赤裸裸的滑稽故事

He had succumbed to the weakness in his body before they had even gotten him off the deck. The swim to the surface, combined with his confusion from his time in the ley lines, left Caleb exhausted and desperately in need of sleep.

He woke in a large, comfortable bed with a heavy blanket draped over his body. As he slowly brought himself up to rest on his elbows, he was both surprised and unsurprised to find an IV connected to his arm. Looking up at the bags, he assumed they treated him for dehydration.

Her scent was all around him. He leaned forward and sniffed the bed. She had been here, slept here. But not with him. Her scent was fading from the pillows and the mattress. It was stronger across the room.

He looked around. He was alone in the room.

The walls were made of stacked logs, and few decorations cluttered them. Across the room was a fireplace, and in front of it were two armchairs with a table between them. A bookshelf to the left was filled with various books and a few trinkets. To the right was a small desk with a single chair. An open door and a quick glance told him the room had its own bathroom.

He sat up, placed his back against the headboard, and took a deep breath.

The last thing Caleb remembered was seeing the sad look in Ashleigh's eyes as she told him that he had been gone for five years.

Five years.

He had felt like it had been days at least, but years?

Caleb closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the headboard.

He knew that he was lucky to be alive at all. When he let go of Ashleigh's hand, he assumed that he would die, that he would never see her or anyone he loved ever again. He should be grateful to have the chance.

But five years was a very long time. Five years of memories without him, of a life without him. He and Ashleigh hadn't even had a full year of marriage when he disappeared, and now, he was suddenly back.

What if she had moved on?

Caleb felt a painful grip on his heart. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

He couldn't think about the possibility. So instead, he shifted his mind to other concerns. His mother, Galen, and his pack.

When he last saw them, his mother and his pack were going to Winter, which was already under attack. Summer was overrun by fae and hybrids, and Galen had stayed behind with the soldiers and wolves of Broken Crag. What happened to them after the way gate fell? What happened to Summer? What happened inside the ley line?

Too many questions, too many possibilities, too much lost time.

"They saved you."

Caleb opened his eyes and looked straight at the small child that sat at the end of the bed. It looked at him with eyes of curiosity and amusement. Not an uncommon combination in a child, but the knowledge that he saw in them told Caleb it wasn't as it appeared.

"Leshy…" Caleb whispered.

A smile grew on the child's lips.

"The wolf has become more aware," it whispered, its voice layered with many.

Caleb swallowed.

"Don't be afraid," it said. "I am here only to see and share."

"I thought you had returned to your sleep?" Caleb said.

The child nodded.

"I did, I do," the child smiled. "But I wanted to see how it ended."

"How what ended?"

"The story," the child said with a soft laugh.

Caleb furrowed his brows.

"It doesn't matter," Leshy sighed. "You wished to know what happened in the ley line? Your memory is clouded. They saved you."

"Who?"

"Them," Leshy whispered, suddenly appearing beside Caleb.

Caleb gasped and tried to jump back, but Leshy reached their hand to his temple. Suddenly, he was overcome by an intense and painful headache, and his memory was released.

Caleb watched his own life play out as though he were an observer. He watched Solana and Lily face off with the Dark Queen and how she pulled him back. He saw as the mother of his line stabbed the Queen and threatened her.

He saw Lian, and he listened as she explained what would happen. How they would sacrifice themselves to keep him alive, to give him a chance. He watched as Solana and Lily, finally reunited, were torn apart once more.

Finally, he saw himself floating through the ley line as time passed around him. As the window appeared, he saw a small hand reaching into the ley line, beckoning him.

Caleb furrowed his brow and looked at Leshy.

It smiled.

"Did you… did you open that for me?" Caleb asked.

Leshy shrugged.

"Random pockets all over the world. Opening for short periods… maybe you got lucky?"

"Did I?" Caleb asked.

Leshy turned away from Caleb and smiled.

"Maybe she got lucky," it whispered.

Caleb furrowed his brows.

"What?"

"Tell her," Leshy said, suddenly appearing across the room, holding its small hands out to the fire. "There is no debt. Leshy does what Leshy wants. But I will show appreciation for those that show it to me."

"What does that…mean…?" Caleb asked. His voice trailed off as he realized he was once more alone inside the room.

"That's not concerning at all..." he whispered with a sigh.

Then he noticed something sitting on the table between the two armchairs that hadn't been there before. He tried to see what it was, but it was too far away.

He carefully rose from the bed, still feeling a little stiff. He grabbed the IV pole and made his way across the room.

As Caleb looked down, he was confused to see a plate with a piece of bread and what appeared to be salt.

The sound of the door opening behind him drew his attention away from the plate. He looked back over his shoulder as she entered the room with a tray in her hands. She kept her head down as she closed the door behind her.

Her hair was shorter. Still pulled back in a loose braid as she often wore it, but it only reached her shoulders now, where it had reached mid back before.

Caleb couldn't help but wonder what else about her was different.

Ashleigh looked at the bed. He felt a jolt of panic from her when she saw that it was empty. Caleb swallowed. He felt what she felt. The bond was still there.

"Over here," he whispered.

Ashleigh turned, and a look of relief passed over her face as she let out the breath she held.

"You shouldn't be out of bed," she replied softly. "It's only been two days."

"Two days?" Caleb asked with surprise. He let out a soft chuckle. "Five years… and now two days…"

He gave her a sad smile.

"I just keep losing time," he whispered.

Ashleigh swallowed and licked her lips. Then, lowering her gaze, she walked toward him.

"Have a seat. I brought you some food," she said. But stopped short when she saw the plate on the table. She furrowed her brow. "What is that?"

Caleb looked down at the plate and then back at Ashleigh.

"I thought you might know," he said, observing her carefully. "It was left by someone we met once."

Ashleigh furrowed her brow, looking at the plate once more. Finally, realization dawned on her as her eyes widened, and she took a sharp breath.