Alive Again

Sio knew that it was a stretch, but she felt that the lead with Lurio had to be followed. If they didn't, what other options did they have? They had proof that the other miners were not involved in any way. She let Auburn know this. Auburn had developed a plan of action very quickly. It was a wonder watching him work out the details of where Lurio had been and why. Sio could barely keep up, but she was just.

As it turns out, Lurio had not been syncing his geography data with the holo-band network, which, while not required, was a common practice of everyone in the village. It made sure everyone was accounted for safety reasons. If anyone went missing or offline the holo-band network would display last known location. Lurio had not been allowing the holo-band network to actively track him, which was curious. He was shown offline at the shell-unit where he was currently whittling away at the bone he had collected outside. If he moved from that location, only those who saw him physically would be able to tell he was on the move. 

That made the plan simple, but hard to execute. Auburn had to call in another favor from Otheyo. Sio was left to watch Lurio, and keep her observation a secret. It was easy so far, Lurio was still whittling away at the bone, and it even began to take a more recognizable shape. She made out horns, and an open mouth with a sharp tongue sticking out. To anyone it would look like a demon of some kind, but Sio knew better.

 It was a tuurngait. A giant who would aid or hinder mortals that would come across it. 

Sio knew this because her grandmother was fascinated with their ancestry and ancient Earth culture. Lurio carving an image of such nature made her feel all the more inclined to know just what he was doing. She was unable to stop herself from going outside and asking. She slipped on her shell-suit and mask and headed out stopping just in front of Lurio. She stood silent for a while, then spoke.

"Lurio…" She began but stopped, unsure of how to address the man before her. Lurio stopped whittling and looked up, the mask that protected his face from the frost outside hid his eyes but Sio knew that he was staring at her. 

"What is it?" He asked, also seemingly unsure of how to interact with Sio. Sio pointed with her chin to the figure he was shaping in his hands.

"That… It's a tuurngait?" She spoke softly, like someone unsure of their answer.

"Yes," He said, and stopped whittling. "I'm surprised you know of them."

"My grandmother taught me everything she knew about her Earthly origins. She told me stories of the giants of the past." Sio said, almost defensively. She wasn't sure why. 

"So she did." And that was all Lurio said before continuing his little project. He spoke no more. This frustrated Sio. She decided to be more direct.

"Why are you carving one?" She asked.

"Been on my mind." He said. Sio wondered if perhaps the men of this family liked to speak little to annoy everyone else. But Sio didn't know what else to say, either. She turned to leave, giving Lurio a little bow. Lurio inclined his head but said nothing more. Sio re-entered the shell-unit, taking off the outer garments once more, then continued to watch Lurio carve the figurine from the window. Auburn had returned just then and greeted Lurio as he normally did. He stopped for a bit to hear what Lurio had to say, then looked up to see Sio peeking out the window. Sio blushed. She was caught, and forgot all about keeping the watching a secret. Auburn was better at hiding than she was, he played it off well and laughed heartily as Lurio gestured to Sio and waved the figurine in his hand. He patted Lurio on the shoulder and entered the shell-unit, taking off his outerwear as was custom. 

"Sio," he called. Sio timidly met Auburn at the door which was still open. The chill entered in a waft and cooled what heat she had in her. Lurio could still hear them too. "What's this about watching Lurio?" Auburn took off his mask and gave Sio a wink. Ah. She knew what he was doing.

"He was carving out something, something my grandmother told me about. I wanted to see." It wasn't a lie.

"Well, let's leave him to it. He said watching him makes him uncomfortable." He said to Sio and then walked forward letting the door finally slide shut. The warmth immediately returned. Auburn walked past Sio and motioned for her to follow. They met at the dining table where Auburn gestured for Sio to sit and he took the seat opposite to her. Auburn looked to the door, making sure it was not going to open, then with a flick of the wrist sent something from his holo-band to Sio's. A ping opened up her holo-band and she saw a dot with Auburn, Sio, and Lurio's location. She closed the holo-band just as the door opened and Lurio entered. 

"So, what's dinner?" Lurio called to them as he took off the shell-suit. Sio looked to Auburn.

"I was thinking," Auburn said, "to keep this one a surprise."

–

Sio, Auburn, and Lurio retired for the night soon after dinner, which was an impressive fresh fish fillet with local lab-grown rice. A dinner for champions. Lurio was sufficiently caught off guard by the special meal as was Sio. It was rare for anyone to have rice during the winter months in Ísandur. Their small town only ever produced potatoes or squash year-round. Sio wondered if this was the favor Auburn called in from Otheyo. They stacked the left overs in preserve-ware and placed it into the fridge. 

Sio sat on her bed, changed and showered, wondering what the next move was. But soon, with a full belly and feeling the warmth of her blankets she was out. 

Not long after she was awoken by a pinging sound coming from her holo-band. She watched as a dot on her projected screen moved past the boundaries of the village and into the outskirts. She then heard a knock at her door. Quickly, Sio zipped on her under thermal and opened the door to find Auburn fully dressed and with a pack of supplies on his back. She saw him gesture to her shell-suit and she rushed to put it on and fastened her mask before they both moved out into the night.

They followed footprints and the dot on the map to the outskirts of town making sure they stayed a decent enough ways away from their target so as not to raise suspicion. Lurio was not in sight, but that was just fine. They had him on their own radar. They moved with deliberate caution. For what seemed like hours did they continue this chase until the dot disappeared. At first, Sio was concerned, but Auburn showed her the tracks. Lurio's trail was still fresh. They followed until they came across a cave. Sio, upon the sight of it, collapsed in a heap of exhaustion. Auburn, not saying a word, picked up Sio and placed her on his shoulders, and they continued on. 

Upon entering the cave, all the sensory data on their holo-bands went haywire, and their breath which they saw in the cold outside disappeared. It was noticeably warmer in the entrance to the cave. Auburn continued onward, even with Sio's added weight, but Sio was noticing his struggle. He was breathing rather heavily. Sio tapped his shoulders and he knelt letting her down. He needed to be ready if there was to be a fight. They rested for a little while at the entrance and watched as the nightly blizzard began to cover their trails with a fresh batch of snow. Hopefully their holo-bands would work when they exited the cave, but they would worry about that later. 

Lurio was in this cave, likely for some nefarious reason, thought Sio. Why else would he sneak off without telling anyone? After a few more minutes, Auburn stood and gestured for Sio to follow. She did as quietly as she could muster despite the noisy terrain beneath their boots. They continued onward into the cave. The further they went, the more hospitable the interior of the cave became. The sound of running water became apparent, as did the smell of fresh vegetation. Soon their eyes were upon foliage, rocks, and creeks. There was paradise that Sio once saw in her dreams. 

She heard the faint melody of someone singing, and then they happened upon Lurio and a woman about Laura's age. On the floor appeared to be some kind of crystalline compound that Sio could swear was moving. Sio tugged at Auburn's hand, but the man was motionless as he stood and watched the woman. Lurio and the woman sat around a fire, backs away from Auburn and Sio. 

"Ava…" whispered Auburn.