1st of Desnus
Borodin had eaten far too much. At first he paced himself, for he knew it would be bad to gorge everything he saw, like a wolf that hadn’t eaten in a month. He did a good job at first but wanted to try a little of everything brought out. Before he knew it he was feeling ill.
Excusing himself, he decided to explore a little bit of the town. He had been cooped up all day in the library going over events in the darkest future with Elsir, Willas, and Verik. Anya was amazing. He couldn’t believe she transcribed everything spoken so quickly and accurately without stopping.
Stepping outside in the evening breeze brought him out of the events of today. The weather was still cool as the sun sets, although the last few weeks of Spring were waning. Walking down the main boulevard, he took in the sights and sounds of a town at peace. He noticed that the town was only but one third the size it had been when he first arrived in 4727. He could make out the groundwork of the city’s infrastructure, comparing it in his mind’s eye to the city that greeted him so long ago.
He passed close to a mill on his walk down towards the farms that spread out to the southwest of the castle. There were a half dozen or so children, playing hunter hunts. It was nice seeing younglings laughing and playing without care.
He drew some stares from the children as he got closer. It was obvious to them he was a newcomer to Newhaven. He waved to them and was about to continue his stroll when it hit him. He recognized some of the children, although not as they were now. Looking back, he made eye contact with one of the older boys on the periphery of the group. Borodin could tell by his physique that he was the miller’s son. Hard work, even at that young age, had made him lean and wiry. But those eyes he had seen before.
They were the eyes of the miller, from that hell hole he called home for so long. As Borodin turns and continues on, he is struck with a vision of the past-future.
He and a few others in the resistance took three bags of grain from the miller’s stores to supplement their supplies. Nikolai had the miller killed the next day for the crime.
He suddenly felt sick. Reliving things in his mind was making him dizzy. A wave of anger flowed over Borodin at the memory. Then grief, followed by regret. He looked away and saw another familiar structure, and was immediately struck with another horrible memory. He turned right down the next street trying to flee the area, as if that would make the memories subside.
At the next intersection another familiar place sparked another vision. Borodin now at a run, tried to rid himself of the memories as fast as he put distance between himself and the triggering location.
After what seemed like hours, Borodin finds himself at the edge of the Tuskwater. Exhausted and out of breath, he drops his pack, strips down to his loin cloth, and wades out into the water. It is quite cold and takes his breath away as he jumps in. As the cold water numbs his body, the pain and nausea subside.
After a few minutes, he trudges back to shore and pulls a clean towel from his pack. Dressing himself in the darkness was not too difficult but Borodin realizes it would probably not be a good idea to stroll back to the castle at night. Cursing his stupidity he walks a hundred yards away from the shore and starts to make a small camp for himself. He laughs. Luckily, I have everything I need right here. He pulls a small two man tent from his pack and gets to work.
