "I'll get us some coffee." That’s all I wanted this morning. I really shouldn’t have gotten out of bed.
Present
The coffee shop, Esnatzen, was empty when Seres walked in; the moss green carpet, filled with static, shocked his feet. He glanced around, eyes resting on the large tables in the center of the shop. He didn't feel like sitting down, although the orange and black armchairs looked comfortable. Instead, he walked up to the counter-top and slumped against it, the tips of his black hair touching the counter. He was feeling uneasy today. The barista boy looked at him, rolled his hazel eyes and disappeared into the kitchen. Five minutes later, he came back with a cup of black-brown sludge.
"Here, the boss wants you to try this." The boy stared at it with a disgusted look."I'm glad the boss isn't making me drink that, even if it's on the house."
Seres glared at him, his slivery-sapphire eyes making the boy step back, and then he glared at the coffee. Oh, great. Zane made this. I hope I don’t get sick again like last time.
"Well you aren't the boss's best friend," he said sourly, taking a sip. He immediately spat it out, grimacing. An omen, Seres thought. "He calls this is coffee?! This tastes like-"
"Seres! I see you tasted my new blend! How is it?" The boss ambled in from the kitchen, thick, black smoke trailing in his wake. It stained the pumpkin walls and dulled the leaf covered metal tree on the wall behind the counter. The smells of burnt paper, myrrh, strawberry and coffee drifted out of the closing kitchen door.
"Hey Zane, what happened this time?" Seres said, sighing.
"I was in the kitchen experimenting with some new ingredients," Zane said, brushing some white powder off of his apron, "and they caught on fire."
"What new ingredients," Seres asked, trading a nervous glance with the barista boy. They both came to the, silent, agreement that Zane was crazy enough to keep trying to cook when everyone knew he couldn't.
Zane grinned, shaking some soot out of his fire-colored hair, "Sorry, can't tell you, trade secret, So what do you think?" He pointed at the cup.
Seres eyed it and then Zane's hopeful face. "Sorry, it's a little too strong for me.
Zane checked his watch, a large, gaudy thing on his wrist, "It's five thirty; where is the rest of my staff?"
Seres glanced around. It was true; the only people working were Zane and the barista boy.
"You should call them, boss," the barista boy said. Zane gave him a puzzled look and walked back into the kitchen.
"You're new here," Seres said to the barista boy; it wasn't a question.
"How'd you know?"
Seres laughed, "No one ever called Zane 'boss' before. Plus I haven’t seen you around before. Where're you from?
"Telema"
Seres gave him a blank look, "Is that in Quilae?"
The barista boy smiled, "No, but close. It's in the country next to it, Kiranné."
"One of the tíz város."
The barista boy looked surprised, "You've heard of the ten cities?"
"I run a bookstore." Seres said glancing around the cafe, "plenty of time to learn about the old culture. How come no one's in here yet?"
The barista boy snorted, "You came in here at five fifteen. You're the only early riser I've met so far."
"It's a perfectly decent hour."
"Is it? You're the only non-zombie person I've seen at five fifteen. Everyone else is walking around coffee deprived."
He pointed to the girl scrutinizing the menu. She didn't look like a zombie, in fact with the dark circles around her eyes she looked like a panda. He mentioned this to barista boy.
"Yeah, but she's still not as well dressed as you are. I haven't seen anyone else wearing jeans and a t-shirt this early, most people wear sweats and bathrobes. Now that guy on the other hand is an early riser just like you." He pointed towards the man in the doorway, a man Seres hadn't seen in twenty years.
He had changed the way he dressed. Before he wore suits; now he was wearing a large duster and black, soft pants.
"Wolf," Seres murmured, the familiar smell of cinnamon and clove clouding his senses. I knew it. What's he doing here?
"You know him?"
"I thought I did"
"What you mean?"
" We were friends once. We don’t talk now. We," he paused, glancing at the door again. "I should go talk to him," he said instead and stepped forward. He rubbed his fingers over his nails. Let's stop trouble before it starts. Wolf looked at him with nervous eyes. Good, be afraid of me.
"Hello Wolf, what are you doing here?"
"I," he paused, shuffling his feet, "have something of yours. I came to return it."
"And what exactly would you have that belongs to me?"
" A piece," Wolf said, pulling out a small compass, "of your soul."
"And I'm supposed to believe that?" Seres curled his hands inside his pockets; his nails cut into his skin. It can't be. Why would you have this? Why would they give you this?
Wolf held it out, "Take it"
Seres eyed it warily, taking a step back, "You might have done something to it." You wouldn't give it to me just like that.
"I give you my word." Seres laughed, causing the barista boy to frown and panda girl to glare. "Sorry," he told them. "Your word," he said to Wolf, "means nothing to me." You betrayed me once. You'll do it again.
"Take it," Seres paused, considering him. He hasn't gotten much sleep; he hasn't eaten very well....does he?
"You have a death wish," he said. He took his right hand out of his pocket and pressed it against his leg.
Wolf blinked, "Why do you think that."
"I remember telling you that if I saw you again I'd kill you and yet you're here." I definitely don't want to see you again.
Wolf gave him a toothy grin, "I don't mind dying...you can have my life as your reparation."
"No" Why would you want to die? You wouldn't want to leave her alone like that. Not now.
Wolf frowned, "Why not?"
"Because you want to die" I won't let you...not until you feel the pain that I felt.
Wolf stared at him in shock. Seres took the compass from his hand. It shimmered, strands of sapphire rising out to coil around his wrist. My soul. It wants to come back to me.
"Hmm, you were telling the truth after all." The strands outlined thin scars that ran down his wrist before sinking under his skin. Seres relaxed a little, the hand in his pocket slightly uncurling. Seres looked up at him, "why are you here?"
"What do you mean?"
"You could have sent the compass to me...instead you delivered it yourself. Why?" He frowned at him, eyes narrowing.
"I wanted to see you."
"I'm not going to kill you."
"You said that already."
"It needed repeating. What's the real reason?"
Wolf looked out at the prairie, hesitation in his voice, "I don't have anywhere else to go." Seres frowned and looked around the cafe. The barista boy was staring at them with undisguised interest and panda girl was trying to get his attention by leaning over the counter, her zebra striped scarf dangling in the space between them.
"Let's go sit down," he gestured to the armchairs and tucked the compass into his pocket, "I'll get us some coffee." That’s all I wanted this morning. I really shouldn’t have gotten out of bed.