Sorcerer's hill

21

"I never liked humans," Domeon muttered under his breath. Keira only smiled in satisfaction. He finally agreed to help her. She was grateful. Even though if they were at each other's throats most of the time.
"But I'm sure you like me," she purred and put her hands into pockets of her jeans. She found incredible amusement in teasing him.
"Just because I'm helping you doesn't mean your death would mean anything to me. You're just another drop in the sea."
She rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. "No need to be so dramatic."
They walked together towards the lake. The road was muddy in the early morning, a few drops of water still present on the leaves around her. When she brushed against them, it left a cold tickling sensation on her skin. She crossed her arms on her chest.
"Wait for me," she called out, almost having to run to catch up with him. "Why would he go there?"
"Just follow me."
"You know, I've never been good in taking blind orders."
He let out an exasperated sigh. "I don't think you have much of a choice."
She frowned at that. "Do you think you're invincible? That I couldn't hurt you?"
Domeon suddenly turned around and raised his eyebrows. He leaned so their faces were in the same height and snored. She stumbled a bit, trying not to look intimidated. "Right now? No, I don't think you could."
She pouted. "You think I'm helpless, don't you?"
He studied her for a while. Then he smiled. She felt a bit nervous, waiting for his another argument on how useless she was - but it never came. He suddenly swung her up and before she realized it, she was sitting on his back.
"What the hell? I have my own feet!"
"You're too slow," he snorted and simply went ahead.
Keira adjusted her position on his back, trying not to think about how vulnerable she felt.
They went around the lake to the other side of the forest.
"Where does it go?"
"You never stop asking, do you?" he moaned. She shrugged her shoulders.
After a minute, he gave in. "This is the road that was used to get to Feathermore."
She found it exciting. "The other village?"
"Exactly," he nodded. "But we're not going there."
She followed him without any further questions. She knew he'd probably bite at them as he did now.
The road was less visible and the surroundings became wilder as they got deeper. The bushes stretched to the walk and she was regretting walking behind the centaur - the branches hitting her face every now and then.
"Why don't we have a Fire?" Keira asked her companion after a while.
He turned his head a little towards her side. "What on earth are you talking about?"
"Sorry, I mean-" she didn't realize how confusing that must've sounded. "The colour of the Fire. Demons are violet. Sorcerers are white. Witches are blue. I don't actually remember yours, sorry-"
"Red," he noted.
"Yes, red," she repeated and continued. "Why are we not included?"
"We?"
"Protectors," she clarified, dodging another branch just by a few centimetres. Being on his back made it more difficult not to get hit by them. "Can you be more careful with that?"
She got a slap by the horsetail as her answer. Asshole, she thought.
"What do you think your colour would be?" He asked her instead.
She thought about it for a moment. "Given that most of them are already taken, there's not much left."
"There is a wide range of colours. But it's not like we pick those. It has its own meaning."
"Really?" she wondered. She knew the colours seemed to have a meaning but she never really believed it. They were just colours. Only the weak wanted to make themselves feel better by giving meaning to ordinary things. "Then why is your race under the red?"
"Red represents our nature. We used to be wild, brave warriors. Red is the colour of passion, aggression and vitality."
He sounded very proud when he said that. Keira wondered if he himself actually fought in a battle. "Why the used to be?"
"There's no need to fight now, is there?"
"Right," she nodded after a while, missing another branch. "The purple?"
"Demons are rare. In our community - I mean magical - it's almost as if they were royalty."
"The witches?"
"Blue represents intelligence. The witches can use the whole capacity of their brains which makes them one of the sharpest creatures walking on this Earth."
"Oh," she gasped. "What colour do you think we should have?"
He stood and turned his torso around, not wanting to manipulate his whole body to face her in such a small space. "I think you'd be black."
"That's such a cliche," she muttered, disappointed.
"Why?"
"Black is the sad colour. The colour used on funerals."
Domeon frowned at that. "There's more to it. It's the colour of power. Represents safety. I think the black fire would be yours."
Keira snorted. "It's good we don't have a colour."
They arrived at the most beautiful place Keira has ever seen. The grass grew wild and it was obvious no one has touched the land for years - but it still looked just as if the bushes spreading in front of the house were the exact intention of the owner.
The house was beige, though she could see some of the original white colour around the window sills. Some parts of the walls have already been cracked. It seemed as if someone tried to break the walls in half but didn't succeed one bit - the fortress almost untouched.
Some flowers still managed to bloom in this wilderness with bees and butterflies flying around those which were touched by the sunlight.
Keira gasped. "What is this?"
Domeon still didn't let her get off him. When she made the movement to get down, he seemed to hesitate at first. He reluctantly lowered himself so she got down safely.
"Thanks," she beamed. "Last time I remember falling on the ground."
"Because you're clumsy," he sneered and ignored her rolling her eyes. "This is your home."
"My what?"
"H-o-m-e," he spelled it out as if she was a baby. "That's where Raven used to live. Or do you think she occupied Mrs Rivers and others as you have?"
"I didn't occupy anyone," she pursed her lips together. "It was just temporary."
"And where are you temporarily now, may I ask?" He smiled and walked towards the house.
She cursed under her breath as she followed him. "Stupid horse."
"What did you say?"
She smiled innocently. "That you'd make a good horse."
He raised his brows but didn't care to reply. He stopped in front of the door. She waited behind him.
"Aren't we gonna go in?"
"You are," he agreed, stepping out of the way. "I don't think I'd be comfortable there."
She nodded at that. As she went past him, she stopped and turned around to him. "I realize," she wondered, "I've never seen you before in the village. Not until the Third Fire."
He only nodded, not replying.
"But why?" she insisted.
"We all got a notice a human would be visiting," he mumbled as if he was ashamed. "None of us knew you actually belonged here. How would you react if you saw a half-man walking down the street?"
She smiled. "You don't seem as someone who would be bothered by that."
"I'm not," he confirmed, "but Mrs Rivers is."
"That explains it," she sighed and looked at the front door. "Do you think I should go there? My grandmother lived here..."
"Silly," he moaned. "I didn't take you here to have a heartfelt crisis about your family."
"What?" she frowned at the accusation of being soft. "I'm not having a cri-"
"If you want to bring Kayden at your side - which I suppose you do," he didn't let her finish and raised his hand at her opening her mouth to argue with him, "you should have something up your sleeve to show him -"
"I have-"
"- besides visions." He finished, his voice not allowing any further discussion.
Keira put a strand of her hair behind her ear, frustrated at the truth. Kayden wouldn't believe her if she didn't give him a proof he could actually see.
"Alright," she sighed and opened the door. Before she went inside, she stopped at the doorway, hesitant. "You'll stay here with me, right? You won't go away?"
Domeon sighed and nodded. "If I must."
"Thank you," she muttered and went ahead.