The Quest for Normania #1: The Door of Andrios

50. A Life to Look Forward to

Ahala

Ayesha couldn't believe what was happening.

Then again, she didn't understand more than half of what was happening to her. She tried to make sense of it from what Norin was thinking, but it was all jumbled up: he was thinking too much too fast. She sighed and shut out his thoughts, only hearing for something specific. Of course, due to her inexperience, this was easier imagined than achieved.

She winded up staying to a side and holding her head in her hands. She kept watch of her surroundings, though, in case she was targeted in specific.

As for raging battle, Norin had his staff out and Mithra her sword. As Norin threw runes after runes of spells at the gigantic monster and its master, Mithra slashed at the monster at various places in her clean strong strikes. The monster roared with pain, though its master seemed to be too caught up in his fight with Rumin that he likely didn't even notice the wounds Norin was placing on him, small though they were; most of his spells missed and hit the monster instead. His target was moving too fast for him to think properly and strategise. He wasn't prepared.

At last, the monster gave a great cry, Norin and Mithra were flung away with its tail simultaneously and they fell to the ground.

"NO!" cried Ayesha. She started running towards them, but lost her balance when the ground shook at the monster's cry and thumping.

It flexed into the dark sky with a great and terrible roar... before it vanished completely into thin air, leaving behind a big mess.

Norin stood up with Ayesha's help, his other hand going automatically to right side.

"Ugh," he grunted, "hurts like Darkarous!"

"I'm so sorry, come along now, I'll clean this up. Don't think it's more than a muscle pain or something – you know, no blood."

Mithra's laughter turned their heads in her way. "You're no physician, are you?"

Ayesha frowned. "Never said I was."

"Whatever. We need to go back and –" She paused; she had been looking around at the mess of the battlefield. "Wait a minute... Where's Yela Rumin?"

Norin groaned. "Oh no, we lost her?! After all the help we gave?!"

"Help?" asked his kham.

"Yes, we definitely gave the creature major damage."

"Which is probably why he summoned it back," added Mithra. "And maybe the yela was caught in the fray of the transition."

Ayesha sighed. "First, my father, now your teacher? I'm sorry, both of you."

Mithra and Norin nodded in acknowledgement. "That's okay," they said in unison. Their gazes were on the ground.

----------------------------------

Now that they were officially recognised as a kham couple, Ayesha and Norin could stay in her bedchamber, if they so wished.

Premier Luka was her main guide through the life that came since the kham ceremony, telling her what the ancient books said about how a kham couple's lifestyle should be and what she could do instead. Mostly, she did what she could do instead, since she found that a lot of the rules of the ancients were messed up and restrictive to both her and Norin. Luka began recognising this, too, and decided to filter out the information and tell her only what was required.

It had been three days since Rumin Nyagal had disappeared and Ayesha couldn't imagine the pain her kham and his Sanguine were going through. She mostly volunteered to take care of Nora, who was upset that she couldn't understand her brother's anguish. She sought comfort in the sisterly Ayesha.