An Unpleasant Surprise
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Keeper Nathan brought the two to the monastery adjacent to the temple. There, he had them sit down in a little dining room. They had hardly taken their seats when he spoke.
“Many years ago, while I was helping a neighbor in his vineyard, I caught a strange man stealing grapes.”
Philothea and Zoe glanced at each other, but Pouli, lacking all subtlety, said, “I ate the grapes because I saved the baby! I am a good boy.”
Keeper Nathan again looked at Pouli, his brows scrunching even tighter.
“I thought he was some poor madman because he kept saying he was a bird.”
“I am a bird,” Pouli added.
“I can see that now,” Nathan replied, regarding him curiously. “Must be fae magic…”
“It is,” Philothea assured. Poor Keeper Nathan looked like he was questioning his sanity; the least she could do was reassure him.
“And you must be the baby,” Keeper Nathan ran his hand through what was left of his hair thoughtfully. He had had such a carefree air when they met him in the temple a few moments prior. Now, he seemed anxious and distracted.
Philothea couldn’t exactly blame him. Her reappearance must have been a lot to process. Especially since someone he knew as a human was now a bird.
“Why did you come back?” he asked.
“I am looking for my parents,” Philothea answered.
Keeper Nathan bit his lip and tapped his thumbs together thoughtfully, then he mumbled, “I’d better talk to the head keeper, he’ll know what to do.”
Then he asked them to wait and left the room.
“A moment only,” Zoe said to Philothea. “We’ve got to get back to the temple to meet Raven.”
“But he knows my mother,” Philothea objected.
“Doesn’t seem like he really does, though,” Zoe pointed out. “Pouli, does Katina really know Keeper Nathan?”
“Keepers are Katina’s friends,” Pouli chirped. “He let me eat the grapes. He is a good boy.”
“Yeah, but does Katina know Keeper Nathan specifically?” Zoe pressed.
“The keepers are Katina’s friends. They will hide the baby! They will save the princess!”
“I’m going to take that as a no,” Zoe stated.
“But what about that prophecy Pouli sang when I got here?” Philothea pressed.
“I’m not convinced that was a prophecy,” Zoe remarked.
“What do you mean?” Philothea hissed.
“Think about it,” Zoe continued. “That whole prophecy thing about you destroying Zeno or whatever, didn’t sound anything like Pouli’s usual songs.” She pointed a confident finger at Philothea. “That song he sang when we got here, however… sounded just like all his others.”
“But–” Philothea started to object.
“I think Pouli remembered there were grapes here and that this Keeper Nathan let him eat them, and made up that song to get us to go to James’s vineyard.”
“Pouli wouldn’t lie to us,” Philothea defended.
“He’s a bird,” Zoe pointed out. “It’s not like he has any kind of moral sense.”
“I am a good boy,” Pouli explained. “I will get a grape!”
Philothea looked at the little bird thoughtfully. He certainly wouldn’t lie on purpose, but… well, she just sort of assumed his song was some kind of a prophecy. But he sang about all sorts of things that interested him. If his mind was on grapes (which it almost always was), he might have made the whole thing up to get them. Still, perhaps all this was meant to be. Perhaps the Holy Creator had put that song into Pouli’s heart so they could meet Keeper Nathan and he could help them.
“We will wait a few more minutes,” Philothea said.
They waited and waited and waited. After a short time, a young keeper brought them some refreshments and then left them to wait some more.
“I’ve had it,” Zoe remarked. “If Keeper Nathan does not come back by the time we’re done eating. We should leave.”
Philothea reluctantly agreed. When the Keeper did not return, they both stood up and started making their way back to the courtyard. As they walked, Philothea suddenly got a very odd feeling. It was like the icy tingling she’d experienced when Zeno’s men first closed in on her, but just a tad warmer and less forceful. She was so stressed, overwhelmed, and frustrated. Perhaps all of those feelings combined were just making her jumpy.
She sighed, trying to calm herself, as Pouli happily whistled on her shoulder. They didn’t meet any other Keepers in the halls, which disappointed Philothea. She was hoping she could leave a message with someone. It seemed so rude to disappear without saying goodbye.
When they finally stepped out into the courtyard, they found Keeper Nathan. It would have been a welcome surprise if it weren’t for the army of brutes he had with him. He was speaking to the man at the head of the army, whom Philothea recognized immediately as the very man she’d spent weeks trying to avoid.
“There they are!” Keeper Nathan said, turning and pointing toward Philothea.
The Fables of Para Sympan 