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22. A second visit

It appeared as if Afrits warning had taken fruit.
There was a knock on the door.
Afrit, still in his animal form, sat up and Fharan went to open the door, hair still damp.
The shrika stood outside, both in their human forms this time.
They both examined Fharan as he let them pass.
Rasha, the snakelike shrika, smelled the air with her still forged tongue, turning back to Fharan.
"You smell of blood.", she noted, a trace of curiosity peeking through her mask of indifference and loathing.
The raven, a black haired man with sparkling black eyes looked around only giving Fharan a brief glance before turning to Afrit.

"Hello there. I hope we didn't come at an inconvenient time?!"
"Not really."
Afrit changed into his human form and got up, reaching for Fharans uninjured side to pull him towards the table.
Fharan was reluctant to sit down, but complied with Afrits request. His bond seemed to be unusually clingy.

"What has brought you here?", Afrit asked their guests. "And please do sit down." He added and pointed to the two other empty chairs.
Only now did he realize how shocked the two were staring at him. They had probably not expected that he also had the ability to change his form.
Rasha was the first to recover and slowly sat down as well after giving Fharan another brief glance. The raven following suit.

"Cir wants to talk to you.", the snake said.
"And who is Cir?"
The shrika exchanged glances.
"He is one of the oldest among us.
As you know shrika don't usually flock together. No matter in which state of mind, we tend to roam alone.
Cir decided differently. He started freeing his kind from the humans letting them choose if they wanted to help him or if they wanted to return to their old life. Many decided to stay or at least stayed in touch.
A community was formed."

"And why would your chief want to talk to us?"
The raven snorted.
"He only wants to talk to you. He doesn't have any interest in your human.
He wouldn't even allow him to enter our home much less to talk.
You are strong and catlike shrika with their own mind are very rare."

It was Afrits turn to glower at them.
"You seem to have forgotten something rather important!
As I already told you on your last visit: I won't be going anywhere without 'my' human, as you call him.
And I believe you have only shown more rudeness since you arrived. You stepped foot into his territory, but keep disregarding him. Even insisting to speak in your own tongue."
The raven chuckled before Rasha could reply.
"He is but a boy. What could he even do.
We would already have killed him off if you had not saved his life.
He might feel a bit queer, but he does not even possess a noticeable amount of magic!
He even managed to injure himself!
What qualifies him to meet our Vostaroy? Nothing."
Afrits expression darkened a bit and Fharan lifted a brow, more amused than offended. It went unnoticed by the two guests which were still disregarding him.

Rasha seemed to be more sensitive to Afrits mood than the raven who had just finished his little rant.
She slightly hit his head.
"He is right Kashun. We are here as guests.
Humans might be the root of our suffering and mainly useless, but this one is bonded to one of us. We do not belittle our own kind, especially an awakened one.
I do not trust him either, it is not my decision to make though", she reprimanded him, glancing at Afrit to make sure he wouldn't actively defend his bond anytime soon. Their last visit had proven to her that he was much stronger than both of them together.
"We will have to go back to Cir and ask for his opinion in this matter."

Kashun, who had finally realized the situation he had brought himself into, stayed quiet. He was still rather displeased and directed his gaze toward Fharan who was seemingly lost in his own thoughts.
Rasha tapped Kashun on the shoulder and pointedly looked at the window. It took a second before the raven connected the dots and transformed into his animal form. The snake got up and opened the window a bit and Kashun went off on his way to Cir.

In the meantime, the only human in the room was actually thinking about where he had heard the word 'Vostaroy' before.
It must have been in his time with the Jaheræ but on what occasion...?
You wouldn't mind if I get rid of them would you?, Afrits voice resounded in his head, interrupting his thoughts.
He sighed as the small glimmer of recognition died out and stood up, feeling how his bandages were slowly soaked with his blood, ignoring the question and using it as an excuse to leave the room but not before giving his bond one last look. Afrits mood seemed unpredictable today.

Since Afrit had stayed silent after her last comment Rasha tried to continue using a slightly different approach.
"Where do you originally come from?", she asked.
Afrit whose eyes were still following his bond was only listening halfheartedly.
"Sygrea.", he said.
The female let out an understanding hum.

The Sygrea Region was rather difficult to access and seldomly frequented by humans.
It explained how a black shrika had been able to develop to such an extent.
Monsters were highly sought after and could fetch astronomical prices. One of the reasons why 'shrika' were so rare.

"How long since you left?"
Fharan had disappeared behind the bathroom door and Afrits attention returned back to Rasha.
"A few months perhaps."
"Oh, and I had thought at least a year.
You are quite protective of the human."
"He doesn't need my protection. He is strong enough to take care of himself.
I just don't like it when someone does not follow the codex.", Afrit calmly replied.
"Is there no other reason?
I'm not that young myself and often witnessed the cruelty which seems to follow the human species. I doubt your bond of all people would be different."

A loud bang from the bathroom caught their attention, but before Afrit could even properly stand up, he felt a sudden wave of dizziness that forced him back onto his seat.
He silently cursed and small clouds of black mist started to gather around him.
The snake shrika had almost been halfway to the door when she noticed Afrits abnormal behaviour and halted.
But she did so only for a second before witnessing how the other slowly rose from his chair and stiffly walking past her, grabbing the doorknob.
Rasha hurriedly stepped behind him, but kept watch to not touch the eerie mist.
The door slowly swung open.