NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 23.2 The Wall
Time flew by in a blur.
Rick could hardly recall the events that proceeded him and the others from dashing into the infirmary and finding Sade missing. The howls of misery from Tyr, the angry cursing Lilie threw at the older healer, Daniela slowly combing over every square millimeter of the room in hope of finding some clue on what happened, even Hattepa’s quiet fretting in the hallway. All of it swirled and mixed together into a strange tapestry of misery and regret in his memory.
Sade had been taken.
Judging by the small puddle of red congealing on the floor, it had certainly not been willingly. Whether or not the blood was Sade’s or her attackers was anyone’s guess, although he dearly hoped it was the latter. Anyone who could overpower his future wife without her extracting her pound of flesh in the process was certainly someone Rick had no hope of overcoming.
He couldn't remember how he made it out of the stadium, let alone all the way back to their home. He didn’t black out and faint, at least he didn’t think he did, but rather his mind was in such turmoil that its usual recording function just didn’t bother to work.
Rick was alone in the massive house. Vaguely, he recalled the others announcing their individual plans to find Sade before dashing back out the door to whatever corners of the city they thought would provide answers. They would stop at nothing to see their lover returned to them.
But Rick had been left behind. He had nowhere to go, no one to talk to. He wasn’t a student at Mya like Lilie, so he couldn’t talk to any classmates or staff from the school. He didn’t have criminal contacts who owed him a few favors like Daniela. He hadn’t even toured the local pubs and taverns to make friends all across the city as Tyr had done. No, he was simply a stranger in a strange land, just as he was when he had first dropped into this world a year ago.
He walked through the empty halls until he came across their trophy room. The fairly large space had become a sort of lounge where they all sat in to chat and enjoy each other’s company outside of training or their more intimate nightly activities. Rick let his eyes wander across the walls. The few trophies from their hunts barely covered a single shelf. There was so much they planned to do after the tournament for them to fill it.
The room was supposed to be a culmination of all their accomplishments. A room where all those memories from future adventures could crystalize in physical form for them to peruse at their leisure. And now those experiences were put on hold until Sade was safely returned to them.
He looked to the side and stared at an empty wall. An idea tickled at the back of his mind, slowly percolating into something resembling a plan. Slowly, he turned on his heel and walked out the door. He may not be able to collect the clues, but he may be able to help in another way. For the moment, he needed to gather supplies. Once his friends returned, he needed to be ready.
…
The first of the three women to come back was Tyr. When her sharp senses honed in on where he holed up, she stumbled across a scene that could generously be described as organized chaos.
Several tables were brought inside the trophy room and stacked neatly with paper of all sizes. Rick had also laid out writing instruments, inkwells, small metal pins, and several bundles of colored string as well. All these things were laid out like an armorer would set out his weapons in preparation for an invasion. While the tables with the odd assortment of items was a curiosity, what Rick had done with the wall dominated the wild elf’s attention immediately.
At the center of the whole mess was a map of the city. The sheet of paper depicting every street and building in immaculate detail nearly stretched from floor to ceiling in size. A single pin impaled the map right where the stadium stood. Tied to the pin was a single string that stretched out and connected to several sheets of paper that stretched out in a line, each labeled with an odd assortment of numbers.
“What is all this?” She asked in wonder.
“If I had to put a name to it, I think ‘information center’ would be appropriate.” Rick replied, placing the last of his gathered supplies on the table before facing his lover.
Tyr wrinkled her brows in confusion. “Information? What in the blazes are you talking about? Why are ya redecorating the walls instead of bloody helping us find her?”
Rick calmly stared back at the angry elf. “Where would I go? Who would I talk to? Tyr, the only people I’ve talked to in this damn city live in this mansion with us.”
She opened her mouth to retort, but quickly closed it. He was right and she knew it. Rick stepped forward and gave the amazon a gentle hug. “Look Tyr, I set this all up so I could help in the only way I could think of. I may not be able to gather information, but what I can do is gather and organize everything you three bring in.”
He pointed towards the large map. “Right now, all we know is that Sade was taken from the arena, but we don’t know where or for what purpose. If our girl is anything, it’s distinctive with all that coital energy she’s invested into her appearance. So if anyone spots her, we can pin it to the map and use it like a trail of breadcrumbs to lead us to her.”
Rick then gestured to the line of papers on the side. “I also felt a timeline of events was appropriate. As I said, we don’t know why she was taken. But maybe if we break down what happened piece by piece, we can puzzle out the how and why of the situation.”
Tyr let out a long and tired sigh. Her whole body seemed to deflate and she wrapped her large arms around his shoulders like she no longer trusted her legs to keep her standing. “I’m sorry…” She whispered, her breathing becoming more ragged. Rick felt drops of warm liquid splash against his back.
“I’m so sorry!” Tyr sobbed. “I knew I shouldn’t have snapped at ya like that. I… I’m just so scared!”
Rick felt his own eyes start to moisten. He tightened his grip around her waist with one arm and slowly raked his nails through her auburn locks with the other. “I know. I miss her too.” He cooed softly. “We’ll get her back. We will find the bastards who dared to take her and make them pay. I promise you.”
They stayed like that for several minutes. Each of them held onto the other for physical and emotional support while they vented their sorrow and frustration at the world for letting their loved one get captured. Eventually, the tears dried up and the anger burned itself away. What remained in each of them was a smoldering core of determination strong enough to see their task through.
One way or another, they would bring Sade home.
The door to the trophy room clacked open and Daniela poked her cute blond head through the entrance. “Hola amigos. I’m back from- what the fuck happened here?!” She shouted after noticing what had happened to the room.
Rick groaned and broke from his embrace. Perhaps he should have waited until everyone came back before explaining the odd mess behind him.