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Thalestra the Wanderer sat beneath a great pillar, resting in the relative cool of the shade. She had never dreamed she would leave Greece, that she would travel marched, through the desert, through a valley of tombs of ancient rulers, far older than she could have dreamed. The stone behind her had been hewn far before she was born, before her parents, before her parent’s parents. Weeks ago, it would have been unfathomable that she would come to rest beneath such ancient work, that she would miss the taste of water so much.
She was out of water - she had drunk the last few drops in her canteen this morning. Now she waited for dark. She would rather head back to the Oasis of Fayum to resupply in the cold of night than the heat of day.
Thalestra sighed, the expulsion of air causing her shoulder to briefly press up against the nymph at her side. The nymph had been with her since she had killed the spiders tainting the spring near Tegea, a companion of Pegaea who had offered her aid as thanks for the Wanderer's service.
Glancing over, Thalestra regarded her companion. The lack of water was affecting the nymph as well. She drooped with dehydration, the tangles of vines and leaves and petal that mimicked hair shrivelling. Her skin had faded as well, now a pale green, a far cry from the deep verdance of the forests of Greece. Thalestra worried for her - she was more plant than not, the desert must be taking a heavier toll on her. She regretted dragging her along on a doomed adventure into the desert. They would die here of thirst or die to the Telkine. It would have been better had the nymph stayed in her glade with her sisters. Regret filled the pit of Thalestra’s stomach.
The nymph caught Thalestra looking and turned to face her. Thalestra briefly dropped her gaze. She licked her chapped lips, desperate for moisture.
The nymph said nothing. She had said nothing since they started out together from Tegea. Pagaea had briefly interpreted for her, but once they left they two of them had settled into silence. It had not been uncomfortable. Thalestra was grateful for her company, for her aid in battle, for the simple pleasure of sitting beside someone by the campfire. But now, in the silence that wrapped the Valley of Tombs like a veil, Thalestra longed for conversation.
“Do you miss Tegea?” A simple question. The nymph could even answer in a single word - ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ Instead, she cocked her head, thinking. Thalestra had thought about her own home every day since setting out. How could her companion have never thought about it?
“It feels as if shall never go home again,” Thalestra said, trying to explain the question she had posed. She licked her lips again, still chapped.
The nymph flashed her a wide, easy smile. She reached out and cupped Thalestra’s chin, her thumb resting just below her dry lips.
“You are so stoic, always.” The nymph spoke, and Thalestra nearly jumped away in shock. Weeks of silence, the deathly quiet of the tombs of the Pharaohs, erased. The nymph giggled at Thalestra’s surprise. Her voice was deeper than the high lilt that Pagaea’s voice had been. It was thoroughly pleasant.
“Oh, hello,” Thalestra said, at such a loss of what to say. The nymph giggled again.
“Hello there.” the nymph mercifully went along with Thalestra’s awkward interjection. She moved her thumb up slightly, tracing along Thalestra’s lower lip.
Sweat trickled down Thalestra’s neck and beneath her arms. It was hot, there was no water, but she was sweating more from the other woman’s touch than any other cause.
“You have already killed one Telkine. Do not worry, I have faith that you will be victorious, and we will both go home again. I do not miss it, because I know I will see it again.”
Thalestra hurried to speak, to assure the nymph, to assure herself. It caught the nymph off guard, and her thumb caught on Thalestra’s teeth as she opened her mouth.
“I will not let us die here.” Thalestra could feel herself blushing, even underneath her heavy sunburn.
“I know.” The nymph said simply, as she began to lean forward. Thalestra’s shield was rested across her legs, and the nymph pushed it away and into the sand to get closer to Thalestra. She kissed her, and Thalestra, though still shocked, did not jump away this time. She kissed her back, lifting a hand to cradle the nymph’s head as she drew her closer. Her mouth was an oasis in the heat of the desert.
They would both go home again.