"It's a countryside," I whispered, slightly grimacing, and having a petty thought if the standards of this parallel universe were decreasing with every realm.
"It's beautiful!" Nazira whispered, her voice sounding complete opposite of mine, her eyes unblinking staring around at this widespread, open space greenery with tall meadow grass. It looked mostly like the realm of Kanya.
Watching her bedazzled, I was starting to have this feeling if Nazira was a combination with a few selected qualities of both of my friends-Leena and Celina-a highly sensitive, ever crying, stubborn and nature loving kind of a girl.
It was warmer than in the realm of Meena. There was no breeze but an essence of slight humidity in the atmosphere that made my skin a little greasy. It was too quiet and motionless, with no movement of grass and no existence of fauna, the soil beneath my feel too powdery. The only best part of the realm was the lake that laid quite without any ripples in the clear water. There were trees on the opposite side, its shadows falling on the water. Perhaps I was so accustomed to Vrindahina that even from this far away I was able to recognize them.
"I wish we were on the other side of the lake," Nazira signalled, "It looks more peaceful."
"More peaceful?" I asked, "More than it already is?"
"It is?" she asked me back.
Her voice touched my heart, momentarily constricting in sympathy. I bit my tongue and thought it was sensible to ignore her question.
"Do you really want to go on the other side?" I asked instead, "You know, we can still go if you want to."
"No," she signalled first hurriedly, and then hesitatingly, "I can't ..er..swim."
We gazed at each other, our eyes locked. It was clearly written on her face that she was just making a conversation with me so that I forget the fight we had yesterday. But I didn't... couldn't. I have been planning to make up with her, to clear things up the whole last night since we had entered this realm. I did my waiting. Not anymore. Breaking her eye contact, she turned around to walk back to the hut. I didn't let her to, not this time. I held her hand and gently caressed with my thumb, gesturing her to look up at me.
"We need to talk," I said, not letting her hand go.
I understood she wanted to too when she bent her head down without giving any reply. She quietly walked with me towards the lake, both of us taking heavy steps to get through this dry meadow. Reaching what I thought was a fine open place, I sensed the tension brewing between us, the same kind of an awkwardness when we were living back in the academy, pretending just to be acquaintances.
"I..I am really sorry..." she began to signal but I lifted my hand up not wanting to hear any of those monotonous words. It was becoming a habit to start and end the conversation without making facts clear.
"Let me go first," I said, "There are some things you need to know because I think, even after us living together for more than half a month, you know nothing about me."
Her features hardened. She slowly dropped her eyes to the floor and I gave her some time, waited till she looked back up.
"First of all," I continued, "Stop treating me as someone belonging to Clan of Rajya. Stop looking at me as if I am a...a prince or something. I am not used to it and I hate when you consider me only as a grandson of a great king and nothing else. I hate it."
She arched her eyebrows, probably thinking about what I really meant.
I went ahead. "Nazira, I am just a regular guy, who likes to do regular stuff. I was a normal school going kid, who used to and still love to spend time with friends, go out with them, party with them. That is who I am. But I agree my life is changed now. I am chosen to be a Samagraha. Have mercy, but I cannot run away from my responsibilities because I just cannot."
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...
