**** Chapter Twenty Two: SIKRI

****

Chapter Twenty Two: SIKRI

You know if he wasn’t so handsome I bet he wouldn’t get away with half the things he did. Was he really as powerful as everyone had me believe? I mean true he was strong, I would know – jerk! – But I mean –

“Don’t just stand there. Climb on!” His commanding voice blasted my train of thought.

I glowered back at him but that had little effect on him. He looked royally pissed off. My gut told me this wasn’t the time to be arrogant but then I rarely listened to my gut. I didn't reply to him and looked around for my horse, which stood waiting a few paces away. It was saddled up with my luggage roped to its side and Rumir standing alert, holding the reins.

So, Krâl had finally spared someone to help me mount. Very well, I’d be happy to oblige. I smiled at Rumir as I offered him my hand and placed a foot in the stirrup.

“Thank you,” I said, still smiling as Rumir patiently helped me sit firmly atop the fancy horse.

“If you’re quite done there Rumir, would you mind bloody fetching Azure?” Demon growled and Rumir left instantly with a bow.

I realized Azure wasn’t with us. And I wondered where he was but more than that I didn't like the way Demon was behaving at all.

“What’s your problem?” I asked him.

“At the moment? You, of course.” Just like that. No emotion whatsoever.

A thousand retorts bubbled up to my lips but I swallowed them back, remembering Azure’s plea. Instead I closed my eyes and cursed him silently.

“So sorry people! I had to run an errand!” Azure’s happy voice made me look up. “Here Aoife, eat this. An empty stomach isn’t friendly.” He smiled and pressed a sizeable chocolate flavored energy bar in my palm.

“Oh, Azure!” I was so touched. “You’re the sweetest!”

“Oh yes, do adopt her and carry extra diapers for the trip!” Demon sneered as he mounted his horse.

“Hey! I’m hungry!” I took a big bite of the bar.

“Ra em khai.” His horse sprouted wings and carried him away.

“Ra what? Same to you, whatever what meant!” I yelled at his silhouette in the sun.

“Come on lets go before we lose him.” Azure transformed into a horse. “Arsh Vahn!” he commanded my horse for me and, sprouting huge blue wings himself, was airborne in a second.

My horse leaped into the air and we followed Demon’s trail in the sky and caught up with him after a while. It was such a unique experience, I felt like I was in a dream. I remembered the first time I had flown on one of these horses. That seemed so long ago as I remembered how I had been curious and scared simultaneously. But I had been on Azure’s back that time. Now it was a real horse and I prayed it wouldn’t throw me off!

But for some reason I felt more confident compared to my last time. I hung onto the reins and looked at the landscape below and the heavens above. We flew over lush green hills and glinting rivers meandering in the sun. We rose above silver clouds as they cascaded through their sapphire domain. I felt light. Happy.

Demon was exceptionally quiet. After a while, his horse swooped down into the valley below and we followed. The landscape was practically yellow with blooming sunflowers. But as we got closer I noticed other vast fields of vibrant reds, blues, and purples.

“Looks like dear Shaman is into floral farming,” I joked.

Azure chuckled. “Not really, all his flowers have magical powers.”

“Yeah.” Demon spoke for the first time since our flight. “And his potions for shutting people up are my favorite.”

“Then maybe you should drink some,” I said curtly. Azure shot me a sharp look and I bit my lip. It was like my tongue blurted out ridicule every chance it got.

“Potions don’t work on me,” Demon replied. I could’ve been mistaken but I think he smiled.

He had steered his horse a bit closer to us now and was looking down. I followed his gaze and found a little clearing below, like a landing pad. His horse dove and we followed suit. In a few seconds, I was standing on a patch of glittering sand in the middle of the most stunning rose garden I’d ever seen. White roses. Golden earth. Miles and miles of rose bushes towering above us on wooden arches, around us in planters and planted in the soil. Every rose was fresh, dewy, fragrant and the size of my palm. I touched one – the velvety petals felt cool and soft and refreshing. There were bees and butterflies and glory of the new ripe blossoms. Cool winds tickled my senses as I stretched out my arms and took a deep breath with my eyes shut.

“Is this heaven?” I crooned.

“No, this is just where I live.” A deep throaty voice filled the air.

I opened my eyes and saw a tall lean figure draped in an ochre colored long tunic that fell to his ankles; two long slits in the garment revealed tight slacks with stripes of gold, silver and bronze. On his rather large head, he wore a khaki turban and had a friendly smile on his sun kissed face and silver stubble on his chin. He was an elderly man with an air of authority around him.

“I am Ogaz, a mere Shaman of this land.” He looked at me steadily for a moment. His eyes were kind and respectful, devoid of any malice or desire. Then he bowed to me. “I have been waiting for you. Welcome to the Cold Woods of Enth, Little Princess.”

“Cold Woods?” I looked around more intently. So this was Cold Woods? But this wasn’t the place where I’d met Lorez. “This all is so warm and sunny!”

My query sent Ogaz into peals of laughter. “It’s not the lack of warmth that gives it the name little Princess.” He smiled. “It is the tragic stories that have unraveled here since the sprouting of these very trees you see there that dubs this land so. And this part of the land where I live is called Sikri.”

I looked around and realized that indeed; at the far edge of his sunny garden stood a dark boundary of tall trees. It was indeed the same sort of forest where I had seen

Lorez at the Lake of Life. That moment came reeling back to me and I felt overwhelmed.

I smiled at Ogaz. He seemed nice. “You live in a big garden.”

He laughed heartily again. “Yes, I do. But I’m not the only resident of Sikri. There is a small town in the valley below. Maybe we’ll take you there sometime.” Then he turned to Azure and Demon. After nodding a courteous hello to Azure, Ogaz greeted Demon.

“Antinoos, my boy!” he called. “Finally you find me useful!”

My mouth dropped open like a loose oven door. Instead of beating Ogaz to a pulp for calling him by name, Demon was actually hugging the guy! Huh!

“Close your mouth child, you look like a cod fish,” Azure whispered from behind his smile as he slid up beside me, held my elbow and led me behind the other two men through an archway of white roses.

I quietly obeyed and whispered in his ear, “What did Demon say to me before we left? It was definitely an insult, right?”

“No!” Azure knotted his brows. “It means like I care.”

“That’s it? What kind of kiddy insult is that! I gotta teach you guys some good curses soon.”

“Teach me by all means but be thankful that he was decent!” Azure winked at me.

Yes. Of course. How could I be silly enough to even think Demon would need coaching as far as profanity was concerned!

The floral archways had come to an end to reveal a spacious log cabin. It was old, covered with vines, not grand or regal in appearance but big; three levels with a front yard full of plants and colorful shrubs; a nice sized fire pit in the center of the yard and a full length porch that seemed to wrap around the entire building.

As we moved forward towards the main door of the house, I scanned the burnt and charred logs in the deep fire pit.

“It must be so much fun to sit around the fire in winters,” I said.

“Yes, makes for great memories.” Azure smiled. “Any season is good.”

“Have you ever?” I asked. Something nostalgic in his voice made me curious.

“Plenty.” His smile widened. “And you’ll love the town of Sikri too. Very tiny but full of color.”

“How many seasons do we get here?” I joked. There were weird ones in Volttus. Perhaps Enth was different.

“Enth is like Earth in almost every way.” Azure nodded. “The seasons, the crops, the people, the crafts and culture and temperament. No wonder your father could blend in so well with the human race of Earth. The people here are humans – or Syhlains like you who were once rulers – and you are the only one left of them now.”

His description made me like Enth instantly. I looked around again though all I could see now was the cottage and its front yard. But somewhere across those woods or down in a valley my parents had lived – where I would have lived too if things hadn’t gone wrong. Wait. What had gone wrong? What had happened?

“Azure –” I called him but my voice was drowned by Ogaz’s loud and bold laughter.

I looked at him. That tall strangely dressed man with an amiable face was patting Demon’s shoulder like a parent encouraging a child. And Demon – he was smiling.

And all I could think was what in the world had my luck got me into.