War of the Fathers - Chapter Twenty One

This week’s episode features Chapter Twenty One of War of the Fathers.  Click here to download it or press play below. Here is an excerpt from the show: 

Nelion smiled as she plucked a black rose from the tree, twisted off most of the stem, and placed the flower behind her left ear, it stood in stark contrast to her blonde hair and white dress. She was, as always, barefoot. Blades of grass poked up through her toes. That caused Adar to look down at his own booted feet. Should he take his shoes off? It seemed wrong that he wasn’t barefoot as well. Adar stooped and felt his sword shift on his back.

“You’ve been gone a long time,” she said. “I’d begun to wonder if you’d forgotten your way back.”

Sword? Why did he have a sword? He looked up at Nelion, afraid that she might be offended by his coarseness. He hadn’t been prepared to find her again. If he’d known, he would have dressed differently and left the sword behind. Their eyes met, and he knew it was okay. She reached out to him, causing him to stand, leaving a boot unlaced. Oh, how he longed for her touch, he reached towards her hand, but she took it away before they connected.

“Leave the boots and sword on for now.”

Adar ignored the voice in the back of his mind telling him something was wrong. Roses don’t grow on trees. Who’s ever heard of a black flower? But that seemed like such a little thing. What did he care what color the flower was? He’d found her again. It had been so long.

“I don’t need them anymore. I’m never leaving again.” Adar bent down to his boots again. He meant it. Never again. The rest of the world could be taken by the Hunwei, and he wouldn’t care. Aren’t you forgetting something? asked a voice in the back of his mind. He ignored it. “Never again.”