Page 76 of Dark Destiny: The Turning Of The Loom

The familiar smell of chlorine was like a homecoming, which was pathetic, but he'd stopped caring. The pool was something good to look forward to in the monotony of his days, and since smells created strong associations, he'd learned to associate chlorine with positive feelings.

As he got into the water, Navuh crossed his arms and leaned them on the edge of the pool, letting his legs just float behind him for a few moments.

Areana got in and stood in the shallow end, the water lapping at her waist. "Twelve laps today?" she asked.

"Sixteen."

"You went up to twelve yesterday. Shouldn't you stay at the same level for a couple of days?"

He should, but he was tired of pacing himself. He wanted his damn legs to stop shaking, and he wanted to run and jump, even though he hadn't done either in centuries. He just needed his body to return to normal, and then he would start plotting again. There was no point in making plans when his legs started shaking after eighty paces.

He pushed off.

The first four laps went by with relative ease. His arms were doing most of the work while his legs trailed like weeds.

It was time to change that.

He kicked with his legs, not strongly but intentionally, and his speed changed noticeably.

After the sixth lap, he hung on the edge and breathed.

"I spoke with Annani," Areana said. "Gertrude told Khiann to save the motorized chair for outings. Inside the house, he has to use the walker."

The guy had been out of the clinic for a week and was already using a walker. Then again, he was only recovering from stasis, not from a severe spinal injury.

"He shouldn't have waited for the nurse to tell him that."

Navuh pushed off and did two more lengths.

He stopped next to Areana. "He is a week behind me and doesn't seem overly motivated to become independent if the nurse has to tell him to exercise his legs."

"Annani says he's frustrated. He can't read or write and needs everything explained to him like a child. At least you didn't lose your mind."

He snorted. "I'm losing it every day. The tedium and boredom are driving me insane."

She smiled. "I like the easy pace. We watch movies together, we read together, and you don't need to rush anywhere. We are retired, and soon we will move into the village and take care of our grandchildren like a couple of retirees."

Someone kill me now.

Areana had just described hell to him. He needed so much more than that.

"When are you going to see Khiann?"

"Annani invited me to E.T.'s birthday party yesterday, but I didn't want to leave you alone here. I think I'll wait until we move into the village to see Khiann."

He felt bad because Areana had stopped going out and meeting with their sons, and it made him angry that he was feeling bad about it. She shouldn't suffer because he was moodier than ever, with his entire world now consisting of her and a stone-faced Guardian who hardly ever talked.

Before, he had Bridget and the nurses to talk to, and he'd enjoyed needling them.

"You should go. I'm not a child who needs constant supervision. Visit your sister, your sons, and your grandson. I know you miss them."

She pushed through the water toward him and pulled him into her arms. "Kalugal and Lokan are your sons too, and Darius is your grandson."

He wrapped his arms around her. "When we move to the village, I'm willing to meet our grandson, but Lokan and Kalugal are no longer my sons. They betrayed me."

She sighed. "You are so stubborn, Navuh. Perhaps if you learned forgiveness, you wouldn't be as bitter."

"I wouldn't be bitter if I hadn't jumped after you off the cliff, broken every bone and organ in my body, and lost everything I have worked for, for over five thousand years."