I was so pumped.
I had my brunch and was now impatiently waiting for Makara. I wasn't able to sit straight without fidgeting. My curiosity was reaching its limits for I wanted to know what heck of a challenge it was going to be. I noticed Nazira looking at me with a laughter dancing in her eyes. Certainly, she didn't ask me the reason for my restlessness.
Unable to watch me with my growing agitation, Nazira began to talk with me for a while and I had to tell her that it was her brother's Constellia who I was going to meet. I was so immersed in telling her about Makara that I even blurted out that this was the challenge where Second Cornelian user was never able to win.
She stiffened briefly, for a moment to realize what the outcome was going to be if my fate turned out to as identical as that of my predecessor's, and surprisingly she gave me the kind encouragement, although out of innocence, it was something that I had not thought of it before.
"The First passed through the challenge, did he not?" she signalled, questioningly, "So, it's not that there's no way to win, right?"
The sudden knuckle rapping sound on the door did not even let me thank her for sharing the noble thought with me. And had I not put my glass of hot chocolate on the table, it might have tripped all over me by now. The knock was too thunderous and insistent.
I jumped from my chair and quickly opened the door. First, like anyone, I looked straight and then frowned. There was nothing as I have been expecting. And then as I gazed down, I found the Constellia in his usual awkward pose-legs stretched apart and one hand on the floor for support.
"Hayden Mackay, we are up," Makara said enthusiastically.
The gentle but icy breeze blowing inside the hut did not let me forget to put on the jacket. I braced myself, taking a long breath before I stepped out into the severe weather. Makara had asked me to follow him. My heart was hammering, as I walked side by side with him to reach the open-air atmosphere. Currently, there wasn't any storm, but dense ashen clouds had covered the sky, promising a torrential downpour any minute.
As soon as we reached the middle of the valley, Makara spun around speedily, in a dramatic manner. "It's good to see you, Hayden Mackay."
I nodded, faking a smile. "Same here," I replied, my voice sounding abnormally gruff, "Wh..what's the challenge?"
"Simple," he said, his small spiky beard wavering with the wind. He lifted his hand and pointed upwards. "Race me to the top of the mountain. The first who touches the trunk of the Vrindahina tree is declared as the winner."
I knitted my brow, staring daggers at him. These Constellia must really stop explaining these challenges sounding as a child's play. Or perhaps I shouldn't be judging it so soon, without hearing the terms and conditions that definitely were the reasons that the Second had never won. I looked upwards slowly, all through the way on the snowy mountain that I intended to take to reach the tree. Running didn't seem to be a problem, but running over the snow was something I was totally concerned about. Chances of slipping off the mountain for several times were simply too high.
"Anything else?" I asked, in an indirect way.
"You are allowed to use your stone over me and I am going to throw my earth attack on you. So basically we are allowed to create hurdles for each other."
"Fair enough," I nodded, mentally thanking him for giving the permission, "So looks like we both have an advantage here."
"Exactly. Everything else depends on how intellectually we use our powers."
YOU ARE READING
(Book 4) Hayden Mackay and The Fest of Vrindahina
Fantasy"One final question." I said. "Do I have to find out by myself about why I am called the Fire of Vengeance?" "Hayden..." "Now please don't tell me, that you don't know anything about it. Because I know, that you know." "And how did you know may I as...
