Chapter Twenty Eight: SHEHRZAD

****

“You scared?” He smiled. “Doll?”

“Oh, will you just! This isn’t funny!” I whispered angrily. “I could seriously hurt him!”

“Oh no please, Krâl,” Jay protested. “Not the girl! I – I don’t want to wrestle a female

I mean look at her! What if I hurt her? Oh, no Krâl! I can’t hurt a woman!” “Oh yes! Of course! Not the girl!” The crowd agreed with him.

“Oh, you’re so full of it!” I snapped at Jay. “I can cream you anyhow I like and besides, it’s not like you have any other skills to prove yourself!”

“I can play the violin.” He looked at his friends for approval. Some of them even clapped to cheer him.

“So can I!” Azure boasted. “Alright then! Let’s have a violin playoff!”

And that was that! The entire tavern went crazy preparing for the playoff by pushing away the tables and chairs and making way for the two stars of the evening to sit side by side on high bar stools.

I stood leaning against a pole in a corner looking at the madness. It amazing to see how men who were ready to draw blood a moment ago were so aesthetically inclined the next. I smiled and shook my head at the thought. Just then I spotted Demon again. He had moved away from us in the crowd scene as Azure went with Jay to get their violins from the tavern owner.

Demon was standing with that hooded man in the corner but by the time I got to them, the man had already left the tavern through a back door.

“Who was that?” I asked Demon without hesitation.

“A friend.”

“You have friends?” I cocked my eyebrow. Couldn’t help it.

“You may not know me as well as you think you do.” He moved away.

“I know you’re a mean man. You almost had me going up against Hulk there.” I looked at Jay who was now checking the strings on his instrument. His violin looked like a tiny toy in his massive hands.

“Oh, please.” Demon rolled his eyes. “As if you were afraid of getting licked – wait – that didn't come out right.”

“Ew!” I flicked his arm lightly. “You’re so gross, shut up!”

He chuckled. “Just so you know it was a tactic to bring out your inner animal. I wouldn’t do it otherwise.”

“Yeah right.” I eyed him suspiciously. “I bet you say that to all the women you lick.” “Turns out every woman I meet has an animal dying to come out.” He gave me a smug look and then cocked a brow and winced. “And that’s the violin I suppose.”

And indeed it was. The playoff had begun with Jay frantically scraping his poor instrument to death while his peers cheered and frowned simultaneously. Azure sat on another stool next to him with his mouth gaping as if he was half-drunk or completely moronic. I couldn’t believe the bulky man would boast about that noise as talent. But then something fabulous happened. He stopped playing and looked at the audience. Then he looked at his violin and retuned a few strings, placed the instrument between his jaw and collar bone and struck a note.

The music that flowed from his violin this time was silky, like the flight of a bird that soars and stands on air, judging the clouds as they swim by. The passion with which he played made Jay handsome. I couldn’t take my eyes off him just as I couldn’t bring myself to breathe as I listened to his melody.

And then one of the middle strings of his violin broke. The bird fell down from the clouds into its coffin.

We were still enchanted-cum-shocked when Azure stood up with a loud ‘Whoa!’ and applauded the frowning musician with mega enthusiasm. The crowd soon followed till the entire tavern was cheering. Jay stood up with his hands in the air and smiled joyously and took a bow.

Azure handed his violin to Jay. “And now,” he announced, tapping Jay’s shoulder,

“we dance!”

The people hollered again and rushed to fill the empty space between Jay and the tavern walls and everyone broke into dance as Jay played again. But this time his melody was different. This time it was fast, bubbling with a thick folk flavor of something rustic. I had just begun to snap my fingers to the beat when one of Jay’s friends whisked me off to the dance floor and asked me to dance. Never mind that I was already following his lead by then.

“I don't know how!” I tried to speak above the music and crowd noise.

“Just do what I do, Doll!” He spun me to him with a tight grip around my waist. Then he reeled me free like a spinning top.

I had no idea where I was going when Demon caught me.

“My head! Spinning!” I gasped.

“I know!” he said. “Turn!”

“What?”

“Turn!”

“You’re dancing!” I said to him.

“We have to get out!” He held me close as we waltzed out of the crowd toward the door.

Once we reached the door, he grabbed my hand and ran out. As soon as we were outside on the dark and quiet street, he called for Azure. A blue butterfly fluttered from somewhere and transformed into Azure.

“What a night.” He was panting.

“You two have some explaining to do!” Demon frowned.

“What about you?” I said. “What were you doing here with that man so late? Who was he? Salaar?”

“I wish!”

“Shouldn’t we get to the cottage first and fight later?” Azure suggested.

“Good plan!” Demon said and we started on our way back to the cottage.

“You can’t play the violin, can you?” I giggled at Azure as we crossed the eastern woods.

He laughed and shook his head. “Not a note! He would’ve creamed me.”

“So you knew he would take the bait? Azure! You’re sneaky!” I had newfound respect for the Phromaz.

“I avoid violence. There are other options always. Besides, I do sneaky best!” He winked at me.

“Oh this was the most fun I’ve had in ages!” I put a hand to my heart and looked at

Azure. “You’re the greatest!”

“Aww, anything for you, Princess.” He hugged me tightly for a bit then let go.

“Traitor,” Demon said. “I should have you hanged for treason.”

“Oh wait!” Azure suddenly stopped in his tracks in front of us. “You know what would make this night even better? The Shimmers!”

“Oh, for the love of hell!” Demon sort of looked annoyed. “Get moving!” “But she’ll love it!” Azure insisted.

“Yes. All twelve year olds do!” Demon looked skyward.

“Hey! Watch it!” I frowned. “You’re the one acting like a brat! What’s the big deal?

Just show me these – Shimmers.”

“I’m afraid I won’t,” he said dryly. “You need to get your behinds back in bed before dawn. I can’t believe this -- it’s like I’m handling kids!”

“Well, on the upside at least we’re potty trained.” Azure pouted. When Demon glowered at him, he gave a wide toothy grin. “Come on Dee it’ll only take a couple of minutes. Please?”

“No.”

“Come on Dee, it’s the perfect night for it.” Azure was begging.

“Please show me, Demon, come on.”

“Can’t hear you.” Demon sauntered ahead.

So I drew in a deep breath and chanted. “Show me show me show me show me show me show me –”

“Shut up!” He turned around abruptly and there was a momentary silence as he stood glaring at me.

“Show me?” I requested softly, my eyes all wide with honest curiosity. He didn’t scare me no more.

He sighed heavily and knelt down on the forest floor. “Azure,” he said, “do remind me to kill you when this is all over.”

“Yes, Master.” Azure smiled and bowed.

“Brats.” Demon shook his head and picked up a handful of soil. He closed his fist on it and then opened it. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The lumps of soil had turned into burning flakes of fire that Demon held on his bare palm.

“Watch this,” he said to me and blew on them.

The small pieces of solid flames broke into tiny specks of amber light and came to life. In a second, the air was filled with a thousand flickering fireflies, except they were actually made of fire and burnt out as they flew higher one after the other, leaving a trail of shimmering mist behind them. It reminded me of fireworks. When I touched the Shimmers, as Azure had called them, they didn’t scorch but blew out like a candlewick leaving a sparkly residue on my fingertips.

“It’s beautiful,” I said. “I didn’t know you could make something so beautiful.”

“The first time he did this was for that little girl from this other village,” Azure said. “She was the one who named them Shimmers. Her name slipped from my mind just now.”

“Shehrzad.” Demon smiled. “She was so pretty. I remember her chasing after her kitten when she stumbled over a rock and hurt her leg. I was in the neighborhood, heard her crying so I did this little trick for her until she felt comfortable enough for me to take her back to her village.”

“How sweet.” My heart melted at the thought of Demon being so compassionate.

“Where does she live?”

A sad silence filled the air. Demon dusted his hands and looked at them.

“She’s dead,” he said. “She got lost in the woods again sometime after that and walked into a hunter’s trap.”

A tight knot in my heart choked back words as I looked at him. I wanted to ask him more but couldn’t bring myself to do that. I wanted to know how he felt. Was he sad?

“I’m so sorry, Demon.” I could barely speak. “You didn't have to show me this.” And I shouldn’t have insisted like a twelve year old brat!

He smiled. “Let’s go.” He got up.