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WHEN WE PULL UP TO the marina, Kumiko parks the car between two solid lines among other cars. Land folk of this time are very organized.
We stopped at a restaurant to eat. Kumiko was hungry, as was I, and I found it interesting the tables were unmovable—bolted to the floor and aligned in a perfect array, as are the streets. And there are many streets—too many perhaps and despite the number, they are still crowded with cars. Everything revolves around driving—lights, walkways, and signs. There are as many roadways as there are signs—signs everywhere controlling everything that people do. I pray signs will never reach the sea. The sea seems to be the last place on earth where one can truly feel free.
Kumiko feels about the side of her head. “Orphelius, we need a plan to free this animal.”
“Will there be guards? Do I need a sword?” I scratch my head. “Do I need a gun? Like the sheriff?”
“Oh dear Lord, no! No swords. No guns. I just meant the dolphin is young, but I’m sure it’s going to be heavy. We are going to need to carry it out of the tank somehow and get it back into the ocean.”
I realize I’m at a loss. My massive, boneless limbs would certainly be a better fit for this mission. I also can’t call for help from any of my sea friends and I have no clue how to navigate on land—it’s been so long.
Kumiko is rubbing the other side of her head now. She’s rubbing her bruises. “You do know we could get in trouble for this? It’s the middle of the day and if we get caught removing the dolphin from the tank, we’re probably going to get arrested and go to jail.”
I undo the seatbelt and lean over to kiss Kumiko’s cheek. “Then you cannot come. It’s better I do this alone.” I step out of the car and Kumiko yells.
“Alone?” She also gets out of the car and slams the door to follow me as I walk towards a large one-story building. I cannot sense the animal, but by the look of the building—the filthiest object of everything in sight, I know the dolphin pup is in there. If I needed to keep a prisoner secure, that’s exactly where I’d keep him—in the dirty gallows.
“Hey, I’m talking to you, Orphelius. You’re not leaving me alone,” Kumiko shouts.
I turn around. “Go back to the car and wait for me. I cannot allow you to be held captive. Not now. Not ever again. I will figure out a way to free the pup. This type of thing—partaking in perilous undertakings, this is what I used to be good at. And—”
“And what?”
“I know you are scared.”
Kumiko rubs the sides of her head with both hands now, palpating the sore leftovers of yesterday morning’s horror. “I’m not scared,” she mumbles.
I chuckle and slip my fingers under hers to rub her bruises. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice a particular boat parked among the others in the marina? I know that boat belongs to the one who took you from the beach and returned the next morning to hurt you.” Kumiko bows her head and I pick up her chin. “That man is not your lord. He has no power over you. But if he does decide to show, I will kill him.”
“Orphelius, that’s what I’m afraid of. It feels like you’ve traveled through time rather than being stuck at sea and I don’t want you to face things here that might get you in trouble. I also don’t want you to face Bradley. I don’t want you to go anywhere where you might be in danger. If everything you say is true about us, about our past, then I feel like I owe you. I have to go with you. I cannot sit idle knowing harm might come to you.” She stomps her foot. “I will not.”
For the first time, I know why Kumiko felt the need to go back to her lord on the first night we met. She was adamant about going back, but it was not because she feared being independent or being found. She was afraid for me. She was afraid her lord would come after me and she would lose her pride. She had become proud of what she had done by laying with me—she had defied her lord, the man who had defined her entire existence. I fought her pride back then. Like her lord, I, too, wanted to possess her. I wanted her to risk everything for me and I would be the prouder. But for a whore, her pride was all she had left in the world and it’s possible I’m trying to rob her of her pride again. I figure this moment will be a good time to let her choose what will make her most proud to simply exist, to choose for herself what defines her existence.
I scrunch Kumiko’s face between my palms and her lips pucker so I kiss them. “You don’t owe me anything. I have fought long and hard for us because I desire you. Badly. But you are free to make your own choices. So, tell me, Healer of My Heart, Captor of All My Consciousness, and Keeper of My Soul, what shall you do and where will you go?”
“I go with you.”
Fear settles in my bones. I’m more afraid to take Kumiko with me now than I was when I took her back to her lord centuries ago. I cannot fathom the idea she could get hurt or locked up, especially knowing I would be the cause of it.
Kumiko can sense my indignation and she laces her fingers between mine. “It is not fair that you know me better than I know myself, especially when I know so little about you. Athena says you were a Master at Arms—a justice warrior of sorts.” I nod my head. “Show me, Orphelius. I know only the parts of you that are of mysticism and magic. Show me the parts of you that make you a man. I want to see the man you are.”
I tug on Kumiko’s hand as I turn to walk forward, leading us both towards danger, but I feel strong. I feel stronger than I’ve felt before. I am hungrier for justice than I’d ever known. Furthermore, I’m eager to impress the lady I have tangled between my fingers and gripping my palm. The lady wants a show and I will certainly give her one. She will be right at my side watching my every move as I rescue this creature because rescuing is exactly what I do best. And my reward will be grand! A grand reward the lady, my lady, will give me.
