CHAPTER 131: A THOUSAND BURDENS

Sara was swamped.

The education project she had started with Marcus. The mushroom cultivation. And now war preparations. I was just a helper in the shops, she thought. How did it come to this?

But she had to pull through. Not just for her own sake. Everyone was looking to her now.

She double checked the mushroom seeds for the third time that morning. The white threads had spread beautifully through the barley substrate. She reviewed the written process by Marcus, every word memorized by now, and handed the jars over to Lord Hammond's farmers. Since they didn't need to worry about money anymore she was delegating the money-making business.

With every responsibility she delegated Marcus's grandfather came to ask about Marcus and Tom.

The old man looked smaller each day. Grief was eating him from the inside. His eyes would dart to the door every time it opened, hoping to see his grandson walk through.

She tried to explain what had happened but the whole family was in mourning about the loss. Sara had no idea how to explain two-worlder travel to people who didn't know magic beyond simple tricks. She could only try to comfort them with a promise of return. Even in their grief they asked whether to work or shut down the cloth making process. Sara couldn't decide and gave them the choice.

"Grandpa you should decide whether to open or wait for Marcus and Tom. But know this. We have stored money for months. The family doesn't have to work." She tried to reassure the old family elder.

"Thank you Sara my sweet child. Winter is near us and people need warm clothes. I will gather the family and continue working and sell our products really cheap." He finished the sentence like asking if he could do that.

Sara picked up the hint. "Of course Grandpa you can do whatever you wish. I can help if anything breaks."

He thanked Sara again and went to his home. His steps were slower than they used to be.

Palwin was quiet. Quieter than usual. Ever since she lost the connection it had made her shut down. She was communicating only with Sara and Sara had no time.

"Palwin did you eat?"

Palwin didn't answer. She sat at her work station, fingers moving mechanically through thread.

"Please answer. I asked my cousins for lunch. We need to eat to help."

She shook her head no.

"Come on let's eat. I am waiting for the gunpowder ingredients and have free time for now."

When they were eating Sara noticed Palwin was turning into her old mechanical self. Only acting on orders. When they were about to finish she heard horse-pulled carts stopping outside and making noise. The crown must have sent materials, she thought.

A tall pale man entered. His uniform bore the royal seal. "Sara Miller?" He pointed and asked.

"Yes it's me. Is the delivery from the Crown?"

"Yes please sign these." He showed her the notes to sign.

She stepped outside to check the materials and saw Captain Harwick and his men offloading crates and barrels.

"Captain what are you doing here?"

"Well the commander said you were too valuable to leave alone so we are going to help with the materials and protect you." He gestured for his men to bring the materials inside and shouted at them to be careful.

Sara thanked him and went inside. She stopped dead in her tracks.

Celestine was in the shop trying to talk with Palwin.

"You again," Sara puzzled. She couldn't come up with the words. "...What... news..."

"Calm down child. Yes I have news. Good and bad about Tom and Marcus."

Palwin perked up instantly. Her dead eyes sparked with life for the first time in days.

"Yeah you're interested with Marcus huh?" Celestine smiled at Palwin.

"No she is kind of Tom's girl."

"Really? That giant?" Celestine's eyebrows rose nearly to her hairline. "I would not have thought of that if millions of years passed."

"Okay stop with the chit chat. Tell me." Sara's frustration boiled over.

"Yeah." Celestine pulled up a chair and sat down gracefully. She turned to the official who was still standing in the doorway looking at the situation. "These are private things dear. Leave us please."

But the official didn't move.

Instead his eyes flashed like the moon reflecting off small water puddles on the road. His eye color changed to deep purple. When he spoke his voice was different. Deeper. Ancient.

"I cannot leave the Meddler," he said.

"The Meddler? What kind of slur is that?" Celestine said with disgust, rising from her chair.

"Are you.. are you.. working for Malachar?" Sara asked. Her hand darted out to grab a sharp piece of metal from the workbench.

"No. I am the Watcher of these planets and I report irregularities and meddlers to my god."

"Oh.. you're working for the big guy." Celestine sat back down, her posture suddenly careful. "I didn't do anything. No need to report me."

"But you are putting your nose in too many things. If you hadn't sent Marcus to copy the seed he would be here."

"Yeah. Dead," Celestine answered coldly.

"This is your last visit. You will not set foot on our planets anymore."

When his threat ended his eyes went back to normal with a flash. He looked down at the signed papers and then outside at the unloaded cart. "I fell asleep for a second I think. Anyway I am leaving. Sorry to barge in"

When he left Sara's head was filled with questions. "What just happened?"

But Celestine was too angry to answer. She was boiling with fury. Energy crackled around her.

"What do you mean last visit? Fuck you and your master's planets. How am I going to get the seed now if Marcus comes back?"

"What is happening?" Sara yelled now.

But Celestine's anger was not stopping. She was pacing all around the shop and ignoring the question.

"I worked hundreds of years to collect the first two and made a perfect plan to get the third. I am not even mentioning thousands of years looking for a perfectly balanced seed. FUUUUUCK!"

Palwin suddenly entered her rant. Her voice was quiet but firm. "When they come back with the seed I can... I can try to send it to space and you pick it up from there. Now please tell us what happened to Tom and Marcus. I can't sense them at all."

Celestine's anger started to dim. She stopped pacing. "That might actually work. Okay okay." She calmed herself and sat down again.

"Sara you know that Marcus is a two-worlder like Palwin right?"

"I heard the term and his explanation but I am not sure what it actually means."

"It's a start at least. Your Marcus and Tom were sent to Terra with a portal. Don't ask me how Malachar did it but Marcus said when they wounded Malachar he got afraid and pushed Tom and Marcus through a portal they built. He did it in order to kill them by sending them to the void of space. But they emerged through in other Marcus's world."

"What?"

"What?" Palwin and Sara asked at the same time.

"Yeah he sent me to say he is looking for a way to come back. I have no idea how though. Anyway I can't meddle anymore. Good luck to you all. And don't forget to send me the seed." Her face darkened with the last words directed at Palwin.

And she vanished as quickly as she had come.

"What a crazy story that is. What about Aldric?"

Woosh.

She materialized again in the shop. "They captured Aldric. I mean Malachar captured Aldric." She looked around. "I was technically still on this planet."

And she vanished again.

Sara stood in silence, processing everything. Tom and Marcus were alive. On another planet. And Aldric was in Malachar's hands.

The weight of it all pressed down on her shoulders. But at least there was hope now.

She looked at Palwin. For the first time in days her friend was crying. But these were tears of relief.