(Book 5) Hayden Mackay and The Pride of Haima-Endira

22. Charm a Stone

Doctor sprinted out of the bar, slightly hacked off. Celina tagged along appearing timid and unduly modest about having been caught.

For a January night, the weather wasn't bad. Chilly but tolerable. Cloudless, ablaze of the stars and the full moon beaming down from behind the Uilani hill. Luminous wash spread across the silent landscape devoid of prying eyes. At the base of the hill, the village seemed unperturbed, hundreds of shacks surrounded by acres of ranches, swathed with snow.

Doctor cleared his throat seeking her attention. He flipped his walking stick and held with both his hands. She hesitated to meet his eye. Her mind was stuck on the jarring news Doctor had given her. This ensuing night began to give her grand apprehension of her life. It was indeed a mad dream, that couldn't possibly be true. Moreover, she couldn't escape from accepting the fact that her disappearance had caused this breakage amongst her friends.

Naag was inside the storeroom where she'd held a man captive. She glanced back twice at the entrance. "Check on him," Doctor had ordered his Constellia, "See if he's fit enough to be taken to Panchayat. Otherwise, wait for me till I'm done with her."

Clearly, Naag had chosen to wait. Frantic with the worry of getting caught, she had nearly strangled the man to death. Against her better judgment, she would already pronounce him dead without the need to check on him. It was with trepidation that she gulped down, picturing herself shackled in a dark prison as Doctor had always threatened her with.

"You and I need to go on a job." Doctor began and that drew her attention.

"Job?" Doctor's words nonplussed her and she looked back at the bar. "I already have a job."

He shook his head. "No. Taking over the business is your personal family matter. You've been given permission to do so until you were strong enough to get familiarized with the actual duties demanded of a Moonstone user. Protecting your clan was a preliminary round of your training. I admit, keeping your today's feat aside, you've been putting the efforts well. With the benefit of hindsight, I've realized your limitations and now ready to take a necessary risk of portraying your true gifted powers."

"But I want to know what's going on with Tyrell. Leena told me he is sick. We have been fighting just for no reason. And now you are telling me that he left the academy? Got manipulated by Shashi? Doctor, please tell me what's going on. I deserve to know about him. I...."

"Everybody loves him," Doctor snapped with a raised voice, "Name one who doesn't. Worrying about Tyrell Kissler will not bring him back. The sooner we accept it the better. Celina Hanslay, I've given you quite a few months to steady yourself. To get stronger in a fast and methodical way. If the Clan of Vaquiro is getting to have a sound sleep tonight, evidently it's because of you. But Panchayat is not happy with you limiting yourself to just one clan, and neither am I."

She stood alert. "Panchayat?"

"Yes. This is bigger than you think. It took me a while to get legal permission from them and now they've finally given a nod only after realizing that their reluctance to act at the right time has cost them a Samagraha. I do not want to waste my time anymore. Celina, Shashi is planning big. Get this into your brain once and for all. He is going to do something drastic to sabotage this country until he gets what he wants."

She stared blankly at him, listening intently with her mouth slightly hung open.

 "And you know what," Doctor continued, "this is not going to stop with Shashi. There are many more crooks living in every corner of the country with the same mentality and might one day turn up like him. Therefore, you and I need to work a lot harder to put an end to this craze of dark magic itself."