Missing

Writers: Yvonne, Miriah
Date Posted: 29th April 2015

Characters: Bortem, Humari, Taril
Description: Taril finds out Humari is missing.
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 12, day 3 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: Yriadha, Xeladrie

Bortem

Humari

Taril was a little later at the office than he'd intended. A flurry of messages had gone between himself and a seaholder further south who had a windfall of fish and wanted advice on how best to preserve it for the ever-changing palates of the Halls and Weyrs. He was confident that there would be enough over the turn to fulfill tithe and Hold requirements, and he wanted to ensure that whatever extra he caught was well received.

So it was that Taril limped home with a tired Dodger wrapped around his shoulders, his back sore and his fingers stained with ink. He mentally cursed the stairs, but his mood brightened considerably when he remembered that Humari was waiting in a room filled with glowlight. There would be dinner, and they could play a game of backgammon or cards before bed. He paused at the door to knock and let her know that he was home, then he unlocked it with a key from the ring on his belt.

But inside their apartment was dark and silent. The fire was out and there was a chill in the air. Taril frowned and fumbled for the glow by the door. "Humari?"

The thick silence absorbed his voice. She wasn't there. Still frowning he uncovered the glow and let its light fall into their main room. Perhaps she'd fallen asleep; pregnancy had sapped her energy and he'd come home to find her asleep more than once. Except their little home felt... empty. "Humari?" he called again, suddenly uneasy. Again there was no reply.

He paused to lean against the wall and pull off his one boot, which he let fall to the floor. Glow in one hand and crutch under his other arm, he proceeded to search their apartments as visions of Yarmel ran through his head. The way he'd hit her, the threats he'd made, the way she'd hidden in the kitchen armed with a knife. The bruises on her back on their wedding night.

She wasn't asleep on the couch or in their bed. She wasn't in the kitchen or the little room he'd cleared out for her personal use. There wasn't even a note, and she hadn't sent Sissa to him earlier... although her little green flit was still being trained and could be unreliable. Perhaps she'd tried and Sissa had become distracted? The unease he felt increased as he found a stub of a pencil and a scrap of hide. 'Where are you? I'm worried.' he scrawled, then roused Dodger enough to attach the hide to his foreleg and press the pencil stub into his little claws. The brown flit chittered sleepily, already exhausted from his long day carrying messages, but obediently popped /between/ to find Humari when Taril asked.

~*~

Sitting at the rough hewn table, Humari stared at the wooden table, her entire being numb and her shoulders heavy. When, she thought, when would her mother let her have just a little contentment without interfering? And what had happened to Sissa? The little green flit had never shown up. In her numb state, worry sat heavily on her, even as her hands rested on distended abdomen. She had cried all of her tears out and her face felt chapped and swollen; she didn't have any more tears, she thought. Where was Sissa? Surely her flit had felt her upset. Shouldn't she be here?

Her eyes moved slowly over to the window, all fight gone out of her. It was getting dark. Taril would be home soon, if not already. He would notice she wasn't there and didn't have dinner cooked for him. Would he eat? Where would he eat? The hearth would be cold. She didn't think she had banked it before she left. He would have nothing to eat...

Her eyes went back to the table, lighting on the plate of untouched food that Bortem had left for her. She wouldn't touch it. Couldn't, even if she _was_ terribly hungry. She didn't even touch the proffered water. Knowing her mother, it might be dosed with fellis, and that was not something she was willing to risk. Bortem was outside right now along with her sister's husband. Guarding. It was laughable, really. Did they actually think she could run in her condition? It was a long way to the Hold and she wouldn't try in the dark, not with the risk of tripping and falling. She sighed deeply and rubbed her belly. Taril would want his child. Her child. It would be taken from her. If Taril had the child, would he even want her back? The moment they had shared during their celebration gave her the hope that perhaps he would, but she couldn't be sure. If he had his heir, she wouldn't be necessary. Her eyes closed at the thought.

The scrabble of claws made her eyes pop open instantly, hoping that Sissa had finally arrived. When she caught sight of the brown flit and immediately recognized him, she gasped then quickly covered her mouth and glanced outside. Dodger! She shushed him quickly and took the note, relief breaking the numb depression. She read it, bit her lip and spoke softly to the flit. "Shh...they might hear you." She quickly grabbed the parchment and in tight, small script wrote back, ' Mother said marriage wasn't valid. Won't let me go. Sissa's gone and I'm scared.' She handed the note back to Dodger and hurriedly whispered. "Please, Dodger, get this to Taril right away. Hurry!"

The flit tilted his head quizzically at Humari, his eyes whirling with concern. He took the note she proffered in his claws, leaped from the table, and disappeared.

~*~

Dodger returned to Taril stirring the embers of the fire with a poker, more to give himself something to do than out of any hope of reviving it. The flit landed on his shoulders and wrapped his tail around Taril's neck. He broadcast his unease, and contentment to be back with Taril.

The merchant frowned and replaced the iron poker before retrieving the note from his flit. The sight of Humari's handwriting gave him some measure of relief-- she was all right, or at least all right enough to write. If they'd laid a finger on her, or beaten her again... his anger rose hot, but he pushed it ruthlessly back before reading the note.

'Mother said the marriage wasn't valid. Won't let me go. Sissa's gone and I'm scared.'

Mother said the marriage wasn't valid. Taril grit his teeth, his rage returning. Yriadha. That meddling, wherry-faced bitch. What on Pern gave her any right to declare _his_ marriage invalid!? They'd been married for four months, Humari was pregnant, and she decided that _now_ was the time to break their contract?! Taril stuffed the note into his pocket, limped to table and wrote on a second scrap of hide, 'Don't be scared. Why not valid?' He hesitated, then added, 'I'll fix this.' It was half a promise to himself and her... and he only hoped that it was one he could keep.

The note was passed to Dodger and the flit went /between/ again. Taril grabbed his oilskin coat and headed out the door, back to his office. There was a contract locked away there that he desperately needed to see.

~*~

Dodger appeared again, giving Humari and thrill of hope. About to take the message, she was interrupted by the door slamming open. Bortem and Urtan came in, hurrying towards the table. Urtan flung his hands at the flit. "Get out! Go!" He turned to glare at Humari as the flit /betweened/ away and raised his hand to strike.

Bortem caught it quickly, his eyes hard. "No. She's with child and Taril would have you gutted if you hurt his child, bastard or not. Not to mention that Xeladrie would question why her handmaid had a marked face. Mother is protected, we aren't. "

"I'm not afraid of that cripple!" Urtan scowled and yanked his hand away.

"He's not a man to cross."

Humari stared at them, face confused. Taril was a merchant. Just a merchant. Wasn't he?

Last updated on the May 11th 2019

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Missing