Page 94 of Solivagant

What was left of Jem was inside me.

There were a part of me that wondered how much of myself had been influenced by him, and what kind of person I’d be had we not ended up sharing a body. We still didn’t know how that had come to be either. Between Jem’s death and the beginning of my own memories, there was a blank space we couldn’t fill.

Khorli suspected his grandmother had something to do with it. Just as he suspected she were the one to put these walls around him, to keep others out, but also to keep him in. He couldn’t leave. No matter how many times he’d tried to climb them, he couldn’t.

Their relationship seemed complicated, but if he were right, then I was thankful to her. Because humans had a habit of destroying anything different. I’d seen what one bullet had done to him. Had his existence become known to them, he’d have been in very great danger.

I’d told him I’d like to meet her. He didn’t seem pleased by the idea.

It didn’t really bother me, though. Neither did the question of how much Jem had influenced me to lead me here. Because I had Khorli now. And he had me. And I wouldn’t have changed that for anything.

He wasn’t alone anymore. Neither was I. We wouldn’t have to be again.

I was ready to move on with him.

We would take the supplies Khorli had found for me, and we would build our own life in a new place.

“Don’t suppose there are stores there to buy some new clothes?”

Khorli chuckled. “Benygal don’t wear clothes. But the elves do, and others. Whatever you desire, I will get it for you.”

“Elves,” I huffed. “What else is over there?”

“Many things, my Jo. And I will show you all of them.”

I smiled. That sounded wonderful.

“Any humans?”

He nodded. “Yes, but we cannot go there.”

“Why’s that?” I didn’t particularly like humans, and I didn’t care much if I never saw another human again, as long as I had him, but my interest was still piqued.

“The humans don’t interact with others. They live in large cities, protected by the false goddess Kynara. None can leave, and none can enter.”

My brain hurt to consider that. “There are gods and goddesses there?”

Khorli’s lips pulled into a smile. “Yes, my Jo. Many.”

“Do you worship any?”

His tail wound around my thigh under the water, and I shivered.

“Not particularly, but Aerith is a priestess. She worships Silvyr.”

I didn’t particularly get along with religious folk. “How does Silvyr feel about this?”

His head tilted to the side. “This?”

“Us.”

“I don’t understand.”

“We’re both male, Khorli. Religious people round here don’t like that.”

His brow pinched in confusion. “Why would it matter that we’re both male?”

I blinked. He seemed genuinely baffled at the concept of homophobia. “Do your gods not care about same sex relationships?”