The Quest for Normania #1: The Door of Andrios

33. Discussing Strategy

Norin took a deep breath.

It had been twenty hours since Rumin Nyagal had arrived at the Viseral Palace and demanded she help them. And since winter was coming and with it, the threat of war, Eura Ansari had agreed to it without a second thought. Her presence was definitely comforting for all the youngsters.

Only Ayesha seemed agitated as she paced the floor of the library in front of the table he sat at, beside his teacher, muttering and mumbling to herself. Only he could hear her thoughts and see the images in her head, so it wasn't very difficult to discern what she was disturbing her.

He tried to ignore her, unwilling to try and block her thoughts. Possibility of a kham or no, he cared about her too much to do so. 'I wonder if it is possible for a mage to develop two Sanguine bonds?' he thought, completely out of the blue.

At once, Ayesha ceased pacing and whipped her head around, her eyes fixed on him like cold ice darts. He gulped.

'Sorry – didn't realise I was thinking that,' he apologised, and, her demeanour slackened, she slid to the floor. His eyes trailed her motions. 'Why are you so upset about it, anyway? You don't want me to be your... kham, now, do you?'

"I'm not really a mage. Sanguinous fratus bonds are created only between mages, don't they?"

He shrugged. 'That's true. But you've proven to be a mage, too, so maybe you are. Anyhow, I don't think this bond is a blood sibling bond—it's different from my bond with Mithra. I've read somewhere that it forms when the two individuals in question have been together for a long, long time.' He paused. 'I mean, Sanguine bonds.'

"I don't know—what does that mean?"

'It means, they don't have to be real siblings—born to the same parents—but best friends who stick together for a long time against all odds! They play together, they fight together, they look after each other... And so on, and Mithra and I have been doing it all our lives! Nora ain't a mage, so perhaps that's why she isn't in the picture. But Mithra is!

'And you and I – we haven't known one-another that long... just an encounter at a tavern.'

She froze at the spot on her floor. "Really?"

'Yes!'

Suddenly, Rumin whipped her head around and saw the two youngsters—her former disciple and the eurin of Silone—eyes locked in an obvious mental communication. She was so awed, she gasped. It was rather loud, but they didn't seem to notice at all!

'When did they meet for real—two days ago? Four? And I can already sense such a strong connection between them! Perhaps they've met a few times before... No, it cannot be—Norin and Mithra told me they'd met her, but it was just a scuffle that lasted not more than ten minutes.

'Well, well, well, if that isn't the bond of old, long-lost soulmates, I don't know what is!'

Suddenly, the door banged open and Mithra walked in, followed by a grim Cassandra and a timid and nervous-looking Teresa. Mithra had a neutral expression on her face.

Which was reason enough for Rumin to get to her feet at once in a great urgency. "What's the matter? What happened?" Her eyes fixed on the younger female mage.

Mithra paused in front of her desk and cleared her throat. "Eura Ansari just received word from the ministers at the palace of Zorra—they're under attack by a mysterious force. Their mages have sent signals all over Ahala requesting help. Their Moon Knights are engaged in securing the royal palace and the euri."