I awoke Meli early the next morning while Sert had already stepped out into the common room.
“You look tired still.” Meli commented. I chuckled and waved her forward to the common room. The place was empty and not even the owner or his wife were present. I placed one lone finger to my lips receiving agreeing nods from my two companions. We left the inn in silence carrying only our private pouches; Meli had her healers' bag, I had my hip satchel, and Sert carried a small pack over his shoulder.
We made good time through the empty street to reached the Farmers' Market discovering a mix of close to two dozen wagons and carts set in the half circle formation. Fruits, vegetables, cheeses, milk barrels, and meats lay on the blankets that nearly covered the central area marked by the wagons. Small pathways would allow buyers to walk between the laid out blankets to purchase their goods without having to leap or step upon the product. I stood with Sert and Meli eyeing all this before approaching the edge nearest to town.
We walked around the outside of this half circle making minor inquiries as we moved along slowly. We had nearly reached the far end receiving only negative answers. The farmers could not see parting with a cart and oxen team without hindering their farm. It was at the last cart we finally found our luck and a farmer that resemble the old man that had advised us the previous night.
“It can be arranged but it will need a few repairs before I would feel proper letting you use it safely.” this farmer explained.
“What type of repairs are required?” I asked casually. I ignored the suffering sigh that escaped Meli at this point.
“The cart's axle was bent and one wheel broken during my return from here last week.” he answered. “I have just not had the time to repair it while coming to the market in the morning and harvesting in the afternoon and evening.” he continued. I heard the strangled noise that escaped Meli. I taught back of being raised on a pomegranate farm knowing that morning and evening was usually selected for harvesting instead of afternoon when it was warmer. “I do have the parts to fix it, just not the time to do so.” he concluded with a shrug.
“So we either work your fields for an afternoon or buy the cart as is and fixed it ourselves.” I suggested.
“It would be bad manners to force you to do either of those things.” he remarked gruffly. He paused as he chewed on a sprig of wheat in his mouth. “But if your need is pressing,” he began slowly, “I would rather work my fields than fix a cart.”
“Deal done sir.” I replied with a bow. “We will accompany you back to your farm today, repair the cart, and return here before night fall.” I stated. “You can bring the cart with the ox team in the morning for us to depart from here?” I asked.
“Why?” he interjected with a smile. “Just spend the night at the farm so you may depart from there without paying for another night in town.” he concluded with a wink and half bow.
“As you wish noble sir, we will retrieve our belongings from the inn and meet you here shortly for the trip to your farm.” I returned with false merriment. I turned and left quickly with Sert and Meli keeping stride with me.
“He seemed a little too nice.” Sert remarked. We had cleared the first set of houses that edged the town proper. “Like there is another reason he wishes us to be at his farm overnight.” he added quickly. I stopped and turned to face him. Meli looked mildly shocked by his assessment of the situation without realizing he understood our words. He stared back blankly at us before shrugging wordlessly.
“You understood the conversation?” Meli asked with a little shrill tone of disbelief. Sert shrugged before nodding to her. I remained silent leaving her in her confusion. “How?” she returned glaring at him. He shrugged once more before starting to walk again.
“We should hurry since it will take more time for us to carry everything back.” he commented. Meli walked behind him shaking her head in confusion as I followed in silence. As we gathered our belonging, Meli remained silent knowing Sert would not explain how he had learned this language as quickly as she had. My only puzzlement was his inability to learn Egyptian as easily as he learned Roman and Greek under Meli's very nose. Another thought formed in my mind that made me speak while looking into Sert's mind.
“Curious talent you have.” I stated in Egyptian. It earned me another silent shrug while in his mind I saw he understood the words. I could feel Meli's frustration growing at this surprising discovery. “I believe Sert has the gift to understand the words spoken but lack the talent to speak them.” I chuckled. “It is sensible for a military person to know what is being said even if he cannot speak that language.” I added quickly. This guard that appeared simple impressed me with his hidden talents often as he accompanied me.
During the return walk, I received flashes from Meli's mind as she twisted this new information about a long time friend she thought she knew. I could hear her mental fuming that she had never discovered this about her friend like she had deduced much about him. What worried me by her pensive thoughts was her self berating about not being observant enough to be in the healers' field of study. This brought to my mind the books she had collected. They were very solidly written with proper knowledge of the medicinal use of plants but also contained so less favourable usages. One of the books she had collected from Anubis spoke only of herbal poisons but I had remained silent hoping it was a innocent mistake. Or better yet, as a way of discovering reversal processes for most natural herbal poisons.
Sert and myself carried most of of the baggage between us leaving Meli to simply carry her healers' bag at her hip and a bundle of books in her arms. She had been silently fuming about this decision for most of the return trip before voicing her anger.
“Why does it seem both of you do not allow me to carry my fair share?” she recriminated at us. Sert simply shrugged under his cross-laced backpacks. I chuckled as I read the response that floated in Sert's mind.
“A medic must have their hands free to work.” I replied easily. I gave Sert a mischievous smile before continuing. “And we seemed simply faster at grabbing packs than you are.” I added. I saw Sert's mouth twitched as he refrained from laughing as a verbalized his thoughts. Meli simply grumbled at us and kept walking.
We arrived to find over half the farmers already gone and new faces present to replace them. It struck me as odd which reflected the thoughts of my companions. We moved cautiously with our packs to reach the farthest cart and our benefactor for an evenings rest in the open fields of the Roman world. We loaded our belongings between the baskets of untraded and newly acquired products in the readied cart. We walked with it as it moved back onto the road heading homeward giving me a chance to examine the unsold produce. I collected an odd looking reddish and tan lined fruit from one of the basket showing it to farmer.
“Grenadian apples.” he replied quickly. “Three pence apiece and also called pomegranate by one of the other traders.” he continued. “Very messy fruit that stains but tasty.” he added. I passed one to each of my companions before paying the man double the price. The farmer nodded as he fished around in his pouch for small change.
“Keep it as a bonus since my travelling companions may want another before we reach your farm.” I replied waving away the offered coins. I slowly cut an incision down the length of the fruit letting the blood red juices dribble to the ground as we walked. Meli and Sert followed my example slowly as the watched to see my action with this new delight. I pried it open to slowly pick at the globules of red pulp and seeds that lined the inside of these precious fruits. We walked instead of riding letting the juices drop to the ground as we ate in a slow methodical technique a fruit not found on Atlantis.
I could see the thin red drip lines at the corner of my companions' mouths and feel the same on my own face. Our fingers red tipped and it would take time before the colour dissipated from them. I looked down at my clothing as they did, noting them untouched by the crimson juice from the pomegranates. I smiled softly as memories resurfaced in me of a past life.
“What are you thinking about?” Meli whispered to me in Atlantian.
“When I first tasted these fruits nearly five hundred years ago.” I replied softly. The farmer seemed not to notice the change in language. “It was just after I was first adopted by Eris and Discordia, born as a Greek child on a farm that had a field of pomegranate trees.” I explained slowly. They listen intently as we continue walking. “At the age of ten, or one hundred by Atlantian aging, I sneaked into the grove at night and gorged myself on barely ripened pomegranates.” I stated. I was looking away focusing more on my memories than my words or my steps as that childish mischievousness took over. “I was stained from head to toe for weeks not to mention being greatly ill from the poison in the fruits.” I concluded with a evil childish smile. I was already reading their minds as they choked at my words. The look they levelled at me was mild to the feeling of betrayal that played in their minds as I laughed at them.
“It's only poisonous if you eat too many of them and worse when they are not ripe.” I remarked still laughing. The farmer must have understood by their reaction since he too laughed about it.
“You should be nicer to the younger ones.” he interjected. “They believe too easily.” he admonished while still laughing.
“Not funny father.” Meli chided me in Roman. I stiffened at her false indignation glancing at the farmer. He simply shook his head at her comment.
“I would believe the young man as kin to you but she does not bare your looks upon her.” the farmer stated with a snort of laughter.
Sert mind jumped at his words as he examined both Kestrel and Meli more closely. Kestrel's skin had darkened as theirs had from travelling through Egypt. His raven coloured hair did match Sert's darker brown unlike the lighter auburn of Meli's hair. He had over looked many of the features that both he and Kestrel shared like the broad nose, deeper set eyes, and harder edged jaw line. The reality that he could pass as Kestrel's child was only marred by the impossibility of having Meli play sister to him in this game. Her delicate and perky nose, wide eyes, slender jaw, and lighter hair could never pass as family traits to outsiders.
“She is my wife and daughter in law to my noble father sir.” Sert stated quickly in fluent Roman. He placed one arm protectively making sure his hands were placed on her elbows for his own protection. I knew he had realized that Meli and I would be questioning him about speaking Roman without an accent. The farmer smiled and nodded to him politely. I said nothing to Meli as she marvelled about the mysteries of her life long friend.
It took just over three hours to reach the farm which gave time for Meli to calm herself. The building of the farm appeared worse for wear even when compared to the primitive state of the culture we walked through. The farmer drove the cart directly to the front of the house calling out a name.
“The wagon is in the barn with the tools to fix it.” he informed us. He pointed at the structure with a wave of his hand. A young boy exited the house. “Let the others know we have guests for the night.” he ordered. The boy nodded mutely at him before returning into the house. “Must be to work.” he told us. He nodded once more to us then slowly walked off into the tall grass of his fields. We started to scan the horizon around this farm house to find nothing but fields of tall grass leading to the distant tree line. Something was wrong here. A mystery offering itself to us.
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