“Here, why don’t you come inside? I know the meadow can be cold in the mornings.” I told the mayor.

  “Thank you, you’re very kind, Shade.” the mayor replied.

  I helped him to the couch and sat down across from him.

  “You have a lovely living place. Perfect for a boy like Torshik to be raised in.”

  That raised my guard a little bit but I made sure not to tense.

  “Yeah it is… He loves it here. He spends a lot of time in the workshop.” I told the mayor.

  “Is that so? I would assume he’d be all over Ashathink because of her… peculiar culture.”

  That definitely raised red flags.

  “Yeah it is a peculiar culture but Torshik’s still the same machine loving kid I’ve always known. He showed me this new invention that can plant a seed and then water it.”

  “Oh? How charming.” the mayor responded, looking around the room.

  “Anyways, you said you had questions?” I asked him.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Ah yes! I got a bit ahead of myself there. Anyways, here's the first question… How would you… describe Ashathink when she’s around Torshik? Or just in general, too? You don’t have to go too deep into detail. I don't want to intrude too much on your privacy.”

  I knew exactly what he meant by that but I still had to play along.

  “Yeah, she’s pretty close with Torshik, obviously none of the ‘you have to convert to the culture because I said so’ stuff like you saw a few weeks ago. She actually just told Torshik about the story of Artonia and how she watched her defend her people from the Eshkichin.” I told him, knowing that’s what he wanted to hear.

  “And has she been… odd recently? Has she said anything that might be peculiar?” asked the mayor.

  “Umm nope. She’s been perfectly normal. She’ll occasionally not understand what a modern thing is but she’s gotten pretty used to the modern world by now.” I told him.

  “That’s good… Anyways I am a busy man and should get to my duties. Good luck with that play today.”

  “Alright. I’ll do my best. See you later.” I followed the mayor to the door and closed it behind him. I peeked through the sidelight and watched as the mayor rode away in the limo. I breathed a sigh of relief and went to check on Ashathink and Torshik.

  When I went to the backyard there were agents there, with their tasers pointed at both Ashathink and Torshik. The mayor then entered via a gate they unlocked. He was also holding a taser and was followed by two other men.

  “So Shade, I'll ask again… Where are Ashathink and Torshik?”

  My eyes moved between Ashathink, Torshik and the mayor.

  “They’re in the backyard…” I said slowly and hesitantly