**** Chapter Forty: AZURE’S ADVENTURE

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Chapter Forty: AZURE’S ADVENTURE

"What was that now? Sapphire, did you say?" He turned to smirk at me.

I was aghast. "How the hell did you hear that? No way! I didn't say it out loud!"

"You're too easy, Aoife. Your obsession with me is so obvious." His smirk intensified. "When you are not talking to me, you are thinking about me. And I am sure your thoughts take you a lot further south than just my Sapphire eyes.”

My jaw dropped a little but I quickly glued it right back and glared at him.

“Yes.” He said. “That’s the look I was thinking of back then.”

He smiled but didn’t reply and resumed walking ahead.

I knew he was simply toying with me. Must count to 10. Ignore him. Count! 1, 2, 3 –

“Perhaps, I should’ve left you with Aoibheann.” He stopped walking and turned to me. “There are things you need to learn from her.”

That was the last straw! I threw a punch in his face but he caught my fist. I suppose the suddenness of the attack made him lose his balance and he fell backward, taking me with him. Too bad the earth beneath our feet was soft and bordering on a ditch because we rolled, ending up on wet, slippery grass in a hollow.

And Demon – instead of grimacing in pain under my weight or the fall, he was grinning.

“Ugh!” I frowned. “Look at me! I’m covered in leafy mud!”

“I know. I’m looking.”

I didn’t reply and instead concentrated my energy on trying to get off of him. Only to slip and fall back onto him.

“What can I say?” He sighed. “I don’t even have to try.”

“It’s not funny!”

“It’s fun.”

“What are you so happy about anyway? Had a great night, Krâl?” “Still am.”

I wanted to scream!

"You are the most revo –” I had only begun when I heard rustling noises in the distance. I clamped my hand on Demon's mouth and leaned closer to the ground.

A bush swayed at the top edge of the slope and Azure stepped out from behind it. "Thank you for making it so easy for me to find you. I am sure Aoibheann will be grateful as well." He looked down at us. "And uhm, she might not be happy with the position you’re in right now."

I jerked my hand away from Demon's mouth. He was still smiling.

"So is this our sleeping arrangement for tonight?” he said. “You on top of me?"

"I wouldn't sleep with you even if Lorez said it was the only way to save Enth, Volttus and Earth!" And with that I got up. Azure’s blood curdling shriek gripped my heart and I almost fell again. “Azure, what is it?”

“Your dress!” He gasped. “Your beautiful dress! Who did this?”

“She ripped it.” Demon said lazily. “Imagine that!” “Why?” Azure looked devastated.

“Will you relax?” I frowned. “It got tangled in the underbrush. What was I supposed to do? And besides I never liked it anyway.”

“And the view is much better now than before.” Demon said. “Please, continue to stand over me. I quite like the way it looks.”

“Oh, really?” I glared. “Why don’t you try to get off your royal butt for once?”

“I don’t think so.” He crossed his arms behind his head as he lay on his back on the wet soil. “I like my bed here. You are welcome to join me, of course.”

"See, see how he treats me?" I scowled at Azure. "Be nice to him! Make an effort! If

Aoibheann doesn't do it, I will kill him myself when all this is over!"

Azure rolled his eyes. "We have a few hours till sunrise, let's get some rest and save the bickering for later. If all goes well, you have the rest of your life to pursue killing him. And seriously Dee, you cannot sleep on the wet ground."

“I need to wash all this grass off of me.” I looked at my hands and knees. “Is there water nearby?”

Demon rolled over on his side and cocked a brow. “Sounds interesting.”

I stared at him. “I think I’ve changed my mind. I’m fine as is!”

Azure shook his head and extended his hand to me. “Climb up carefully, darlin’.

Dee, you coming?”

“I’d rather not, lest your Princess gets some fancy ideas tonight. You did see the position I was reduced to earlier, didn’t you?”

That was it! I turned on him. “You’re such a pain in the b –” but Azure pulled me up before I could finish.

“Save your breath!” he whispered. “You seem to be in an awfully foul mood. What happened?”

“Nothing.” I shrugged off his hand and walked on ahead into the clearing. I decided to mind my temper from then on and ignore Demon for real. Azure was right about me saving my breath. I couldn’t let an insensitive soul like Demon ruin my life.

We settled in the best way we could in the given circumstances. Demon lay in the big cavity; Azure and I under the shade of a lush tree.

I hadn’t realized just how tired I was and gave a big unapologetic yawn. I saw something shine on Azure's chest. "What is that?" I asked halfway through my second yawn, but before he could answer, I'd already fallen asleep.

I had the wildest of dreams. There were horses flying, blue dragons breathing fire, whose eyes were orbs of changing color. Horns grew out of the ground and tightened around me while (this is the weird bit) Lady Gaga laughed away. It all swirled away to reveal Nivis's remains and his medallion.

"His medallion!" I woke up with a start.

I looked around, it was nearly dawn and I could see the darkness merging with some pink in the sky. Azure and Demon were sitting quietly talking to each other. I couldn’t hear a word of what they were saying. Some super ears I had!

And didn’t these people ever sleep?

I was stiff from sleeping on the ground but a good stretch got rid of the soreness. I noticed I was covered with giant leaves that formed a blanket. I touched it. The leaves slipped off and fell to the forest floor. I smiled. It must have been Azure. He thought of the smallest things, the sweetheart.

"Good morning!” I called out to the boys. "What are you talking about? And I think my ears have malfunctioned.” I now had my finger poking around in my ear. “I can’t hear a thing!"

Azure smiled at me and said something. I could only see his lips move.

“What? Why can’t I hear you?” I frowned and got up. Demon eyed me for a second and then looked away. I ignored him too. I’d made a vow with myself the previous night and I meant to keep it. "So Azure, that shiny thing I saw on your chest last night. What was it? The medallion that Nivis wore?" I walked towards them.

"Good eye Aoife, indeed it was," said Azure and this time I heard him.

"You stole it? When?"

"After you were escorted back to your rooms, I stayed there in my beetle form to watch. The Richesse army was fascinated with all the action and was lining up to see Nivis's ashy remains. There was such chaos that the Ducimus servants couldn't even get in to gather him – uhm – his leftovers. That's when Isaac Leon came and whispered to his lieutenant to bring him the medallion." Azure was all smiles. "I always thought it was an accessory like a big chunky necklace and Nivis's powers worked solely through his dagger. But since greedy Isaac wanted it, I assumed that it must hold some magic.

“Later on, I meant to sneak into his room to steal it. I was waiting for a chance to do so, when there was a very loud angry scream. I am guessing that's when Aoibheann discovered the key was gone. Isaac ran out to see the commotion, and I stole the medallion and here I am."

"Wow, so what does it do?" I asked.

"The only power that we have discovered so far is that if the wearer wills it, he can block his voice from everyone except for those who he wants to hear him. No one around him can hear his conversation. Even you, with your super hearing, couldn't hear us."

"That doesn't sound too useful. I mean, with other people with normal hearing, you could just whisper, you know."

"Think of the bigger picture," Demon said. "If you were fighting a war and you wanted to pass on strategic information to just your allies or army, you could and the enemy wouldn't hear a thing."

"Oh, that would be helpful." This power was kind of cool. "Do you have to say it out loud or just project what you’re thinking?"

"Oh, we all know what you’re always thinking about, pumpkin." Demon smiled.

I looked him in the eye and smiled back. “Don’t be too sure, Krâl. You might be surprised.”

“Oh?” His eyes glowed like soft blue skies bathing in the morning light. “I love surprises.”

“Especially if they’re as tender as the one last night,” Azure spoke up and grabbed all my attention in a second.

“What happened last night?” I was all ears.

“Nothing!” Demon said quickly before Azure could reply.

“That’s not true Dee!” Azure rebutted smilingly.

“What happened?” I demanded, and then something struck me and I glared at Demon. “You did something, didn’t you? Did you? Did he do something, Azure?” Azure nodded vehemently. “What? Who else did you fry? Or bed? And in this forest too?

Goodness!”

“Are you out of your mind?” Demon frowned. “I didn’t touch you if that’s what you’re worried about!”

Before I could reply, Azure spoke up. "Dee, you are one to talk. Who was it that got up in the middle of the night, painstakingly gathered the biggest leaves from everywhere and placed them over Aoife so she wouldn’t feel cold? Who was thinking of her then? It definitely wasn't me."

I blinked. I was not expecting that!

The piercing look Demon gave Azure should have burned him to ash. I kept my mouth glued. Didn’t say anything.

Demon looked away, his jaw right. That just could’ve been the perfect opportunity to poke fun but for some reason, I wasn’t in the mood.

Azure shrugged, and then quickly jumped up. "We have to go. Maybe Ogaz can tell us what else the medallion can do. It might come in handy when we go to Khuzdoh.”

And so we walked through the thick trees till we reached a clearing where they had left the winged horses. Had it been just last night that they had come to rescue me? It seemed a lifetime ago. Time passed so quickly in the Realm. When was the last time I had been home?

I rode double with Azure. He said he wasn’t in the mood to be a horse just then. My moody shape-shifter, I smiled. I put my arms around him and buried my face in his back. In both the Earth and Realm put together, I’d never had a friend like him. Or a frustrating and mysterious companion like Demon.

I secretly eyed Demon all the way back. I couldn’t believe he had covered me up! ****